DAICHI WO FUMISHIMETE〜

Everything was flowing rather uneventfully, and she liked that. She really did. Everyday was like a shadow of the one before, and this kind of repeated routine helped her to get back on track. She woke up, went through the day, and slept, not much more to it. During the days at Yorknew, her brain had worked over time, numbing, putting up a front, plotting. But here, surrounded by trees lifetimes older than her, that raging river in her mind became more a trickling stream. With her mind silent, she tried to stay like that as much as she could.

The memory still hurt a bit, but not as much as before.

After all that happened, Rein just needed time to exist in quiet, and the Spiders understood that, to a degree. They left her alone when she needed to be, letting her rest up until the Exam. While they explored the island and went on small little missions, she stayed behind, collecting the perfect skipping stones and keeping the best ones in her pocket. The new skirt, that Machi had sewn for her as soon as they'd entered the game, held even deeper pockets than the one she'd lost. She was a bit more careful with her rock selection now, keeping only the best stored in her pockets so she would have more room for future ones. Not one of them came close to being her lucky rock, but she could manage.

Rein came to a stop in the middle of the forest, and tilted up her head to the clouds above, barely peeking through the canopy. Light cascaded down and seeped into the pores of her skin to the tips of her hair, almost an embrace. A kiss goodbye.

She would leave the game soon along with the others, but while the rest would head to try to find Greed Island by themselves to prove Shalnark's theory about the game existing in real life, she'd be making her way for the Hunter Exam.

She hadn't prepared, exactly. She probably should've, but it was too late to start now. After gathering enough leave cards, they were all departing today, and a final, brisk walk along the edge of the leering precipice would be her last for a while.

The waves crashed onto the rough, sponge-like boulders below, breaking into a million pieces and repeating the process over and over again. Salty air filled her lungs as she took a step back to enjoy the view and just... be. Her life would get very loud, noisy, and complicated soon, so she would enjoy this best she could.

As soon as she was about to leave, her eyes caught on a tree. A tree with a leg of lavender cloth dangling from it, and as she drew closer she considered surprising him, but when she could see, it was clear the person in the tree was... eating the tree leaves. Plucking them off along with their twigs and shoving them in his mouth, whole. Crunching bark and everything.

Brown eyes locked with emerald.

Frozen silence.

"Goodbye," she stated, turning on her heel.

"Wait, no, Rein, come back!" Shalnark called through a mouth of prickly green, frantic to explain. "This is a more toxic genus of Eucalyptus, rarely found anywhere in the world, I was just testing and enhancing my immunity—"

"You're trying to turn that tree into salad, why are you so weird?!"

"Feitan has jumped into literal lava before and you're judging me for training my immune system? Harsh."

"I... touché. But I'm still leaving now. I have to get ready for the Exam."

"Wait, no, I actually have something for you, I'm serious!" Shalnark said, leaning and waving for her to come back his way. He swung down, hanging from the tree branch by his legs as he thrifted through his pocket. "Here. I got it when I went into the nearby town."

She broke her gaze from his upside-down eyes to view the item at hand. "A phone?"

He nodded vigorously, his hanging blond hair bouncing with enthusiasm. "I cleared the data on it already and took the liberty of putting in the basics, so you're good to go! Well, for the most part, at least. You still have to put in your fingerprints and things like that."

"Ah," she said, blinking. Taking a finger, she tentatively tapped at the screen, with no response from the gadget. "So does this need to be charged or...?"

"Oh, no. It's fully charged already, since you're going to be using it from now on. Of course, even if you are at the Exam, you aren't going to be able to contact us anyway if we're inside the game since reception doesn't work here, but I can afford to step out for a day or so just to see how things are going. You can go ahead and explore the phone if you wish."

Rein tapped the phone again lightly, then repeated with a bit more aggression. Her mouth drew into a thin line as she stared at it, unsure of what to do next when the device didn't respond.

Shalnark cocked his head, swinging from the branch as he stared at her curiously. "Do you know how to work a phone?"

Her finger finally landed on the on button, lighting up the screen. She squinted, victorious. "Yes." The screen, untouched for too long, went dark. She tapped, to no avail. "No."

"No? What do you mean, 'no'? How do you not know how to work a phone?"

"I've never had one!"

"But you've used one, right? You've called people and such?"

"That didn't require me to actually do anything!" Rein protested, and almost dropped the phone when her arms were flinging about.

"Hey, careful! I just got it for you, you can't go around breaking it just yet! Okay, turn it on again," he started to instruct. "Press the button again... good job. You should be seeing numbers, and you input your password, which I already made for you. Input 4-1-8-6."

"It's..." Rein pressed the first number before blanking. Her finger hovered above the screen before she dropped her arms. "Why can't it be something easy, like 1-2-3-4?"

"Onetwothree—?!" Shalnark took a sharp breath. "Because," he said slowly, "if you make it too basic and obvious, people can get into your phone."

"I want to get into my phone. You know, when I went off with Gon and Killua, Gon had this really weird phone shaped like a bug. And your phone," she pointed at Shalnark, "Has those weird pointy things at the top. Since they're both kind of animal-ish, are they made by the same company, or does the shape of the phone affect anything?"

"Rein, it's called a case. A phone case."

"So what does it do?"

"Nothing, usually."

"Then what's the point?"

"It..." At the moment, Shalnark was holding in a barrel of emotions and words from spilling out onto Rein. "The  case you mentioned first is an exception. That one's a special model with the protective case already built onto it, to serve its practical uses all while making some sort of funny appearance. It's sturdy, waterproof, and will hardly ever break or crack because the case was designed like that.  But my phone..." Before he knew it, his hand had wrapped around his own device protectively. "Mine is different. I made this, by myself; case, inner workings, everything. I built the case into it for extra protection, but no, this isn't related to the model your friend had."

"You built this yourself?" Rein swiped his phone, turning so he wouldn't be able to take it back. She dodged both his protests and his hands grappling for his device. "That's so cool! So since it's durable, it won't break when I drop it? What about if I accidentally step on—"

Shalnark pushed off from the tree branch, snatching his phone from her grasp before coming to a crouched halt on the grass a good distance away, shielding it from her view protectively. "No. My phone."

Rein grinned. "I was joking. I wasn't actually going to step on it, I swear, but hypothetically, if I just so happened to drop your phone into the deep, dark ocean, would—"

"Mine. No touch," he practically hissed.

"You sound like Feitan."

He pouted, scrunching up his nose. "Enough about my phone. Back to yours." Shalnark witnessed the light leave her eyes, and he felt very smug at this. "You got me talking, but we still have to set up your phone eventually, whether you like it or not."

"Do I have to?"

Shalnark looked her in the eye. "4-1-8-6," he repeated, and she was finally able to get in this time. "Good job, now go to settings."

"I trust you on this, Shal, one hundred percent, I do." She paused. "And how exactly do I—"

*     *     *

Two old comrades lazed about side by side with only the breeze gracing the air. They didn't need to speak to understand the other; the silence spoke more often than not. Phinks and Feitan lay with their arms outstretched on the ground, resting for each of their small missions ahead. The clouds passed above.

While staying quiet was comfortable, they'd known each other for so long that breaking it was just as easy, even if it was a comment of little significance.

"That one looks like your eyebrows when you're pissed of," Phinks commented, gesturing at a narrow, wisp of a cloud. "Like when you got bird crap in your hair and spent an hour chasing down the seagull. You didn't clean it up 'cuz you were too stubborn and it was running down your face, not to mention in your mouth."

Feitan scoffed, almost in denial, and after a brief moment jutted out his chin to the sky. "That cloud the size of your brain."

His bare brows drew together. "You better not be talking about that one spot with no clouds or you're going to get some bones broken."

Again, Feitan's silence spoke loudly.

Sitting up, Phinks cracked first his neck, then his knuckles, mouth twisting into a smirk. "Aw man, and here I was having a quiet morning."

Feitan drew up a manipulated hand and held it up casually. Neither of their threats meant anything to the other, and both were aware of this. "Save energy," he sighed. "Fight later when you enter Greed Island by force."

Phinks pounded his fist against his palm. "The opponent better be good, then. I'm getting lousy practicing on these second-rate extras." Blowing out, he leaned back on the heels of his palms, dirt digging into his calloused skin as all tension left his body. As Spiders, there was only so much time when they were able to truly relax. People like Feitan never did, preferring to stay on guard, but Phinks didn't care as much. If he wanted to let loose, he certainly could do so whenever he pleased.

His eye caught on Shizuku, waving to them from just barely over the crest of the hill. Leaving in ten, she informed them, before briskly going off just as quickly as she had appeared.

Even though she was gone, Phinks lifted his head in acknowledgement. 

Just ten minutes, and a whole new chapter would begin. In the time left, he'd just decided to spitball as he always did, but he'd just brought back to light a certain point he'd forgotten. Danchou. They were all starting on fresh pages, but not Chrollo, in spite of those books he so dearly loved. He was stuck helpless and without his power. Would they ever... "When do you think we'll get a Nen exorcist and kick that dumb chain to hell?"

"Missions now, future later."

"Right, right. Murder, Hunter Exam. I get why Rein is going, it's about time she finally did something to test her strength, but still," Phinks looked down at his friend, who refused to meet his eyes. "Why are you going with her?"

A scowl. "Supervision."

"Yeah, like she'll need it. Weren't you the one that said Rein was growing up and that she'd be fine on her own?"

"And what happened?" Feitan prodded, reminding them both of  the event that had transpired right after Rein left the base on her own. Uvogin's death. The air chilled and same to a brief standstill, in which even the birds didn't dare to chirp. After a respectful moment of hushed silence for their fallen members, his bristles calmed.

"Or are you going for that Lucky brat? Rein'll keep him in check, besides, if he doesn't show we can just track him down and beat him up."

Feitan quirked an eyebrow.

"His Nen? That why you're going? That brat's aura?" Phinks shrugged. "That'll probably be a problem and'll also paint a target on his back for any Nen user taking the Exam, but who cares? He fails, he fails."

"He fails, he fails Danchou. You forgot about his wish? You tarnish Spider's name." Feitan got up and went off with hands buried deep in his pockets, leaving Phinks behind on the hill. "Supervision," he enunciated, leaving it at that.

*     *     *

Once again, the world melted before her, a blur of colors and shapes and sound before it all swiftly fell into place, dropping Rein and the others into the real world, back at their cold base in Yorknew. They all drew up before saying quick parting words, such as 'careful', 'I'll crack open your skull if you don't come back', and 'good luck'.

"Oh, Shal. Here." Rein handed back the phone, putting it in his hold by force when he didn't move to receive it. "I can't use this. You can show me more later, but I'm not going to need it."

"You don't know how to use it, do you." He smiled before ruffling her hair. "You're like an old lady who doesn't know how to use tech," he cooed, obviously trying to ruffle her feathers as well.

Unable to think of a response, she settled for blowing a raspberry with a tint of red to her ears.

And that was all. Most of the Spiders were people of little words, of thinking and taking decisive action. They didn't meander about on something as short and meaningless as a separation. But as soon as Shalnark raised his hand as he and the rest headed for the docks, a sudden void struck Rein in her abdomen. This was goodbye. She would see them again, she knew she would. But...

"Hey!"

All except for Feitan (who was waiting off to the side and silently urging her to get it over with already) came to a halt, turning back.

She tried to make it sound as casual as humanly possible. "Love you!"

Everyone visibly froze aside from Shalnark, who continued to wave and stuttered a loud, "Th-thanks, me too!", and Rein, who upon realizing the awkwardness of blurting this to the majority of the people she'd known her entire life at the same time, tried to shove Feitan out of the room faster.

Saying this to individuals was easy. She could casually wave it off as if nothing had happened, and with little witnesses around, she could jokingly deny it had ever occurred, much to the dismay of the Phantom Troupe's sanity. The only times she'd said it boldly before was when it was on spur of the moment, usually as a comeback to something. Those genuine times? Those were more intimate, briefer, quieter moments between two people. Now, this genuine line had been shouted.

Rein had never been embarrassed by this before. Ever. But a lot had changed. "Love you!" she repeated, trying to own it and not make it awkward when she made an effort to meet each of their gazes as she pushed Feitan out of the room. Her face softened for a brief moment, and she smiled. "See you soon."

While the others headed out for the docks, Rein and Feitan took a beeline route though the backs and the windows for a different destination, where Feitan claimed they would know the location of that year's Hunter Exam immediately.

Walking by one of the rooms, Rein's step faltered, gaze chained and drawing her closer. Her legs moved on their own toward a simple wooden cross propped up in powdered cement, surrounded by trickles of wax that had melted away and pooled down near the base of the mound, withered flowers nearly turning to dust themselves.

"It's..." The sentence didn't need to be finished. She held out her hand, fingers brushing against the rough wood of the cross, going over every single crack and knot. Her eyes caught on the bracelet she'd woven that day, and stared at them simultaneously, both the mound and the color in her jumbled mess of strings that meant so much.

She lowered her head, but after a few moments she pushed herself to her feet. "Come on. Let's go." It was no use talking to Feitan about this.

With a shrug from the Spider, they did exactly as she suggested.

Feitan's information site had worked, giving them multiple tips and multiple codes or actions to be accepted. A bit shady, run-down, she wondered if she could actually trust the information being given to them, but as they were making their way for the Exam site, the number of people walking with pride in their step and a determination set deep in their eyes increased significantly. Trios, couples, individuals, all bearing the same look with their destinations one and the same. No doubt they'd been correct in coming here, with the same goal in mind.

"Looks like there are a lot of Exam takers this year," she commented.

He looked around once before coming to the conclusion: "They'll all fail. All."

Though it was harsh, she supposed it was reality. "What about me?" she asked, stepping in front of him.

He ignored her and pushed past her shoulder as he walked on, considering her question. "Maybe. You better."

"Yeah, I hope so too," she said, airheaded. She almost tapped her heels on the cobblestone, an excited fluttering stomach spreading her expectations in a grin across her face.

Cobblestones became smooth concrete as they headed into the heart of the city, bustling with life, lights, and car engines. So many people. She'd never seen this many in the same place before, even topping her time at Yorknew City. The mafia could not compare to the civilians going about their everyday lives.

"It's so... big." And she felt so small.

Noticing she'd ceased her walking, Feitan finally took a hand out of his pocket to drag her along. "It's the city."

"Yeah, but it's just so different from the nighttime, you know? But peaceful at the same time too, I think."

He rolled his eyes, shaking his head as if he couldn't believe what she was saying. "You expect to pass with that state of mind?"

"Not all of us think about murder most of our waking hours like you do, Fei—"

An eye.

Feitan noticed as soon as the gaze on them started. His outer shell didn't change, but inside, a flick switched, ever the attentive Spider. He didn't let down his guard for the slightest moment, instead heightening it all the way till they reached the department store where the year's Hunter Exam was being held.

"Go inside," he instructed coldly, turning away from her meaningless talk. "You know password, right?"

"Uh, yeah." She hesitated at this sudden development, but gave a quick wave as she headed into the building. "Come in soon, okay?"

Feitan waited a few moments after she'd left, letting it all sink in. He cracked his neck, rubbing its base to relieve tension. As soon as he was done, he locked gazes with the man in the alley, tense.

Before he could escape, Feitan was there, pinning him to the ground with the man's arm twisted painfully behind his back. It was all too easy. The man attempted to squirm out of his grasp, crying out. Idiot. It would take a lot to break Feitan. Almost baring teeth as he spoke, Feitan twisted the man's skin harder, stretching and bruising the area permanently. And if he didn't tell him what was going on, he would be suffering a worse fate than some mere shattered limb.

"Answer with truth or else. Why were you tailing us?"

*     *     *

Blissfully unaware of what was going on outside, Rein tramped through the mall while trying to avoid crashing into anybody. The weight of the few pebbles in her skirt did nothing to slow her as she made her way, pumping her legs up the escalators to the fifth floor. She procrastinated her way to the shop she had to go to, but eventually made her way there and approached the attendant.

"What can I get for you today?"

Rein said her next words knowingly. "The vest with rhinestones on the base of the fur trim, please. From the cloud deer."

"Right this way, please."

The attendant led her to a hidden elevator, leading below ground level and opening up to a well-lit room already crowded with people. They all moved about freely, but the air was hot and suffocating, and each man only so much space for himself. Handed a number plate, she pinned it on her shirt.

She combed the room for Feitan, wondering if he'd made it on time or whether he'd accidentally killed an examiner and had been disqualified. It had happened to Hisoka before, it could happen to any of them.

Amidst the strangers and their toned, intense gazes, Rein was almost overjoyed when she spotted a familiar man with mussed raven hair, and the bracelets she saw on his wrist when he lifted his hand in an attempt to tame the tangled mess on his head only confirmed her suspicions. Weaving through the crowd, she tried to call his name. "Luck–!"

"Thank you for coming!" a voice boomed, interrupting her with a slam of metal against metal. This was most likely the examiner for the first phase.

They crowd instinctively turned, attentive to his next instructions. Rein had to tip toe and push her way through the crowd to see him. She could always catch Lucky later, once the first few hundred had been weeded out. There were just so many people this year, she couldn't even see the end of the hall. There were tall people, and short, overwhelmingly male with a handful of female, stocky, lean, bright colors with dull ones.

And out of the corner of her eye, Rein caught a glimpse of a head of pure fluffy white.

New arc, old characters. And after all the kidnapping and trying to kill each other's friends, absolutely no drama whatsoever will occur!

Now if you'll excuse me I gotta plan how to juggle all these characters at the same time while trying to make up my own original exam phases. Togashi... how did he do it all? All the names, arcs, convoluted plots, characters (each and every single one of them gold), Hatsu, world building, villains...

Togashi is amazing.

Rein's password was the original word count for this chapter!

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