Breaking Rules | HunterXHunter Fanfiction

III: The Hunt Begins

The girl waiting to be noticed

Since the Phase One of the Hunter Exam has commenced, they've been running for almost two hours and travelled over thirty kilometers from the starting point in a sullen and seemingly endless passage beneath the earth surface. Weary looks were noticeable for some examinees as exhaustion crept in their weak bodies. The first test was not only a test of stamina and endurance. The lack of knowledge on how long this phase will last and how far they needed to run in order to reach the finish line will surely test their fortitude.

Luna lately realized that this was not just a simple physical test. It was made to evaluate their raw strength to withstand mental fatigue. It was cleverly designed to effectively narrow down potential hunters though for her it was nothing special compared to the trainings her mother had put her through. The thought of her mother made her wondering if there could be a chance of anyone passing the exam if the stringent woman would personally volunteer as an examiner.

The chances would be slim to none. She concluded without a second thought.

"Oi! That's cheating!" A tall man properly suited like any civilized gentleman would, yelled and startled Luna out of her thoughts. It appeared to her that he was accusing a fairly lean boy with a peculiar silver hair for riding his skates in the midst of the exam. The man was among the person she's concerned with at the moment, noticing that he has a special connection to her target though she could not be certain of their exact relationship. The hot-headed man continued rambling nonsense and she thought he was being too loud. Her eyes winced, feeling a jolt of sting that quickly resided in both of her ears.

Unaccustomed to the strange noises of her new surrounding could be blamed for her reactions. Her family never dealt misunderstandings by shouting against each other before. Maybe besides those few times when her mother became impatient and displeased during trainings but as she could recall, it was rare times. Mostly she would receive the unbearable silent treatment and occasional cold shoulder. She's never been instructed by anyone, yet she learned to respect the dead silence enveloping the mansion without any fuss.

Despite of the man's effort the silver-headed boy bluntly ignored him and glided forward only to approach Ging's son. Luna felt a sudden mix of admiration on the silver-headed boy's cool demeanor -as he naturally opened up a conversation without being awkward about it, but mostly frustration -upset that she couldn't even bear to get a foot closer to her target yet the boy made it look so simple.

It's been a while yet she hasn't made any progress. Looking at the silver-headed boy made her wondering if maybe she's thinking way too much that made things more difficult for her. But then again she's not as bold as him. She could already imagine herself looking like weirdo in front of the boy. In the end she chose to stick to the plan.

"Goddess, I need a miracle..." she hopelessly muttered and let out an exasperated sigh.

That's when a sudden commotion at the back caught her attention. Luna recognized the three applicants back from the ship that she suspected as brothers given the similarity on their features. Instead of paying their attention on the test just like everyone else, they'd rather picked on a chubby boy looking expensive with his white ruffled shirt fancied with a red bow and matching tight pants. Luna couldn't help dispraising how inappropriate his choice of clothing given this event. It looks uncomfortable and she suspected that it was one of the many reasons why the chubby boy was already exhausted. Luna didn't care any less about his fate on the exam or anything to do with him but a part of her couldn't help but be affected by the situation he's currently in.

Why can't they just leave him alone? Luna's mind silently protested.

She wanted to stop them real bad but there's another voice in her head reasoning to steer clear. Avoiding the setback, she decided to pick up her pace and away from the things that could distract her from her priorities but it would be lying to deny the cries of protest in back of her head. She chose to rather keep running and planted her eyes ahead trying to shake off the burden however even in the distance she could still perfectly hear them; teasing her faltering constraints.