This took me 57 minutes to write Yay! 1145 words
Respective Reasons (それぞれの理由, Sorezore no Riyū)
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FIRST ROUND OF THE TEST: MORE THAN 80 KM (49 miles) RAN. DESERTED: 1
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The walls were starting to disappear and the normal paved road was turned into thousands of stairs as the pipes on the walls continue to grow. All of the participants that were present were continuing forward, following their examiner hoping to reach the end. There were some that haven't even broken a sweat after the long walk upward while others were starting to break down after the continuous hours of running.
"Well." Satotsu said looking back at the applicants without a bead of sweat on his face. "Let's pick up the pace." He took a leap and jumped up two stairs for everyone one step he took and didn't slow down.
"AAARGH!" Some yelled.
"WHAT A JERK!" Another yelled. "IN GENERAL IN SUCH CONDITIONS, WE CAN ONLY WALK, BUT HE CLIMBS THE STEPS TWO BY TWO!!"
Leorio on the other hand was sweating bullets and breathing heavily. "Are you okay, Leorio?" Kurapika asked.
"AS YOU SEE, I'M REALLY FINE! I'M NOT THE BEST, BUT THAT DOESN'T MATTER: I KNOW I'LL MAKE IT!!!" He screamed. "EVEN IF I HAVE TO RUN NAKED!!!! KURAPIKA I ADVISE YOU TO IGNORE ME, IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE ASHAMED!!!"
More and more applicants began to drop, unable to continue up the stairs. "Can I ask you something?" Kurapika asked as he took a layer of clothing, catching up with Leorio and Jun, who was still reading his book calmly.
"To discuss is to consume energy." Leorio said.
"Is it really because of money that you want to become a Hunter?" He asked making Leorio pause. "I'm sure that it's not. We only met each other a few days ago, but I've understood this at least. You certainly don't have a rigorous attitude, and you're not especially clever, but..."
"Are you trying to insult him?" Jun asked but was ignored.
"But I don't think that you have a bad soul. I've seen a lot of people who only lived for money, and you're not that kind of person."
"Pff! You, you're that kind of 'logical'!" Leorio said and Kurapika didn't speak for a few seconds.
"Scarlet Eyes..." He said. "It's the reason why the Kurata (manga) clan has been pursued. Scarlet eyes are the distinctive sign of the Kurata. When we are traversed by a violent feeling, our eyes become scarlet, as if they were on fire. If we die at this state, our eyes never return to their normal state, and stay with this color. Some say that this color, with it's brightness is one of the seven most beautiful in the world."
"It's because of that that your clan was destroyed by the Phantom Brigade?" Leorio asked and Kurapika paused.
"The only things that were missing from my brother's bodies when we found them, were their eyes. Today, the only thing that we can see in the darkness of their eyes is called revenge..." Kurapika said. "Whatever happens, I'll capture the Phantom Brigade!! And I'll give my brothers and companions their eyes back."
"Unfortunately, they're surely sold on the Black Market." Leorio said with certainty. "The clients are all potent men, multi millionaires, it's impossible for a normal person to approach this environment."
"But that isn't the case for a Hunter." Kurapika explained. "If I choose to be a Hunter under contract, I'll become extremely rich, and I'll have access to many things."
"Under contract...? I thought that was exactly the type of Hunter you hate the most...? You're ready to sell your soul and lose your dignity..?" Leorio asks.
"What is my dignity... in comparison with the pain of my companions?" Kurapika states.
"But.." Jun says, shocking them. "Are you sure you want to go down this path? Even if it's filled with bloodshed and regret? Are you sure that's what your clan would have wanted you to do? To live your life surrounded by the blood of your enemies as their ghost haunt your very existence? Even if you get all of your clan's eyes back, it will only do so much."
"I am not afraid of the consequences." Kurapika states. "It's my destiny."
"'Some say that to believe in destiny is to dismiss the role of free will... That self-determination cannot prevail in the presence of fate... When the truth is, the only part of destiny we can control is the fate we choose for another.'" Jun quotes and sends Kurapika a sad look. "'Revenge is barren of itself: it is the dreadful food it feeds on; its delight is murder, and its end is despair.'"
"I'm sorry.." Leorio says making the pair look at him confused. "I don't have a reason as noble as yours to tell you.. I can only say that my goal is really money...."
"YOU'RE SAYING NONSENSE!" Kurapika yells. "DON'T TELL ME YOU REALLY THINK WE CAN BUY EVERYTHING IN THIS WORLD?!"
"YES!" Leorio yells. "THINGS FOR SURE, BUT ALSO THE DREAMS! EVEN LIVES DEPEND ON MONEY! EVERYTHING CAN BE BOUGHT!"
"STOP THIS LEORIO, TAKE BACK WHAT YOU SAID!"
"WHY?! IT'S THE TRUTH! IF I HAD HAD THE MONEY, MY FRIEND WOULDN'T HAVE DIED!"
"Because of an illness...?" Kurapika says softly.
"..."
"It wasn't an incurable illness!! But to operate on him, we needed too much money! I'm a little naive, so I thought I would become a doctor. So, this way, I could have told the parents of all those children in the same situation as my friend was: 'I don't charge you any money.' That was my dream." A tear falls from his eye. "BUT I WAS TOO NAIVE!!! BECAUSE THERE WAS SOMETHING I DIDN'T KNOW: THE DOCTOR'S STUDIES ARE REALLY EXPENSIVE!!! YOU SEE?! MONEY! MONEY! MONEY! I WANT MONEY!"
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TEST OF THE STAIRS THAT GO TO THE PLACE OF THE TESTS.....
DESERTED: 37
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"THE EXIT!!!" A voice screams and white light pours into the cave.
"At last!" Hanzo yells with a few beads of sweat on his face. "We're leaving the darkness of the underground passage!"
"We're almost done Leorio!" Kurapika yells and everyone stops outside of the passage and stares at the land before them.
"But..."
"It's.."
Before them was vast land that was covered by a thick fog. There were thick trees that could be seen over the horizon but most of the land was covered by the fog.
"The 'Numere's Marsh, nicknamed 'The Crook's Nest'" Satotsu explains. "This is the place where the second round will stand: You'll have to go through there. The rare animals you'll find in the marsh.... East humans for lunch. They're birds of prey, as well as gamers... Follow me and pay close attention!!! Losing the way results in death."
Song: Hunter x Hunter 2011 Ost 3 - 25: Understanding
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