It's been at least a few hours into the hunter exam if not, more. You don't know how long you've been jogging along with the other competitors but you've got the stamina to last for it..so it was alright. Sides, you already knew what was going to happen.
You have taken the hunter exam before after all.
Jogging sure was tiring. Well, maybe not physically for you. Perhaps in the old world, you've been in, it would've but not here. You're sure that if you were in your more present state of body, you could've at least gone to another state by yourself. Were you boasting..? Possibly...
But, this world wasn't so kind. Much less kind than the world you originally were from. It's harsher, crueler and naturally, you had to learn to adapt one way or another, even on your own.
You once thought such trivial things as dimension-hopping and being isekai'd into another world or even anime and other shows didn't exist. That they only existed in stuff like fanfictions, yet here you are.
If you were to even go back and tell anyone of it, you're sure to be called crazy or delusional...
I mean, you wouldn't believe yourself either. It seems too unbelievable after all.
You were the type of person to always watch from the sidelines, never joining in on anything much. Mediocre maybe...if that's a way to describe yourself. You lacked something in your boring life and to fill that, you tried indulging in other things such as reading, writing, drawing, and watching animes and shows.
It wasn't all too much to fill the emptiness inside you, but it was something at least.
Sometimes, you felt like moping around and not doing anything at all. You gradually lost interest in stuff you at least used to enjoy, your grades drop in lack of motivation and you just found yourself wishing to be nothing but a speck of dust.
There's something called 'depression'.
You weren't sure if you had that, but your family was always concerned about you. You kinda felt bad for them, moping around and they had to deal with you.
If there was one thing you'd like to do before even coming to this world, you'd at least go back and apologize to them.
Your sweet mother, your prideful older sister. You wanted to apologize for leaving them.
But, you can't go back. So, the best option is to move forward.
Of course, that doesn't mean they'd be forgotten and left in the dust.
Snapping out of the daydreaming of your past life, you spotted occasional tufts of white hair through the mass bodies of people jogging. Your mind could only be brought to one person as your eyes gradually dragged over to where the familiar boy skated over to.
The man in the navy blue suit and spiky hair. Leorio. He was like an older brother figure to you almost. His aspiration to be a doctor to help others was admired along with his sense of determination.
He's a funny guy. You found him amusing, he's fun to be around and tease. You missed his noogies admittedly
"Hey! Wait up, kid!"
As the 'adult' looking man yelled out, the white-haired boy, clearly younger and around at least your own age looked up at him, his hands in the pockets of his pants and riding on his skateboard.
"Hm?" The white-haired boy looked over.
"You should show the Hunter Exam some respect!" He spoke in an irritated voice, his tone clearly reflecting on his face.
"What do you mean?"
"Why are you using a skateboard?! That's cheating!" He pointed down at the boy's skateboard he was clearly riding on with his index finger.
"Why?" The younger boy glanced down from his skateboard back up to the older male, confused.
"This is an endurance test!"
"No, it isn't." A voice piped in, sounding younger and more high-pitched as he jogged up to the both of them.
"Gon, what are you saying?" The older boy's face looked irked and confused as the boy called 'Gon' continued, explaining.
"The examiner only told us to follow him."
"Who's side are you on!?" He protested, looking betrayed at Gon's input as the white-haired boy lidded his eyes, taking interest and slowing down a little to meet his pace with the other boy who looks to be his age.
"Hey, how old are you?" Blue eyes scanned over the spiky-haired boy's attire, humming to himself.
"I'm 12." Gon answered, his attention drawn to the other boy with curiosity.
The boy on the skateboard looked to be in thought. They were the same age after all... The latter tilted his head to the side, wondering what the other could be thinking of.
Kicking the skateboard he had under him into the air, he skillfully landed on the ground and caught it in his arm, jogging beside the spiky-haired boy, "I guess I'll jog too."
"Uwoah!! That was so cool!" The boy with the black spiky hairstyle with green underlining within admired the boy's fancy trick with the skateboard.
"I'm Killua."
"I'm Gon!"
You watched them interact with each other fondly, thinking once...no, twice about maybe approaching them too. But, you weren't too sure.
Why were you hesitating? It's just your friends. But, they didn't know that either. Would it be better to play it safe and protect them from a distance or befriend them now and it'd be like old times with the exception of you watching over them?
You didn't know. You don't want to go through the pain of getting hurt again either, emotionally that is.
You missed them. You really did. But, you weren't supposed to be here in the first place or exist. You knew how it'd all play out and it could go like how it should be before you entered this place.
Because of your existence, you messed up everything.
If only—...if only you hadn't existed—
"Hello, are you okay?"
You snapped out of your small spiral, looking over to the side where you found a blonde-haired individual with grey eyes dressed in a blue and red cape..? As an overlay. You never really knew what he exactly wore but you find yourself comforted and tense at the notice of your friend.
"You were spacing off and looked troubled." He continued upon notice of the lack of response from the smaller boy.
Ah. Did it really show on your face that much..?
"It's not in my place to say anything, but if it's the hunter exam. I believe you can do it as long as you're willing to take that chance. You actually did quite well so far."
He continued on. You watched him quietly, trying to think of something to say. Why were you so reserved this time around? You swore you were a bit spunkier last time.
"...Thanks.." You finally managed to draw out after swallowing a dry lump, watching the blonde boy look down at you.
"It's no issue. Let's just focus on reaching the end." He responded.
Despite the smaller boy's lack of talk, Kurapika found himself reaching out to the young boy. He felt oddly familiar, almost like a sense of deja vu but not. He wanted to find out what made him so interesting and he seemed to be around the age of Gon and his other friend, the only three applicants for the hunter exam that seemed to be assumingly the youngest.
The expression of the smaller boy's gaze seemed almost distant and melancholic. Like he yearned for something. It reminded him of himself almost when he lost everything, a pit of despair in his chest and eventually that agony grew into hatred which he then turned into his motivation.
From afar, the (H/C) boy wasn't very noticeable. Almost like he blended into the background sometimes. Kurapika saw him earlier in one of the corners not too far before and he wondered if he had been sleeping...it was very careless of him to do so nonetheless.
As soon as he took his attention off him though, he slipped away, no longer in the corner. Kurapika wondered if he just had good stealth or something. It could be very possible that he somehow masked his presence too.
But up closer, he could just sense this vague feeling from him and he wasn't very sure how to pinpoint it. He labeled it off of him being cautious though, quietly wondering why he took such an interest in him. Perhaps, it's the same curiosity that sparked inside of him like with Gon.
He looks troubled.
"Screw that...I'M GOING TO BECOME A HUNTER!!! DAMN IT ALLLL!!!!" A loud voice rang through the tunnel, echoing slightly as a sweaty tall boy passed by them, sprinting furiously with determination radiating off his form.
The two boys previously conversing with each other watched him race ahead. Kurapika's expression softened, letting out a small chuckle. Leorio was quite the stubborn one. Milo admired Leorio's passion, he remembered this.
They eventually reached the mark where it'd be nearing the end with the long set of stairs in front of them. The young boy ruffled his (H/C) locks slightly, keeping his pace with the blonde-haired boy who set his eyes forth on the goal in front of him. Occasionally, he did check on the boy he decided to jog with, trying to understand the mysterious boy.
A built tall figure panted, running up the stairs and catching up to the two boys with his arms swinging back and forth, his tie flowing in the wind slightly as he did so.
"Leorio, are you okay?" The blonde-haired boy brought his attention over to the half-naked male who had his shirt off.
"Yeah! Just look at me. I've realized that I can keep going if I don't worry about how stupid I look!" The latter answered, matching his pace with Kurapika's now while determinedly looking forth, crying out a vigorous cry and speeding up, passing by the two boys now.
Kurapika hummed, looking at the taller male race off with aspects of admiration. Taking off his cloak that overlayed his white clothes, he folded it into his bag and continued upwards on the stairs with the Milo watching the two of them quietly with interest.
They never changed at all. They're both still as inspiring as ever.
A small smile crept onto your face, bringing your attention ahead of you, speaking up out of your own will. "Kurapika, I'm going on ahead."
The said boy looked over at the short (H/C)-haired boy, his eyes widening a little at the boy speaking with some traits of determination than from earlier. Opening his mouth to respond, the younger boy had already sped up his pace, going further ahead before he had the chance to respond.
Closing his mouth, he watched after him, curiosity kindled in his mind.
How did he know his name? Maybe there's a chance that he heard earlier on with Gon and Leorio. Either way, maybe Kurapika should be a little more cautious and see who the boy is for himself.
You had gone on, racing ahead obviously in an unknown race between two boys his age, passing by people who have given up due to exhaustion on the stairs. You were determined, you're given another chance like this. Why not use it to your max potential?
There's no use in moping in the past too much, you have to look forth. Reflect on your mistakes and learn from them.
The light ahead from the tunnel peeked in, shining a new hope for individuals in the dark tunnel climbing the stairs to follow the examiner.
Upon reaching the near top of the stairs, Satotz, the examiner walked forth robotically though it seemed like he was taking long strides, it proved quite difficult for others to catch up.
A mop of (H/C)-haired passed by him, far surpassing him before he even reached the top. His eyes widened the slightest, intrigued and surprised at the boy who had reached the top of the stairs before him as he finally placed his feet on the last step of the stairs, reaching the end.
Two more boys passed by him, their fists held up in the air in a cheer with a simultaneous yell.
"GOAL!"
Satotz hummed to himself, watching the two boys that passed by him interact with each other. They managed to catch up just after he did too.
"Yay! I won!"
"Huh? What are you talking about? I was faster." The pale-skinned boy looked at the tan-skinned boy who raised his brows, replying,
"I was."
"No, I was!"
"I was faster, so you have to buy me dinner!" He smiled, insisting.
"Nope, I was faster. So you buy me dinner."
"But I was faster!"
The two boys lightly bantered, leaning closer with a competitive look in their eyes.
"Hey, who was faster?" Gon turned to the examiner with curiosity just as Killua looked over, waiting for an answer.
The examiner scanned the boys, recalling the last moments before responding. "I believe you two both crossed the finish line simultaneously."
"Oh...Well, then I'll buy you dinner and then you buy me dinner!" The spiky-haired boy looked back over at his friend, making a compromise. The white-haired boy raised his brows, puzzled by the other boy's response.
"Huh?.. I don't get it."
With Gon directing his attention onto the Examiner, Killua brought his attention to a certain (H/C) standing out. A pang of familiarity hit his chest and he tensed, flexing his fingers out of caution before forcing himself to relax. What was this feeling?
Why did it feel like he knew him?
Killua didn't know there was another boy that looked like his and Gon's age. How come he hadn't noticed earlier? He was usually perceptive about these things. When did he get here too? Questions buzzed around in his head, curiously yet cautiously watching the other stand off to the side, looking out into the foggy area.
There were quite a few applicants around the area after finishing climbing up the stairs, Killua was sure he didn't pass by anyone like him during his race with Gon. Does that mean he was already initially ahead?
Did he finish before them?
He narrowed his eyes. There are too many unknown variables. Maybe he just didn't notice him because his presence was hard to sense a little...
But the more he noticed him, the more it's harder to ignore that he was even there.
He tched loudly, reaching up to his messy white hair to run his fingers through his locks slightly and sighing.
"Hm? Whats wrong Killua?" The spiky black-haired boy asked, sitting down on the ground. The latter looked down at him before opting to sit down as well.
"It's nothing."
Just as he spoke, two figures appeared behind him. The taller boy with short spiky hair and glasses panted, tired as he finished climbing the stairs. The blonde-haired boy turned to his young friend, Gon,
"Is this our destination?"
"No," Gon replied with a shake of his head.
"Ah..I see." Kurapika mumbled.
Killua drew his attention away from them over to the examiner who began to explain things, paying attention for most of the part before lidding his eyes in boredom. Ah, who's he kidding? This was boring....He knew he could handle anything. This was a breeze for him.
His mind wandered back to the (H/C)-haired boy, wondering why he seemed so familiar but he can't put his finger on it. Why did he keep thinking of him? It frustrated him to no end a little bit, trying to remember something you forgot.
There's just a sense of deja vu.
Sapphire blue colored eyes scanned over the crowd of applicants again. None of them were too interesting to Killua, all pretty boring with the exception of a few he wanted to stay clear of, like the red-haired clown.
But he's looking for the same (H/C)-haired boy in mind. Luckily, the thick fog had lifted making it easier to spot his target.
He couldn't find him in the mass of the crowd. He frowned, looking away and feeling disappointed now. Was it a figment of his imagination?
In the mass commotion of the applicants, the young boy found himself standing in place and gazing around his surroundings, not too far off from the others. What he failed to realize is what happened in a split second with the malicious intent from someone in the crowd, he directed his attention over, tensing.
There stood the red-haired clown in all of his glory, with cards in his hand, smug as ever acting all high and mighty. Milo found himself annoyed with him and cautious. Never did he want to associate himself with this man.
You didn't tune into much of their talking, examining the jester's motive around this time. It seems objectively the same, nothing really changed about him either and he can't decide if that's a good thing or a bad thing.
Sighing to himself, he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. He kinda forgot how long and boring some of the phases were...maybe he could just speed on ahead but that'd also consider the risk of actually failing the test if he were to some by chance...change the locations and what they were doing for the exams.
Plus, he needed to..just look after Gon and Killua and his friends too. If things had changed last time, they could change at any time today. There's just no end to it.
"If you lose sight of me in the Numere Wetlands fog, you will never reach the exam's second phase. Do bear that in mind."
You turned your attention to the front finally, popping your knuckles lightly before stretching. Time for another jog..you hoped not to get as dirty as you did last time. Maybe you can get through his marsh Scott free and clean, but there's just no guarantee.
"Then let us be on our way. Please follow me."
The crowd stirred as the examiner turned to walk forth, his pace gradually picking up quickly. Many seemed tired after the marathon in the dark tunnel and stairs, you wouldn't blame them. You hated stairs, they were like gateways into the depths of hell.
The marsh was especially horrible for marathons, it's muddy and messy, and you get big ass creatures all around that want to mutilate you. Generally bad, maybe it's just you but you know that since the ground isn't very stable, it's meant to slow down the applicants and wear down their energy.
Such is the way of a Hunter...learning to adapt to their environments. You wished you could sometimes hit a skip in life or in some moments.
What a pain.
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Word count: About 3000
My goal is to reach around 5000 words like the last occasional few times.