Lotus Flower || Hunter X Hunter

Chapter 1

The escape had gone suspiciously well at first; the guards didn't come until several minutes had passed, enough time for them to reach the thick forest outside of the main building, but from there it went downhill.

The tunnel entrance had caved in, with rocks covering the entrance. Xiuying could remember the string of vulgarities Jianyu let out upon that discovery, and if it weren't for their grave situation she might have laughed.

From there they were just playing a twisted game of hide and seek, where the price of being caught would likely be death.

They made a mad dash away from the building, their plans tarnished by a single accident. Jianyu still felt guilty for relying entirely on that tunnel, but neither Xiuying or Meiying blamed him for it.

It had taken almost the entire day to escape the premises, but in the end they came out victorious. For the first time in her life, Xiuying was free.

Even a couple years later, she could still remember the tears that had escaped Jianyu's eyes as they took shelter in a nearby city. He had been the only one of them who knew life outside of captivity.

Meiling had been in shock, barely able to move after they stopped running.

It had since been around two years since their escape, and they were still laying it low, even if they were hundreds of kilometers away at that point. Xiuying was now 14 years old, but she didn't have time to enjoy her teen years. As far as they knew, people were still looking for them.

The thought shook Xiuying to the core. She knew what they would be put through if they were found.

But now Jianyu was officially a hunter, and she had learned the basics of nen. He didn't feel skilled enough to be able to fully teach her about nen, but at least she knew more than she used to. Surely they could hold their own now, right?

She found out through the water divination test that she was a manipulator; an oddity in a family that apparently consisted mostly of emitters. Jianyu himself was an emitter, and Meiling likely would be as well. 

Now, it was her turn to take the hunters exam.

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As the three siblings stood by the dock, waiting for the boat that would take her to Zaban city where the exam would be located, Xiuying was just starting to realize the fact that she would be away from her family for what would probably be weeks.

Would they be okay? Jianyu would be fine, most likely, but what about Meiying? Who would be there to do her hair in the morning, to make sure she didn't skip out on meals when they weren't looking? Her brother was able to take care of them just fine, but she couldn't help but worry.

It was a bit stupid, really. She was just worried that he wasn't going to do it like she did. But the thing is, the way she did it worked. What if what he tried didn't work? Surely he would contact her if he needed help?

Jianyu turned to face her, a hand coming to rest on her shoulder.

"Remember," he started, "don't use your nen unless you have to. It could make you the target of some dangerous people. Some of the applicants are pretty messed up in the head, so laying low is always a good option. Make sure to avoid anyone, and I mean anyone, who looks even a bit suspicious. You don't know what motives they might have."

He didn't say it outright, but Xiuying could tell what he was implying. There might be people who would recognize her from the facility. If they did, they would catch her and take her back there as soon as they could. She shuddered slightly and nodded.