XIII - the Application

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"Why are we here?" I question Kaida as she leads me through the woods. She hums in response, refusing to answer my question.

Six months. Six total months of Nen training; two and a half dedicated to the basics, the remaining three and a half dedicated to Hatsu. Coming up with my own unique abilities was tough, but perfecting them was twenty times harder. When I asked Kaida about using sound as the basis for my Hatsu, she didn't sugarcoat it. She said it would be difficult - probably the most physically and mentally challenging thing I've faced in my life besides the basics training.

This morning, Kaida told me to pack up all of my stuff. We stopped by the landlord's apartment, where Kaida paid the last of the six-month rent and gave him extra money for the damages to the countertop, before leaving the town we had holed ourselves up in and heading back into the forest.

"Kaida," I groan, still following a few paces behind her. She sighs, looking at me over her shoulder. She shakes her head exasperatedly, turning back to the barely-visible path ahead of us.

"We're here," she reveals, stopping in a small clearing.

"Okay, but why are we -" I cut myself off after stepping around her, my eyes landing on two familiar faces a few feet away. "Kurapika!"

"Ara," he mutters, surprised. A wide grin spreads across my face and I launch myself forward, wrapping my arms around the blond. He laughs, hugging me back. I step away, looking over him.

"You changed your clothes," I note. He nods, looking down at me.

"You have, as well," he points out. I purse my lips and narrow my eyes at his hair.

"You need a haircut," I accuse. I turn around upon hearing Mizuken and Kaida chuckle. "Anyway, why are we here? Is our Nen training over?"

"Not quite," Mizuken answers, dropping his bag on the ground.

I pause, soaking in the familiarity of the situation. Walking into a forest... Mizuken and Kaida standing across from Kurapika and I... I turn around, finding the very same tree that Mizuken's Nen-enhanced acorn blew a hole into. I look back at the two of them with a suspicious expression, and the mischievous glint in their eyes confirms my thoughts.

"You both have one final test," Kaida declares, also dropping her bag to the floor. Kurapika and I follow their lead, and I glance at him to see that he has also realized what's happening. "It's the very same test that you failed when we first met... Two newbies fighting two veterans, but this time, we all know Nen. Are you up for it?"

An excited smile makes its way onto my face.

We're probably not going to technically "win" this fight...but that won't stop us from trying.

***

As Kurapika and I leave the woods, I stretch my arms tiredly. The "test" was exhausting, and I was correct when I guessed that we wouldn't "win." In a true fight, Mizuken and Kaida would most likely win, but at a certain point in our fight yesterday, they stopped us and told us that we passed. They congratulated us on our Nen graduation and, since it was late by the time we finished the test, they told us to stay one more night before heading out. Kaida gave me her phone number and ordered me to stay in contact so she knows I'm alive.

"So, Kurapika," I muse, glancing up at him. "I didn't get the chance to ask you yesterday. You're a Conjurer, aren't you?"

"Yes, how did you know?" he asks curiously, surprised.

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