January, Hunter Year 1999
The Sea God, unknown waters
Kaya ran through the ship's narrow, foul-smelling passageways until he finally followed the scent of food to Leorio.
Leorio was crouched in a corner of the galley, clutching a grilled fish and devouring it. When Kaya came in, he asked in confusion, "What are you doing here?"
Kaya swallowed as he stared at the fish in Leorio's hands.
"Gon said a storm's coming soon, and the captain ordered the sails reefed. I came to get you so we could take a look outside."
"Nope, not going. Can't you see I'm busy?" Leorio waved a large hand and went back to eating.
"Is it good?"
Leorio licked his lips and glanced at Kaya, whose eyes were glued to the grilled fish.
Then he picked up a knife, cut the fish in half, and tossed him a piece.
"If you want some, just say so, brat. Quit beating around the bush."
Having gotten what he wanted, Kaya didn't talk back. He took a huge bite of fish.
"I wasn't lying, though. There really is a storm coming. Let's check things out once we finish eating."
By the time they reached the deck, the sea had turned dark as far as the eye could see, a stark contrast to the bright weather at noon.
Dark clouds covered the entire sky. Waves whipped up by fierce gusts battered the hull, and the occasional surge splashed onto the deck, drawing cries of alarm.
Gon was helping the sailors secure the ship.
Seeing the two emerge, Gon said, "Kaya, Leorio, why did you come out? The storm's almost here. It's dangerous."
Kaya answered as if it were obvious. "I came to find you. What else?"
Leorio picked his nose. "Danger? What's that? Never heard of it."
The applicants gathered on deck were all talking among themselves.
"Looks like this storm's going to be a bad one."
"Who knows if this ship can even get us there safely?"
"I wouldn't count on it. Look how old and battered it is. I doubt it can stand up to a big storm."
Their discussion made the already gloomy atmosphere even more tense.
The captain spoke up. "All of you, get below deck! The storm's almost here!"
At that, most of the applicants scrambled toward the cabins, each afraid of falling behind.
The captain shook his head. As far as he was concerned, that lot had already failed.
He swept his gaze around. Three applicants remained on deck.
Gon was hard at work helping the sailors.
Leorio leaned against the mast, calmly picking his teeth with the same finger he had just used to pick his nose.
Kaya was even stranger. Up on his tiptoes, he hopped back and forth along the ship's railing, swaying as though he might fall into the sea at any moment.
"Hey, kid, watch yourself. Don't fall overboard," the captain couldn't help warning.
"It's all right, Captain. Kaya will be fine." Gon wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled at him.
The captain nodded in satisfaction. It seemed there was more than one outstanding applicant this year.
Just then, the sailor trying to reef the sail clamped his legs tightly around the mast and called helplessly to the captain, "Captain, the wind's too strong! I can't reef it by myself!"
The captain bellowed, "You useless fool! Don't you know what'll happen if we leave the sail up? Put your back into it!"
Gon's hands were full with another task, so he had to turn to Kaya. "Kaya, go help him."
"Call me your big brother." Kaya grinned.
You'd be an idiot to pass up a chance like this.
"Big brother." Usually, Kaya was the one calling Gon his big brother, but at this critical moment, Gon chose to swallow his pride.
"Your big brother's on his way." Reluctant as he was, Kaya still listened to Gon.
He stretched, then flicked the whip in his hand. It wrapped firmly around the mast, and he used it to spring onto the yardarm.
He told the sailor still clinging tightly to the mast, "Head down. I've got it from here."
Although the wind was stronger up high, Kaya leaped about as easily as if he were on solid ground. Before long, he had rolled up the sail on his own and secured it with ropes.
With that done, Kaya jumped down from the yardarm to land in front of the captain and dusted off his hands. "All done."
Leorio's expression didn't change as he watched, but inwardly he was impressed. The brat really did have some skills.
"Good lad. You're pretty nimble! How do you and Gon know each other?" the captain asked approvingly.
"Him? He's my little brother," Kaya said with a grin.
"But I'm older," Gon protested.
Leorio came over too, sounding serious for once. "Didn't expect you to be so capable. Give it a few more years, and you'll surpass me."
"..."
Sure enough, Leorio's greatest talent was his sheer shamelessness.
The captain laughed, glanced up at the wind pennant, and said, "You three, get below deck. The storm's nearly here."
There were no private cabins. Their so-called lodgings were simply several enormous storage rooms, and the three picked one at random to settle into.
The moment Kaya entered, Kurapika, who was lying in a hammock, noticed him. He also glanced at Leorio and Gon accompanying him before returning his gaze to his book.
Before long, the ship was rocking wildly in the storm-tossed waves. It felt much like the pirate ship ride Kaya had ridden as a child, only far more violent.
Some of the less hardy applicants had already started vomiting, filling the room with a foul stench.
"Give me some herbs for nausea." Supporting one of the applicants, Gon looked back and said, "If he keeps throwing up, he'll get dehydrated."
Kaya was lying on an overhead beam with his eyes closed, resting. He casually tossed his backpack to Gon.
"Find them yourself."
He turned to look at Leorio, who was drooling over a photo book of beautiful women in the corner, then pressed a hand to his forehead in speechless exasperation. "What a complete idiot."
By chance, his gaze met Kurapika's. Unexpected eye contact like this was the most awkward kind. Looking away would seem too deliberate, but continuing to stare felt wrong too.
So Kaya stretched his lips into a fake smile that looked worse than a grimace.
Amused by his ridiculous expression, Kurapika smiled and gave a slight nod in response.
The ship swayed and lurched, leaving the applicants thoroughly disoriented.
A glance through the cabin doorway revealed applicants everywhere, vomiting and dehydrated.
The captain sneered inwardly. You think you can take the Hunter Exam in this state? What a joke.
He looked around again and found only four people who seemed completely unaffected.
Gon and Kaya sat on a ceiling beam, idly playing rock-paper-scissors. Having finished his photo book, Leorio was dozing in the corner, while Kurapika lay comfortably in his hammock, resting.
The red-nosed captain nodded. If things went as expected, it was time to get down to business.
With that thought, he shouted to the four, "You four, come with me!"
They exchanged glances, then followed him to the captain's quarters.
The captain studied the four of them for a while before asking sternly, "What are your names?"
Gon answered quickly, "I'm Gon, and he's..."
The captain sharply cut him off and pointed at Kaya. "Answer for yourself."
Kurapika perked up, a little anticipation stirring inside him as he quietly waited for the boy to introduce himself.
"Oh," Kaya said. "Kaya."
Disappointment, just as he had feared. Kurapika's heart sank, but he tried to act natural. He drew a breath and answered, "My name is Kurapika."
Leorio replied with a roguish air, "What a pain. I'm Leorio. Are we done? Can I go back to sleep now?"
But the captain had no intention of letting them leave. Ignoring Leorio, he continued, "Now then, Gon, Kaya, Kurapika, Leorio. Tell me why you want to become Hunters."
Already irritated at having his pleasant nap interrupted, Leorio snapped, "Listen, Captain, why don't you just worry about running your ship?"
"Answer my question," the captain insisted.
Faced with the captain's expressionless stare, Leorio began to lose his temper. "And what if I don't?"
The atmosphere instantly froze. Afraid Leorio would end up getting thrown off the ship again, Kaya shot him a look, signaling him to shut up.
But Leorio's gaze remained firm. He wouldn't budge.
Gon seized the opening and answered the captain. "There are two reasons I want to become a Hunter. First, my dad's a Hunter, and I want to experience the same kind of life he did. Second, I want to go on adventures with Kaya and help him fulfill his dream."
Leorio said, "Hey, Gon, I'm arguing with this old man. We don't have time for your life story right now."
Gon asked in confusion, "It's not a secret or anything. Why can't you just tell him?"
Leorio explained, "Because I don't like how high and mighty he's acting. Besides, nobody gets to order me around."
"I agree with Leorio," Kurapika suddenly said from beside them.
Leorio glanced at the aloof-looking Kurapika and said rudely, "Who are you? Next time you say my name, you'd better put 'Mr.' in front of it. Got that, you rude little brat?"
Kurapika ignored Leorio completely, keeping his eyes fixed on the captain. "It would be easy to deceive you. I could invent any reason I liked, but lying is beneath me. Besides, why should I have to answer a stranger's questions? My reasons for wanting to become a Hunter are private, so I agree with Leorio."
Kurapika's answer clearly explained his reasons for refusing, making him seem both credible and dependable.
"Hey, brat, are you deaf? I'll say it again. Call me Mr. Leorio!"
Leorio was already annoyed at being ignored, and Kurapika's breezy manner had managed to hit another nerve.
Resting his chin on Gon's shoulder, Kaya gave a bored yawn and lazily watched Leorio and Kurapika.
The captain raised his voice. "If you two still refuse to answer my question, then get off my ship immediately."
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