Only a few moments in your life had you felt true fear.

One of those was an instance you needn't repeat, anyone would agree. Being locked in that closet, tucked away from the dangerous eyes of faces you didn't recognise, watching as your parents did their best to draw attention away from you - it would forever be the scariest time in your life.

But this? This was definitely a close second.

Staring through the rattling glass panes in the Captains cabin, squinting to see through the downpour of rain and water vapour that fogged up the glass, it was like staring into your impending doom. You'd seen storms before, they were a monthly occurrence for someone living on a small island, but you'd never seen anything like this up close. Even through the thick wooden boards and the layered panes of glass that made up the walls of the cabin, you could hear the howling wind. In the distance you could see it. The whirling mass of seawater and rain.

"Is that a cyclone?!" you croaked in fear.

The tension in the cabin shifted, hesitance towards Leorio and Kurapika's fight turning sour with trepidation towards the approaching storm. The Captain looked thrown, hands balled at his feet, knees bent to save himself from being knocked off his feet. It was the fear in his eye that worsened your own. If a Captain with so many years on his belt looked just as panicked as the rest of you then what were your hopes of getting out of this?

"C-Captain? What should we do?" the sailor at the window whispered, trying his best not to alert us of the worrying circumstances. There was no hiding from this one though, you didn't know if they realised, but the rest of you were pretty blatantly aware of the swirling typhoon of death heading right for you.

"Um..." your voice wavered as you took a shaky step forward, calling attention to yourself, "are we all forgetting that Kurapika and Leorio are above deck right now? While that thing is hurtling straight for us?"

The Captain exchanged a nervous glance amongst his crew and without another word they were racing out of the room to try and distract the feuding men from their impending doom. Your first instinct was to follow, to run after them and see if perhaps you could be of any use. But what could you possibly do out there? The likelihood was that the wind would sweep you away before you would even have a chance to speak with the fighting pair.

"(Y/n)," gentle fingers wrapped round your wrist and you caught yourself lost in a steady sea of brown, "let's go, okay?"

You weren't sure whether your desire to follow him was chalked up to your eagerness to make sure the others were okay, or whether Gon was just that persuasive, but without argument you followed. He lead you gently, but quickly, up the stairs and onto the deck. The moment you emerged from cover you were both drenched, hair and clothes whipping and slapping at your skin at the force of the wind. The rain was falling hard enough to feel like pin pricks on your skin and you could barely keep your eyes open against the stormy weather.

Despite the loud volume of the rain, waves, and wind, you could still hear the sailors yelling at the others to get back inside. Even in the short amount of time you had known them, you knew they were too stubborn to listen. They both had something to prove for whatever reason, had angered one each other enough to say things they didn't mean. Or at least you hoped they didn't mean it.

Gon kept you steady, kept you grounded as he rushed with you towards the two standing in opposition. It was hard to keep upright with the slippery deck beneath you and the wind fighting you with every step. But you had no choice, like Gon you couldn't just leave them out in the open and danger.

Though wishing for them to stop, the sailors had a bigger issue on their hands. Under the orders of their captain, they rushed towards the masts, unlooping the rope attached to the sails and heaving hard in attempts to raise them. Should the wind catch the open sails the ship might be sent miles off course. Despite how many were pulling at each rope they were still having difficulty, with the wind pushing against the sails, the tension on the rope made it almost impossible to pull. Even as experienced as they were, they were having great difficulty. Casting a worried glance towards you, Gon released your hand and rushed towards the others.

"I'll help!" he chirped confidently.

Though you weren't quite sure how much a child could help the many grown men, none of them spoke in retaliation, an extra set of hands no matter how small would be of great help. You'd be of no use to them there, so you focused your attention on the two standing off to the side. They faced each other, steadfast and silent despite the chaos raging on around them.

"Oh this is gonna end so badly..." you whispered to yourself.

With a nervous glance left and right, you knew no one was available to try and talk them out of it, that left you. With a grumbled sigh, you leaned forward to fight against the wind and stumbled your way forward. With each step you threatened to slip, soaked to the bone and dreadfully cold, you stumbled to the edge of the deck and gripped the railing for dear life.

"Guys, you have to stop! If you want to fight wait until we're docked! It's not safe out here!" you yelled above the wind.

If they heard you, they showed no signs of wanting to listen, eyes boring holes into the others head even as a high wave of water crashed upon the deck, careening between the two of them and narrowly missing your shivering frame.

"Seriously?! Am I the only one seeing this?! Cut it out, you two!" you huffed, leaning heavily to the right to avoid the crash of water against the bannister.

"Take back what you said!" Kurapika yelled above the sound of crashing waves, "take it back and I'll forgive you Leorio!"

"How many times must I repeat myself? You take it back first! I won't back down!" Leorio retorted, and from his pocket he drew a knife, shifting a foot behind him to slide into a defensive stance.

Though irritated, it seemed Kurapika had been expecting as much, and as he reached beneath his tunic and into the waist band of his white trousers, he too withdrew his weapon. With the handles wrapped in bandage, he gripped his twin wooden swords in hand and focused his angered expression of the male opposing him.

You were sure, then, that the fight would start. The weather was dangerous enough as it was, the last thing anyone needed to be doing was fighting. Your words weren't enough to get through to them and you weren't going to kid yourself into thinking they cared enough about you to stop with your pleads, you were still strangers after all. But maybe if you distract them, maybe if you got them to look at something other than one another then they would see the calamity that was going on around them. But as you released your firm grip on the bannister to step towards them, to try and and break the fight and save them both, you heard Gon's call.

"Katzo-san!"

You felt him before you saw him, the burst of pain as your back slammed against the bannister, the heaving gasp as the air was knocked out of your lungs, the stomach dropping sensation of your feet falling out from underneath you.

It was an accident, the wind had ripped the rope from the sailors grip and Katzo, so determined to prove himself, had held on tight. He was carried through the air, torn between Kurapika and Leorio, and without his control had slammed into you. You didn't blame him, no matter the horrified expression that twisted on his face as the both of you fell. You didn't really know what to think in the moment, you were afraid, of course, but it almost didn't feel real. Like those dreams you have of falling, where your chest tightens and your stomach drops. And though you were sure the fall would only take a second or two, it felt like you were free falling for far too long.

The sound of someone calling your name sounded distant, perhaps not because of distance itself, but instead because of your own disassociation. It was like you weren't even in control of your own body, like you were watching from afar. And without realising, without thinking, you reached out.

Katzo, who had fallen over top of you, was falling first, would reach the water first, and if nothing was done, might even break your fall and save your life but possibly end his own. And logically, with you falling too, nothing you could've done would've helped him. But your body still moved, you still reached out, and against your better judgement, you snatched his ankles in your hands and braced yourself for the fall.

The weightlessness ended with a jerk, a warm, unwavering grip clamped around your ankles and your fall came to an unexpected stop. You weren't sure how it happened, one moment you were bracing yourself for the frigid waters below, and the next you were swinging and slamming against the side of the ship. Despite the inevitable bruising of your ribs you refused to let go. You could feel Katzo shaking even down to his ankles, your head tipping back just to make sure that he was okay. And as scared as he was, he sent a grateful, wobbly smile your way.

Comforted to know he was okay, your strained your neck to peek over your body and see just who had saved your fall. Gon's confident grin stared back at you. Despite the fact you were all hanging over the side of the ship, held up only by Leorio and Kurapika on the deck, Gon' was fearless.

"You're crazy..." you couldn't help but whisper.

You in their right mind would willingly throw themselves off of a ship just to save someone else? What was he planning on doing if Leorio and Kurapika hadn't acted quickly enough to save him? Unfazed but your words, Gon only offered a quiet, almost teasing snicker. It was just as your grip was about to slip that you were lifted over the side of the ship. The sailors were quick to action once they had realised what happened, with their added strength, all three of you were safe on the salt slick deck and the frigid waves below was but a memory.

The moment Katzo had solid ground beneath his feet he collapsed, as worried as you may be, you knew it was just the adrenaline crash and he was sure to awaken soon. As you yourself slumped against the deck you couldn't quite tell whether your shivers were due to the weather or your own adrenaline rush. You stared down at your trembling hands, fingertips red from the cold, you were lost in a state of disbelief.

You never thought your body would move like that, never thought your first instinct would've been to save someone even if the outcome was hopeless. You put someone's life above your own, someone you barely knew, and you hadn't thought twice about it. What did this even mean for you?

"(Y/n)? You okay?" Gon's gentle whisper pulled you from your thoughts, the fact that you could hear him meant the wind had waves had calmed even if only a little.

Raising your head to look at him, you offered a sheepish smile and a nod of the head, crossing your arms and tucking your hands under your armpits to hide the heavy tremor. Gon still noticed, of course he did.

"Yeah just...a little shaken," you responded with a light rise and drop of the shoulders.

"You saved Katzo, you did good!"

"Ah well-- I dunno, I didn't do it on purpose, ah-- that doesn't sound right but I mean-- I really didn't mean to, my body just moved on its own"

At your words, Gon's grin only widened and he let out a quiet breathless laugh, leaning over just to softly bump your shoulders together. He didn't say anything, but you knew he understood, Gon had probably done the exact same thing. Without thinking, he threw himself over the edge of a ship just to save two people he barely knew. Gon knew better than anyone what it was like to act on instinct, and he could offer words of encouragement or reassurance, but you didn't need them. You were grateful for the silence, and though your hands still continued to tremble from the cold, as you leaned into his weight in return, you felt no more fear.

--

"You idiot! If we hadn't grabbed your legs, you'd be shark bait!" as the skies began to clear, Leorio marched over with a loud stomp and wagging a scolding finger in Gon's directly.

"Honestly," Kurapika sighed as he crossed his arms, "how reckless can you be?"

"But you caught me," Gon responded quickly, he said it like it was easy, like it was expected, like he knew he could leave his life in their hands whether he knew them well or not. "You both caught me!"

"W-well, I guess so...?" Leorio choked out, too stunned at Gon's easy answer to continue his reprimanding.

"You guys!" with an excited grin on his face, Katzo rushed over and came to a stop before you all, "you saved me...thank you so much!" he breathed out with a deep bow.

Gon responded with a bright grin of his own and glanced behind him at the three of you, "we couldn't have done it alone, we all helped each other to save you"

Katzo shifted, turning to face each other you with an equally deep bow and sincere words of gratitude. Kurapika and Leorio's reactions were almost exactly as you expected. Kurapika assured him with nonchalance, like saving him was to be expected. And Leorio responded with a flush, a grin, and words of confidence, and as blasé as he tried to act, it was clear he was happy he managed to do something good for someone. Before Katzo could excuse himself to his station, he turned to you, rose from his brow and clasped his hands together.

"I'm so sorry, if I wasn't so careless then you would've have gotten hurt, thank you for saving me even though you were in trouble," he whispered worriedly.

"Oh, no, please don't worry about it. I'm just glad we're all okay," you responded with a shy wave of your hands.

He bowed deeply again, offered a kind and apologetic smile before rushing back to attend to his duties for the day. Near death experiences didn't distract from one's job unfortunately. With a small, fond smile of your own, you watched the rookie rush back to the cabin and turned your attention to your counterparts.

"I apologize for my disrespect," Kurapika breathed out with an almost knowing smile on his face as he regarded Leorio, "I'm sorry, Mister Leorio"

"W-what's with this sudden change?" Leorio stammered, cheeks tinged pink as he glanced away, "we sound like strangers, just call me Leorio, Leorio's fine" he huffed, not watching to see the blonds knowing smile grow.

"I'm sorry too," Leorio continued, finally turning his gaze to meet the other's again, "I take back everything I said, I was wrong"

"No, no it's okay"

"HAHAHA! I like you guys!" a throaty laugh and an excited tone called your attention to the Captain, standing in the doorway to his quarters with his pipe in hand. "Okay! I'll take responsibility for bringing you to the port closes to the exam site."

"Really?" Gon gasped excitedly.

"What about your test?" Kurapika, much more dubious, questioned.

The Captain sighed, pausing in his ascend to the nose of the ship and turned to face you all.

"Like I said, this is my decision to make and the four of you pass!"

It surprised you most of all out of everyone, you were lucky enough that the fight distracted the Captain from asking about your past, and you had barely done anything worthy compared to the other three. But you weren't going to argue, he had made his decision and you were one step closer to your goal, even if you weren't quite sure what your goal was in its entirety.

Either way, the four of you were one step closer from earning your Hunter licenses, and one step closer to fulfilling everything you had been had all been waiting for.

If only you knew what it was.

-

The rest of the journey passed in relative peace. Thankfully there were no more near death experiences, no more explosive fights, and no more impromptu diving practice. In other words, the rest of the trip was boring. Thankfully Gon was always good at filling the silence and you spent the few hours left of the trip listening to the random stories Gon had to share about his island overly adventurous childhood. It was almost too soon that the horn blared and news of your docking was announced.

As grateful as you were that the long ship ride was over, it was incredibly nerve wracking knowing that the trip ahead was completely unknown. You didn't know where to go from here, and you didn't know whether it would be okay to stay with Gon and the others for the rest of your journey.

The sun was so refreshingly warm on your skin as you stepped off the ship and onto the dock, you took only a moment to savour it before the Captain was calling out to you once again. Your smile was fond as you and Gon thanked him for the travel, shaking his hand and bowing your heads in gratitude.

"It was a lot of fun!" Gon chirped, because of course he found danger fun.

"I had fun too," the Captain responded with a chortle, "ah right! As a token of my gratitude, let me give you a piece of advice"

"Advice?"

"Look, see that big Cedar tree on the hilltop?" he questioned as he turned to point at the green hill in the distance, towering over the rows of houses and skyscrapers.

"Yeah?"

"You should make your way there first, it's a shortcut to the exam site"

"A shortcut? Got it! Thanks Captain, we'll head to the Cedar tree!" Gon responded excitedly.

"Best of luck!" he responded with a puff of smoke and bellyful laugh.

With a gentle ruffle of your wind knotted hair, the Captain bid the two of you goodbye. You bid him eager thanks once again and followed Gon's excited bounce towards the two waiting for you by the map of the city. Though you were still unsure if it was okay to stick by their side till you reached the exam site, you were comforted to know that the others hadn't expressed any displeasure in your presence. It was an unspoken agreement that you would stick together now.

"Huh...that's strange," Leorio mumbled, "according to the notice I received the exam is supposedly held somewhere in Zaban city. That Cedar tree is in the opposite direction," he mumbled as he pointed at the two different locations on the map.

"Perhaps you misheard him?" Kurapika mumbled thoughtfully.

"Nope, he told us to head to the Cedar tree" Gon responded confidently as he glanced back up at the map.

"Ah geez, this notice isn't any help! Where exactly in Zaban city are we meant to go?" Leorio grumbled as he scratched his head.

"Our task is the find the exam site with limited information," Kurapika sighed, "it's just another test before we'll be allowed to take the Hunter Exam"

"I-I knew that! I already knew that!"

"Anyway," Gon chirped, interrupting their small argument as he began to march his way down the street, "the Captain must've had a reason to suggest that so I'm gonna check it out!"

"Hey, hey, are you serious? If you're wrong then you'll be miles away from Zaban city! The bus is just about to leave!" Leorio protested.

"Sorry, guys, but I don't think the Captain would've lied, I'm gonna go with Gon," you cut in with a sheepish smile, offering a kind wave before rushing off to catch up with the boy.

"Hey-- hey! You two!"

Gon grinned brightly at you as you joined his side, slowing his pace to match with yours. The Captain had been sneaky at first, tricked everyone into thinking it was a simple ship ride, but you knew he wasn't lying about this. You had enough reason to trust him no matter how dubious Leorio and Kurapika was of him.

Within just a few moments Kurapika had joined your sides, that familiar, all knowing smile on his face as he caught up with the two of you. And as the three of you made your way up the path towards the hilltop, Leorio was quick to follow. With a giggle, you shared a roll of the eyes with the blond at your side, you knew it was only a matter of time until he gave into the peer pressure and joined you all. And just as it was when departing the ship, the unlikely alliance was back together once again and seizing the adventure ahead.