Hunters X and X Heroes

Pass X and X Fail

Rukei listened to the announcement over the intercom calling applicants for an interview of some sort sending Hisoka in first as they were going by applicant number. Being #402, she'd be waiting there for a while.

The final phase was right at the doorstep along with her license. And then she could go back and show it to Shichi and-

But what happens then?

Rukei's eyes drifted over to the window revealing blue skies and puffy white clouds that had begun to collect. Of course, she would work with Shichi. They'd go out, investigate, and take down. They'd be a tag team again and Rukei wouldn't have to memorize files on top of files of numbers and names that she wouldn't be able to use. She asked herself the wrong question.

But what happens to them?

Well, Leorio would go to medical school; she had been told later that Leorio wanted to become a doctor. Kurapika would probably focus on getting information to exact revenge. Gon would look for his father. Killua would- what would Killua do?

He didn't want to go back to being an assassin, as confused as she was, she could figure that much out. What would he do?

These were the kind of questions along with the cube that Rukei distracted herself with to escape the terrible, tearing, suffocating feeling that had gotten so much stronger since Trick Tower.

-

"Who am I keeping an eye on? " Rukei's answer was almost immediate, "#405. He's unpredictable, but in a good way. As for someone I don't want to fight..."

Well, she didn't want to fight any of her friends but she was sure Netero could already tell. The other person she didn't want to battle would be...

"#301," she replied, "He's dangerous but unlike #44, I know much less about his abilities or intentions." Granted, a little part of her was excited at the idea of fighting an unknown opponent but it wasn't a practical thing to do so she pushed it away.

"Alright, good work," the chairman chimed, writing away with the brush lethargically but at the time she had no idea what kind of lopsided, ridiculous bracket he was creating for them.

-

"For the Final Phase, we will be holding a one on one tournament." Netero announced while throwing away a gray cloth hung over a board. The bracket was separated in the weird way, and she began to think that maybe something was done incorrectly, but this was the Final Phase of Hunter Exam. She doubted that. This again was just the work of the crazy chairman Netero. It seemed that only one person would be declared as winner, but to her relief, only one person would be failing.

But that guaranteed at least one fail.

The old man ripped away the sticker covering the identities of who would be going up against who.

Her picture was matched up with a familiar painted face accompanied with red hair.

Rukei's luck was seriously something else. She did not spare a glance for anything else lest her eyes give away her state of dreading fear. She could have been killed so easily during the first phase at two times, no, many times before and after that. She asked herself if Shichi could beat this man.

Rukei didn't know.

She quickly checked her friends, Gon being at the very end of the bracket against #294, she never got his name, and Leorio being on the other side of it. Kurapika would be facing whoever won between her and the psychotic clown. She definitely did not want to be faced with fighting the blonde again but winning was, first of all, highly unlikely, second, that meant Kurapika would be facing off against Hisoka. That wasn't the most pleasant matchup either.