Kiyoko continued to stare at her feet aimlessly, fiddling with the black straps that were falling off her shoulders underneath her long shirt. Gon hesitated to find a way to get the girl's mood back up while the other two boys explained their reasons of why they wanted to be hunters.

"I'm the very last survivor of the Kurta clan," Kurapika, out of nowhere, stated blandly.

"Hm?" the group hummed.

Kiyoko lowered her head as a pang of heavy guilt weighed her chest down, making it harder for her to breathe and to face the boy. The boy lowered his sight to the ground before him as he paused in between a little, glancing over at the girl for a bit.

"Four years ago, my entire clan was wiped out by a group of thieving criminals. I wish to become a hunter to hunt down that band, the Phantom Troupe," the boy said, his voice sounding firm as he looked up into the captain's eyes.

"…. So, you wish to become.. a bounty hunter? That group of people, the Phantom Troupe, is a Class-A bounty. Not even the toughest hunters can lay a finger on them. That means you'd be throwing your one only life away, boy," the captain told the serious Kurta.

"I won't run away from death for I do not fear it," the boy answered immediately, irritatingly closing his eyes. "I only fear that my rage….. will only fade over time."

Kiyoko looked up in time to see his eyes flash that same scarlet color filled with rage she saw before, having an urge to back up away from him, but instead sat there and stared. Gon had a worried look on his face when he saw Kiyoko's face color drain a little and began to shake her little.

"Are you alright, Kiyoko?"

The girl slowly nodded at the question, not bothering to take her sight off the revenge craving boy in front of her.

"So, to make this simpler and shorter, you seek revenge. Does that really demand you to take on the role of a hunter?" Leorio asked with a scoff in his voice.

"Your questions may have been the most idiotic questions I've ever heard, Leorio," the boy shot back calmly but surely sounding very irritated.

The man's face expression immediately changed when his name was said in rude manner once again by that same person.

"IT'S LEORIO-SAN TO YOU, KID!"

"Places that are available to hunters only.. Information, as an alternative, unattainable…"

Leorio began to frown at the indifferently brilliant boy, trying hard not to crack like a vase and spill out his anger.

"Actions other than that, impractical….. There are multiple objectives your brain could very likely contain," Kurapika finished, Leorio finally letting out steam as he began to holler.

"HEY!"

'That boy got nerves to direct insults to people,' Kuromi admitted as she huffed out disappointment.

Gon stuck his hand in front of the man's face before an argument started, ignorantly asking the same question the captain asked everyone.

"Why is it that you want to become a hunter, Leorio-san?"

His enraged face suddenly perked up into a smug look.

"Me? I'll make it short…. Money. I want money!" he exclaimed crazily as he rose up his arms high into the air.

"Money can get you everything you desire! A big house! A nice and perfect car! Good liquor!" he listed as he pretended to take a shot of a drink.

"HAAAA…!"

Leorio's dreams and reasoning was interrupted once again by the Kurta boy once he let out the satisfied sounding sigh.

"You can't afford class with that so-called money, Leorio."

The man stayed in his position for a few seconds with a satisfied smile on his face, immediately frowning at the statement as his face turned to a deep red. Leorio slowly turned his head back behind him to look directly at the boy that had his eyes closed, arms cross together.

"That's the last time you're going to say that. Step outside. I'll end that vulgar Kurta bloodline of yours right here, right now," he grumbled angrily as he walked away.

Kurapika's eyes shot open at the insult the older man gave him, Kiyoko doing the same as she looked at them from one another.

"TAKE THAT BACK, LEORIO!" he exclaimed furiously. All concerns were now on the two, Leorio looking back casually at the younger boy who was now furious.

"Take it back, right now!"

Leorio continued to stare at the enraged Kurta boy with disinterest and stayed quiet for a few.

"That's Leorio-san to you," he answered coldly, turning back and walking out the door with Kurapika following behind angrily.

"You two boys! Get back here! I'm not finished yet!" the captain exclaimed.

Kiyoko looked at the doorway with concern written all over on her as the two disappeared around a corner, Gon suddenly responding.

"Let them be."

The remaining people of the group looked over to the young boy curiously as he began to remember something.

"Mito-san once told me.. It's important for them to know why they're mad at each other, so we should let them settle it by themselves, on their own will," he said, smiling his usual.

Kiyoko looked at the boy's passionate and confident looking face, knowing to trust his words and leaving them alone to calm down.

"C-Captain! L-look!" the sailor on the helm exclaimed, pointing at a waterspout.

Kiyoko stood up from where she was sitting at to see what the man was pointing at, a shocked face expression appearing right when she saw the natural storm coming.

"The ship will sink if we get caught in that!" Katsuo said.

"Go! Lower down the sails, now!" the captain ordered.

"A-AYE!"

Gon immediately looked over at the man saluting next to him.

"I'll help as well!" he offered with a serious look in his eyes.

Without any hesitation, the man accepted the young boy's offer and began running off.

"Alright, come with me!"

'H-huh?! A-are they going to be alright?' Kiyoko thought as the captain shoved the sailor in control of the ship away from the wheel.

'You worry too much… Who cares?' Kuromi said bluntly.

'I care, so be quiet!'

"I'll take over the helm. FULL TO STARBOARD!"

Kiyoko frowned at herself and ran outside after the last sailor left the bridge. The crew began to scatter outside in the storm to fulfill the order they received, pulling at the ropes of the sails.

"HURRY! IT'S GOING TO CATCH US SOON!"

The men kept tugging at the ropes as quickly as possible to lower the sails in the harsh storm as the other two, Kurapika and Leorio, stood on the far right, out of the sailors' way. Kiyoko stood at the doorway as she kept an eye out for everyone's safety, just in case If anything were to happen, paying close attention to every single person outside. The ocean water suddenly collapsed and crashed into the ship as Kurapika and Leorio continued to stand at their spots unfazed and intimidated by each other's faces.

"RETRACT WHAT YOU SAID!" Kurapika exclaimed in anger, swinging his arm out in front of him as his blue and red tabard continued to wave around violently in the wind. "TAKE IT BACK! WITHDRAW YOUR WORDS, AND I'LL FORGIVE YOU, LEORIO!"

The man furrowed his brows together at the boy's statement as his tie flew around in the wind; hands stuck into his pants pockets as he decided to yell back.

"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO REPEAT MYSELF? GET THIS THROUGH YOUR THICK SKULL! You should show me some respect!" he said, slightly lowering his voice on his last sentence. "I WON'T YIELD TO YOU!"

The man pulled out a pocket knife as Kurapika exhaled a pissed off sounding sigh and reached behind his back to grab his linked bokken swords.

"I have no other choice…" he responded, hold out his weapons out in front of him.

The storm got stronger as the ship got closer and closer to the natural disaster. The wind began to push and pull the sailors around as they let go of the ropes once it began to whip, not wanting to get flung out of deck. The ship rocked back and forth roughly in the middle of the ocean, instantly fling Katsou who was still grabbing on the rope for dear life, away from the ship.

"Katsuo-san!" Gon yelled, Kiyoko, immediately, dashing forward to grab the man.

The girl reached out her right arm to grab Katsuo's hand, missing it about a few centimeters away.

"CRAP!" she exclaimed.

The crew watched the helpless man fly over towards the ocean as Kurapika and Leorio swiftly took action, running towards him and jumping off the side of the ship to grab him. The two weren't able to grab the man's hands in time and hung onto the railings of the ship with an arm as they cursed themselves.

"Damn it!" they both yelled as they helplessly watched him fall.

"…! G-GON! WHAT ARE YOU PLANNING TO DO?!" Kiyoko exclaimed as the young boy ran passed the girl and leapt off the boat, Kurapika and Leorio taken aback.

The girl ran over to where the four were clinging at, Gon successfully catching Katsuo's arms and getting his legs grabbed by the two who now forgotten about their little argument. Gon and Katsuo landed in the water, safely caught as Kiyoko held onto Kurapika and Leorio's arms tightly, seeing their grip slowly slip.

"Pull them out, now!" Leorio instructed as the two pulled out the drowning boys, the other sailors running over to help them out.

"You are one crazy boy!" Kiyoko exclaimed worriedly as the others helped her pull them back up.

The storm finally decided to lift up a moment later, showing the bright blue sky underneath the dark grey clouds.

"YOU IDIOT! IF WE DIDN'T GRAB YOUR LEGS, YOU WOULD BE SHARK BAIT ALONG WITH KATSUO BY NOW!" Leorio yelled at the young boy, pointing at him in a pissed off manner.

"N-now, now, guys!" Kiyoko said softly as she prompted them to calm down.

"Honestly.. Just how impulsive can you be?" Kurapika asked as he crossed his arms and closed his eyes, anger clearly shown in his voice.

"N-not you, too…" Kiyoko whined, getting ignored as she kneeled down next to Gon.

"….. But you did catch me, didn't you?" Gon asked innocently.

"Huh?" the three said in sync, looking at the boy curiously.

"Both of you caught me on cue!" Gon pointed out, a bright smile crossing his face.

Kurapika and Leorio stared at the boy with a stupid look slapped onto their faces, clearly not knowing what Gon was trying to tell them all.

"…. Well, I guess so…." Leorio said, finally catching on, Kurapika looking away.

"A-at least they're both safe right?" Kiyoko asked awkwardly.

'Kiyoko, you worry about these idiots too much," Kuromi said.

"Gon!"

Everyone looked over at Katsuo as he ran over to the small group on board.

"Katsuo-san!" Gon said, standing up from his spot.

"Thanks a lot, Gon! You saved my life!" he thanked the boy happily.

"Actually, I couldn't have done it by myself. These two over here helped save you," he told the man, looking at the two stubborn boys.

"Huh?" they both said in unison, Kiyoko softly giggling on the side.

"Thank you very much to all of you!" the man said, bowing down respectfully.

".. No need to thank me," Kurapika bluntly said, looking away from the man once again.

"...Well…. Yeah! I'm glad you're okay now," Leorio said, not even trying to hide his blush.

Kiyoko nodded in approval at everyone's reactions and looked back at Kurapika who was now staring at Leorio startled by his response.

"I'll be heading back to my station now!" Katsuo exclaimed, running off again as Kiyoko stood up and brushed her soaked clothes, pulling her wet hair back away from her face.

Kurapika looked at the smiling man next to him boringly and turned his head away with a smile on his face, catching Leorio off guard.

"….. What..?" he asked a suspicious look crossing his face.

"I apologize for my rude behavior from before. Sorry, Leorio-san," Kurapika said sympathetically, a smile finally forming on his face as little droplets fell from his hair.

".. W-wh-what's with the sudden change?" the man asked, blushing once again and not borthering to wipe his glasses.

"W-we sound like total strangers…. Just call me Leorio… That works fine with me.." Leorio said, waving his hand at the boy as his blush grew.

Kurapika closed his eyes slowly and tilted his chin down, a smile resting on his face.

"… I'm sorry as well."

The boy's eyes suddenly snapped open at the sudden apology.

"I take back every single thing I said. It was wrong for me to say that," Leorio said, a small smile on his face.

Gon and Kiyoko smiled at each other as the scene unfolds before them.

'Ughhh, this is way too warm and fluffy for me! Step away from them already!' Kuromi exclaimed disgustedly.

'Oh no, not at all, Kuromi. Besides, YOU need to apologize also!' Kiyoko ordered herself.

'Uhhh, no thank you.'

"No, it's fine," Kurapika answer the man.

The captain's laugh suddenly echoed around the atmosphere, causing the group to look over at the doorway to see him stand there and letting out a hearty laugh.

"I like you guys! OKAY, THEN! I'll take on the duty of bringing you guys to the port CLOSEST to the site of the hunters' exam, HA!" the captain said, waving a bottle of liquor before walking away.

"Really?" Gon asked as everyone started at the man obliviously.

"Then what about that test of yours?" Kurapika called after.

"Has it.. been decided..?" Kiyoko added in curiously.

"Like I said before… It is MY decision to make… AND YOU ALL PASSED!" he told them happily.

Every individual smiled at themselves satisfyingly, Gon jumping up high and shot a fist into the air.

"YAY!" the young boy exclaimed laughing.

"Kiyoko let out a soft sigh from holding her breath without knowing that she was and felt a sudden impact on her body.

"Uwah! Gon, don't tackle me!" she said, giggling at the young boy's excitement.

The child released her from his grip and smiled a bright smile, delighted to hear the news that everyone passed the very first test they got.

"Kuromi, I'm sure you have something to say to these two guys," Kiyoko said out of nowhere, catching the three boys' attentions.

Kiyoko immediately fully switched places with her counterpart without a second thought, her smile randomly dying down.

"Kiyoko, I already told you I'm not doing it!" the girl yelled.

'Yes you are. I won't let you roam around in my body anymore if you don't do this. Besides, I don't think they're actually bad people,' Kiyoko answered, only audible to Kuromi and herself.

Kuromi growled, showing her sharp teeth as she covered her eyes with her bangs; hair falling over her shoulders, Leorio backing up farther away from the changed girl.

'Fine…' she finally muttered angrily.

"Hey, you, Devil Cat," she said, looking at Kurapika as the atmosphere got intense.

The boy curiously pointed at himself and stared at the girl blankly.

"Yeah you, Blondie," she stated rudely. "You too, long-face."

Leorio looked at the girl and frowned angrily at the nicknames she gave the two. Kiyoko immediately switched back to herself, pulling her hair back and frowning at herself her mood suddenly being pissed.

"Kuromi, I WILL be keeping you from taking over like this forever. I won't even bother switching with you when we get into fights," the girl threatened, switching back to Kuromi.

"Okay, okay! Kurapika, Leorio, or whatever, I think those were your names, I'm SOR-RY" she said in rage, emphasizing 'sorry'.

Kiyoko took over again and bowed down respectfully to the two.

"Sorry about my counterpart's behavior, but yes, we apologize," Kiyoko said, a bright smile appearing on her face.

The two boys, a smiling Kurapika and a frightened Leorio, gave a knowing nod to the girl, accepting her apology from both as Kiyoko and Kuromi. Kurapika felt a small stab in his chest, remembering how he treated the sweet girl before all this happened, but slightly frowned at the idea of apologizing to both her AND Kuromi.

"Hey, Kiyoko. I'm also sorry about the way I treated you and, of course, the fork incident. Kuromi on the other hand… I'm not so sure if I did anything to her.." Kurapika said thoughtfully, clutching at his sopping talbard.

"Fork incident?" Leorio asked, Gon staring at the two oddly.

"Long story short, I stabbed a spider with a fork and threw it over to my left, not knowing if anyone would be there when I was eating," Kurapika told the group.

Kiyoko nodded and grinned.

"It's alright, really. I already accepted your apology for that incident anyways. It's a good thing that it wasn't Kuromi taking control at that time. She would've tried to strangle you right after like this," Kiyoko said, grabbing the boy's wrist and squeezing it a little, shaking it back and forth quickly.

The Kurta boy tried to imagine in his head how it was like to be strangled by Kuromi in such a way, just a lot more violent then how Kiyoko demonstrated.

"Looks like I got lucky then," the boy chuckled looking over at their hands.

Gon smiled a bright smile and eyed the two carefully as he squeezed some water out of his clothes, looking at Leorio who was glaring at the girl.

"If you want to know what to apologize Kuromi for, tell her the same apology you gave me."

Everyone looked at the girl curiously.

"You see, even if I'm the one taking control, she can her us talking and if I get hurt, she feels the same pain I do, vice versa. If one of us dies, be it Kuromi, I'll die as well. We're connected, not two separate people, but separate personalities," Kiyoko explained.

Kurapika nodded understandingly as he looked up at the girl, their hands still linked together.

"I'm sorry about the incident and for my rude behavior, Kuromi," he said, trying to hide his disappointment, aware that the negative personal can hear their conversation.

'Hmph. Fine. I'll accept the goddamn apology, but what about four eyes over there?'

Kiyoko sighed and face Leorio as she finally let go of the boy's wrist, fingers brushing his hand as she did so.

"She accepts your apology, Kurapika-kun, but Leorio, she is expecting an explanation about your action at that food stand," the girl told the man as he squeezed water out of his tie.

Kurapika stared at the girl awkwardly after her fingers brushed his skin, feeling a tingly sensation on it.

"Huh? W-well I was hungry and I didn't have money on me alright?"

Kuromi growled, taking over half of Kiyoko's body.

"NOT A GOOD ENOUGH EXPLANATION, FOUR EYES!" Kuromi exclaimed.

Kiyoko turned their head away from the man and sighed, bringing her arm she had control over up to their face.

"Kiyoko, how can you like people like them?! THAT FOUR EYES OVER THERE STOLE FOOD CAUSE HE DIDN'T HAVE MONEY! HOW REPULSIVE! AND THEN THERES JUMPY, ALWAYS SO HAPPY AND YET VERY STUBBORN! CAT EYES RIGHT THERE NEARLY INJURED US, HOW CAN YOU STILL BE SO NICE TO HIM?!" Kuromi yelled at herself.

The three boys looked at the girl; Leorio and Kurapika's faces cringed at Kuromi while Gon had a blank stare.

"Kuromi, don't be rude. They aren't bad people at all and I can tell by the tone of their voices," Kiyoko told Kuromi, smiling at the others.

Leorio continued to glare at Kuromi as Kurapika's face slightly softened at Kiyoko comment.

"Hmph! Suit yourself, but anything happens," Kuromi said, pulling out the staff and gripping it tightly, "they're going to regret it."

Kuromi returned Kiyoko's body to her causing Kiyoko to feel a little off balanced at the sudden change.

"You guys might need to watch your back.. Do whatever it takes to get her to trust you, please. I can't keep switching personalities like this constantly.." Kiyoko said, holding her head stressfully.

"WE'RE ALMOST TO THE PORT, KIDDOS!" the captain announced proudly.

Everyone glanced over to the captain to see him pointing ahead, a tiny speck of land visible to the eyes.

"Is that it?" Gon asked, running over to the edge.

"It sure looks like it," Kurapika said, following the boy to the rail with the other two participants at his tail.

The seagulls and seacranes began to squawk and soar around the ship in the sky gracefully as they slowly, but surely got closer and closer to the port.

"I wonder how our next test would be like.." Kiyoko muttered.

The group continued to smile and stare at their upcoming destination, clothes and hair blowing in the calm wind.

"I can't wait to take on the next challenge!" Gon exclaimed, leaning over the rail.

"Careful, kid. You might fall back into the water again," Leorio stated straightforwardly.

"Right, that won't happen!" Gon said, giving a huge grin to everyone, causing them to smile back at him.

'This kid has too much impact on you three,' Kuromi muttered disgustedly.

'I know you'll open up to them all sooner or later,' Kiyoko thought.

'More like never.'

Kurapika looked over at the girl next to Leorio and began to wonder how she earned her disorder, curious if she actually minded the negative personal or was ever hurt by herself despite her smiling and outgoing display. Kiyoko felt a pair of eyes on her and curiously looked at the boy, halting her smile as she turned to face Kurapika. The boy caught the girl's bright eyes for a second and looked away after she gave a small confused smile.

'…? What was that about?' Kiyoko thought.

'Ha, he's probably planning to attack you soon cause of your split personality disorder,' Kuromi snickered.

'Maybe not.. It doesn't seem like it since he wasn't avoiding or shooting dirty looks at me earlier... And the tone in his voice earlier and just now sounded promising,' Kiyoko responded back, earning a click from Kuromi.

"Hey, Kiyoko, what do you think the next test is going to be like? Exciting, boring, challenging, mind blowing?" Gon asked out of the blue.

"Hmmm, I guess… surprising?" the girl asked instead of said.

"Surprising, huh? I bet all the tests we receive will be easy. After all, if anything happens I can always use my good looks and intelligent brain," Leorio bragged as he poked the sid of his head.

"Right…. I don't think so," Kurapika answered bluntly, earning a glare from the man as he smiled to himself along with the other two.