Zephi stood between Leorio and Gon as Netero addressed the rest of the applicants.

"I will now take the opportunity to introduce myself properly to the remaining forty two applicants. I am Netero, the chairman of the selection committee for this year's hunter exam. It's a pleasure to meet all of you," Netero spoke as he stood in front of the group.

"And I'm his secretary, Beans," the little green man from the exam entrance room spoke.

"I had originally planned to make my appearance during the exam's final phase, but, well seeing as I'm already here. I have to admit, there's nothing I love more than this feeling of tension in the air. So, I think I'll stick around for the remainder of the trip," Netero continued with an impish grin.

"We are scheduled to arrive at our destination tomorrow morning at eight am exactly. You'll find dinner waiting for you in the dining hall. You're also welcome to get some rest, of course," Beans spoke from his place beside Netero. "You're free to do as you please until we contact you. The evening is yours."

Killua turned to Gon and Zepheena with a smile. "Hey, come on, Gon! Let's go and explore the airship! You too, Zephi!"

"Yea! Let's go!" Zephi agreed as she ran off with her new friends.

"They have so much energy," Leorio mumbled as he watched them leave. "Not me, though. All I wanna do is crash."

"As do I," Kurapika mumbled as he closed his eyes, fiddling with a bracelet on his right wrist. "However, there is one thing that still concerns me."

"Oh? What's up?" Leorio asked as he walked out of the room with Kurapika.

"How many phases are there in the exam?" Kurapika wondered aloud.

"Huh. Yeah, they haven't said, have they," Leorio realized.

"As long as I've been doing this, it's averaged five or six," Tonpa said as he walked over.

"Which means that we've got another three or four left to go," Leorio whined as he shoved his hands in his pocket.

"Well, in that case we should get some rest now, while we can," Kurapika suggested before he turned to leave.

"Okay, but I'd be careful if I were you," Tonpa warned. "You heard the secretary, right? He only told us when we're arriving. He didn't say that the third phase of the exam wasn't going to happen right here on the airship itself. And we'll be notified, but who knows if that'll be at eight am or not?"

"Hold on, are you serious?" Leorio whipped his head around to stare at Tonpa.

"I suppose that makes sense." Kurapika raised a knuckle to his chin as he thought about the possibility.

"You might wake up and find out that the exam already took place and you slept right through it," Tonpa continued. "If you want to get to the next phase, then you better not let your guard down, even up here. Understand?"

"C'mon, gimme a break," Leorio grumbled. "Well, thanks for the advice. See ya later."

"We'll be sure to keep it in mind," Kurapika spoke as he left with Leorio.

"Good luck to all of us!" Tonpa called with a grin.

Kurapika just brushed off what Tonpa had said as he walked with Leorio to one of the resting rooms they were given permission to use.

As they walked, Leorio glanced at Kurapika's wrist, seeing him play with his bracelet absent-mindedly.

"Hey, if you don't mind me asking, where'd you get that bracelet?" Leorio spoke up.

Kurapika looked up from the floor and gave a small smile. "A friend of mine gave it to me. I had hoped that I would find her here at the exam, but I haven't seen her."

"Oh? It's a girl?" Leorio had a crooked grin as he nudged Kurapika who grimaced. "Is she that kind of friend? Ya know what I mean?"

Kurapika's gaze dropped. "I don't really know. We never got the chance to talk about it. But, I know when I see her again that I would like to be more than friends."

Leorio let out a laugh. "I'm rooting for you, buddy."

That brought a pink hue up to Kurapika's cheeks as he gave a tiny smile. "Thanks."

Zepheena walked down the halls between Gon and Killua as they continued exploring the airship.

"Hey, awesome!" Killua spoke as he ran over to the windows by them, looking out over the city below them. "Guys, look!"

"What is it?" Gon questioned as he and Zephi ran over to see what Killua was looking at. "Woah! It's like it's covered in jewels!"

Zephi looked over the sparkling city and her eyes went wide. "It's beautiful!"

"Yeah!" Killua nodded quickly before sitting down on the benches by the window.

"Hey, so I was wondering," Gon started, not looking away from the window. "Are they...? I mean, where are they?"

"Hmm, they're alive. Probably," Killua replied casually.

"What do they do?" Gon asked and Zephi looked at the fluffy haired boy curiously.

"They're assassins."

Gon and Zephi both looked at him with a look of surprise.

"They both are?" Gon questioned which caused Killua to laugh.

"That's your response? You really are a riot, aren't ya!" Killua cackled.

"You guys aren't the first people I've told about my parents, but you're the first ones to take it seriously," Killua replied as he rested his elbow on the window ledge with his cheek in his hand.

"But it's true, isn't it?" Zephi spoke up.

"Why d'ya think that?" Killua raised a brow.

"Just a hunch," Gon replied.

"I could tell that you had a deadly presence when we met," Zephi admitted. "So it makes sense."

"Weird. Most of the time people only like me because they can't tell if I'm serious or not," Killua replied as he stared out the window. "I'm from a family of assassins, so yeah, they're all in the business of murder. And my entire family, they've got real high hopes for me. But, ya know, I can't stand it. Who wants their whole life mapped out for 'em?"

Zephi hummed as she nodded, seeing where he was coming from.

"When I told them I wanted to decide my own future, they all flipped out! It was crazy! My mom had tears just streaming down her face and she kept screaming at me how I had the potential to be a top assassin," Killua explained as he turned to Gon and Zephi. "Horrible parents, right? No wonder I'm rotten! Then we started fighting, so I slashed my mom in the face and stabbed my brother in the side, and ran away from home. I'm sure they're out for blood now."

"Oh my gosh," Zephi breathed as she looked at Killua in shock.

"If they come after me, I'll kill 'em! When I get my license, I'll hunt 'em down to the last one. I'm willing to bet they've got pretty hefty bounties on their heads."

Gon gave a nervous chuckle as he rubbed the back of his head.

They sat in silence for only a moment before all three of them felt a strong presence from behind them to their left.

Zephi whipped around, but there was no one there.

"Something wrong?"

The three turned to the opposite way to see Chairman Netero walking towards them.

"Mr Netero? You didn't see anyone coming from that side, did you?" Gon questioned as he pointed towards the hallway.

The old man hummed. "No, I didn't."

"You're fast. For an old timer," Killua spoke up as his eyes narrowed.

"Oh? That trick? I just barely moved, that's all," Netero replied with a light chuckle.

"What do you want? You don't have anything to do 'til the last phase, isn't that right?" Killua spat only for Zephi to nudge him lightly.

"Now, now. No need to be so unkind," Netero spoke before Zephi could scold him for being rude. "I just got a little bored, so I decided to look for some company."

"Killua," Zephi chided lightly and Killua huffed, backing down a bit with a grimace.

"By the way, I've been meaning to ask you, any thoughts on your first attempt at the hunter exam?" Netero asked with a cheeky smile.

Gon perked up as he looked back up to the chairman. "Yeah! It's a lot of fun! There haven't been any written tests yet, and I was kinda worried about that."

"I hadn't thought about written tests," Zephi mumbled. "I've had fun! Even with the cooking. I may not have done great, but I had fun doing it!"

"I heard from Menchi that your soup was actually pretty tasty. Hard to get a compliment out of that one," Netero admitted.

"Really?!" The young girl gushed excitedly.

"I'm disappointed, honestly. I expected it to be a lot more challenging. But I assume the next phase will be more interesting?" Killua piped up.

"Oh, well. We'll see," the chairman replied with a shrug.

Killua huffed and turned around. "Let's go, guys."

"Wait, just a moment," Netero interrupted. "Would you like to play a little game with me?"

"Game?" Gon questioned as he quirked a brow.

The old man nodded with a sneaky smile. "And to make it interesting, if you three can beat me, I'll make you hunters on the spot."

"Really?! I'll play!"

Netero chuckled before looking towards Killua and Zepheena. "What about you two? What do you say?"

"Yeah, I guess I'll play," Killua replied with a shrug.

"Hmm, I don't know. I wouldn't feel like a real hunter if I didn't pass the exam like everyone else," Zephi said, holding a knuckle to her chin.

"Well, you can still play with us though! Right, Netero?!" Gon replied.

Chairman Netero chuckled lightly. "Well, sure!"

"I don't know. Maybe I'll just watch. I wanna conserve my energy, you know?"

"Smart girl," Netero praised.

"Then come on!" Gon urged excitedly.

"Now, let's go over the rules of the game. All you have to do is simply take this ball away from me. If you can do that before the ship arrives, you win."

The three kids listened as the chairman explained the game to them.

"So, let's see... we're scheduled for an eight am arrival, yes? Well, that's not too bad. You still have nine hours left. And feel free to use any tactics you want. I will only defend. I promise."

"Huh? That's too easy! It's barely even a game," Gon complained.

"Then why not give it a try and see if you're right."

Zephi crossed her arms as she watched Netero hols up the ball teasingly.

"All we have to do is take the ball?" Killua repeated with a furrowed brow.

"Yes," the chairman confirmed.

"Killua, wait," Zepheena warned.

The fluffy haired boy shrugged her off. "Don't worry, Zephi. Seems easy enough. I'll give it a shot."

"Go right ahead." Netero urged with a cheeky smile.

Killua stepped forward before he began to circle the old man, after images appearing with each step.

Zephi's eyes widened, recognizing the technique. "The rhythm echo? How does he...?"

"Rhythm echo?" Gon questioned Zephi as he watched Killua.

"It's a rare technique," Zephi said as Killua finally broke the illusion, darting towards the old man. "I've only read about it. I've never seen it in person."

Netero braced himself as Killua swiped his leg at the old man's own leg.

The white haired assassin tumbled back and clutched his leg with a whine of pain.

"Ow, his pivot leg," Gon flinched before raising his arm. "Killua! Tag me! Tag me!"

Killua pushed himself up and ran over to Gon and Zepheena, tagging Gon into the game.

"Is your leg okay?" Zephi asked as she nudged Killua gently.

He turned to snap at her, but when he met her eyes he just grimaced and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Yeah. I'm fine. That old man is made of steel."

The two watched Gon as he gave a sprint towards Netero. At the last second, the limber boy sprung up, taking everyone by surprise, even Netero.

He jumped so high that his head hit the ceiling. Slammed into it, in fact.

"Idiot! We already know how high you can jump, so you don't have to go all out! Focus!" Killua scolded as he sat down against the wall near the door.

Zepheena joined Killua, sliding down the wall until her butt hit the floor. "You had a chance. He dropped his guard for a second!"

Gon just brushed it off, rubbing his head as he said, "well that didn't work."

"Ow, ow, ow!" Killua cried after his face smacked right into Netero.

The old man chuckled as he shook his head. "You two aren't getting anywhere. Why don't you both try attacking me at once."

"Why you-" Killua started with grit teeth.

"Okay! Gotcha now!" Gon announced as he ran forward.

Gon tried coming at him from the front while Killua did the same from the back. Netero quickly took Gon down, using his force to move his head dwonwards while moving out of the way of Killua's back attack.

"Not bad! But still not good enough."

Zepheena watched in intrigue as the old man ably kept the ball from her fellow fifteen year olds. It was impressive to say the least.

She flinched as the two boys ran straight into each other.

"Ouch," she mumbled to herself.

Gon grit his and launched into his next attempt.

'Gotta say, your attacks don't amount to much," Netero taunted before Gon flung his boot off, taking the man by surprise as it forced his chin up into the air.

Killua grinned and round housed the chairman's back, knocking him forward while he was already off balance. "Now's our chance!"

"I think not!" Netero weakly kicked the ball out of Killua's grasp, but it was enough to keep it away from the boys. He then got his footing and lunged towards the ball, only for Gon to use his other boot to kick the ball away from the old man this time. "Oh! Sneaky kids!"

Both boys were in pursuit of the ball, equally convinced that they were gonna get it finally. But Netero came out of no where, thrusting himself between the boys which knocked them both down before he captured the ball once again.

Killua grit his teeth while Gon looked at the chairman in amazement.

"Well now..." Netero started as he stood on his left leg. "Excellent teamwork! You get an A for effort!"

"You're amazing, Mr Netero! Really amazing!" Gon gushed excitedly.

"Ah, forget it. I quit." Killua grumbled as he pushed himself up. "Ya beat me, alright?"

Gon frowned, jumping up to looked at Killua. "Don't quit! We still got lots of time. And besides, we came so close just now."

"Come on. You're really clueless, aren't ya? It's hopeless. Think about it. The old guy barely used his right hand or left leg. He's way to powerful for us, Gon. We could keep at this for an entire year and never get that ball," Killua explained while waving Gon off.

"Figured it out, did you?" Netero grinned.

"Was it supposed to be a secret?" Zephi quirked her head to the side. "I thought it was obvious."

"And here I was thinking I'd been pretty slick about it," Netero replied with a grin.

"Oh, I get it now," Gon mumbled.

"Ha, ha! You sure know how to piss me off, old man. Let's go, guys," Killua grumbled as he turned to leave the little gym area.

Zephi immediately went to follow him.

"Nah, I think I'm gonna play a little longer."

The other two looked at Gon in shock.

"Huh? Are you deaf? Didn't you hear what I just said? Look! It's pointless! You'll never get the ball from him!"

"S'okay, 'cause I don't really care. We've only used up half of the time limit. I'm gonna see if I can get him to use his right hand before the rest of it runs out!" Gon announced confidently.

"I see. Fine. I get it. Well, good luck. I'm going to bed. You coming, Zephi?" Killua turned his gaze to the girl beside him.

"Yeah! Some rest will be good."

"Let's go," Killua mumbled through his teeth.

The two walked out of the gym and Killua slipped his shirt off with an exhausted huff.

"If I had known it would be impossible, I wouldn't have even played his stupid game," the silverette groaned.

Zephi hummed, pulling Killua out of the way of some other exam participants as they passed. "It was good training for you two though. Besides, you can't win every fight."

"I know, but still. Winning does feel nice. It's less frustrating."

"I agree," Zephi replied with a light chuckle.

The two continued in silence until they found a resting room where the applicants were allowed to stay.

Killua fell against one of the walls and dropped to the ground with a thud. "I'm pooped."

Zephi hummed as she nodded, sliding down the wall to sit beside Killua. "Me too."

They sat in a comfortable silence before Zephi slumped against Killua, her head falling onto his shoulder.

He stiffened and turned to complain, but after seeing her asleep against his side, his cheeks began to burn. He just turned his gaze away from her and stayed still before his own eyes felt heavy.

He gave in, letting his head rest on Zepheena's as he fell asleep.