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It was a stormy night, waves harshly crashing into the lone ship that trashed around, barely holding on. The salty scent of the rough seas mingled their senses as the crew ran around, doing their best to survive through the heavy storm.

Heavy rain poured down as if the clouds have been holding back for ages, the wind messing with the trajectory of the heavier than usual water drops. Making it more difficult compared to a normal downpour.

Through it all, a young traveler leaned his back against the railing of the ship, casually looking around, amused at the sight of worker ants running around to save their short lives. The boy wasn't dumb, not one bit. So, he easily figured out exactly why they were in the middle of a storm which can be otherwise avoided by an experienced sailor, such as the one who was skillfully pulling them through the storm. The answer was obvious wasn't it? It's some kind of a test for the exam, was what he decided.

He was honestly disappointed with the rest of the participants whom were laughing at his child like body just a few hours ago. Oh, but look at them right now, all except the boy himself, piled in the small cabin like room, most on them passed out and few barely hanging on to their consciousness. All of them trashing around back and forth in the room which now had a faint scent of vomit.

And I am the kid... grownups are really pathetic aren't they

The boy with pure white hair lets out a sigh at his thoughts. His twelve-year body doing nothing to help him with the insults he got specifying he was a naïve child. However, appearances can be deceiving, and this kid was the perfect example of it. Both physically and mentally. He was proving that even now, handling the storm like no one else could.

It took two entire hours for the storm to pass, and the boy didn't even attempt to move from his position from the railway the entirety of time, only moving when the captain suddenly waved to get his attention from the second-floor control rooms door.

"Kid, wait 'n there." The captain whose name the boy didn't remember ordered, pointing his thumb to his back, towards the entrance of the control room. "I'll see if anyone else is still awake."

"Sure." Killua answered humorlessly, casually getting in as the captain walked down the stairs.

Again, with the kid...

After escaping from his controlling family, he had been traveling his own journey. On the path he chose himself, and he hoped it would stay that way forever. Sure, he was still a child, but he wasn't driven like the ordinary humans. After all, unlike them who aimed for the license, he was only taking this dangerous path to see whether it met the rumors or not. He wanted to discover it on his own.

Can you believe a story of a twelve-year-old taking a life-threatening exam just to test the exam itself? Well, believe it or not, this isn't some fanfiction, it's reality, and this kid who was far from normal had a lot waiting for him along the journey.

"Only two of ya survived from fifty-seven participants." The captain of the ship announced, now standing in front of the white head and another black-haired man in their mid-twenties who tailed into the room after the captain. "Now, introduce yerself, startin' from the kid." He ordered, pointing at youngest in the room.

The boy leaned on a leg, tucking his right hand into the pocket of his pants while holding a skateboard under his other arm. "Killua, you can call me Killua." He finally answered in a bored tone.

No need to mention the cursed last name...

His name was Killua Zoldyck, a child belonging to the renowned assassin family who were called to be a rumor. Ordinary people never believed in their existence as these killers live in the dark, living on a huge mountain like the predators they were.

The kid, Killua himself was taught the art to kill from a very young age, his hands already tainted with hundreds of lives he was tasked to kill. Placed on the pedestal titled the next heir of the family, he was forced to go further down the dark road, before the child himself started disliking the path that was carved for him. No wonder he ran off, away from the controlling people he called family.

"Why do ya wanna become hunters?" The captain asked, making Killua snap out of his thoughts.

The boy just shrugged. "I'm just curious to see if the exam is as hard as the rumors say." He answered casually, ignoring the fact that he completely missed the name of the man standing next to him with almost double his own height. It makes Killua look small even if he was five foot two which is tall for a normal twelve-year-old.

The old captain hummed, before trailing his gaze up to make direct eye contact with emerald green orbs. "And what bout ya?"

The room went silent for a moment, as if the man contemplated with telling the truth. His hesitance caught Killua's attention as the boy raised a bro at the male, his head craning up and almost straining to take a god look at the male's face, well the side of it.

In the end the male just let out a sigh. "I am after a specific assassin, been searching them for a while now actually." He slowly revealed, a single word in that sentence taking Killua by surprise.

"Why?" The child couldn't help but ask, which made the male look down at him, his bright emerald orbs burning with fire as it connected with curious royal blue ones.

"I want to make sure they experience a low and painful death." He slightly growled, before looking away, muttering something to himself. "For leaving me alive, and me only." Killua's heightened senses caught the mutter loud and clear, which further intrigued him.

An assassin who spared someone who had clearly seen them kill? What is up with that? Pretty sure it's an amateur who goes around killing people.

Soon enough, the ship landed with a few final words from the captain, him pointing at a place on the hilltop. "Head to that huge cedar tree, that's the way to the damn exam site." With that he literally kicked both Killua and the unnamed man off board. They managed to land on their feet's, the man stumbling a bit but catching himself before his face met the floor unlike Killua who nailed his landing.

Next to the boy, the dark-haired male clicked his tongue. "The exam is held in Zaban city, don't let him deceive you." The male voiced out, before starting to walk towards the exact opposite direction of the specified hilltop.

Killua watched him go, not bothering to follow after.

Ah, there he goes... I was hoping to find more about that dumb assassin he talked about...

The snow haired boy was talented, more than anyone but his family gives him credits for. For his assassin sharp eyes managed to figure out that the captain was indeed not lying. A human's body language can reveal a lot more than words after all.

What a disappointment...

With that, the boy turned around to head to the direction of the huge ass tree, without a glance to the male who he wasn't going to meet any time soon. Not that it was decided though, after all, the world have a weird way of working coincidences.

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After threatening one or two... okay a couple examiners, Killua had finally come across a Navigator who was willing to guide him to the exam site. Well, it wasn't like he was doing that because the kid almost killed him, no sure that happened, but he genuinely thought Killua's skills were enough for him to pass as a possible hunter.

Just like that, the snow haired boy trailed after the tall male with brown hair and brown eyes. The Navigator who introduced himself as Haruhi, leading him through the Zaban city and towards a specific restaurant. The poor male tried having normal conversation with the child, however the awkward air around them was making things... well, awkward. Though, it didn't look like Killua was affected by it, making it ten times more awkward.

"We are here." Haruhi declared, stopping in front of a normal looking restaurant. Killua came to an abrupt halt of surprise, jaw slightly dropping from the fact that all hunter applicants from across the world were meant to assemble at the shabby looking place.

Wait... I knew the exam site was gonna be somewhere nonobvious, but this... never expected this, not bad at all...

After Haruhi not so discreetly revealed some sort of a password to the reception desk, they we're given access to the back room. Where he came across a square room with two double doors. There was an average round table placed in the middle, with three chairs randomly around it. "Well, we're here..." Haruhi let out, before they were interrupted when the double doors on the wall right across them opened.

In came an adult looking man and a strange mysterious figure, which Killua easy deduced was another applicant who was led by their Navigator.

A child? No, judging by their height they must be around the same age as me... maybe a bit younger since they're a bit on the shorter side...

It was a person standing at five foot directly, two inches shorter than him. Yet what made him deadpan was the long dark grey cloak they were wearing. It was indeed a suspicious sight. The cloak covering them as whole with the huge hood of it pulled over their head to cover almost all of their face. Which made it hard to determine their gender as well.

What's up with this person? An idiot? How are they able to fight with that thing covering even the shoes...? It's the hunter exam, course they'd have to come across battles, right?

The ex-assassin narrowed his eyes to the person, still standing next to Haruhi with a hand in his pocket and the other holding his only other companion which happened to be a skateboard. His sharp eyes followed the hooded person's movement as they turned to extend a hand towards the Navigator who accompanied them. Their hand revealing from a split on a side of the cloak which took Killua by a single second of surprise.

However, the blue-eyed boy was quick to observe the revealed hand, eyeing the paper like pale white skin on their hand which closely matches his, if not paler. Skin smooth as silky milk and a perfectly delicate looking small hand greeted him.

His eyes trailed up at the revealed black long sleeve of the cloths they were wearing, noticing a while line going up with it.

Yep, definitely around my age, or a teenager. Their hands look small and delicate, probably belongs to a girl, or one of those boys with feminine hands.

The mysterious figure's navigator looked at their extended hand with a sweat drop. "What?" He uttered out, completely lost. He was answered by silence though, the figure not twitching a bit from their position with the extended hand. "Um, are you asking for a handshake or something?" He asked yet again, which was thankfully answered, with a bob of their head that was.

An awkward silence followed right afterwards, which was cut off with a tired sigh from the male. "You know... things would be a lot easier if you just... talked?" He stated, or more like asked? actually yeah it was a bit of both. The Navigator stared at the person expectedly, only to let out another sigh of defeat before taking the smaller hands to give a slow shake. "It's impossible with you huh... It's too bad, you have a beautiful voice too."

"Got a hard one mate?" Haruhi called out from besides the white head, not bothering to move and inch away from his position.

He was replied with another sigh, as if he was done with the whole exam itself. "Definitely, this one's silent, someone with a few words. I've heard her only once and that was when she threatened us." He ratted out, exasperated with his situation. "She didn't even mention her name."

She, her... so it is a girl...

"Got anyone better there?" The unnamed male asked, trailing his eyes to look over Killua, who looked like he was bored out of his mind.

Instantly, Haruhi's aura turned dark and depressed. "As if, this kid straight up tried to kill me without even going along with the test. He figured out we weren't human from a single glance."

The mentioned boy whistled innocently, looking around the square room as if the main topic at hand wasn't about him. "Well, no need brooding over some kids." Haruhi exclaimed, turning to walk out of the door he entered from. His aura turning an abrupt 180.

His comrade, the second Navigator copied his action as he waved at the hooded girl. "Good luck both of you, you guys did well to reach this far." He voiced, before the two double doors slammed shut at the very same time, making the white head raise a brow at their randomness.

That's when he felt eyes on him, which made him dart his royal blue eyes to the other applicant in the space. Only to see the girl's head directed at him. His eyes narrowed, disappointed at the fact that he can't see her full face, however, even from the distance, his sharp eyes caught the sight of pale white skin before the person turned away, moving to lean against the wall right next to the door she entered from, and right across from him.

Just then, the room shook, before the air changed as if the gravity was being messed with. Killua's eyes darted to the wall on his left, only to see a black screen with a yellow B and numbers gradually increasing one by one.

A lift...?

Killua wondered, stepping back to lean against the wall next to the door he entered, directly facing the only other person in the room. Then followed silence... A very awkward silence. For some reason there was this tension in the air, so thick that it can be neatly sliced with a sharp knife. That was, before it was abruptly cut off just when the numbers on the screen read B50.

"Zoldyck." It was a simple word, but with a haunted meaning behind it. A word that described Killua's dark past and that didn't fail to send a shiver down his spine. Especially when it was her who stated it out.

Voice and tone as clear as water, pitch as light as the noise of a melody. It was truly a harmonica, a sound he'd never heard in his entire twelve years of being alive. For a hot second, Killua forgot where he stood before he was ironically snapped out of his daze when the girl continued to talk.

"You're one of them, a notorious Zoldyck aren't you." She questioned, almost immediately placing a target on her head by yours truly.

This girl... is dangerous...

The ex-assassin concluded at once, narrowing his eyes at the figure, the royal blue shining through the shadow of his white bangs. "I prefer to be called Killua, for your information." He stated, a sharp tone to his voice.

"Killua... to kill..." She muttered as if to herself, but reaching Killua's ears as well. "What a fitting name, for someone like you." Her tender calm voice stated, monotonously reaching his ears. Her statement ringing warning bells in this head.

"Who are you?" Killua asked, his question coming out as an order, bloodlust slowly leaking out as he glared at the cloaked figure.

A moment of silence followed, before a giggle resonated through the silence, catching the white head off-guard. "Perhaps... is the snow kitten angered?" Her voice taunted, still coming out softly but with a noticeable edge to it.

Killua was just about ready to kill, prepared, before a bell rang. Both of their heads snapped up to see the number of B100, their attention then diverting to the door next to Killua opening right afterwards. The white head turned to the girl, to see if she was gonna make any movement of stepping out. When she didn't, the boy just let out a huff, sending her a fleeting glare before casually walking out with a hand tucked into his pocket.

I'll figure out her deal later...

Stepping into the underground craven looking place with weird looking huge pipes running along the walls. The boy gazed at the group of people who stared at him for a moment, before going back to whatever they were doing, seemly losing interest.

It sure is tense in here, well not a surprise really.

"Hello, please take a number." A short green bean headed creature wearing a suit called out to him with a smile, making the ex-assassin look down at him before taking the extended circular badge out of the creatures gloved hand.

"99?" Killua mumbled to himself, before raising his head to observe the crowd yet again. "So, I'm the 99th person to arrive huh."

"Yes, currently within a total of 100 people." The creature answered to his mumbling, while extending a badge towards a person to his left, standing a bit behind him. Killua immediately went tense, snapping his head to look at his left with slightly wide eyes. "Be sure to wear this on your chest at all times. Be careful not to lose it." The bean called out, walking away to god knows where.

The white-haired boy wasn't listening though. "How long have you been there?" The boy questioned, narrowing his eyes at the cloaked girl.

I didn't sense her approach, as if she was completely hiding her presence... The fact that I didn't realize her right behind me... I don't like it...

A nerve instantly popped on his temple when the girl just shrugged, her hand holding the badge disappearing into the cloak. "Why you..."

"Hello there!" A voice chirped from before them, gaining both of their attention. "Haven't seen you guys around before, must be your first time taking this exam." It was an adult male wearing blue, with the badge no 16 placed on his chest. The male gave them a close eyed smile, his rectangular nose gaining a specific girls attention.

Weird...

"Huh how can you tell?" Killua wondered out loud with a single raised brow.

"Course I can tell, after all, this will be my thirty fifth attempt." He announced, making the boy blink in surprise.

"Thirty fifth time?! What is that?" Killua exclaimed, holding in his laugh at the audacity of the situation.

"Well, you could say I'm an exam veteran." He mentioned, proudly holding a hand to his chest.

Killua let out a huff, eyes swarming of amusement. "Why are you so proud of that?" He let out in a mocking tone, clearly underestimating the old man only to see the twitching eyebrows of the adult.

"Well, if you have any questions about the exam, feel free to ask me." The male managed to let out through gritted teeth, the white-haired boy almost laughing at the sight of the adult still trying to stick to the obvious fake persona. "Oh, that reminds me..." The male trailed off, before casually ruffling through his side bag in search of something. "You two must be tired from your journey, so why don't you have a little drink to boost your energy?" He asked, taking out two suspicious looking orange and yellow cans and holding them out to both Killua and the hooded girl standing next to him

"Oh, thanks?" Killua muttered, slowly taking the can out of the male's hand.

"Names Tonpa." The man revealed, before turning his attention to the cloaked mysterious figure who stayed silent this whole time. "How about you? Want one?" He asked which was answered by silence.

Tonpa's hand was left in the air as he felt the person behind the hood staring a hole right through him, making him sweat bullets. Killua lifted a curious brow when the girl just turned away from the man to head to the right, slowly passing by the ex-assassin's back as she whispered in his right ear. "Catch you later..." Her low soft voice raised all of the boy's neck hairs, only being left to stare at the back of the cloak as she walked away.

"Well that was rude." Tonpa uttered with a low growl.

Tch, whoever's under that cloak... we'll see if they can keep quiet like that... Crushing them would be worthwhile...

_______[]x[]HUNTER x HUNTER[]x[]_______

Hello! This is the Fact Box!

Which will include facts from next chapter onwards lol!

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