Maybe this was a bad idea.

Yeah, this was definitely a bad idea.

When you decided to become a Hunter, you were thinking of big brawly men with egos the size of Mars, not creepy old ladies tucked in abandoned alleys. You didn't like this one bit and Leorio was very much the same in his evaluation of events. This seemed like a really bad idea and you were so going to kick the Captain in the shin for sending you this way if you ever saw him again.

The people standing before you, dressed in white robes and masks with coloured feathers for hair were silent, observing, and downright creepy. In their hands they held a variety of instruments, spaced apart from each other on a wooden platform almost akin to a judges panel that had rolled out from an alley off to the side. Sitting in the centre of the platform, arms resting atop the table and her eyes in a seemingly perpetual state of closed, was an unsuspecting old woman. Leorio was quick to react to their sudden appearance, jumping behind you with a yelp, gripping your upper arms, and tucking himself behind you for protection.

"Wow Leorio," was all you managed to sigh.

"Exciting..." the old woman mused from behind her table, "exciting..."

"Exciting?" Leorio gulped thickly as he repeated her, gripping your upper arms tighter the more on edge you all became.

There was something incredibly eerie about all of this. From the crows perched on the buildings over head, to the cult like individuals standing guard behind the lady, and to the old lady herself. You weren't sure what they were here for, weren't sure what they wanted with you, and weren't sure what they will willing to do to get it.

"Maybe we should go..." you whispered warily to the others but they showed no signs of listening.

"TIME FOR THE EXCITING TWO CHOICE QUIZ!" her eyes snapped open with a sudden cry and the people behind her began enthusiastically sounding their instruments in an awful cacophony of mismatched notes.

Too stunned to say anything in response, all you could do was blink at her. You hazard a hesitant glance at your comrades, they were equally as stunned. At first it seemed like the load of you were about to get bundled up and shipped off to the richest buyer, now you were part of some twisted cult game show?

"You kids are heading for that lone Cedar tree on the hill, correct?" she questioned, "to reach that tree, you must pass through this town. I will pose a single question"

"H-hold on!" Leorio spluttered, stepping out from behind you and stamping a foot on the dusty path below, "what's going on here?!"

"You have five seconds to answer," she droned, ignoring Leorio's outburst, "answer incorrectly and you'll be disqualified, you'll have to give up on taking this year's Hunter exam"

The reaction to her statement was surprisingly calm, the others didn't seem fazed, not on the outside at least. There wasn't a loud outcry of shock nor a hurried rambling of protest, the only hint of a reaction was the tensing line of their shoulders and the minute narrowing of their eyes. They had places to go home to, they had another shot, but you didn't. You had no home, no family, not even any money to secure your next meal. This was all you had, and if you screwed this up, you didn't know what would become of you.

"I see..." Kurapika sighed quietly, pulling a rueful smile, "then this is part of the Hunter exam"

You should've realised it sooner in all fairness. When it comes to the Hunter exam nothing was an accident. Chance encounters weren't coincidence. Every situation you were put since you boarded that ship were by design, that was what you had to believe it you were going to keep a level head from here on out.

"I see how it is! I happen to be a quiz expert!" Leorio huffed nonchalantly as he placed his briefcase down and slipped his hands into his pockets "wait....only one question?!"

"Your answer will be either the number 1 or 2, any other answer will be considered incorrect" she responded calmly.

"Hold on! All four of us share one question? So if one of them answers incorrectly I'm disqualified too?" he squawked.

"Unlikely," Kurapika scoffed, brows raising as he crossed his arms and turned to peer at Leorio over his shoulder, "it's more likely that you'll make a mistake"

"What was that?!"

"But y'know!" Gon was quick to interject before the argument got out of hand, wearing that bright, unbothered smile as always "this way's easier since only one of us needs to know the answer! I'm not good at quizzes..."

His words filled you with at least a small amount of relief, your shoulders slumping slightly as the panic drizzled from your system. It didn't aid in your fear in its entirety, but it was a good start. You managed a gentle smile and dipped your head in agreement, the other two quick to follow in your stead. You'd manage this just as you had managed to brave the storm and only because you weren't in this alone. That's what your parents always wanted you to remember.

"Hey there, hurry it up already,"

Through the chaos and confusion came an unfamiliar voice, laced with smug amusement and lilting just on the wrong side of annoying. Hesitant, you turned to glance over your shoulder to see who was approaching. It was an unfamiliar face, someone you might've seen in passing but couldn't quite place. His hands stuffed in the pocket of his trousers, sleeves of his shirt ripped, because of course they were.

"Or else I'll answer the question first," he finished with an even smugger grin.

"Who are you?" Leorio mumbled in confusion.

"He followed us here from the port," Gon chirped casually.

"Huh? Really?" Leorio wasn't the only one who hadn't noticed, you had had no idea either. Brows furrowed in concern as you took a nervous step closer to the suited man at your side. You didn't like that one bit, not only had he followed you but you had never sensed him, how on earth were you gonna make it on your own?

"Sorry kid, I just happened to overhear your conversation" the stranger shrugged.

"Well? What will you do?" the old woman hummed again.

"He seems eager to take it," Leorio shrugged, "we should let him go first, that way we'll know what kind of question to expect"

"I don't mind, I have no objections," boldly, the stranger stepped between the gap in the group.

He marched towards one of the cloaked men that had rounded to the front of the platform. The masked man set down a tall, wooden podium just a few feet away from the panel of 'judges', atop it, was a large red button. It was exactly like a game show then. With the podium set, the stranger in place, and the rest of you out of the way, the question finally came.

"Bandits have captured your mother and your lover," she began, "you may only rescue one, 1. Your mother, 2. Your lover, who will you save?"

The question was cruel, so much so that you found yourself taking an instinctive step back. It was a hypothetical, that much was obvious, but not one you would've expected from such an amusing old lady. It was quiet for a moment, the others seemed just as thrown off as you were but the man before you didn't waver.

"W-what kind of question is that?" Leorio choked out in disbelief.

As confident as he had been when he had crept up on you, the man slammed his hand down on the bright red buzzer, crossed his arms, and grinned up at the lady before him.

"The answer is 1," he replied so confidently for a moment you believed that it must've been true.

"Oh? Why do you say that?" the lady mused in response.

"Because you can't replace your mother," he shrugged "but you can easily find another lover"

His answer was just as cruel as the question himself. You could tell what was running through his head, that the question was a hypothetical and nothing more, nothing less. He knew he might never be in a situation like that and his word wasn't gospel so why not throw out whatever answer seems easiest? But it wasn't easy. Your parents had told you a thousand times before the dangerous lives Hunter's lead, the sorts of targets they had on their back. The question wasn't a hypothetical at all, it was insight into your reaction for a circumstance that was far too likely to happen. And he have given up one life for another as easily as Sunday morning.

"You may pass."

At her response, you furrowed your brows and glanced to the boys standing at your sides. They were just as disturbed as you. Not only in his answer but in her easy dismissal. She was a Hunter too, she must hear things like that all the time.

"You just have to tailor your answer to what the old hag wants to hear," the stranger snorted with a light shrug, waving a nonchalant goodbye as he jogged forward to pass round the platform and proceed down the path ahead. His processing of the answer was just as you had suspected, he didn't think twice of the likelihood of the hypothetical becoming reality.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Leorio exclaimed in irritation, "How was that the right answer?! We're just supposed to give the answer the old lady wants and that's considered correct?! Hey! Say something!"

The lady before you was silent, unwavering, sitting steady and focused as she watched Leorio in his tantrum. You sympathised with him, really, the question was unfair and the answers even more so. But there had to be another way, it couldn't be such an easy binary response when it was such a complicated question.

"Tsk, screw this, I'll find a different route" he growled as he moved to stomp away.

"It's too late, refuse to take the quiz and you're disqualified" she responded calmly.

"Th-that's just ridiculous! Different people would give different answers! There is no right answer!"

"No...right answer?" Kurapika was so quiet in comparison to Leorio's angered ranting but you could hear him clear as day. As you turned to look at him you could practically hear the wheels in his head turning, and all at once, the two of you came to the same conclusion.

It seemed so simple in retrospect.

How could you answer an impossible question?

You couldn't.

That was the answer.

"Leorio!" Kurapika gasped hurriedly.

"Wait!" the woman huffed, "not another word from you. Say anything but the answer and you're immediately disqualified"

It was incredibly frustrating to know the answer and be unable to share it with those around you. Leorio's temper was quick to explode and if he slipped up before the five seconds were over than you were all doomed. Gon was remarkably silent at your other side, brows furrowed and glare focused on the street below. You weren't sure if he had figured it out or whether he was lost in thought, either way, his silence was greatly appreciated.

"Here is your question," the woman piped up again once all had fallen silent, "your son and your daughter have been kidnapped. You can only rescue one, 1. Your son, or 2. Your daughter. Who will you rescue?"

The question was exactly like the one before though it didn't hit you quite as hard this time. Perhaps it was because you had no children of your own and had no clue how it would feel to lose one or the other. Perhaps the reason the previous question was so haunting to you was the mention of a mother. You lost your own, you knew what that was like, you would never and could never imagine having the choice to save her life and choosing another.

"Five,"

When the countdown began you couldn't help the panic surging through your system, taking a shaky nervous breath and glancing to Kurapika, clinging to the steady air that always seemed to emanate from him. Leorio had broken away from your side in tandem with the proverbial clock. He marched towards one of the many abandoned buildings caging you into the dirt path, his anger made evident by his haste to grab one of the many wooden planks leaning up against the building. As alarmed as you might be of his hasty actions, you couldn't say a word. You were quick to place a hand over your mouth to prevent yourself from speaking out on instinct as Leorio weighed the wooden stick in hand.

"Four,"

In his anger, Leorio swung the stick through the air, the whipping sound of the weapon cutting through the air was enough to set you on edge. Stay calm.

"Three,"

As Leorio got lost in thought each swing grew harder, the whooshing sound of it cutting through the wind grew louder, and you chanced a nervous glance to the old woman. Her face was as cold as stone just as it had been since her first appearance, she showed no reaction to the physical threat and the countdown continued.

"Two,"

For a moment you panicked. What if this wasn't the right thing to do? What if you were wrong and a simple answer was the way to go. Were you overthinking things? Was it naïve hope to think that neither answer was the right answer?

"One,"

It was too late to spew a random answer, too late to throw your fate to the wind on the off chance that you were wrong. All you could do was squeeze your eyes closed, grip your fists against your chest, and wait for the words to come.

"Bzzz, time's up,"

As quick as the words came, Leorio went. He pounced, wooden plank raised over his head, jaw clenched and eyes narrowed in fury as he leapt towards her. Even with the picture of violence flying right for her her expression never shifted. She sat still, steady, and unfazed as Kurapika jolted from your side. The collision came so fast it took a moment for your brain to catch up. The collision caused by the wooden plank slamming against Kurapika's batons was so loud you found yourself flinching back subconsciously. Hands raised and crossed above your face to protect your skin as splinters of wood swept by your head.

Leorio had jumped to action without a second thought, the moment the timer had ended and there was no longer any worry of disqualification he snapped. In a plume of dust and with a cry of fury he set off towards the examiner, so overcome with anger at the injustice of not only the hypotheticals but of this situation as a whole. You understood his anger, you did, but Kurapika's swift reaction sent a rush of relief through your system. Whether you passed this round or not wouldn't matter if the examiner got injured, Leorio would surely be disqualified or possibly even worse.

The force of the plank slamming against Kurapika's wooden blades was just hard enough to send the top half of the plank splintering and flying over his head. Knowing just how severe the injury might've been if he had made contact made you want to vomit, the fact that she had no reaction made you want to vomit, the fact that none of the people around her made any move to protect her made you want to vomit. She sat still like marble, unbreakable, untouched.

"Wait!" Kurapika huffed, strain in his voice as he pushed at the broken plank with his batons in hope of pushing Leorio away.

"Don't try to stop me Kurapika! I won't be satisfied until I've taught this hag a lesson!" he growled in response.

"Calm down!"

"How am I supposed to calm down?!"

"Oh for-- we passed the test! Do you really want to put that in jeopardy?" the blond huff, with one rough push he had knocked the plank aside and was glaring into the taller male's eyes.

"We...passed?" thrown through a loop, the tense line of Leorio's shoulders drooped and he relaxed slowly, looking to the old woman behind Kurapika in astonishment.

"Silence was the right answer," you piped up quietly from the background, meeting Leorio's warm gaze as he turned to face you.

"It what now?" he rambled unintelligently, much to Kurapika's chagrin.

"It was the right answer," you repeated, "it's an impossible question. There is no correct answer. It's just like you said, different people would choose different things, there's no right or wrong way to go about it-- well, except for what that guy said."

"Precisely," Kurapika confirmed, "since we could only give the number 1 or the number 2 as an answer, the only other logical response was no response at all"

"But-- but what about that guy!"

"She never said he was right, she only said he could pass through," Kurapika shrugged before slowly turning towards the woman behind the panel "that path was the wrong one, wasn't it?"

She was silent for a moment, calculating, and clearly as wise as her age might suggest. Seemingly liking what she saw when she gazed at the group before her, a small smile crept onto her face for the first time and she slowly rose to stand.

"Precisely," she mused, walking down the long stage towards the alley they had rolled out of, closed off by a set of heavy wooden doors. "The correct path is through here."

The helpers standing at the doors pushed each side open simultaneously as the old lady approached. It opened to an alley so dark it called even more attention to the light at the end. In all honesty, it was hard to believe her. Nothing about the Hunter exam could be taken at face value but there wasn't much else you could do. There was no other path to take, the one ahead was clearly a red herring, and to turn back the way you came would set you back hours. Now of all times would be the time to give the lady the benefit of the doubt, you supposed.

"This leads directly to the tree," she croaked as she stepped towards the open doors "walk two hours and you'll reach the top."

"Oh...so that's what this was about..." Leorio whispered, shoulders slumped in what might've been defeat or exhaustion.

"A couple lives in the cabin beneath the Cedar tree, they serve as navigators," she continued, "if you meet their standards, I believe they will guide you to the exam site," her words were punctuated with an almost smug sort of smile, eyes ever knowing as she turned her head to regard you all.

The broken, battered old stick that Leorio was holding clattered to the ground at his side as her instructions came to an end. He turned to face the much shorter old woman, a sheepish smile on his face as he bowed at the waist and murmured his polite apologies.

"It's quite alright," she responded in kind, "I started this job because I enjoy meeting people like you"

"Huh?" Leorio quipped curiously as the older woman turned to face him.

"Do your best and become a good Hunter," she breathed out in gentle encouragement.

It was the first time since your meeting that her demeanour seemed to match her appearance. Her narrowed eyes soft, and teasing smile kind as she focused her steady gaze on Leorio. You knew what it was she was referring to when she spoke of 'people like him'. He was kind, though rough around the edges, he had a strong moral code and wasn't afraid to fight for what was right. Though brash and abrasive, quick to anger, and a little slow at the best of times, Leorio exuded a positivity different to Gon's. Though you had no siblings, you likened it to perhaps the feeling of an older brother. A warm, protective sort of character you warmed up to quickly. Her quiet encouragement was good to hear, lord knows that Leorio deserved it.

It was with a loud, sudden cry of frustration from Gon that the warm atmosphere was interrupted. He fell to the floor in a heap with a pout on his lips, glaring at the ground with a deep furrow in his brow full of thought.

"It's no use," he sighed as he leaned back on his hands, "I can't think of an answer"

"You're still trying to find the answer?" Leorio mumbled curiously after a moment of silence, "you can stop, y'know? The quiz is over"

"I know," he sighed, crossing his legs beneath him and leaning his hands on his ankles, "but...what if I run into a situation like that? What should I do?"

His words brought back the surge of unease and misplaced guilt you had felt the moment the question was posed. What would you do in a situation like that? What options would you have? Would it be years from now when you were strong enough to save them both? Or would it happen tomorrow, the next day, or a week from now where you were just as weak, and just as useless as you were now. How much time did you have to get stronger?

"It wouldn't be right to choose just one," Gon sighed, his focused glare hardening on the dirt beneath him, "but one day I might have to make that choice..."

You think back to the influx of people that had boarded the ship, departed the ship, and had gathered on the docks intending to be a Hunter. It had almost filled you with a sense of relief. If so many people were tackling it, then surely it wouldn't be too hard? Clearly, you were wrong about that. The Hunter exam was no place for children, nothing you would have to endure from this point on was something a person should have to deal with. But in this case, and in the case of the hypothetical posed to you, you had no choice.

There was no telling what decision you would make in the heat of the moment, no answer you could give would be of any use when you were in the moment. Hyped up on adrenaline and faced with a person strong enough to do such a thing- how far would you be willing to go?

--

""Walk two hours" she said," Leorio grumbled, marching behind the three of you with his hands balled at his sides, "it was two hours, two hours ago!"

Though not as vocal in your complaints, you were inclined to agree. It was already nightfall now, you had been walking long enough that you were already starting to feel the ache in your legs, tomorrow was going to be hell that was for sure. Either way, you pushed on. The only source of light was the moon overhead, and if you weren't surrounded by people that had already saved your life once, you might've been terrified. In the middle of the woods, marching up to some random cabin underneath a random tree? This was the plot of every bad horror movie you had ever watched.

"Another beware magical beasts sign?" Leorio croaked worriedly from behind, scratching his head in exasperation as he glared down at the rusty sign hammered into the ground, "are we ever gonna make it to the exam site?"

He had fallen behind with his moping and complaining, at least it was doing something to lift your spirits and with him quite a few feet behind, you didn't feel quite as bad to have slowed down since the start of your travels.

"I'm hungry!" he flailed as he stomped his foot on the ground.

"Leorio..." Kurapika sighed, raising an irritated brow.

"I need to take a dump!"

"Hurry up or we're going to leave you behind!" Gon called out, amusement in his voice as he watched the older man throw his tantrum.

"I need to take a leak too!" he continued, regardless of the empty threats.

"I see it...!" Kurapika gasped, a relieved smile on his lips as he looked down the path ahead.

Through a break in the trees up the path ahead you could see it, the tree towering over head, miles above the rest. The trunk itself was thick enough to house an entire family, and sitting just below it, was a cabin far more impressive than you had been expecting. It stood on pillars, elevated off the ground a foot or two. Made solely of wood with a strong set of stairs leading up to the porch. The windows were dark, the lights were off, which wasn't surprising considering the time of night.

Like you were renewed with energy, you picked up the pace and before you knew it you were standing on the porch of the cabin. Leorio stepped up and knocked his knuckles gently against the door frame. It was chillingly quiet, unbelievably eerie to be standing in front of a lone cabin in the middle of the woods with only the moon guiding your way. Uncomfortable, you wrapped your arms around yourself, glancing side to side to make sure no one else was around. Even with the others at your side you couldn't fight the unnerving discomfort in your bones.

"Anyone home?" Leorio mused as he continued to gently knock.

"Are they out?" Gon chirped.

Wordlessly, Leorio reached for the door handle, pausing for a moment before he twisted it and pushed the door open slowly. His gentle push was met with no resistance, the door wasn't locked. The encroaching sense of dread worsened the minute the door creaked open. Sure, the cabin was in the middle of nowhere so maybe they didn't worry about burglars and left their door unlocked? But this was definitely odd.

"I don't feel very good about this..." you whispered hesitantly as the three at your side took a step into the darkened entrance.

"We're coming in!" Leorio mused casually.

Though tucked behind them with the room out of view, you knew something was wrong the moment they stiffened. They mirrored your dread with the stiffening line of their shoulders, a dreadful silence permeating the enclosed space. You didn't want to see, you didn't want to know what it was they were looking at, what it was that seemed to throw them so, but you felt dreadfully alone and dreadfully unsafe with your back to the forest.

"Guys...?" you croaked quietly.

Their eyes were locked on something tucked away in the cabin, stiff as though they were afraid to make any sudden movements. Unable to take the silence any longer, you took a hesitant step forward, flinching as the porch creaked under your shifting weight. Taking your place between Kurapika and Gon and finally being able to see over the line of their shoulders, you locked eyes with what it was they had been so taken by.

The room was in a state of disarray, shattered glass, and splintered wood decorated the floor. Through the light of the moon streaming through the broken windows, you could see the flecks and particles of dust and debris that filled the room with an almost mystical haze of fog. The body was what caught your eye first, collapsed on the floor beside a pile of rocky debris. The next thing that caught your eye was the figure standing over it, tall, grizzly, the shape so unfamiliar to you you thought you might've been hallucinating.

Eyes of burning red met your own, a glistening grin of sharpened teeth only seemed to widen at the sight of your frightened face. And as it turned to face you, you caught sight of the slender legs of a young woman dangling in its grip.

A surge of panic seared through your veins, an uncomfortable prickle of heat settled under your skin like your very cells had been set ablaze. You were caught in the grip of anxiety, eyes wide and body frozen, far too lost in the gaze of the creature standing before you that you couldn't react even as the boys at your side shifted into a fighting stance.

Not three days prior you had been standing in a situation like this one, standing in a ruined home with bodies on the floor, staring death in the face. It was too soon, you thought, too soon to see something like this again. Too soon to learn how to fight not only for your own life, but the life of the people around you.

As your heart leapt to your throat and you drowned out the commotion your friends were drawing, you eased the tension from your shoulders with a shuddering exhale. No amount of breathing would shift the panic wound tight round your heart, but the mask of calm concentration you wore would have to do for now. There was no such thing as 'too soon' when it came to being a Hunter. The world wouldn't wait around until you were ready, the world wasn't going to wait until you healed before it threw another challenge your way. You wouldn't stand idly by and watch as someone else perished at the hands of your own cowardice, not again.

You had wondered before when you would be ready to learn, when you would be ready to fight, well now you had your answer. There was no better way to learn how to swim than to dive straight into the deep end. If you were going how to learn to survive, if you were going to learn fight for people that couldn't defend themselves like your parents had always wished for you, the you would have to swallow that foolish swell of fear and meet the bull dead on.

If you were going to fight, you needed to do it now.