A couple minutes into the hunter exam, I learned that the first phase was quite a breeze. Ha. I could beat this exam way too easily. Too bad. I mean, I only came to have fun, and if this challenge is way too simple, there's no fun in it.
After ignoring a guy who shouted at me for riding my skateboard, I decided to be kind enough to join everyone else by running. Well, mostly because there was a curious boy dressed in green with lively brown eyes. Let's just say he was a curious boy.
It didn't take me long to find out he was the same age as me. I decided that the boy was someone worth hanging out with. However, halfway through the first phase, something started to bother me. Real bad.
It came out of nowhere. A splitting headache. I endured it, and it was surprisingly difficult not to betray the immense pain. I fought off the urge to hold my head with my two hands, kept a straight and composed face and went ahead.
Thankfully it stopped after a while. It was hard for me to shake it off. It was such a sharp pain. As though someone was stabbing the back of my skull several times with a blunt knife. I shouldn't even have felt it in the first place. I endured extreme torture training since the day I learned to walk so it really struck me that I should feel such a thing.
I was starting to fear that the exam was way too easy, but suddenly I wasn't too sure. I felt something was wrong. Something did not feel right. It wasn't the candidates around me. Oh, they were harmless little butterflies. I could see even the most stealthy ones as they glided and ran or hopped through the trees. I could take those fools for granted any day. But there was an invisible threat around us...And apparently I was the only one who was alerted to this, considering the fact that everyone else was perfectly fine. If anyone else were to feel the pain I felt just now, they certainly would have collapsed, or worse. I started to observe the surroundings as carefully as possible while trying to keep up with my conversation with Gon, who insisted that I race him to the end of the first phase.
To avoid drawing unnecessary concern or attention to me from Gon, I went with everything he said, not once letting my guard down.
I thought I had him fooled.
I was so very wrong.
After all, he wasn't just an ordinary boy...the older candidates think we're both little harmless kids...which isn't the case at all. Bakas. Anyway, about Gon...(did I mention that my new friend aka the green dressing boy's name is Gon?)
As soon as we reached the end of the first phase (leaving everyone else far behind), he began asking questions.
"Ne, Killua. I've noticed for a while that you've been bothered by something. What's going on?"
To say that I was merely surprised would be an understatement. Oh no, I was more than surprised. I thought I managed to stay composed.
Sadly, Gon just proved that wrong.
"Is it really that obvious?" I sighed in defeat, snickering. I became serious then and explained what I experienced a short while ago.
"We're in danger, somehow." I stated darkly, my eyes scanning the area around us.
"Are you sure you're not just passing out? You're as pale as a ghost after all, Killua!"
Seriously? Was he joking?
"You idiot!" I grumble and punch him in the arm.
"Hey! That hurt!"
"If you don't want that to be permanent, stop saying dumb things!"
"Either way, you don't have to worry about me, Killua." Gon said more seriously, a goofy smile on his face. "I can take care of myself. I'm sure Kurapika and Leorio would be fine too!"
"Leorio? Nah. That old man won't stand a chance against something unknown that gives someone as strong as me a nasty migraine."
"Hmmm...that doesn't sound far from correct either, but maybe someday he would become stronger."
"Idiot." I flicked his forehead.
