Troublesome Flames

by Designated_Traitor

Summary:

Linn stared at the orange flame that danced on her forehead. No way. This power wasn't meant to exist here! This was the world of Nen users, not Flame users! And to top it off, they were Sky Flames, the most troublesome of all elements.

Notes:

Should i be uploading new stuff? nah, but im going to
1- I've got all the guardians planned out, however i only listed Illumi and Hisoka cuz i wanna take some of u guys by surprise :3
2 - while i did put them down as 'relationships', each Guardian's gonna have a different kinda relationship with their Sky, some only Familial, some a bit more
3 - Be Aware: Slow Burn, Slow Trust building - literally everyones troublesome

Also I'm stating this now: Gon, Killua, Leorio & Kurapika = Not Guardians

Chapter 1

"I'm not so sure about this." The purple-haired girl whispered. She had spent the entire elevator ride fidgeting and Linn was very close to telling the girl to just leave if she couldn't handle it.

The tall blond teen, who had decided to take up the 'leader' position of their little rag-tag group, sent a gentle smile to the girl. "It'll be okay Margot, just stay close to me, I'll get you through this."

'This' being the Hunter Exam, the famous Exam that a certain group of Main Characters from a popular Manga were also going to take. Granted, only herself and the blond teen were aware of this, considering he hadn't stopped grinning stupidly as he noticed the group finally make their appearance.

Linn sighed and sat back against the wall. Irritating things were coming, so it was important to rest as mush as she could while there was time. Why did she decide to do this again? Oh right, a Hunter License would make literally everything in this world easier.

Margot nervously shifted again, her purple dress swaying along with her movements. No way would she last till the end of the exam, Linn thought, she looks one insult away from a complete breakdown. Even with blondies help.

Eyes moving to said blond. Linn noted how he was still looking over at Gon and the others entrance, his eyes creepily tracking their movements, and almost as if he saw an opening- "I'll be right back guys." Shooting a quick smile at the group, he rushed into the crowd and towards Gon.

It was funny, when he spotted Killua earlier he held himself back from approaching. With good reason I suppose, Linn thought, eyes quickly glancing to the guy with needles all over his face and body. She couldn't suppress a shiver. It had looked weird on an anime character, on a human it looked terrifying.

"Oi Kazuya!" A voice rang out in alarm at the blonds, Kazuya's, sudden departure. Linn's eyes drifted over to him. The third member of this little rag-tag group who looked as if he was born to be in the anime world, Linn snorted, he had the white hair and eccentric fashion sense to make it. Dungarees that looked just on the verge of being too small, black sheer socks with sunflowers on them, a pink oversized hoody, and for goodness sake he carried an umbrella with him.

"Is he crazy for going off by himself?! Who knows what can happen to him! He can get attacked or robbed or even killed-"

"That's enough." A stern voice cut him off. The final member of this group, and the only name Linn managed to remember, was Carter. The dreadlocked teen was the oldest out of them all and tended to be the voice of calm when emotions ran high. Like now.

Daisuke huffed at the command. Carter raised an eyebrow and gestured to the now whimpering Margot.

"Oh, sorry Margot. I'm sure Kazuya's gonna be fine." Daisuke sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

"I- I know." She stuttered. "I'm just scared."

Linn felt a swirl of pity towards the girl, while Kazuya had given the group a run-down of what to expect during the exam, he hadn't exactly warned them about what kind of competitors they'd be going up against, the criminals, killers and those who would lie and manipulate to get what they want, Linn's eyes skimmed over to where Tonpa stood next to Gon's group.

Things are gonna start moving along soon, Linn thought as Gon and Killua drank the laced juices. Kurapika and Leorio had already thrown theirs away and Linn felt a surge of irritation at how Kazuya merely stood behind the group with the dumbest grin on his face.

"Tch." Linn released the grip she had on her sweats, looking away form the scene. Kazuya's reaction to this whole thing was normal, expected even of a fan, if anything Linns own reaction was the wrong one.

Crossing her arms tightly, nails digging into her skin, she pressed down on another surge of irritation as she hears Kazuya's laughter with the group. He meant well, really, but it just seems like he's forgotten about the darker side of the Manga, and by involving himself with the protagonists Kazuya was unknowingly bringing their whole group into whatever mess Gon and the others got involved in.

Well maybe not the entire group, Linn thought. She was definitely going her own way as soon as she got her license. Margot and Daisuke though... Linn glanced at them from the corner of her eye, neither had stopped looking at Kazuya since he departed, both looking lost and awkward as they waited for him to come back. Yeah, they’d definitely follow whatever Kazuya decided to do. Carter on the other hand, Linn wasn’t two sure what he planned to do. He seemed to just be going along with the group at the moment, and Linn half expected to just turn around one day and see he had wandered off to do his own thing.

"Watch where you're fucking going!" A voice yelled.

"Fuck you!"

Linn watched as the two thug-looking men rounded on one another, snarling in each other’s faces, their bodies lined with tension. The surrounding contestants quickly stepped back to give them room, none willing to try to defuse the situation.

“You think you can actually pass this exam you punk?!” The taller of the two threw a punch, connecting with the shorter one’s jaw, snapping his head back.

“Che, you call that a punch?! I’ll show you how it’s done!” The shorter one steps forward into a boxing stance, lining himself up to deliver a jab.

The tall guy, recognising the stance, quickly steps back, accidentally bumping into yet another person. His face turned red from anger, and he whipped his head around to the newest offender. “WATCH WHERE YOU’RE-”

The man cut off with a scream, and Linn stares in muted horror as his arms dissolved into hundreds of red flowers. No one says anything as the man's screams taper off into choked sounds of pain, and then a sultry voice speaks up.

"Oh, how peculiar... his arms seem to have become flower petals." Linn gulped, her throat suddenly extremely dry as the one and only Hisoka spoke. "No smoke and mirrors here. Do take care." Hisoka smiled down at the man writhing in pain, as if he hadn't just removed the man's arms from him.

"When you bump into someone, you really should apologize." His smile turned sharper, eyes gleaming with satisfaction as he sauntered away from the man, everyone rushing to step out of his way.

Linn could feel her heart thumping in her chest. Hisoka wasn't even close to her group and yet it still felt as if he was standing right next to her. Such a terrifying presence.

Margot chose this moment to step forward, taking everyone by surprise as she made to move away from the group. "S-someone needs to h-help him." She hadn't moved her eyes from the man now bleeding out on the floor, even though Margot was practically shaking in fright, hands clutched together fiercely, she still wanted to help.

For a second, Linn let herself be pleasantly surprised, it seemed that she had underestimated Margot quite heavily if she was willing to put herself in potential danger by helping a stranger. But then the moment passed as Margot went to take another step as it was also a very stupid thing to do.

Linn leaned forward on her knees and grabbed the back of Margot's dress, uncaring for how she looked to the other contestants, roughly dragging her back.

"What are you-"

"Do not." Linn hissed. She ignored the pinch of guilt as Margot flinched at her tone. "You'll draw unnecessary attention to yourself; you want to be singled out as soft-hearted fool and made an easy target?"

Margot cowered against the wall, shoulders drooping and head bowed. Linn knew her words were harsh, but it was the lesser evil when compared to the possibility of getting Hisoka's attention.

"He needs help." Margot whispered.

Linn settled herself against the wall again, tension finally leaving her body. "And the Hunter Examiners will deal with it. See." Linn and Margot watched as two Examiners carrying a stretcher rushed over to the man.

"Ah, that's good." Margot relaxed.

"You should stop worrying about others and just focus on getting through the exam." Linn met Margot's eyes, hoping the seriousness of her point was getting across. "You need to worry about yourself first and foremost, okay? Cause I tell you, no one's gonna be worrying about you during this exam."

Margot's eyes sunk to the floor full of hurt and even Daisuke stiffened, affected by Linns words as well. Linn wasn't bothered to see if Carter had a similar reaction, it was about time the reality of this exam hit them.

"That's enough Linn." A voice scolded her.

Linn looked up, a cool expression on her face as she met Kazuya’s scowl. “Why, Kazuya? They should know what to expect don’t you think.”

Kazuya shook his head, sending Linn a look of disappointment that had her digging her nails into her arms again. “We can get through this as a team.” He smiled at the others, with Daisuke and Margot eagerly returning the gesture and Carter just staring impassively. “Remember, it’s okay to rely on each other, I won’t leave you guys behind.”

“Of course! Didn’t think you would for even a second Kazuya.” Daisuke grinned.

“Y-yeah!” Margot smiled as well, eyes once again light and hopeful.

Linn scoffed, turning away from the three. Whatever. Her eyes went back to scanning the contestants and landed on a pair of eyes staring intently in her direction.

The air around Linn suddenly felt very heavy, not unlike how it did when Hisoka did his little show, as she was subjected to the intense eyes of #301, the man covered in needles, Gittarackur.

Also known as Illumi fucking Zoldyck. Why was he looking this way? Why would he single them out? Was it her or someone else in the group? Fuck why is he looking here?!

Slowly, very much knowing she was in the eyes of a predator, Linn leaned back against the wall, wishing quite hopelessly that she just could disappear into it. Anything to get him to stop staring.

Linn refused to look away though, worried that something even worse may occur if she let her eyes off the Assassin. They held eye-contact for a few seconds, before a small smile appeared on his face and he stepped away, disappearing into the crowd behind.

A long exhale. "Fuck." Linn rubbed her temples, she did not need the attentions of an Assassin.

Kazuya gave her a pitying look. "Don't be scared Linn, I'll get you through this."

Linn gave him a dry look but ultimately kept her mouth shut. Let him think of her whatever he wanted.

"Contestants if I could have your attention." A voice spoke over the murmuring of the crowd and all eyes moved to the man in the suit standing further in the tunnel.

"And so it begins..." Kazuya murmurs.

"I am Satotz, an Examiner in this exam, if you would all please follow me." No further explanation was given as he turned and swiftly started walking into the tunnel.

Contestants immediately sprang to follow him, some already rushing to get to the front while others lingered back.

Kazuya sent a grin to the group, excitement evident on his features. “Let’s head off guys.” Margot and Daisuke immediately jumped after him, sticking close, while Carter walked behind, leaving a few spaces between them.

Carter turned back to look at Linn, she met his eyes from her seated position, waiting for some irritating remark. “Be careful.”

Linn blinked in surprise and watched as he walked after the group. Huh. She had expected some irritating command like Kazuya was prone to do, but it seemed as if Carter knew Linn had no desire to be with the group for the duration of the exam.

She rose slowly, dusting herself off. Well this was good at least, now she could concentrate on herself.

And with that, she began walking.

Chapter 2: Chapter 2

Notes:

ya know i gave myself a strict word count for each chapter... why do i keep going over it TAT oh well, not like you guys are gonna complain lol

*throws chapter at you* voila

Linn was panting, every inch of her felt heavy and there was still no sign of the end.

A few contestants had already dropped out, whether it was due to their body giving out on them or their minds falling under stress. She watched from the corner of her eye as the three Amori brothers rounded on yet another contestant.

“Hey, hey, look at this dweeb!” One snickered.

“You look like your about to pass out, why don’t you take a break yeah.” The second one added.

“Psh, there’s no way some nerd like you can win.” The third chimed in.

“N-no, I can, I can, I’ve got an IQ of over 150, I’m smarter than everyone here-” The pale-faced contestant was huffing, looking seconds away from collapsing. Linn watched with pity as the hat wearing Amori brother tripped him up. The three going into fits of laughter as the contestant crashed into the ground.

"Do everyone a favour and dropout already!"

The last thing Linn heard was the contestants soft "no, no, no" as he was left behind.

Damn, that was a sad sight, maybe it was time to move up from being at the back? After all, it seemed like this place was going to be filled with problematic people in a second, Linn thought as she eyed Leorio Paladiknight gasping for air near her.

He had just dumped his black jacket and loosened his tie, which also meant that in a moment Kurapika would be joining him.

And that they were getting closer to the exit.

With that thought in mind, Linn pushed herself forward, best to play it safe and stay in the middle section.

Her muscles ached in protest to the new speed, but Linn wilfully ignored her bodies demands. Remember what Teacher use to say, she thought to herself, your bodies resisting not because it can’t do it, but because it’s not use to it, there is a difference Linn. Of course, after that her teacher kicked her across the room, but the message got across.

It’s all down to breathing, her Teachers voice echoed in her head, pace yourself.

Linn’s eyes drooped to half-mast, the people around her blurred into faceless blobs as she focused entirely on taking slow, steady breaths. The hardest thing was getting into a rhythm of running and breathing, but once you hit that stride, it would make the long-distance run easier.

Linn felt it quite acutely, it was a sudden change from feeling tired and protest from her muscles to feeling as if she had an endless circuit of energy running through her. She was even gaining some ground. It was a nice, mindless sort of running, there was one path ahead of her and that was it, no other obstacles, not even the other contestants as they were too focused on themselves to bother anyone else.

And it was in that little bubble of peace, that she felt something menacing appear. Whatever it was, it was behind her and Linn was quite unashamed at how it triggered her flight response.

Pumping her arms and legs faster, Linn tried to hold that wonderful feeling of energy to her, but in her panicked state she could feel it slipping. Her limbs were starting to ache again, and her lungs couldn't seem to grab enough air. Whatever present was behind her seemed to bounce around, as if enjoying her struggle.

Then it appeared. The blessedly-not-metaphorical light at the end of the tunnel.

With a renewed burst of energy, Linn and all the contestants around upped their speed. That was her target, if Linn could reach it, then whatever was after her would lose. It was a childish and naïve thought, she knew, but damn if it didn’t push her more.

The threatening presence seemed to understand what had gone through her mind as it now looked to close the gap between them, and Linn was terrified at how quickly it moved.

But it was so close, so close, it was almost like a blinding wall of light the closer she got, and she was almost there, Linn reached out her hand almost to touch it, and as she stepped right on the threshold between the tunnel and exit she felt a sharp prick on the back of her neck as the presence was right there behind her-

And then she threw herself to the other side, uncaring of how she looked, and immediately colliding into a surprised Kazuya. “Linn what-”

The two went tumbling to the floor, Kazuya landing on his front as Linn ended up straddling him, hands on his back to hold herself up.

God she was trembling, a mix of adrenaline and fear running through her body. What the fuck was behind her?

“Hmm~” A voice purred, as a pair of low-heeled shoes slowly walked past her. With a deep sense of doom, Linn’s eyes trailed up a pair of white loose pants, past whatever the hell the pink midriff thing was, over the person’s chest, and then rested on their smiling mouth. Linn would have gulped if she wasn’t still busy trying to breath, the pale skin, that star-shape on his cheek and what would no doubt be a teardrop on the other.

Oh God.

Linn had been chased by Hisoka.

Honestly, she was still too filled with fear to look higher than his mouth but couldn't just yet bring herself to look away.

As if sensing her terror, Hisoka’s lip curled just enough to show some teeth, and then he turned away and settled himself a little away from the others.

“Um, Linn?”

Kazuya’s voice had Linn snapping her head to him. She blinked. Oh, right. She looked up to see the amused faces of other contestants, including Daisuke and Carter’s. Margot just stared worryingly at her.

“Ah… my bad.”

Linn rose on shaky leg’s, she felt the tips of her ears tingle with embarrassment but she made herself stand up straight. No reason to make herself look like easy prey to others.

A bit late though, an irritating voice murmured in the back of Linn’s head, she squashed it immediately.

Kazuya slowly pushed himself up, eyeing Linn with a confused look. “What was that about?”

Linn tried to shrug, but it must have looked as awkward as it felt because Kazuya just raised an eyebrow in response. “Thought I wouldn’t make it.” She answered in a tight voice, heart still thudding in her chest.

Kazuya frowned. “Why? It’s not like you wouldn’t have made it to the exit in time.”

I wasn’t talking about the exit, Linn thought sourly. She blocked out the low chuckle that came from the side. She would not turn around or acknowledge him. Nope. Nope. Never.

Outwardly, Linn just shrugged in response, willing Kazuya to drop the subject.

He didn’t seem to want to stay on the subject anyway, as he immediately began congratulating everyone on getting through the tunnel.

Linn tuned out his comments of working together and something something friendship. She crossed her arms, damn it how long was this jittery feeling going to last? It felt like her muscles were about to give out.

“Umm, Linn.” Margot’s whisper breached Linn’s thoughts, and she looked at how Margot had quietly sidled up to her, evidently not wanting to draw attention from the 3 other group members. “You’re bleeding.”

Linn felt herself grow cold. “Where?” She whispered.

Margot chewed on her lip, even after all the harsh words Linn spoke to her, Margot still cared for her health. It brought a nice feeling to Linn’s chest. “On the back of your neck.”

Linn clenched her fists to stop herself from touching it. “Is it deep?”

“No, it’s shallow, doesn’t seem to be bleeding that much either. Looks as if it didn’t get through all your skin layers. Whatever it was.”

Yeah, Linn thought dryly, whatever the hell Hisoka could be classified as. “No worries then, I’ll just pop my collar up to cover it.” Linn sighed.

“I’ve got, um, some plasters if you want one.”

That took Linn by surprise. She didn’t think Margot would help her beyond what she’s already done. She looked at Margot and blinked, it seemed that she was still underestimating Margot’s ability to be nice. Even though she had wanted to help a stranger earlier.

“Umm, sure, could you.” Linn gestured to the back of her head.

Margot’s face brightened up. “Yeah, sure!” Quickly and with a deft hand, Margot had placed a plaster on her in no time at all. She stood in front of Linn beaming.

“You’re quite… prepared.” Linn began awkwardly.

Margot though didn’t seem to pick up on it, as she began excitedly chatting. “Yeah, I figured it’d be better to be safe than sorry, and I like, I like helping people.” She looked off to the side, all the previous confidence and eagerness gone and replaced with the usual timid Margot that Linn was used to. “I wanted to be a Nurse.”

“That’s, that’s cool, you know.” An uncomfortable silence stretched between the two, as neither knew quite how to continue the conversation.

Thankfully though, they were interrupted.

“Hey look! The door’s beginning to close!” Someone shouted.

Everyone turned and watched the exit. Linn could hear the panicked shouts of those still in the tunnel as they watched they exit get smaller.

And just as it was about to get too small to fit through, Leorio and Kurapika emerged. Both panting and covered in sweat, they were joined by an excited Gon and Killua who congratulated them.

Out the corner of her eye she saw Kazuya shift, hmm looks as if he wanted to join their little group, Linn wondered what was holding him back now that wasn’t earlier.

“Contestants if I may have your attention.” Satotz voice cut through Gon and the others excited chatter.

Everyone turned to face the Examiner as he introduced the surrounding area. “This is the Milsy Wetlands, also known as the ‘Swindler’s Swamp’. We must go through this in order to reach the site of Phase Two.”

Linn looked at the terrain ahead, swamps littered their path, and the ground didn’t look too stable to run on, and those trees, with their low-hanging branches could hide quite a lot from view.

“Many strange animals are unique to this marsh. They try to deceive people and turn them into fodder.” That got everyone’s attention very quick. “They are very cunning and greedy creatures. You must follow me very carefully. If you get tricked, you die.”

A tense-filled silence followed that statement, as the contestants looked uneasily at the Swamp ahead.

“Well, now that you told us they’re going to try to trick us, we’re going to know not to fall for anything.” Leorio smirked, his arrogance was almost funny.

“Don’t listen to him!” A man tumbled out from a bush next to the tunnel, holding a bag that held some weird creature.

Ah, right this happened. Linn settled herself to watch over the proceedings.

“I’m the real Examiner! He’s a fraud!”

The contestants started murmuring, looking between the two men.

“A fraud?!”

“Which is the real Examiner?”

The tension notched up as neither Satotz nor the new arrival spoke.

“Hey Mister, you got proof?” Leorio questioned the man that had appeared. “Proof that he’s a fraud?”

The man nodded, throwing the sack he was carrying onto the ground. “That creature, it’s a Man-Faced Ape that lives in these Wetlands. It disguises itself as a human and tricks people into traps.” He pointed at Satotz. “And he’s a Man-Faced Ape too!”

All the contestants turned to face Satotz, and Linn couldn’t help but feel a bit agitated at how slow all this was going.

Uncaringly, Linn let herself zone out of the current conversation. Accusations were being thrown, the Fake Examiner had an answer for absolutely everything. Things were slowly moving along.

“What if this is part of the exam as well?” Kazuya’s voice broke over the crowd.

The hell are you doing?! Linn wanted to smack him, but everyone had already turned to him and she couldn’t move to swipe that look-at-me-I’m-being-helpful smile off his face.

“Wow Kazuya! That’s exactly what I was thinking as well!” Gon spoke excitedly.

Yeah, no shit. Linn thought dryly.

“Hmm, that’s also a possibility.” Kurapika’s calm voice spoke up. “There are ways to test this.” He walked forward, between the two suspects.

Linn began tapping her arm, annoyance rising further, yes, yes, asks your questions already Kurapika. But just as he opened his mouth a sharp sound cut through the air.

And then the Fake Examiner dropped dead, playing cards embedded in his face. Satotz had caught them, and everyone looked with him as his eyes turned to the smiling Magician.

“There we go. Now we know who’s the real Examiner.” Hisoka tilted his face as everyone stared. “Only the real Examiner could stop such a mild attack after all.” Hisoka’s eyes went over the crowd and Linn was very sure to focus on the star on his cheek than his eyes.

“I will take that as a compliment.” Satotz finally spoke. “However next time you attack me, I will have to disqualify you, do you understand?”

Hisoka waved his question off. “I know. I know.”

“Now, that the excitement is over, follow me to Phase Two of the Exam.” He turned. “And try not to fall for anymore tricks.”

Linn felt amused at some of the sheepish looks the contestants sported. Some had looked as if they were just about to start a mob a few seconds ago.

Once again the Examiner set off, and with a nod to Margot, Linn moved to her own space and began following.

Notes:

oh dear, Hisoka acting up, no ones safe XD

Also, i do read your comments and such, i'm just a bit terrible when replying, they are lovely tho

Chapter 3: Chapter 3

Notes:

hey guys *arrives 4 months later with starbucks*

“You holding up okay?” Linn had made her way to Carters side. After the strangely heart-warming interaction with Margot, Linn had decided that maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea to talk to the other group members. Well at least Margot and Carter for now, she still wasn’t sure how to deal with Daisuke, and Kazuya was altogether a different beast to tackle.

“Yeah,” He huffed out a breath. “I guess.”

They separated around a plant that had decided it preferred human meat to photosynthesis, studiously ignoring the body trapped in its jaws, legs still kicking in desperation. They joined together on the other side, but the air was thicker between them.

It had to happen at some point, Linn thought, seeing someone die, seeing a dead body, killing someone yourself... Linn opened her mouth to speak wanting to break her train of thought, but Carter spoke first.

“Will it always be like this?”

He didn’t specify what ‘this’ was, but Linn could guess. “Honestly… it would depend, where you go, what you do, even who you meet.”

Carter hummed in reply, then jumped forward to avoid the mouth that had opened beneath him, with Linn moving around the side and then reuniting with him. “What do you think about Daniel?”

Linn’s head whipped to face him; eyes wide with surprise. Daniel was Kazuya’s “old” name, changing it was one of the first things he decided to do when he realised where they were, the other thing was entering the Hunters Exam. Daisuke followed his example, no one else had bothered.

But Linn found this interesting, because when she thought about it, she hadn’t once heard Carter call Kazuya his new name, or even address him at all. She wondered if he would call Daisuke by his old name as well.

Carter took Linn’s silence as confusion and continued. “It’s just that, he keeps pushing us together, wanting us all to be friends and get along, and while there’s nothing wrong with that,” He added quickly, moving to face Linn as head on as he could without running into something. “It just makes me feel as if he has some sort of… idea? Plan? Fuck, who knows.”

“I know what you mean.” She took a deep breath, running and talking was one thing, running, dodging and talking was something near hellish on the lungs. “It would have been fine, normal even, to think about working together in this scenario, but it’s like he can’t shut up about friendship and how we can only succeed if we work together. It’s like he thinks he’s some sort of protagonist in a show.” Or a Manga, Linn added silently.

A side-eye from Carter. “You think our… situation has him messed up?” He spoke in a low voice.

Linn pursed her lips. “I don’t want to jump to conclusions. For all we know he could just be scared, and his way of dealing with it is to cling to us.”

Carter didn’t look convinced, and slowly he reduced his speed, Linn matching him until they both stopped under the canopy of a large tree.

Out there, in the swamp, came distant noises – shouts, screams, even laughs of relief. Linn knew that stopping was stupid, they could easily get left behind or lost, but from the look in Carter’s eyes this was important.

“I’m not planning to stay with the group, and I know you’re thinking of the same thing.” Carter was spot on, but Linn’s reasons were different from his. She knew this world, what it had to offer, and she wanted to explore it and learn as much as she could, unhindered by the fear and hesitance that Daisuke and Margot exuded, and whatever ideas Kazuya was thinking up.

But Carter didn’t know this world, it would have been in his best interest to stay with the group, let Kazuya lead him on a safer path, so to willingly pull himself away and into potential danger…

He continued, unaware of Linn’s thoughts. “I need to find my place in this new world, and I can’t do that if all I get is Kazuya’s second-hand information and coddling. I need to experience things for myself.”

Linn couldn’t help her lip twitching up into a small smile. “So, what you’re saying is you want to go on a journey to find yourself.”

He huffed a laugh, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. “I didn’t want it to sound that corny but yeah, pretty much.” The seriousness in the air between them drifted away as the two laughed.

Carter was alright, Linn grinned decidedly. “Your decisions are your own. What’s the worst Kazuya could do? Frown at you disapprovingly?”

They both snickered at the mental image, and then a warm silence settled between the two. A camaraderie had appeared between them and Linn hoped it would grow.

Another scream broke the silence. Tension returned to the two as they both faced forward. “That was… too close for comfort, we should go.” Carter moved pulling back the curtain of low-handing branches that had blocked the view. He was about the step through but a quick glance at Linn’s pale face had him stopping.

“What’s wrong?”

Linn looked at the fog in front of them and swore internally. She hadn’t thought things would progress this fast. Ignoring the feeling of dread at what was about to happen next, she forced herself forward. There was no time for this, she had to get herself and Carter safely to the other side.

“Follow me and stay alert.” She didn’t wait for a reply, immediately entering the fog. Linn kept to a light jog, her attention split between looking at her surroundings and making sure Carter was keeping up behind her.

It was quiet. Linn felt her skin prickle, hair standing on edge at the silence. Somewhere in this fog there was going to be a bloodbath and if they got caught in it… Linn doubted their chances of survival.

A horrible thought formed in her mind. Kazuya would stay away, right? Sure, it was a cool moment in the Manga when Gon confronted Hisoka, and, and honestly there was no reason whatsoever why Kazuya would get himself involved. Linn thought to herself franticly.

And he wouldn’t just leave Margot and Daisuke! After all, he all but has them following him like ducklings! A cold shiver went down Linn’s spine. He wouldn’t leave them, but what if he decided to take them with him to confront Hisoka?! That would be like taking a lamb to the slaughter!

“Linn slow down!”

Carters shout snapped Linn out from her thoughts, and she looked back only to see the space between them had grown worryingly large.

“We’re almost there.” It was a lie. Maybe. Linn wasn’t too sure how much further the fog went but she’d settle on being optimistic.

Carter finally brought himself to a jog next to her. “You’re lying but thanks.” They shared a strained smile.

They kept to a jogging pace for a few long minutes. Until the first of the shouts started.

Carter whipped his head to the side when the first pained shout sounded, at the second he went back to looking forward, and by the third both Linn and he began sprinting.

It’s started, it’s started, it’s started, was the only thing going through Linn’s mind. She could no longer pinpoint which side the screams, because something that filled with terror could no longer be classified as a shout, were coming from, and the idea that they anywhere near Hisoka playing Examiner made her push her muscles faster.

A flicker of movement from in front startled Linn, making her foot slip, Carter’s hand shot out and grabbed her arm, steadying her before she could even begin to fall properly.

Righting herself, Linn looked to Carter to thank him, but his eyes were staring intensely ahead. “I think that was Margot.”

Linn’s eyes widened in surprise. “Come on! She can’t be that much ahead of us!”

Both took off on a sprint, thoughts about Margot’s health echoing through their mind. Carter worrying that one of the swamps beasts may take a bite out of her, Linn dreading the idea that maybe Kazuya had left Daisuke and Margot on their own.

Before they could catch the maybe Margot, Linn and Carter suddenly broke out of the fog, and each skidded to a halt in surprise.

“Congratulations on passing the First Stage of the Hunter Exam.” The indifferent voice of Satotz greeted them.

Linn blinked. Oh. They made it. Carter’s exhale of relief was mirrored by her as she slowly sunk down to the floor.

“You may wish to sit further from the fog.”

Already sat down, Linn honestly thought it over, finally getting some rest versus potentially being eaten by a beast from the fog?

Carter rolled his eyes and dragged Linn up, pulling her closer to the group and the big warehouse before dumping her back onto the floor.

“Thanks.”

“No worries.” Carter settled himself next to her, rubbing his aching legs.

Linn’s eyes scanned the group of contestants that had passed so far, looking for ones she recognised. Those three irritating brothers. Tonpa, somehow. Killua. Hanzo the Ninja that just wouldn’t stop telling people he was a ninja. And-

Linn gulped as her own hazel eyes met the black pits that were Illumi Zoldyck’s eyes. He stared unblinkingly, a fixed smile on his face, and then he just nodded at Linn, and went back to looking into the fog.

“You know him?” Carter whispered, leaning in close and looking over at Illumi.

“Hell no.” Linn whispered back furiously. She decided to push the worrying matter of Illumi’s intentions to the side, there was something else that needed to be addressed first.

“Margot’s not here.”

Carter swore under his breath, his eyes quickly skimming over the crowd like Linn’s moments before. “I swear I saw the back of her purple dress.”

“Did you see her dress or just the colour purple?”

Carter threw Linn an irritated look, understanding what she was getting at. “Literally no one else here is wearing purple, there’s no way I’d get her confused with someone else.”

Linn raised her hands in surrender. “Alright, alright, I believe you.”

The two settled themselves on the floor, anxiety running through them at what may have delayed the others. Linn could only hope none of them got caught up in Hisoka’s entertainment.

Finally, two figures emerged from the fog.

Linn jumped to her feet, coincidentally making Carter fall to the ground from where he was leaning against her. “Margot! Daisuke!”

The two sweat covered teens made noises of acknowledgement as they doubled over, fighting for air.

Linn used this time to look over the two. Daisuke looked relatively unharmed, but it seemed like he’d lost his umbrella and was probably regretting wearing a hoody.

Margot however looked as if she was about to collapse, hands clutching her stomach as she fought for breath, Linn’s eyes widened, no she wasn’t clutching her stomach, but her arm.

As she straightened herself, Margot removed her blood covered hand from the wound, and Linn felt white hot anger swell from within. Right above Margot’s elbow were two lines of blood, two very straight, near perfect lines.

There was no way a beast would made such perfectly identical scratches, Linn thought furiously. There was one thing that could have made such wounds.

Nen enhanced playing cards.

Linn worked to keep her rage from her face as she approached Margot. Carter had gotten up once he had spotted the blood, and now he joined Daisuke in looking worried.

“Margot…” Linn spoke gently, not wanting to startle her. “Do you have anything in your bag that can help?”

Margot looked at Linn without really seeing her, shock settling in. “Yeah… bandages and antibacterial spray.”

“Alright, I’m just gonna...” Linn gestured to the bag, waiting for Margot’s go-ahead before going through her things.

She slowly nodded.

Carefully, Linn got the bag off Margot and set it on the ground. Rifling through it, she allowed herself a second to admire how professionally packed the medical bag was, before grabbing the spray and bandages.

Standing back up next to Margot, Linn came to a realisation. “Um, I don’t know how to dress a wound.”

She looked over at Daisuke and Carter. “You guys?”

Carter shook his head, and Linn looked at Daisuke. “Um, maybe? I think I can.”

Linn sighed. It was better than nothing. “Here.”

Handing the bandages and spray over to Daisuke, Linn and Carter watched in silence as Margot’s wounds were dressed.

“That should be good until she, ugh, comes back around.”

Linn nodded and patted Daisuke on the back. “Nice work. Carter help me move her to rest against the tree for now.”

Carter nodded and moved to the other side of Margot. Slowly they both encouraged Margot over to the tree and sit down. Almost as soon as she felt the ground beneath her, her eyelids fluttered and closed.

Daisuke, Linn and Carter shared a look. “Did she fall asleep or pass out?” Daisuke asked, unsure whether this was a good progression of her injuries or bad.

“I honestly have no idea.”

“We’re gonna need a medic for the medic.” Linn sent Carter a scathing look. “Not the time for jokes, I got it.”

Still, the only wounds were on her arm, Linn pushed Margot’s hair back, there didn’t seem to be any head wounds, which meant no concussion, so some rest should be okay? Linn wondered at how she was more worried about Margot’s wellbeing now, than when she was in the fog.

Speaking of which… Linn turned to Daisuke, eyes stern and arms crossed. “Tell me what happened.”

Daisuke shrunk in on himself, eyes darting over to Carter for help, who only raised an eyebrow in response. “Well you see, Kazuya-”

Slow footsteps were closing in, and Linn thought it almost funny at how she was beginning to remember how Hisoka walked.

Stepping out of the fog, Hisoka ran a hand through his red hair, pushing it back while his eyes roved over those in front of him. Contestants turned away from him as he began walking towards the group, an unconscious Leorio hanging over his shoulders.

“It was him!” Daisuke fearfully whispered.

And as if he had a sixth sense, Hisoka’s eyes landed on the four of them. He seemed to look them over individually first, Daisuke, then Carter, his eyes trailing on Margot’s passed out form, before finally landing on Linn’s.

Linn on the other hand, had completely forgotten her earlier fear with looking into Hisoka’s eyes, and now found herself trapped in their hold.

I never knew he had yellow eyes, the thought floated through her mind, as if to take away from the fear in having Hisoka’s attention, then again, I only ever bothered with the Manga.

And then Hisoka took a step towards them.

Daisuke immediately took a few steps back, Carter only followed with one before realising Linn had no intention of leaving an unconscious Margot.

Linn, really, really wanted to move. But a mix of guilt for leaving Margot and the naïve idea of ‘maybe-if-I-don’t-move-he-won’t-see-me’ had her frozen.

Hisoka approached the group with a closed eye smile. It would have been pleasant and reassuring on anyone but him. Maybe not Illumi’s, Linn added dryly.

She flinched as Hisoka dropped Leorio against the tree, and then crouched next to Margot’s body, across from Linn. “Hmm, I don’t remember injuring her that badly.” His shining yellow eyes went to the bandages on her arm. “She must have been weaker than I thought~”

His hand reached out towards the bandaged arm and before Linn could properly think her actions through, her hand shot forward and covered Margot’s bandage.

Hisoka’s hand stopped moving, and Linn could guess that she had his attention now, but rather than check she didn’t move her eyes from his hand, still suspended in the air.

A few seconds of silence. Linn still hadn’t moved her eyes from his hand.

A quiet chuckle, almost taunting, came from Hisoka. He moved his hand forward and stopped just as his pointed nail touched the back of Linn’s hand.

Linn suppressed a flinch at the contact but couldn’t do anything to stop the chills as slowly Hisoka drew random patterns on the back of her hand. She tried to distract her mind from how sharp his nail was, and most other things about Hisoka.

“It’s always annoying when the weak think they’re strong.” Hisoka sighed, pressing his nail deeper into Linn’s hand. “Not as fun to play with them.” Linn bit her tongue to stop from hissing in pain. Hisoka was pressing deep enough to leave little dots of red along Linn’s skin.

Suddenly Hisoka grabbed Linn’s wrist and pulled her forward. Linn would have been sent tumbling into Hisoka had his other hand not grabbed her by the t-shirt.

Linn was now uncomfortably close to Hisoka’s face, and no longer had anywhere else to look but those playful, sadistic eyes.

Hisoka regarded her with another smile. “You won the last game we played,” Linn swallowed in reminder of the chase, Hisoka watched her throat bob gleefully, “and you missed this one, I can’t wait until we play again~” The last bit was spoken as an intimate whisper that made Linn all kinds of uncomfortable, before Hisoka shoved her back.

Landing on her elbows, Linn watched as Hisoka rose gracefully, sending one more smirk at her fallen form, before turning. “Oh, and keep an eye on him until his friends arrive.”

Linn could only blink dazedly as Hisoka walked off with a sway in his hips. It wasn’t until Carter entered her line of sight that Linn realized she was still staring after Hisoka.

“Holy shit, you okay?”

Linn swallowed the lump in her throat before managing to speak. “Yeah.”

“Your hand…” Linn turned to the other side, Daisuke had come up next to her and was checking out her the back of her hand.

“It’s not bleeding, but it got damn close.” Daisuke shivered. “God he’s scary.”

Carter nodded from the other side of her, but at this point Linn really wanted to stop talking and thinking about Hisoka. Some peace and quiet before the next Phase would be good, she thought.

And that was of course, when Gon, Kurapika and Kazuya stepped out of the fog.

“Yatta! We made it.”

“Where’s Leorio?”

“Over there!”

Kazuya’s voice rang out, and all of Linn’s forgotten anger returned. This was his fault. She knew it. Him and his idiotic goal to be part of the storyline. Except it wasn’t a storyline anymore, Linn’s eyes went to the still passed out Margot, this was their reality, and death was a very real thing.

“Hey guys! I’m glad to see you made it through!” In the time it took for Kazuya to get his sentence out, Linn had stood, taken a step back from the questioning faces of Carter and Daisuke, and then just relaxed her stance.

“Margot, Daisuke, did you guys manage okay without me-”

That was all Linn needed to hear. In a quick, well-practice movement, Linn kicked Kazuya across the face. His head snapped to the side, but just as it looked as if he was going to fall, he managed to catch himself. He was bent over, clutching at his face.

“W-what-” Kazuya cut himself off, finally getting a good look at Linn’s face.

“You said you would look after them.” Linn clenched her fists, righteous anger flowing through her as Kazuya stared at her with a growing feeling of dread. “You told them to rely on you.”

Kazuya straightened himself, the shock of the attack slowing leaving him. He still held his cheek with one hand though, the pain not quite gone. “I did the only thing I could. I told them to run.”

Linn wanted to snarl at him, wanted to call him out for purposely dragging the two into a bloodbath. But she couldn’t, there were too many people watching, and there would be questions afterwards neither Linn nor Kazuya would want to answer.

“If I may,” A cool voice spoke, and Linn’s eyes snapped to Kurapika. “Kazuya did his best in a situation where any sort of hesitation could have led them all to an early death. While it is regrettable your friend got injured, this was still a best-case scenario.”

By the time Kurapika was finished, Kazuya was grinning (no doubt at being complimented by a main character, Linn thought darkly), and with a hint of smugness addressed Linn.

“Kurapika’s right, Linn. What you did was totally uncalled for.”

Ooh how she wanted to hit him again. But the hot adrenaline that had swarmed through her body had retreated, leaving her cold and tired.

“Fine. Whatever. I’m sorry.” Linn said it as offhandedly as she could. Ignoring Kurapika’s slight frown at her dismissal and Kazuya positively preening at her backing off.

She ignored the looks Carter was sending her, Daisuke on the other hand barely sent her a glance before he raced over to Kazuya to tell him about Margot.

Uncaring at how childish she was acting, Linn stomped over to the other side of the tree, but just as she sat down, a high-spirited female voice rang out over the group.

“Okay applicants listen up! The Second Phase is about to begin!”

Notes:

Hisoka's sway as he walks away amiright

also, funfact - I find the second phase reeally boring to write, but its gotta be written so *sigh*

Chapter 4: Chapter 4

Notes:

I've decided to split phase 2 into, well, 2 parts. cuz its been slowly bleeding me out.

bit of a slow-roll of a chapter but its gotta happen.

Thanks for sticking with this story haha. also no beta, we dropout like Hunter contestants who couldnt get past the riddle.

God this was so tedious, Linn sighed to herself.

Soon after the introduction of the Phase 2 Examiners, two Gourmet Hunters by the names of Buhara and Menchi, the contestants were dismissed with the task of hunting and cooking a wild pig.

Carter had immediately grabbed Linn and dragged her from Daisuke, Kazuya and the still passed out Margot. Ignoring the scowl she sent him, he had stated that they were going to work together and that, no, she really didn't have a choice in the matter.

Linn had kept quiet as Carter devised a plan to kill a pig, it was simple enough that it didn't really require her to do anything. She sighed, rubbing her temples, in all honesty Carter probably tucked her away in this tree so she could cool down a bit more.

Hunched over with her head in her hands, Linn watched as Carter drew two wild pigs away from the tall grass and into the open space under her tree. He was pretty built, now that Linn actually got a good look at him, his long-sleeved gray top was just form fitting enough to show off the muscle hidden in his lean physique, and if the way he was dodging and twisting between the two wild pigs told Linn anything, it was that he had some sort of training in the past.

It seems like we might need to have a talk later, Linn mused to herself, especially if we wanted to help each other get through this exam. Hmm, working as a team would make the Zevil Island phase of the exam easier as well, Linn would just have to make sure that they actually found each other on the Island before time ran out. Or someone got a bad taste of bloodlust.

A sense of dread crawled down Linn's spine at the reminder of Hisoka. She had noticed his smouldering gaze on her as Carter had dragged her away and she hoped beyond anything that his fascination with Gon would hurry up and take over his thoughts so she could be left alone.

Linn winced. Sorry Gon. Her eyes drifted to the side, and she looked past the tree branches to where the group of main characters were huddled, already roasting their respective catches. A sense of relief filled her as she found Kazuya nowhere near them. He better be starting with Margot after all he put her through.

Linn's hand clenched into fists, gripping her trousers, the anger she felt was looking to return and the more she thought about his actions the more it grew-

A gentle tug on her trainers and a soft "Hey" pulled her attention away from her thoughts. Looking down, she met the concerned brown eyes of Carter and her anger lay forgotten as she returned his look with her own one of worry. "Did your plan work alright?"

Carters lip rose in a half-smile as he gestured to the two dead pigs behind him. “Perfectly. You feel calm enough to come down and not destroy Daniel’s pride?”

Linn looked away and shrugged. “I think so, as long as he doesn’t behave like a dumbass.”

Carter gave Linn a mock frown. “That’s not a nice thing to say Linn, after all it’s the only way he knows how to act.”

That got a snicker out of her, and Carter felt satisfied that he managed to bring his friend out of her thoughts. “Come on down so we can both struggle with the cooking.”

Hopping down from the tree, Linn scoffed at Carter. “Speak for yourself, I’m quite the decent cook.”

Carter raised his hands in surrender. “Then I leave the next step in your capable hands.”

Linn rolled her eyes as she began gathering branches to make a fire. Carter following her lead a second later. The two worked in comfortable silence as they went about their task, both falling into an easy routine with each other as the pigs roasted over the fires.

“They’re ready.”

Carter nodded, and the two began carrying their roasted pigs back to the Examiners. Linn noted that pretty much all applicants had killed a pig and were currently in the process of roasting it. If she were honest she had always found this task a bit out of place when compared with the others, then again, Linn’s eyes drifted to the seated forms of Buhara and Menchi, you put Gourmet Hunters in charge and honestly what else would you expect.

A buzz of nervousness entered Linn as she stepped in front of the two, Carter only a step behind, and deposited her roast pig.

Without a second to waste, Buhara reached over and grabbed the two roasts, one in each hand, and began happily munching on them. Carter and Linn waited awkwardly under the watchful eyes of Menchi for him to finish.

Finally, he let out a breath of satisfaction. “Very nicely done! Both of your roasts give off a good taste of teamwork!” Buhara grinned at the two of you. “You both pass!”

Linn frowned at his description of their food but brushed it off. Whatever, they passed, that’s all that mattered. She ignored the smirk Menchi sent her as she turned and walked off with Carter.

“I wonder what teamwork tastes like.” Carter muttered to her, barely suppressing his smile.

Linn snorted and pursed her lips to stop smiling. The effort proved futile however when Carter bumped shoulders with her and the two broke out into grins.

They sat off on the side, idly chatting as they watched other applicants’ hand in their roast pigs and get Buhara’s nod of approval.

“Has anyone even failed yet?”

“Nope.” Linn watched as the last applicant rushed forward to present his pig. Predictably, everyone had passed Buhara’s test with flying colours, even when the roasts presented where noticeably burnt, they all made it to the next round. Menchi’s round. Where absolutely no one passes.

“So is that it? Phase 2 done and dusted?” Carter asked.

“Not quite.” Linn flicked a pebble at him, drawing his attention from Daisuke helping Margot stand up across the clearing. “Don’t get too stressed out at this next part Carter.”

Carter sent her a confused look. “Alright?”

A gong sounded, then Menchi’s voice rang out. “The roast pig round is over! Seventy applicants passed!”

A few cheers erupt from the crowd but Menchi carried on. “Second Phase part two begins now,” She slams open the warehouse doors, revealing the sushi stations inside. “and my dish is Sushi!”

The deathly silence that followed amused Linn. Failing this task is going to be so fun, she thought to herself. Linn huffed a laugh as Carter gave threw her an incredulous look. ‘Sushi?’ he mouthed, his disbelief evident.

Linn shrugged and drew herself up, she offered her hand to Carter who took it, and as she pulled him up, whispered into his ear. “Follow the crowd in this task, alright?”

Carter looked over at the applicants, noting their confused and blank faces, and nodded in response.

They followed the crowd into the warehouse. Applicants eyed the workstations as if they would suddenly grow arms and legs and try to attack them. Uncaringly, Linn tuned out Menchi’s explanation of the stations and all the hints she dropped about the unknown Sushi dish. I guess I should at least pretend to try this round, Linn thought as she examined one of the knives on the table, so I don’t arouse any suspicion.

“Excellent quality.” The unknown voice spoke up from in front of Linn. It was deep and held a strange note of hollow amusement that had Linn looking up, wanting to identify the owner of the voice.

The pin-cushioned face of Illumi Zoldyck greeted her. A stiff, empty smile and black eyes followed Linn as she slowly drew back from the knives. He stood on the other side of the table, arms folded behind his back, looking the picture of non-threatening.

It put Linn on edge.

Shifting her weight from one leg to another, Linn swallowed nervously as Illumi’s focus never wavered. Carter had wandered off to check out another worktable and the other contestants seemed to instinctively give Illumi a wide berth.

In essence - she was on her own.

“The perfect tool for cutting and slicing. Don’t you think?” Illumi remained perfectly still. Something that no doubt came from his assassin training. Just watching Linn as thoughts ran through her mind.

In the end Linn only nodded in response. It was the safest option. Can’t say the wrong thing and get yourself killed if you don’t speak. Linn felt a hysterical giggle travel up her throat but she stamped it down before it could escape.

Neither Linn nor Illumi moved. Even though Linn wanted to retreat from the character as far as possible – preferably to the other side of the warehouse – she was also very aware that one wrong move, or even something that Illumi perceived as wrong, and she’d get a needle through the head.

Well at least it would be a quick death. Linn swallowed.

“MAN YOUR STATIONS! As before the test is over when the examiner – that is me – is full!! Until that point, make as many as you like.”

Menchi’s voice rang through the room and had Illumi turning his head toward her. Linn took the action for what it was. An escape route. Not even hiding the fact she was fleeing, Linn briskly walked away, determined to head as far from Illumi as possible.

“Over here Linn!”

Linn swerved and rushed over to where Carter had situated himself. He gave her a questioning look as she shivered. “What happened with you?”

“Think I just narrowly avoided a bad ending.” Linn winced.

Carter hummed in response, eyes wandering over to the form of Gittarackur. “What’s that guys problem?” He murmured.

“Wish I knew.” Linn shook her head, letting the built-up tension leave. “But for now, we should just concentrate on this Phase.”

“Alright.”

Linn watched as the conversations went pretty much word-for-word as the Manga. Kurapika whispering to Leorio his thoughts on the dish, Leorio screaming the word ‘fish!’ for all the contestants to hear. Carter dutifully followed Linn with the crowd as they all ran outside to the nearest ponds or streams they could find.

Carter rolled up the sleeves of his top. “Ever caught a fish barehanded before?”

“Can’t say it’s one of my skills.” Linn picked up a stick and examine it. Yeah this should be sharp enough, she nodded to herself.

They trekked further upstream, away from most contestants and waded into the water. No words were spoken as the two concentrated on their task.

“How we doing?” Linn straightened herself from her hunched posture. “I’ve got 2, that should be enough to get through this mess of a phase.”

Turning, Linn was greeted by Carter’s grin as he held up four fish. “I win.”

Linn sent Carter an incredulous look as they both stepped out of the stream. “When did this turn into a competition?

“The second I caught more than you, of course.” Carter smirked. “Without any tools as well.”

Linn smiled at the good-natured ribbing. “You wound me Carter, I thought we were meant to be working as a team.”

“Exactly, Linn!” An irritatingly cheerful voice sounded off from behind the two. The smile dropped from Carter as he and Linn turned to face Kazuya, with Daisuke and Margot standing nervously behind him. The three of them looked as if they had jumped face-first into the water, Margot in particular looking as if she was a few seconds from collapsing again.

Well clearly Margot’s previously injuries weren’t enough for you ask her to sit out. Instead you make her join you in the water? Lin thought to herself while trying to keep the scowl off her face. Better to have those three believe she had moved on from her angry display earlier.

Her eyes bounced between the smiling Kazuya and silent Carter. Had Kazuya asked for one of her catches she would have told him to shove off, ah, maybe that’s why he was only asking Carter?

Surprisingly, rather than answering Kazuya directly Carter looked over at Linn and raised an eyebrow. The question he was asking was clear but Linn only shrugged in response. She didn’t care if Carter gave him some fish or not, its not like anyone was actually going to pass this round, hell, Margot could probably not give anything to the judges and she’d still pass in the end.

Kazuya frowned slightly at the interaction between the two but brightened up when Carter threw two fish over to him. “Thanks Carter! I knew beneath that silent exterior you were a team player. I think its about time we all head back to the workstations and try our hands at this dish, right guys?”

Daisuke voice his agreement while Margot just bobbed her head tiredly. Linn watched her in concern, if she could just hold on until the airship came to take them to the next Phase, Margot would be able to get some proper rest.

Without waiting for her or Carter’s response, Kazuya begun leading the two towards the warehouse. When he noticed neither of them were following, he called back. “Come on guys!”

Linn sighed and trudged after their ‘leader’.

Next to her, Carter whispered. “I figured it was the fastest escape route from the conversation to just give him half. I felt like he had another friendship speech on the tip of his tongue.”

“Oh definitely, you saved us both a headache there.”

“Would you have given him a fish if he asked?”

“Oh hell no.”

Carter snorted.

Notes:

gonna add a sneaky time skip at the beginning of the next chapter, nothing too outrageous.

thanks for all your lovely comments they get me flustered then i do that embarassed rolly thing on the floor you know.

Things get interesting next chapter so stay tuned, ja?

Chapter 5: Chapter 5

Notes:

thank you to the readers who pointed out the fact that i forgot to describe Linn's appearance. I'll be sure to rectify it asap but i also hate character description dumping so i'll do it in small doses.

Enjoy the chapter, in which i look at canon and go 'thats cool'.

SPOILERS - If you hadn't read to the end of the Chimera Ant Arc there will be a major spoiler for how it ends.

“I didn’t adhere to established criteria?! How so?! It was established that I’d judge by taste! My taste!” Menchi screamed into the phone.

The entire warehouse looked as if a food storm had passed through. Fish guts lay strewn over the once clean tables, and Linn could actually guess which participants lost their patience with the dish the most just by judging the size of the mess surrounding the table. The kitchen tools weren’t any better, almost all had been coloured a permanent reddish brown. Linn watched as a contestant slyly tucked the chef’s knife into the waistband of his jeans, making sure his top fell over the handle. He caught Linn’s watchful gaze and sent her a wink and what he thought was a charming smirk. It felt greasy to Linn.

A swell of disgust filled Linn as she looked away, along with a small pit of nervousness at the reminder of how dangerously armed the contestants were but she pushed it down. They’ve been armed from the beginning, Linn reminded herself, it’s useless to start getting nervous about this now.

Carter resting his arm against her shoulder brought her out of her thoughts. “Is she being serious right now?” He asked surprised.

Menchi was still shouting into the phone while Buhara stood awkwardly behind her. All the contestants were watching the one-sided screaming match, some fidgeting nervously while others looked two seconds away from violence, all awaiting the outcome.

“Yep, she’s failed every single contestant.”

“And we’re not worried about this, are we?” Carter spoke quietly. Carter’s grey eyes met Linn’s own hazel ones.

She knew what he was insinuating. While Kazuya may have easily bragged to everyone in their group that he knew exactly where they had ended up and how to traverse this new, exciting world, Linn couldn’t quite get the words out of her throat. They had gotten tangled up with her thoughts of not being home anymore, not even in their own dimension, but in a fictional world.

Her issues with Kazuya aside, she respected him for willingly putting himself forward as a source of support for the group. That amount of responsibility… Linn couldn’t imagine such a weight on her shoulders. And the prospect of failing them all if they did choose to rely on her? It would destroy her. Linn would like the think that this was why she got so angry at Kazuya at the end of the First Phase, because he knew exactly what was going to happen in that mist, and yet he still thought it best to bring Margot and Daisuke with him.

It was with these thoughts swirling in her mind that she ignored Carter’s silent question and instead diverted the conversation. “Well it’s an exam isn’t it? You can fail the entire group. At least not just on the Second Phase. I’m sure someone from the Hunters Association will talk some sense into her.”

Menchi’s voice hit a new shrillness as it echoed throughout the warehouse. “It’s decided! In the Second Phase, part two… everyone’s failed!”

“Or not. But hey what do I know?”

Carter snorted. His eyes bounced over to Kazuya and the others, noting their rather calm demeanours and figured that this outcome wasn’t unexpected after all.

A smash had both Carter and Linn jumping. Looking to their side, they watched as one of the contestants slowly approached the two Examiners. His glare would have caused chills to go down Linn’s spine were it not for her encounters with Hisoka and Illumi. Instead it just looked as if he was trying too hard to appear menacing.

Linn held a sigh as she watched the proceedings with disinterest.

“I’m not here to butcher fish and mush rice! I’m here to become a Hunter! A Black-list Hunter at that!”

“Black-list Hunter?” Carter murmured.

“Someone that hunts wanted criminals or people of interest. Probably one of the better paying Hunter jobs.” Linn answered honestly. Even if she still refused to admit she knew about this world like Kazuya, Linn wasn’t going to deny Carter information when he asked.

Carter looked as if he was contemplating something. “And the Examiners are Gourmet Hunters… how many Hunter types are there?”

“Too many if I’m being honest.” Linn answered dryly. A poke in her cheek was her reward. “Okay, okay, for example there’s: Beast Hunters, Botanical Hunters, um, Treasure Hunters – there’s more I can’t remember, but those are the more mainstream ones.”

They both watched as the angry contestant rushed forward at Menchi, but in a move too fast for Linn or Carter to track, Buhara had swung his arm at the contestant and swatted him like a fly, sending him sailing over the group and out the door. A distant groan was the only indication that he had survived.

“Holy shit.” Linn nodded silently at Carters exclamation. If anything this was a good reminder to them both that from here on out any one of them could be taken out of the running just as easily. Her mind flashed back to the winking contestant, tucking the knife away, and she felt her lip curl.

Linn knew Carter was aware of the dangers, hell, she was even sure Margot and Daisuke were starting to wise-up about how tough the rest of the competition was going to be, but as she turned her head towards Kazuya and found him chatting idly with another contestant she let out an aggravated sigh and looked away.

The sound took Carter by surprise as he quickly moved off her shoulder. One look in Kazuya’s direction and he was shaking his head. “Is he ever going to take things seriously?”

Linn just focused on taking deep breaths. She had to focus on the Phase after this. Trick Tower was going to be a different type of hell considering she had no idea what challenges awaited them. Either way it was imperative she end up with Carter or at least Margot and Daisuke.

“The burning desire to challenge the unknown! That’s what I seek in each of you!” Menchi finished her speech, juggling her knives expertly.

“Even so, isn’t failing an entire applicant pool a bit much?” A static-filled voice originating from outside broke through the tension in the room. The sounds of an engine whirring overhead soon had the participants running outside to see what was happening.

Carter ran with the crowd as Linn walked at a brisk pace. A part of her was giddy about meeting the Chairman of the Hunters Association. She found his character to be so cool and easy-going about everything, not to mention he was a martial arts expert, no weird or complicated Nen abilities from him, just one punch and bam, and the opponent is down.

Linn felt her mood dampen as she remembered his death from the Manga. While not the most tragic, he had been one of her favourites throughout the series. That being said his last battle against Meruem was simply amazing. Linn felt her inner weeb rise a bit before she promptly beat it back down. She refused to become like Kazuya.

Steeling herself, she joined the back of the crowd just as an elderly man jumped off the blimp and landed in front of the group. Linn felt her lip twitch in suppressed amusement as everyone watched the old man in shock and disbelief. Above their heads, the blimp slowly began its descent.

“That jump must have been 60 feet…” Someone whispered.

The crowd parted as Menchi stepped forward, her face almost as bewildered as the contestants. “Chairman Netero… head of the Exam Commission.”

A surprise ripple sounded through the crowd. Netero stepped forward, hands clasped behind his back and with a calm look he addressed the Examiner. “Menchi…”

She stood straighter in response. “Yes.”

“Did you fail them because after testing their will to challenge the unknown, you found they lacked the desire?” Netero looked over the crowd. Almost as if he was gauging their wills for himself. His brown eyes passed over Linn’s section before returning to Menchi.

“…I got steamed when an examinee belittled the task. And then, when they all inadvertently found out how to make the dish… I got really upset and lost my appetite.”

“Did this inhibit your ability to make a sober evaluation?” He asked.

“I admit I get very emotional about food and so,” Menchi looked to the ground, before lifting her head and looking Netero right in the eyes. “I’ve failed as an examiner. I’ll resign my post and withdraw my decision.”

Netero nodded, stroking his beard as he thought over her apology. “Hmm… to continue the present test would compromise the results of the exam. Instead, I’d like you to stay on as-”

“No, no, that won’t do!” A voice cheerfully proclaimed.

Linn felt her heart stop and mind freeze. The blimp had landed not just to collect the participants as she had originally thought, but to drop off another passenger. A character who shouldn’t even appear until the Election Arc, someone who was just as dangerous as Hisoka and Illumi, maybe even more so considering his style of manipulating things in the background.

Pariston Hill had exited the blimp. All charming smiles, low-spiked blond hair and dressed in a form-fitting suit. He could have been mistaken for a high positioned pencil pusher, or even the Chairman’s Personal Assistant. Were it not for the feeling of something, just, being off about him.

It was there, a small, wiggling sensation in your chest that would get stronger the more a person would stare at him. Judging by how some of the contestants took a step back at his approach, the feeling wasn’t Linn’s alone.

Fuck, fuck, fuck. With her limbs trembling, Linn looked for Kazuya in the crowd and saw him too staring at Pariston. A feeling of hope blossomed within her and she felt lighter. She began making her way to him. They can get through this! Linn thought almost hysterically. Kazuya will realise that what’s just happened was so out of canon that it could derail their plans of getting Hunter Licenses’ and they’ll be able to figure out a new tactic together. Like the group of friends he kept badgering them into being.

“Hey Kazuya, who’s the suit guy?” Daisuke asks.

Linn opens her mouth, ready to come clean about her knowledge of Hunter X Hunter.

And then Kazuya spoke, and Linn froze. “No idea, probably just some admin guy for the Association. We’ll be fine.” He shrugged before focusing back on Netero, his eyes shining again with that fanatic happiness that Linn so despised.

It felt as if her throat had closed-up. No way, there was absolutely no way, Kazuya didn’t recognise that individual! He had said that he was up to date with the Manga and that meant he must have read the Chairman Election Arc, which meant- which meant… he was lying?

Linn was thrown. It was as if the rug had been pulled out from underneath her. Twice consecutively. And she did not appreciate the feeling of it at all.

She flexed her hands and forced herself to breath. Even being one step away from outright panic she had enough sense of mind to realise this was not the time or place. She could save it for when they get rooms in the blimp and some semblance of privacy. She felt like she was much overdue for a breakdown.

Netero sighed and turned towards Pariston. If you looked closely you could see that a vein had popped up on his head. It was clear Netero didn’t appreciate Pariston’s interruption as he greeted him with a seemingly indifferent tone. “Well then Vice Chairman, what would you do?”

Surprise swept through the crowd but was silenced almost instantly as Pariston glanced at them.

He hummed thoughtfully before showing off a close-eyed smile. It made Linn want to hide. “Well it’s clear that Menchi isn’t fit to be an examiner, you said it yourself after all,” Pariston opened his eyes and peered at Netero. “And Examiner Buhara has already fulfilled his part of the Examination so it wouldn’t be fair to have him do another round.”

Buhara looked as if he was about to interrupt but a sharp look from Menchi had him shutting up. Pariston had caught the interaction and smiled up at Buhara. “Oh? Was there something you wanted to add?”

Buhara nervously licked his lips before shaking his head.

It seemed even the seasoned Hunters were thrown off by Pariston, Linn thought to herself. It’s probably worse for them considering they could feel his Nen no doubt.

Pariston began walking in a slow circle around the Chairman, who still looked as if he hadn’t a care in the world. “And unfortunately, we don’t have enough time to recruit another Examiner, so it’s clear that the only option left is… for me to become an Examiner for the remainder of this Phase!”

“Eh?!”

“What!”

Exclamations of disbelief echoed from the participants while Linn just let her face drop into her hands. She always knew that the world of Hunter x Hunter was cruel but this was something else.

Linn felt someone sidle up to her and peeked through her fingers at Carter. “By your look I’m guessing this guy is bad news?”

Linn couldn’t form an answer. She just covered her face again.

A pair of warm hands landed on her shoulders. “Listen, I don’t know what kind of trouble this guy is, but I know that trying to bury your face ain’t going to solve anything. We just need to get our Hunter Licenses’, right? Let’s just finish this Phase and then we’ll never have to see the Vice Chairman again, okay?”

Linn mumbled into her hands, tugging at her brown locks a few times in exasperation before she slowly let them drop. She felt drained. If it wasn’t for the fact she knew a break was coming after this she would have just given up and dropped to the floor. “Alright, you’ve convinced me to keep going.”

“Good.” Carter grinned.

A sharp clap diverted their attention back to Pariston. “Then it’s decided, I shall be the substitute Examiner for this round. Let’s all get along!” He laughed.

“So what’s our new task going to be then?” Leorio spoke up, arms crossed with a facial expression just daring Pariston to not answer him. “Another cooking challenge?”

Pariston waved him off. “Oh no. I’m no Gourmet Hunter. You see,” To Linn’s panic, Pariston began walking through the crowd of participants, all the while carrying on in a jovial tone. “I’ve noticed in recent years there’s been a bit of decline in the quality of Hunters that pass this exam. Too few of them have goals and desires they want to chase. It’s quite pathetic.”

He was getting closer to them, and Linn tensed involuntarily as his presence became stronger. Thankfully he didn’t stop, but Linn felt her heart stutter as he glanced at her from the corner of his eyes before passing. She hoped it was a trick of the light.

Leorio’s eyes widened as he caught on. “Wait, you don’t mean-”

“Indeed! I am going to be sitting with each and every one of you, one-to-one, to see what you will bring to the Hunters Association.” Pariston closed his eyes as if he was deep in thought before opening them, shining with barely hidden glee. “Yes, think of this task like a job interview that could make or break your career before it even begins.”

Netero sighed as Pariston finally arrived back where he started. It’s the most aggravated Linn had seen him so far.

“What do you think Chairman? Is this an acceptable alternative?” Pariston smiled at Netero as if he knew the answer already.

“Alright, Vice Chairman. I’ll leave this part of the Exam in your capable hands.” Netero waved him off, Making his way back to the blimp and out of sight.

Pariston watched him go before swinging around to face the contestants. “Now, if we could all line up in front of the blimp in accordance to your number tags. I’ll begin calling you in.” The participants slowly began moving to Pariston’s will as he made his way up the ramp.

Linn planted her head back in her hands. She hated interviews. She wanted to avoid Pariston like the plague. Now she’s faced with both at the same time.

Carter patted her back. He didn’t think they were any words he could offer Linn at the moment that would help. Instead he stood by her, a silent, comforting presence as others moved around the two.

Notes:

Note! The story is not going to go completely AU. AU-ish i'd say.

Also, oh look a wild rat has appeared. this'll be fine. toootally.

Chapter 6: Chapter 6

Notes:

this chapter turned into 8 pages and i fully blame Pariston for this

also please keep in mind of the characters in this fic - i.e. hisoka & illumi, others that will be introduced - i'll update the tags when/if necessary but i wont be putting individual warnings at the start of chapters

no beta

“Uuurgh.” Linn groaned.

“You’re not making this go any faster, Linn.” Carter said, taking another step when Daisuke in front of him moved forward.

Currently they were queued up outside the blimp, as per the Vice Chairman’s orders, and Linn felt as if she had been put on a death march. Already a good number of contestants had spoken to Pariston and had been sent back out, alive and unharmed Linn happily noted, only really looking a bit lost as they either headed left or right.

Linn looked between the two groups. Illumi, Killua and Hisoka had already been sorted to the group on the left and their ‘interviews’ went so quick Linn imagined they didn’t get further than introducing themselves before Pariston sent them out. If she had to guess that had to be the group of contestants that Pariston deemed worth passing.

Ideally this would have been better checked with Gon himself but as Linn and the others arrived before his group they would get sorted first. There would be no knowing if they passed until Gon and friends finished their interviews. Unless of course this new reality decided to shred canon completely and not pass the rest of the main cast. The thought was violently pushed from Linn’s brain.

Linn looked down at the badge currently gripped in her hand. The numbers 374 stared back at her. She knew Carter carried 373, Margot 372, Daisuke 371 and Kazuya 370 but after getting into their place in line Kazuya had urged them all the hide the badges away. No doubt remembering the Island test. It would have been even better if he told them to start memorising the other contestants’ badges but, Linn had to concede, there would be no point when they still weren’t sure who was passing to the next stage.

Another few steps forward. The blimp was towering over them now and Linn found herself bouncing on the balls of her feet just full of nervousness.

A bit too much apparently, as her shoulder accidentally knocked the person behind her.

“Watch it.” A voice hissed back. Linn was thankful he didn’t shout out like the two contestants in the beginning of the Exam.

Linn looked over her shoulder at him and apologised. “My bad.”

“Tch. Just don’t let it happen again or you’ll regret.” He scowled.

Keeping her face neutral, Linn ignored the threat and turned back around, her nervous energy now being diverting to tapping fingers against her leg.

The man behind her leaned back to his friend. “You won’t believe it Kiri, the guy in front of us is a chick.”

Linn felt her eyebrow twitch. Some things never change, Linn inwardly sighed at what she knew was going to come next.

“No way Lurem look at him.” Kiri ‘whispered’ back. “There’s no ass, it’s clearly a guy.”

Carter forcefully coughed into his hands, using them to smother the laughter that wanted to escape. Linn pinched his back because she knew she couldn’t do anything to the contestants behind her without starting a fight. Carter’s yelp of pain was satisfying enough.

It was completely ridiculous though! Okay, so perhaps Linn liked dressing more androgynously than others and her chest was a handful on a good day and, yes, depending on the trousers she could effectively make her butt disappear. Hm. Alright Linn understood where the confusion came from.

Carter still shook with suppressed laughter and Linn kicked the back of his leg. If she survived the comments back in her home universe she could deal with them here.

“Contestant #370 you may now enter.”

As Linn watched Kazuya confidently enter the blimp, an assistant with a clipboard directing him to the correct room, she felt the fear crawl back up her spine however with it came a grim determination. She could do this! No, she would do this! No matter what Linn will survive this Phase and no matter the consequences, whether she ends up passing or failing, she refused to lie down and stop living.

Linn felt herself burning with determination.

The four of them stood waiting patiently for Kazuya to come back out. And waited. And waited longer.

“Oi what’s the hold-up?” Someone shouted from the back.

“Hurry the fuck up!” Another contestant rang out.

“Other people want to get their Licenses you know!” Leorio chimed in.

Linn didn’t know how Margot and Daisuke were dealing with Kazuya’s rather long ‘interview’ due to the broad expanse of Carter’s back, but she imagined they were close to tearing their hair out from worry.

Imagine he didn’t pass. Linn felt a bubble of joy at the idea of Kazuya’s plan going to shit when he finally stepped out the blimp. Compared to the other contestants Kazuya looked as if he had undergone rigorous exercise by the sheen layer of sweat that covered him and the dishevelled state of his blond hair.

Both Margot and Daisuke immediately went to approach him but the assistant stepped between them. “Contestants still waiting to undergo the interview are not allowed to communicate with those who had as per the Vice Chairman’s rules.”

Kazuya sent them a smile. It looked a bit too forced to be reassuring. Margot and Daisuke went back into their places while Kazuya went to the group on the left. Huh. He’s been put in the supposed ‘passed’ group.

Now Linn was curious as to what Pariston had put him through.

“Contestant #371 follow me.”

Poor Daisuke, he was practically shaking walking. Linn bit her lip gently before calling out to him. “Don’t overthink it Daisuke, you can do this.”

Daisuke looked back in shock and Linn just sent him a small wave. To her surprise Margot also turned and gave Linn a thankful smile. Linn’s face softened at how pale she looked; it was still miles better than when she had passed out, but Linn could tell Margot wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer.

Would it be a mercy if Margot failed here? If she didn’t get a Hunter License this world would be much harder to live in, especially if Margot was determined to stay with Kazuya, on the other hand, Margot could actually die before reaching the end of the exam.

Daisuke walked out of the blimp and walked off to join him in the left group. Compared to Kazuya his interview went lightning quick.

“Contestant #372, this way.”

Margot didn’t look back as she entered the blimp.

If I were to be honest, Linn thought to herself, I would prefer Margot to fail and live then die trying. A small piece of her felt guilt at the admission but she reasoned that as long as Margot failed naturally and not due to Linn intervening that it would be fine. That way no one would get the blame for it.

Margot walked out before joining Kazuya as well.

Kazuya patted the two on the back and Linn could assume he was congratulating them on getting through it.

The assistant gestured for Carter to step up. “Contestant #373, if you would.”

Carter looked over his shoulder at Linn and nodded. Linn nodded back. She had faith she would see him in the passing group.

The interview for Carter went longer than the previous two. Linn could feel the worry build up inside her and it didn’t ease until he stepped back out again. Then he took a step towards the right group and Linn felt her eyes grow wide, only to correct his path and head toward the others.

Carter grinned at Linn’s twitching face as she realised the joke he had pulled. “That was not funny your jokes are complete shit.” Grinning dumbass, Linn thought fondly.

“Contestant #374, follow me.”

Look at me, willingly entering the belly of the beast, Linn thought dryly to herself. This could only end well! Okay so her own jokes were a bit shit as well, but her fake humour did its job of taking her mind off the current walk of doom.

Until she arrived at the door that is.

Just as she raised her hand to knock an annoyingly bright voice called out. “Come in!”

With her heart beating a mile a minute Linn entered the room stone-faced and near panic.

It was an unremarkable room really: a desk sat in the middle, a few papers strewn about that Linn assumed contained information regarding the contestants, two chairs either side of the desk and there was even a nice tall potted plant in the corner. And with Pariston sitting on the other side Linn decided this was the most intimidating room she had ever been in.

“Take a seat please, #374 and let’s get started. Now your full name?”

“Linn.”

No one in their group had decided to keep their last names, it didn’t feel right doing so when they wouldn’t be seeing their families again. Pariston didn’t question the lack of a family name.

“And you’re with the previous 4 contestants, correct?”

Linn felt the urge to fidget but strangled it as Pariston continued watching her. “…Yes. For now.”

Pariston perked up, his eyes alight with fake interest at her answer. “Looking to break out on your own, I see, I see,” He rubbed his chin as if in thought and Linn damn near had a heart attack when he shot her a smile. “An excellent quality needed in a Hunter if I do say so myself!”

Your approval fills me with joy, Linn thought sourly. Her brain was still having trouble deciding whether to classify Pariston’s fake brightness as threatening or annoying behaviour.

“Now, let me propose a hypothetical scenario: you pass the exam and get your Licence, but then what? Do you travel off into the unknown, fighting beast after beast or maybe you decide to go after the sick, twisted criminals polluting this world.” Linn made eye contact with Pariston for a second before looking away. “Any plans, Linn?”

Linn clenched her fists under the desk as her name slid off his lips. He was trying to throw her off by being so familiar. Linn’s thoughts buzzed through her brain. She had an idea a question like this would come up, it was the equivalent of an employer asking, “Where do you see yourself in a year after working with us?” And Linn had devised the perfect answer that would get her enough of Pariston’s interest to pass this Phase.

“I want to be a skill Hunter, specifically a Martial Arts Hunter.” Linn’s voice came out strong and she carried the momentum on further before Pariston could interrupt. “There’s a Hunter whose Martial Arts is unparalleled, and I want nothing more than to be greater than them.”

“Oh? And who would that be?” Pariston answered with a fake politeness.

Linn leaned back and forced herself to relax against the chair. She had to make it seem like this had been her goal for a while and not just the last 30minutes. “The Chairman of the Hunters Association, Netero.”

Pariston held still at the proclamation, face frozen in his standard pleasant expression. But then his smile twisted, just a bit at the edges, and his eyes almost seemed to sparkle and suddenly Linn wasn’t too sure of herself anymore.

He leaned forward, hands interlocking with one another. “Now that is quite the goal you have set yourself. Just how do you plan to achieve it?”

The follow-up question Linn had been expecting. She still had to stop the automatic response of running a hand through her short hair from the tension. “Well, there was the obvious route; following the Chairman’s footsteps and picking a single Martial Art to master… but I found that approach a bit too-” Linn forgot the word she was going say next and now her hand was flapping wildly in the air as if to substitute for it, wonderful.

“Boring?” Pariston helpfully added.

No but I’ll roll with it, Linn thought. “Exactly, a bit too predictable for my liking. Instead, I would rather travel around ‘collecting’, so to speak, different Martial Arts.”

Pariston tilted his head, much like a bird eying their prey. “Any idea on how many you would ‘collect’ before confronting the Chairman?”

Never said I would ever confront him. Linn felt her plan was backfiring, now Pariston seemed a little too interested in her future. Mutely she shook her head in response.

“Hmm, you should really plan these things. But not to worry, I won’t mind lending a hand to an aspiring Hunter.”

Linn choked as her breath caught in her throat. What?!

“Of course, you will need to get your Hunters Licence first before we could put your plan into place.”

Linn felt like screaming. This was meant to be a fake career goal she wasn’t going to actual achieve it!

Pariston clapped his hands together and tilted his head. The action was meant to come across as sweet and friendly, but all Linn was getting was danger and doom. “I must say this has been much more amusing than I thought it would be. You can’t imagine the kind of fools that apply for a Hunters Licence.” Pariston rolled his eyes in a what-can-you-do manner. “No to worry though Linn, you definitely don’t enter that category.”

“So… I passed?”

“Yes of course, you can make your way back outside and join the group on the right.” Pariston waved Linn off, scribbling something onto a paper.

A flash of worry went through Linn before she realised that when exiting the blimp, the left and right sides would be reversed. She had been put with Carter and the rest. Not wanting to stay a second longer in Pariston’s company Linn rose from her chair and rushed to the door all while trying to look as if she wasn’t running.

“One more thing Linn!”

Pausing mid-stride Linn looked back at Pariston.

“I won’t be here for the Final Phase of the exam but don’t worry,” The sharp glint in Pariston’s eyes made a chill run-down Linn’s spine. “Once you get your licence, I’ll find you and we can finalise your plan of defeating the Chairman.”

Pariston I can promise you that I will never, ever, engage in a fight with Netero, Linn swore to herself. However, if this was the only reason Pariston was passing her… Linn nodded and carried on to the door.

“Ah, and one MORE thing!”

Oh my god. He was fucking with her. He had to be. Linn felt her eyebrow twitch violently and she once again turned around. She didn’t bother hiding the irritation on her face and Pariston looked delighted.

“I just need to check something.” Pariston raised a closed hand and the air in the room became heavy.

Linn needed to swallow heavily to get any air in and she stared wide-eyed as Pariston slowly uncurled one finger and began raising it. The more it straightened the heavier the pressure got before Linn was sure she looked like a fish gasping for air. Her vision was going blurry and Linn felt like her head wasn’t attached to her body anymore.

She was reaching her breaking point and all she could make out in her distorted vision was the dirty blond-haired devil in the suit making his way towards her. Outstretched finger aiming for her forehead.

A tap. Then the feeling of sunlight blooming inside of her, as if her blood suddenly contained hundreds of tiny suns. Linn couldn’t feel herself properly, was this what an out-of-body experience felt like?

“That should make things more accessible for you, Linn.”

Pariston’s words reverberated around Linn so much she couldn’t make out what he was trying to tell her. A bright light stole her attention next as she looked down at her arms and noticed her white skin had golden lines running down it. Linn rubbed her eyes to stop the blurry images and when she opened them everything was back to normal.

To her surprise Pariston wasn’t in front of her any longer, instead he stood holding the door open for Linn to exit. The assistant was already waiting.

She wondered when exactly he had moved. Without any further words to Pariston, Linn exited the room and followed the assistant silently.

She still felt so weird. It was as if her skin were too sensitive, she could feel each single hair on her arms and the way the wind kept brushing past them was overloading her senses. The heat under her skin - was it coming from her bones? Her blood? - was clashing with the clammy feeling on top of her skin.

Even walking back outside felt too much. Her muscles protesting every second and she vaguely registered the moment she ended next to Carter. He was asking her something but she could only watch him with a frown as he mouthed words at her.

How strange, she had heard Pariston voice earlier.

A high-pitched ringing signalled her hearing making its return and she rubbed her ears as Carters voice finally came through.

“-holy shit Linn, sit down before you fall over.”

“No, let me stand.” Linn croaked. She was sure if she sat down her muscles would give up on her.

Just what had Pariston done? That pressure he exerted had to be his Nen but just what was he testing? Her own Nen potential? Wait maybe she was overthinking this, it’s Pariston, he could have done it to just fuck with her and now he’d be no doubt laughing at his own joke.

Or maybe he had done something Linn didn’t even want to imagine. Had he jump started her own Nen?

“That fucking piece of shit.” Linn spoke under her breath. Venom was dripping from her words because fuck Pariston and his entire introduction into this Exam.

Her companions were talking. She thinks Carter and Kazuya were arguing but her mind couldn’t focus, too caught up in the burning inside of her. She almost wished it were her blood boiling up instead of her Nen.

A low moan cut through the noise, sounding entirely inappropriate for a public area and Linn’s eyes moved automatically towards the offending sound. Pass the contestants idling around, towards the back of the group leaning in the shade of a tree was Hisoka. His head rested in the palm of his hand, eyes half-lidden and intense as he watched Linn. His pinkie rested just over his lips and as Linn’s eyes wondered over to it a pink tongue flicked out.

An odd energy pressed into Linn. It felt almost like an invisible person was prodding her arm. Nen, her mind supplied. Her arm twitched in response and she had the vaguest notion that somehow a mark had been left.

Her attention was drawn then to Hisoka’s other hand, once resting on the tree behind him it was now moving onto his stomach, slowly travelling down, past his abs, further than his waistline and cupping over the front of his trousers.

Oh.

Linn tore her eyes away from Hisoka’s boner so fast her vision was a flurry of colours. Okay she did not like that one bit. Either Hisoka heard her cursing out Pariston and that got him, ah, going, or he had felt Pariston’s Nen. It was most certainly not from the probability of her own Nen being activated, Linn was resolute in this. It had only – maybe – been awakened so it must have been as weak as a baby lamb.

Whatever the answer was Linn was glad Hisoka was nowhere near her.

A pair of hands landed on her shoulders and Margot appeared. “Any dizziness? Can-can you still feel your fingers and toes?” A hand brushed against her cheek. Linn frowned at the feeling and Margot drew her hand back. “Linn?” She asked weakly.

“No dizziness. I can feel everything.”

Carter came round her other side. “I still think you should sit down.”

Linn still didn’t trust her muscles. “No Carter, just let me lean on you for a bit and I’ll be fine.”

Seeing as how he wasn’t going to win this; Carter huffed and placed an arm around Linn’s shoulders. It grounded her enough that she no longer felt like ants were roving over her skin.

Gon, Leorio and Kurapika were one of the last to get interviewed. Leorio and Kurapika both came to Linn’s group however when Gon had joined the opposing side everyone grew tense.

“Contestants, now that everyone has gone through their interviews, the Vice Chairman will now announce the passing and failing groups.”

As Pariston stepped out the blimp, Linn had to stop herself from physically snarling at the bastard. He looked over the two assembled groups, eyes betraying nothing until they landed on Gon. “Oh? I thought I told you to stand in the right group, Mr. Freecs.” Pariston asked.

Gon blinked at him in confusion. “Isn’t this the right group?”

Leorio, Kurapika and Killua all let out collective sighs before Killua called out. “No, Gon, this is the right side.”

A few snickers sounded from the contestants as Gon walked over, face heated from embarrassment.

From behind Linn, Kazuya sighed in relief. “Close call.”

Pariston clapped, gathering everyone’s attention back. “Now the group of contestants I have deemed interesting enough to pass… is the right group congratulations!”

Cheers erupted from around Linn and she sagged against Carter. Happy the ordeal with Pariston was finally over and they could move onto the regularly scheduled Hunters Exam.

Without any further ado Pariston waved to the winning group before making his way once again inside the blimp. The losing contestants were ushered away by a second assistant while the first gestured for the winners towards the blimp.

“In order to reach your next Phase you all will travel in this blimp. While inside you may all relax and enjoy the onboard amenities. However please remember that both the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Hunters Associated will be with us.” The assistants cold gaze swept over the contestants. “So please be aware of your behaviour.”

And with that ending statement, the contestants boarded the blimp. Carter was half-dragging, half-supporting Linn as he got her up the ramp.

“I need a bed to crash in.” Linn slurred. The day was finally over, she had survived and now all she felt was tired. Her eyelids were getting heavier and she couldn’t fight them anymore.

Carter swore as Linn went limp in his hold and picked her up bridal style. Making his way over to the assistant he asked. “Hi, excuse me, where are the rooms?”

The assistant glanced at the passed-out Linn before gesturing Carter to follow. A few turns into different hallways and then she stopped in front of a door. “This room’s free.”

Carter didn’t bother asking how she knew that. “Thank you.” He pushed the door open and kicked it shut behind him. The room was better than he was expecting, two beds, an attached bathroom and look even a bedside cabinet.

Carefully, he placed Linn onto the covers of the bed furthest away from the door and pulled the blanket off the other bed to cover her with. Finally, he let himself fall onto the naked bed and eyed the door.

No locks on the door were an inconvenience, but at least with him closer if anyone did try to intrude he’d wake up first from the noise. A wave of drowsiness rolled over him and Carter’s last shred of energy went into removing his trainers. Distantly, he wondered if he should have at least informed the others of where they were bunking, although the idea of Daniel having no control over their actions had him smiling right before he drifted to sleep.

Notes:

haaha Pariston came in and went imma fUCk things up

we're finally getting close to the flame reveal woo

also lets face it just putting Hisoka on the character tags is a warning of itself. you all know how he's like

Chapter 7: Chapter 7

Notes:

In which some questions are answered and yet more questions arise
and i throw a shit load of sky imagery around

longest chapter to date so enjoy~

No Beta

Linn came to slowly. Her mind registering her limbs one by one until they were all accounted for. A yawn escaped her as she stretched out, sighing in satisfaction as her back clicked. Not wanting to wake up just yet, Linn allowed herself to relax into a tranquil, half-awake state.

It felt like she was drifting, a soft breeze caressing her hair as she breathed in the cool air. Linn opened her eyes and found herself standing below a wide orange sky. Even without looking Linn knew instinctively that it reached further than her eyes could see, than her mind could ever grasp. Linn looked down only to see her reflection staring back at her, surrounded by the sky.

Curiously, Linn looked around the space her mind had created for her. The colour of the sky indicated that it was dusk, so where was the setting sun?

Was she the sun in this scenario?

No, that wasn’t right. It didn’t feel right.

Linn frowned, staring back up at the sky. Where were the clouds? The rain and storm? Shouldn’t there be at least lightning and mist present?

What an empty sky she was.

Linn felt a wave of drowsiness overcome her at the thought. Her time here was up, her mind was being pulled from this sacred space and back into reality.

It was in a smooth motion that Linn felt her body again lying in a bed, but the more awake she became the more the memory of that endless sky drifted from her. By the time Linn finally opened her eyes the memory had already disappeared.

For a second, Linn tried piecing together her missing dream before pushing it to the side. Surely if it were important, she would have remembered it? The better question was how she ended up in this room. Her last memory was of clinging to Carter as they approached the blimp and then nothing. Carter must have dragged her sorry ass to this room after her body gave up on her.

Forcing herself to sit up, Linn noticed how much better she felt. Her muscles were no longer seizing up and her skin had lost its hypersensitive feeling. Linn looked down at her hands and made a fist. There was no lingering pain or tightness. Did this mean her Nen had settled? Or had Pariston only disrupted it slightly, not fully activating it?

The door opened, drawing Linn away from her thoughts as Carter stepped in, two plates piled high with food balancing on one hand as he used the other to close the door. A smile broke out on his face as he noticed Linn’s awakened state.

“Hey, you feel any better?” Carter asked, joining Linn on the bed. Wordlessly he handed her a plate and Linn wasted no time in digging in. Seeing food had reminded her body that it had been a while since it last digested something.

Carter grinned at Linn’s eagerness before starting on his own plate. “If you have an appetite you must be feeling better.”

Mouth full, Linn gave him a thumbs-up.

Neither spoke as they finished their meals. The only sound being the soft hum of the blimps spinning rotors and the occasional, distant bang from another room.

When her plate was empty, Linn leaned back against the headboard and released a deep breath. “Oh man, I really needed that. Don’t know who you had to fight to grab all that food but thanks.” Linn grinned.

“Well, the trick is to avoid the first buffet that everyone runs to thinking it’s the only one,” Carter picked up a napkin and cleaned his fingers of the leftover barbecue sauce. Scrunching it up, he tossed it into the small bin in the corner of the room. “And find the second buffet hidden in the back.”

“How’d you know there was a second one?”

“Back home, during university I worked part-time as a waiter, for business events and stuff, and whenever we did set-up we would put at least one buffet table in a hidden spot.” Carter shrugged, staring at the wall as he went through his memories. “Figured it wouldn’t be too different in this universe you know.”

“Yeah.” Linn said quietly. The two companions were lost in their own recollections of ‘home’. It still felt strange to them. That one day they were with their friends and loved ones and the next they’re standing in a dilapidated building with other, confused strangers.

“Do you think-”

“Do you-”

Linn laughed while Carter shook his head good-naturedly. “You go first.” He spoke.

Bringing her legs up, Linn hugged them to her chest. “Do you miss anyone?”

Carter leaned back. “’course I do. Is it bad I miss my girlfriend the most? Like, of course I think of my little brother a lot and the rest of my family, but my girlfriend…” He rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed.

Linn shrugged. “Of course, there’s always going to be a someone you miss the most. No need to feel guilty just because it wasn’t a family member.”

“We’ve been together for roughly 6 years.”

“Fuck that’s serious. No wonder.” Linn winced. “I’m sorry.”

The lines under Carter’s eyes suddenly looked more prominent, making him appear older than his 24 years. Unsure of what to say, Linn reached over and patted Carter’s shoulder.

“I miss my friends. They were morons but they were mine, you know.”

The tired look dropped from Carter’s face as he half-smiled. “Yeah, I know.”

Carter stared down at his plate; in his mind he could still hear the distant echoes of sweet, joyous laughter. If he tried hard enough, he could even imagine that the weight of the plate was instead his girlfriend’s head resting in his lap, and they were back in his apartment, cuddled up and watching TV.

He blinked and there was just a half empty plate again. The sorrow was there, resting at the back of his mind, and he would acknowledge it. Carter knew ignoring their previous lives and loved ones would only lead to an emotional explosion later one. Strong emotions don’t just disappear after all. But not now, he would say his goodbyes – properly – after these exams and in private. Right now, he had to focus on reaching the end and to achieve that, he needed more information from Linn.

“What happened yesterday with the Vice Chairman? You came out looking worse than Daniel.”

Linn pursed her lips; wondering if she should explain Nen to Carter now or wait until Kazuya decided to inform the group. If she did tell him, he may react suspiciously when Kazuya finally decided to spill the beans and the last thing she wanted was to get Kazuya suspicious of Carter. Not that Carter himself would be bothered about Kazuya’s opinion of him, if anything he would relish in the suspicion.

Linn stared hard at Carter. His face portrayed neither anger nor annoyance at her silence. It was clear that even if she didn’t answer him, he would accept it and move on. Then again, for all she knew Kazuya had already told Margot and Daisuke all about Nen and left her and Carter in the dark.

With that thought in her mind, Linn made her decision.

“Okay, right, have you ever watched Dragon Ball Z?”

Carter was confused at the sudden change of topic, but nevertheless he answered. “No.”

“One Piece?”

“Nope.”

“Naruto?”

“I’ve heard of it.” Carter supplied.

Linn shot Carter an incredulous look. “Not helpful. Have you ever watched any anime?”

“Um, I’ve watched a few episodes of K-On. If that helps?”

“Really? Out of everything-” Linn cut herself off, rubbing her forehead. “No. That doesn’t help. Let me try it like this: you know how in comics, even the most average person can suddenly gain powers?”

“Yeah.”

“Now, that applies in this universe, the biggest difference however is that rather than gaining superpowers from some sort of accident, everyone’s born with the potential to unlock it.”

Carter was staring at her wide-eyed. To his credit, rather than laughing at Linn’s words he asked. “Would… that still apply to us though? Technically, we weren’t born here…”

Linn considered Carter’s question seriously. “This potential is something that’s stored in a living Beings aura. And auras are something that existed in our world, even if their existence was only taken seriously by a small percentage of people. But if that isn’t enough to convince you,” Linn felt her lip curl. “I’m pretty sure that irritating Vice Chairman did something to my aura in our interview.”

Carter looked over Linn, he half expected something to have changed about her. A weird mark to have appeared. Maybe she grew claws? But there was nothing out of the ordinary. “You know, if I hadn’t seen you myself after that interview, I’d be thinking you were trying to fool me.” Carter looked thoughtful. “So, what, now you have some sort of superpower? Gonna be firing lasers from your eyes?”

Linn snorted. “It’s not that simple. What that irritating fuck did was only partially open my aura, the actual technique that lets someone control it is called ‘Nen’ and it’s something that has to be learnt. And I’m talking vigorous training.” Linn emphasized.

The room was silent as Carter mulled over her words. “So, no laser eyes?”

“No.”

“Not even at Daniel?”

“Getting back to the point.” Linn rolled her eyes. “I’m telling you this because it’s more important than knowing what’s coming next. If we get Hunter License’s, we’ll be able to learn how to utilise our Nen, which is great, it’ll make living here easier. But until then you need to know there’s already some contestants in this competition who have access to this technique, and they are dangerous.”

“…That clown’s one of them, isn’t he?” Carter asked. His face mirroring Linn’s seriousness.

“I think he’s technically a Magician but yeah. Also, that weirdo with all the needles.” Linn suppressed a chill. No one in their right mind would stick needles into their own face like that. Hey that explained Illumi quite nicely – not in his right mind.

Carter licked his lips nervously. “Wait, so if auras are something we all have, does that mean the other Nen users could have felt your aura since the beginning of the exam?”

Linn opened her mouth, then closed it. She didn’t like where Carter was going with this.

“Then,” Carter tapped his finger against the bed. “Could the reason as to why those two keep appearing around you be because of your Nen?”

“No, that wouldn’t make sense.” Linn immediately countered, annoyed at the idea of there being a logical reason as to why Illumi and Hisoka were inserting themselves into her life and not just because they enjoyed making problems for others. “My aura would have been a tiny blip on their radar. Hardly anything interesting. Your explanation is off.”

Carter raised his hands in surrender. “Alright, alright. They’re clearly attracted to your stunning personality.” He added sarcastically.

“Fuck off, Carter.”

A chime rang out over the speakers, disturbing their conversation. ‘Contestants we are arriving at our destination, please ready for disembarkation.’

“Don’t mention anything about Nen when there’s others present. It’s meant to be a well-kept secret only available to licensed hunters.” Linn said quickly.

Carter nodded, gathering the dirty dishes, he left them in a neat pile on the cabinet. “The attendant said she’ll grab them once everyone’s gone.”

Linn hummed in response, then made a face as she sniffed her green t-shirt. “I don’t suppose they’ve got a hidden cache of clothes available for the contestants here?”

“Nope. We’re all doomed to smell.”

Linn made a disgusted face as she followed Carter out the door. The blimp was smooth in its descent and by the time they joined the rest of the contestants, the ramp had been lowered and door opened. They all walked out onto the empty platform, gathering in front of the Head Chairman’s small assistant.

“Wonder what’s supposed to happen…” Someone mumbled.

Linn took in the clear blue skies surrounding the tower. Possible impeding death aside this was a lovely view.

“Linn!” A voice loudly whispered.

They both turned to see Margot waving at them. She stood with Daisuke and Kazuya and was signalling them to join.

“Should we…?”

Before Linn could answer the assistants voice rang out. “We are currently at the top of Trick Tower where the 3^rd Phase of the exam will take place. You have 72 hours to reach the base of the tower alive.”

“That’s it?” Carter mumbled, turning to follow Linn as she made her way to Margot and the others. “I hope they’re not expecting us to climb down.”

“No, don’t even try that. For now, let’s just regroup and-” The rest of Linn’s words escape in a puff of air as the ground beneath her vanished. Her last sight of Carter was his surprised face as the panel closed above her.

It was a short drop thankfully. Linn still landed in a heap on the stone floor, but nothing had been injured. She coughed at the dust that had risen from her fall, slowly bringing herself up.

“Just my fucking luck.” Linn murmured. A quick look around the room showed no visible door but that didn’t worry Linn as she walked over to the only two objects present: a sign on the wall and a table with two wristbands.

The sign had a set of instructions that read as follows:

‘The Path of Speed: The two contestants who find themselves in this chamber will have to traverse the longest route down Trick Tower.

Contestants will need to retain a speed faster than 6mph while keeping within 2 meters distance of each other.

Failure to follow these regulations will result in poison being administered via the wristbands killing both contestants in under a minute.’

Linn peered at the wristbands. Administer poison huh.

That aside, this path should be doable, unlike Gon’s Path of Majority that required negotiating in order to move forward, Linn just needed someone that would keep to the two rules.

Linn looked up at the ceiling she had fallen through. Carter had been the closest to her, so he had the highest chance of falling in here. If not him, she would accept anyone else from their group, even, her lip curled, Kazuya. Better someone she knew than someone she didn’t, even if she could barely stand his presence.

And so, Linn waited for her Phase partner to show up.

It wasn’t a long wait.

The sound of the brick panel rotating above Linn and then a dark shadow fell in. Landing much more gracefully than Linn could ever hope to achieve.

“How curious.” A neutral voice spoke.

Linn felt her heart drop into her stomach as she watched Illumi take in the room, her fight-or-flight response kicking in. Slowly turning, Illumi quickly scanned the visible instructions and wristbands before moving on. Had it been anyone else, Linn would have doubted they had even bothered to read the sign at all, but she knew that Illumi had taken it all in within seconds.

His black eyes landed on her.

There was a tense silence as Linn held her breath.

Illumi smiled unnervingly. “Hello partner.”

Linn wanted to curse, loudly and at the universe for putting her through this. Oh, how she regretted her previous thought. Better someone she knew than someone she didn’t. Fuck that she would have rather be paired with Tonpa.

Linn forced herself to meet Illumi’s eyes. Ignoring the thumping of her heart. The reassurance of ‘at least it’s not Hisoka’ was the only thing that prevented her from outright panicking. She began taking slow steps towards him.

He waited in front of the case of wristbands as Linn approached. Without much fanfare Linn grabbed one and clicked it over her wrist. Illumi picked up the remaining wristband and examined it. “A speed trial. How fun.” He mused. “Which one of us should take lead, you think?”

Linn shifted nervously, eyes never leaving the wristband Illumi practically played with in his hands. She swallowed. “I’m not that fast.”

The bracelet secured itself on Illumi’s wrist with a solid click and in response, part of the stone wall next to them slid open, revealing an eery hallway.

“Shall I take the lead then?” Illumi made his way to the entrance and Linn noted how the digits on her wristband began rising, showing the distance between them.

“No,” She blurted out. Illumi looked over his shoulder, waiting for her to continue. “It- it would make sense for me to lead. Easier for you to keep pace with me rather than me keeping pace with you.”

Even though her brain screamed at her to keep Illumi in her line of sight and most definitely not behind her, Linn didn’t want to risk the chance of Illumi speeding ahead and setting off the poison. If it were any other contestant (maybe not Hisoka) they would have taken the poison seriously but considering Illumi was a fucking Zoldyck he was probably trained to be immune from poisons since birth.

It could have been the most dangerous and fast-acting poison in the world and Linn imagined that Illumi would have still shrugged it off.

So no, she very much wanted to avoid death by poisoning and if the only way to achieve that was by leading then so be it.

Linn settled herself by the entrance of the hallway. Ignoring Illumi’s presence she started stretching the muscles in her legs. The last thing she needed was a cramp.

“Fine. In which case, I will make sure that neither of us fall below the designated speed.”

“How?” Linn asked, switching to stretch her other leg. The wristband only showed the distance between the two, not the speed they were running.

Illumi stared unblinkingly. Linn refused to look up just yet, drawing out her stretch. “Simple. Whenever you are in danger of falling below the limit, I will say ‘faster’.”

Linn straightened herself. The adrenaline was already running through her just from Illumi’s presence and while she certainly didn’t want to waste it, she realised Illumi hadn’t technically answered her question. “I meant how will you be able to tell our running speed?”

Illumi gave a slow blink.

Alright then, she thought to herself, I’m just going to assume that the Zoldyck’s have an in-built speed sensor and move on. Linn looked into the barely lit corridor in front of them and readied herself.

“Let’s go.” They began running.

The path twisted and turned, left, right, ascended and descended, Linn managed to fall into a good pace and lose herself to the motions. It was almost like her earlier run in the First Phase except she was more aware of her surroundings, and now that she thought about it, this run lacked the warmth that spread through her in that first run. A thought sprang up from her mind, had that been her Nen? Was Carter’s assumption-

Illumi’s voice spoke up from behind her. “Faster.”

Linn didn’t feel as if she had slowed down but there was no way to confirm. Annoyingly she had to place her trust in Illumi on this observation. She picked up the pace.

The corridors didn’t change much, sometimes they were wider and bright, other times narrower with a single light bulb every few yards. Linn assumed this was to throw the runners off, make them lose their footing or crash into one another. However, that wasn’t the hardest obstacle in this Phase – it was the paranoia of Illumi running behind her.

At first Linn had been confused, they had both set off at the same time and then had moved to allow herself to lead and Illumi to follow but something hadn’t sat right with Linn. There was something off with the situation that she couldn’t quite grasp.

It wasn’t until a while later, when her foot had landed harder than intended on the stone floor, making the sound echo that she realised what was putting her on edge. This whole time, she had not heard one sound come from behind her.

Linn glanced at the wristband. The numbers 1.00m shone back at her.

Illumi was definitely there, no doubt about it. This must have been his super Assassin skills at work.

A part of Linn found that unbelievable cool. The other was prickling with fear at the reminder of who was behind her.

The renewed adrenaline rush was a helpful welcome though.

Some more time passed as Linn lost herself in running. The aches were beginning to slowly creep up. She could feel the muscles in her thighs tensing more often along with her calves. Her feet had gone from being comfortable in her trainers to being pinched at the sides, as if the shoes no longer fit. And no matter how many measured breaths Linn took it was never enough oxygen.

“Faster.”

Linn tried to push her body further. But the hallway in front of her was so sparsely lit it was as if the darkness was a solid wall in between the lights. She had been running in this direction for so long already, did it even have an end? Had they in fact been running in circles and this entire trial been a joke?

Her form was off, she was getting slower she knew it. Oh god she was going to die like this. In a dirty, stone hallway where her body would never be found and Carter and the others would only be able to imagine what had happened to her.

Illumi appeared next to her. He had hardly broken a sweat the entire time while Linn was sure she had soaked through her clothes. How unfair. “If this is all you can offer perhaps death would be preferable, no? I can already tell you won’t make it to the end.” Linn felt something rise inside her as Illumi shrugged casually. “I’ll head off first then.”

Linn watched with wide, panic filled eyes as Illumi began pulling ahead of her until she was facing his back.

The distance on her wristband started increasing.

No! Linn wanted to shout but lacked the breath to do so. The fear of death began filling her as Illumi got further away. She didn’t want to die like this! She didn’t want to die in this Exam period!

In the midst of the fear swirling inside her, a rather ridiculous thought emerged, could she use her Nen? Linn was sure she had tapped into it before and if she could do it unconsciously then doing it when she wanted to would be doable right?

Linn held onto that thin hope with the desperation of a person on the edge of death. Even when the memories of her earlier conversation with Carter echoed unhelpfully around her brain - Vigorous training, she had said to him – in this moment Linn knew she had to access her Nen in order to make it to the end. To live.

Her wristband began flashing the digits now. 1.80m, 1.85m, 1.90m…

Linn was going to make it to the end or die trying.

2.00m

The world slowed. Linn watched Illumi’s back as he ran undisturbed. It was almost taunting the way he carried on so casually, perhaps he was even laughing at her on the inside? No, that wouldn’t be his style, Linn thought in between the muddle of her brain, he’s probably already stopped thinking about my presence the second he overtook me.

As if sensing her impeding death, images of the past began resurfacing in Linn’s mind. The memory of her learning to ride a bike, having a princess themed birthday party, the first day of high school and meeting her soon-to-become best friends. One scene in particular played out a bit longer than the rest, a teenaged Linn in the school’s library picking up a certain mafia Manga. The cover showing a rather comedic image of a toddler wearing a suit, holding a green gun.

Oh, she remembered this series, it had been one of her favourites. What was the thing the character always said whenever he was faced with an impossible task? That he would overcome it with his dying will?

Dying Will.

Something in Linn’s mind grasped onto that concept, connected with it on a deeper level she wouldn’t understand until later because right now she was solely focused on making it out alive.

It felt as if everything in her body had sharpened and Linn knew, with a stark clarity, that she was going to make it, because she was going to do it with her dying will.

The blaze started from those thoughts in her mind, seeding into her head and then sprouting to reach the rest of her body. The heavy, fear-ridden state of Linn’s mind had cleared as her body was refreshed with energy. It no longer took all her concentration to move, and Linn rejoiced in the feeling of freedom that resounded in her as she caught up to Illumi.

Too focused with this new state, Linn didn’t notice the way Illumi was watching her from the corner of his eye. His gaze was wide, a rare moment when he was truly caught off-guard, before settling into a pleased look. He had been hoping for this.

A red light appeared at the end of the impossibly long hallway and underneath it, painted on the wall was simply the word ‘Finish’. Linn focused on that word as if it were the only thing in existence.

The two of them were just a few paces away when the tile below Linn’s foot moved. Linn had no idea what she had just activated, and even with her panic kept at bay she hesitated, allowing enough time for the panels on the walls to slide up, revealing three rows of holes that shot out sharp spears.

Oh, Linn thought irritatingly clearly as she watched a spear sail straight for her, I set off a trap.

Am I going to die…?

A grip on her shoulder and Linn was flung forward, her feet were off the ground for a few seconds before she crashed against the wall, bouncing off and sprawling across the floor.

The red light shone above her. Linn had reached the finish line.

She let out a single, breathy: “Fuck.” Before melting into the ground. The feeling she now knew was her Nen retreated back into her body, or maybe it turned off? Either way it had left her to deal with the aches and pains of her body and mental fatigue.

Linn didn’t think she had the stamina to go all-out like that for a while.

“That’s twice now you owe me.”

Illumi’s voice was a disturbance to Linn’s post-win euphoria, and she would have loved nothing more than to ignore him except- “What do you mean I owe you twice?” Linn was stunned that he even helped her now, considering he had been all but willing to leave her behind.

He leaned over her. Emotionless smile in place. “Back in the Milsy Wetlands, when the fog came in you and your companion got lost.”

Linn frowned. “Not really, we would have been lost but we saw-” Linn cut herself off. She wasn’t exactly sure what her and Carter had spotted, at first they thought it had been Margot, but that idea was dashed the second they reached the group and saw she wasn’t there.

In a silent answer to Linn’s question, Illumi pulled out a piece of purple fabric from his pocket. It had been clearly ripped from a part of Margot’s dress, and Illumi waved it above Linn’s shocked face.

“You… It was you…” Looking past the fabric, Linn met Illumi’s eyes. “Why?”

Illumi tilted his head, his eyes shined for a second. “I wanted you to be in my debt.”

Red flag. Linn forced herself up, ignoring her bodies protest and stood shakily. The fear that had been banished by her Nen was steadily creeping back in. “I’ll ask again,” She forced out, eyes blazing against Illumi’s. “Why?”

Illumi tucked the purple fabric back into his pocket, the smile had dropped from his face as he regarded Linn with an expression she could only describe as dead. “Sometime in the near-future I’m going to call in your debts, be sure to respond.” And with that he turned from Linn, discarding the wristwatch that had come loose and began following a sign Linn had missed.

He had dodged the question twice so asking a third time wouldn’t achieve anything. Linn almost asked again just to be petty but stopped herself, instead she called out to Illumi. “And what if I don’t respond?”

He didn’t look back. “I’ll kill you.”

She believed him. Tearing off her own wristband, Linn unwillingly followed after Illumi down a small hallway that led into a wide room.

A voice sounded from the speakers that were attached around the walls. “Congratulations.” The voice – Phase Examiner most likely - drawled. “On the both of you for being the first to pass. I think that was the fastest we’ve ever had a pair reach the bottom.”

Illumi settled himself next to the far wall. Content with standing and waiting for the Phase to finish. Linn chose to sit down in one of the rooms corners. It was perfect for leaning against the wall and if it just so happened to put the most space between her and Illumi than she was all for it.

Could she settle in for a quick nap? No, that would be irresponsible even for her. She should remain awake for the others, make sure they arrive safely and all.

“There’s still 22 hours of this Phase remaining.” The Examiner said.

Linn thought it over for a second. You know what, there’s really not much I could do even if Carter or Margot got in trouble with this phase, she reasoned, lying down and getting herself comfortable on the floor. Might as well rest up as much as I can.

It felt as if Linn had only just closed her eyes when someone dropped on the floor next to her head. She shot up, whirling to face the intruder only to meet Kazuya’s wide blue eyes.

“Woah there! Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” Kazuya rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

Linn squinted at him. Not sure if he was being sincere or not before deciding it really didn’t matter, she was annoyed either way. “It’s alright.” She replied.

A quick look around the room showed quite a few contestants had joined the winner’s circle. Linn’s eyes moved over the inconsequential participants and instead went straight to those of interest. Illumi hadn’t moved from his spot, no surprise there, Hisoka, Linn had to lean forward to spot him as he had sat in the opposite corner of the room behind Kazuya, was focused on playing with his cards.

Gon and the gang hadn’t arrived yet, and from the looks of it neither had Carter, Daisuke and Margot.

Which begged the question. “Who were you stuck with?”

Kazuya looked at Linn with a happy sort of surprise at the question. He had most likely thought she was going to ignore him until the others arrived. She kind of wanted to. “I got paired with the ninja, Hanzo.”

He pointed to the ninja in question who was currently doing one armed push-ups in the centre of the room.

“We had an obstacle course to get through.”

Taking another look at Kazuya, Linn could spot the scrapes along his skin and the various pieces of dirt stuck to his clothes. Most likely from where Kazuya hadn’t been able to dodge in time.

Seeing Linn’s pointed look, Kazuya laughed. “Don’t worry about me, these aren’t even painful.”

She politely held back a snort.

“What about you, Linn? Who did you end up with? We all got really worried when you fell through the floor like that.”

Linn ignored the way Kazuya made it sound as if she had fallen on purpose. “I was with that needle guy. We had a speed trial.”

Kazuya looked between Linn and Illumi with wide eyes before leaning in a bit too close to Linn’s face. “Are you alright? He didn’t hurt you, did he?” Kazuya whispered.

From behind Kazuya, the sound of Hisoka’s house of cards falling could be heard. Linn leaned back. “I’m fine. Just tired.”

Kazuya raised his eyebrows in disbelief. “Yeah, I could tell by the way you were soundly sleeping. Do you know how lucky you were no one tried anything? It was a good thing Hisoka – the clown behind me – chose to sit on this side of the room. Everyone’s been avoiding him since the beginning of the Exam you know, cause of the arm thing.”

Oh, how lucky of me. Linn thought sarcastically.

“Anyway,” Kazuya continued. “We did try to fall to the same place as you. We walked around the area where you had been standing and everything. Strange how we all ended up in different rooms though.” Kazuya mumbled to himself.

Linn figured he had assumed that, just like in the Manga, they would have all ended up in the same room if they all fell near each other, and to be fair Linn had the exact same thought. She had been expecting Carter to fall in with her.

Just goes to show you couldn’t rely solely on canon.

“I hope the others are alright…” Kazuya whispered as he watched the exit on the other side of the room in worry.

Linn sighed inwardly, while she may not be on great terms with Kazuya, she wouldn’t be a complete asshole to him. For the moment at least.

She patted him on the shoulder. “It’s out of our hands. We just have to trust them.”

Kazuya gave her a thankful smile.

The two of them sat like that for the next few hours. Linn had slept away more than half the remaining hours so there was only a few left for contestants to reach the end.

Both Linn and Kazuya diligently watched for their comrades.

A group of three entered the room. It was the Amori brothers.

Shortly after, another contestant stepped into the room, a stranger carrying a bow and arrow.

Some more waiting and then another pair entered the room and to Linn’s relief it was Carter and Daisuke. Linn raised her hand and caught Carter’s eye. A nudge to Daisuke who then spotted the smiling Kazuya and the two hastily made their way over.

Linn looked over Carter as he sat down. Tired, but no trace of injury, she looked back up at Carter questioningly.

“We had the weirdest route I swear.” Carter scratched his cheek. “We had to answer riddles to get down the Tower.”

“You’re joking.” Linn couldn’t hold back her smile.

“Nope.” Daisuke chimed in. “The rules were simple as well, if we were correct we got through, if we were wrong we had to stay in the room for a certain number of hours, or we could forfeit the riddle, which just meant we had to stay in the room for about, a third of the time if we would have gotten it wrong.”

“No shit.” Linn looked back at Carter.

“This exam’s weird.” He shrugged. “How’d yours go?”

I was nearly poisoned, somehow accessed my Nen, and then threatened within a very short time span, Linn thought to herself. She chose to shrug in response, not willing to go through the entire thing.

Kazuya smiled. “I’m just glad we all made it through. Now just for Margot…”

The group went silent as they all watched the exit. If none of them had ended up paired with Margot, then who was she stuck with? Whoever it was, they had better be treating her right. Linn crossed her arms and glared at the floor in front of her. Thinking of all the ways she could kick someone in the head.

At Kazuya’s sharp intake of breath, Linn looked up.

At the exit, three people had just walked in. Kurapika, Gon and Margot.

Linn felt the tense knot inside her disappear at the arrival of Margot, she also knew that any second now Killua and Leorio would appear, also signalling the end of this Phase.

What luck, Linn mused to herself, to have ended up with Gon and friends. She smirked, peering over at Kazuya’s no doubt priceless face at the scene.

Except, instead of surprise, something darker was playing over Kazuya’s face. Linn glanced down at his hands, both were fisted into the fabric of his trousers, before looking back up.

Envy. That was it.

Linn looked back over to where Margot was smiling with the gang. Next to her, Kazuya stood and began making his way to them. His features smoothed over into joyful as he played up the reunion of him and Margot, even going so far as to thank the others profusely for their help.

To be truthful, Linn wasn’t sure what to make of Kazuya’s display. It’s not like Margot actively tried to end up with them, it must have been purely coincidental and yet here was Kazuya acting like she had planned it all.

Kazuya reached up and put a hand on Margot’s shoulder, subtlety moving her back and placing himself closer to the group.

“Linn?” Carter murmured.

She shook her head. He hadn’t seen it, she surmised.

The Examiner’s voice sounded through the speakers once again, but Linn didn’t register the words.

It’s one thing to want to be close to your favourites, but it was another thing entirely if Kazuya’s behaviour got extreme whenever other members of their group interacted with the main four.

She would keep a closer eye on Kazuya for the rest of the exam. At least until everyone went their separate ways. Just in case.

Notes:

*me sippin' on starbucks* what a wild chapter. not gonna lie i actually had the general idea for this phase planned for a while so I'm happy i managed to finally write it out haha.

Also, just to make it clear, Linn hasn't had The RealisationTM of having sky flames just yet but itsa coming :) :) :)

But dayum, Illumi's got some plans you know >_> wonder what he's gonna use those two favours for??

haha until next time, promise i wont make you wait 3 months ;D

Chapter 8: Chapter 8

Notes:

yey I uploaded within 2 months *blows a kazoo*
let's try 1 month now lol

No Beta, we die like extra's

also, there are timeskips within this chapter, I've made them obvious but it is my first time trying to pull this off

“Then, when things couldn’t get worse, he goes all ‘you owe me twice’ and pulls out a purple fabric.”

Carter’s eyes widened in surprise. “The same-”

Linn halted in her pacing to nod vigorously at where Carter sat on the bed. “The very same one you spotted in the fog!”

The words were bubbling up without pause. Linn had wanted to tell Carter as soon as they were out of the Tower what had transpired, but then the Examiner was telling them about the next Phase, and they all had to draw lots to see who they had to hunt down and that was an anxiety riddled mess on its own.

They had all boarded the boat and Linn had still been working up the courage to open the slip of paper when Carter came up behind her and pulled it from her grip. Linn nearly elbowed him in the jaw. At least he had the decency to wait until they had moved to a spare room to open it. Of course, Linn took the added privacy as a go-ahead to start complaining about Illumi.

“And he gave no hint as to what the favours going to be?”

“No!”

Carter stared thoughtfully at the two pieces of paper on the bed. His target was number 362 and Linn’s was 197. Neither could remember which contestant they belonged to. “Maybe he wants your help hiding a body?” He asked jokingly.

Linn met Carter’s grinning face with a deadpan look. “Trust me when I say that guy will never need help hiding a body.”

The smile dropped from Carter’s face. “Who is that guy, really? Even Daniel’s being tight-lipped and avoiding him.”

One of the smarter things Kazuya has done, Linn thought. “Think of him as someone who is currently undercover.” She tapped the side of her crossed arms thoughtfully before adding. “Also, I’m pretty sure he’s an assassin.”

Carter wanted to roll his eyes. He knew the ‘I’m pretty sure’ was just for show, although he had no idea why Linn was still grasping at this façade with only him in the room. “An assassin huh…”

Linn nodded, lowering herself to sit on the floor. A glance to the floor-length mirror on her right showed her that not only did she feel like a mess right now, but she also looked like one too. Linn ran her fingers through her hair, trying to tame the short strands that had curled as Carter continued.

“Well, at least this means we know he doesn’t want you dead. He would have had plenty of time to do it by now don’t you think.”

Something tense inside of Linn relaxed. That was true at least, if Illumi had wanted her dead for whatever reason she would have been. But that didn’t automatically mean that living to fulfil his favours would be the better option of the two. Linn sighed as her hand caught a particularly stubborn knot. “I don’t know if that makes me feel any better about the situation.” She mumbled.

With a huff Carter stood from the bed, tucking his paper back into his trouser pocket. “Overthink it however you want, Linn. It’s not gonna change what’s happened and what’s coming next.” He bent over and flicked her in the forehead. “Any surprises waiting on Zevil Island for us?”

Linn rubbed the sore spot, playfully glaring at her smiling friend. “No, cool name aside it’s just an Island. The point of this Phase really is to hunt while avoid being hunted yourself.”

“That and surviving on an Island for a week.”

“True. You, uh, want to work together on this one?” Linn asked, looking off to the side.

The immediate silence at Linn’s question had her wishing she’d kept her mouth shut, the feeling didn’t disappear as Carter spoke. “Listen, Linn… I think I’d rather go at this one alone.”

“Oh.” Linn felt herself deflate just a little. “Alright, no worries.”

“It’s not you!” Carter quickly spoke. “I just want to see how I hold up by myself. The past few phases I was always with someone and I know I won’t always have help.”

It made sense, but Linn didn’t have to like it. “And what if you fail to pass?”

Carter shrugged. “Then it’ll be on me and no one else.”

Linn rested her head against the wall, staring up at the ceiling. She had been hoping Carter would pair up with her for this task in particular but she wouldn’t push his decision. It was a good way for him to gauge how his current abilities were in this new world, she wouldn’t deny him the opportunity.

That and… perhaps they weren’t friends quite yet.

Carter watched quietly as Linn stood, as much as he wanted to stay by a familiar figure this was something he had to do for himself. It didn’t make denying her request any easier on his conscience.

“Look after yourself, alright?” Linn looked at him with barely concealed concern. “And remember, there’s an odd number of participants in this Phase and yet everyone still drew a lot from the box, that means someone’s number came up twice. Worst-case scenario you get cornered by two-”

A pair of hands landing on her shoulder’s cuts Linn off. Carter’s grey eyes envelope her view. “I know. I’ll be careful okay.” He squeezes her shoulders. “You look after yourself as well, I wouldn’t want to end up passing this Phase with only Daniel and his lot.”

Another squeeze and he’s out the door.

Linn fidgets, feeling awkward about the sudden departure and gentle rejection. She decides the best thing would be to focus on something else - like exploring her Nen.

Settling herself on the floor again - Linn didn’t trust herself to stay awake if she sat on the bed – Linn began dissecting her most recent foray into Nen. It hadn’t been an easy state to enter, she literally needed to be on the edge of death for it to activate. A rather extreme flight-or-fight response.

There was some reassurance in knowing that if Linn ever found herself in a shit situation, she could rely on her Nen as a last resort. Granted, Linn didn’t want to tempt fate by activating it too many times during the exam. Currently, there were 4 people that knew of her Nen being active: Pariston, Illumi, Carter and Hisoka (most likely) but out of them, only Illumi and Carter were aware of her use of it. And she wanted to keep it that way.

Pariston had already fucked off to wherever he spends his time scheming so one less worry there. No, the two people Linn had to be wary of were Hisoka, for obvious reasons, and Kazuya. God, the last thing she needed during this exam was Kazuya pestering her to help unlock his own Nen.

All in all, a headache Linn wanted to avoid.

So, she could enter her Nen state when on the edge of life and as much as she would love to try entering it when she was in a calmer environment, Hisoka was prowling around the boat and he would be curious enough to check out a sudden blip of Nen.

Instead, Linn decided to try and feel her aura. It should be possible, right? Linn assumed it was similarly to the Chakra in the Naruto universe and those characters were always able to sense it. Linn flexed her hands against her knees and stared down at her lap, she allowed her breathing to slow, focusing simply on her heartbeat.

It wasn’t meditation per se, Linn didn’t think she could empty her mind long enough to achieve that sort of stillness, her fingers still tapped against her every now and then whenever she felt the need to move. A few more minutes of her heartbeat drumming in her ears and then a warm sensation sprouted against her chest.

That’s nice, Linn thought, it was like someone had pressed a warm blanket against her. Could she move it? Linn imagined the heat curled up in her palms. No change. Ah, disappointing but understandable. What about making it bigger? Linn thought of the warmth as a glow on her chest and imagined it slowly growing downwards towards her limbs.

Weirdly, it didn’t start spreading like Linn had envisioned, rather it moved upward, until finally resting on the crown of Linn’s head. It had grown smaller, brighter, she imagined. Equal parts excited about this progress and annoyed it didn’t go her way, Linn looked up from her lap.

Something shiny and bright flickered at the edge of her vision. It was coming from the mirror. Linn turned and at first she was confused as to how a fucking fire had started on a mirror, then her mind caught up onto the fact that it moved whenever she did and this was looking awfully familiar all of a sudden.

Linn’s hand came up, awkwardly moving around the flame as if it would burn her and then tentatively poked a few fingers into it. No heat. She touched her forehead and felt no difference other than the slight warmth of her skin.

“Haha.” She couldn’t stop the nervous, slightly hysterical sound. Because this was so much like the Flames from the Manga Katekyo Hitman Reborn that it was almost unreal.

This was a hallucination, Linn reasoned to herself. She had fallen asleep during her pseudo-meditation and was dreaming. That had to be it.

Linn stared at the orange flame that danced mockingly on her forehead like it was laughing at her denial. No way. This power wasn't meant to exist here! This was the world of Nen users, not Flame users! And to top it off, they were Sky Flames, the most troublesome of all elements.

“Fuck my life.” Linn mumbled as the orange flame flickered before disappearing. Her limbs felt fragile and she knew that if she lifted her hands there would be a fine tremble running through them.

Fuck. Fuck.

On top of everything going on right now, Linn didn’t have the time nor emotional capacity to even begin working through this. She could just ignore this, right? Right. She would not touch her Nen until after the exam and when she began her proper Nen training. No more playing around with unknown forces.

A sudden lance of fear shot through her. Did the flame appear when I was with Illumi earlier?! Linn shook the panic from her. No, it wouldn’t have mattered, even if it did show up Illumi didn’t know the significance of the it.

But honestly, out of everything her nen had to manifest as, it had to be Sky Flames straight from her favourite high school Manga series.

Wait, maybe she was getting ahead of herself? Just because it looked exactly like Tsuna’s own Sky Flame’s didn’t mean it behaved the same way. Linn needed to calm down. She was overthinking this. She’ll leave this fake flame business behind and deal with it later. Much, much later.

Forcing herself up, Linn dusted off her trousers and attempted to look put-together. They should be close to the Island by now so it would be best to head out and get ready. Maybe try speaking to Margot about what her – and by extension Kazuya’s – plan was. If it was decent enough, she may just slot herself into it.

Linn exited the room, jogging up the stairs and entering the deck space. She must have been noisier than she thought as a few contestants turned at her entrance. She ignored the paranoid thoughts at the back of her head singing about Sky Flames and their attributes.

“Hey Linn, where’s the fire?” Daisuke said jokingly as she approached.

Linn eyed him unblinkingly for a second, the smile dropped from his face and she realised it had been a joke. “Funny.” She said dryly.

Daisuke moved to the other side Kazuya, careful not to disturb his conversation with Margot or look as if he was avoiding Linn. Yeah that was fair, Linn slouched, she would have done the same.

“Contestants, if I could have your attention, we are approaching Zevil Island so please prepare yourselves.” The assistant announced brightly. Her smiling face at odds with the high tension of the surrounding crowd.

“-and don’t worry about the camping stuff. Daisuke’s got it covered.” Kazuya reassured Margot. He was still sporting some bruises from the Tower, except they were now paired with tired lines under his eyes. Kazuya blinked, doing a double take at Linn as if he had just realised she was there. “Oh, hey Linn. You ready for the island?”

“As I’ll ever be.” Linn said. “You guys got any plans on how to tackle this?”

Margot winced, biting her lip, the way she folded into herself was a stark reminder of how she acted at the beginning of the Exam. Linn was going to step forward when Kazuya leaned in, blocking her path with a good-natured smile.

“We’re gonna stick to the shoreline. It’ll be the easiest that way to get back to the boat without getting lost.”

Linn jumped between looking at Margot, Kazuya and Daisuke who just stood at the side. “And how are you going to search for badges?”

Kazuya shrugged. “We’ll run into people and then grab them.”

Linn squinted. I can’t believe I actually thought about joining them, she thought.

“What about you and Carter?”

“We’re not teaming up.” Linn said, half-shrugging.

Kazuya frowned. “Are you going to be alright by yourself? You tend to attract the wrong attention.”

“I’ll- wait what do you mean attract the wrong attention?”

“The last guy you teamed up with, remember? I told you he was bad news.” Kazuya crossed his arms as he looked down at Linn.

“Teamed up?!” Linn hissed back. Kazuya blinked as Linn’s eyes flashed. Hazel eyes turning to amber and back so quickly Kazuya reasoned it must have been a trick of the light. “I fell down a fucking hole. How was I meant to know who I was going to end up with?”

Kazuya just shook his head, as if no matter what he said Linn just wouldn’t understand. It rankled something within her to be dismissed so easily by him.

The boat slowed to a stop and the assistant clapped her hands, gathering everyone’s attention once again.

“All right everyone, disembarkation will be in order of shortest to longest run time in the Third Phase. You will go one-by-one in two-minute intervals.” The assistant spoke, lowering the ramp onto the ground, she looked down at the clipboard and said the first name.

“Gittarackur.”

Illumi moved silently and without any fuss. He disappeared into the tree line without a look back.

Linn swallowed, going second gave her a lot of advantages and the only major disadvantage she could think of would be that she was entering after Illumi and he knew that. Linn flexed her fists to keep her hands from shaking. What if he got her badge? Could he be lying in wait for her arrival and then bam, needle through the head?

“Linn.”

She strode to the front, keeping her face straight and neutral. Her pace was steady as she walked down the ramp. It wasn’t until she had stepped into the forest, body successfully hidden by the foliage, that she started running.

Linn had two minutes to get as much distance between her, Illumi and whoever was next off the boat. Tch, I should have tried to find out who finished third, Linn berated herself.

Veering left, Linn headed towards the centre of the island. She wouldn’t go too wild with the direction changes, it would be easier to get back to the boat if she didn’t get hopelessly lost. Kazuya’s plan had merit, she’d give him that.

Slowing down, Linn looked around the current area. The grass was long, coming up to Linn’s torso, if she crouched Linn doubted anyone would be able to see her. The only downside was the mud that squelched under her shoes ever step.

It would be easier if she keeps to the trees, Linn thinks. She would be covered during the night. The real problem would be food and water. Maybe I could find a running stream? I’m pretty sure I remember being told those were safe to drink from. Linn was thinking hard about the logistics of surviving this Phase when she hears the swish of grass from behind her.

She halts, peeking behind only to see nothing. Linn took another few steps forward, even quieter and the sound appeared again. Closer this time. Linn made the quick decision to retreat back into the treeline, it would reveal her, but so would it show her stalker, if they chose to follow her.

Running into the trees, Linn twists, near throwing herself behind a thick trunk. The thunk of something colliding with the tree resounded next to her. She carefully peaked around, eyes zeroing in on the object.

An Ace of Spades card.

Shit. Chills ran down Linn’s spine as she looked towards the grass field with wide eyes. Slowly, as if he had all the time in the world, Hisoka stepped out from the field, stretching out his arms and looking as if he were enjoying himself in the sun’s rays.

Like a cat, Linn thought morbidly, a homicidal, killer cat.

“Hello, Linn.” Hisoka called out, almost like they were friends meeting up after a long day of work.

The familiarity made Linn’s hair stand on end and she held back a grimace. “I don’t know you.”

“Ah, how rude of me not to introduce myself. I am Hisoka Morow.” He bowed, sending a devilish smirk to Linn. “I would offer my card, but you already have one.”

Linn’s eyes went to the Ace, from the angle she could make out he had been aiming for her arm. She didn’t want to imagine the amount of damage that would have done if it had hit her.

Hisoka stood there, making no further movements to come closer or even speak by the looks of it. Linn had no idea what sort of weird power play he was having with himself, but she needed to nip this in the bud.

Steeling herself, Linn stepped out from behind the tree. Hisoka’s smile stretched, a glint of teeth before he smoothed it over.

“If you’re looking for a strong opponent you’re in the wrong place. I wouldn’t hold a candle in a fight against you.”

“Maybe I’m just here for your badge? Maybe you’re my target?” Hisoka’s eyes sharpened, and Linn was uncomfortably reminded on how close to the edge Hisoka was in this Phase. She refused to be at the receiving end of his bloodlust.

“Am I?” Linn asked. Because if she seriously was she was going to die cursing the entire universe.

“Nope.” She sagged in relief. “I actually came with an offer to work together.”

“What?”

Hisoka shrugged, brushing an invisible piece of dirt from his shoulder. “I saw you approach those weaklings on the boat. You have the right idea, it would be the most sensible choice to team up with another for this hunt. And would you look at that, I’m free right now as well.”

Linn stared at him uncomprehendingly. “You’re offering a team up?”

“If you could team up with those fools, you could team up with me.”

He said it so simply. In such an obvious way that Linn wouldn’t be surprised if he half expected her to slap her knee and go ‘of course, that makes so much sense!’.

Sensible, he had the nerve to say. Nothing was sensible about working with Hisoka. She would have chosen working with Kazuya over constantly treading on eggshells around Hisoka. Not knowing when he would get tired of her and decide she was better off dead.

There was only one sensible choice here, and Linn knew it might lead to her death regardless. She looked up and met Hisoka’s eyes. “No thanks. I’ll deal with this on my own.”

Linn swore the air stilled for a moment. Hisoka unmoving as his eyes dragged over Linn. “Hmph, if that’s your choice.” Hisoka turned, arm waving lazily behind him.

Linn tensed her legs, ready to run at a moment’s notice but Hisoka never turned back around, he carried on walking into the fields until he was gone from her view. She released a shaky breath and leaned onto the tree for support. She gave herself a minute before pushing off, the urgency to leave this area making move.

Just in case though, she took a few steps forward and scanned the area. No peeping Magician anywhere. Turning, Linn was about to begin walking in the opposite direction when she realised the playing card was still lodged in the tree.

Plucking it from the bark, Linn examined the card. The nen that had charged it was long gone so it was back to its normal paper feel.

The Ace of Spades. It may be useful in the future, Linn figured. Tucking it away in her pocket. If anything, she could use it to freak out another contestant, make them think Hisoka was nearby. Linn smiled, at least she got something out of this.

Now it was time to focus on the task at hand.

 

 

Perfect, Linn thought, looking down at the clear, fast moving stream. Kneeling, Linn cupped her hands together, collecting some water and bringing it to her mouth to swallow. The cool sensation revitalising her warm body.

After splashing some on her face, Linn looked around. The stream was easily jumpable and there were a lot of bushes clustered together along the edges that could give her nice cover when she laid down. It was decided, this would be her ‘base’.

Now to begin the hunt. How on earth was she going to accomplish this, well, she’d figure it out.

 

 

Linn was doing something wrong. She was sure of it. How had she managed to not run into any contestant for over 24 hours? Were they congregating at a specific location on the island and Linn had just missed the signs?

Okay, maybe she had been hanging around the denser parts of the forest. She could try the more open areas, see if that changed her luck.

Plan in mind, Linn felt an undercurrent of excitement in her. To be able to fight against a Hunter contestant using her martial arts skills, well, like Carter said it would be a good chance to see how she stands against someone from this universe.

Her finding fighting fun was just an upside to it all.

 

 

Linn ended up walking around the bottom of a mountain. The rocky terrain meant that no trees could grow here, only small sprouts of grass had been able to survive. Linn thought about making her way up, if only to give herself higher ground to scope the area.

Then she changed her mind as a bullet whizzed past her. Were it not for her tripping randomly over air, a bullet would have lodged itself in her eye.

“Goddamn it,” Linn huffed as she turned tail and ran back into the trees for cover. “First contestant, and it’s, a sniper, fucking, long-distance, motherfuckers.” She panted.

Two more bullets fired off, neither of them aimed with much accuracy. Perhaps Linn was the first contestant in a while for the sniper. They were firing faster in an attempt to injure and stop Linn rather than a one hit K.O.

Thankfully, she was back in the forest and the bullets had stopped. Okay, maybe wondering aimlessly wasn’t the best option. Linn wracked her brain, she needed to find some contestants who were close-range fighters like herself, she wouldn’t survive that kind of match up again. She could only be lucky so many times.

Turning a corner, Linn felt a small, sturdy body collide with her own. The body didn’t move with the impact so it was up to hers to fall back onto the ground.

She looked up, body tense and ready to move, when she met the amused eyes of one Killua Zoldyck. From one adrenaline filled moment to another, Linn’s brain could only come up the simplest of responses. “Sorry. I didn’t hurt you, right?”

Both of Killua’s eyebrows rose at the statement and Linn couldn’t help but sheepishly rub the back of her neck. Right, assassin extraordinaire.

He looked down at the two items in his hands: a badge and a piece of paper. Linn was confused as to why he had to check these things right now with a potential enemy in front of him, when an alarmed thought rang through her mind. Instantly she checked her pockets only to come up empty.

“You’re a bit slow, you know.” Killua smirked.

Knowing she was extremely underpowered to face the white-haired assassin, Linn only gave him a tired look and slowly stood.

“Don’t suppose you’re willing to hand those back to me?”

Killua shrugged, which was honestly better than what Linn had expected. She had to look on the bright side, sure, she had essentially been robbed by a 12-year-old but she had survived a lot of bullshit up to this point. She’ll gladly take this hit.

“I wouldn’t go that way,” Linn gestured to the mountain behind her. “There’s a sniper picking off contestants.”

“Alright. Thanks.”

Conversation over and done with, Linn carried on walking, determined to get back to her base for the evening so she could sulk about her terrible day.

Another pair of footsteps followed behind her after a second. At first, Linn waited for Killua to branch off but after a full minute of Killua still walking behind her, Linn’s nerves got the best of her.

“Why are you following me?”

“You said not to go that way.”

“Yeah, but that wasn’t an invitation to start following me. Brat.” Linn threw over her shoulder.

A snort. “What are you going to do about it?”

Linn felt her eyebrow twitch in annoyance. She will not allow herself to argue with a kid. If he wanted to follow her, fine that was on him. Maybe it would give her a chance to get her things back.

Upon finally arriving at her makeshift base. Linn settled by some bushes, the sun was setting and she might as well wind down for the night. To her surprise, Killua situated himself in the tree opposite.

Linn squinted up at him. Killua gave a smile in return, and even threw in a wave that had a vein in her temple twitch. “Are you at least going to tell me if I was your target?”

He turned his back to her, making a show of lying down. “Nah.”

Linn threw her hands in the air, an open gesture of ‘why me’ to the sky. Then she lay down and shut her eyes, determined to get enough rest to finally make some headway tomorrow.

 

 

Out of everyone Linn could have possible ended with as an unwanted companion, she thinks the did well ending up with Killua. Not that she would ever admit that out loud. The Zoldyck heir was already making fun of her and she didn’t want to boost his ego.

“If you eat that, you’ll end up paralyzed.”

“Why are you so loud? I’m surprised no one’s heard you by now.”

The comments were random, not needed and utterly annoying. Linn found herself one too many times staring up at the blue sky, thankful that she had been an only child.

“Listen, Kid-”

“Killua.”

“What?”

“My name’s Killua, not kid.”

Linn felt her lip curl, a smile almost forming. It was reassuring to know that, superhuman abilities aside, the kids from this universe got annoyed by the same things in Linn’s universe. Killua sent her a sideways glare, as if sensing her amusement.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Linn.”

The two carried on walking. They had ended up by the shoreline sometime around midday Linn guessed. They had run into a few wild animals that ran at the sight of them but still no contestants.

“You’re friends with Kazuya, right?”

Linn hummed in response, neither confirming nor denying the question as she carefully stepped around a bundle of very brightly coloured flowers that had two dead birds next to them.

“I don’t like him.”

Linn brightened, head swivelling to face Killua at her side. She couldn’t stop grinning. “Oh, really?”

He shrugged, not looking the least bothered by her response. “He’s annoying.”

Amen, Linn thought. She wanted to cackle. She knew that if Kazuya ever found out about Killua’s opinion it would bother him endlessly. It would have been even better if Gon didn’t like him, but Linn was sure the kid wouldn’t have it in him. Not unless Kazuya really fucked up at least.

In the end, Linn decided she didn’t mind Killua’s company after all.

They spent the remainder of the afternoon trekking back through the forest, with Killua taking the lead after he realised that Linn’s plan was to pick a direction and go. Linn knew she didn’t need to follow after him, but he did still have her badge.

Eventually, the two stopped in a clearing. The blackened logs of a fire were the only sign that a contestant had been here. Linn approached the pit, feeling the ash. There was some leftover heat, signalling that whoever had been here had left a few hours ago.

The sun was already setting, painting the sky a rich amber that Linn couldn’t help but glare at. Orange fucking flames, she scowled, shaking her head. “There’s no point going after this contestant tonight, might as well save it for tomorrow.”

“No difference to me.” Killua sat, rifling through his pockets.

To her surprise, Killua brought out two pieces of paper from his shorts. One neatly folded in half, the other crumpled. Linn eyed the neat one, knowing it was hers. Bringing the crumpled paper up, Killua unfolded it and showed Linn the numbers. 198.

“Ah, so I wasn’t your target.” This was good, maybe she could get Killua to pity her and give her badge back.

“I never said you were.” He snarked. “But I know who our targets are; it’s those three brothers. You remember them?”

Linn did surprisingly, they were the ones who had bullied the other contestants in the first stage. That was good, she wouldn’t feel bad about kicking their asses then. She nodded to Killua.

“In that case, you wanna team up?”

“Will you finally give me my badge back?”

Killua rolled his eyes. “Yes.”

Well as teammates go, better the younger Zoldyck than the older. Plus, if anyone asked she could say Killua forced her into teaming up by stealing her badge. “Sure.”

 

 

Both of them had woken up early, before the sun had even touched the sky. At least, Killua had woken early, he had kicked Linn in her side to wake her up.

She trudged behind him, still wiping the remainders of sleep from her eyes. “You sure we’re going to find them? We have to be back at the boat tomorrow.”

Linn felt Killua roll his eyes without even seeing them. “‘course we will. Unlike you, I can actually track targets down.”

He gestured to the woods in front of them as if there was a trail he had been following. Linn scanned the direction they were walking in and only saw large trees and bushes. It wasn’t until sunlight broke through the sky that she noticed a red fleck in front of them.

“There.” Killua stopped, having noticed the top of a beanie hat as well. “Let’s-”

A hand shot out and gripped Linn around the neck, pulling her back into a chest as the other hand came up to point a knife at her neck. Linn had just enough time to inhale sharply before her mouth was covered.

Killua didn’t bother to face her and her captor fully, a half turn of his head and a smirk was all he gave. “I was wondering when you were going to show yourself.”

Whatever panic had been building within Linn promptly became overwhelmed by irritation. Killua knew they were being followed and hadn’t bothered to even hint at it? Linn sent him a glare that he returned with an innocent smile. She was going to re-evaluate her opinion on the main character after this.

“Move and I slit her throat.” The assailant tapped the knife against Linn’s throat as if to emphasize his point.

Killua disappeared from where he stood.

Linn’s own fuck was drowned out by her captor’s as he swivelled his head around to try and spot the white-haired child. It was clear he was too busy panicking to enact his threat, luckily for Linn, but this disappearing act wouldn’t have his attention for long.

“Hey.” The contestant stopped his panicky movements and turned his head to Linn, and in a quick movement, Linn bashed her head against his. She had missed his nose, instead landing on his cheek, but the pain was still enough to get him to loosen his hold around Linn.

Sensing the opportunity, Linn grabbed the wrist of the hand holding the knife and twisted sharply.

“Ah!” On reflex his hand released the knife and Linn swiped it from the air, slashing at the arm wrapped around her waist.

He released her instantly and Linn jumped forward, putting space between them. She held the knife loosely in one hand while keeping the other up, ready to block any sudden attacks.

“You bitch!” He shouted, clutching at his bleeding arm.

Linn shifted her weight from one foot to another, the contestant looked as if he were gearing up to rush her and she had to be able to react in time.

The sound of footsteps approaching halted the pair of them, and they turned towards the bush as a figure approached the red beanie, picking it up and leisurely swinging it around his finger.

“Aw, is Lil’ bro having trouble getting a badge?” The newcomer was wearing a black and white snapback and had a wider face than the other contestant. The family resemblance between them was clear to Linn regardless. “You want some back-up, Amori?”

The contestant now identified as Amori sent his brother a tight smirk. “I can handle one uppity chick, Umori. She just caught me by surprise.”

Umori crossed his arms, clearly settling himself back to watch. Neither of the brothers believed Linn to be much of a threat. She readjusted her single grip on the knife. Let that be their downfall, she thought to herself.

No longer willing to wait for her opponent to make the first move, Linn shot forward, Amori just barely got his arms up to block the front kick aimed at his chest. The force of the blow had him staggering back a few steps and while he re-orientated himself, Linn moved into his space, securely winding her arm around his neck as she stepped behind him.

Amori reared his head back, trying for a headbutt and missing. Linn held the knife against his stomach, letting the sharpness of the blade cut through his clothes. Unlike Amori, Linn had no qualms letting the knife cut into his skin. The pinpricks of pain had him freezing.

Linn leaned in next to his ear. “I’m giving you one chance to bring out your badge. Make any other movements and this knife finds a new home in your intestines. Got it?”

“Fuck! Alright! Just don’t hurt me.” He pulled out his badge from his shorts and shakily held it up for Linn to see.

Umori took a few stomping steps forward, angry vein protruding on his forehead. “Hey! Back the fuck off my bro right now-”

“Oi Linn, what numbers on the badge?” The coolly amused tones of Killua sounded behind Umori, making him jump and turn to face the smirking assassin.

“Tch. A kid? You think you can take me on?” Umori stared hard at Killua, trying to appear intimidating.

“Hold your arm still already,” Linn had to release her hold around his neck to grab the badge, pushing the contestant to the floor as she back off. She looked at the number. “197. This one’s mine.”

“B-bro, maybe we should bounce?” Amori had scrambled back into a tree, arms wrapped around his abdomen as if Linn had cut him open. She rolled her eyes. How dramatic, she thought.

“Any luck Killua?” Linn called out.

Killua’s hand was a blurr of movement towards Umori who fell to his knees at the disparaging display of speed. He just stared wide-eyed as Killua looked at his badge. “Tch. 199. My target must be the other one, then.”

Just as Linn was about to begin questioning the two, the noise of incoming footsteps stopped her.

“What’s taking you dipshits so long?” The third and final brother stepped into the clearing. Evidently he hadn’t heard all the ongoing commotion as he looked surprised at the scene before him. Killua and Linn shared a look.

“What luck, right?”

Linn snorted.

Amori and Umori sent a pitying look at their eldest as Killua appeared before him. Looking once again as if he had merely teleported. He handed his badge over without much protest.

“Oh! This one’s mine!” The child-like smile Killua sent Linn didn’t fit with the terrified grown man in the background.

“Nice. Let’s head off.” Linn threw the knife into a nearby bush, not bothered to keep it any longer. She nodded to the three brothers, and just because she knew she had Killua on her side said. “Follow us only if you want to experience the afterlife.”

Killua snorted, sending them his own little wave as they departed. They remained silent as they moved speedily, weaving through the trees as they headed back to Linn’s base.

Only after arriving did Killua laugh. “What was that? ‘Follow us if you want to experience the afterlife’.

Linn rolled her eyes even as she grinned at Killua’s mocking tone. Plopping down onto the ground, she carefully tucked the newly acquired badge into her pocket next to her own. “I couldn’t help it, the opportunity was right there.”

Killua clambered back into what Linn had dubbed as his tree. While the interaction with the brothers didn’t take too long, making their way back to their base took the rest of the day. “How come you threw the knife away?”

“Eh, I’ve always preferred hand-to-hand combat rather than using weapons.” Linn shrugged. “It felt awkward in my hand anyways.”

“Would you have really killed him?”

“…No.”

They remained quiet as night approached. Tomorrow, they would head back to the ship and be done with this Phase. Linn stared up at the darkening sky. She would have to make sure Killua and her arrived back at different times so as to not arouse suspicion with Kazuya. She doubts Killua would be bothered by the idea of acting like strangers. While this had been strangely fun it was hardly the beginning of a friendship. Plus, not only was he a main character but he was the younger brother of Illumi. And Linn’s opinion of more Illumi in her life was quite solidly no thank you.

Another reason however was that Linn wanted to avoid being seen with another by Hisoka. She wasn’t sure what his intentions were when he offered to work together, but even she picked up on his dissatisfaction with her rejection. Imagine if she came waltzing back to the boat with another partner.

Linn closed her eyes, pushing the smirking image of Hisoka from her head even as her fingers traced the Ace card in her pocket. When sleep finally overtook her, Linn dreamed of a tea party with a mad Magician, and a sun burning so brightly it eclipsed them both, leaving nothing behind.

Not that she would remember it in the morning.

Notes:

this actually wasn't the planned ending, i wanted to have everyone regroup back at the boat - but then i realised i had written 13 pages and was like, no, that's enough.

Denial is a river in Egypt and Linn is bathing in it right now ;D

Killua is awesome but also a dick

Hisoka, is, er, himself

fun side note: apparently in terms of cards, an Ace stands for desire while the Ace of Spades stands for Nobility

hope you enjoyed and until next time

Chapter 9: Chapter 9

Notes:

Sooorrry D:

I wanted to push out the last stage of the exam all in one chapter but it just wasn't going so i made the executive decision to splice it into two.

Also, a reminder that none of the Main 4 - Gon, Killua, Kurapika & Leorio will end up as Guardians, but that doesn't mean our Main character won't have any interactions with them!

No beta as usual - enjoy!

Killua headed off first. A simple wave and smirk and he disappeared from Linn’s line of sight. I wish I could move that fast, Linn thought wistfully. She imagined herself darting effortlessly through the trees, laughing and weightless to the world around her. She imagined her friends-

Linn paused in her walking. She lightly dragged a finger under her eye and felt a wetness. Pulling her finger away, Linn examined the single teardrop with a swirling feeling of detachment. She had been doing so well, why did these feelings have to hit now of all times?

Forcing herself forward, Linn pushed down the feelings that were threatening to boil over. It’s not safe, she frantically argued with herself, now’s not the time, the Exam’s almost over, I can wait until then.

Luckily, no more tears fell and Linn was sure her eyes held no trace of the tell-tale redness as she stepped into the clearing where the other contestants resided.

Focus, she chanted within herself.

Upon her arrival, all eyes darted to Linn’s form. She walked on casually, making sure not to let her eyes accidentally wander over to Killua’s location. He was happily chatting with Gon along the edge of the water. Leorio and Kurapika standing a little ways from them, holding their own conversation. The other contestants were a blur and Linn only vaguely noted Hisoka and Illumi’s whereabouts.

Kazuya and Daisuke were in the middle of a conversation that Linn didn’t even try to piece together. Something about future travels. The third member of their trio was huddled on the floor, head hiding in between her knees, hands tightly wound around her.

Staring down at Margot, Linn couldn’t summon the will to be concerned. I knew you wouldn’t be able to handle it, she thought as she eyed the cuts, scrapes and bruises littering all over Margot’s arms and legs. In comparison to her, Kazuya and Daisuke nary had a mark on them. Just some dirt from having to sleep on the ground.

Linn must have been staring quite intensely, as the next thing she knew Kazuya stopped his chat and kneeled onto the ground next to Margot. He put a sympathetic hand on her shoulder and gave a reassuring squeeze. “Everything’s okay now, Margot. You got through it. We can do this together remember.”

Linn’s eyes cut down to Kazuya. He hadn’t told Margot about the last Phase yet. She had no idea that in order to win she would need to fight for herself against one of the other contestants. It was clear to Linn that Kazuya was relying on them being sorted after Killua’s fight, that way they would be able to pass without any conflict.

What a stupid plan. Linn had thought that perhaps after the intervention of Pariston, Kazuya would have learnt not to rely too heavily on the script of canon. She had overestimated Kazuya’s intelligence.

“Y-yeah. Togeth-together.” Margot’s quiet voice warbled out.

Far above, the blimp steadily flew closer to the island. A metallic voice sounded through the sky. “Contestants have 10 minutes to get back to the starting location or they fail the Phase!”

10 minutes huh, Linn looked over the contestants for a specific face but couldn’t see Carter anywhere. She swallowed, ignoring the wink Hisoka aimed towards her as a ball of nerves sprouted in her stomach.

Come on, come on, Linn silently urged Carter to move faster. She didn’t want to imagine him in a position where he couldn’t move, so settled on cursing him out inwardly to hurry the fuck up.

The blimp was lowering itself closer to the ground, and the contestants had to move back to give it room to land.

Linn moved to the edge of the crowd, that way she would be one of the last to get on. She watched the tree line, unmoving. Carter had joked earlier about him passing without Linn and being stuck with Kazuya and company. Linn sure as hell hoped he didn’t jinx this for himself.

“Contestant 374, please enter the blimp.”

Linn’s head twisted to the ramp entrance in surprise. Had everyone gone in already? Kazuya was the last one, standing at the top next to the assistant, watching Linn.

“Ah… right.”

Stiffly, Linn made her way to the blimp, the metallic sound of her footsteps on the ramp sounded loud in the empty clearing.

Three steps left, then two, one.

The crackling of twigs had Linn swerving around, hair whipping against her face. Stumbling through the bushes was the sorry sight of Carter. His eyes were bloodshot with dark bags under them, and he was covered in mud so much that Linn couldn’t tell if he were injured.

“I’m here, I’m here.” Carter panted. He stumbled again upon his approach, nearly falling face first before managing to catch himself.

Linn ran down the ramp, ducking under Carter’s arm and helping carry some of his weight.

“Hah… Hey, Linn.” Carter said with a tired smile and Linn noticed how one of his eyes were swollen shut. “Good to see you made it.”

“Yeah.” Linn answered back, throat tight.

Linn managed to half-drag, half-carry Carter two steps when the heavy weight was further lifted off her. She looked in surprise as Kazuya came up under Carter’s other arm and quietly helped.

The assistant frowned as they came up the ramp. “The time limit-”

“It’s alright Tatsuki, they’ve been cleared.” Another assistant, the bright, bubbly blonde from the boat earlier made her way down the hall.

She shot the group a smile and waved them onwards. Linn began moving again, looking over her shoulder at the lady questioningly.

The assistant didn’t seem inclined to answer the silent questioned. “The rest of the contestants are at the main hall. That’s where the Chairman will announce the next Phase.”

Kazuya nodded. “Thank you, Ma’am.”

As the trio carried on, Linn caught Tatsuki moving towards her colleague in the corner of her eye, a frown present. Before any words could be heard the group turned a corner.

Cleared by who? The question echoed within Linn’s mind unpleasantly. The only individual Linn had met who had the power to do such a thing was Pariston and the idea of him watching Linn’s progress from afar was unsettling.

Kazuya remained blissfully quiet as they entered the larger room. The Chairman stood at its centre, surrounded by Hunter Exam finalists.

“Stop here. Let me sit.” Carter said.

Kazuya removed Carter’s arm from across his shoulders and Linn gently helped him to the floor.

“Any injuries we need to take care of?” Linn asked, kneeling beside Carter.

“Nah, probably best to leave my face alone. I’m not bleeding anywhere, just got my face pummelled.”

“What happened?” Linn spoke softly as Margot and Daisuke trudged over. Re-attaching themselves to Kazuya’s shadow.

Carter sent Linn a tired smile. “The worst-case scenario.”

Linn swore but a flick against her forehead stopped the next rant that was about to leave her lips.

“Don’t start. I made it, didn’t i?”

Linn huffed. She couldn’t refute that, but it didn’t mean she had to like it. Carter let out a breathless laugh at the glare he received.

“If I can have everyone’s attention. Now that we have all gathered, it’s time to explain the last Phase.” Netero’s voice silenced the murmurings of the crowd. “You’re almost at the end of your journey now. Hunter licenses are almost nearly your grasp, there is only one obstacle left between you and your goal.”

Netero surveyed the crowd of hungry eyes before him. This year’s batch of Hunter Applicants were definitely something else. A lot of potential within each, strong personalities, and blossoming relationships. Netero grinned, how fun thing were going to be.

“The last Phase is a one-on-one tournament against each other.”

A few individuals perked up, most notably Hanzo the ninja and Hisoka. He brought a sharp nailed hand up, a pale attempt to cover the smirk that spread across his face.

A shaky breath from Margot drew Linn’s attention. She was staring frightfully at Hisoka, chest rising and falling so fast Linn thought Margot may just pass out.

The Chairman continued speaking. “Ohoho, I can see that I have your attention now. Can’t wait to begin, I imagine. But before we can start, I am going to speak to each of you.”

The excitement in the room drained at those words. Someone sighed.

“Really?” Leorio asked incredulously. “We already had a chat with the Blond earlier why can’t you just get him to tell you our answers.”

“His name is Pariston, Leorio. The Vice Chairman of the Hunters Association.” Kurapika admonished.

Leorio shrugged.

Netero waved off the question. “Eh, I don’t have time to track him down and ask. Plus, this would be more fun.”

He turned, ignoring Leorio’s angry spluttering and headed down a corridor. “The first contestant will be called in a few minutes, and remember, your answers are important.”

At the dismissal, the contestants broke off to prepare, with some readying themselves and their weapons while others worked to get their nerves under order. Linn felt it as well, the ball of anxiety within her chest at this Phase but surprisingly not all of it was for herself. She squeezed Carter’s shoulder. Would he push himself unnecessarily forward even at the chance of death? Linn wondered. Even she would admit that, if put against disastrous odds, she would retreat. Call her a coward but she’d rather live to try again than die on the first attempt.

“Don’t worry guys,” Kazuya whispered, gesturing for Margot and Daisuke to come closer. “I knew this was coming, we need to- Margot?”

The group watched in surprise as Margot hastily turned and fled from the room, face shadowed and fists clenched.

Daisuke made to go after her, but Kazuya held him back.

“Kazuya?” Daisuke frowned. “Shouldn’t we get Margot before something happens?”

Kazuya shook his head and instead turned to Linn.

“Linn, do you mind going after her? It’s sad to admit but you actually calm Margot down better than I do.” Kazuya said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

Linn opened her mouth, an automatic rejection on her tongue before she closed it. “Sure.”

She ignored Kazuya’s grateful smile and Carter’s questioning look as she followed Margot’s steps. Luckily, the corridor Margot had gone through was the one the group had come through moments before. Linn was able to slip away from the contestants without drawing attention.

Following the faint sound of pacing, Linn turned into a side corridor and found the 18-year-old, hands moving restlessly from her hair to tug on her clothes and back again.

Linn approached her slowly, like one would do to a wounded, baby animal. She called out softly. “Hey.”

Margot stops, and Linn feels very out of her depth at the vulnerable and lost look that gets directed at her.

“He.. he knew.” Tears began swelling up in her eyes once more. “Kazuya knew and he didn’t say anything.”

No words jumped to Linn. No soothing speeches or heartfelt reassurances that everything would be okay. She didn’t think she’d be able to look at Margot in the eyes and spout those lies, so instead, Linn settled for the next best thing.

Drawing close, Linn wordlessly opens her arms and Margot crumples into her. Head ducking into Linn’s neck as small, thin fingers curled into Linn’s top.

Linn held Margot’s trembling form until she quiets down, and once she stops shaking it takes Linn a second to realise she had been swaying. She pauses, and Margot pulls away.

Rubbing her eyes with the sleeve of her dress, Margot stares down at the floor. “I... I’m sorry. I don’t even know why I ran.”

Linn nodded, awkwardly glancing at the window beside them as Margot sniffled. “It’s alright. Your reaction was reasonable, given the current circumstances.”

Margot sent Linn a soft, confused frown. “But… everyone else was fine.” She looks to the floor, and Linn doesn’t think she’s ever seen the poor girl look this fragile and near-despair. She mumbles. “It was only me. I guess I must be the coward of the group, huh.”

A watery, self-deprecating laugh sounded from Margot, and Linn watched on silently as the young girl slowly began putting herself back together.

“Ah, but – don’t worry, I’ll keep going and try my best-”

Linn clasped Margot’s shoulders tightly, stopping her sentence. She leans in close, causing her Hazel eyes to take up most of the Margot’s sight. A trickle of amber dances across them.

“Quit.”

It takes Margot a second to realise what Linn had said and when she does she rears her head back as if struck. “What?!”

“You heard me.” Linn’s eyes never strayed from Margot’s. “Quit.”

Margot watched her with wide eyes, mouth opening and closing like a fish. Linn would have found it funny were it not for the conversation they were having.

“I- I can?” Margot asked with a naïve, confused look. “I can quit?”

Linn held back the urge to roll her eyes. Honestly. “Yes, you can quit the Hunters Exam at any time. They don’t force the participants to finish if they don’t want to.”

Margot’s eyes darted nervously away from Linn’s and back, she licked her lips and swallowed, throat constricting. She could just back out. Say no to this.

“You’re not a fighter, Margot.” Linn said gently. She backed away from Margot, releasing her shoulders and giving her some space.

“But Kazuya’s counting on me. He trusts me.” Margot said, and Linn wondered if the excuse sounded as weak to her as it did to Linn.

Schooling her face to remain neutral, Linn replied. “And he trusts you to know your limits. You’ve spent all this time with him, do you think he’d be disappointed in you for backing out if it meant you lived?”

Truthfully, Linn had no idea what Kazuya’s reaction would be and she really couldn’t care to think about it because in the end, it would be Margot stepping onto the mat to fight for herself, no Kazuya or Daisuke providing support.

“Can you fight?”

Margot pursed her lips. “No.”

“If you had to, would you be able to?”

She swallowed. “I don’t like violence.”

“And there’s nothing with that.” Linn says gently. “You said you wanted to be a Nurse right? Well stop me if I’m wrong, but a future Nurse not having a propensity for violence is a good thing, right?”

Margot still looked unsure, it was clear she was struggling with her own principals and Kazuya’s blindingly optimistic take on the Exam. It was time for Linn to pull out her trump card.

“You might end of up fighting the Magician.”

The colour instantly drained from Margot’s face. Linn barely heard the fearful whisper of ‘Hisoka’ that came from her.

Linn wondered for a moment how she knew Hisoka’s name then figured Kazuya must have told Margot and Daisuke. “Yep.”

Nothing further was said between them, Linn merely watched as Margot turned away from her to stare at the window.

“I-”

Whatever Margot had been planning to say was lost as footsteps began approaching the pair. Margot clutched her hands together while Linn frowned, casually positioning herself between Margot and the intruder.

“Margot, Linn, everything okay?”

Linn relaxed as Daisuke joined them in the hall. Stepping back so she was no longer in the middle.

“Yeah… do-do we need to head back now?” Margot asked nervously.

Linn eyed her, wondering if the soft-hearted girl would take her advice.

Daisuke grinned, his own excitement clear. “Yeah. The Chairman’s going through everyone fast. It won’t be long until we’re next.”

Daisuke goes on, prattling about something that Linn couldn’t care to listen to. She eyes the back of Margot’s head as they walk, willing the girl to quit.

Re-entering the room, the first thing Linn noticed was Carter’s disinterested expression centred solely on Kazuya.

“…so just have a think, alright?” Kazuya said before turning to face the approaching group. His face softens. “How are you feeling, Margot?”

“Okay.” She answered softly.

Kazuya walked over to the two, already capturing them in another long-winded conversation as Linn went to Carter’s side.

“What’s with the look?”

“I’ll tell you in a second.” He murmured.

Intrigued, Linn kept quiet as she watched one contestant after another go in and out the room. Compared to Pariston’s interviews these were just flying by.

Kazuya finally gets called, and he straightens, practically puffing his chest out as he walks into the Chairman’s room.

The second the door closes behind him, Linn turns to Carter expectantly.

Carter eyed the distance between them and Margot and Daisuke. This should be fine. He gestured for Linn to crouch down next to him.

Once she did, he murmured. “He was trying to convince me to quit.”

Amusement flickered across Linn’s face. “No shit?”

Carter hummed. “Yep, said that he was concerned for my wellbeing and thought it would be best if I dropped out. What’s so funny?”

Carter had noticed how the corner of Linn’s mouth kept twitching up, as if wanting to burst into a grin.

“I thought you’d be more annoyed.” Carter drawled, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s funny because,” Linn licked her lips, turning her head closer to Carter and lowering her voice even more. “That’s the same exact conversation I had with Margot.”

“Oh?” Carter looked over at Margot then back at Linn, a smile twisting the corner of his mouth. “What a coincidence.”

Linn nodded. Watching as Kazuya re-entered the room and Daisuke went in next.

Kazuya immediately launched into conversation, accompanied by a lot of patting on Margot’s back and what Linn assumed was reassuring words. Margot nodded along, bit her lip, eyes darted around every now and again but otherwise added nothing.

Daisuke walked out, and then Margot’s number was called.

“You think she’ll do it?”

The two of them watched Margot enter the Chairman’s room. She looked small against the backdrop of the hall. Vulnerable.

“I hope so.”

As the two waited for Margot’s return, Linn felt a sharp breeze of air next to her ear. Automatically she brought a hand up, rubbing against the cooled skin and turned to see where the air came from.

Following the wall she and Carter were based against, Linn didn’t find any open windows or vents, instead much to her distress she found Hisoka leaning against the wall.

His eyes were closed, head leaned back as if he were resting. It would have been a perfectly normal pose had a single finger not been pointed in Linn’s direction from his crossed arms.

Linn scowled and turned back around, resolutely ignoring his presence. And it worked until another slice of air went past her. Uncomfortably sharp against her neck.

Moving so her back was against the wall. Linn kept the bloodthirsty Magician in her line of sight as he pretended to rest.

Carter nudged Linn, removing her attention from Hisoka. “She’s back.”

Margot re-entered the room with a surety Linn hadn’t seen before. It wasn’t noticeable in her posture - her disposition was just as nervous as before – rather Linn could see it in the way her blue eyes shined.

“You think she did it?” Carter asked.

Kazuya and Daisuke seemed to pick up on Margot’s new resolve as the three began joking around with one another. Margot even bringing a hand up to stifle a giggle while Daisuke grinned unabashedly.

Linn narrowed her eyes at the group, trying to figure it out. “I don’t know.”

“Contestant 373, please enter.”

Linn helped Carter to rise, but he waved off her assistance to help him walk. She settled back onto the floor as he hobbled out of the room.

“Your concern for others will be a liability.” A monotone voice drawled.

Linn whipped her head to the side, the body of Gittarackur was now standing to her left. When had Illumi moved from across the room?

“It would be best for you to leave them.”

The spark of anger that flared at the statement drove Linn to answer sarcastically. “Is this what you’re using your favour on?”

Illumi didn’t answer. Instead, his focused moved off Linn and she followed it to Hisoka.

He was awake now, meeting Illumi’s gaze with a curious expression mixed with something else that Linn couldn’t decipher. It sent a shiver down her spine.

As if sensing her uneasiness, the expression dropped from Hisoka’s face. He gave a two fingered waved at Linn that made her want to vanish into the ground.

“You should be mindful of the company you keep.” Illumi said before walking back to his previous position.

Linn scowled at his back. Who knows how long he planned to hold those ‘favours’ over her head. But the better question was, when he finally called them in, would she answer this request?

Resolutely ignoring Hisoka, Linn pondered the thought. If she declined Illumi’s request it would mean either death or a needle to the brain.

Not that the two would be mutually exclusive, she mused.

“Carter!” Kazuya’s voice called out. “How did it go?”

Carter limped back into the room. Grunting in reply to Kazuya’s question. It didn’t deter the blond, who followed behind Carter to Linn’s seated form. Margot and Daisuke trailing behind.

Carter landed in a heap beside Linn and barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes when he noticed Kazuya was still waiting for a reply.

“So?” Kazuya prodded.

“It went fine.”

Kazuya frowned. “And?”

Linn watched as Carter’s expression went from irritated to light-hearted. “Just wait for the Chairman to come out.”

A look of realization crossed Kazuya’s face. “Ah, I see. Alright then, we’ll wait.” He said happily and went off to the side with Margot and Daisuke.

A sly look entered Carter’s eyes, and Linn raised an eyebrow at the mirthful smirk that was now on his face.

“Why did you-”

“Contestant 374, please enter.” The assistant cut her off.

Carter patted Linn on the back as she rose. “Just wait and see. It’ll be hilarious.”

Linn huffed, not liking being kept out of whatever Carter was planning but nevertheless she would wait and see how it all played out.

She follows the assistant to the Chairman’s room. The meeting would be a simple thing, Linn figured. Two questions of who you want to the fight the least (there was quite a few on the list) and who you would want to fight the most (if Linn were being honest, no one at the moment but if she had to pick, fighting Kazuya would be quite cathartic).

The assistant knocks on the door and then opens it without waiting for a response.

Linn steps in, noting the low table, two cups of steaming tea, and the free pillowed seat meant for her. And, of course, the Chairman of the Hunters Association Network sitting opposite.

Linn could admit it, if only to herself, that she was feeling a bit star struck from the closeness.

Awkwardly, as if she had never done this before, Linn lowered herself onto the cushion. The Chairman had yet to open his eyes and suddenly Linn wasn’t sure if she had to start the conversation?

“Um, Chairman?”

There was no movement, and for a second it seemed like the world went still and then the Chairman’s open palm shot out aiming straight for Linn’s face.

Linn barely had time to inhale when the hand stopped right before her nose. She had barely seen the movement. It only registered as a blur to her brain.

“Hmm.” Netero pulled his hand back, tucking it back into his sleeve. He opened his eyes and met Linn’s wide eyes with a look of someone who found the situation funny. “You’ll need a lot of work before you could take me on.”

Linn’s mouth opened and then closed. She squeaked out. “What?”

Netero tilted his head and something about his posture softened, allowing Linn’s to do the same. She hadn’t realised she had tensed so badly.

He scratched his beard. “Your goal is to defeat me, isn’t it? Pariston had hinted as much.”

Oh. Oooh.

Fuck.

Linn let out a breath. “Yeah, I did say that.”

“And yet, you exhibit no desire of wanting to fight.” He took a sip of tea.

Linn met Netero’s eyes nervously. Looked away, and then back. They held an intensity like that of a raging whirlpool, and yet Linn didn’t get the feeling that Netero was angered by her lack of fight. It was like the whirlpool was settled for the moment, but still present, always there.

This was the power of someone who had reached the pinnacle of Martial Arts.

A shiver went through Linn. A part deep inside her wanted that, the sort of strength that’s both mental and physical. She wonders how many other Hunters who have come into contact with the Chairman have realised how close he is to using his power and yet restrains himself.

Perhaps this was why Pariston needled the Chairman so often? Taunting him and pushing him against the boundaries to see if he finally cracked?

He wouldn’t, Linn knew this resolutely.

She looked down at the steaming tea in front of her, and in a quick movement picked up the cup and drained half of its contents.

It was good. Relaxing. And most importantly, centred her enough to speak.

“I am afraid the Vice Chairman may have misinterpreted my words.”

“Did he now?” Netero asked, amused.

“I do want to surpass you.” Linn wondered when exactly that started being her true goal, rather than a fake. “But I want to surpass you as a… fellow Martial Artist. Not just as a fighter.”

Linn felt the tip of her ears burn at the proclamation. She wasn’t used to stating her ambitions like this.

“And you think you could achieve this by mastering 100 different Martial Art styles?”

Linn snorted, a half-smile on her face. “No. The number of styles a person knows won’t actually matter. After all, you mastered one and reached the top.”

Netero watched Linn in closely veiled interest. “So, why the specification?”

“I, ah, I like learning.”

Linn downed the rest of the tea as Netero chuckled at the admission. “A student of the arts wanting to learn just for the sake of learning – I must say it’s been a while since I’ve met an individual like yourself. Have you figured out what fighting styles to go for?

Linn shook her head.

Netero’s dark eyes peered at Linn. “When you do, how about you show me the list? I’m curious to see. We could make a real Martial Artist of you yet.”

Linn may have been reading the Chairman wrong, but he almost seemed excited.

“Sure.” Linn responded slowly. “If you’d like.”

Netero nodded and clasped his hands together. “Wonderful! Now, let’s not tell Pariston about this ‘defeat’ technicality, hm?”

Sensing the conversation had come to an end, Linn stood, nodding with a slight smile. “Got it.”

Netero waved Linn out, and it was only after she reached the rest of the contestants did she realise that he hadn’t asked her any of the questions for this round.

Notes:

istg the relationship between Netero and Pariston is something else

we almost at the end of the exam jdggnakjfniodf finally

Chapter 10: Chapter 10

Notes:

haha... Happy new year? :)

No beta

“Now before we can begin, there is an announcement I need to make.”

The contestants stood, lined up in front of the Chairman with expressions varying from nervous to excited to indifferent. Linn stood with Daisuke to her left and Carter, who had recovered his stamina, to her right.

The Chairman studied the group with a relaxed air and grin. It did nothing to soothe the tension.

Linn eyed the covered board behind him, it would reveal the order of the Tournament and she hoped with everything in her that it was in her favour.

“There is one among you that wishes to drop out. Could that person please step forward?”

Everyone held their breaths. Kazuya eyed Carter with a knowing look, waiting for him to move. From behind Kazuya, Margot stepped forward.

“Wha-hey! Margot!” Daisuke exclaimed, eyes wide with surprise.

Kazuya gave a slow, dumbfounded blink as he turned from Carter to look at Margot.

Subtly, Linn took half a step back. Making sure her face was blocked by the bodies on either side. She couldn’t keep the vicious satisfaction from her face. Of course, Linn was relieved that Margot had found the strength to back out, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t laugh inwardly at the turn of events.

Kazuya didn’t seem like he understood what had just occurred, he still kept glancing back at Carter as if he still expected him to step forward. Unlike Linn, Carter didn’t bother to keep the amusement from his face.

Look, she wanted to cackle at Kazuya, where you tried and failed I succeeded. Linn hoped the others would misinterpret her buzz of smugness at shock.

“You haven’t changed your mind about this?” Netero asked.

Kazuya took a breath-

“No, I haven’t.” Margot answered.

And he released it with a quiet huff.

The group of contestants watched as Margot walked up to the Chairman and handed him her badge.

“Thank you for the opportunity.” She murmurs, aware of everyone’s eyes on her. The Chairman doesn’t respond, tucking the badge into his sleeve.

An assistant moves forward from behind the Chairman, he signals for Margot to follow him. “There is a waiting room you may stay in until this Phase ends.”

Margot nods, and the two quietly exit the room. The assistant returning a moment later, settling himself again at the back wall.

Netero claps, drawing everyone’s attention back to him. “Now that’s out of the way. It’s time to see just who your opponent will be for the Final Phase!”

In a quick movement, Netero pulls off the white cloth, revealing the tournament match-up. Linn finds herself leaning in with the rest, eyes darting across the board until it lands on her number at the bottom. She was up against contestant number 190.

Linn could have collapsed at the tension that left her body. She didn’t recognise the number. Good. From next to her, Carter gave a thoughtful hum, if he was reading the board correctly he would either be up against the loudmouth Leorio or contestant number 191, the elderly fighter. Luckily, he had some time to rest up before he was needed.

The Chairman’s small assistant stepped forward and gestured to the board. “Now, this may look confusing but please be aware that in order to pass this challenge all you are required to do is win one battle.”

A murmur went through the crowd.

The assistant smiled. “That means that the only contestants who will be moving through the tournament tree will be those that do not win their match.”

Linn found Daisuke’s number up against Killua. She looked at him in the corner of her eye, noting pale edge to his face and bites to his lower lip. Kazuya had clearly not told him about the outcome of this Phase, Linn was both parts confused and annoyed at his decision to keep this Phase to himself.

Linn’s elbow nudged against Daisuke’s. He looked over at her. “You don’t need to win your first fight. Just a fight, okay?” She murmured.

Daisuke swallowed and nodded, both of them looked back to the board, reading the next contestant number he would be up against after Killua. Number 301 Gittarackur.

A small whimper left Daisuke’s lips and even Linn winced. Oh right. Not having the words to comfort the 18-year-old Linn settled on patting his shoulder sympathetically. It was a shame she wouldn’t tell him that he just needed to wait until after his match, when Killua got angry and decided to kill a contestant and then he would pass with the rest of them.

“There are a few simple rules. You may use any weapons that you like. You win when your opponent admits defeat. However, if you kill your opponent you will be disqualified, at that point the Exam will end and everyone else passes.” The Chairman tilts his head. “Any questions? No? Then let’s begin!”

At that exclamation another assistant steps forward and announces. “Frist Match! Hanzo vs. Gon!”

The two step forward, while the rest of the contestants stand along the edge of the mat. Linn and a few others chose to wait against the wall, some to recuperate their energy while others were looking for a place to relax. Daisuke, expectedly, moves to Kazuya’s side, a bundle of nerves. Daisuke goes to speak when Kazuya shakes his head, eyes unmoving from the mat where Gon and Hanzo place themselves to begin.

The assistant nods at the two. “I am Masta, I will be serving as the referee.”

Linn stops listening to the conversation when Carter pulls up close beside her. He keeps his voice low so as to not interrupt the current proceedings. “Did you look at the match-ups?”

“Of course I did.” Linn answers back just as quietly. “I think I can take my opponent, you?”

Carter lets out a breathy laugh. “You sure about that? Maybe it would be better if you fought against the next opponent.”

Linn’s face scrunched in confusion at Carter, before looking back over to the tournament board. If she were to lose against 190 her next opponent would be number [Kazuya No.]. Her eyes drift to Kazuya’s back, he hadn’t looked away from the mat not even with Daisuke fidgeting next to him.

“You would get to beat up Daniel. How about it?”

Carter’s voice washed over her, and Linn could almost taste the satisfaction of hitting Kazuya repeatedly with no one able to stop her. A dark satisfaction rolled in her chest at the mental image, and Linn closed her eyes to take a breath, savouring the thought, because for now, that’s all it would remain.

“I’ll do my best in my round. Whether I win or lose, it will be because of my ability and not purposely throwing the fight.” She answers Carter tightly, boring into his grey eyes.

“Alright, alright.” Carter backs off, putting some space between them. “Just thought it would be funny.”

Linn shakes her head, focusing on Gon and Hanzo as the referee lifts his hand into the air.

“All right… begin!”

The two launch into speedy movements that Linn, much to her joy, is able to track with some concentration.

Good to see not everyone can move at blurring speeds just yet, she thinks to herself.

The match gets brutal fast, with Gon refusing to admit defeat and Hanzo having to inflict more pain onto the kid. Kicks, punches, even some flips from Hanzo, and while Gon was fighting back just as hard it was clear that Hanzo had the upper hand in the match.

A solid punch to the stomach, so strong that it lifts Gon off the floor for a few seconds before he lands on all fours a few feet away. He coughs, getting air back inside his body before launching himself once again at Hanzo.

Leorio starts shouting at this point, demanding Hanzo pick on someone his own size even while the referee reminds him that he cannot interfere with the match. Kurapika’s face darkens, and he turns away from the fight. Daisuke copies the movement, but in a sorry effort to try and conceal his fear at the violence. Kazuya remains unmoving, even as his jaw tenses he doesn’t make a sound. From beside her Carter swears softly and takes a few steps forward, almost trapped in a hypnotised state by the fight.

Linn too watches the fight, but not because she was entrapped by its viciousness, because she needed to hammer it into her subconscious that this wasn’t a world she could go easy in. She had felt only a trickle of it earlier, in Zevil island when the knife was pressed against her throat, from here on however it would only get worse. Hunter License or no Hunter License, this was a world ruled by the strong and-

Another solid hit to Gon, this time across his face. Blood trickles down his lips as he stands up once more. Hanzo grits his teeth and clenches his fist, he watches the young boy get back into stance and then follows the movements. Gon’s eyes were unrelenting. They clash again.

-the determined.

Everyone had the capacity for violence. Linn knew this, hell when she was training with her black belt teacher they often did scenarios of someone trying to attack her – with a weapon, by grabbing her hair, even being ganged up on – they were lessons she wouldn’t let go.

However, the unsettling truth was that she wasn’t sure how far she could get in this universe with such lessons. She was a Martial Artist at heart, and that was something she would never let go, but in order to proceed past this point she couldn’t just rely on her straightforward attacks. It rankled her to admit, even to herself, but she wasn’t sure if she could win her match relying only on her physical abilities.

The people in this universe didn’t just train for fun, or because they wanted a routine exercise to get fit like the one’s in her universe. No, they did it to achieve impossible goals. They put their life on the line for these things.

Linn lowered herself to the floor, sitting cross-legged. This match would go on for a while and she didn’t want her legs to become too tense. She thought about closing her eyes to calm herself but with both Hisoka and Illumi in the room, she didn’t want to give either of them a chance to pull something.

She took in a breath, held it, and then released it slowly, allowing her thoughts to quieten. She was overthinking this, it wasn’t as if her opponent would be outrageously overpowered. Her eyes drifted to her upcoming opponent, number 190, it was the contestant she had noticed back in the cooking Phase. The one that had swiped the knife and winked at her.

Linn eyed him critically, however there was no indication of whether the knife was still on him or if he had lost it. From the way he had casually tucked it in his trousers and covered it, the safest option would be to assume it was still with him. She huffed inwardly, she would need to disarm him first before she could really begin to fight him. Linn wasn’t looking to get shanked here.

Hah, she was already getting tired just thinking of her upcoming fight, as much as she preferred fighting hand-to-hand, a weapon would have been preferable in this scenario. She tucks her hands into her pockets, settling herself to watch Gon get pummelled when her hand brushes against a familiar texture.

Linn blinks, and then sneakily removes the object from her pocket. The Ace of Spades cards Hisoka had thrown at her. She looks at the person in question who was, thankfully, fully engrossed in Gon’s fight. She tucked the card back into her pocket.

Well then. Her mind spins.

The match carries on with no further interruptions until the sharp crack of bone resonates around the room, followed by a quiet, painful exhale from Gon.

Leorio face goes red, the prominent veins on his neck bulging as his anger grips him. Next to him, Kurapika tenses as well, hands clenching. Out of their group it was only Killua that remained calm, watching Gon and Hanzo, if anything he looked rather amused at the fact Gon kept standing up.

Linn snorted, Zoldycks.

Hanzo unsheathes his blade, letting it glint menacingly against the light. “Fine, if a break won’t do it, then I’ll just amputate instead! I think your left leg will be fine.”

Gon, unfazed at the display, replied back. “That’s a problem. I don’t want to lose my leg, but I’m just as determined to win.”

A smile curled along Linn’s lips, she had to hand it to the kid, he didn’t know the meaning of giving up.

Gon tilts his head. “Find another way.”

This time Linn brings a hand up to cover her snicker. Around the room a few other contestants also voice their amusement at the scene.

Hanzo throws his hands in the air, clearly losing control of the conversation. “What do you mean find another way?! You don’t get to dictate the terms here!”

“But if you cut my leg off I’ll bleed to death and then you’ll fail the exam, right?” Gon looks at the referee who nods.

Hanzo grips his head, eyebrow twitching, he shakes his head in an exaggerated movement before rushing forward and pointing his blade at Gon’s forehead. A bead of blood wells up and runs down Gon’s face. He remains unmoved.

“You- you-” Hanzo looks at Gon uncomprehendingly before he sighs, lowering his weapon. “Fine. I hereby admit defeat.”

Gon’s face lights up in surprise. “Eh?! What do you mean you give up?! Let’s have a proper match!”

From the line of contestants, Linn hears Killua groan. “Really Gon…”

Hanzo ignores him, turning and begins walking off the mat.

“Hey! You’re just walking away?! We can-”

In a quick movement Hanzo turns and uppercuts Gon, sending him sailing through the air. He lands at the edge of the mat.

“Winner of this round: Gon!” The referee announces as a medic team enters the room and approaches the unconscious Gon.

“Will he be alright?” Daisuke asks Kazuya. Leorio, Kurapika and Killua run over to where Gon had fallen, watching as the medics checked him over.

“Of course he will be.” Kazuya says, watching as Gon was placed onto a stretcher and quickly taken from the room.

“So much excitement and it’s only the first round.” Netero chuckled. “Shall we move onto the next match?”

The referee nods and calls out. “Second match: Kurapika vs. Hisoka!”

Kurapika steps onto the mat, nodding back at Leorio and Killua as he readies himself into a fighting stance. Hisoka takes the long way around, walking behind the contestants that were lined along the edge of the mat, making each of them tense up.

Carter takes a few steps back to get out of Hisoka’s path. The Magician gaze barely looks him over before it lands on Linn’s form against the wall.

“Wish me luck?” Hisoka smirks, a teasing tilt to its edge.

Linn crosses her arms, a strong chill going down her spine, in lieu of a verbal answer she bares her teeth back uneasily at the Nen user. Luckily, everyone seemed to take the waves of amusement radiating off of Hisoka as him not taking the fight seriously.

They begin without much fanfare, and unlike the previous match both manage to get good strikes on each other. However, it was still apparent to all present that Hisoka was holding back while Kurapika was going all out. If his opponent had been anyone other than Kurapika, Linn was sure they would have been annoyed by the obvious move.

Kurapika moves in fast with a punch aimed at Hisoka’s face. He dodges it with a mere side-step but doesn’t move back as Kurapika’s momentum carries him forward into Hisoka’s space. Everyone holds their breath as Hisoka grasps Kurapika’s extended arm, preventing a retreat.

Hisoka leans in close and whispers something to Kurapika. The blond goes stiff, eyes wide and Linn had to give him props for remaining composed.

Hisoka’s mouth quirks at Kurapika’s expression, eyes alight with sadistic glee as he takes a step back and announces. “I give up.”

“E-eh?” Leorio muttered.

The bowman with the beanie stared with a slack-jaw. “Did he just…?”

The referee got over his shock much faster than the rest of the contestants. “Hisoka has surrendered. The Winner of the Second match-up is: Kurapika.”

Hisoka walks off the mat with an air of nonchalance, this time choosing to wait along the wall a few feet from Linn.

She tries to subtly put more distance between them but either she didn’t move at all or Hisoka’s mere presence made him seem bigger than he was.

“Would you like to know why I lost?”

Linn doesn’t turn to face Hisoka, rather keeps staring straight ahead with a confused frown. Why was he talking to her?

“It’s because you didn’t wish me luck.”

Linn couldn’t stop herself. Her head swivelled towards Hisoka and her mouth dropped open, words sputtered out of her mouth. “Wha-what? How does that even-”

A combination of Hisoka satisfied smile coupled with the cautionary look Carter threw her way had Linn snapping her mouth closed and looking away, resolutely glaring at the proceedings in front of her.

Leorio was sending Kurapika questioning looks that the blond ignored. He tried to appear casual but there was no mistaking the thin line of tension that was coursing through his body. Carter wondered if Linn would know more details about what just happened.

“Next round: Daisuke vs. Killua!”

Killua practically skips onto the mat, hands tucked into his pockets and smirk present. Alternatively, Daisuke doesn’t budge from the edge of the mat until Kazuya places a hand on his shoulder, making Daisuke jump.

Kazuya smiles at him. “Do your best.”

Daisuke waits but soon realises that’s all Kazuya has to tell him. He shuffles onto the mat, very clearing wanting to be anywhere but there.

Linn’s eyes drift back to Kazuya and not for the first time she wonders why he hadn’t told Margot or Daisuke the outcome of this phase. A voice in the back of Linn’s mind reminds her that there wasn’t anything stopping her from telling the group either.

She ignores the voice and zones back into the proceedings just in time for-

Killua raises his hand. “I give up. There’s someone else I would rather fight.”

Daisuke is so overcome with shock that he nearly chokes as the referee announces him as the victor. Leorio nearly follows him, sputtering out confused sounds. Kurapika eyebrows are raised but he says nothing.

Off to the side, Linn heard the Chairman sigh softly. “Perhaps next time I’ll remove the option to…” His voice goes too quiet for Linn to hear the rest. She looks at the Chairman closer but he looks no different than when the Phase started.

Wait, Linn blinked slowly, was that right? That didn’t feel right to Linn but that could have just been the anxiety of her approaching fight messing with her. She brushes the notion off just in time for Gittarackur to step onto the mat.

Linn holds her breath, her body automatically curls, trying to make herself appear smaller as the atmosphere in the room grows heavy. Killua looks to be enjoying himself, relishing in the idea of a good fight, excitedly bouncing on the soles of his feet.

The body of Gittarackur remains stalwart and unmoving in comparison. It isn’t until the referee official begins the match does Illumi crack.

Literally, Linn winces as one by one Illumi removes the needles implanted in his face and allows the bone to crack back to its normal shape. Linn looked away before the process really got started, bile threatened to climb up her throat at the inhuman display.

“What the fuck.” Was all that Carter managed to force out, wide eyes unable to move away from the body horror scene in front of him

From next to Linn, Hisoka hummed nonchalantly. Entirely unfazed.

Linn shut her eyes tight, willing the mental image to be banished from her brain because fuck. Fuck.

The next few moments go… as expected. Illumi releases some of - what Linn believes at least – to be his Nen, exerting such a sinister amount of pressure that her lungs practically refuse to take in air for a solid minute. It’s just a Linn begins to feel woozy does it all disappear. She brings up a trembling hand and forces it into a fist. Linn doesn’t look to Killua’s side, nor does she look to Carter.

At this moment, Linn could just about keep herself together.

“Killua…” Leorio stops himself, able to read the room that this definitely wasn’t the time nor place.

The sound of Killua’s sneakers stepping off the mat sounded first, followed by Illumi’s slow gait. A large part of Linn, she would readily admit, needed to know exactly where Illumi was heading to. To track his movements. She wondered how on earth she had survived a whole phase with him.

Steeling herself, Linn opened her eyes and to her relief found Illumi nowhere near her. He had stationed himself to the right side of the room next to Killua. Linn was thankful he didn’t send any looks her way.

“Er…right.” The referee looked back to Netero who waved his hand. “Moving on, the next match is… Linn vs. Rolo!”

Linn ignored everyone around her as she made her way onto the mat. Barely acknowledging the whispered good luck from Carter and Daisuke. Settling herself, Linn takes a few controlled breaths to steel her nerves as her opponent, Rolo, places himself opposite.

“Hah, scared? We haven’t even started yet.” Rolo says, voice dripping with arrogance.

From the side lines, Daisuke nervously pulls at his sleeves, leaning closer to Kazuya. “I’ve never seen Linn like this.”

Kazuya takes in Linn’s pinched face and tensed figure. He looks at her with pity. “If only she stayed by my side and let me help her…” Kazuya shakes his head, looking at Daisuke imploringly. “This is why I keep telling you guys to stay with me.”

Daisuke nods quickly. “Yeah, I know.”

Unaware of the thoughts of her groupmates, Linn was in fact mildly freaking out but not because of her opponent. It was because right over the shoulder of the swaggering Rolo was Illumi’s dead, unblinking face. She could feel the sweat begin to bead at her forehead as she resolutely did not look at him.

God how did his eyes feel like lasers against her skin. How dare he be so tall to be viewable even with the distance between her opponent and the end of the mat where he resided. At least Killua’s emotionless face was blocked from view.

Experimentally, Linn moved her weight from one foot to the other. Illumi’s eyes followed the movement. Linn held back the dramatic urge to pull her hair out and demand he stop watching her.

“Competitors ready?” Both Linn and Rolo nodded in response to the referee’s question. “Then… begin!”

Rolo opens his mouth, but no words ever leave his lips as Linn immediately springs forward, aiming for his head.

Too high, she chides herself as her foot only manages to clip the top of Rolo’s head. It still sends him stumbling to the side, eyes wide with surprise. Linn doesn’t give him time to grasp his bearings, as she steps in and rotates into a back kick.

Rolo’s breath forcibly leaves him as the hit lands solidly in his abdomen. He falls back, struggling for to breath all the while glaring heatedly at Linn’s approaching form.

No, Linn thinks, he won’t give up just yet. Lifting her leg up again, Linn goes to slam her foot into Rolo’s chest when he manages to roll out of the way in the last second.

“Tch.” Linn huffs, following after Rolo with the intent to knock him down once more.

It’s as she steps in close, readying to drop low for a leg sweep, when Rolo half-turns towards her, eyes alight with excitement. It causes Linn to hesitate and in the end that’s what saved her from being gutted as Rolo’s hand swipes out from behind him, kitchen knife in his grip.

Linn launches herself back, adrenaline burst helping her put more distance between them. He had aimed for her abdomen, most likely as revenge for her earlier kick but, damn, he really would have made her bleed out just like that?

Rolo cuts the knife through the air, the sound it creates only emphasising how sharp it was.

“Not so eager now, are you?” Rolo taunts.

The two circle each other, tense and waiting for someone to make the first move. Linn’s sole focus was on that knife and how to disarm it, afterwards she could focus on making Rolo admit defeat. The Ace of Spades card was a warm weight in her pocket.

It wasn’t until the two stopped their dance that Linn had realised they had switched their beginning positions. This usually wouldn’t have mattered however as Linn felt a chill run down her spine she realised-

Ah, now Illumi’s eyes were on her back. How unsettling.

Ignoring her body’s first response of turning her back to the knife-wielding opponent to face the predator behind her she settles for jumping back into the fight.

Literally, she jumps forward and as expected Rolo goes to meet her. He makes short, quick thrusts at Linn, aiming for areas that would cause her serious injury. Linn’s dodges are definitely not as smooth as they could have been. She wasn’t nearly enough of a seasoned fighter to have that level of grace to her movements. She may not have trained long enough for that, but she still attained a level of fighter’s instinct that would urge her to go for an opening.

Like right now.

The feeling hits when the the knife moves past, missing her body by a hair’s breadth that something inside her mind urges her forward.

She moves into Rolo’s space, catching the contestant by surprise and grips the back of his hand. Linn’s foot curls around Rolo’s and in a quick movement she brings Rolo to the ground face first. She presses her knee into his back to keep him down and pulls his arm back.

“N-ngh!” Rolo clenches his teeth, trying to keep the pained sounds from escaping as he glares up at Linn.

Linn returns the look with a glare of her own. Her fingers tighten around Rolo’s wrist. “Give up. You won’t get out of this.”

In response, Rolo bucks underneath her, trying to get Linn to lose balance but she remains steadfast. Rolo was neither that much bigger nor stronger than her, so he only managed to tire himself out further.

“Hah.” Rolo spat out. “You can’t hold this forever. The second you loosen your grip that knife’s cutting into you, bitch.”

Rolo’s fingers go nearly white from the amount of pressure he was exerting to keep the knife in his grip, and no matter how much force Linn put on his wrist his hold did not slacken in the slightest.

Fine, she felt her determination swell within in her, it’s going to be like that is it. Linn scoffed. “You think you’re the only one that’s armed?”

Rolo’s expression changes into one of confusion and then terror as Linn removes the playing card from her pocket and into his line of sight.

“How did she…” Kazuya’s voice dies off as questions enter his mind.

Someone makes a very interested sound from outside of Linn’s vision and she resolutely ignores it, focusing entirely on pulling this off.

Linn brings the card up, positioning it so Rolo could see the edges. “You’ve seen what this can do to the human body, you willing to put yourself through the pain?”

Rolo’s eyes dart back and forth between the card that was slowly edging closer and Linn’s face. “Y-you’re bluffing!”

Linn hummed in response, feigning nonchalance even as tension ran throughout her body. “If that’s your decision, I guess an example is necessary.”

Rolo increases his struggles, and it takes Linn creaking his arm further back to get him to stop.

Her heart was thundering in her chest, and she really hoped her nervousness wasn’t apparent on her face. “Shall I start with an eye first?”

Bringing the Ace of Space cards closer to her opponent’s face. The sweat that had accumulated on her fingers caused her thumb to slip against the edge of the card-

A sharp intake of breath from Linn and a small bead of blood appears and sinks into the card.

Oh. Oh god. Nen was running through the card.

Do not look at Hisoka, do not look at him. She fought the urge to instinctively seek out the Magician to confirm if this was his doing, she couldn’t without revealing the fact that she may know more than she let on about Nen.

Which was nothing, she anxiously reminded herself, she knew nothing about Nen, and no one could know otherwise. In fact this could only help her win, and, and, fuck why was her arm choosing now of all times to begin trembling.

To her luck, however, Rolo hadn’t noticed the sudden panic Linn exuded. He didn’t see anything more than the cut on Linn’s thumb made by what should have been a normal, soft playing card. Except he had seen a card like this in use earlier in the Exam, multiple times.

And each time they came out, someone either lost a limb or died.

Rolo let go of the blade. “I- I give up.”

Linn doesn’t register the admittance until the referee was calling out. “The Winner is: Linn!”

“Would you get off me now?” Rolo growls out, but Linn was already moving off.

She took a few steps before stopping, refusing to look away from the blood peppered card in her hand. Rolo stands, picking the knife up with him, he huffs, pushing down at the embarrassment of loss and opens his mouth only to slam it shut when Linn crushes the card in half.

Linn really wanted to hurt that beyond irritating Magician. Why the fuck would he send his Nen into the card in the first place? Had he really been that bored to try and pull off a Nen trick with the Hunter’s Association Chairman right there?!

“You… you fucking tricked me!”

Rolo’s angry voice cut through Linn’s thoughts, she turns to face him only to freeze as he lunges forward, knife in hand.

“Linn, move!” Carter’s panicked voice called out.

Linn knew she should, her mind was rallying her body to move but she couldn’t. There was something nearly surreal about someone coming at you with the intent to kill. It was like a shroud around Rolo’s shoulders that she couldn’t help but be entranced by.

The next few seconds moved very slowly to Linn.

Between one blink and another, Rollo’s knife had been angling upwards, planning to strike into her chest and then the next thing she knew Killua was suddenly right there behind Rollo. His face was paler than usual, the usual snarky smirk gone since Illumi’s reveal and his eyes were just empty dark pits.

Killua brings his arm up.

This is death. Linn thought shakily, am I going to die here…?

And then the world resumes its movement. Rollo falls to the ground, blood spurting from his mouth as red dots sprout from his chest, right over his heart. Killua’s soundless footsteps carry on, Linn doesn’t turn as he leaves the room and no one goes after him.

That could have been me. The thought echoes around Linn’s mind, she barely registers Carter’s presence as he steps next to her, hands on her shoulders as if to ground her. From over Carter’s shoulder, Linn’s fuzzy mind could just about make out the unmoving figure of Illumi. Watching on.

“Well then,” The Chairman’s carefree voice sounds loud and wrong against the events that just occurred. “Congratulations on passing the Hunter Exam everyone.”

There were no cheers of excitement.

Notes:

why is it that when other HxH fanfic authors write the hunter exam phase, they wrap it up in like a few chapters and it takes me forever TAT

Whatever - I am officially stating that we are done with the Hunter Exam Arc and can finally move on!!

Chapter 11: Chapter 11

Notes:

forgive any minor spelling + grammar errors - needed to push this chapter out otherwise it wouldn't ever be done D:

The early afternoon sun cast a bright shine over Swardani City, glinting off its tall, silver buildings and near blinding anyone that dared to stare too long at the structures. Below, throngs of wildly different people moved through the streets. Hunters of all shapes and sizes passed by, laughing, chattering, some merely enjoying the atmosphere even while armed to the teeth. Normal civilians still walked among them, of course, with an air of simply getting through their daily tasks.

Linn didn’t think there was anything else to expect when in the city that housed the Hunters Association Headquarters. Granted she had anticipated a bit more violence on the streets she admits when a Hunter walks past the café window with a giant claymore strapped to their back, but this air of peacefulness was a nice surprise. And after the series of events she had experienced, she needed peacefulness right now.

The sound of slurping drew Linn’s attention to the body opposite her. She watched as Carter took a long draw of his strawberry and white chocolate milkshake before releasing the straw with a sigh. “Damn, I really needed that.”

Linn half-smiled, fully sinking into the plush red seat of their booth. “Got a sweet-tooth I see.”

“Guilty.” He answers, diving back into the large treat.

Linn shakes her head and goes back to people watching.

It was strange, seeing things in this universe that she recognised from her own. Cars, phones, even the architecture sent pangs of homesickness through her. She wonders if it would ever disappear, this feeling, she wonders if she would want it to.

Linn allows her mind to wander pleasantly, idly swirling the mint milkshake she ordered with the straw and ultimately her thoughts drifted back to the aftermath of the Hunters Exam.

After Killua got himself disqualified, the Chairman’s small assistant – who Linn finally learned was named Beans of all things – had ushered the group into a conference room to iron out the details.

Those ‘details’ ended being a long-winded argument of who should have really passed and who shouldn’t of. Most of the conversation barely registered with Linn, who was still processing witnessing a man’s death, but her attention was captured when the legitimacy of her own win was questioned.

“She didn’t make her opponent concede with her own ability, it was all a trick.”

Linn lifted her head from where it had been resting against the table, squinting at the blurry form of Hanzo. Her whispered response was loud against the quiet of the room. “Aren’t you a Ninja?”

The tips of Hanzo’s ears went red, and Carter snickered from beside her.

“A win is a win.” The Chairman stated and that had been the end of it.

Linn takes another drink of her milkshake, relishing in its strong taste. Just like home, she thinks wistfully.

Afterwards back in the blimp, Linn had stood by herself as she watched one contestant after another depart onto other Airships, each going to start their own journeys. A part of her idly noted that by now Gon, Leorio and Kurapika would be getting ready to leave for the Zoldyck’s mansion to get Killua back.

Good luck, she couldn’t help but wish for them, even knowing they would succeed.

Footsteps approached from behind her, and thinking it was Carter she spoke without turning. “I’ve gotta admit. I don’t really know where to head now that all this is done.” Linn scratched her cheek in thought, staring out at the clouds passing by. “Any ideas?”

She finally turned, only to freeze in surprise as Netero shrugs his shoulders in response.

“Can’t say I have the answer to that.” Netero stares back with an amused expression.

“U-um.” It took Linn a second to get her brain to process words. “It was rhetorical…?”

“Well, if I could offer a suggestion.” Netero said, standing beside Linn and looking out onto the clouds.

Linn nods, still partially star struck that she didn’t realise it wasn’t a question.

“There is no rush to find a destination right now, you have already begun your journey just by entering the Hunter Exam and passing. I suggest waiting for the airship to make its official landing and then taking a day to get your bearings.” He grinned at Linn. “Take in the sights, enjoy the new freedom you have achieved.”

Linn blinked dumbly at the Chairman. It made sense, what was the rush? The urge to move fast and get things done and not take the time to enjoy this new world?

A new focus had entered her mind and Linn felt a swell of warmth as she shot the Chairman a small, grateful smile. “I think I will… thanks.”

Linn had immediately gone off to find the others, Netero waving off her words as he continued watching the sky outside. Linn had found Carter first, heading towards her, and he had easily agreed with her plan with a shrug. Like her he hadn’t thought much on the ‘next steps’ of this life.

It was when she came upon Kazuya, Margot and Daisuke that she thought she might have to argue her decision but much to her surprise Kazuya had easily agreed to the suggestion.

Linn had been suspicious for a second before she realised that Kazuya knew there wasn’t anything he could do right now that involved the canon characters. It was good to know even Kazuya had lines he wouldn’t cross.

“That sounds good to me.” Daisuke echoed Kazuya’s statement.

The group turned to Margot and Linn couldn’t help the frown that sneaked onto her face. Not once had the young girl looked at Linn since the end of the Exam. Linn had to fight the scowl that was threatening to appear when Margot meekly agreed to the group’s decision.

Even now, the memory of Margot ignoring Linn soured the pleasant taste of her milkshake.

A buzzing in her pocket brought Linn back to the present, and she awkwardly fished out the standard Hunter phone that had been offered to all the winners, along with the nifty travel bag that remained in her hotel room.

Text Received: 14.25
From: Kazuya
We’ll be out in 5

Linn reads the message before shoving her phone back. “Finish it up Carter, we’re being summoned.”

She had meant it as a joke but seeing Carter take out the straw and chug down the remainder of his smoothie was definitely something.

“What?” Carter says, wiping his mouth with a napkin before rising.

Linn had no idea what expression was on her face – she felt like it was a cross between disgust and unbelieving. “Nothing. Let’s just get this over with.”

They pay at the counter, tipping the waitress and step out onto the street. The air was slightly humid, but Linn found it refreshing. The two begin the short walk to the hotel the Hunters Association had placed them in, deftly named Atlas, and found Kazuya, Daisuke and Margot already outside, bags on their backs and all dressed up to go.

Kazuya nodded at them in greeting. He had been subdued since the end of the Exam, less pushy, and Linn hoped this meant he had gotten over his fanboy fervour.

Linn stops right before the group of three, with Carter halting behind her. Kazuya eyes the space between the two groups and purses his lips, bringing his blue eyes up to meet Linn’s.

“Are you sure about this? It’s not too late to change your minds.”

How short and sweet, Linn thought in amusement “I’m sure, Kazuya.”

His eyes jump to Carter, who looked as if he was fighting off boredom.

“You too?”

“Yep.”

Kazuya sighs and rubs the back of his neck, he looked over at Margot and Daisuke. The nervousness radiating off of them was easy to pick up, and he had kind of hoped Linn and Carter would be calming influences on the two.

Oh well, there was still time for them to change their minds. Neither knew what was really out there in the world. Kazuya even felt a swell of pity at how it would take them a while, if ever, to find out about Nen. He had gently broached the topic with both Daisuke and Margot, and they were both interested in exploring the new phenomenon.

“We’ll… keep in touch.” Linn forces the words out. She could feel Carter’s annoyed eyes on her back. Linn takes out her phone as if to emphasis the fact. “I don’t think we will be able to meet up casually, but we can at least check in every now and then.”

“Yeah! Exactly!” Daisuke agreed happily, bouncing on his heels. He had already began customising his phone with small white rabbit stickers all over the back. “We can just use our phones and, uh-”

He breaks off, awkwardly staring at Margot. “Oh, right, you didn’t get one because…”

Linn could see the silent ‘you quit’ weighing on Margot’s shoulders even as she sent Daisuke a weak smile.

“That’s okay. I can just get one later.”

Before the atmosphere could devolve into full awkwardness Kazuya cuts in, grin present and eyes shining with excitement. “Well, I guess this is it. We’ll be heading north, travelling through the towns there, what about you guys?

Linn had no idea what lied north of Swardani City but she hoped it wasn’t too dangerous. “I think we’ll stick around the city for a bit, get our bearings.”

“And then?”

“Who knows.”

Kazuya snorted. “Must be nice, not having any plans.”

Linn felt her heart skip a beat, her skin prickled in nervousness. “What, uh, what plans are those, Kazuya?”

From behind her, Carter stepped close enough that she could feel his heat permeate through the back of her shirt.

Kazuya shot back with a wide smile. “Ah, don’t worry about that. Just something Daisuke, Margot and I talked over.”

When he said it like that it sounded far worse, and Linn’s mind was buzzing very quickly-

“Let it go.”

It was hissed behind her, and Linn forced herself to take a breath, compose herself, and then she spoke tightly.

“That’s… good. Good to know.”

Luckily the three in front took no notice of Linn’s pinched expression.

“So, I guess we should start making our way while it’s still light out.” Kazuya looks down the road, takes a step and then halts. His expression lights up in realisation and then he turns back. “Oh, wait, Carter I don’t think I got your number?”

“Linn will text it to you.” Carter calls back, already slowly walking off. He waves at the three, which Daisuke returns enthusiastically and Margot less so.

Linn sends his retreating form a glare and keeps it up until the hotel doors swing shut behind him. How dare he leave her to this awkward situation. She turns back to the group with a barely held back sigh. “Stay safe on your journey, alright?”

Daisuke walks past Linn, giving her a friendly pat on the shoulder and smile. “You worry too much, Linn! We’ll be fine. Kazuya’s with us after all.” His face freezes. “Not to say you guys won’t be fine on your own! I’m sure you will be!”

Linn decides to save Daisuke from himself and gives him a smile back, before moving onto the shuffling Margot. She raises her head, still refusing to look at Linn directly, and mumbles. “Stay safe.”

The Purplette doesn’t say anything further, stepping back to join the other two. Linn’s eyes don’t move from her form for a few long seconds, and then she forces herself to look away. An unsteady feeling runs through her.

Maybe I should have let Margot participate, the thought sinks into Linn’s mind like a dead weight before she pulls herself together, because at this moment it didn’t matter what could have been during the exam, doesn’t matter what would have happened if Margot chose to stay in, chose to fight in the tournament.

Linn didn’t make Margot do anything – she just let her know that dropping out was an option in the first place. Her mention of Hisoka during their conversation was just a little extra, a reminder even, of her possible opponents.

In all of one second, Linn’s uncertainty and near regret had changed into annoyance at Margot’s skittish behaviour. She ignored Margot’s presence at the edge of her vision and focused back onto Kazuya.

He looked pensive. That couldn’t bode well. “There’s something that I wanted to clear up before we headed off.”

“Okay?”

“That playing card you pulled out during the fight, where did you get in?”

“I found it in Zevil forest stuck in a tree.” Linn said, the pre-prepared lie rolling easily out of her mouth.

“Makes sense.” Kazuya mumbled, and then louder he says. “Keep safe Linn, we’ll see you around.”

Linn waves and stays on the street as the three walk off. She takes a deep breath and releases it, and then turns and makes her way back into Atlas Hotel.

The foyer was large but not too grand, a solid Hotel that offered all necessary services without any fancy extras. Linn walked past a board filled with advertisements and job offers, the receptionist gives her a placid welcome back smile that Linn half-heartedly returns as she makes her way back to her and Carter’s shared room.

Linn enters the room to Carter sorting through his backpack, packing away pieces of newly bought clothes for his journey ahead. She glances at her still empty bag and drops onto the bed, arms outstretched wide.

“They’re gone.”

Carter hums in response.

Linn stares at the beige-coloured ceiling with a frown. “…should I have gone with them?”

Carter, rather violently, swivels around to face Linn. “Of course not.” He says, leaning over Linn with a frown of his own. “They’re responsible for their own actions, Linn, I think it’s about time you got that through your thick skull.”

“I know-”

“No, I don’t think you do. You had your chance to look out for them, and you threw it away when you decided to hide the fact you knew about this world.”

There it was. The unspoken secret that had been held between the two was now out in the open. Linn flexed her hands, an instinctual feeling of panic shooting through her at the accusatory tone. She looked to the side, unable to hold eye contact with Carter above her.

Carter watched as Linn’s jaw flexed, her usual hazel had tinged around the edges with a dark gold that disappeared when she next blinked. He sighed softly and sat down next to her head. “Okay, maybe I could have said that differently, but you- you get what where I’m coming from right?”

Linn didn’t answer, instead choosing to pick at the blanket.

Carter rubbed the back of his head. Shit, this wasn’t going as he had planned. “I just… don’t want you to waste this new life on people that don’t need you there.”

Fuck, oh fuck, why did he have to say it like that? Carter nearly gripped his head in panic. Linn was the only one from the group he wanted to be friends with, and he had to go and put his foot in his mouth.

“Yeah.” Linn sighed and sat up. “I get what you mean.”

“Can I ask… why are you so worried for them? You hardly cared about anyone in the beginning.”

“Yeah well, neither did you and look at us now bestie.” Linn smirked, turning back to face Carter.

“It’s because your such a joy to be around.” Carter answered with matching sarcasm.

The two grinned at each other, glad that the tense air had dissipated. Carter stood, going back to organising his backpack and Linn knew that he would drop the topic here and now if she wanted to. She took a breath.

“I think it’s because out of everyone in this entire world, we’re the only ones from the same dimension, you know?”

“I get that, but just because we’re all from the same place shouldn’t be a good enough reason to put yourself with a group of people you can hardly stand. You need to let that go and everything else from our original world.” Not that he was much to talk, most of his thoughts were spent on remembering those he had left behind so suddenly. Is this what it would be like for the remainder of their days here? Constantly thinking of what they’ve lost?

No, Carter didn’t like that at all.

“Get up, Linn, we’ve got somewhere to be.”

“We do?”

 

“Carter?”

“Yeah?”

“Why are we standing in front of a tree?”

Linn had followed Carter out of Altas Hotel and into the streets of the city. He looked to be searching for something and seemed to have found it once they reached a big park. They then continued further, past the playground and swing sets, the small pond with ducks quacking along it, and then stopped when Carter finally seemed satisfied.

“This isn’t just any tree Linn.” Carter said, circling it with a critical look.

“It’s the biggest tree in the park?” Linn commented dryly, raising an eyebrow.

Carter stopped next to the tree and patted it with a smile. “This is going to be our memorial tree.”

“Memorial tree?” Linn glanced up at the thick oak tree. They were deep enough in the park for it to be relatively quiet, in fact were it not for the sounds of the surrounding city it would have been eerie. “A bit dark isn’t it? After all, our original world wasn’t destroyed or anything.” Linn hoped at least.

“True.” Carter conceded. “But this is something that we need to do.”

“And what exactly will be doing?”

Carter crouched to the floor and Linn noticed that the base of the tree was surrounded by flat stones of varying sizes. Carter grabbed one and pulled out a black marker from his pocket, he then scribbled something onto the rock before placing it to the side.

“We,” He grabbed another one and began the same process. “Are gonna write out everything and everyone we miss from home and leave them at this tree.”

Linn sat next to Carter, accepting the additional blue marker he had pulled from his pocket. “You think this will really help us?”

Carter paused, a small pile of stones already next to him. “Well, we won’t know unless we try it out, right?”

Linn thought it over, maybe this would help put her mind at rest at what she’s missing and get her to truly focus on living her, in the present.

With a tentative feeling of hope sprouting in her chest, Linn picks up her first rock.

 

 

In the end, the great oak had two piles of stones on either side of it. Neither Linn or Carter were worried about the stones being moved or lost, after all the meaning behind their actions today would stay with them regardless.

And if the two of them left that tree rubbing tears from their eyes, well, that was between the two of them.

 

 

“Are you ready?” Linn asked quietly.

The day was finally ending, streaks of molten amber, red and yellow decorated the sky as the sun set into the distance. A sense of tranquillity had flooded Swardani City as its various residents settled down for the day.

Opposite Linn, at the bottom of the hotel steps stood Carter with his backpack on and a small smile. “I’m ready.”

Linn watched as Carter readjusted his bag pack and glanced toward the road, cementing the fact that in just a few seconds he would be gone as well. The thought must have crossed both their minds as in the next second they were hugging each other tightly.

“You better check in regularly.” Linn mumbled into Carter’s neck.

“I will.” He answers. “Don’t actually give Daniel my number.”

Linn snorted. “I won’t.”

The two finally separated and Carter began his journey. Linn stayed on those steps for long after she had lost sight of him. A sense of sadness lingered within her, it wouldn’t stop her from moving forward though, after all she fully intended to see Carter again.

The feeling in her chest was heavy as she re-entered the hotel, but not unbearably so.

When Linn got to her room she immediately jumped into the shower and began winding down for the night. It wasn’t until she stepped out from the bathroom and properly looked over her room did she notice the folded piece of paper that lay on the desk.

Her heart was thumping as she cautiously made her way to the offending object. There wasn’t anything off with her room and nothing out of place to make her think someone had broken in. That meant either they were very good at their job or they had access to Linn’s room. She swallowed, throat dry.

Who would do this? Linn thought suspiciously. She didn’t even want to touch the piece of paper but she could see that black scratchings on the back that indicated that something was written.

I guess it was too hopeful to think this piece of paper randomly flew into my room through a window or something, Linn thought grimly finally opening the paper.

‘Hunters Association Headquarters tomorrow 8am’

There was a location, date, and time.

And below that a signature in elegant cursive writing.

‘P.H.’

Linn felt her heart drop.

She had forgotten about the Rat.

Notes:

a necessary transition chapter im afraid, but things will be kicking up in the next one with the return of a certain diabolical Rat :) :) :)

Chapter 12: Chapter 12

Notes:

ayooo

No beta ;D

The Hunter’s Association Headquarters loomed above Linn, it’s shadow encompassing everything below it, from the front entrance to the many steps that led up to the building. Linn stopped just before the first step and swallowed, she looked up at the building, shifting her weight nervously from one leg to the other. People rushed about around her, some heading into the HQ while others making their way out. Normal business hours hadn’t even started and yet the plaza Linn stood in was almost bustling. The medium-sized clocktower on the right side gave a clunk sound as its minute hand moved one space forward.

7.55am, there was 5 minutes left for Linn to get in that building and she knew that if she wanted to be on time she had to make a move now. Linn lifts her foot and for a second a wild thought springs into her mind. What if I chose to leave right now? What could Pariston do to bring me back anyhow?

The answer, Linn knew, was a lot.

She takes a step forward, entering into the shadow of the Hunter’s Association building and she shivers at the temperature drop. Linn makes her way to the glass entrance with a growing sense of dread. Surprisingly, no one ends up bumping into her or even steps onto her path. It was as if they knew she was on a death march and didn’t want to be dragged in accidentally.

Finally, Linn gets to the entrance, the door slides open automatically and Linn forces herself to continue her steady steps. The reception area is wide and sparsely decorated, a few potted plants lined the sides along with cushioned benches and there was a little coffee shop tucked into the corner. Compared to the outside, this place had very little people present, most were heading further into the building, scanning their employee cards to be let through, the others handing around the reception were either waiting for coffee or looked to be on their phones.

The black suited security guards didn’t escape Linn’s notice as she went towards reception, she could have sworn that when she stepped in all their eyes went to her. As if to shake the uncomfortable idea, Linn reminded herself that it was security’s job to be on the lookout for unfamiliar faces. After all, it wasn’t as if they knew who she was here to see.

Stepping up to the desk, Linn waits as the receptionist finishes typing on her computer, she catches sight of the woman’s name tag – Wendy – before it was covered by her long red hair.

“Good morning Miss, how may I be of assistance?” Wendy said without looking up from her screen.

“I, um, have a meeting.” Linn stuttered, not at all prepared for this conversation.

“Can you please pass me your Hunters license.” Dark eyes glance at Linn as she begins pulling the license out of her pocket and then stops at the receptionist’s soft exclamation. “Oh!”

Linn freezes, her hand awkwardly half outstretched.

“Yes, yes, we have been told to expect you this morning.” Wendy flashes Linn a smile, completely at odds with her previous indifference. “If you could please follow me, Miss Linn.”

Linn swallows but nods and follows along as Wendy takes out a red card and swipes Linn through the scanners. She then leads Linn past the silver elevators and to an all-black elevator further down the hall. She swipes the card, and then types in a code on the number pad, it blinks green, and the doors open.

Wendy gestures to Linn. “Please enter, Miss Linn.”

Linn follows the instruction, not like she can do anything else at this point, and steps in. She looks to the side for the floor numbers but only sees two buttons available pointing up and the other down. “Do I just…?”

“Yes, this elevator only goes to one floor – the top.” Wendy bows. “Take care, Miss Linn.”

“Thank you, Wendy.” Linn replies softly as she presses the button, the elevator doors closing not even a second later. The ride up was smooth, and Linn barely felt the gravity against her so she knew that the growing pit in her stomach must have been from her nerves.

Linn eyes herself in the mirrored wall, her short hair was being held back by a black headband and while she did try to comb her fingers through it to restore some order it was clear that she lost that battle. That, plus her oversized hoody and knee-length sweatpants and Linn was honestly surprised she had even been let into the building.

Wendy’s words echoed through her head, she had been expecting Linn, it was Pariston’s doing no doubt, probably to make sure she didn’t have any excuses to not attend this meeting.

The elevator slows with a gentle hum before stopping entirely and the doors open to reveal a room with three corridors. Linn steps out, eying the three options before a voice sounds off from behind her.

“The left corridor please, Miss Linn. You want the last door.”

Linn turns in surprise to face the quiet security guard. He was literally standing next to the elevator, how didn’t she notice him?

The security guard says nothing further, and Linn takes it as her queue to continue on her way. Compared to the reception area this place was practically barren, no plants, no random landscape pictures, or any sort of decoration. If this was done purposely to make people feel uncomfortable then Linn was willing to admit it was working. The feeling was only amplified when Linn turns a corner and spots the door.

Gathering up whatever courage she could find, Linn lifts her fist and only manages to knock once when the door swings open to reveal the smiling form of Pariston Hill. Unprepared for such a quick response, Linn’s fist continues its movement, this time knocking on Pariston’s chest.

The air grows awkward as they both look down, and then Linn’s mind catches up and she flings her hand back as if it got burnt.

“Well, that’s certainly one way to greet an old friend!” Pariston exclaims with a laugh that doesn’t reach his eyes. He turns, heading back into his office as Linn’s face scrunches up at the word ‘friend’.

All the previous pent-up anxiety and dread had all left her once it became clear that Pariston wasn’t going to kill her on sight, not to say that she still wasn’t wary of his behaviour or plan for her. Letting the door close behind her, Linn takes a seat opposite Pariston’s cushioned brown chair on the other side of his desk.

The room itself looked… cosy, surprisingly, and had it been anyone other than Pariston Hill’s office Linn would have believed the warm atmosphere. Sadly, this was Pariston’s office so instead the room gave off such a fabricated warmth that Linn found herself missing the barren corridor.

“I was curious to see if you would show up on time, and I must admit that it was a pleasant surprise to find you punctual.” Pariston says with his stock footage smile, he walks back over to the desk and places two cups in the centre before settling himself in the seat opposite.

Show up on time he says, Linn thought with annoyance as she drags one of the cups closer, more like he was curious if I showed up at all. Linn eyes the cup of tea, a fragrant scent wafting up to her nose that she found herself liking, not that she would admit it to the individual before her. “And if I hadn’t shown up on time?”

Pariston interlocks his fingers and this time something does shine in his eyes, it’s very small and had Linn tensing her legs automatically, as if preparing to flee.

He then laughs, and the tense atmosphere, well it doesn’t disappear, not to Linn at least, but it no longer felt like danger was imminent. “I would have rearranged our meeting of course!”

“Of course.” Linn echoed. “Now that I am here, what is it that you wanted?”

“First things first, congratulations on passing the Hunter Exam,” Pariston clapped, and Linn felt her eyebrow twitch. “Your fight in the final phase was quite the sight. I didn’t think you were the type of person to try and trick your opponent.”

There he was again, being irritatingly overly familiar with her. “Glad I could impress.” She said sarcastically.

Pariston smiles in response. “It’s a good thing too, I always found the straightforward, honest types more boring.”

Linn opens her mouth with a frown, then closes it.

“If you have a question feel free to ask Linn.” Pariston tries for an encouraging tone, but it lands flat.

“Why am I here?” Linn asked bluntly. “Is it because of our conversation back in the Exam.”

“Exactly!” Pariston exclaims. “I am here to see to it that your dream of beating the Chairman comes to fruition, and there’s no time better to start than the present, wouldn’t you agree?”

Fuck no, Linn didn’t agree, she thought that she would have had some time before Pariston came into contact with her. Actually, she had hoped that he would have forgotten the entire thing and found some new shiny thing to distract himself with. Perhaps it would have been better if she had given up during the Exam, it would have certainly gotten her away from Pariston.

Pariston opened his drawer, flicked through whatever papers he had stored there and brought out a single sheet of paper. He slid it over to Linn as she took a sip of the cooling tea. Damn this is good, she thought as she eyed the paper. It was a list, going all the way up to 100 and there was some rather curious phrases that caught her eye such as Love-Love Style and Four-Step-Death.

“This is…?”

“You said your goal was to collect 100 Martial Arts, correct?”

Linn’s eyebrows rose, yes she had said that but like everything else in that entire conversation she didn’t mean it seriously. Was it too late for her to give up the ruse? She looks at Pariston’s expectant face and realised, yes, she was in too deep now to head back.

“And you… wrote a list of the ones I should go after.” Linn said lamely.

“Of course, I am invested in your future as a Hunter after all, and I didn’t think you would mind it much.” Pariston says with a grin and there was something hidden under his tone, had that been smugness or a taunt? Linn still couldn’t grasp Pariston’s personality, it was like water running through her fingers, she’d only managed to get drops of it so far.

It pained her to admit, but she would have to consider actually trying to get to know Pariston, if only to prevent herself becoming a victim of his in the future. “Thanks.” Linn forced the words out.

If Pariston saw Linn’s wince he ignored it. “I’m glad I could be of service,” he said, reaching over and plucking the paper from Linn’s grasp. He folds it neatly and tucks it into an envelope, sliding it back over to Linn. “You may choose to go after the Martial Arts however you wish, either following the order I designed or not, it’s up to you.”

Linn sent him a dry look at the emphasis, just for that she was going to close her eyes and pick one at random. “Alright.” She takes the envelop and tucks it into her pocket. “Well, if that was everything I should head off.”

Just as Linn began to rise from her chair, Pariston lifted a hand to stop her. “Not quite, Linn, there’s something else that needs to be discussed. You should probably be sitting for this.”

“What else needs to be discussed?” Linn frowns, annoyed at her retreat being stopped.

Pariston lifts a finger and Linn’s breath is forced out of her as her knees buckle under a new weight. Luckily she lands back in the chair, head stuck to the cushioned back and giving her a good view to send Pariston a dark glare.

“Nen. We will be talking about your Nen.”

Linn struggled to get enough breath in her to speak. “S-stop?”

Pariston stands and turns to face the window behind him. “Nen, you see, is a skill that Hunters need in order to survive their Hunts. The textbook definition of this ability is that it is a ‘technique that allows a living being to use and manipulate their own life energy’ or aura, if you prefer.”

Right, it was Pariston’s own life energy that was currently keeping Linn pinned, no wonder she hated the feel of it.

“Now, usually, Hunters train to slowly be able to open their Aura nodes and access their Nen.” Pariston sighs, shrugging his shoulders. “But that’s such a long-winded method, not when there’s another, much easier method available to us, one that, much to my surprise you survived!”

Linn didn’t have enough strength to form all the swear words she wanted to shout at the man, instead she had to settle with a growl and a look that promised retribution. Pariston turned to face her, as if sensing her thoughts, and it was with a cutting smile that he walked closer to Linn’s trapped form, placed one hand on the top of the chair next to Linn’s head and leaned in close, his other hand rested on the arm of the chair on Linn’s other side.

She was trapped twice over.

“I knew the initiation process could have instantly killed you, but I figured it would have been a good test to see if you had the determination to go through with your goal of going after the Chairman. After all, an ordinary Hunter would stand no chance.” He stares at Linn’s forehead for a second before lowering his eyes onto hers. She could make out the amusement, borderline sadistic, he was feeling at her current position. Helpless against him and they both knew it.

“Say, what did you feel when I forced your Aura nodes open? I’m curious.” Pariston asks casually as if this was a simple conversation between two friends.

Linn remembers the feeling all to well. Sunlight trapped under her skin, being able to feel everything that touched her to an overwhelming degree and the fatigue that had spread and clawed against her with every second she forced herself to keep moving. The force around her throat and chest lessen, and with a shuddering breath she readies her next words to Pariston. “Back the fuck up.”

The words were practically snarled right in Pariston’s face but regrettably don’t do anything to deter him. Instead, another smile graces his face, this one smaller, and this time Linn knows for certain he was laughing at her.

“Hmm, that’s not what I asked.” His fingers tap against Linn’s trapped arm, her skin prickles in response and she wished she hadn’t rolled her sleeves up. “But I’ll ignore it this time.”

He talked as if he was doing Linn a favour and it made teeth clench.

“Oh, what’s this though?” Pariston’s hand comes up, brushing the top of Linn’s head, he stops right at her hairline before continuing, this time not with just one finger but his entire hand as he drags it through the top of Linn’s hair, removing her headband in the process. Linn hissed as one of his fingers catch on a knot before forcing it to unravel as he pulled and continued. “It doesn’t seem like all your Aura nodes awakened.”

Linn doesn’t know exactly how Pariston figured that out. She had used her Nen, the Dying Will Flames, a few times already.

“Not that it’s a problem, we just need to do it again!” Pariston announces entirely too cheerfully.

It felt like ice had just been dropped onto Linn, no way would she go through that experience again especially now that he revealed it could lead to her death. Her struggling increased against the invisible force that held her.

“Now, now, let’s not cause any injuries to ourselves.” He smiled, and it was a devilish thing. “Hold still now, this should take just a second.”

He lifts his finger and with every centimetre it got closer Linn upped her fight even as the weight increased and started cutting off her breathing. As dark spots began entering her vision Linn forced one more burst of strength and in a split second before Pariston’s finger landed on her. Linn frees one of her arms and grabs Pariston’s wrist.

All movement in the office halts, as if the world was holding its breath, and a warm glow began to shine in between Pariston and Linn’s faces. Linn didn’t need to look at a mirror to know that her Sky Flames had materialised on her forehead, her eyes too no doubt had changed as well. She should be panicking right now at the slip but she felt none of that, as the weight of Pariston’s Nen receded from her body all she felt was that she had finally regained control.

“Enough.” Linn said.

Pariston slowly began to lift himself from the chair, he halted for a second when Linn released his hand and then continued. He takes a step back, studying all that Linn had revealed with that dead eyed expression. He turns to the side, hand coming to cover up his mouth even though Linn could already imagine the type of smile he had on. When he turns back it’s all normal, as if nothing had occurred.

He lifts his hands up with a bemused expression. “I got the message. I won’t try that again, I promise.”

He puts his hand over his heart, as if that would mean something to Linn, it’s a shame she already knew Pariston’s words couldn’t be trusted. Still, Linn nods as if accepting the promise. Her flames however don’t disappear until he’s back again in his chair and the desk is between them.

Linn blinks as the tiredness bleeds through her muscles, still she refuses to relax, keeping herself ready to run if necessary.

“Well, that was exciting wasn’t it! You should have told me you were already developing your Nen abilities. If I had known that beforehand, I wouldn’t have tried to open more of your Aura nodes.” Pariston laughs and Linn frowns at the fact he was trying to spin this whole thing on her. “You should always keep me up to date on how your abilities are faring, after all, as your mentor it’s my responsibility to make sure you grow strong.”

“M-mentor?” The word throws Linn off and she blinks at Pariston, wondering if she had missed something in the conversation earlier.

Pariston shrugs. “What else would you call someone helping another person get stronger?”

Linn didn’t want to touch that with a ten-foot pole, if that was how Pariston viewed himself and saw their strange ‘relationship’ she would let him live in the fantasy. It would probably be safer for her wellbeing.

Linn pushes the conversation forward. “Can I go now?”

Pariston waves off her question, and instead asks one of his own. “Have you given a name to your ability? It gives off quite the feeling.” The corner of Pariston’s lip curl and for a second there was a shadow in his expression before it disappeared. “Looks quite unique as well.”

Linn clenched her jaw. “Can I leave after I tell you?”

“Maybe.” Pariston said jokingly back.

“I call them Dying Will Flames.”

“Oh, how wonderfully dramatic.” Pariston leans on an enclosed fist, he kept acting so casually that it incited Linn’s anger and nerves at the same time. “There’s a test that tells you what type of Nen you have, I don’t suppose you have tried it out?”

“No.” Linn shakes her head.

“Good, don’t do it.” Pariston said gleefully.

Linn really wanted to leave, but instead found herself asking. “Why?”

“Isn’t it more fun to try and develop your Nen like this? No, no, best to avoid the test entirely.”

Truthfully, Linn wasn’t too bothered about doing the Nen test – she knew what Dying Will Flames were capable of, now it was all about trying to recreate it.

A beeping sound from Pariston’s desk phone interrupts the two, and Pariston presses a button.

“Sir, your next meeting has arrived.”

Pariston blinks, and then murmurs. “Is that the time already?”

“Sir?”

“Please send them to Conference Room 3, I will be there shortly.”

“Understood, Sir.”

The phone beeps as the call disconnects and Pariston runs a hand through his hair with a sigh. “Looks like we’ll need to end it here today, Linn. We can pick it up at a later date, for now why don’t you begin your training and delve deeper into your Nen.”

Pariston stands and Linn is quick to get up to her feet, she follows him to the office door while staying just out of arm’s length. Pariston opens it and steps to the side, gesturing for Linn to go first. Knowing it wasn’t worth the battle, Linn sends Pariston a side-eye as she quickly brushed past him.

Stepping into the corridor was a welcome relief and Linn felt it easier to breathe being able to see the exit. The security guard was still present, and when he spotted the two of them he straightened himself.

The smile Pariston sends him was the textbook definition of empty and Linn began counting down the seconds as the lift arrived. The doors open with a ping and Linn practically jumps in, pressing the button as Pariston steps in next to her.

The security guard bows as the metal doors close. “Sir.”

Pariston doesn’t acknowledge the guard, not even a twitch and Linn envied the man for his invisibleness. If only she could be like that to Pariston. As if sensing she was thinking of him, Pariston sends Linn a smile that looked damn near sparkly. She stares forward for the rest of the ride down.

The lift smoothly stops and the doors open, this time revealing two assistants on either side of the lift. They bow as Pariston exits first. “I look forward to our next meeting Linn, and don’t worry,” Pariston looks over his shoulder as he begins walking off. “I’ll contact you.”

It’s with a cheery wave that Pariston leaves Linn, heading down an unknown corridor into a group of people in business suits. Linn didn’t bother to look any further now that she was on the ground floor and with the exit right in sight she only had one thing on her mind.

No one stopped her as she made her way past the scanners and the reception, her anxiety spiked for a second as she passed the security guards stationed by the door – thinking what if she got called back last minute by Pariston – but then she got through and the sun was back on her face.

Linn halts a few steps away from the building and takes in a breath of fresh air. It still felt like some of Pariston’s murky office air was trapped in her lungs and she wanted it out. A few more breaths and the feeling thankfully rescinded, opening her eyes Linn was met with the sight of another pair of eyes staring back in front of her.

She jumps back in surprise. “Chairman Netero!”

Chairman Netero grinned at Linn’s reaction, not even trying to hide his amusement. “Hello again, Linn, what brings you all the way to Hunter HQ.”

“Ah, well, I was called by…” Linn pauses.

Netero raised an eyebrow.

Wait why was she overthinking this? It wasn’t as if Pariston had sworn (or threatened) her to secrecy. Plus, the Chairman was apparently aware of her ‘goal’ as a Hunter. “Pariston. He wanted to talk about my future as a Hunter.”

The Chairman snorts, sending a look to the building behind her as if it could be seen by Pariston. “Oh? And how did that go?”

Linn shrugged. “He gave me a list of Martial Art’s to collect and kicked me out.” She didn’t have enough energy to recount the standoff that happened between them.

“Did he now?” Linn watched with a sense of dread as the Chairman perked up at the news. “Let me see.”

The Chairman made grabby hands, eager to know what fighting types Pariston had chosen when Linn’s stomach grumbled.

“You, uh, know any good food places around here?” Linn could feel the fatigue creeping up and if she didn’t eat in the next half hour she would definitely need a bed.

“Sure do, come this way.”

 

 

 

‘This way’ turned out to be the Chairman’s private Dojo a few buildings away from Hunter HQ. Linn would have been fighting off her own wave of ecstatic fangirling if, one, her stomach wasn’t trying to eat itself, and two, she had decided that perhaps dealing with the higher-ups of the Hunter Association was really more trouble than they were worth.

Case in point – Linn eating her sushi while Chairman Netero was gleefully looking through the list Pariston had handed her, ignoring his own food tray.

He’s enjoying this too much, Linn couldn’t help but think.

The small assistant, Beans, had welcomed the two into the building, given them food, and had since been failing to get the Chairman to start on his own paperwork. The poor guy was currently seated at the back of the room, forlornly looking through documents.

“Ah.” Netero swung himself up from the floor. “You can really see that Pariston has no idea what he was doing when he chose these fighting styles. Hmph, he should stay out of things he has no knowledge of.”

Linn continued eating silently. It was probably best to let the Chairman vent.

“Beans!” Netero said without turning. His assistant jumps up at the sound of his name. “Get me a pen would you.”

He hurries over, passing a pen to the Chairman and steps back, hands folded behind him as he watches the Chairman curiously. Netero spun the pen around for a few seconds before he began scribbling across the Pariston’s paper.

Linn nearly choked on her food, the wait and stop and what are you doing?! Getting lodged in her throat. In the end she could only watch in horror as Netero edited the paper.

After a few seconds he slammed the list onto the ground between their food trays. Linn immediately leaned over to see the damage. Okay, not the worst it could have been, she thought with some relief. She had half expected the whole damn thing to have been completely redone, instead only about a quarter of the listed fighting styles had been, ah, ‘edited’.

“Take a look at this Linn!” Netero pointed down at the paper as if she hadn’t already been staring intensely. “This is what you will really be out there collecting.”

Linn was hit by a sudden burst of incredulity. “You do remember that my goal is to defeat you, right?”

Beans sent her a sympathetic look, clearly more used to the Chairman’s antics as he simply answered. “Yep.”

Pariston wouldn’t kill her for this right? Sure the two had a rivalry between them but it wasn’t like she was part of it, and, and it wasn’t like she could deny the Chairman what he wanted. She was a newly minted Hunter she had no power here!

He began eating his food then, content practically radiating off of him in waves.

Linn took a breath and mumbled. “Okay, just making sure.” Then continued eating.

“Can you access your Nen?” Netero spoke around mouthfuls of food.

Linn nodded, her own mouth full.

“What type is it?”

Linn shrugged.

The Chairman hummed as Beans looked back and forth between the two, trying to piece together their communication. “Show me?”

This time Linn let out a groan. She was damn tired of turning her flames on and off like a goddamn light show for others. It’s a shame that those others were two people inhumanly stronger than her that she probably couldn’t say no to without some sort of consequence.

For example, she knew without a shadow of a doubt that the Chairman would annoy her to death until she did as he said. She liked to think that was her Hyper Intuition kicking in. Linn snorted at her own joke, as if she had Hyper Intuition. If she did like hell she would have ended up in this situation with Pariston and goddammit there was Illumi to deal with as well-

Not right now, Linn sternly told her mind, not dealing with that right now.

A grunt and a knee forcefully bumping into her own brings her out of her thoughts. The Chairman was still waiting and now even Beans looked on with interest. Linn leaned her head back and groaned, swallowing the last of her food, Linn closed her eyes and delved deep to find her Sky Flames.

It took longer, unsurprisingly, for Linn to find them. She wasn’t under the threat of death or attack, nor was she completely stressed about her current situation, in fact this was one of the calmer moments of her new life.

“You’re focusing too much. Relax. Let it come to you.”

Linn frowned. Focusing too much? You can’t focus too much when you’re trying to draw your Will out surely? And yet no matter how much Linn perused through her mind she couldn’t find those amber flames.

A finger flicked against her forehead. “You should really listen to your elder.”

Fine, whatever. Linn couldn’t care anymore. She had finished her food, and now she was full and tired and needed a bed for a nap. She began pulling herself from the recesses of her mind when, of course, that warm amber light appeared.

How strange, Linn thought to herself, it was like she had a bird eye view on her own essence. The environment was beautiful, with shimmering water that somehow held the blue sky that mirrored the one she currently floating in. Her flames were in the centre, the orange glow was low as if reflecting her own tired state. This was enough right? Linn felt that if she stayed any longer she would just drift asleep on the dojo floor.

As if sensing her thoughts, her mind responded and Linn felt herself being pulled from the mindscape, and if she just so happened to see some other non-amber colours mixing within her own, well, they were so soft that she convinced herself it was a trick from her worn out mind.

Coming back into her physical body, Linn’s eyes fluttered open to meet Netero’s grin.

“See?” The Chairman said with a smug expression. “Sometimes we elders have good advice.”

He poked a finger through the flame on top of her head which startled Beans.

“Chairman! Be careful, you don’t know what sort of effect the Nen would have on you.”

“Eh,” Netero waved off Beans’s concerns, not even bothering to spare him a glance. “They won’t hurt me. Can’t you feel them? Not a hint of bloodlust.”

Linn moves her head out of the way. “There, I’ve shown you my Nen.” Then after a second, she stands and gives a light bow. “Thanks for the food, I’ll be going now.”

She hears Netero rise behind her as she heads to the door. It isn’t until she has it open that he reaches over and waves the paper in front of her.

“Oh, right.” How could she almost forget the damn thing. Pariston definitely would have killed her.

Linn goes to grab the paper but the Chairman moves it away. “You have to do my order, alright?”

“Yeah, sure.” She reaches out again and misses.

“Oh, and do check in as well, I’m interested to see how you develop into someone that defeats me.”

“Okay.” Another miss.

Linn turns, annoyance radiating off of her, and readies to grab the damn thing from the Chairman’s grasp when it’s pushed into her hands. The strength of the Chairman enough to push her out the door as well.

“Good luck! Remember your mentor is cheering you on!” Netero gives Linn a thumbs up as the door slides closed between the two of them.

“Mentor?” Linn mumbles. She sighs then, rubbing her head. She hopes to whatever almighty being there is in this universe that Pariston never gets wind of this conversation. “I’m going back to bed, I can start my journey tomorrow.”

 

 

 

 

“Are you sure that was alright Chairman?” Beans asked quietly as Netero walked back onto the mat where the food trays sat.

“Hm? What do you mean?” He picks up the two and heads to the kitchen. Beans follows quickly behind, moving faster in order to keep up with the Chairman’s long stride.

“You felt it didn’t you? Her Nen absorbed some of your own.”

Netero hummed and thought about correcting his assistant. Then he disregarded the idea, after all he wasn’t completely wrong. Linn’s Nen had taken some of his own into it, but what Bean’s hadn’t realised was that it gave some of its own as well. He could isolate the small, foreign piece of Nen very easily, in fact he could probably squash it with ease as well and prevent whatever strange effect it would have on him before it really began.

Except.

Beans could only sigh in defeat as the Chairman laughed at his concerns. Sometimes he thought the man had attained so much strength that he could no longer see the threats around him like a normal human. The small assistant felt like it was partly his responsibility to recognise such things and inform the Chairman so he could take the necessary precautions. It’s just a shame that Beans’s boss never took his warnings seriously.

Ignoring the small man, Netero grinned as he flexed his Nen around the foreign Aura.

This new batch of Hunters truly were an exciting lot.

Notes:

rip Linn, constantly getting dragged into things

somehow gets x2 mentors that also immediately let her off into the unknown

whose really gonna kick off Linn's training :))) who knows

Chapter 13: Chapter 13

Notes:

Many thanks for your patience <3 promise the next chapter wont take nearly as long this one was just fighting me ;(

Not beta'd; minor grammar & spelling errors knowing me

Linn never really understood the saying ‘hindsight is only 20/20’, always just found it to be weird, because surely if you were to look at two options objectively, you would be able to make a good conscious decision. The first time Linn ever heard it was from her grandpa when she was seven and crashed her bike. He had rushed over to her crying form and once he made sure she was alright merely shrugged and said ‘Hindsight’s 20/20 kid, how about we keep the training wheels on for now’. Thinking back on the situation, Linn wondered why her grandpa thought it had been a good decision to make.

Now though, Linn feels as if the universe was getting back at her for thinking like that because in hindsight she should have thought about her options more, in hindsight she shouldn’t have wandered off the trail, in hindsight she should have started with one of the easier to reach Martial Art Dojos.

But, well, turns out hindsight was only 20/20 and now Linn could only blame herself for where she had ended up. Lost. In a forest. Linn runs her hands through her hair, causing some smaller strands to come loose and tickle against her sweaty face.

“Should have just started from the top of the list.” Linn muttered. Sure, she would have been following Pariston’s instructions but when she had used the Hunter Associations information centre to look up the first few styles they had all been in neighbouring cities. The only downside would have been that Linn would be following Pariston’s advise and at the time it didn’t seem worth it. “Hope the rat never finds out about this.”

A bright splash of colour against the trees caught Linn’s eyes, halting her directionless march. She approached it and looked closer at the streaks of red on the bark. Bringing up her hand, Linn lightly brushed over it, noticing that the bark was indented in the area as well.

“Hmm.” Linn looked around the tree and saw some more dashed with red. “Huh.”

Now that she was actively looking for the red, Linn could spot how the trees seemed to slowly begin curving the further down they went. Linn’s curiosity was peaked, could the red trees lead her to the Martial Art’s dojo that taught the Ombintam style she was searching for?

As much as Linn wanted to pull out the little map she had acquired from one of the peddlers at the start of the forest she knew it would be a worthless endeavour. After all, you can’t orientate yourself on a map when you had no idea where you were in the first place.

Regardless, this was the first time she had seen anything since beginning this trek and Linn was damned if she was going to ignore it. With a new burst of energy Linn began following the red marked trees.

Come to think of it, almost all the Martial Art names on her list had the weirdest names. Like who names a fighting style Ombintam? It rolls so awkwardly off the tongue that Linn is quite sure she’s mispronouncing something. Maybe there was meant to be a pause somewhere in between the letters? Ombin-tam maybe? No, still weird.

“Om-bin-tam!” Oh, that sounded much better-

“OM-BIN-TAM!” The loud screech comes from behind Linn as something launches itself from a branch right at her, at the exact same moment however Linn’s left foot lands awkwardly into some mud making her lose balance and fall to the side. Linn watches with wide eyes as what looks like a monkey flies past her, foot outstretched for what was most definitely an attack and instead hits a tree with a loud smack.

Seeing its attack missed, the monkey rights itself with an airborne twist and focuses its beady eyes onto Linn’s prone form. Oh no. Linn tries to pick herself up just as the monkey’s foot taps against the tree branch and launches itself forward again, this time bringing its back foot around in a wide arc that surely would have hit Linn right in the face had her arm not slipped underneath her sending her to the ground once more.

The Monkey’s eyes narrowed at its second miss and instead of going for a third, retreated a few steps back, watching Linn with a swaying, oddly soft looking posture. She frowned, had she just not seen what the Monkey could do she wouldn’t have guessed it had such power in it.

“Never seen someone dodge like that before.” A voice sounds from over her right shoulder, the grass crinkling with the stranger’s approach.

Linn nearly jumps in surprise before forcefully aborting the movement as the Monkey narrows its eyes at her, hands forming into loose fists.

“I wouldn’t move so fast if I were you.” The stranger added unhelpfully. “Not until you’re ready to go for another round.”

Not liking a stranger at her back but very much unwilling to turn away from the Monkey, Linn grounds out. “What do you mean another round?”

“It’s testing you.”

“Why?”

“To see if you’re worthy.”

What a helpful explanation, Linn thought sarcastically. Slowly, she rose to a sitting position stretching out the muscles in the arm she landed on and her back. If this thing wanted a fight she needed to be ready to run, she didn’t know what the animal’s issue was but she had other priorities. Idly, she asks. “Worthy for what?” God, animals in this universe were so weird she would definitely have to tell Carter about this.

“To teach you its fighting style of course, isn’t that why you were on this mountain in the first place?”

Linn freezes mid-stretch and foregoing her previous thoughts tilts her head back and looks at the stranger. The words die on her lips.

Kite, thinking Linn was only speechless from his words, continues. “The Bintam are a species of Fighter Monkey’s known for their acrobatics and misdirection. Hardly any Hunters bring themselves up here wanting to learn the style, and even less actually receive training.” Kite tilts his head in thought, long grey hair moving with him. “You seem surprised from this information. Did you not research the origins of this style beforehand? Well, at least you were informed enough to follow their marks, if you had kept going into the centre you would have definitely been killed.”

Linn had gathered enough mental acuity to close her wide mouth, but she still couldn’t look away from Kite’s form.

“Unless you’re an idiot and only survived this long because of luck.”

How blunt, Linn thought, finally managing to look away, awkwardly clearing her throat as she felt some heat rise up to her ears. She cannot believe that the man saw her fall. Twice.

The Monkey chitters as Kite walks out from behind her, and he gives the animal a low wave as he settles himself down against one of the red marked trees. He wasn’t wearing his trademark hat or turtleneck at the moment, instead opting for a more casual dark green top and sweatpants. The lack of backpack and casual clothing gave Linn the idea that he had been camping somewhere on the mountain, relaxing even, before she wondered in and started causing a commotion.

A wriggle of guilt at the thought had her apologising. “Ah, I’m sorry.”

Kite looked over at her, eyebrows raised, and Linn decided her lap was a much better view. “What for?”

Much to Linn’s relief the Monkey reinserted itself back into the conversation – jumping on the balls of its feet unsteadily and bearing its teeth at Linn. A challenge, Linn knew, to stand up and continue the fight.

Linn hummed as she slowly began to stand, making sure to brush off any of the mud that tried to cling on to her pants. “Just got to win against a monkey, no big deal, and then I can be taught by the Monkey. Makes complete sense.” She muttered to herself.

Linn carefully took in the scene before her. Opposite was her opponent, a Bintam fighting Monkey whose job was apparently to gatekeep their fighting style, a lean soft looking thing that had muscles strong enough to dent a tree and throw its own bodyweight around like it was nothing. Its red fur bristled in readiness for the fight. And to her right was the silent, watchful Kite who had practically appeared out of nowhere because Linn had acquired the shittiest luck possible upon entering this universe and that was her reasoning and she was sticking to it.

Looking on the bright side – better Kite than Illumi appearing out of nowhere. A shudder went through Linn, she wasn’t sure why Illumi came to her mind first but she hoped it wasn’t some sort of omen.

Taking a deep breath, Linn lowered her backpack onto the ground and took a step forward. She could feel the steady thrum of anxiety coiling around her muscles, making them tense and lock. No time for that, she berated herself, time to fight a monkey with an audience.

The Monkey looked as if were grinning at Linn’s approach, and when Linn launched herself forward it opened its mouth and began making excited noises. It dodged Linn’s initial front kick with its whole body, moving itself to the right, Linn barely sees the blur that is the Monkey’s foot tap against the tree trunk, lifting itself into the air. This time its Linn that moves to dodge, flinging herself back as a foot swipes through the air.

Linn takes the chance as the Monkey’s foot was still way above to move back in and go for a body punch when the leg comes crashing back down, landing a solid hit on the curve of Linn’s shoulder.

“Gah!” The weight sends Linn to her knees. The Monkey swings it’s leg back as its other foot finally lands on the ground.

Linn could practically feel the round kick before it came, and quickly lifted an arm up to block her head as much as possible. The blow still manages to knock her out like a light.

 

 

 

“Sss, shit, that hurt.” Linn clutches at the pain radiating from her head, rolling onto her front as if to try and bury it into the leaves. She opens her eyes, blinking away the grogginess only to realise it was night. “What…”

“You’ve been out for a few hours.”

Linn looked behind her, squinting at the firelight before looking to Kite. He sat cross legged on his sleeping bag, carefully rotating two sticks above the campfire. His eyes flicked to Linn who looked away, embarrassment rising up inside her as she realised that Kite must have dragged her to his campsite.

“Sorry.” Linn said, slowly righting herself into a sitting position. She winced at the flash of pain from her head.

“For what?”

“For…” Linn gestured to the campsite she was intruding upon. While grateful for the assistant she couldn’t help feeling flustered at the turn of events. Linn made up her mind, if Kite made any hint that she was a bother she would quietly excuse herself and set up her own campsite.

“It’s alright. I could tell you weren’t prepared for this anyway.” Kite said easily, unaware at how close to the truth he was. “I don’t mind sharing my campsite with a fellow Hunter.”

“Aren’t you at all concerned that I might rob you or something?” Linn asked, she wanted to poke at the Hunter’s relaxed attitude.

The corner of Kite’s mouth tipped up as he withdrew the two sticks with food from the campfire.

Linn’s brain nearly short-circuited at the small smile. Had Kite been this free with his expressions in the Manga? She couldn’t remember the view in front of her was too blinding.

Kite handed over the cooked stick of mystery meat and Linn automatically accepted. She murmured her thanks.

The two ate in silence, with only the sound of the nocturnal animals roaming around adding any noise.

“What are you going to do now?”

“Try again.” Linn said in between bites. She didn’t trek all the way here just to turn back at the first obstacle. Linn had faith that she just needed to persevere, and she could make it through.

Kite didn’t reply and the two of them ended the night in silence.

 

 

“Alright, Monkey, let’s go again.” Linn had made sure to stretch her muscles out when she woke up in the morning and while a purple bruise now decorated the side of her face she was glad the pain had gone.

The Monkey chittered in excitement, making sure to show its overgrown canines at Linn. Linn got into stance and raised her fists. Challenge accepted.

The two charged at one another. The Monkey leading with a turning kick that Linn was planning to sidestep and counter with a kick of her own. The Monkey’s kick goes wide, missing Linn, and she rushes forward.

The Monkey’s ears perked up and with the same leg that ‘missed’ lands it against the side of a tree.

Linn has one second to curse herself out before she’s switching to defense as the Monkey pushes itself off the tree, practically pirouettes in the air and with the momentum lands a hit across Linn’s forearms.

This Monkey really enjoys its headshots, Linn thinks to herself. She barely managed to get her arms up to shield her face in time. Linn needed to stop the Monkey’s movement to even get a chance of striking back.

Before the Monkey could withdraw its leg Linn grabbed it tightly, her hand managing to go around the thin limb and secure the hold. Linn grinned, forcing the Monkey closer to her, she rears her arm back, going for a jab at its jaw when it’s other leg swings forward. Putting all its weight on the leg Linn still had clasped, the other plants itself on Linn’s thigh before shooting up, hitting Linn squarely on the underside of her jaw.

And just like the first time, Linn’s out like a light.

 

 

Coming back to consciousness with an aching and most definitely bruised jaw was not pleasant. Linn flops from her side to her back, running a careful hand across the injury, reassuring herself that the bone was still in the correct place.

“Food’s done.”

Linn dragged herself up, scooting closer to the campfire. “You know if you’re gonna keep feeding me, we might as well introduce ourselves.” Linn croaked. Honestly Linn figured the Hunter would have been off by now, they had went their separate ways in the morning and Linn hadn’t seen him at all during her fight, but if he intended to stick around she figured giving her name wouldn’t be a problem.

It does feel a bit awkward referring to Kite by name when they’ve technically never met before, Linn internally winced.

“My name is Kite. I’m a Beast Hunter.” Kite said, handing over the stick of food to Linn.

“Thanks.” Linn responded. “I’m Linn. I only got my Hunter license recently so I’m only just at the beginning of my journey. I’m a skill hunter, or, well, trying to be one.”

She currently had a Monkey blocking her entire career path. Linn wondered how many other people could ever say the same. She sighed.

Kite glanced at Linn in between bites and once done he threw the stick behind him, Linn following suit a few seconds later. Mystery meat sure is filling, Linn thought to herself as she settled down onto her bedroll.

“The first steps are always the hardest.” Kite’s voice broke the quiet lull of the camp.

Linn angled her head up to see him.

“As long as you don’t let failure stop you.” Kite looked to the side, then back at the fire before looking up into the night sky. “There’s no reason why you can’t succeed.”

The twigs in the fire snapped in the silence. Linn opened her mouth, then closed it. Had Kite just tried to give her a pep-talk? She should say something, an acknowledgement of his words or a thank you.

The fire continued crackling.

“Okay.” Linn said weakly. She turned away from Kite and the campfire and willed sleep to come, glad that her embarrassed face was covered by the darkness.

 

 

Attempt number three. Linn jumped on the spot, warming herself up, the Monkey opposite copying her movements.

“You can do this - you can’t let some Monkey make fun of you.” Linn whispered to herself. She had a different gameplan this time, to draw the Monkey out into the clearing where there wouldn’t be any trees within easier to reach distance.

I have to stop those jumping attacks, Linn thought to herself, that way I can reduce its speed and power, and finally get myself a chance to win.

Linn had woken up feeling more pumped than usual; she attributed it to Kite’s kind words from the previous night and even when the two went their separate ways silently in the more Linn liked to think that he was still cheering her on.

Okay, let’s do this. Linn thought resolutely. She moved into a wide stance, except this time instead of keeping both her hands up she dropped one, keeping it closer to her body. They key to this strategy would be both her defensive techniques and endurance from the monkey’s hits.

The two fighters stand ready; Linn filled with purpose and the Monkey on its one-legged stance with a fighter’s glee. The Monkey waits a breath for Linn to move and when she doesn’t decides to go in with the first hit.

A side kick coming from the right, sidestep it! Linn’s body moves with her command, and the monkey’s foot doesn’t even graze her stomach. The Monkey rotates, going with the kick momentum and shooting out his other leg in a back kick, this time aiming directly for Linn’s collarbone. She backsteps, almost in time with the kicks movement and Linn couldn’t but grin. There was no longer any blur to the Monkey’s movements; her eyes had learned how to keep up with his speed.

Linn kept up with the defensive, making further and further backwards with each attack from the Monkey. She would throw in a punch or kick occasionally to make sure the Monkey doesn’t pick up on what she’s doing.

And then finally, just when Linn believed her endurance wouldn’t be able to hold out any longer, she stepped back into sunlight. Gone was the towering shade of the trees replaced with a clear blue sky and a field of grass.

A bead of sweat ran down the side of Linn’s face as she breathed raggedly. This was it. Linn brought her legs closer, making her stance tighter and raised both arms. The monkey watched her, slipping into a crouch, Linn could have mistaken it for the monkey resting in a seating position were it not for the way its legs were tensed and it was balancing on the balls of its feet.

What’s your move now, Monkey? Linn couldn’t help but smirk. It was staying within the tree line for now but it would have to leave it to attack Linn.

A gentle breeze flowed between the two, rustling the long shards of grass, a single cloud passed through the sky, its dark shadow swimming between the two frozen forms.

Linn tightened her fists. I’m ready for you this time, she thought.

The Monkey takes a deep breath, its chest expanding and then deflating as it expels everything. When it looks up from the ground, Linn flinches, the Monkey’s eyes were sharp, that was true, but it wasn’t what caught Linn off guard.

She could it. The Monkey’s aura – its Nen.

The killing intent.

Linn moves as if she’s swimming through cotton and her thoughts are scrambled. She watches as the Monkey launches itself against a tree, twists and then with a Nen infused leg kicks off of it. The tree instantly dents, making itself identical to the numerous other red marked trees Linn had first spotted.

If this hits me, I’m dead. The thought could barely assemble in the white noise of Linn’s brain. Linn’s eyes widened in despair, I’ll become another red smear on a tree if I don’t block this!

Determination-Nen-her Flames whatever spreads through Linn’s left arm as she lifts it. She didn’t care whether there was a flame on her head or her eyes were amber at the moment, all that mattered was that she-!

The physically enhanced foot hit Linn’s forearm, causing a loud crack to resound, it continues and smashes Linn’s arm against the side of her head. The strength of the blow causing Linn’s entire body to be sent flying across the clearing. She skids along the ground before hitting a tree trunk, and then her body flops to the ground unmoving.

 

 

A shadow crosses Linn’s motionless body and crouches down. Making sure to be careful, Kite wraps his arms around the new Hunter and picks her up. Her arm was bruised so darkly Kite knew she had to have a fracture at least, but still, he eyed the side of her undamaged cheek, it was a smart move to have it take the full brunt of the Bintam’s attack.

“I guess you have some sense.” Kite muttered.

Unbeknownst to a majority of the Hunter’s Association Kite didn’t have anything against people, in fact he enjoyed others company and he did have friends, as small as that circle was.

So seeing a newbie Hunter struggling right out the gate with no guidance whatsoever was pulling at something in him. Shouldn’t she be with a teacher, still learning about Nen? It was clear from her reaction to the the Bintam’s Ren that she had never experienced Nen in such a way before.

It spoke of much unexplored potential to the fact that she had survived the attack with only this much damage.

Finally reaching his campsite, Kite came to an agreement with himself as he laid Linn back onto her sleeping bag. She needed a teacher, and he didn’t want to see such Hunter potential wasted.

Kite gathered the medical supplies from his backpack and sat down next to Linn, ignoring her whimpers and stuttered breaths as he carefully examined her damaged arm. Not broken, that’s good.

As Kite began rifling through the medical kit he thought back to what he witnessed in the clearing. Linn’s reaction time to that final kick had been good, extremely so, there were some veteran Hunters out there whose heads would have been crushed in half simply because they weren’t able to block or dodge it in time.

The block had been unrefined and had Linn’s arm been even a centimetre or two closer to her head the damage would have been much worse. She had a curious kind of luck, Kite had to admit, thinking back to the first time he spotted Linn and seeing her slip in the mud.

He looked down at her pained expression. Yeah, he couldn’t leave her as she was currently. If he did Kite was sure she wouldn’t be leaving this mountain alive, he had a feeling she wouldn’t give up trying to learn the Om-Bin-Tam style.

“Hope you don’t mind me sticking around for a bit.” Kite said to the unconscious Linn, patting her shoulder.

Linn groaned.

“Ah, sorry.”

Notes:

ta-da Kite showed up!

a few of you actually guessed it tho haha

until next time :)

Chapter 14: Chapter 14

Notes:

In which I give Kite a strong sense of responsibility (someone needs it)

No Beta

Linn felt the impact on her head and then her body dropped to the floor. Perhaps she should have rested more like Kite suggested rather than attempt to fight the Monkey again, but, hey, no pain no gain was the saying.

Speaking of pain, if Linn didn’t get her body to move in time the Monkey would step in to finish her off and so with as much force as Linn could muster, she forced her eyes to reopen.

She wasn’t in the forest anymore.

“Huh?” Linn blinked, looking around as she pushed herself up. Upon realising there was no pain or soreness from her body she checked herself out. “What…”

Her clothes were dirt free and in one piece, gone were the rips and tears from being pummelled. Her arms were clear of any bruises and when Linn tentatively touched the side of her head where the Monkey had landed that last hit there wasn’t any blood, the spot didn’t even feel tender.

If that wasn’t strange enough, the environment around her was. Above Linn shone a crystal blue sky unlike any she had ever witnessed before; the variations of blue sunk into one another seamlessly, as if it were painted, and underneath Linn was the exact same view as above but flipped. It was as if someone had taken a mirror and reflected the sky back onto itself.

Linn stared down at her reflection. That was definitely her, no strange demonic eyes or extra limbs. Carefully Linn moved her foot half a step, the floor rippled gently in response temporary distorting her image.

“I really hope that Monkey didn’t knock me into another dimension…” Linn frowned, muttering. “Is there a way out or something?”

Linn looked around, trying to find something that could even hint at an exit but found nothing, and as much as she wanted to pick a direction and walk, Linn didn’t want to try her luck in this strange space. Her wounds were gone, sure, and she did feel pretty good physically all things considered-

“Oh my god, am I dead? Is this the afterlife?” Linn felt the immediate rise of panic. Her breathing became shallow and picked up speed, hands started getting clammy as adrenaline sped through her. The idyllic scenery around her suddenly became oppressive and it felt like she was being squished.

Linn fell to her knees, staring wide-eyed at her shaking hands. “No way, no way can this be happening. I can’t be… I can’t have…” Linn choked with despair; she couldn’t even get the word out of her throat.

Linn stared down at her own horrified expression until little ripples began distorting her reflection. Oh, she was crying.

How pathetic, Linn thought viciously while rubbing her eyes, to go out like this after everything I’ve gone through? After everything and everyone I survived?

I…

 

I…

 

“I AM NOT DYING FROM A STUPID FUCKING MONKEY!” Linn roared at the sky above her.

In response, a dot appeared in the sky, at first it was so tiny Linn thought that it was a black spot in her vision. Then it got bigger, and Linn could make out its orange shades. Then it wouldn’t stop getting bigger.

“Oh, fuck.” Linn struggled to her feet, it felt like the air was pushing down against her. The comet was coming straight for her she could feel it. She was going to be crushed by whatever was inside it and die a second time.

Right before the comet landed Linn brought her arms up and closed her eyes.

 

 

Kite’s eyes cut to Linn and a moment later he was by her side, the Monkey backing off at his approach. She was still unconscious and yet her Nen was fluctuating aggressively as if responding to a threat. Kite pulled out his makeshift first aid kit and got to work fast on Linn’s most prominent wounds. Her wrist was sprained from an awkward block, so Kite worked it into a splint. He laid his hand on Linn’s forehead.

“She’s burning up.” Kite muttered. An infection? No, he had made sure that any old wounds had been cleaned properly and then bandaged. Then realisation struck him. “Shit.”

The Bintam’s kick must have inadvertently opened the remainder of Linn’s Aura nodes. Kite frowned, pressing down lightly on Linn as she flailed for a second. He’s never heard of a Nen users Aura node being accidentally opened like that before.

Kite shook his head, now wasn’t the time to ponder the how’s of the situation. Linn’s condition needed to be watched carefully, because if things really went downhill, it could mean that Linn would never wake again.

 

 

Huh, who knew getting hit by a meteor would be painless. The thought went through Linn’s mind followed shortly by, is this heaven or hell? Linn didn’t feel that anything was different, both from her own body and from her surroundings. No, that wasn’t right. There was a heat in front of her that hadn’t been there before.

Screw it, she couldn’t keep her eyes shut forever. Slowly, Linn peaked one eye open and in the next second both were wide open. “Holy shit.”

There was a fireball in front of Linn, spinning widely with small tendrils that wiggled around in unrest.

Now, Linn wasn’t entirely in denial over her… abilities. If this was in fact her inner mindscape and not the afterlife, then the ball of fire could only represent one thing.

“Nice to meet you, Sky Flames.” Linn said in a deadpan voice.

 

 

Kite’s first instinct was to remove his hand when the amber flames sprung from Linn’s forehead, but his mind was quick to realise that the Flame didn’t burn him. It was kind of just there, flickering around his hand.

This had to be Linn’s Nen ability. Not the strangest manifestation he’s ever seen, in fact he would weigh that his Crazy Slots would be weirder if compared, but the problem was exactly what it was trying to do here. It wasn’t an attack, that was clear, and he didn’t feel out of control of any of his limbs. Some sort of defence then.

Linn’s body tensed and then spasmed. Her good arm flung out, hitting Kite in the abdomen. He grunted. Linn’s body was trying to accumulate to the sudden increase in Nen and he didn’t know how long it would take. Kite needed to get her into a safer position.

From under his hand, the amber flame had begun shining.

 

 

The fire shimmered, as if responding to Linn’s words, before it twisted into itself again. Linn eyed it with a hefty amount of suspicion. What was meant to happen now? She was glad that the thing didn’t crush her, but she was still stuck in this place.

“Hmm.” She leaned to one side, then the other, taking in the Sky Flames from different angles. Something didn’t seem right with them. They looked really… messy, if she had to put a word to it. Tangled.

This thing was meant to represent a part of her, right? Was that how the Flame Lore described Flames in Katekyo Hitman Reborn? She tried to recall whatever facts she could from her favourite manga, but she pulled a blank.

“Fuck. Okay. Fine.” Linn flexed her hands, getting ready to go through a barely put together plan that was less of a plan and more of a fuck-it-lets-try-this.

She approached her Sky Flames hesitantly at first. One foot in front of the other almost robotically. Linn halted, tensing as a tendril of Flame reached out to her. It looked weak, barely able to hold its thin length up.

Digging for some courage, Linn raised her own hand and tentatively touched the Flame. It felt like air against her skin, not even hot air but a soothing coolness that relaxed Linn’s tense muscles. She stepped closer, taking more of it into her palm and watched in fascination as the Flames seemed to get absorbed into her skin. There was no pain, which Linn was thankful for, but a strange feeling collected itself around her chest. It felt… right. Good.

Linn looked at the Sky Flames.

Like coming home.

Raising her other hand, Linn continued her walk forward. This time though her steps were filled with a slow confidence. Gone was the anxiety and indecision and as more and more tendrils attached themselves to her, she was filled with a calm sense of knowing exactly what was going to happen next.

Linn steps into her Sky Flames with her arms open and coloured with streaks of amber. She brings the Flames closer until she feels the invisible press against her chest. She’s almost there, just one step left.

Linn takes a deep breath, and then pushes her Sky Flames into her.

The world goes dark.

 

 

When Linn regains consciousness, it feels as if she were waking from a dream. Her eyelids were heavy as she tried to open them, and her body wasn’t much better, seeming content to lay sideways on the dirt. It had felt like she had run a marathon and yet her body didn’t feel sore or achy.

There was a warmth though, at her back and around her chest, surprisingly it didn’t raise any alarm bells in Linn’s mind. The hold wasn’t meant to be comforting, especially with the way someone else’s arms were wrapped around her own, pressing them again her chest in an ‘x’ shape, but it gave Linn a sense of being protected, a feeling she hadn’t felt since arriving in this new dimension.

It’s like I’m being hugged by a cloud, Linn’s drowsy mind supplied, my cloud.

If she could of, Linn would have fallen asleep right then and there, but as she felt the grass against her face and a chilly breeze sweep by, she was instead getting more and more awake.

Linn looked down at the arms around her and blinked. She turned her head to the side, enough to get a view of grey hair and then turned back forward. Linn didn’t move for a few seconds.

“Are you okay?” Kite said, voice much too close to Linn’s ear than she would have preferred.

She forced an answer out. “Yeah.” Willing herself to not blush.

Linn was in Kite’s arms. Kite’s arms. On the floor in his arms.

Kite slowly separated himself from Linn, careful not to jostle her body too much lest he cause some sort of backlash of Nen. “How does your body feel?”

Colder now that your gone- Linn shunts that thought from her head so fast she could feel a phantom whiplash. “Good. Okay. Uh, weird?”

Kite sat up, looking down at Linn with a raised eyebrow. “Alright, can you move?”

“Yeah, let me just.” Linn rolled to her front, intending to use her arms and legs to stand and then ended up flat on her face in the ground as both refused to cooperate.

Linn hoped the ground would swallow her up then and there. Her embarrassment was through the roof at this point.

“Do you need help?”

Had it been anyone else asking, Linn would have given them a no shit sherlock, but this was Kite asking, so Linn could only respond with a muffled. “Yes, please.”

And with an ease Linn was envious of, he scooped her off the floor and into his arms and began heading to their makeshift campsite. Of course, with the princess-hold that Kite was carrying Linn in, it was only natural that her head end up in the crook of his neck and shoulder.

Stay cool, Linn, cool as ice, as a cucumber, as a glacier in the north pole. That wasn’t working, in fact it had the opposite effect and now the only thing Linn could focus on was the contact between her skin and Kite’s. Time to change tactics.

“How long was I out for?”

“Only about 2 hours.” Kite answered.

Linn nearly choked on her spit. “2 hours?! It felt like seconds. That Monkey must have really rattled my brain.”

Kite nodded and made a beeline towards Linn’s bedroll. “It did. The kick was infused with Nen and without you putting up your Ten it was able to attack your Nen system directly.”

Ten was the… defensive use of Nen, right? Linn wasn’t sure. “Oh.”

Kite gently placed Linn down onto the bedroll, keeping her back straight as he pulled over her backpack and then slowly leaned her back until her head was resting on it as a makeshift pillow.

“You then burst into flames.”

The straightforward statement had the two staring at each other, Kite’s face passive while Linn’s frozen. “Oh… that’s… oh.”

Kite tilted his head to the side, his long bangs shifting with him. “This isn’t new to you. It’s happened before?”

Linn fiddled with the end of her top suddenly very interested in the thread count. “Yeah.” She drawled the word out slowly. “I am getting better with it though.” That was a lie.

Kite’s brows furrowed at the answer. The need to ask for more of an explanation was strong under his skin, he almost brushed his hands on his trousers to get rid of the feeling. He didn’t even know Linn properly, he doubted she would accept him pestering her with more questions about that Nen fire.

Kite sighed, resigned. “It is something you should speak about with whoever taught you Nen in the first place. What happened was dangerous and you were lucky that you didn’t seriously injure yourself. You need to go over the basics again.”

Whoever taught Linn… well, the first to unlock her Nen was Pariston she was sure, but then it was Illumi who had her manifest her Flames first (not counting the one time she managed herself), but technically Chairman Netero had deemed himself her Mentor (along with Pariston).

The idea of approaching Illumi or Pariston for Nen training was a hard no and Linn had a feeling that if the Chairman had wanted to go through the Nen basics with her he would of.

“Ah, well, the thing is… no one actually taught me how to use my Nen.” Linn glanced at Kite.

“What?” And for the first time Linn has ever witnessed, Kite frowned with some anger in his expression. “You’re still a rookie Hunter, and not once in the past few days in-between your spars did you do any Nen training.” The pieces came together in Kite’s head, and he stood. His hair overshadowed his face, and his body was thrumming with an underlining tension. A breeze came by, causing Kite’s hair to wave with the wind.

He looked downright menacing, and while Linn knew it wasn’t directed at her she still found herself shrinking from Kite.

“And yet you know about Nen, which means someone – a seasoned Hunter – must have told you, and it would be a safe guess to say that Hunter also jolted your Nen system to activate as well.”

A grey, faint, light began surrounding Kite’s body, almost giving it an outline. Linn had no idea what this was building up to, but she needed to stop it now.

“Kite-” A loud grumbling noise erupted from Linn’s stomach, effectively ruining the entire atmosphere.

An energy bar was thrust in front of her, and she gingerly took it from Kite, making sure to watch his expressions closely. There was still a slight frown present and Linn decided to focus on the food rather than the uncomfortable feeling of having caused Kite’s ire.

“How much do you know about Nen?”

“Nen is the ability to manipulate your own life energy, aura, into abilities.” Linn answers in between bites. “I’ve already, kinda, manifested my Nen ability. It’s just not always the easiest to access. I, ah, thought I could defeat the Monkey using my own abilities instead.”

“Using your Nen is using your own ability. It is naïve to think otherwise, especially against an opponent who is using Nen.” Kite frowned. “But that isn’t what I meant, what about the basics of Nen? How far are you with your Ten, Zetsu, Ren and Hatsu?”

Linn halts and stares at Kite. Kite tries to avoid staring at the way Linn’s cheeks were puffed out and focus on the current topic – she had no idea what she was doing with her Nen.

“I’ve got my Nen ability, all that’s left is to develop it more, right?”

“What’s Ten? What does Ren do? Tell me the advantages of using Zetsu?” With every unanswered question Kite leaned in closer.

Linn would have moved back if she weren’t being prepped up by a bag. “Uh, is all that still necessary to learn though?” If all of that was just to get ones Nen strong enough to develop an ability – and Linn already has her Dying Will Flames – she technically didn’t need it right?

“Necessary?” Kite choked on the word. He had to take a few steps back to think. Currently, Kite was hunting down his own Teacher, undergoing his final test from the man. There was no reason to allow himself to get waylaid like this. He could have left days ago, left Linn to try and figure things out on her own.

The newbie would have gone through who knew how many rounds with the Monkey before she even thought about using her own Nen. And even then, she would have had to bandage herself up, eat, get rest and teach herself Nen when no one had even bothered to go over even the basic principles with her. All alone.

There was a time when Kite was alone.

Kite tilted his head back and took a deep breath. The wind rustled through the trees and even with the cloudy sky the view around him was peaceful. He felt something inside of him uncurl as he organised his thoughts. Okay, he had a plan.

“Are you in a rush?”

The question had Linn blinking as she focused again on Kite. Her Nen had been doing something weird but it seemed to calm itself down. “No? No.”

Kite felt his lip form a half-smile. “Good, because for the next month I will be drilling you on the basic principles of Nen.”

Linn’s eyes widened. “You’re gonna be teaching me?”

Kite nods and begins pacing their small camp. “We’ll start with Ten, which will be the easiest to grasp considering you have manifested your Nen ability already, and then we will spend a majority of your time working on your Zetsu and Ren. Hatsu…” Kite trails off, thinking for a moment. Most Hunters tended to keep the details of their abilities to themselves, and if that was what Linn preferred then Kite would respect it. “We will leave Hatsu for now.”

When Linn didn’t voice approval, or discontent, at Kite’s plan he stops and looks back at her. She was still staring at him with wide eyes. “Linn? Does that sound alright to you?”

“You- You’ll teach me?”

“Yes.” Kite answered slowly.

“Like really teach me?”

Kite felt his eyebrow twitch. He wasn’t sure who it was that introduced Linn to Nen but if he ever ran into them, they would be having words.

Slowly, Kite approached Linn again and knelt next to her. “I can’t promise to stay longer than the month, but what I can promise is by the time we are done you will be able to access and use your Nen safely. It will then be up to you to use those skills to develop your Nen ability further.”

Kite gently grasped Linn’s shoulder and squeezed. “Sound like a plan?”

Linn pushed down the swirl of excitement inside her and grinned. “Yeah. Thank you. When can we start?”

“Hmm, you will need a few days for your body to recover from your injuries.”

Linn nodded, that made sense. Better to start on Nen practice when her body’s at its best, if she were to make a mistake and injure herself further, who knows how long it would take her body to recover.

“So, for now we will stick to learning Nen theory and its principles.”

“Eh?”

There was a gleam in Kite’s eye. “How do can someone expect to truly know something if they don’t understand the processes behind it? By the time we are done you will be able to put most veteran Hunters to shame with your knowledge.”

Why did it feel like Linn had just gained a private tutor? She could almost imagine Kite as one of those strict private school teachers that tells their students they need to know absolutely everything rather than just teaching them what they need to pass their exams.

This was a good thing, Linn kept telling herself, all the better to prepare her for this world, right?

“Now you can’t take notes, so I will have you recite what I say instead. This was we can keep track of what it is you remember and what needs to be worked on.”

Linn gave Kite a closed-eye smile. This will go fine, great even. An image of the Hitman Reborn flashed in her mind, before she pushed it away. No way would Kite be anything like that Spartan Tutor, right?

Right??

Notes:

A few of you guessed that Kite would end up being Linn's actual teacher so nicely done :)

We are now in a bit of a training arc, yey, because Isekai characters need to learn as well and lets face it Linn's dying will flames are at the most basic level right now.

And well, considering she's gonna be flexing those sky flames around Kite a loooot... let's see what will happen ;)

Chapter 15: Chapter 15

Notes:

*bangs pots and pans together*
come get your new chapter

It had taken four days for Linn’s body to recover enough for Kite to deem her able to start training. Four. Days. Ninety-six hours in total. Now, not counting the 8-10 hours of sleep, that leaves a fair number of hours during the day in which Kite could explain Nen to Linn.

And explain he did.

Linn was proud to say that her mind only wandered sometimes during his teaching sessions. To be fair, that was a cool rock she saw, plus that bird looked so weird even at a distance, and what was Carter doing right now.

Kite, of course, didn’t let Linn off easy. He constantly broke his streams of information with questions to keep Linn on her toes, and whenever Linn got an answer wrong, he would send Linn a look of disappointment that honestly hurt more than a physical hit could.

Especially considering it was Kite being disappointed in himself, rather than her. After her first few errors Kite had admitted that he had never taken a student before and had apologised if his teaching wasn’t all that great, but he would do his best for Linn.

His words felt so sincere that Linn felt bad herself for causing him to feel as if he wasn’t doing his best. Inwardly, the two of them promised to do better for the other.

“Are we ready to go?” Kite asked as Linn finished rolling up her sleeping bag. He was taking her to a different area of the mountain more fit for their training.

“Yes, just need to send a quick message.” Linn replied as she took her phone out from her bag pocket.

From: Linn
To: Carter
7.46am

Currently on a mountain, phone @ 8% - will message once back out and phone gets recharged. Don’t die!!

Linn turned the phone off. Better to save the last remaining battery just in case. Now all packed up, Linn hoisted her bag onto her back. “Ready, Kite.”

Kite nods and they begin their trek. It isn’t long before they come upon a tree with a red mark on it.

“The Bintam Monkeys won’t come after us for going into their territory, right?” Linn asked with a wince. She could barely stand against one monkey, a group of them would end her immediately and with barely restrained glee.

Kite shook his head. “No, we’ll be fine. We are technically travelling on the edge of their land so at most we will come across one watching us.” Linn watches as a contemplative look crosses Kite’s face. “Well, not counting for any rogue Bintam’s, or those that may be suffering from any diseases that affect the mind.”

A look of worry crosses Linn’s face. Kite pats her on the shoulder. “No point stressing over what may or may not happen. How about you go over what you’ve learned so far about Nen?”

Linn hums in response but still scoots as close to Kite as politely possible. “The four basic principles of Nen originate from the Shingen-Ryu Kung Fu School.” The Chairman’s chosen martial art school, Linn made a note to check whether it was on her list of 100 Martial Arts, she couldn’t remember seeing the name, but she may have overlooked it.

“And the basic principles are?”

“Ten, Zetsu, Ren and Hatsu.” Without further prompting, Linn goes into a further explanation. “Ten is the most basic defense you can have against Nen attacks, both physical and emotional. It involves keeping your aura nodes open and moving your aura around your body to smoothen flow.”

“And how is this usually practiced?”

“Meditation.”

Kite nods, and Linn moves to the next one. “Zetsu is all about suppressing your aura flow – basically the opposite of Ten. Although when you suppress your aura, you also stop being able to see other auras… which may not be the best. Plus, even if you use Zetsu it doesn’t mute the sounds you make, any smells or hide you from being seen. But I guess it’s still important to know?”

“Yes.”

“Ren is all,” Linn throws a punch and then steps into a kick, careful not to overstretch her just recovered body. “Enhancement to the body. You take your Nen and project it outward to boost your physical strength and durability.”

Kite glances at Linn with a small smile. “Don’t forget you can also use Ren to refine your aura output. Otherwise, you would find yourself expending too much aura and tiring yourself out quickly in battles.”

Linn nods, taking the advice seriously. “Right, and if someone tries to project their ren towards you with hostile intentions it can cause paralysis?”

“Yes, and if you do not protect yourself with Ten it can even cause death.”

A shiver runs down Linn’s spine. She remembers how it felt being in the presence of Hisoka and Illlumi, the constant feeling of being on the edge, knowing that they could kill her without breaking a sweat. And then there was that time with Pariston, how he paralysed her by just lifting a finger with his Nen.

It left a bitter taste in Linn’s mouth, especially because she knew he was just doing it for show. Pariston didn’t need to even lift a finger to reduce her to a non-moving mess. He probably just did it for fun.

“And then there’s Hatsu.”

“There’s Hatsu.” Kite echoed, nodding.

Hatsu. An individual’s personal expression of Nen, it does not only encapsulate their Nen ability but how that ability is expressed.

Linn glanced at Kite and weighed her options. And then realised that she had already put all her chips in the pot that was Kite. He’s taken the responsibility of teaching me; I should at least be truthful about the Dying Will Flames he saw.

Still, a streak of nervousness ran through Linn, she hasn’t really been truthful to anyone since arriving to this universe. She did eventually tell Carter the truth about her knowledge, true, but she had omitted bringing up anything about her Nen and flames.

It brought a sense of vulnerability to her that she didn’t like, but trusting someone was a two-way street and Linn had to take a step.

“The flames. I think that’s my Hatsu.” She says it in one breath, like ripping off a plaster.

“Yeah.” Kite agrees easily. “It must have manifested due to your aura nodes being partially opened, coupled with the near-death experience. Your Nen must have responded to your drive to survive.”

Linn opens her mouth and when no words come out, closes it.

Kite catches the action and raises a questioning eyebrow. “What? Anyone with an understanding of Nen would have worked it out.” Kite tilts his head in thought, a hand coming to rub his chin. “Ah, but you wouldn’t have known it was your Nen at first, I am sure it must have been a shock to think you were starting to combust.”

“What? Combust?” Linn asked, roughly thrown from her musings.

Kite shrugged. “The percentage of people randomly combusting is low, but never zero. I’ve seen it happen once.”

Linn stared at Kite, morbid curiosity rising. “…Really?”

Kite nods.

The two continue on in silence, Kite as normal while Linn mentally recovered from the whiplash that was having a conversation with Kite.

“Can Hatsu techniques resemble other techniques?”

Kite thought about it for a second. “Resemble yes, be an identical copy? No.”

Something akin to relief flushed across Linn’s skin at the thought of not having to be burdened by all that comes with Sky Flames. “Really? Even if it’s a technique you read about?”

“Oh, those – no they can be near-identical.”

Linn had to stop, and she had to stop herself from grabbing Kite by his shoulders and shaking him because he just said-

“Let me explain the difference.” Kite keeps on walking, forcing Linn to speedily move to catch up. “When you try to copy another individual’s technique – say, for example, they can harden their fists for more punching power. You can only visually see the outcome, that they can punch through walls, or a body, and your own mind makes the links to how this was done.”

Kite holds up one finger. “The first person did the technique by putting Nen into his muscles and hardening them, while the second person accomplished the technique by using Nen to harden his skin instead. Two different approaches, same outcome.”

Linn nods. “Okay, I can see that. But why does that change when you read about a technique.”

“It depends on the text. Some Nen abilities from the past have been very well documented, down to the user’s own thought process of their technique. In those cases, users tend to develop a near exact replica of the technique – of course this is still dependent on the users own Nen type and if they are compatible with the technique in question.”

Sensing Kite was close to rambling on about more theory, Linn cuts in. “And if the person did have the correct Nen type and read a very thorough text?”

“Then, barring the individuals own personality, the technique should be near identical.”

Linn slows her steps, before coming to a complete stop. She slumps. “Fuck.”

Kite stops as well and turns back to Linn. Taking in her defeated stance. “I am guessing your ability originated from something similar?”

Linn rubs a hand through her face. “Hey, quick question, is there any sort of unspoken rule about telling others your Nen ability?”

“Kind of. You wouldn’t want to reveal the details to an enemy, but to a friend…”

“Or a mentor?”

“It’s fine.”

“Okay… okay.” Linn let out a deep breath. “You’re my mentor, so it’s best to let you know, what I know, right?”

Kite nodded slowly. “Correct, but if you don’t feel that you can trust me-”

“Kite, you are honestly in the top two of people I trust the most at the moment.” Linn cuts him off.

Kite blinks, stunned for a second at the open admission. He feels heat rise to his cheeks. “O-oh. Okay then.”

Linn misses this entirely as she speedwalks past Kite, continuing down the path they were heading through before. “Right. The ability I have is – well it’s basically a near identical copy, I think – of a technique called ‘Dying Will Flames’. It’s from a manga I used to read when I was younger, I didn’t think it had that much of an effect on me though.”

Kite catches up so he can walk beside Linn. “Stories have a big effect on us, it’s not uncommon for things like this to happen to other Hunter’s as well.” Kite studies Linn from the corner of his eyes. “But I have a feeling that isn’t what’s bothering you the most.”

“It’s what this damned ability brings, the colour of the flames, the significance of it all,” Linn groans and throws her hands in the air. It did feel nice, finally being able to voice her annoyance at the Sky Flames. “Okay so, context, context first.”

Kite doesn’t say anything as Linn takes a moment to gather her thoughts.

“There are seven flame types: Sky, Storm, Rain, Sun, Lightning, Mist and Cloud. I can’t remember why they were named after the weather so don’t ask, it’s not that important, anyways, each have their own properties and respective colours but the one I have are called Sky Flames. They’re amber coloured.”

Kite nods along. “And what are the properties of Sky Flames?”

“Well, its ‘harmony’.”

“Harmony?” Kite frowns. “That doesn’t sound very…”

“Powerful? Offensive? Mighty?” Linn adds. “Yeah, I know, to be honest this flame type is the most annoying out of the lot because of its harmonization property. Although I can actually burn things, not that I have managed to do that yet.” Linn murmurs at the end.

“But I’m getting sidetracked. The flames are important to one another, you see the purpose of the Sky Flame is to envelop all the other elements, to accept them all. That is the purpose of the sky.”

Kite felt like he was still missing a lot of information about the flames actual abilities, but it was telling that this was what Linn chose to share with him first, so he decided to delve a bit deeper. “Envelop, as in to control?”

Linn shook her head. “It exists to bring harmony to the elements that it accepts. To accept them like family, to- to be there for one another, to exist so intrinsically with another person’s soul that you knew you could always rely on them even when you aren’t always together.”

There was a shine in Linn’s eyes, Kite noted, it had almost a sad, dreamy quality to it as Linn recounted what the purpose of the Sky Flame and its user was.

“It was described… in the book… as a feeling of coming home.” Linn went quiet for a few seconds. “Having those bonds, a complete set of bonds, was something that was brought up again and again, and the idea of being a Sky in a world where there are no Flames because I based my Nen ability on a book I read as a kid that no one else would ever read is an absolutely shit situation I put myself in.”

Ah, Kite thought, I get it now. It had been strange, when he first saw Linn fight that she didn’t use her Nen, in the beginning he had chalked it up to simply her being so new at being a Hunter that no one had talked to her about it. Then he found out that she did know about Nen’s existence, and had even used it previously, and yet still didn’t feel that it was even an option to consider when fighting an enemy that outclassed her and was actively using Nen.

Linn was scared of her Nen, of what it represented and most importantly, the absence it would highlight throughout the rest of her life.

“…you will be alone for the rest of your life, then.” Kite says, not uncaringly, but in a tone of finality that caused a shiver to go down Linn’s spine. “Your Sky will be empty, and you’ve been trying to avoid using your flames to stop feeling that absence.”

Your Sky will be empty. All at once Linn could imagine she was back in that mindscape with her Sky Flames. Initially Linn had thought that the twisting of her flames were a reflection on how she avoided accepting the truth of her ability, but what if that wasn’t everything? What if her flames were angry, mourning at the loss of what could have been?

A hand on her shoulder brought her out of her thoughts, and she halted. She looks at Kite’s pensive face. “No one wants to be alone Linn, humans are social creatures by nature, and a fear of loneliness is common to nearly all of humanity.” He squeezes her shoulder. “You must remember that – even with the absence of these other weather flames – you aren’t alone in the world, or in your journey. You have that friend, right? You’re looking forward to meeting him again after this and talking about everything that happened?”

Linn blinked, unaware of when her eyes filled with tears. “Uh, yeah, Carter. We said we would meet and catch-up.”

Kite gently shook her, as if to emphasize his point. “See? You’re still capable of forming bonds, Linn. Don’t forget that.”

“Right.” Linn looked down, rubbing at her face to clear the few tears that escaped. “You’re right.”

Kite looked around, they didn’t get as far as he wanted to and while he could push them a bit more. He figured making camp early and making sure Linn got her rest was still the priority. “Come on, there’s an old campsite near here we can set-up in.” He hesitates for a second before adding. “And maybe we can also discuss what types of abilities Sky Flames can manifest, that is if you’re feeling up to it.”

Linn nods, following behind Kite silently.

 

 

It wasn’t until a fair bit of time later, once the sun had set and a coolness had enveloped them that Linn felt a bit more put together to continue speaking. The warmth from the campfire was reassuring and Kite was finishing up his mystery meat kebab at a leisurely pace. It seemed like he was soothed by the flames as well.

“Sky flames…” Linn started and then hesitated immediately as she wondered where to begin.

“They can burn.” Kite added and then asked. “From your forehead?”

Linn snickered at the idea. “No, there should be a way to get them appear on my hands, and maybe even other parts of my body. Then with every punch or kick I can burn my opponents.” Linn punched the air in front of her as a demonstration.

“Alright, we can begin there, then.” Kite said, and Linn knew he was giving her a way out of the conversation.

She smiled softly as Kite’s thoughtfulness, but it only cemented her decision to share with the Hunter. “There is also the harmonization aspect and what’s known as Sky Attraction.”

Kite raised his eyebrow. “Attraction?”

“It’s the term the book used,” Linn hastily added. “Let me give you some examples, those with Sky Flames in the books were often depicted as charismatic, able to grab the attention of an entire room just by entering it, it often caused the main character problems – being a magnet for trouble caused some hilarious situations.” Linn remembered fondly.

“Has that happened yet?” Kite asked, curious.

“No, I don’t think so.” But even as Linn answered there were doubts in her mind. Surely, the interest of Illumi and Hisoka was solely due to her partial Nen activation. Hisoka probably thought of riling her fear up as a joke and Illumi… Linn frowned internally, Illumi had no reason to be interested in her, Nen activation or not, so why…? Shaking the thoughts from her brain, Linn continued. “Anyways, there should be a way for me to manipulate my flames harmonization to get people more relaxed around me.”

Kite looked thoughtfully at Linn so she continued. “It could be an advantage in a fight, right? Giving me the element of surprise.”

He nods, and then out of nowhere says. “I found you attractive the second I saw you, could that have been your Sky Flames at play?”

The breath rushes out of Linn as if she had been kicked by a Bintam Monkey, heat rushed to her face so fast she feared for a second that she would actually pass out because Kite had just admitted to finding her attractive. Linn tries to regain composure, honestly, but the way Kite was openly waiting for her response was crushing her.

“No- no, Kite, that’s not the kind of attraction that Sky Attraction brings,” Linn stammers. God, she hopes not, she doesn’t remember that being a problem for Tsuna during the manga, if anything people ended up interested in him just for being a good Sky to his elements. “That’s all you, Kite.”

“Oh.” Was Kite’s only response as he stared resolutely straight ahead into the campfire. Linn glances quickly at him, and then does a double take as she notices the tips of his hears were red.

Oh my god. Forget the Bintam Monkeys, the sheer amount of embarrassment she was going through would be what ends her life she just knows it.

“I’m- I’m going to bed.” She says suddenly, standing a bit too quickly to be considered casual and then stiffly walked to her bedroll.

“Ah, yes, goodnight.” Kite answers. “We will begin exploring your Nen tomorrow.”

Linn shut her eyes and nearly gave herself a headache from how she was trying to force herself to sleep. In the end it worked though, and that was the main thing.

 

 

A new day. A new dawn. And yet how is it still so awkward, Linn lamented internally. She really, really hoped that her relationship with Kite hadn’t been ruined by his late-night admission. He was a good teacher, and sincere in his want to help her better understand her Nen.

And yet, he is standing quite far from her. Linn glared at the space between them. They were practically shoulder to shoulder yesterday as they walked, now you could fit a boulder between them.

And the most annoying thing about it all? Kite didn’t even seem to be bothered by it, and yet here she was trailing behind him and practically sulking.

“We’re here.” Kite veers off the mountain trail they had been following heading towards what sounded like running water.

Linn perked up, she hadn’t managed to bathe in over a week, and she needed to be rid of the layers of dirt and grime she had accumulated from camping and getting beaten up. She speedily caught up to Kite and the natural beauty in front of her took her breath away.

The running water she had heard was in fact a small waterfall that came down from a cliff above them, there was a flat rock nestled half under the waterfall and in a wide river that snaked its way around a bend, going deeper into the forest and Bintam’s territory. Stopping in front of the river, Linn leaned over and, wow, the water was really clear. Linn could easily spot the small schools of fish that were swimming around the shallows looking for food.

“This place is so… peaceful.”

Kite nods, also appearing more relaxed in this natural beauty spot. “Human’s hardly ever get this far in the mountain; they usually get scared away or killed off by the Bintam’s from accidentally stepping into their territory.”

Linn gulps, nervously looking at the trees around them. “And this isn’t in their territory, right?”

“No, don’t worry.” Kite reassures Linn and then adds ominously. “Of course, if they decide we are breaching too far into their mountain there isn’t a reason as to why they can’t just attack us.”

Linn watches Kite, waiting for some sort of ‘I’m kidding’ but none came. “Thanks for that information, Kite.”

Kite nods, entirely unaware of Linn’s new nervousness as he walks up the river, approaching the base of the waterfall. He gestures for Linn to follow, and she does with a sigh, hoping that if they were to get attacked Kite would at least help her get away. He wouldn’t take her as a student only to leave her at the mercy of the monkeys, right?

“This is where you will be training to use your flames.”

“In the river?” Linn looks down, trying to work out how deep it ran. She could swim if needed, but didn’t fancy standing waist deep in cold river water for a majority of her day.

“No, there.” And Kite points at the flat stone at the base of the waterfall.

Linn looks up, and then down. “That water’s hitting the stone pretty hard.”

“Yes, it is. It’s the reason why the stone is so smooth at the top.”

“Okay, right, and I should stand right there. Facing the full brunt of the waterfall.”

Sensing where Linn was going with his, Kite turns back and pats her shoulder in reassurance. “Don’t worry, with your Ten being active your body will be protected by the force of the water falling. As long as you can keep your Nen flowing that is.”

Linn still felt a bit dubious about this training method. “And if I can’t keep my Ten up?”

“The force of the water will make you slip and then you’ll end up in the cold water.” Kite adds, oh so helpfully.

Linn grunts, not entirely happy about the situation but willing to follow Kite’s lead.

“We need to get you use to controlling your Nen outside of combat and life-or-death situations.” Kite explained. It was better to nip that in the bud before Linn got in the habit of only accessing her Nen in intense conditions, it would drastically limit her use of Nen and put her in more dangerous situations.

And Kite did not like that thought. Idly rubbing his chest, Kite took a few steps to the side and began unpacking his backpack, ready to set up camp. He glances at Linn to see what she was up to, does a double take and then immediately smacks his hands over his eyes with such intensity that the resounding smack echoed.

“Why are you undressing, Linn?”

Linn straightened unashamedly in her purple sports bra and matching hipster briefs. “What? No time to start like the present, and no way am I getting my clothes wet. I only brought like, one set of spare clothes, not counting my pyjamas.”

Ignoring the way Kite still kept his face covered (Linn admits, she found it endearing), she steps into the river and immediately felt regret. The water was not just cold but icy, the only saving grace was that it only just reached the top of her thighs. She wades to the rock, flinching as the cold droplets splashed onto her and with a few deep breathes to psyche herself up, she climbs onto the rock and sits cross-legged.

The water felt like a strong, chilly, breeze at her back and Linn felt like she needed to activate her Dying Will Flames just to get under the waterfall. She flexes her hands and presses them down on either side of her.

I can do this. She repeats the mantra and then before she can overthink it, moves her body under the falling water.

Notes:

I'm actually enjoying writing Kite ngl

will try to get through the next few chapters in a relatively good time, cuz the plans i have for after this...

but for now, enjoy Kite :3