Summary: young little girls aren't supposed to know so much of the wicked, and yet, she was never a young little girl to begin with.

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Yoshihiro Togashi except for my oc, Sakiko.

ix.

Salty

塩辛

Everyone steers clear of Sakiko for the rest of the wait, so she's left sitting on the ground and twirling her knife. After a few more hours, she grows bored and starts to carve little figures into the wall, sometimes humming a little tune. Then the last group of contestants finally join the crowd. After her father's dramatic episode of making a man's arms disappear, the first phase begins.

The official examiner of the first phase is Satotz, a tall purple-haired man with a twirly mustache and a face without a mouth. In basic terms, everyone is tasked with following him as he leads them to phase two of the exam. Of course, Sakiko, the show off she is, runs to the front next to Satotz even if it had been rude. Plus, he looked lonely! With everybody behind him, he just looked kind of bored, like her. Honestly... it was pretty boring and underwhelming which sucked because Sakiko really did want to have fun. She's not complaining though, at least it was easy.

During their running together, Sakiko knew he had passed silent glances towards her, and each time she tried to smile back at him. Though each time she looked up he was facing forward to the endless tunnel they were in. Pretty boring indeed. Normally, Sakiko would have sulked but today she was finally out of the house and she could have a bit of freedom.

Then, an i-d-e-a.

"Hey, Mister Satotz, can I go ahead? If I end up at a crossroads, I'll just wait for you guys. I really am interested in what's on the other side of the tunnel! I promise I'll be good for sure."

Tentatively, he looks at her direction and appears to be thinking about it. Then, he shakes his head. "I'm sorry, Miss. If the others saw you were allowed to go ahead so suddenly, they would do the same and then I would not be able to lead you all to the next phase."

He doesn't say anything else after that. Okay, now was a time to sulk. (A lo-ong while passes by). Her exposed feet don't hurt, but they do look dirty which makes her embarrassed. Her blushing gets really bad, but she forces herself to take a breath. It's not like she can go out and buy new shoes anyway. Hisoka brings her everything except what she really needs. Whatever.

Finally, they reach the end and two boys race to the end. Sakiko doesn't heed them any attention, only pouting even more that she sees people forming bonds and companionship. Annoying.

Maybe I should do the same?

After the murder of animals and disappearances of people in the forest, Satotz is able to successfully weed out about half of the original number of applicants. There are now only 140 or so that have passed and they all seem to be getting cocky. That's definitely gonna bite us in the ass . Arrogance often leads to underestimation. Even if that could pose to be an asset, Sakiko doesn't want to fight more than she already does. (She'd never admit that, but it's true.) Fighting usually allows death to run its course. Natural selection, and all that.

Though as Satotz leaves, large doors open, revealing the next two examiners for the next phase known as Menchi and Buhara.

Ah, cooking , Sakiko whispers, pleased by the prospect. This will be fun .

The others around Sakiko begin to laugh, and she can't shake the irritation out of her. "These examiners could fail us if we don't shut up," the girl bit out. Several turns to her direction to hear what she has to say, but the majority quiet down. "Do you want to lose your chance at becoming a Hunter? Don't expect these tests to be easy. They are representational hunters here for a reason." That gets their attention.

Another series of nervous laughter soon followed and words like how she was just a child , or how of course she would take this seriously , echoed through the crowd and Sakiko's frustration began to increase. Maybe their nerves were from the memory of Hisoka defending her honor, but who knows. One thing was for sure, and that they were getting cocky. But soon, several people actually listened to her advice which slowed down the commotion. She didn't think her words would get through, but now she sees people standing straight, staring at the examiners in determination. Finally, they are trying to take this seriously.

The woman with teal locks—Menchi smirks at the crowd and decides to speak for herself, motioning for Buhara to follow her lead. "So you all want a challenge, huh?"

A series of roars and excitement filled the area and she looks down, continuing her train of thought. "Fine. When you go to the Visa Reserve Forest, your challenge is to get one ingredient: pork. Anything you can make from pork will be the main dish. Can you all handle that?"

They nod in acceptance and when Buhara signals that they can start, they all run for the hills. It occurs to Sakiko that she's never killed an animal. Not that this matters, since she's been killing people for so long. It's easy to make connections with people, to view them as superior to anything. That's what makes them different from pigs. So wouldn't it be easier to kill an animal than a person?

Any appliances would be available for any to use and not only would the food be tested for taste, but the exquisite intricacies of appearance. This seemed miraculously easy, which set off warning signs in the girl's head. There had to be a catch, no way could it just be finding a pig and cooking it.

As it turns out, Sakiko had every right to be wary of the rules.

Humongous, elephant-like mammals that were pink and bloodthirsty pummel through the clearing, hitting and killing many at a time. Death seemed to be a very constant thing here in the exams. A lot of people were getting injured and nobody could figure out how to kill the pigs, only a few having successfully and tirelessly been able to. Those people, of course, teamed up and others started to do the same.

However, the carnivorous beings were so easily discovered to have a weak spot on their heads that it was a little embarrassing that a boy with green matching clothes had figured it out and not her. Nevertheless, most of them were able to place the dead pigs on a spit roaster and turned them over a blazing fire until they were charred and overcooked or still rare.

Was Menchi going to pass them? There is an obvious answer. Everyone begins to fail left and right, because of their sub-par skills at cooking. Luckily one passes, a blonde applicant she doesn't know but this injures everyone's pride and leads a lot of people to badmouth Menchi, which doesn't lead to good results.

Sakiko herself did not know how to cook, but at least she's willing to stand out from the rest and do her very best. So she just follows her gut, grabs the knife, and removes the pig's head, bones, and everything that isn't meat. It's a strenuous process, and by the time she's almost done, those who have already passed up their dish are eliminated, meaning that no one has successfully passed so far. Some look in her direction and look a bit green. Some even cave and wobble behind a bush. It's just pig intestines and guts. Rude.

Next, Sakiko decides to cut and separate the fat from the flesh and discard it. Despite the number of carvings and scraps she's taken away, there is still a lot of meat left. So she grabs the vegetables on a nearby basket and slices them up too.

Let's make a pork stew , the voices say, and this time Sakiko listens. She places the cut pieces of pork and onion into an oiled pan and stir-fries them until they are golden brown. Grabbing a large pot, she dumps the meat contents of the pan into it and pours water over it, since that's what soup was composed of, right? Adding a lot of salt for taste, Sakiko decides that maybe this isn't so bad. It reminds her of her first mother. Though she's never made contact with her in this life. (She probably doesn't exist, but Sakiko doesn't like to think about that.) Anyway, Sakiko should definitely consider running away and applying to a culinary school.

After tasting it she's basically finished, so she ladles the soup into two large bowls, and adds garnish to make it look real nice. As she walks towards Menchi and Buhara, she thinks about how the carrots and potatoes make it look home-made (or for the poor), but it's the best she can do. All eyes are on her again and she can feel the envy and hopelessness from the others. It's what they deserve, for being unnecessarily mean and annoying.

For what Sakiko thinks before, she realizes she's wrong. Most people are exactly like pigs, and she shouldn't be surprised. There are predators and there are prey, fight or flight . She's been taught that if you want to know which one you are, you've got to test your limits. She just doesn't know what those limits actually are.

Whatever limit she had on killing is starting to be exceeded way out of her mind. The words that follow next make blood rush to her head and she can't control the bloodlust from seeping out. Cursing seems like a lost cause, so she hopes that Hisoka won't get mad at her.

"Sorry, but it just tastes bland to me."

•••

Before anything happens, Chairman Netero jumps off a blimp from a height that he would have surely died but he did not. Instead, Netero is just a strange man that is generous to give second chances. He allows Menchi to take all of the failed applicants and test them once more, as it was unfair the first time. Split-in-Half Mountain and hard-boiled eggs, this time it is a bit more fun. It is fascinating how Menchi waits for an updraft on a spider-eagle web and lets herself fall down to the bottom of the valley with an egg, only seconds later flying back up the cliff smiling victoriously. Menchi trusts her instincts and knows that she can handle the fear of dying. So, Sakiko will too.

•••

"Wait, contestant 87! I haven't—stop!" Menchi cries out watching the rest of the contestants follow the girl into the abyss and about twenty fall to their deaths. Wow, Sakiko did not expect that much influence over a bunch of grown adults. Well, she is powerful, so it makes sense. (Sakiko is definitely not joking. No sir-e)

The remaining all wait until a boy screams out that they can jump, and they do. She grabs a couple for the cowards. She's not so mean to people, and when she hands them to the people who didn't jump, they begrudgingly smiled at her, which, for the most part, is weird. It's not a sign of friendship, but at the same time, it's a resemblance of acceptance, knowing they've been bested. It makes Sakiko uncomfortable, but she doesn't pay any mind to it. Instead, she takes a measured bite and—wow. If she thought that orange juice from Tonpa tasted like ambrosia, then this spider eagle egg was a sliver of heaven, happiness, and everything amazing.

Too bad Tonpa couldn't be here to try it , Sakiko sighs, feeling a little sad.

Nope, nevermind. This tastes too good for him anyway.

This time she does pass, and she knows she's good to go.

•••

Up in the air again, Sakiko goes to look out the window in awe. It was the first time that she's ever been on anything like this. The trees look so small, like little grasses with rounded tops. Oh, to be a blimp seeing this wonderful view everyday. Anyway, Sakiko half-heartedly hears that the next phase would begin at 8:00 in the morning and food and rooms would be accessible to everyone. Next, she should probably go wander the halls.

Alone in her thoughts, Sakiko remembers how Hisoka's friend was supposed to be here too and that this cannot be a coincidence. Fate is fickle and their lives would be forever intertwined. He's obviously disguised for reasons unknown, so she doesn't know who he is. However, she does know that it's been six months since she'd last seen Illumi, when he had come to the house relaying a message to Hisoka.

There were moments where her dad would begin to play around and Illumi would narrow his eyes in annoyance. Or maybe it was their conversations about their next move on something that were inherently awkward and funny. But the signature blank expression always showed up. Sometimes Sakiko thinks there was something more between them, judging by the curve of her father's lips like a cat and the searching eyes of Illumi. Sakiko couldn't tell though. It was their own business, of course. Yup.

"Hey, you there!" A voice yells out from behind her. The girl cranes her head, confused by the sudden sound of a boy behind her. "Sakiko, right?"

If she's honest with herself, the first thing that pops up in her head is that she's never seen someone so happy to see her. The second thing is that this boy is the same boy that raced with his friend, who wore green matching clothes and who kept leading everyone to success. All things that kind of make her kind of jealous so her left leg twitches to teleport away. At least, she has the idea of running away in her mind, but then she makes the mistake of looking into his eyes. ( You're a goner, now. )

The third thing she notices is that he looks shocked and curious, it takes her a second to realize that it's because of her eyes. She's always had reactions like that, but she never paid them any mind. Usually, if someone made a big deal of them, like screaming or calling her a demon, she'd kill them, but Gon says nothing. He smiles again.

Sakiko can tell he's a good person with a radiant smile, shining brighter than the sun itself. For a moment Sakiko is too stunned to move, so taken aback by the sight of the Gon Freecs and it isn't until he touches her shoulder to ask if she is alright that she smiles shyly. She's never really paid any mind to the possibilities of reality until it was right in front of her.

Glancing over her shoulder, she sees another boy, Killua, pleased at the sight of the young boy as well, though the obvious lack of enthusiasm lurked behind his empty smile when he looked upon her. But she can't help but wonder if it was anything simple as sheer jealousy that stung the boy's heart.

"C'mon Gon. We shouldn't associate with people like her."

(She comes to realize it's just from a lack of manners. Son of a bitch.)

•••

"Let's just leave this brat and explore the upper deck. I happen to know a way to ride the top of the blimp without getting caught." Killua starts to walk away from the screaming mess that is Sakiko and a nervous Gon waving his hands around.

Another series of curses follow and she throws her knife aimed in the back of his silver head. If she turns on the Happy switch, she might get too violent, but she has a feeling that this kid could handle it. The blade misses and Killua intentionally yawns, his hands in his pockets. Now, this is getting serious. "Y-You've got some nerve talking to me like that! I'm 13, not a brat."

Gon awkwardly laughs and smiles at the both of them, "Maybe we should all settle down and talk about this. Killua, I think you should go apologize."

Killua makes an annoyed sound and rolls his eyes. The stubborn asshole then decides to fold his arms over his chest and look away. "Why should I? I was only saying the truth. That girl is obviously insane from what we've heard. Better to tell it like it is before she gets the wrong idea and tries to maim us."

Sakiko and Gon stop and look at him confused, so he continues, "Remember when that Pokkle dude filled us in about everyone? This chick got her friend killed and not only that, but he thinks she's affiliated with Hisoka. I can just smell trouble coming from her."

So much for keeping our relations a secret , Sakiko glowers.

"No, I don't think that's it, Killua," Gon hums sensibly, touching his mouth and chin in thought. "When I ran after Kurapika and Leorio, Hisoka mentioned that he wanted to test Sakiko. Something about… fruit..."

Killua huffs and leans on the wall next to him, "That doesn't even make sense. And judging by the way that she's looking at us, she knows what it means."

"Huh? The way that I look—oh." Sakiko schools in her puckered lips and opts for a less soured expression. She closes her eyes in concentration. In this situation, she should go for giving advice rather than starting another rampage. She doesn't want Gon to leave just yet. "You know what? I don't care. Just stay away from Hisoka and stop troubling people that could pose a threat. I could kill you both in a second if I wanted to. Especially you, Old man." That sounded reasonable, right?

"Old man? You're the one older than me. Guess I should be calling you old hag now, hah?" Killua narrows his brows in satisfaction and looks away again, and Sakiko wonders where she could have gone wrong. The easy route would just be to kill him off but with potential friends on the line, she'd rather not. They could be friends…?

"Wait a second… Now that I think of it, I bet there's a bounty over her head! Maybe I should turn her in and buy candy! She seems pretty weak, anyway ."

Sakiko's eyes turn to slits as she hears those words. The mania starts. Her eyes glow.

(You're still weak~)

"Die."

"Huh—?" Before he can turn around, Sakiko already has her palm thrown against his cheek and with a little of her strength, pushes as hard as she can. The slap is gratifying. Killua skids back several yards across the hallway and Gon lets out a yelp of shock. The regret is instant and Sakiko retracts her arm as quickly as she pulled out and gasps out an apology. Gon probably thinks that I'm…!

For a few seconds, Killua rubs the injured area of impact but it doesn't look like he's in pain. Wow .

Sakiko would never admit it, but it was kind of (really, really) cool that he could withstand that. Most people had their bones crack and never woke up after one of her hits but he didn't even wince. The only thing that's changed is his face. He stares at her which makes her shrivel under his gaze. His mocking look is replaced with indifference and then, he sighs. Is this his reaction to pain?!

"I'll hand it to you. I wasn't expecting you to land a hit so quickly, but it won't happen again." He slowly walks away and doesn't even call out to Gon. He doesn't look back, either.

Gon stares at Killua's retreating form with a concerned look. Then he starts to rub the nape of his neck. Hesitantly, he speaks up, "Sakiko… let's talk more later. I'm sorry for the teasing. He's just a little upset and needed to let off some steam."

"Why is he upset?"

"Well, we met the Chairman of the Hunter Association and he invited us to play a game. The rules were that if we won, we'd get to be Hunters, but, we could never get it. Killua got really worked up and… he tried to kill him but he lost, badly. Chairman Netero is really strong. I understand why he's in charge of the committee." Then Gon grins at her again and pokes her cheek. "Plus, I realized that I didn't want to take the easy way out. It's like you said, these tests aren't meant to be easy . "

Sakiko tenses under the touch and backs away quickly, but before she could say anything back, Gon is running after Killua waving a good-bye to her. She's left with her heart beating out of her chest and her hand goes up to her heart to calm it down. Sakiko observes them. The duo already look like good friends but if she's remembering clearly, they didn't enter the first phase at the same time. They must've met during the exam.

Thinking back to her outburst in phase two, when she yelled at everyone to shut up, Sakiko didn't really think her words affected anyone, but it makes sense. Gon and Killua must've taken her words to heart.

"Do you want to lose your chance at becoming a Hunter? Don't expect these tests to be easy. They are representational hunters here for a reason."

Shoving those feelings aside, Sakiko tries to focus on her plan to complete her mission: passing the hunter exam.

Still, she can't help but think about Gon and, maybe, a little about that white-haired bastard.

"I guess that went as well as I could have hoped."

— — —

A/N.

Hope you all are having a great week! I decided that since it's summer break, I will be attempting at making a more consistent updating schedule as of now. I can't promise that it'll stick but I really want to see how much my work progresses. I've decided that on Wed/Thurs I'll update but I may skip a week or two depending on how busy I am. Let me know what you like about the story [or chap] so far!

So... our girl finally met the duo. It didn't really turn out as expected. Killua's interaction with girls, especially older ones are not good, especially when he's meeting them the first time. He's only a soft boy for Alluka which is absolutely the cutest thing. Gon is such a sweetheart and damn smooth. We all know that he's great with the ladies, especially older ones XD. Y'all seeing the dynamic? Anyway, I think that Gon's patience and compassion and Kil's straightforwardness and unwavering loyalty will really help Sakiko ground herself and learn to be a better person. Hopefully. Sometime's my brain be changing the gears for no reason

Sakiko's relationships with everyone will grow overtime, so don't think it'll stay stagnant.

Oh and yeah, Killua got his ass beat by Netero. He really tried it, thought he could defy Saki's advice. It doesn't help that Net is a teasing asshole. I don't know if you guys remember but Killua was an arrogant prick in the beginning of the series, but it definitely wasn't for show.

Gon also took Sakiko's advice, along with a lot of other examinees. Gon was also taken aback by our girl's familiar eyes, and Saki's thinking about making a friend during the exam. Hmm, I wonder what will transpire. ;9