Zepheena woke up the next day and was hanging out with Aoifa.

The exam commission provided food for the waiting applicants and it was surprisingly good.

She went to throw out the plastic tray from her lunch before making her way back over to Aoifa, but she accidently bumped into someone.

"I am so sorry! I should've been paying attention!" Zephi quickly apologized with a slight bow.

"Hmm? Oh, it's whatever," the boy brushed it off as Zephi finally looked at him.

He had fluffy white hair, ghostly pale skin, and brilliant electric blue eyes. He wore a dark blue longsleeve turtleneck with a white t-shirt over top and some baggy shorts. His number badge said 'ninety-nine'. He had little purple and white boots on as well. What caught her attention most though was the fact that he looked to be around her age.

As the boy started to walk away, Zephi hummed before turning to continue on her way.

"Hey, kid!" A male voice called and both teens turned to see a chubby man running over.

The boy's eyes narrowed as he loooked at the man who approached Zepheena.

"Oh, hello," Zepheena spoke skeptically and she went to walk away.

"Wait! I wanted to get to know you. I even have some juice to share if you'd like. The name's Tonpa," the man said as he pulled out a can.

The white haired boy went to step in, but Zephi beat him to it.

"No, thank you. I'm not interested. If you can't go near Aoifa then I can't go near you," Zepheena said as she waved him off. "Now leave me alone before I make you."

Tonpa stiffened and nodded quickly, running off to do his own thing again.

"Aoifa?" Killua spoke from behind Zephi and she turned.

"She's my friend. I noticed that guy yesterday. He kept looking at me but he waited until I was away from Aoifa which means he's bad news. I'm not stupid. I could've taken him out easily, but he's not worth my time," Zephi explained and Killua nodded with a sly smile.

"You're cool," Killua replied and she smiled at him. "What's your name?"

"Call me Zephi," she said as she held out a hand.

Killua looked down at her hand and hesitated at first but he shook it. "How old are you by the way?"

"I'm fifteen. What about you?" Zephi answered as she put a hand on her hip, feeling like she could actually relax around Killua.

Killua's eyes went a bit wide as he let out a light hum. "I'm fifteen too. That's kinda cool. I've actually never met someone my age. Though, I've never really gotten out of the house like this before."

Zephi nodded as she studied the boy in front of her. "Aoifa is really the only friend I have right now."

"Cool," Killua replied blandly as he adjusted his skateboard under his arm which caught Zephi's attention.

She looked at the board curiously. "That's a really cool-"

"Oh, there you are!" Zephi turned when she heard Aoifa's voice. "I got worried that something happened to you."

"Oh, I'm okay. I was just talking to Killua," Zepheena explained and the silverette gave a careless wave.

"Yeah, well I'm gonna go. See ya around, Zephi," Killua said before turning to walk away.

Aoifa hummed and then looked back at Zephi. "Made a new friend, huh?"

"I wouldn't say friend. I don't know anything about him other than his first name. I just bumped into him is all. Sorry I took so long," Zephi apologized as they went back over to the pipe they had been at before.

"Don't worry about that. I just wanted to make sure that sketchy guy that was watching you before didn't do anything to you," Aoifa explained before Zepheena accidentally brushed against someone.

"Oh, my apologies," Zephi said to whoever she had brushed by.

The man looked down with a smirk. "It's quite alright, my dear. Apology accepted. Hello again, Aoifa."

"Hello," Aoifa grumbled and Zephi looked between the two.

"Is this the friend you told me about?" Zepheena asked curiously.

Aoifa nodded with a sigh. "Yep. Hisoka, meet Zepheena. Zepheena, meet Hisoka."

"Any friend of Aoifa's is a friend of mine," Hisoka quipped as he spun his hands around and was suddenly holding out a blue moonlily.

Zepheena gasped as she looked at the stunning blue and silver flower. It was a flower that was native to three places in the world, the Lukso Province being one of them. They were her favorite flower in the world.

"How did you do that?" Zephi asked in awe as she took the flower he was holding out to her.

Hisoka chuckled as he looked down at her. "A magician never reveals his secrets."

"Well, thank you. Blue moonlilies are my favorite," Zephi said as she studied the petals of the gorgeous flower.

She looked back up at the pinkish red haired clown. He gave off a very creepy vibe that Zepheena didn't really like. She stayed back a bit, but smiled as to not be rude.

"Geez, when did you become nice?" Aoifa huffed in annoyance.

"Anything to get in a good word with the boss," Hisoka replied with a sly smirk.

"The boss? Who's the boss?" Zephi asked curiously as she looked between the two.

Aoifa glared at Hisoka when she realized what he was doing. "The boss of our organization. He's also my boyfriend."

Zepheena nodded slowly, wondering why Aoifa had tensed up when Hisoka mentioned their boss.

"Well, I wish you luck in the exam, my dear," Hisoka said smoothly before he turned and walked away.

Zepheena put the flower in the bottom of her braid. "He creeps me out."

"You and me both, Zephi," Aoifa grumbled as she glared at Hisoka's back.

Zepheena was getting antsy as the final day was almost to an end.

She couldn't wait for the exam to start as she skillfully swung around her batons. She wondered if becoming a hunter would mean she might run into Ging again.

She had him to thank for how strong she was now. She wouldn't have survived without his lessons.

Maybe some of those lessons were actually to prepare her for the Hunter Exam.

She was more than ready to take on any challenge this exam posed.

As Zepheena stretched a bit, wanting to stay limber for whatever the exam threw at her, a loud alarm that was quite annoying started to go off on the opposite side of the wall a wall.

The wall began to lift up, revealing a long passage and a very lanky man with a mustache and a nice suit.

"I apologize for the delay. Thank you for waiting," the periwinkle haired man spoke as he stood in front of the pool of applicants. "The entry period for hunter applicants is officially closed, so without further ado, the hunter exam will now begin."

Zepheena looked at him as she smiled, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"One final word of caution. If you're short on luck or ability, keep in mind that there is a very real chance you could end up seriously injujred. Death is another distinct possiblity. If you are willing to accept the risks involved, I'll ask you to follow me now. But for the rest of you, kindly exit through the elevator door located behind you," came the warning speech and Zepheena breathed deeply.

The rest of the applicants kept their tough resolve, not faultering once.

"Right then, very well. All four hundred and four applicants will now participate in phase one," the man said before turning on his heel and walking in the opposite direction.

Zepheena glanced up at Aoifa who had a stone face as she looked at the suited man.

Then, everyone began to follow him deeper into the tunnel.

Very quickly the pace picked up and everyone began to jog.

"So are we going to the first phase?" Zepheena asked Aoifa who hummed.

"If I'm not mistaken, this could be the first phase of the exam. That's only a guess though," Aoifa assumed as they jogged along with the other applicants.

"How rude of me," the man spoke in a loud tone. "I neglected to introduce myself. I am Satotz, your examiner for the first phase of the exam. It's my responsiblity to lead you all to the second phase."

"Second? What happened to the first?" A bald man towards the front of the group asked.

"The first phase is already under way," Satotz said as he continued to walk with outstretched limbs, almost looking like a robot.

There was a bunch of chattering throughout the applicants at that statement.

"The first phase is quite simple. All you have to do is follow me to the second phase, so try to keep up," the examiner explained to everyone.

"Follow you? So that's it? There's nothing else?" The bald man from before asked as Zepheena hummed, thinking about what this all meant.

"That's right. I cannot tell you where or when you must arrive. You need only to follow me," Satotz replied simply.

They had all been running for what felt liked hours when Zephi heard someone yell beside her.

"Hey! Wait up, kid!" The guy yelled so Zephi looked over to see Killua on his skateboard.

"Hmm?" Killua turned to look at the black haired guy with glasses who was talking to him.

"You should show the Hunter Exam some respect!" The guy shouted angrily.

"What do you mean?" Killua asked and Zephi hummed as she ran next to them, keeping quiet for the time being.

"Why are you using a skateboard? That's cheating!" The guy explained the reason for his bickering.

Killua raised an eyebrow at the man. "How's that?"

"How?! This is an endurance test!" The guy complained.

"No, it isn't," a new voice spoke up.

Zepheena looked to the one who spoke, seeing that it was another boy around her age. He had spiky black hair with green tips. He wore a cropped green jacked with matching jean shorts and knee high boots.

Looking at him, Zepheena felt like she had seen him before, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Huh? Gon, what are you saying?" The other guy asked so Zepheena assumed the boy's name was Gon.

"The examiner guy only told us to follow him," Zepheena interjected and all three males looked at her.

"Who even are you?" The older of the three glared at her.

"She's right, Leorio," Gon agreed with her.

Leorio growled, not liking that his friend was agreeing with a strange girl. "Whose side are you on, eh?"

Killua pulled up to Gon on his skateboard, studying him for a moment before asking, "hey, how old are you?"

"I'm fifteen years old," Gon answered with a smile.

Killua hummed as he looked over at Zepheena. 'He's the same age as Zephi and I,' he thought to himself before making a decision.

He jumped off his board, kicking it up into the air before catching it and running alongside Gon. "Guess I'll run too."

"Wow! That was cool!" Gon looked at the silverette in awe.

"How did you do that?!" Zepheena asked as she stared at Killua with wide eyes.

"Just practice I guess," Killua answered Zephi before looking at Gon. "I'm Killua."

"I'm Gon," the spiky haired boy introduced himself before looking at Zephi. "What's your name?"

"My name is Zepheena, but you can call me Zephi," Zepheena replied with a small smile.

Gon noticed that her voice was kinda cold, but sweet at the same time. He got the sense that she had gone through a lot, but still had a kind heart.

They all kept running, making small talk here and there.

As they kept running, the man named Leorio started to slowly fall behind.

Zepheena noticed and decided to tap Gon on the shoulder. "Your friend doesn't look so good."

Gon hummed and slowed to a stop, looking back at Leorio, Killua following suit.

Leorio was hunched over, breathing heavily as the three kids watched him carefully, his briefcase lying about a meter behind him.

"Hey, forget about him. You gotta keep moving," Killua said and Zepheena hummed as she nodded, but Gon didn't move.

They all stood there and Leorio looked at them blankly for about a minute before he looked at the ground.

"Man, screw this," he grumbled loudly before he stood up. "I'm becoming a hunter, no matter what! Damn it all!" Leorio sprinted forward faster than he had been running before, speeding past the three twelve year olds.

Gon smiled as he giggled a little before turning. He grabbed his fishing rod and flung the line towards Leorio's discarded briefcase.

He snagged the handle like a pro and flung it back towards them, catching it with ease. "Got it!"

"Woah..." Zepheena smiled as she looked at the black haired boy who was only a few centimeters taller than her.

"That was awesome!" Killua exclaimed and they all started running again. "Can I try that later?"

"Sure, if I can try your skateboard," Gon replied and Zephi hummed.

Once they all caught back up with the group, Killua had a fun thought.

"Hey! I have an idea! Let's race to the finish! See who's faster!" Killua challenged and Gon thought about it.

"Sure, okay!" Gon agreed with a bright smile. "But the loser has to buy the other two dinner!"

"Free dinner? You're both on!" Zepheena agreed excitedly and Killua nodded.

"Ready? Go!" All three yelled in unison before sprinting forward.

Zepheena panted as she ran beside Killua, pushing herself, but not passing her limits.

She knew she could go faster, just as she knew Gon and Killua probably could as well, but they were all making sure they didn't run out of steam too soon.

She had never felt so happy in years. She was actually having fun.

As they came up beside Leorio and another blonde haired male, she laughed a bit.

"See you at the finish line!" Gon said with with a cheeky grin.

"Yeah! Catcha later old man!" Killua teased as Gon laughed.

"Hey! I'm not old! Can't you tell I'm a teenager just like you?!" Leorio shouted and they were all taken aback.

The blonde male caught sight of Zepheena and he seemed to study her for a moment while she kept her gaze forward, charging on ahead.

As Gon, Zephi, and Killua got further up the tunnel, the male hummed, keeping his eyes on the familiar girl until she was two far ahead.

"Hey, Kurapika, you good?" Leorio questioned after trying to get his attention a couple times.

Kurapika shook his head slightly and looked over at Leorio. "What is it?"

"You've been zoned out for like five minutes now," Leorio spoke as he panted heavily.

"Hmm, it's nothing. Just thought I recognized someone... but it's impossible anyway," Kurapika replied as he kept going forward at a steady pace.

Zepheena could see the exit getting closer and it got her excited.

As much as she was enjoying herself, she could definitely use a little break. But she didn't let up.

"I've gotta tell you guys, I'm pretty impressed that you can keep up with me," Killua spoke suddenly and they both glanced at the silverette.

"You are?" Gon asked with a sheepish smile as he scratched the back of his head.

"Or maybe, they're all so slow, you both just seem fast," Killua said and Zepheena hummed. "Man, I thought the Hunter Exam was gonna be more of a challenge. This is boring."

"Hey, why do you wanna be a hunter, anyway?" Gon asked Killua curiously.

"Who me? I never said I wanted to be a hunter," Killua replied as he glanced at Gon. "I just heard the exam was supposed to be really hard. It sounded kinda fun, so here I am, but it's not as fun as I thought. What about you?"

"Well, the thing is my dad's a hunter, so I decided I was gonna be just like him, no matter what!" Gon answered with a huge smile on his face.

"So what kind of hunter is your dad?" Zephi asked as they moved over to avoid a guy passed out on the stairs.

"No idea!" Gon replied simply.

Killua burst out laughing. "It's the weirdest thing I've ever heard! You wanna be the same kind of hunter as your dad, but you don't know anything about him? That's nuts!"

"Mito's the one who raised me," Gon said as his eyes softened. "And she told me a little, but I've only ever seen him in pictures she showed me from a long time ago."

Zephi could tell whoever this 'Mito' was, she meant a lot to Gon.

"Wait, so who's Mito?" Killua asked, beating Zepheena to it.

"She's my aunt," Gon replied and Killua did an 'ah' before Gon continued. "She said that my dad took the Hunter Exam when he was only twelve years old, too. He passed his first try and became a hunter. That's when he decided to leave the island. So I came here in order to find out why he chose being a hunter over staying at home with me."

"What about you, Zephi?" Killua asked and both boys looked at her.

"Oh, well I never really dreamed about being a hunter or anything like that. I ran into a woman named Aoifa in the woods and she said she could take me to Zaban. She was going there for the exam so I asked if I could tag along. That's how I ended up here," Zepheena explained simply as she stared ahead.

Killua could tell she was hiding some things, but he didn't question her because he didn't get any vibes that she was untrustworthy.

"The exit!" Someone in front yelled as the exit became bigger and bigger.

"Finally! We're getting out of this dark tunnel!" Another person shouted excitedly.

All three kids smirked before they dashed forward, trying to make it to the exit first.

As the exit got nearer, Zepheena laughed to herself and they all leapt of the finish line.

"Goal!" They all shouted excitedly as they passed Satotz, giggling and smiling.

"Yeah! I did it! I finished first!" Gon cheered as he pumped a fist in the air.

"Oh no you didn't! I did!" Zephi argued with a grin.

"What are guys talking about? I totally won," Killua disagreed and Gon pouted.

"Huh? No, I won," Gon said and Zepheena crossed her arms.

"I was obviously faster than you both," she remarked.

"I won," Killua argued and Satotz looked between the three in wonder.

"I was faster than both of you so one of you two have to buy me dinner," Gon continued, not giving up.

"No way! I was faster so one of you are buying me dinner." Killua didn't let up either.

"Nu-uh! I was faster!" Gon then had an idea so he turned to Satotz. "Hey, which one of us was fastest?"

"You crossed the finish line simultaneously," Satotz answered simply.

"Okay... fine! Guess I'll have to buy you your dinner, Killua, then you have to buy Zephi dinner, and Zephi will buy my dinner! Okay?"

"I don't get it," Killua mumbled as he looked at Gon.

"Hey, Mr Satotz, is this where the second phase begins?" Gon asked excitedly.

"No, it isn't," the examiner replied honestly. "We have quite a ways to go."

"Aw, man." The spiky haired boy slumped in slight disappointment.

After finally making it to the exit, Kurapika panted, looking around for a moment.

"Hey, Kurapika!" Gon said from on the ground next to him.

He looked over and waved slightly. "Oh. Hey. Is this our destination?"

"Nope, not yet!" Gon answered with a smile.

Kurapika then noticed that the black haired girl from before wasn't there anymore.

"Where'd your other friend go?" Kurapika questioned as he glanced around.

"Oh, she went over to her friend Aoifa. She said she would see us later," Killua told him and he hummed.

"What's her name?" Kurapika asked curiously.

Gon looked up again and smiled. "Her name is Zepheena!"