"Something? Like what?" Kiyoko asked, trying to sound confused.

"Whatever you told Kurapika in the mountains," Leorio said.

".... Hmmm? But that was Kuromi, not me.. She probably told him whatever it was because he shared his deepest secret to us all," Kiyoko reminded everyone. "Wouldn't that be a fair exchange?"

Kurapika stayed quiet as he listened to the girl talk, feeling her voice vibrating her small body on his back a little.

"True.. But it also seemed very important when Kurapika mentioned it," Leorio fought back.

"Well, if you want to know...." Kiyoko trailed off, looking away.

'I know black magic...' she whispered, making the man stop and back away quickly.

The group laughed at the man's reaction after Kiyoko told a lie to everyone.

"I'm just kidding, Leorio-san. It's something else, but are we going to travel like this and work together at the Hunters' Exam? If so, I'll tell you."

"Well, you said you'd be working with me! I think Kurapika and Leorio would tag along too since we don't know anyone else in that exam," Gon chimed.

'Are you sure you can trust them with this, Kiyoko?' Kuromi asked, curiously. 'You already know why I told Kurapika, but about the other two..'

'It's alright, I trust them,' Kiyoko answered.

"Alright then. I'll tell you everything you need to look out for, except for personals of course," the girl answered.

The girl caught a look of relief on Leorio's face when she agreed to tell the group more about the problem she bears.

"You already know about Kuromi and my split personality disorder, but you don't know it in details," Kiyoko started. "I got this disorder at a young age, around 6 or 7 I'm guessing, from abuse by random people."

"Abuse?" Gon asked. "For what? I heard about a girl that was described to look like you getting mistreated and all."

"O-oh, well, I'll get to that soon and that is probably me. Anywayssss..... It already takes a lot of willpower for me to alternate from me to her and the other way around, so when Kuromi and I are present at the same time, I'm using most of my concentration and energy trying to keep in control of this body. If you've noticed, Kuromi is usually overpowering me in this state. If we both stay like that, half and half, for too long, my body would begin taking damage and pain physically and mentally, making me weaker by the time passing. It isn't too serious right now which makes my body unstable, but I may get a fever right then and there if the damage I suffer is... ehhh, not too low or high, and if it is high, then I may pass out right on the spot. Kuromi gets affected by this stuff as well, just not as heavy and risky as the effect is on me. I'm always the one to pass out first, leaving her vulnerable and very weak. She is connected with me after all. She wouldn't even be able to move an inch if that were to happen. Having damage inflicted on my body is also possible if we substitute for each other too many times in a row," Kiyoko continued.

"I see, so that's why Blondie here was helping you the entire time," Leorio said understandingly.

"Who are you calling 'Blondie', Four-Eyes?" the boy shot back.

The two growled at each other, pressing their faces close to each other with brute force and looking away right after.

"Right... So, Kuromi will always be the one to control this body when I'm knocked out cold, but there's a possibility that she would pass out as well, maybe a 90 percent chance out of 100. The affect of headaches and being somewhat paralyzed for a brief moment would fade away slowly. Now, about being abused.... Uhh.. I don't know how to explain this without scaring anyone, but you might find out about the reason behind it sooner or later," Kiyoko said.

"You don't have to tell us everything in one go, so don't worry about that," Kurapika told the girl, propping her up again. "Besides, I think that's enough info about you despite just meeting you for about a day and a half."

Kiyoko nodded and looked at the other two boys to see them giving her wide grins in the dark tunnel.

"So, why do you usually alternate from yourself to Kuromi and vice versa?" Leorio asked.

"Hmm, Kuromi wants to see and experience the world herself too, you know. Of course I understand her wish well since I'm always switching with her. Think about this, 2 different people sharing a body, one having freedom and experiencing everything they want to experience while the other is stuck in a dark cold area, seeing what the other is being exposed to in this world through the eyes of the person. It sucks, really, since you want to be out in that world smiling and doing things YOU want to do," Kiyoko told the man.

Gon began to think about the girl's explanation about her alternation with Kuromi, his head starting to overheat from thinking too hard.

"A-ah, Gon! You don't need to think about this too hard!" the girl exclaimed, trying to cool down the boy's head.

".... I wouldn't like that feeling either really..." Gon finally answered.

"Huh?"

"It just feels like you're being isolated by everything, right?" Kurapika asked, looking back at the girl on his back.

"..... Yeah.." she answered smiling sadly.

Kurapika turned over to look at the man next to him to see him looking at his feet.

"Regretting it now?"

Leorio snapped out of his train of thoughts and head locked the younger boy for a bit as Kurapika stomped on his foot several times, swinging his briefcase onto his shoulder right after.

"Pfft. Yeah, right.... Maybe just a little.." the man answered.

"Hahaha, don't worry, Leorio-san. No offense has been taken by us both," the girl lied.

'Hmph!' Kuromi grunted.

"This entire trip is going to take 2 hours, plenty of time for Kuromi and me to rest," Kiyoko assured the group.

"Kiyoko? Is there any other reason for you to take this Hunter Exam?" Gon asked.

'So many questions....' Kuromi complained.

'Oh, hush. Don't worry about it.'

"Not at all. I hate violence in general, but Kuromi is usually asking me to pick fights on others," Kiyoko answered.

"If you hate violence, does that mean you don't know any fighting techniques?" Leorio asked stupidly.

".... Want to try me?" Kiyoko asked seriously.

"No.. Not at all.. I was.. joking.. yeah," the man answered frighteningly.

Kiyoko shook her head and giggled a little.

"I can fight. Kuromi usually takes care of the more out of hand type of fights though, that's all. Other than that, yes, I'm fairly skilled with combat and weapon wielding for one who hates violence and gore."

'Oh, we'll see about that,' Kurapika muttered, curious if what she said was true or just a cover up.

"You're getting heavy you know?" the boy lied, wanting to see the girl's reaction.

'Well, you didn't have to carry us in the first place!' Kuromi yelled angrily.

"Kuromi said that you didn't have to carry me before we left for the lone cedar tree. That's true, I could've held onto Gon and walk myself you know," Kiyoko told the boy, ignoring his rude comment.

"Fine then. If you're not thankful for my actions, suit yourself," Kurapika said in a relaxed tone, dropping Kiyoko to the floor and making her yelp in pain.

'Geez, a little warning next time...' Kiyoko whimpered before switching with a pissed off Kuromi for a little.

"HEY! CAREFUL, PRETTY BOY! KIYOKO HATES PAIN AND CAN'T TAKE MUCH OF IT, SO YOU BETTER APOLOGIZE TO HER!" Kuromi yelled.

"Oh? If she hates and can't take much of pain, then why is she here in the first place?" Kurapika asked casually.

"IT'S CAUSE I MADE HER COME HERE, OBVIOUSLY! .. Douche bag.."

The girl switched back to her original self and stood up a little uneasy, getting swept up by Kurapika again bridal style.

"A-ah! A-are you going to drop me again?" Kiyoko asked, getting ready to pull out her staff.

"No, don't worry about that. Just proving that you still can't walk yet," he answered sternly.

Kiyoko's face remained calm as she decided to slap the boy's arm instead of whacking him with her weapon.

"How rude... So much for proof.." Kiyoko said, hiding her displeased face.

Kurapika noticed her puffed out cheeks and smiled at the reaction he got out of her.

'I was expecting more of a violent lecture and some kicking and punching coming out of her, but I guess she will never get mad,' the boy thought in a pleased way. 'Maybe I can bare with her and Gon, but Leorio...'

'I may hate pain, but it doesn't mean I'm like those frail little girls..' the girl mumbled.

"Hey, Kurapika? That woman spoke about 'navigators'. What is a navigator?" Gon asked curiously.

"Mm, the location for the exam changes every year. The navigator is the one to distinguish the exact location is and leads applicants with potential to the site. It's said that it's quite nearly impossible to reach the Exam Hall without their enlightment. We must find the navigator to be able to reach the area of the exam. And we must make them recognize our talents and skills..." Kurapika answered.

"Wow, that sounds really.. complex..." Gon said.

"Are we there yet?" Leorio called, voice cracking in the process.

"What if we said no?" Kiyoko asked jokingly, holding onto Gon's shoulder and Kurapika's talbard.

The man fell onto his knees on the hard floor, dropping his suitcase with him.

"'It'll take two hours walking,' she said? To hell it was already two hours like two hours ago! Damn!" Leorio cursed, about to let out a long rant.

"He's going to blow in 3... 2.. 1.." Kiyoko counted down.

"I'M HUNGRY! I NEED TO TAKE A DUMP AND I NEED TO LEAK TOO!" Leorio complained on cue.

"Leorio, we're going to leave you behind, so hurry up!" Gon called, Kurapika looking away with an annoyed expression.

Kiyoko let out a small laugh at the boy's reaction and tried to cover it up with her hand, looking away.

"What's so funny?" Kurapika asked, looking back ahead.

"Your reactions towards everything Leorio-san does! I really love the face expressions you make!" she said, trying to suppress her laugh as the boy blushed a bit.

'Thank god she can't see in the dark..' the boy thought awkwardly.

"Let's take a break, guys!" Leorio called.

"Hey, look! The exit is right there!" Gon said.

"WHAT?! WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY ANYTHING?!" the man yelled, running up to the group before being left behind.

"... We got out of a long dark tunnel just to see a lake spread out in the area.... Are we supposed to swim across...?" he asked in an idiotic manner as they stepped outside.

"Hey, look! I found a boat over there!" Gon exclaimed.

"Hey, water is starting to leak in," Leorio pointed out as Gon and Kurapika rowed the boat across the vast lake.

"It's not a big problem... Just plug it up with your body or something until we get across this lake..." Kurapika sighed.

"Don't tell me... This is part of that Hunter Exam, isn't it?"

"Correcto," Kiyoko answered the man.

The group passed by a mysterious 'Beware of Magical Beasts!' sign on the way to their destination, everyone looking over to it as they passed by.

"It's one of those weird 'Beware of Magical Beasts' signs," the man said, scratching his head tiredly.

"Seems like it," the Kurta answered back.

"Say.... I've been thinking about this ever since now... How are we going to impress the navigator? I don't have a clue really," Gon decided to ask.

"Well, we can-"

"I guess it's our appearances!" Leorio interrupted Kurapika.

"... Appearance..? I don't think so.." Kiyoko said.

"It's definitely appearance. Sorry to point this out, Gon, but you don't have a chance at this. And as for you, Kurapika, you're not tall enough! I don't know about you, Kiyoko, but I guess as long you don't let Kuromi take over, you'd be fine. To sum things up, I'm the only one among us all who can impress the navigator," Leorio boasted.

The other three looked at each other curiously, Gon being the first one to ask.

"Is that right?" the innocent boy questioned.

Kurapika looked away and closed his eyes a little irritated.

"No.... Certainly not."

Kiyoko shook her head and looked away from the group and at the water's dark reflection.

"W-WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Leorio exclaimed angrily, putting a fist up in front of him.

"It'll take more than physical strength to prove it. Should be something else like..." the boy trailed off a little.

"Huh?"

"Knowledge and perceptiveness... As for you, Gon, think of something that makes you stand out most," he finished.

"Something that makes me stand out...? Uh..." Gon asked.

"You may have not noticed it yourself, but you excel in many things. Well, at least more than Leorio," Kurapika said, earning a groan from the man.

"For me, it's my courage. I wouldn't get frightened, no matter what monsters and beasts I confront," Leorio lied.

'Really..? I doubt that..' Kiyoko chuckled to herself, Kurapika and Gon smiling at her answer.

A dark silhouette suddenly appeared behind Leorio as Gon and Kurapika's eyes grew and their jaws dropped, Kiyoko turning around to see what it was, staring at it blankly as her face went pale.

"Huh?" the man asked, noticing something was off.

"Leorio... Behind you," Kurapika choked out.

"Behind me?"

Kiyoko brought her hand to her face and looked away from the shadow, trying to cover up her nervous presence.

"Y-you might want to look now before it's too late," the girl warned.

"Look," Gon said, pointing at the shadow in front of him.

Everyone was still staring at the mysterious shadow as Leorio finally decided to heed their warnings, turning around and looking up slowly. The strange animal suddenly roared, causing Leorio to scream at the top of his lungs frighteningly and row the boat as fast as he could. Kiyoko immediately shot over to the other two boys when the boat suddenly jolted at the speed they were going at, large waves being created on the way. Leorio wasn't looking at where they were heading over to and slid onto a rock like a ramp, causing the boat to fly and crash into land, Kurapika holding the girl and Gon close to him for impact before getting off.

'Is he really that scared...?' Kiyoko whispered, hanging onto Kurapika's neck as the man continued to row the air.

"Leorio," Gon called, causing him to stop rowing frantically.

Leorio blankly looked over to the side to see Gon and Kurapika standing next to the boat awkwardly, Kiyoko being set down by the Kurta boy as she blinked at the man's reaction.

".... Here," the youngest boy said, casually handing over the man's suitcase.

"Even this lake that is the size of the ocean can be crossed quickly if I row the boat," he said, trying to sound cool.

Leorio dramatically turned around to see the others ignore him and try to decipher an ancient relic.

"HEY!"

"Is this a ruin?" Gon asked.

"It seems to be some sort of relic belonging to the ancient Sumi tribe.." Kurapika said.

"Can you read it?"

Kurapika skimmed the message as silence filled the air.

"Hmm... Many parts are absent, so I can't be too sure of this.. It looks like a warning for those who trespass this ruin," he answered.

"Interesting... But I don't think it would affect us or our travels.." Kiyoko said.

"Hey, forget about that message and where's that straight path the old lady told us?" Leorio said.

"That path? It's right over there," Gon said, pointing at the path.

".... It just looks like a long twisting road to me... That old woman said it's a straight path," the man said, looking over at the winding path.

"A straight path doesn't actually mean that it leads us straight to our desired destination. Isn't that right, Gon? Kiyoko?" the boy asked.

"Yup!" Gon said as Kiyoko only nodded at the question and yawned a little.

"Thank you for your brief lesson, Smarty-pants," Leorio said disappointedly, walking off to the path with the others following.

A low growl came from a dark area near the relic, everyone being unaware that they were being carefully watched in the shadows by glowing red eyes as they continued their way to the cabin.

Crickets, an owl, and their own footsteps were heard clearly in the silent woods as they hiked up the long path without a word.

'Thump, thump, thump.'

Leorio began to study the scenery they passed by as Kiyoko fumbled with the white bag she's been carrying on her left shoulder, a flock of bats screeching as they flew away.

"Are you certain that we'll be able to reach to the Exam Hall by doing this?" Leorio asked, finally breaking the long silence.

"Look, it's another of those weird warning signs we've been seeing. Hey, Gon! You're walking so poised, but I hope you're not bringing us all to a path filled with these magical animals!"

Kuromi sighed and grabbed her head tiredly.

'Will he ever shut up?' she groaned, pissed off with all the complaints the man gave.

Kiyoko then gave a long tired sigh as well.

"Don't worry. There are no traces of them anywhere," Gon assured him.

"Then why are there warning signs that's about magical animals everywhere?" Leorio grumbled loud enough for them to hear.

".... Anyways.... How are you able to see so well in this darkness?" Kurapika interrupted.

"My house was located deep in the mountain on Whale Island. It's always pitch black at night," Gon told the boy.

"Oh? So that was your house up there?" Kiyoko asked, remembering how she came upon a small house at the mountain.

"Yeah! I think I saw you pass by it s few times before! But the atmosphere of the woods at night is completely different here..."

The young boy stopped walking and looked ahead curiously.

"Ah, I found it!"

"Oh?"

"There's the lone cedar tree right over there with that cabin located underneath it!" Kurapika said.

Leorio knocked at the small log cabin's door repeatedly, earning no answer from the other side.

"Hello? Anyone home?"

"Are they out?" Gon asked curiously.

"I really don't think they are... It's pretty late out here," Kiyoko said, putting her hands on her hips and leaning on a leg.

"It's strange how they're not here. The old woman said that a couple lives here... What should we do now?" Kurapika asked.

"It doesn't look like other applicants got here yet. Hehe, looks like we're first! Well, I'm going in," Leorio said, grabbing onto the door knob and turning it slowly.

The man incautiously pushed open the doors with Gon, revealing a dark room as the only light source, the moon, entered.

"We're coming in!"

The four took a few steps into the building, seeing broken items scattered all around the ground. A magical beast stood before them with a hostage in hand and a man lying on the floor in front of it. The beast began cackling and turned over to look at the group, the woman in its arm struggling to break free.

"I-it's a magical beast!" Leorio exclaimed, everyone getting into a battle stance and pulling out their weapons.

"A magical beast?!" Gon asked.

"A transforming magical beast, the Kiriko. They can take on human form, an intelligent creature as well!" Kurapika noted.

"When the hell did it get here?!" Kuromi asked, taking over half of Kiyoko's body.

"There's a woman in its arm!" Gon pointed out.

"And that guy on the floor needs medical attention immediately..." Leorio said.

The Kiriko leaped out of the window behind it, shattering the glass to make its escape into the woods. The group ran over to the shattered window to look out for the animal as the man on the floor began to groan.

"P-please... Please save my wife...!" he asked desperately, reaching out before him as Leorio began searching through his suitcase.

Gon immediately took actions and jumped out of the window he stood at while Kurapika took off his messenger bag.

"Leorio! We'll leave the injured man in your care! Kiyoko or Kuromi, I can't even tell right now... Stay here and help!" the boy ordered, jumping out the window after Gon.

"Got it!" Leorio exclaimed.

Kuromi clicked her tongue and knelt down next to the man.

"Fine, but we're coming after you once we sense something wrong!" Kuromi yelled.

'FINE, FINE,' Kurapika yelled in a distant.

"Now, let's get you treated right away," Kiyoko said as Kuromi disappeared.

'Oh? A person who can alternate into a different person? Interesting...' the man thought.

The two boys chased after the Kiriko and it's hostage deeper into the woods, sprinting to catch up to the animal in front with their weapons out.

Finally losing sight of the magical beast, Gon and Kurapika stopped in the middle of the woods as they searched for the animal. Gon caught sight of the Kiriko with the corner of his eyes and turned over to the area it headed off to.

"Over there!" the young boy exclaimed, running off after the Kiriko.

"What?!" Kurapika said, standing there surprised.

'Amazing.. He's able to track down and sense the movements of the vague shadow, even through this dark forest...' the boy thought, running after Gon.

The young boy leaped up into the trees and traveled on from there, jumping from branch to branch as they caught back up to the Kiriko.

'Impressive...'

"KIRIKO, LET HER GO!" Gon yelled as he lined up with the beast on one side.

"Heh, take her away from me, IF YOU CAN!" it taunted, leaping ahead.

Gon started at the magical beast with a surprised face in the air, failing to grab onto the branch above him as he struggled to reach out for it. The boy fell and landed back onto his feet unscathed, Kurapika looking behind him as he ran ahead of Gon.

"Wow, it can talk!" Gon exclaimed, waving his fishing rod in front of him ad he caught up with the teen in no time.

That magical beast, or the Kiriko, is able to use human speech. That's why it's a magical animal," Kurapika told the boy.

"Oh! Well, that makes things a lot easier!" Gone exclaimed, running and leaping back up ahead.

"HEY, STUPID KIRIKO!" Gon yelled, getting its attention.

"What?!" it exclaimed.

Gon took the chance to immediately land a blow onto the Kiriko while it was being distracted, jumping above quickly and hitting it hard on the head with his fishing rod.

'H-he's fast!' it thought nervously.

The Kiriko dropped its hostage from the attack, causing the girl to fall straight to the floor head first.

"Kurapika!" Gon called, the boy leaping up to catch the falling girl and landing onto the ground kneeling safely.

The boy sighed and looked back at the other two landing on the tree branches.

'He's so reckless..' Kurapika muttered, holding the unconscious girl bridal style.

"Damn kid.. You'll pay for this!" the Kiriko exclaimed as it held on to its head.

The animal immediately leaped away from the branch it stood on and ran off to another area.

"Wait!" Gon said, following the animal.

"Hm? What's wrong, Kiyoko? Feeling uneasy again?" Leorio asked as he took out the wrapping bandages.

"Yeah, but it's a different reason..." Kiyoko said, looking at the doorway they came through. "Something's here."

Leorio looked outside to see nothing there, but nature buried in shadows.

"I'll go check. I KNOW something is here with us.." the girl said, dropping her bag onto the floor, pulling out and extending her staff along the way. "Don't worry, mister, we'll get your wife back."

The man looked at the girl a little impressed at her instincts and nodded at her.

"Please.. My wife.." he repeated desperately.

The girl then dashed outside the cabin and swung her staff at a bush, making contact with a camouflaged body. The hidden beast appeared before her and held the shoulder Kiyoko made contact with in pain.

"Hey, watch it, girl! You barely missed my head!" it exclaimed.

Kiyoko gave an innocent smile to the magical beast.

"Hm, don't worry, next time I won't miss it," Kiyoko warned, swinging her staff again as the beast disappeared.

"How did you know it was there?!" Leorio exclaimed from inside.

"Just leave that one to me and continue treating the man. I'll be back soon," Kiyoko said, running off.

The girl jumped up to a tree and scouted the area carefully, dropping back down to the ground and landing on her knee and foot.

'Ah... Where did it go...?' the girl thought to herself. 'I wonder how Gon and Kurapika are doing..'

'You know, you sure think a lot, Kiyoko,' Kuromi pointed out.

'Shh, I think I hear it...'

Kiyoko gripped her staff tighter with both her hands, standing still to listen for any movement. The girl stood up straight from her position, aware of the animal behind her, and spun her staff with her left, gracefully tossing it over to her right to swing.

"Like I said, I won't miss next time," Kiyoko taunted, looking behind her to see the Kiriko grabbing its head.

"Let's play a game," the girl proposed, her voice clear from negativity.

"A game?" it asked confusedly.

Kiyoko smiled brightly and nodded, hiding her intimidated vibe from the beast before her.

"Yes, a game."

Kiyoko's appearance fully changed to Kuromi's, a playful smirked appearing on her face and her petrified aura disappearing.

"It's called 'Tag'. I'll be it, forever and always," the girl said, her voice turning cold.

The Kiriko's eyes widened a little and lowered back down immediately, not wanting to give the girl the reaction she was looking for. The girl immediately took off before it got to react and kicked the beast in its face, jabbing the staff into its stomach after landing the impact with her leg. The sudden powerful jab caused the Kiriko to fly off into a tree trunk, sliding back onto the ground on it's knee after colliding with it. The magical beast looked up to the negative girl with distaste as she gave an innocent smile to it before flashing a smile that struck a nerve of disturbance in the Kiriko's chest.

"This isn't even 'Tag' anymore!" it exclaimed, trying to attack the girl with its long claws and running off to a different area.

"Exactly," Kuromi said, wiping at the scratch she earned on her cheek.

A wide smile crossed the girl's face as she licked the blood away from her thumb and stood at her spot for a while to allow the Kiriko to get some distance.

'This girl, she's a devil!' the Kiriko muttered to itself, leaping up into a tree and looking back cautiously.

Kuromi followed the animal a few seconds later and leaped up to the tree the beast stood in. The girl jumped up behind it when it became unaware of her presence and she raised up her right leg high as she pushed off the ground hard, dropping a heavy kick on top of the beast's head once again, falling back down and landing onto the ground with it. The Kiriko made contact with the ground first on it's back as Kuromi landed on her foot and knee perfectly fine.

"I'll get you sooner or later..." it growled as it stood up and shook it's head painfully, disappearing once again before Kuromi landed another hit with her staff.

Kuromi clicked her tongue at its escape and began to dash forward to follow it, being stopped by Kiyoko.

'Leave it. For now. We need to get back to Leorio-san and the man back at the cabin soon. Kurapika and Gon will take care of this,' Kiyoko reminded her other self.

"That thing was boring anyways. Not even worthy to be my prey," Kuromi said bluntly, returning the body back to the owner.

The girl touched the cut on her face again and turned back to return to the cabin.

'Prey huh? Best not to label anything else as a prey.. This cut stings...' the girl thought.

'Really?' Kuromi asked sarcastically.

Kiyoko let out a chuckled at the sarcastic remark and walked off from the location they ended up at.

"Hopefully it isn't scared of playing games like 'Tag' after all this.. Next time, don't lick off the blood, please. I hate the metallic taste of blood," Kiyoko said, twirling her staff and tossing it back between hands.

Kuromi snickered at the mention of a beast fearing a small childish game.

Kiyoko entered the now lit up cabin when Leorio was injecting medicine into the man's arm. The man winced at the shot of antibiotics and relaxed his face right after it was pulled out.

"I wish I didn't see that...." Kiyoko said, looking at the shattered window as she got closer to the two.

The two men looked up to see the girl entering the cabin casually, the extended staff still in her hand and a leaking scratch on her cheek.

"Oi, did you get the magical beast?" Leorio asked as he packed up the now unnecessary equipment and took out a cotton swab.

"Yes, but I allowed it to escape."

The man shot a scared look at the girl as she knelt down next to him.

"E-escape?! WHY?" he practically yelled.

"Don't worry, it's not the same Kiriko Gon and Kurapika were after. It hasn't done anything wrong yet, but I ended up attacking first before it did anything," Kiyoko answered as she allowed him to clean up her wound.

"Well, it still could kill us all, you know!" Leorio said. "And look, you have a pretty deep cut on your cheek!"

"... I think I was too harsh on it. Hmm, oh well. It needed a warning before it messed with us anyways."

Leorio sighed at the girl's calm answers and covered up her wound with a clean cotton patch and tape to hold it down.

"I wonder if Kurapika would kill you if he heard this.." Leorio said.

"If he was here, he wouldn't lecture me. Kurapika-kun barely even knows me and we warned him we would take actions if something strange was going on."

The two participants stared at each other silently, Kiyoko having the usual smile she displayed and Leorio glowering at the girl a little. Kiyoko didn't falter the expression on her face and tucked her staff back into her ribbon. The man stuck out his lower lip and looked away disappointingly as he closed up his brief case in defeat.

"...Anyways, this should be fine for now, but you need antibiotics for that injury" Leorio told the man. "Is there any Midoguda herbs that grow around here?"

"Yes, there is but... It's quite far and magical animals might be present," the man answered.

"How can I take the Hunter Exam if I'm afraid of those things?" Leorio said, earning a certain look from Kiyoko.

"But.. My wife.. My wife is...!" the man sobbed.

Kiyoko looked over to the man curiously as she took in the tone of his voice, observing it carefully.

'..... This is hard to tell... But I think he's hiding something...' Kuromi said.

"Don't worry, Gon and Kurapika went after them. They'll get her back safely and return shortly.." Leorio assured he man.

"Anyways, where is the place those herbs grow?"

Kiyoko smiled awkwardly and looked back outside the door. The man stopped crying and looked at Leorio and Kiyoko.

".. It grows near the base of a cliff in these woods. Just head straight from here."

"Alright, I'll be back soon then. Kiyoko look after him for me," the man instructed, running out the cabin with a basket and some supplies in hand.

"Okay," the girl answered.

The two sat quietly in the cabin until Kiyoko stood up and faced the 'injured' man.

"You're hiding something.... Aren't you?" Kiyoko suddenly asked. "I noticed that there are more than one Kirikos working together."

The man looked at the girl with wide eyes and immediately looked away.

"Hiding what?" he asked calmly, unaware of the girl's focus.

"I know you're hiding something, don't try to lie to me."

The man stared for a while and finally stood up, slowly walking out the open doorway of the cabin and stood on the porch for a bit.

'What is he..-'

The girl suddenly cut herself off as the man began to change into another Kiriko, flying off after Leorio.

"Crap! I should've seen that coming!" the girl said, running out to the front.

'Kiyoko, change to a Lynith to catch up with him quickly. The path ahead may be difficult for you to move fast,' Kuromi told the girl.

Kiyoko hesitantly thought about the suggestion and decided to obey, turning into the glowing white rabbit-lynx and dashing off to track Leorio's location with scent and sound.

The beast flew up from behind Leorio and landed before the rope he used to climb down the cliff, grabbing it right after.

'W-what?' Leorio asked himself.

Kiyoko sprinted off on the route up to the cliff Leorio was instructed to take and heard Leorio say something from the distance she was at.

'Hey you, magical beast! That wound was a fraud to trick us wasn't it?! It's so miserable that I treated you without knowing it!' Leorio said.

The girl was now at a hearing range where she was able to listen to Leorio's assumptions clearly, rushing over as quickly as possible.

'Wings! I hate flying freaks!' Kuromi complained.

"What are you talking about?" the beast asked.

"You're that husband at the cabin, aren't you?!" Leorio concluded. "That needle mark on your arm is proof!"

The beast's eyes widened as he looked over at his arm, Leorio pulling out his knife from his pocket to cut the basket on his back. The man threw the basket-filled herbs at the beast's face and pulled himself up from the cliff, running up and pointing his knife at its neck.

"It looks like the tide has been turned, game over for you," Leorio said.

Kiyoko finally reached the top and ran up to the two, pinning the Kiriko onto the floor with her scythe shaped tail as Leorio began to freak out.

"A-ANOTHER?!" he exclaimed pointing the knife over at the Lynith.

The girl returned back to normal, still having her tall ears and long tail present from the form earlier, and held up he hands defensively.

"Relax, it's just me. Not so much of a secret anymore, huh," Kiyoko said, waiting for the ears and tail to finally fade.

"No wonder we hate flying objects and animals... They get to cut through the sky.." Kiyoko said, running a hand through her hair. "Looks like you won't be able to pull off a trick on us now. I've locked you in place with my tail. One move and you'll be injured."

Cackling and laughter could be hear from a distance in the woods, Kiyoko's white ears twitching as the voice echoed all around. Kiyoko looked over to where the noise came from and smiled at the trapped Kiriko, her tails and ears finally fading. The girl help the magical beast up and stuck out her hand in front of the beast and herself.

"Looks like it's over," Kiyoko said as she waited for the animal to respond.

The magical beast stayed quiet for a second and nodded at her statement, returning back to the form of the husband and shaking her hand.

"Indeed it is."

"Hm..... How many years have passed since someone was able to identify us?" one of the Kiriko asked.

"I'm actually overjoyed!" the other replied.

'H-hey, can you tell the difference between their voices and appearances?" Leorio asked Kurapika and Kiyoko, leaning over and glancing over at the two with his arms crossed.

"No, not at all..." Kurapika answered, glancing back at the man.

"I'm out on this as well..." Kiyoko said, staring confusedly at the two Kirikos.

"You see, the husband was the one Kurapika and I beat up," the young boy said, pointing at the two beasts.

'And it looks like I took on the wife then..' Kiyoko muttered.

'..... Which one are you talking about...?' the group asked Gon confusedly.

"Allow us to introduce ourselves. We are the navigators. Our family provides support for the Hunter Exam," the husband said.

"I'm their daughter!" the woman with the tattoos said, raising her hand.

"And I'm their son!" the man said, raising his.

"Wow, oh man, you had us fooled," Leorio said, lifting up his arms.

"You see, the Exam changes location every year. It's quite difficult to locate it," a Kiriko said, raising a finger up.

"So we Navigators help by escorting attendees to the site," the other added, doing the same thing as the last.

"Oh, so that's how it works..." Gon said in an amazed tone.

"But the thing is we don't help every single candidate. We have to test them first to see if they are eligible for the exam, " the daughter said. "Kurapika-dono."

"Yes," the boy answered.

"You've successfully used the most indistinct hints to dictate that we weren't a married couple. These tattoos were the hints, which mark a woman a single for life in this region," the girl said rubbing at the tattoo. "Kurapika-dono displayed that he is very intelligent, therefore he passes."

The group sighed at the news in relief. "Good job, Kurapika!" Gon exclaimed, raising a fist up.

"Thanks," the boy replied, bumping his fist with the younger boy.

"Leorio-dono."

"Y-yes!" the man said stiffly.

"You never actually realized my true identity like Kiyoko-dono," the son said, making the man freak out and his sister laugh. "However, you dressed my injuries quicker and very precise than any other doctors. More importantly, you continued to reassure me that my wife was safe."

"S-stop it... That's embarrassing.." the man said, modestly pushing up his glasses and looking away.

The group smiled at Leorio's reaction and continued to listen to the results of their test.

"You're kindness makes you eligible to take the exam. Thereby, you also pass," the man finished.

"R-really?" Leorio exclaimed.

'Thank god...' he sighed, dropping to the ground weakly.

"You did it!" Gon exclaimed, giving the same gesture to Leorio he gave to Kurapika.

The man sat on the floor and smiled, returning the fist bump to the boy while Kurapika watched the two.

"Like I said earlier, Kiyoko-dono, you seemed to catch on the act without any hints being displayed as well as being able to react quickly and landing a blow on a hidden Kiriko."

"Oh right... Sorry about that..." Kiyoko apologized, bowing down to the family.

"You noticed I was hiding something from you and Leorio-dono, deciding to go after me to protect Leorio even if you put your life on the line as a beast yourself," the son hinted. "A sparing and benevolent spirit you are."

Kiyoko nodded and looked away awkwardly at the mention of her ability.

"A beast?" Kurapika asked curiously.

"What does he mean?" Gon questioned the girl.

Leorio smiled at the girl and gestured her to do as she pleases.

"I have the ability to turn into a Lynith, a rabbit-lynx beast. Honestly, it feels like a curse because only a few people can turn into one," she told everyone, turning into a Lynith and back.

"It's good to have a heart to protect everyone you trust that's around you, so I'd say you pass," the man said.

"Oh, so you didn't use Kuromi, but that animal this time?" Gon asked, jumping at the girl as her tail straightened out at the surprise hug.

"But that's not all," the wife suddenly said, the group looking at her curiously.

"I also had a piece of her combat skills, very skillful indeed. You attacked my shoulder first as a warning, didn't you, Kiyoko-dono?" the Kiriko asked.

Kiyoko gave a small nod and allowed an apologetic smile cross her face once again.

"You were able to locate me once I entered the area near this cabin and you also have plenty of stealth to even scare me! You're fighting skills and calm demeanor is quiet useful for a lot of things. Your warning was able to make me think twice before acting, an impressive act indeed. You pass, Kiyoko-dono," the wife said.

"A-ah, right.. that wasn't all me," Kiyoko said, scratching her white ears as it finally began to fade.

"May I ask a question?" the son asked.

"Go ahead," Kiyoko answered.

"You seem to have the ability to switch between people, does that somehow give you different strengths and weak spots?"

Kiyoko shook her head and smiled.

"It's not an ability, it's actually a disorder," Kiyoko said, pointing at her head as she allowed Kuromi to take over. "I have split personalities. This here is Kuromi, the one who bears all negative feelings for me. She loves to take fights head on, unlike me. I never bothered fighting, so even I didn't know about my own strength until then. The second half of the chase was all on her."

The family hummed and nodded understandingly as Kuromi returned to her spirit form.

"I bid you good wishes to not suffer any bad damages," the daughter said with a smile.

"Thank you very much," the girl replied back, earning a nudge from each of the boys.

"And finally, Gon-dono," the husband said.

"Yes!" the boy exclaimed.

"Your superhuman physical skills and powers of observation make you honorable to take this Exam... You pass," the Kiriko concluded.

The group smiled at the boy's results and each gave a fist bump to each other, Kiyoko hugging the small boy as they did so.

"We will now take you to the Hunters' Exam site," the husband said, carrying Gon and Kiyoko in the air.

The wife carried, Kurapika while the son and daughter carried a struggling Leorio, everyone taking off into the night sky.

"Isn't it great that we all passed?" Gon asked everyone.

"It's way too early to celebrate. We've simply just earned the right to take the actual exam," Kurapika said.

"That's quite true-"

"What's wrong with celebrating just a little bit? We are advancing after all," Leorio asked, cutting off Kiyoko's sentence.

"Honestly... People like you really should think," Kurapika sighed disappointedly.

"Hey! Why must you always be such a smart-ass?!" Leorio exclaimed, kicking the air as he did so and dragging the two Kirikos down with him.

"Stop struggling! If we drop you, don't blame us but yourself!" the male Kiroko exclaimed.

Gon began to laugh at the scene before him as Kiyoko smiled and held in her giggle, Kurapika closing his eyes and looking away.

'Troublesome pest..' Kuromi said.