Rukei was not a very talkative person. Gon knew that. But he still talked to her even if all she had to reply with was 'I see' or an 'Is that so?' or an 'Interesting'. Because while she wasn't good at showing it with her expression or in her words, her tone and eyes said she rather enjoyed listening to stories about Mito-san, Kon, and Whale Island.

"What about you, Rukei?" He asked. They had been running for about two hours now and she estimated how far they had run; thirty kilometers.

She didn't quite understand what the boy was asking, "What about me?"

"I bet you have a lot of stories about Shichi, right?" Gon explained, looking at her expectantly.

"Oh... Well..," she had to turn the other way and give herself a moment to stop herself from smiling. She faced him again. "One time, Shichi-oneesan caught-,"

A loud, indignant, and familiar yell interrupted her. "Hey kid! Show some respect for the Hunter exam!"

They both picked up the pace a little to see the reason for the commotion. They found Leorio pointing at a boy their age riding a yellow and red skateboard.

He stared up at him cluelessly, "What do you mean?"

"That's cheating!" He blew up on him, "You can't ride a skateboard!"

He blinked, before continuing on like a little toddler to his scolding parent. "Why?"

"Why?' It's an endurance test!"

"No it's not!" Gon broke in, catching up next to the two. "The examiner only told us to follow him." She almost sighed to herself. She wished she brought her bike.

Leorio fumed, yelling at the other boy. "Gon! Whose side are you on?!" He quickly turned to the girl, "Say something, Rukei!"

She blinked slowly before glancing at the boy. "Like what?" She asked quietly. He seemed very, very vaguely familiar, but she was confident enough in her memory to remember any kid her age, one with conspicuous white hair at that. He seemed to be on the more normal side of dress in comparison to her friends with the white shirt thrown over the dark blue turtleneck and his baggy gray shorts.

He pushed himself over to herself and Gon randomly asking a question. "How old are you?"

"Huh?" Gon raised his eyebrows but continued to smile, "I'm twelve."

"Twelve." She replied, as the boy seemed to think about something for a minute before closing his eyes and kicking off the skateboard. The yellow board spun in the air and he caught it before landing back on the ground without missing a beat.

He matched their pace, coming along side them, "I guess I'll run too then."

"Wow! That was cool!" Gon exclaimed, referring to the trick he did moments prior.

"I'm Killua," the boy introduced himself, glancing at the other two expectantly.

Gon grinned back at him, "I'm Gon."

She normally would have replied with just 'Rukei' and that would be it, but for whatever reason, she just felt like throwing a couple more words in. "I'm Rukei."

She glanced back. Leorio had fallen behind considerably and not too long afterwards he came to a complete stop to the ground, his briefcase clattering after him close by. She halted in her steps, following Gon's example, and this made Killua stop, staring at the other two.

"Hey, forget him. Let's get going."

She turned her gaze to the white-haired boy, "If you want to go then go on yourself." She looked back at Leorio and then to Killua again. "We'll catch up soon."

Rukei had faith in the doctor. While he didn't seem to stand out much between Gon's sharp instinct and senses and Kurapika's intellect, she knew of his tenacity and the fact that he was not weak or fragile.

She was proven to be correct seconds later.

"TO HECK WITH THAT! I'M GONNA BECOME A HUNTER!"

She couldn't help but let out a little smile at Leorio's determination as he dashed ahead. She was about to sprint back and grab his briefcase and run. But Gon had it all taken care of with the handy fishing rod that stuck out from his backpack. He reeled it in and let it rest on top of his bag.

Killua showed some interest now in contrast to his usual nonchalance. "Cool!"

"Let me try that later."

"Only if you let me try your skateboard too!"

They traveled in silence for a while, until Killua spoke up again. "Hey, Gon, Rukei." She glanced to the side, "Wanna race?"

Rukei shut her eyes, trying to quell her competitive spirit. She liked racing and pushing herself outside her limits but she decided to heed Shichi's advice and not waste all her energy during the first and second phases. She was about to say 'pass' when Gon interrupted her.

"Sure!" Gon replied, "The loser has to buy dinner for the others!"

Others? Rukei frowned. Or at least in her head. She did not agree to any bet yet. She was about to decline again when she was interrupted by another statement.

"Okay, you're on!"

She was starting to get annoyed.

"Ready... Go!"

They shot forward with a new burst with energy. Surprised and upstaged, she darted after them to keep up. She didn't want to be left behind. And then her eyes fell on her next obstacle.

Stairs. She would have given a groan of irritation but she decided to save her breath for something of greater importance. Judging from when they first arrived at the basement, it was safe to guess that all these steps were equalled to a hundred or so floors. Now it most certainly was not her first marathon up stairs but she really, really would have preferred not to do this type of thing again. She was glad she did not bring her bike.

She saw a familiar head of blonde, though he had ditched his red and blue tabard, and a man with a green necktie flying around his neck next to him. It was easy to conclude that the man was Leorio.

"See you at the goal, Kurapika!" Gon chimed.

Rukei turned her head to the left to look at them, "Excuse us for going ahead."

"Catch you later, old timer!"

Leorio gnashed his teeth at them before yelling, "I'm not an old man! I'm a teenager just like you guys!"

Rukei tripped on the stairs.

She managed to shoot both of her hands out before her face smashed into the stone steps and using her momentum she flipped over continuing to run, attempting to pretend that nothing happened.

The oldest teenager waved his arms angrily at her, "Is it that surprising?!"

She ignored him, running on with the other two, her ability of perception and deduction shaken. She ducked quickly as someone toppled to the ground almost taking her with him. She needed to focus.

"I'm impressed you can keep up with me," Killua commented out of the blue.

She peered at the other two kids with near disbelief. Her legs were starting to grow weary and she hadn't even seen the other two break into a sweat. "That should be my line."

"Really?" The mountain boy asked sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Or maybe everyone else is too slow," he reasoned, while she inwardly scoffed. Everyone else was by no means slow. Their current abilities were not normal, and she knew that. Especially for their age.

The white-haired boy hung his head in disappointment, slumping over. "Man... The Hunter Exam is going to be a breeze." He continued on like a kid with nothing to do at home. "How boring."

"Killua, why do you want to be a Hunter?" Gon asked curiously, again asking questions in her place.

"Me?" He looked up to meet their gazes, "I'm not really interested in becoming a Hunter." He detected the looks of confusion, "I heard the exam was supposed to be really hard so I thought'd it be fun," the white-haired boy closed his eyes, to her it seemed to be with arrogance, "But this is disappointing."

"Someone has too much time on his hands," Rukei muttered sarcastically to which Killua caught and glared at her.

He interrogated her from across Gon making the dark-haired boy a bit nervous. "And why are you taking the Hunter exam, Rukei?"

"I was promised the right to work alongside the person I respect the most should I become a Hunter," she returned evenly. She could feel the staticky tension between her and the boy before Killua turned to Gon with a huff.

"What about you Gon?"

Glad that the two weren't going to pick a fight, not that Rukei would do it straight out anyways, he answered his question. "Well, you see my dad's a Hunter. So I want to become a Hunter just like my dad!"

The white-haired boy hummed with interest. "So what kind of Hunter is your dad?"

"I don't know."

She forced back a smile. She thought that maybe Gon had some information on his father that he could follow and track besides that one fact but she was wrong, again. But at least this time, she couldn't really be that surprised.

"That's kinda weird!" Killua laughed, saying his own thoughts out loud.

"Really?"

He turned his head back around to look at the mountain boy. "You want to be like your dad, yet you know nothing about him?"

"I was raised by Mito-san so I've only seen my dad in pictures," Gon explained, however once again his explanation left out a couple details.

"Who's Mito-san?"

"Aunt Mito," he replied without skipping a beat.

The white-haired boy was still left in some murky waters but he could follow along. "Right..."

"When he was twelve my dad took the Hunter Exam," he stated which surprised her. Gon was taking the test the same age his father did. "He passed and left the island. I want to find out why he chose to be a Hunter over being with me!" Rukei envied the honest positivity and the cheerful outlook he had. She wished him best regards in finding his father.

A brighter light met her eyes and she blinked to adjust. The shining white circle at the end of the tunnel invoked cheers and yells of victory from the applicants.

"The exit!"

"Phew..."

"I can finally say goodbye to this dark tunnel!"

They took off faster without warning leaving her in their dust to catch up. With a still straight expression, she yelled after them but in vain. They had already made it outside at the exact same time in perfect sync into the foggy air. She shook her head as she followed them.

They were still arguing after she crossed the 'finish line' seconds after them, waiting a few feet away from the examiner.

"I was faster, so you have to buy dinner!"

"Nope, I finished first so you owe me food!"

"But I was faster!" Gon turned his head to face the tall man behind her. "Hey, who was faster?"

He replied politely and accurately in her opinion. "I believe that you crossed the line simultaneously..."

The mountain boy let out an 'oh' of disappointment before coming up with an odd resolution. Then I'll buy you dinner! Then you buy me dinner!"

"I don't get it," Killua mumbled before catching sight of her out of the corner of his eye. "Anyways since Rukei finished last, shouldn't she buy dinner?"

She stared at him in an accusatory manner. "I have no memory of agreeing to such a bet."

"Hey, that's dirty!" he growled back, pointing a finger at her. "Just 'cause you lost!"

Rukei was having a difficult time not sniffing at him to show her annoyance. "If I really wanted to I could have beaten both of you."

"You could not, you liar!"

"I could. I was only heeding the advice of my senior."

"Stop acting all high and mighty!"

Gon quickly stepped in between two, smiling uneasily, "Killua, give her a break."

But Killua had a point. She really had no idea if she would have been able to beat them. For some reason, she found herself doubting it. She had found out that they had yet to finish the first phase and that they were only taking a little break. She stepped forward to view the area only to stop at the pain that jabbed in her side. That told her to take it easy for a while.

Leorio appeared after a while, clambering up the steps, exhausted, sinking to the grassy terrain underneath them. Kurapika followed shortly after, looking a little worse for the wear but in far better condition than their doctor friend. They exchanged a couple words until the blonde pointed out the fading fog.

"The Numere Wetlands, also known as, Swindler's Swamp," Satoz started calling everyone's attention to himself, "We must cross these wetlands to reach the second phase of the Exam. This is home to many exotic animals, many of them being cunning and insatiable creatures who deceive humans and prey upon them. Be very careful. If you let them fool you," he paused letting the tension build, "You're dead."

The crowd that was already jittery jumped at the sound of the grating from the exit closing. A man was seen yelling for them to wait, only to be cut off as the exit shut. There was no more way back.

"These creatures will use every trick in the book to fool their prey. An ecosystem in which creatures obtain food through deceit... Hence the name Swindlers Swamp. Stay very close to me so you won't be deceived." Satoz finished. At times like these, Shichi was the person one would want to stand by. She was strong but more importantly there was almost no lie that got past her and her perceptive reasoning. A Crime Hunter. Rukei shook her head. She needed to focus.

"What a joke," Leorio drawled, having recovered, "How can they fool us when we're expecting it?"

"DON'T LET HIM FOOL YOU!"

She looked back to see a man, very ragged and unkempt in appearance, like he had just received a beating, emerged from behind the tunnel. "D-don't fall for it... He's lying to you!" The man accused, pointing at the lavender-haired examiner. "He's an imposter! He isn't the real examiner... I'm the real examiner!"

Rukei glanced in between the man and the wavering crowd.

"He's a beast that lives here in the swamp," the man claimed, "He's a man-faced ape; one of the beasts that dwell here in the Numere Wetlands. They love the taste of fresh human meat. However their limbs incredibly weak. So they disguise themselves as human to lure people into their home. He plans to trap every single applicant here!"

Rukei believed Satoz was the real examiner. She didn't think that their examiner would go through all the trouble of telling them about the deceptive beasts if he wanted to fool them. But she doubted the other applicants would believe her just based on that. She could ask if Satoz and the other man had his Hunter license but the man could claim that his license was stolen.

"What is the name of the rules that Hunters are expected to follow?" Rukei asked loudly and firmly, loud enough for everyone around her to here. She was glad that everyone respected her enough, or at least had enough interest in her question to quiet down.

The man stared at her incredulously. "What?"

"There is a set of rules a Hunter must abide by that they all must know. As the 'real' Examiner, I'm sure you must know." Rukei turned her head to look at the man, "What is the name of the rules that Hunters are expected to follow?"

He began to perspire, taking a step back from her. She knew she had hit the mark.

"Now," she took a step forward with confidence and authority, "answer me."

There was no chance to. Something whizzed past her, very close to her head, cutting away a strand of her short, brown hair as it lodged itself into the body of the fake examiner, who now fell back dead. She felt her blood run cold at the thought she could have been so easily killed. She turned around to look at the red-haired man, springing a stack of cards from one hand to another, chuckling to himself.

"I see... I see...," his gaze focused on Satoz who discarded the three cards in his hands, "That settles it. You're the real one. Any Hunter with the title we seek would be able to dodge an attack of that level."

"I will take that as a compliment," Satoz stated passively, "But if you attack again I will disqualify you for turning on an examiner. Are we clear?"

He stopped flourishing the cards, holding to the deck. "Of course."

Moments later vultures swarmed down over the dead body of the man faced ape. Many shivered and looked away from the cruel display of nature.

As the marathon began again, Rukei began to pull back to jog beside Kurapika and Leorio to conserve her energy. Gon had questioned her but she told him her reasons and Killua managed to convince his new buddy to "leave her".

Killua. She doubted him. Now, she didn't doubt the boy's desire to befriend and hang around Gon. They got along well for two kids that met a couple hours ago. But the familiarity around him bothered her. She would like to think she wouldn't forget about meeting a kid her age. But if she hadn't remembered him then there was a high chance she hadn't met him in the past two years.

And anyone she had met before the past two years of her life was someone to be cautious around.

Moments later she heard a voice cut through the fog. "Rukei! Leorio! Kurapika! Killua says we should move ahead!"

"You idiot! If we could we'd already be there!" Leorio hollered over the noise of several men running through the marshes.

Kurapika yelled back to the boy. "You just go ahead, Gon!"

Rukei sighed. The boy was oblivious to the tension and suspense that hung in the air but that was what made him to be Gon she supposed.

The fog around them thickened to the point where she believed she and her companions were stranded. When she thought that they found their way again, the figures of the runners ahead of them lost their heads before disappearing into the ground.

Towering over them, were gigantic tortoises, ripping applicants up off the ground to devour them. One of them dove after Leorio with it's long neck, closing down it's jaws over the figure, instead meeting a thick tree branch in between it's teeth.

He held on desperately as the tortoise attempted to shake him off, the wood began to split thinning. Kurapika pressed the wooden weapon into the beast's eye to which it collapsed to the ground.

They had managed to escape the tortoises but that didn't change the fact that they had lost the examiner through the thick fog. But she did find someone else in the fog. A familiar head of red and a painted face. The very last person she wanted to find.

Hisoka. He was surrounded by a circle of men holding their weapons in an attack ready position. "Promise you won't take the exam again and we'll let you go!"

Is this what they mean by out of the frying pan into fire? Rukei kept her breathing very quiet.

The clown agreed. "Sure." The statement shocked her as well as the men surrounding him. "I won't need to take it again. Since I'm passing this year."

"You idiot!" One of them scoffed, "Take a look around you! We've lost the main group. That means all of us failed!"

Hisoka's smile told her she needed to run but her feet stayed rooted to the ground as she saw a bloody circle of red before the group fell to the ground dead. "Well?" The eerie smile lit up his face.  "Care to participate in my little game of examiner?"

Shichi often told Rukei if she ever felt unsure if she could beat an opponent or not, to compare her opponent to Shichi. She knew that herself, Kurapika, and Leorio combined were no match for the sadistic jester.

"Rukei, Leorio. On my signal we run in opposite directions," Kurapika instructed them quietly, "He is vastly more experienced in real combat. The three of us don't stand a chance against him. We cannot afford to squander time in pointless fight!"

"Understood." She muttered under her breath. After all, she was not stupid enough to pick a fight with the man. With a graceful flick, a playing card appeared in between his fingers as he walked steadily towards them. She glanced at the blonde as Hisoka drew closer.

"NOW!"

At that instant she took off, spinning on her heels as she sprung away. She did not feel his presence chase after her so she felt that she was safe.

But the moment she heard Leorio's voice, she skidded to a stop, sending the mud and dirt underneath her flying. She whipped back around to face where she had come from straining her eyes through the mist. The idiot!

She dashed back, her thoughts moving as fast as her feet could carry her. Why does everyone have to run off plans? Why can't they do as they're told?

She stopped a couple feet away from the clearing, taking cover behind a tree; trying to keep her panting as quiet as possible. She knew she had to save Leorio, but she couldn't rush in there either. There was nothing to be gained if they both died. She tightened her hands into fists. Why can't they just follow orders?

A fishing pole with a red buoy ripped her out of her thoughts. Across the clearing, Gon stood with his fishing rod in hand, now reeling the hook in. "I made it in time!"

Hisoka approached the mountain boy with sickening interest plastered across his face. "A fishing pole? What an interesting weapon... Let me have a closer look." As he edged closer to the boy wondered what price that single blow had come with. She had a feeling that she was about to find out.

"Your opponent...," Leorio huffed as he ran towards the clown, "Is me!"

WHAM!

He fell to the ground cold leaving only Hisoka, Gon, and herself hidden in the shadows. Gon whipped his fishing rod around either trying to hook the jester or keep him at a safe distance. Perhaps it was either one and it didn't really matter to Gon but he failed either.

She knew their lives were of top priority but she really, really would rather avoid getting cut, even in the slightest. She did not want any of her blood to be shed; not that liquid that bound her-

The clown's hand shot out and grabbed the boy's neck just when she thought he was going to land another hit. The boy thrashed his legs about wildly, struggling to remove the iron grip around his neck.

At times like these, Rukei really wished that her superiors would allow her to handle real firearms. A paintball gun was hardly threatening but she had to make do with what she had. Rukei inhaled deeply before snatching the gun out of her holster; shooting was out of her list of choices, not with the stupid fake. She darted in between the man and her friend, springing upwards and swiping at his face with the hard, metal object. He let go of the boy, taking a step back, avoiding her blow by a hair.

So I guess I am stupid enough to pick a fight with Hisoka.

Wether it was her doing or something else entirely, the boy was free as he fell to the ground coughing and gasping for air.

"Next time, I'll shoot. Step away from the boy," Rukei demanded to which Hisoka directed his creepy smile towards her, "Five. Four-"

"A paint gun?" The red-haired man laughed cutting her off, she was surprised that the magician could tell as the fake was made very well, "You children have such interesting weapons. Rest assured," he knelt down to face the boy with an approving nod, "I won't kill your friend. He passed. Yes, you and and the girl pass as well. Grow up to become fine Hunters."

Bewildered, she watched Hisoka move away from them to answer the walkie-talkie like device in his hand. The man over the device said something about reaching near the next phase's site.

"Okay. I'm on my way." He picked up the unconscious doctor, causing her to tense but she forced herself to plant her feet on the ground. The clown said that he would spare his life but she didn't like the thought of leaving the older man with the jester. But he spared all of them none the less and she did not want to ruin anything. "It's always nice to have friends. You can find your own way back, yes?"

The mountain boy nodded silently.

"That's a good boy."

After what seemed to be hours of waiting for the clown disappear from her sight, Rukei let her muscles slack and tucked the paint gun away. "Are you alright, Gon?"

He gave her the same nod he gave Hisoka, still shaken. She stuck her hand out to help him up, pulling the boy to his feet. She hoped the boy would recover soon but she didn't know what she could do to help him till then.

"Gon, do you know where we're going?" Kurapika questioned, closely following their oddly silent guide.

He glanced back at them, giving her a response she should not have been surprised with. "Yeah. Leorio has a unique cologne so I can smell it from a while away. Hey, Kurapika?" The mountain boy asked suddenly, "What did Hisoka mean back there when he said we passed?"

"Hisoka was acting as an examiner." The blonde replied.

"An examiner?"

He gave it some thought before continuing with the explanation. "Yes. He must have a way to evaluate an individual's power and it's possible that he was ascertaining everyone's strength. You did land a hit on him... And it seemed like you met his standards. He probably passed you all since he found you to be kindred spirits?"

Gon seemed to echo everything the blonde said. "Kindred spirits?" Rukei's eyes drifted to the ground. Gon's quietude bothered her. She suddenly wanted to hear stories about Mito-san and Whale Island again.

"I have high doubts that man could qualify as a Hunter," Kurapika mentioned, almost bitterly, "However, I hate to admit he did impress me with his superhuman agility and graceful technique... It's often said that those who posses special talents are drawn to others with unique gifts. It's possible that his experience and instinct told him that you had the skill and potential to be Hunters. 'Killing you now would have been a waste and pity...'. That is how he saw it." He suddenly stopped, apologizing hastily, "I'm sorry, that was insensitive for me to say."

"No," Gon countered, finally expressing his feelings, "I was too afraid to do anything back there. But at the same time I was really excited. Isn't that strange?"

Rukei almost let the relieved smile of nostalgia surface. Gon would be fine.

When they arrived there they found Leorio did not have any memory of stupidly challenging Hisoka, Gon coming to his rescue, and getting decked in the face. Rukei was almost frustrated but she supposed it was for the better.

"Gon!" She craned her head to see the familiar face of Killua as he sauntered over them, "I thought you weren't going to make it for a while. How'd you find your way back?" He asked curiously.

"I tracked down the scent of Leorio's cologne," he answered back smoothly much to Killua's surprise.

"Y-you're like a dog..."

Gon frowned at the comparison.