Black Ice (MHA x HxH)

Chapter 7 - Hunter Exam (7)

Before the end of the 72 hours, Gon, Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio had all made it past the third phase.

Fuyu wondered how the four were able to do it, arriving literally at just the last few seconds. She had to wonder if it was pure luck or some type of skill- she was betting that it was pure luck though.

Now, it was onto the next task. Fuyu was starting to get tired of the Hunter Exam. For one, why was it so long?

'Not even the Provisional Hero License Exam was this long,' she thought to herself, letting out a soft sigh. She was beginning to get hungry and annoyed. They could have at least offered the contestants food, but no, here they were surviving on what snacks they packed or found in the tower. Fuyu was running low on her rationed food, she had only a day and a half's worth left.

"End of the round time!" the speaker boomed. "Third round. Number of participants who reached the goal, 26, including one dead." And with that, those who were waiting days before stood up as a door opened, leading to the outside.

When the group got outside, they were met with a man with glasses, standing with his arms behind his back. "Congratulations to all of you for exiting the tower. You only have two more trials, the fourth round and the final exam."

'Two rounds left!'

"The fourth exam will take place on Zebiru's island. Well! Let's hurry..." He snapped his fingers and another man appeared with a box that had a whole at the top. "This lottery will allow us to determine... the hunters and the prey. Inside the box... there are 25 numbered cards, these numbers are just the ones that you were given to in the beginning of the competition. You will all pick a card."

Fuyu raised a brow. 'Oh? Well now I'm glad I hid my number from the beginning.'

"Well, pick a card in the order you arrived at the towe's bottom."

Hisoka went first and with that, the rest followed. Fuyu curiously looked at the number she drew, eyes glancing towards all the other participants. 'Wait a minute...'

"Everyone has a card?" Her thoughts were interrupted. "Now, your personal number and the one you just picked have been recorded in this machine. Consequently, you're free to do whatever you want with this card. The participant corresponding to the number you have picked... becomes from this time your target. To each one his own target. What you have to grab is the numeral sheet of your target. If you succeed in taking your target's numeral sheet... three points. If you keep your own numeral sheet... three points. The other sheets are only one point. To reach the end, you'll need a total of six points. You'll have to get six points in the time when you're on Zebiru's island."

Sitting on the boat, Fuyu kept to herself.

Now she was in a predicament... Well she thought she was but at the same time she wasn't? 'Argh... This is hurting my head.' She sighed, rubbing at the top of her head. Looking down under the layer of her black parka, her eyes rested on the numbered pin attached to her white shirt.

To think... she'd pull out her own number!

'Does that mean technically I have six points? I mean, Lippo said your target's pin is three points and keeping your own is three... And since I'm my own target that means technically I get three points, but since I am my target does that mean I lose three points as well since technically I'm taking my own points and-' "Ugh," she blurted out, annoyed. "...I want this to be over already..."

"Please leave the boat in the order of your arrival at the bottom of the tower during the third round! An interval of two minutes will separate each candidate leaving the boat! You'll stay exactly one week on the island! That's the time you have to get the six points and to come back here! Departure of the first candidate!"

'The ones who leave first are favored because they can hide before the others and watch their prey's movements... but...' Fuyu looked around as she walked through the forest. 'This doesn't benefit me compared to the others who have targets... Since I already have my points, it would be best for me to stick by the boat.'

The white haired girl maneuvered past fallen logs and thorny bushes.

'But we have to stay on this island for a week... And some of the other participants might hunt for other people if they can't find their target...' Fuyu looked around, trying to find a good place to camp for a bit of time. 'Not only that, I only have a day and a half worth of food left. I'll need to hunt and find a clean water stream to drink from... If I find a lake or pond it would be a win-win since I can fish for food and get clean water... But wait.'

She stopped in her tracks, looking up at a tall, bulky tree that she stumbled upon. 'I could always use my quick and wait for it to melt and get clean drinking water that way... And then I can just stick by the boat and fish in the ocean when I need food... And then I can hide in the trees or inside the boat itself!'

It was like a lightbulb appeared above her head despite having outlandish thoughts and ideas. Fuyu was overthinking and not thinking at all at this point.

'So how about for the first two days I find a river or pond and get water and some fish from there and sleep in the trees... And then I'll move back to the boat area and camp out there. People would probably be deeper in the forest rather than closer to the boat because they'd be wary of getting hunted down or anxious about finding their target in the limited time...' She smirked, nodding as she continued to walk to the side of the island rather than more inward in the deep forest. 'Once I find a good water source and tree to sleep in, then I'm good for the week. All I need to do is not run into anyone.'

"Ah," she blurted out, continuing to walk. "Now that I think about it... this reminds me of when I first arrived here..."

The mass hoard of trees, lost in a forest that was too quiet to be natural...

"Hello? Who are you? Are you lost?" The man's calm and steady voice reached her ears and the white haired girl looked up at him, her face emotionless, but her black eyes looking confused and lost. The man looked at the young woman in front of him and smiled gently. "It seems you are, do you need help?"

"Who are you...?" Fuyu questioned, wary as black ice particles began to build up in her hands.

"Oh? How interesting. Is that your nen ability?" Seeing that she wouldn't answer, still glaring warily at him and in a position to attack and defend, the male smiled. "Well, seeing as this conversation won't be going any further, let me introduce myself." He put a hand to his chest, holding the other out to her as if to shake hands. "My name is Wing, what's yours?"