Summary: Hunters, one of the wealthiest and most respected professions in the world. Sinthe Joelle, a child of a clan known for it's cruelty, finds this to be the chance to break free of what life expects of a person dubbed the Devil Child. But life is far from easy.

Author's Note: Hello everyone! I'm Kyandi Akatensei! For those of you who actually know me...yhay! For those who don't...well, you'll get to know me soon enough. Normally I'm found in the Prince of Tennis section, but I've branched out as of late and actually have works in various animes. When I first started watching Hunter x Hunter and then reading it, I was completely hooked. I believe I watched sixty episodes in the course of three days. Anyway, it lead me to creating my OC, Sinthe. I warn you all now...Sinthe is not what you believe. Give it a good four chapters, at least, before you decide to write me off, please! Also, this story will follow the manga. Compliments are greatly adored, constructive criticism is welcomed, but please...don't flame me. I've only just begun to gain a sense of confidence. I'd like to protect it if possible. Next chapter I'll start with my usual character interactions, so please, enjoy and review. I do not own Hunter x Hunter.

Chapter 1 The Hunter Exam

Rare beasts, monsters, riches, treasures, evil lands, mysterious regions. The magical power emitted by the word "unknown". Those who have been seduced by the power...they are called Hunters. Monster hunters, treasure hunters. The name given to those who risk their lives in search of rare and precious items. In order to become a Hunter, one must pass a series of extremely difficult tests. It is said that the odds are several million to one.

Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio had set about the process of becoming Hunters, knowing full well that the odds of passing the first time around was low. Only one rookie every three years, was said to pass the exam and become a professional Hunter. Not that this stopped the three. From a violently tossed about ship, to a city with an impossible to answer quiz, to demon beasts, the trip to the testing site alone had been difficult, but they had passed without too much trouble on their behalf. Between the three, they had managed to keep each other a float. And now...now they stood in the underground space, crammed with potential Hunter candidates that had also made it this far.

Several different types of people milled around the room, waiting for the instructions on how to proceed from that point. The moment Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio walked into the room, every eye turned to them and then, just as quickly, turned away. No one really had any interest in rookies. That being said, the three friends could sense the difference in the people before them when compared to those they had met from the time they had boarded the ship.

"This place is rather dark. Looks like some kind of underground passageway." Kurapika remarked, looking around.

"I wonder how many people there are?" Gon asked.

"You guys would make it four hundred and five."

The three turned at the sound of the voice, locating a man sitting on a pipe a little off the floor. He looked nice enough, giving them a smile and a wave before he hopped down from his perch. A badge on his chest identified him as candidate number sixteen.

"I'm Tompa." he said, introducing himself.

Gon shook his hand as a staff member came up to him and his friends to grace them with their own number badges. Four hundred and three for Leorio, four hundred and four for Kurapika, and four hundred and five for Gon.

"You're a bunch of new faces, right?" Tompa asked.

"How did you know that?" Gon asked.

"Of course I know! Since I was ten years old I've taken this exam thirty-five times." Tompa replied, as if he had some pride in failing the exam that many times.

"Thirty-five times!?" Gon repeated.

"I guess you could call me a veteran. If there's anything you want to know, feel free to ask me!" Tompa told them.

"Thank you. Then do you know everybody here?" Gon asked.

"Of course! Alright! Let me introduce you to everyone!" Tompa said, turning to see who he should point out first.

He pointed to a man nearby wearing a turban and with a sly look about this face. The man bore the badge number one hundred and three on his chest.

"Number one hundred and three, Barbon the Snake Tamer. He is extremely tenacious. It'll be a pain if you make him your enemy." Tompa told them, turning to the next person.

The next man was a stoic looking man with thick eyebrow and a tiny ponytail tied in the back of his dark hair. The badge on his chest bore the number seventy-six.

"Number seventy-six, Cherry the martial artist. He is unsurpassed when it comes to hand-to-hand combat." Tompa told them.

Next was candidate two fifty-five, a man known as Todo the Wrestler. After him was numbers one hundred ninety-seven to one hundred ninety-nine, a set of three brothers known for their combination play. And last, was candidate three hundred and eighty-four, Gereta the Hunter, who, as his name implied, was good with hunting all kinds of creatures.

"These are just about the ones who come every year. They're highly skilled, but barely miss the cut." Tompa told Gon.

A loud yell, drew their attention to where a man was on his knees, his arms from the elbow down, missing. In front of him stood a man dressed along the lines of a circus jester, his hair gelled back to stick straight out from the back of his head and a tear drop and star painted on his face. In some lights, he could be considered good looking, but the twisted smile and narrow eyes filled with a sadisitc gleam, kind of ruined his looks.

"Oh my, how strange. Your arms have disappeared. You should be careful. Always apologize first if you bump into someone." the jester man said to the armless man before him.

"Ah crap...we got a dangerous one again this year." Tompa said lowly.

Gon looked up at him in questioning, before returning his eyes to the jester.

"Number forty-four, Hisoka the Magician. He would have passed last year, but he was disqualified for nearly killing an examiner who was getting on his nerves." Tompa informed Gon and his friends.

"And he was still able to come this year and openly take the exam!?" Leorio asked.

"Of course. The examiners of the Hunter Exam change every year. And the contents of the exams are decided by the examiners as well. If the examiner of that particular year says "pass"...even the devil could pass the Hunter Exam. Aside from the examiner, he also incapacitated twenty other examinees. It'll be best to stay away from him if you can." Tompa warned them. "There are plenty others who are dangerous too. But I'll let you know ahead of time so don't worry."

"Okay!" Gon replied back, cheerfully.

"Oh, that's right." Tompa said suddenly, turning to dig in his bag, pulling out three cans. "Aren't you thirsty? Have some. Let's drink to everyone doing well."

Gon and his friends took the cans with a thanks in reply. Gon opened his and raised the can to his lips. He took a large swing...and instantly spit it all back out without swallowing a drop.

"Tompa-san, this juice must be old! It taste weird!" Gon declared.

"Really? That's strange..." Tompa replied, Gon not noticing the sheen of sweat that covered Tompa.

Unknown to Gon and his friends, Tompa had a reputation for being a rookie crusher and had spiked the drinks with a super strength laxative that would have them camping in the bathroom for the next three days. But the drug was suppose to have next to no taste or smell. For Gon to have picked it out meant that his sense of taste was strong. Trusting Gon on the matter, Kurapika and Leorio poured their juice out without taking a single sip.

"I don't know what to say!" Tompa said, bowing his head like he was asking for forgiveness.

"It's okay. You don't have to apologize. But it's a good thing I was the first to drink it. I've spent a lot of time in the mountains and I've eaten a lot of different plants so even if it tastes a little weird, I can tell right away." Gon told him.

Tompa was a little annoyed that he hadn't been able to feed them the laxative, but he played it off, acting like he was just relieved it had been caught. Kurapika glanced around at the other candidates. There was one guy, number two hundred and ninety-four, a man named Hanzo, who was a bald guy with an almost cheerful personality and who, from his proclamations, was a ninja. Another was a chubby, computer geek of a guy name Nichol who sat off to the side, typing away on his laptop.

A third guy stood out from the rest. He was tall, with a tuff of hair spiking out from the middle of his head, and needles poking out of several locations on his body from his chest to his neck and face. He even had one stuck in each ear. Another that caught his eyes was a boy about Gon's age with pale hair and carrying a skateboard. He looked almost bored with his surroundings.

Kurapika's eyes finally landed on one person, sitting away from everyone else. Kurapika didn't know if the person was male or female, for they were lost under the folds of a dark, crimson red cloak, their face hidden by a multi-colored hood that was tugged so far forward, Kurapika couldn't even glimpse a small part of the face underneath. A badge was stuck to the cloak with the number seven printed on it.

"Number seven caught your eye, huh?"

Kurapika turned to look at Tompa as the man peered around him at the cloaked form.

"Do you know who it is?" Kurapika asked.

"Nah. A newbie. But to be a newbie and be one of the first ten here...has to be skilled." Tompa remarked. "That, or fast."

A loud scream-like ring suddenly filled the space, drawing all attention to a man standing a good fifteen feet over their heads, on a pipe. He had a little head-shaped alarm and when he was sure he had their attention, he pushed the button on the forehead, silencing the thing.

"Now this concludes the registration. And we will commence the Hunter Exam." the man said, easily jumping from his perch. "Please, this way."

He started leading the way down the passageway, all the candidates following him. As he walked, he explained a few things to them.

"I will confirm one more time. The Hunter Exam is extremely difficult, so whether it is because of unfortunate luck or a lack of skills, you can get hurt or even die. And there have been numerous instances where examnees have been incapacitated by other examnees. But if this does not matter to you...please follow me." he told them.

He glanced back to see if anyone would fall back, giving up, but not a single person did.

"Understood. All four hundred and five applicants will participate in the first Hunter exam." he remarked.

Leorio looked around them as they followed the crowd.

"As expected, not even a single one's chickening out. I was kinda hoping for a few." Leorio remarked.

"That's weird." Kurapika said suddenly, making Leorio look at him in questioning.

Slowly, they found themselves speeding up, until, effortlessly, the examiner pulled ahead of them all. Everyone sped up, having to run to keep up with him.

"Hey, what the heck? Is it just me or is everyone starting to pick up their pace?" Leorio asked.

"The pace has quickened all of a sudden!" Kurapika confirmed.

"The people up front are even running!" Gon added.

Up in front the examiner continued on, his running stance similar to that of his walking stance.

"I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Satotz, and I'm the examiner of the first exam. I will now escort you to the second exam site." the examiner called back.

"The second exam? Then what about the first?" Hanzo asked.

"It has already begun. To follow me to the second exam site...that is the first exam. I cannot disclose the destination, nor the duration. All you have to do is follow me." Satotz replied.

"I see..." Kurapika remarked.

"What a strange exam." Gon said.

"Is this a test of endurance? Alright then! I'll follow you wherever you go." Leorio said with a grin.

Just then, the young, pale haired boy with the skateboard, rode past them on his skateboard, his hands jammed into his pockets.

"Hey, kid! That's not fair! That's cheating! Hey!" Leorio yelled after him.

"How come?" the boy asked.

"Whaddya mean how come? Because this is a test of your endurance." Leorio told him.

"But you're wrong. The examiner just said to follow him." Gon piped in.

"Gon! Who's side are you on!?" Leorio demanded.

"Don't waste your stamina like that. You really should just shut up. As long as you don't cheat, this test allows you to use anything you want." Kurapika added in.

Leorio wasn't too pleased with this, though it wasn't like Kurapika cared if he was or not. Gon just continued his running, catching the attention of the skateboard boy.

"You. How old are you?" the boy asked.

"I just turned twelve!" Gon replied.

It surprised the other boy, to hear that Gon was the same age, and as if that was reason enough for him, he decided to run too, kicking his board up to catch it and falling into step beside Gon.

"That was cool!" Gon told him.

"I'm Killua." the boy told him, introducing himself.

"I'm Gon!"

Killua turned to Leorio then and, calling with a term that refers to middle-aged men, he asked Leorio what his name was.

"I may look like this but I'm still in my teens, just like you guys!" Leorio replied.

Both Gon and Killua replied in surprise, looking Leorio up and down. With his frame, his suit, the side burns, and his over all appearance, he looked like he was in his thirties at least. Kurapika kept running, thinking to himself that it would be best to get away from them. Just then, the cloaked person he had noticed earlier, came up on Leorio, Killua, and Gon. Instead of stopping to keep from running into the three, with a simple little side step and turn, the person easily flew around them and fell into an easy pace just a few feet from Kurapika.

Kurapika decided, since he didn't know the person's name, that the best he could do was refer to him as Number 7. He kept an eye on Number 7, but whoever they were, they didn't feel the need to try to outrun anyone else. For a long time they continued on their pace. Minutes turned into an hour, an hour turned into three. Kurapika was sure they had to of run about forty kilometers. Several people had begun to lag behind from exhaustion, sweat dripping from their brows and down their necks. Kurapika looked at Number 7, silently wondering how they managed to run with the cloak and hood on. It had to be hot.

At the back of the pack, some distance behind Kurapika, Leorio was lagging behind the others, sweat pouring off of him. Falling so far behind, Leorio began to wonder if he would ever be able to match up to the others and slowly came to a stop, dropping his briefcase. Gon turned back, calling Leorio. Killua told him to leave Leorio, but Gon wouldn't. He just waited, as if he was sure that Leorio would get back into motion soon enough. Sure enough, as if getting his second wind, Leorio charged forward, commenting that nothing would stop him from becoming a Hunter.

He flew past Gon, who had to retrieve Leorio's briefcase and even managed to run right between Kurapika and Number 7, surprising the two. Number 7 actually shook their head, the hood moving with the motion. As they passed the sixty kilometer mark, not a single person had yet to drop out. By the time they reached the eighty kilometer mark, having been running for six hours, only one person dropped out, getting left behind; number one hundred and eighty-nine, Nichol.

Not far past that, the passageway begin to rise, the pathway turning into stairs. Satotz picked up the pace again, hopping up two or three steps at a time. Kurapika was keeping up just fine, while Leorio, with his long legs and long stride, was taking the stairs two at a time. He had removed his suit jacket and dress shirt, tying both around his waist. Number 7 turned to look at him, as if either intrigued or amused.

"Leorio, are you alright?" Kurapika asked.

"Yeah! As you can see...I realized I can keep going as long as I don't try to keep up my appearances! I'm gonna keep going even if it means I have to go butt-naked! Kurapika! If you're gonna pretend not to know me, now's your chance!" Leorio called back.

Kurapika chuckled lowly to himself. Perhaps there was something he could learn from Leorio. Though he wouldn't go bare chested, he could stand to go without his tabard. He removed the article of clothing and folded it into his bag before turning to Number 7.

"You know, you could do the same. It must be hot, running with that cloak on." Kurapika told Number 7.

The hood turned in his direction, as if the person beneath was looking at him. And then, as if to prove that they were just fine, one knee bent just a little move than before and Number 7 darted up the stairs, jumping up three stairs at a time with the agility of a deer. Before Kurapika knew it, Number 7 had vanished among the people far ahead of him.

Well, that was one way to reply, though a simply no would have been good too.

Shrugging it off, Kurapika caught up with Leorio.

"Leorio, can I ask you one thing?" Kurapika asked.

"Heh. I don't want to waste my stamina by talking." Leorio replied, using Kurapika's earlier words.

Kurapika ignored the use of his own words. Especially since they had just been turned against him.

"Are you really trying to become a Hunter only for the money?" Kurapika asked, referring back to the reason Leorio had given for becoming a Hunter. "No, right? Although we've only known each other for a few days, I can tell at least that much. Your attitude can definitely be improved upon and you're not too bright, but you don't seem like the materialistic type. I've seen many greedy people before, but you don't really fit the mold."

Leorio made a face at just how straight forward Kurapika was with his opinion of him. Kurapika certainly didn't feel the need to hold back what he thought.

"Jeez. You sure like to argue with logic." Leorio replied, dodging the subject.

"Scarlet Eyes."

Confused, Leorio glanced over his shoulder as Kurapika when he said this. Kurapika was staring straight ahead, not looking at him.

"It's the reason why the Kurta Tribe was targeted. The scarlet eyes refer to a unique trait that only the Kurta Tribe members possess. If our emotions become intense or excited, our pupils turn into a reddish color that looks as if it's on fire. If we die in that state, the scarlet color remains in the pupil. The scarlet tone of the eye is one of the seven most beautiful colors of the world." Kurapika explained.

"So you're saying that's why the Phantom Troope massacred your tribe?" Leorio asked.

"Every single one of the bodies that were attacked by them were missing their eyes. Even now, the vast mortified darkness of their empty sockets speak to me, "avenge us". I will stop at nothing to capture the Phantom Troope! And I will reclaim the eyes of my people!" Kurapika vowed.

"They've probably already been sold on the black market. And you won't be able to get close to the ones who bought them since they're probably either people of extraordinary power or wealth." Leorio told him.

"I can if I'm a Hunter. If I become a money-chasing contract Hunter, I'll be able to gather all kinds of information." Kurapika replied.

"Contract? Those kind of Hunters are the kind of prideless Hunters you hate the most. Aren't they the kind of Hunters who chase after petty riches like a dog?" Leorio asked.

"My pride...is meaningless in comparison to the pain of my people." Kurapika answered.

"Too bad."

Kurapika looked at Leorio in confusion. Straight faced, Leorio explained what he meant.

"I don't have any kind of noble reason to compare to yours. My goal is simply money." Leorio told him.

"Don't lie! You can't honestly believe that you can buy everything with money!?" Kurapika demanded.

"Sure I can! Material objects, dreams, even love. Even people's lives can be bought with money! Everything has a price." Leorio argued.

"I cannot forgive you for that comment, Leorio! Take it back!" Kurapika demanded.

"Why!? It's true! If I had money, my friend wouldn't have died!"

Leorio instantly cursed himself for letting that slip. Now it made sense to Kurapika. Leorio's true reason behind his claims. All one needed was that little slip to begin figuring out why Leorio was after money so badly.

"Was your friend sick?" Kurapika asked.

"It wasn't an untreatable disease! The problem was the huge cost for surgery! I'm a simple guy, so I first thought I could just become a doctor. It was my dream to treat the children who didn't have money, like my friend, and tell their parents "I don't need any money". What a joke! If I want to become that kind of doctor, I need a fortune to pay my way! So do you understand now!? Money, money, money! I need money!"

Kurapika stared at Leorio's back. No matter what he said, it really was a noble cause. The sad truth was, not everyone had such a good reason for wanting to become a Hunter. Silence fell between the two as they continued their climb, passing people as they fell behind and were eliminated. At the half way point of the stairs, thrity-seven had dropped out.

At the head of the pack, Gon and Killua had fallen into step just behind Satotz. Gon glanced back, searching for Leorio and Kurapika.

"I didn't realize we're at the head of the pack." Gon remarked.

"Yeah, since he's slowed down the pace a bit. It's actually more tiring if you go slow like this. If the Hunter exam is this easy...it's gonna be pretty boring." Killua remarked.

"Killua, why do you want to become a Hunter?" Gon asked.

"Me? It's not that I particularly want to become a Hunter. I just heard it was extremely difficult so I thought it would be fun to try it out. But it's been disappointing so far." Killua answered. "What about you, Gon?"

"My father's a Hunter. My goal is to become the kind of Hunter my father is." Gon replied.

"And what kind of Hunter is that?" Killua asked.

"I have no idea!" Gon replied cheerfully.

"That's really weird!" Killua declared, laughing.

"It is? I've lived with my aunt ever since I was born, so I've only seen my father through photos. But I met a guy named Kaito a few years ago and he told me all kinds of stories about him." Gon said, going on to list all the things Kaito had told him about his father.

"Is that really that amazing?" Killua asked.

"Hmm...I don't really know. But when Kaito was telling me these things, he was filled with such pride as if he were talking about himself and not somebody else. So I thought to myself after listening to him...that I wanted to become a Hunter like my father." Gon said.

Both boys broke off their conversation, turning to the side as the cloaked figure of Number 7 drew even with them, bouncing from one step to the next with ease.

"Hi! I'm Gon!" Gon greeted cheerfully.

The hood moved as the person underneath turned their head to look at him. Killua thought it was a little weird, knowing that someone was looking at you, but not being able to see their face in return.

"Sinthe." came the low voice from under the hood.

"Nice to meet you, Sinthe! This is Killua!" Gon told the figure.

Sinthe half bowed to the two in greeting before turning back to face forward. Just then the exit finally came into view, sunlight shining like a becon in the darkness of the passageway. Killua and Gon were the first to cross the threshold leading out into the open air, with the now identified Sinthe right behind them. Unlike Killua and Gon, who were more interested in their surroundings, Sinthe decided it would be in his best interest to take the chance to rest a little. The cloaked Sinthe took a seat just to one side of the doorway as more people spilled out of the passageway. Everyone stopped to stare at the land spread out around them.

"The Numere Marsh, otherwise known as "The Swindler's Nest". To reach the second exam site, you have no choice but to go through here This marsh is home to rare species that can't be seen anywhere else. The majority of these species are cunning and greedy, and feed on humans. Please take all precautions and stay alert at all times. Being fooled is as good as being dead." Satotz explained.

One danger after another just awaiting them to stumble into it's grasp. How Killua found this boring was beyond some of those present. They were about to find out just how difficult the exam really could be.

Those who lived, that is.

END

Author's Note: Here's the first chapter all done for you. As normally for me, when I start a new story, I like to post the first two or three chapters in one go. It gives people a bit of a chance to see if they'll keep reading or not. Hopefully you all decide to keep reading and leave me reviews. I thrive on reviews, so please do! I hope you continue to enjoy and review! I'll be back in a jiffy. Bye!