Cards and Keys

Chapter Three: Phase One

Lucy POV

Around an hour had passed and Hisoka was still running beside me. I didn't mind his presence, but his constant questions had started to grate on me. He wanted to know stuff about me but wouldn't talk about himself. Talk about unfair!

"Oh come on~" He whined, "What can I do to get you to talk to me?~"
Oh Mavis, I was really at my breaking point. I never was good at ignoring people. Being a people pleaser is truly a curse.

I sighed and gave in, "Fine, I'll talk to you,"
His eyes lit up and a grin appeared on his face.
"But only if you carry me the rest of the way." I grinned back. Chances were that it would put him off and he'd leave me alone. And even if it didn't, my legs were starting to get tired so I wasn't against him carrying me. That might've been a lazy choice, but I'd rather of preserved my energy for the later phases. Hisoka seemed pretty strong anyways, if Natsu could pick me up then he probably could. Though Natsu did always say I was heavy...

"I'll happily carry you my dear~" He laughed and picked me up bridal style.
Oh? He actually went for it.

"Hey, wait up a sec!" I panicked, feeling my feet being swept off the floor. The only person who'd carried me in this position had been Natsu.

"You said you wanted me to carry you, didn't you? Just relax~" Hisoka adjusted his arms around my waist. I nodded, heat rising to my face as I felt his skin pressed against my own. Damn it, how was I getting flustered over a fucking clown? Mira would've been disappointed in me.

"So~ How come you're taking the exam?" He asked.

He was being nosy again, huh? I did say I'd answer his questions though, so it was only fair.
"My life's been kinda dull lately," I admitted, "I figured that becoming a hunter could make it more interesting."

"Ah," He smiled, "I'm sure this exam will bring some very interesting things your way~"
What on Earth was that supposed to mean? Everything he'd said to me so far was incredibly cryptic. I couldn't tell whether he was sincere or not. Though it was probably safer to assume the latter.

"Well, that's not ominous." I sweat-dropped. He just chuckled in response. Because of course he did.

"Lucy!" I heard Gons voice approaching from behind me and Hisoka. I'd been wondering where him and the other's were. I was glad to see that they were still going.
"Is that guy hurting you?!" Leorio called out.
Aww, it was sweet to see that they were concerned about me.

"I'm fine guys," I reassured, "Hisoka's uhh...a friend?" The words slipped out my mouth and I instantly cursed myself for them.

"Oh~ So we're friends now?" Hisoka whispered with a smirk. Shit.

"I mean, I guess we are." I faced away from him and internally facepalmed. Well done Lucy. Now you're friends with the psycho clown.

"Are you sure someone like him is trustworthy?" Kurapika glared at him. I couldn't blame for not trusting Hisoka, he did come off as pretty sketchy. But I didn't think he had any bad intentions towards me. I hoped so at least.

"I'm sure! And even if he tries to hurt me, then I'm more than able to defend myself." I smiled smugly. Hisoka was definitely strong, but so was I. Especially since no one in this world had or knew about magic like mine. I'd have the element of surprise!

"I'd never hurt you my dear~" Hisoka pouted.
Seeing him pout was really strange...and oddly cute? He was kinda like a puppy. If the puppy was bigger than me and killed people.
"Sure," I smiled uncertainly "Just being careful."

After another hour running, people were dropping like flies. All overtaken by fatigue and dwindling motivation. Thankfully Gon and the others were still going, but Leorio looked like he could pass out at any moment. Somehow Hisoka hadn't even broken a sweat, was that man even human? I wouldn't have been surprised if he was some sort of alien. It would explain his deathly pale skin.

The examiners voice echoed through the tunnel,
"We've reached the 80km mark, it's now time to pick up the pace a bit." He started skipping up an enormous stair case like it was nothing. The people there really were insane.

"Hey Hisoka," I tapped on his shoulder, "I think I'm gonna run for this bit."
Running for a bit would make me feel more deserving of passing the first phase. Plus it would be cruel to make Hisoka carry me the whole time.

He obliged and put me down, once again running beside me. Keeping up with him was pretty difficult, but I managed.

"Oh, by the way, I forgot to ask you why you're taking the exam." I mentioned. Now it was my turn to be nosy.

"Glad to see you're curious about me my dear~ It's because being a hunter simply makes life more exciting." He explained. His reasoning was actually pretty similar to mine. We were both looking for more excitement. Although, I didn't know what his idea of excitement entailed.

As we carried on up the stairs a light became visible at the end of the tunnel. Finally! It took us long enough, I didn't expect the first phase to be this long or tedious. But I guess having an endurance test first was a smart way to weed people out. What cruel examiners. 

Cheers of relief were heard all throughout the crowd, which had rapidly decreased in numbers. Way less than half were left of the original applicants. Less competition the better though.

Soon enough, Hisoka and I crossed the finish line. We were some of the first to finish, behind Gon and a white haired kid.

"Woo!!" I cheered and pumped my fist in the air. Victory felt good. I hugged Hisoka but quickly let go after seeing the teasing smirk on his face. Why did he have to make everything weird? I sneakily shuffled away from him and towards the others.

"Congrats on being first!" I high-fived Gon.
"Thanks!" He beamed, "This is Killua by the way!" He motioned to boy beside him.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Lucy!" I smiled at Killua.
"You too." He gave a small smile.

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A/N:Yay chapter 3 is up :) Writing Lucy's and Hisoka's conversations is so fun!