Hunter x Hunter

Chapter 5 (hunter exam)

Angel's POV

"Honestly Hisoka! It wasn't even a big deal. What was the point of that?" I repeated my question from before to my mysterious partner. I didn't think that the man who ran into me was a problem. We were in a tight area so it was bound to happen but I felt that Hisoka took it too far, as always.

"Pay attention to the task ahead of you." I could tell that he was tuning me out.

'Damn him!' I felt a sweat drop stream down my face. When I wiped it away I realized that my red hair dye was coming out. 'Shit! I hope this marathon ends soon. We've been running for almost 80 km now. The dye in my hair won't last much longer!'

I dyed my hair and put in blue eye contacts because Hisoka suggested it.

Flashback!

"We must do something about your hair and eyes."

"Hm?" I questioned.

"Your clan. They were going for a lot on the black market. Soon after we left your island, some tourist came by and found that everyone was dead. Any survivors will surely be going for at least 100 times more than what the price was before." I nodded my head showing that I understood. "This is the hunter exam. I'm sure some blacklist 'hunters' will recognize the infamous clan who can manipulate their body."

"Okay. I see your point. I remember that our island was always attacked several times and for several reasons."

End flashback!

'I have to just hope the finish line is close!'

As I was running up the stairs that was at the end of the race, I saw two boys leap ahead of me. Both about 6 years younger than I am and full of energy. The kids added a little light to the exam and they were so happy. I picked up my pace so I could catch back up to them.

When I reached the light at the end of the tunnel, I found both of the boys arguing over who crossed the finish line first. "Hey which one of us was fastest?" The young dark green haired boy asked.

"You crossed the finish line simultaneously." Answered the examiner.

"Yeah it beats me. Looks like it was a tie." They seemed immersed in their conversation again. While waiting for the rest of the group to catch up, I decided to introduce myself to the boys I met earlier.

"Hi, my name is Angel. And who might you be?" The white haired kid looked skeptical to answer and when I looked behind me I found out why. Hisoka was watching the exchange. The green haired kid on the other hand was more than happy to tell me his name.

"Hi! I'm Gon and this is Killua!" He gave me a smile that reminded me of Hitomi's beautiful gleam. Killua seemed angry at his friend for giving away their identities. After some light conversation, a man wearing business pants fell to the ground out of exhaustion and a blond boy appeared next to the two kids as well.

"Hey Kurapika! Hey Leorio! This is Angel. She's the girl we saw with #44 earlier." For some strange reason I felt the need to keep the extent of mine and Hisoka's relationship away from these people.

Leorio and Kurapika gave me a warm welcome. I decided to walk back to where Hisoka was, leaving my new friends behind. The examiner started telling us about the dangers of the swamp we were now standing in. He explained that the monsters liked to confuse the applicants and lure them away from the group. Suddenly, a man appeared close to the entrance of the tunnel and claimed to be the real examiner. I had my fair share of doubts, but I was positive that the man we were running with was the real examiner-

Hisoka threw his deadly cards at both of the accused monsters. The man we were running with caught it while the other one was killed. "Hi-so-ka! What the hell?!" I whisper yelled at him but he just smiled.

"Well that's that. You must be the real one." Just by looking at his face I knew that he could already tell who the real examiner was. He didn't need to perform a test. He just wanted to kill something.

We began running again. I was going to run with my new friends but I couldn't find them in the thick fog so I stayed with Hisoka.

"Oh yeah... Hisoka?" I asked. 

"What is it little angel?"

"My temporary hair dye is coming out. You can see the purple in my hair now." That was true. The roots of my hair were showing some of its brilliant amethyst color.

He thought for a moment and then responded. "We'll fix it when this phrase finishes or when we get the chance." I breathed a sigh of relief.

'I'm glad I didn't stay with the others now.'

Hisoka and I got separated from the group and quickly found ourselves in some trouble. Several men surrounded us and threatened to kill Hisoka if he didn't drop out of the exam.

"Hey, do you see that girl's hair?" One of them asked.

"Yeah. The roots are purple... which means," he started to step closer to us. "You're worth a lot on the black market." Up until now my partner didn't seem phased by these people at all.

He narrowed his eyes at them. "Angel, go away. Find your way back to the group. You don't need to see this." I do what Hisoka says and run off to find the group, unaware of the bystanders. I could hear screams behind me.

After a while of searching, I found the main group.

'Crap. What am I supposed to do about my hair?' I ran back through the forest and looked around the bodies that were scattered around the area. One lady was wearing a black scarf in her hair so I took it off and covered my purple roots.

"Thanks, girl." I ran back to the group. By the time I caught up a lot of people were at the finishing destination. I looked around but I couldn't find Hisoka or Kurapika. I couldn't find anyone I recognized until I saw a boy with white hair. "Oh hey Killua!"

"Hey, have you seen Gon?" He seemed a little worried but that was understandable.

"No I haven't. Why didn't he come in with you?"

"He probably wanted to make sure his friends are okay." The kid almost seemed jealous.

"It'll be fine. I'm sure they'll be here soon. In the meantime, let's get to know each other." I suggested.

"Hm. Alright what do you want to know?" We sat on the grass and talked.

"What about where you're from, why you're taking the exam, maybe what you like to do in your spare time."

"Well I'm from Podokea. I live on a mountain. I don't actually want to be a hunter. I'm just looking for a challenge but so far this exam has been pretty boring. And I like hanging out with Gon and riding my skateboard." He looked at the sky and laid back to watch the clouds. "What about you?"

"I'm from an island far from here. I'm taking the exam because someone I know is taking it and I didn't want to be alone while they're gone. I don't feel like going home to anyone else right now. I like to train when I have the time to or bicker with this short guy back home. I also like playing games with a couple of my friends who are back home."

"Don't you think you're talking a lot, little Angel?" I heard Hisoka's light steps walk up behind me.

"No I don't actually. Leave me alone." Hisoka fake pouted and sat down the man he was carrying. "Leorio?! What happened to him?" The jester didn't answer and decided to just walk off like I told him to.

"Hey do you know him or something?" Killua asked me.

'How do I answer that question?'

"Why do you like being around Gon?" I completely avoided his question. I had to.

He stared at me for a moment and assumed that I wouldn't answer his last question. "Because he's Gon. He's just fun to be around. What about you? You like being around those friends of yours. Tell me about them."

I thought for a minute. "Most of the time they piss me off or do questionable things but I love them in a weird way." Gon and Kurapika ran up, ending our conversation. My mind stayed on the troupe though. I kept thinking about them and our time together.