𝖌𝖚𝖒𝖚𝖘𝖘𝖊𝖗𝖛𝖎

s i x t e e n

the five hunter applicant rookies stepped onto their doors, simultaneously falling. [name] gently landed on the floor, eyebrows knitting as she glared, preparing herself for threats.

it was dark. so dark she couldn't even see her own hands. she looked up, finding not even the slightest spaces where light could penetrate through.

suddenly, lights were switched on. she flinched, readying her weapons. she irked at what she saw.

"h-hey guys.."

around her were the four boys. kurapika, leorio, gon and killua. the five shared confused, awkward and disappointed expressions. the two younger boys turned to look at each other, awkwardly chuckling.

"that was quite a brief farewell," kurapika muttered, brushing away dust and debris off of his clothing.

"what the hell, so all the doors led to the same room.. eh?"

gon began to walk up to one of the walls, reading aloud the script of the wall.

"the five of you must follow the will of the majority to reach the goal," gon read, looking down to spot a small pillar with items placed on top. "look, there are five stopwatches."

[name] frowned with unease as she picked up a watch, observing its features.

"there's an o and an x button."

"does this mean.. that there will be two-option doors with different outcomes?"

"that is correct!" a voice shouts, the five snapping their heads in the direction of voice.

they find a regularly-sized speaker hanging on the top of a wall.

"my name is lippo. i am the prison warden here, as well as the third phase examiner," the voice introduced.

"prison warden..?"

"multiple routes through this tower have been prepared. you have chosen the path of majority rule. cooperation will be key if you wish to clear this phase of the exam," lippo explained. "one person's selfish behaviour can derail an entire group, and you can't start until you have five members, which you seem to have."

[name] bit her lip, ceasing her fiddling and slipping the stopwatch onto her wrist.

"since i'm not that nice, and i'd like to have fun, you five can wait a few and once the time's over, i'll let you out. good luck, gentlemen!"

a vein popped out from under [name]'s skin. she growled.

"did he just assume i was a guy?! do i look like a guy?" [name] asked, looking at the boys with round eyes.

they shook their heads.

"nah, you look more like a gorilla," killua joked, making [name] gasp in shock.

[name] froze, falling to her knees. crocodile tears fell from her eyes as she sulked in front of a wall.

"how could you say that.. that was mean. you're horrible," [name] mumbled, drawing sad faces on the wall with her finger.

"killua.. you should apologise. that was a bit harsh whether you were joking or not," gon said, whispering the last bit.

"geez.. i was joking, [name]."

"then, do i look like a boy?" [name] asked, eyes narrowing at the white haired boy.

"no..?"

"do i look like a girl?"

"idiot, what else would you look like?"

"a gorilla, apparently.."

~

sitting in a corner between killua and kurapika, [name] patiently sat. she sighed, slipping off her kosode, revealing a tight-fit, long-sleeved black shirt. she silently unravelled the kusarigama which was wrapped around her waist.

feeling eyes glued to her, she paused, looking up and finding the four boys staring at her. she smiled.

"i keep it here since it isn't that predictable," [name] whispered, folding her kosode and placing it beside her.

"what's that, [name]?" gon asked, pointing at the kusarigama.

[name] chuckled at gon's curious behaviour. she stood up, picking the kusarigama and throwing it against the wall opposite her.

"this is called a kusarigama. as you can see, it's a sickle attacked to a long chain, making it a both close and long distance weapon. i don't use it that often, so it's always around my waist. i usually use stuff like this," [name] claimed, walking over to the kosode she previously wore.

she held up a dagger, rummaging her pockets and holding a shuriken and fukumibari.

"these are smaller and easier to use, so i use them more often. it gets annoying to hold so many of these tiny things, but it's helpful when it comes to my job at home," [name] said, chuckling as she put them away.

"wow! you have so many weapons! what's your job?"

[name] flinched, remaining quiet as she avoided eye-contact. she ignored the question and smiled at the four.

"if you guys'd like some weapons, just ask. i have plenty and it'll help me too."

"[name], what's your occupation?" killua asked, eyes narrowing at the girl.

[name] turned her head to connect eyes with killua's. she kept her gaze firm and unmoving as she smiled.

"that's-"

"hello, gentlemen! sorry to interrupt, i totally forgot about you guys, you can leave now," lippo announced, the five hearing a door heavily open from afar.

"what the hell took so long?!" leorio screamed, earning no response.

[name] sighed, thankful lippo prevented an awkward conversation. she paused, lifting her hands and sobbing into them.

he still thinks i'm a guy..