foxhunt
Killugon x male!child!reader
Ch 0, Ch 1 (you are here), Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, ...
Summary: You set off to fulfill your dreams of being a Hunter! However, you meet a group of interesting people along the way. Where will fate lead you all?
Chapter 1 : New Beginnings
"Every year there are millions of skilled applicants for the Hunter Exam, but only a handful are selected."
You wake up to the sounds of laughter, seemingly coming from the pack of seated burly men. It looks as though they're mocking someone, but you're still too groggy from your earlier nap to care.
You descend from your place on the sides of the ship with a jump, letting out a small yawn before stretching all your tiredness away. As soon as you'd boarded the ship, you'd fallen asleep. It's a surprise you were able to sleep that long, since you lived pretty far from pretty much everything and were one of the first people to board the ship.
You decided to walk around, having grown restless from not moving for so long. This would also be a perfect opportunity to analyze your competition.
Looking around, only a few people really caught your eye. The first was an old tall, lanky looking man reading…. some odd magazine with pretty women on the cover. The second was a blonde man with a mysterious air looking out into the sea. He was wearing a unique garb and looked to be pretty young. The last was a boy seemingly around your age with dark spiky hair. You wondered how he managed to keep it up like that.
It looks like he was the one that the other passengers on board were mocking.
Your eyes followed him as he went to investigate what looked like another typical bullying scenario. Carefully, you approached the scene, curious as to what the young boy in green was up to.
Suddenly, a rather chunky sailor burst through a door underneath the platform you were standing on. He began scolding the other mariners and the two bullies dispersed almost instantly. You assumed the chunky bearded man was the captain then. Your ears moved towards the sound of the young boy from earlier as he called out to the red-headed runt, watching as he passed a stray apple back to him.
"Well, at least he seems nice." you smiled to yourself.
Before you got to do anything else, there was a slight change in the air’s humidity, making you look up at the sky. You notice birds begin to circle the boat.
A storm was approaching.
You were going to warn the captain but the boy beat you to it. He expertly jumped on the crow's nest before yelling something to the captain. He said he smelt the upcoming storm, causing your eyes to widen in surprise. You'd always thought you were odd for having an exceptional sense of smell, but now you'd found someone similar. Only it looks as though he has a better nose than you.
You clung to the wall, trying to avoid the mountain of puke by your feet. Seriously, you thought being a Hunter was a serious job. How can you aspire to be one if you can't even handle a bit of turbulence?!
You huffed in annoyance, cautiously stepping away from the nauseous man. Though, you did slightly pity him, so you decided to be nice and fetch a bucket for him. However, as soon as you put the bucket down, the man thanks you by letting another round of vomit spill near you. You shrieked in disgust and jumped back.
“So much for trying to be nice…” you grumble to yourself, a tinge of irritation present in your voice.
Just then, you hear the door open and let your ears follow the sound of soft thudding on the floorboards. The red-headed runt from earlier shot through the door, carrying a glass of water. He brought it to the little green boy, who was actively helping a passenger recover. Well, he was a lot better than you if he didn't mind the rancid stench of someone's leftover dinner resurfacing.
After walking away from the guy who almost ruined your fur lined boots (you'd worked hard to get that fur and would rather it stay in good shape), you finally looked towards the door, only to meet the eyes of the captain. He wore a pleased smile on his face. Looking around, you noticed the other two people from earlier were also fine.
It seems you have a good eye for people.
Shortly after, you and the three others were taken into a room with the captain and some other crewmates. You couldn’t help but feel a bead of sweat trickle down the back of your neck. You were nervous, fearing you'd somehow failed the exam before it even started somehow.
"First, Tell me your names." the chunky sailor ordered, his eyes landing on the four of you.
The younger boy was the first to say his name, Gon, with which you followed and introduced yourself second.
"Katsumi!" You grinned, despite your earlier nervousness.
The blonde boy introduced himself as Kurapika and the lanky old man called himself Leorio.
Your tail begins to swish from side to side as you dig your fingers into your palm, trying to contain your excitement. You've never really descended the mountain you lived on, so all of this is pretty new to you. What can you say? You've always loved to uncover the unknown, perhaps that's why being a Hunter was so appealing to you.
The captain then asked everyone why they wished to become hunters, but before anybody could actually answer, the lanky man pointed an accusatory finger towards him.
"Hey! If you're not an examiner, you can't boss us around!"
You tilted your head to the side in confusion, "Is that how this works?" you thought to yourself.
Looking at the tall man, you just now noticed he was wearing a suit. Maybe he was a business person just like your aunt? No, he didn't really give off that vibe. Plus, your aunt's suit seemed to be of way better quality.
You had almost forgotten that the captain was waiting for your group's answer when Gon spoke out again. He began explaining how his dad was a Hunter and he left his hometown, "Whale Island", because he wanted to know why his dad decided to be a Hunter. You watched as the captain's face flickered with recognition, but paid it no mind.
"Hey kid!" The old man started again "You're not supposed to answer his question!"
You silently observed as Gon and Leorio started to bicker.
Seeing that it was in fact not illegal to answer, you shrugged and spoke up.
"I want to become a Hunter because I want to explore the world!" You cheerfully exclaimed, unintentionally interrupting the two boys fighting next to you.
"Hey! Not you too!"
You playfully stuck out your tongue at Leorio feeling a bit guilty for "not being a team player", as he calls it. You felt someone's eyes on you and looked over to see Gon smiling at you.
It seems he'd taken a liking to you.
You smiled back, holding his gaze until someone else’s voice broke the silence.
"I agree with Leorio," The blonde man to your right finally spoke out, somehow irritating Leorio simultaneously, since he'd apparently not used the correct honorifics. You'd never really understood the need for all that, but it seemed to be pretty important to Leorio, for whatever reason.
Kurapika went on some tangent that you, for the most part, blocked out since it just sounded like a bunch of edgy yap to you.
After that, the captain abruptly revealed that if they chose not to answer, they would be considered as dropouts.
Gon looked up at Leorio "So he says…"
His slight tease earned a chuckle from you. Hearing this, Gon seemed to be pretty pleased with himself, shooting you a wide grin.
Once again, Kurapika broke the silence. He started by telling the story of how his clan was massacred by a group of bandits called the "Phantom Troupe", which were apparently an A-class bounty (whatever that means).
You'd never heard of them. Although, based on how the atmosphere shifted when their name was mentioned, you hope you never get the pleasure, or displeasure, of meeting such people.
"You don't need to become a Hunter for that." Leorio interjected while wearing a smug look on his face.
"That may be the stupidest thing I've ever heard, Leorio."
Before the two older guys could start fighting again, Gon jumped in front of the black haired man to ask him why he wanted to become a Hunter. This simple question initiated a whole rant on why money is the best and "rules the world". You kinda tuned him out halfway through.
Seriously, do all adults just run their mouths non-stop?
Come to think about it, your dad and aunt loved to hear themselves talk as well. You hope you don't become like that when you're older. Just thinking about it gives you the chills.
You were so caught up in your own thoughts that you didn't even notice that both Leorio and Kurapika stormed out until the captain yelled after them. You wondered what exactly happened for the two of them to get so mad.
Someone was gonna go after them, but Gon suggested that it'd be better if they settled it themselves, to which you had no problem obliging. It wasn’t really your problem anyways.
"Captain!" The sailor driving the boat yelled from behind you "L-Look!"
You all turned to see a giant waterspout twirling violently in the sea. You had no clue what that was, but you could tell it was definitely something bad.
Sailors ran out to lower the sails, and, without thinking, you ran out alongside them to help.
Although, there’s just one small problem.
You're not too sure how much help you could actually be, since this is your first time ever even seeing a boat in real life. You tried not to think too much about it and instead just followed Gon. He’ll probably know what to do.
Once out on the deck, you both took hold of the same rope and began to pull the sails down, along with all the other crewmates of course.
Through the sounds of waves crashing against the ship, you could hear the faint sounds of Kurapika and Leorio arguing. You let your ears turn towards the sound, but your eyes never once left the sails, fearing you'd somehow lose focus and mess up.
While you were pulling, the red-head from earlier suddenly took off the ground as was thrown in the direction of the two.
Your eyes widened in shock yet you made no move to help him. Truthfully, you knew there was nothing you could do without endangering yourself.
As a hunter, your father always warned you to not be reckless. Afterall, it's better to back down and have a chance at redoing something in the future than to die trying.
You listened, of course (well, most of the time). The one time your father let his emotions get the better of him, he ended up disabling his leg. He tells you the story all the time.
So you made your decision and bit your lip, turning away from the scene. You chose to ignore the runt's screams.
However, you felt the rope behind you loosen, compelling you to turn around.
Gon was no longer there!
You quickly looked around in confusion, had he been swept up too?
While searching, your eyes landed on the two from earlier, who were no longer fighting and instead perched over the side of the boat. When did that happen?
A loud splash could be heard before they pulled something up from overboard the ship. People started running over to them and, in the midst of the chaos, you caught a glimpse of someone's foot being pulled back onto the ship.
It was Gon!
He was holding the, now unconscious, red head in his arms. You turned your attention away from the sails, staring at them in pure disbelief. Why would he go that far to save him? It seems you'd have to ask later.
Gon, however, seemed to notice you staring and looked up to meet your eyes. Seeing as how you were staring incredulously, he flashed a boyish grin your way and held up a peace sign.
What an interesting guy.
"You idiot!" Leorio scolded. "If we hadn't grabbed your legs, you'd be shark bait by now."
"Honestly," Kurapika added "How reckless can you be?"
You were directly in front of Gon, looking at each man planted beside you every time they spoke. You didn't quite understand their logic.
"But you did catch me. You both caught me!" Gon argued confidently, his smile never leaving his face.
You smiled at him before closing your eyes and putting a finger up, mimicking how your father would (very often) scold you.
"Exactly. And if Gon didn't jump to save him, wouldn't the red-head be the one who was shark bait?"
Truthfully, you didn't really understand Gon either.
Wouldn't it have been better to save yourself first and the sailor after? You pondered on it for a few seconds before shaking your head, an amused smile forming on your face.
You suppose you'd just have to ask him about it later.
The red-head ran out to thank your new friends for their help, and you couldn't help but feel a bit sheepish that you were the only one who didn't try to help him.
You looked over at Leorio and Kurapika and assumed they had already made up, due to how friendly they were being with each other all of a sudden. Watching them, you smiled to yourself, happy that everything worked out in the end.
However, the sweet moment was cut short by an obnoxious laugh. You all looked to the source, only to find the captain leaning against a door.
"I'll take responsibility for taking you four to the port closest to the exam site." He exclaimed after he finished laughing. Not only that, but apparently, all four of you passed!
You and Gon jumped up simultaneously. "All right!"
You stood restlessly next to the boy in green as he shook hands with the captain. You could barely contain your excitement.
The town was bustling with people and the air smelt completely different from what you were used to. All your five senses were being overloaded with new things!
Torn between staying near Gon and running around to explore, you started running in place, well it was more like jumping, but whatever. You heard the captain say something about a tree on a hilltop, but was too busy marvelling at everything to properly focus on what he was saying.
Although, you snapped out of your trance when you heard the captain wish Gon luck.
"Let's go, Katsumi!" Gon called out as he took off running in Kurapika and Leorio's direction.
Obviously, you caught up and ran with him until you both reached a large map of some sorts. Leorio and Kurapika were already looking at it when you approached.
"Huh, that's strange." Leorio started, "According to the notice I received, the exam is supposedly being held somewhere in Zaban city. That cedar tree is in the opposite direction." He explained while pointing to a tree drawn on the map.
Even so, Gon was adamant on going to the tree. Looks like he really trusts that old sailor.
He turned to look at you expectantly.
Was he hoping you'd follow him?
You let out a small laugh at that and Gon's eyes instantly lit up. Despite Leorio's protests, he grabbed you by the hand and spun on his heel, making his way to the hilltop.
Not too long after, you hear soft footsteps behind you two and turn to see Kurapika. It seems he decided to follow Gon as well.
Leorio, on the other hand, was headed towards the bus. You were a little disappointed, as you hoped to continue travelling with them, but it was his choice in the end.
Though, very faintly, your ears caught a hushed conversation coming from behind you. From what you could make out of it, they were talking about how the bus to Zaban was a trap. You instantly perked up.
Leorio!
Before you could even turn back, you hear the loud thumping of shoes against the pavement headed towards you. You let out a sigh of relief as the familiar tall man rounded the corner.
"Well, I knew you guys would be lonely without me. And it's no fun traveling alone, so I decided to keep you guys company a while longer"
Leorio went on and on the entire way, though it felt like he was trying to convince himself that he hadn't fallen for a trap more than anything.
"Are you sure you just didn't hear anything that made you realize the bus was a bad idea?" You teased, flashing him a knowing smile.
"Hey!"
You watched as Leorio’s face flushed red with embarrassment and playfully stuck your tongue out at him.
Eventually, the four of you ended up in a seemingly deserted town, though you could sense many people here. You're glad your lifestyle honed your senses so much. If you were just a normal civilian, you probably would've had to drop out before the exam even started!
The sounds of a door opening interrupted your train of thought. You and the other three immediately put your guards up, waiting to see what was going to happen next. Though, what came through the door wasn’t exactly what you were expecting.
You watched in utter confusion as some masked people dressed in white robes wheeled out a giant wagon. An old woman sat in the middle.
"Exciting.." She started ominously, "Exciting.."
"Time for the exciting two choice quiz!" She suddenly yelled out, eyes bloodshot.
At the same time, the masked people beside her started playing some odd tune with various instruments.
You were genuinely lost so you looked around to see if maybe this was normal. It was not. Your friends were just as confused as you were.
After the music died down, the grandma explained how, if we wanted to reach the cedar tree, we'd have to pass through this town. However, to pass, we'd need to answer her lone question with either 1 or 2.
“Well, this didn't seem so hard.” You thought to yourself, putting a hand on your hip.
You were determined to get this right. There was absolutely no way in hell would you not pass the Hunter Exam this year, no matter what it took.
All of a sudden, your ears pick up on the sound of footsteps behind you. Unsurprisingly, it was the guy who'd followed your group up the mountain. Apparently he wants to answer the question first. This didn’t sit right with you. You guys were there first!
You were going to argue, but seeing how the rest of your group didn't really care, you let the words die in your throat. The four of you stepped back to observe.
"Rogues have captured your mother and lover. You may only rescue one. 1, your mother. 2, your lover. Who will you save?" The grandma asked, scrutinizing the man in front of her.
You take back what you said earlier, this isn't easy at all!
You grabbed your hair in distress, fearing that you'd fail the exam without even making it to Zaban City. Suddenly, you realized something and loosened the grip on your head.
You don't even have a mom. This is the easiest quiz ever!
You perked up, before almost instantly deflating once again. You also realized that your friends most likely all have moms, so this was back to being the most stressful quiz ever.
However, the man seemed to have no issue and answered confidently. He chose his mom and his reasoning made enough sense to you. To everyone’s surprise, that was apparently the right answer because he was allowed to pass.
As expected, this did not sit right with Leorio and he seemed to be getting riled up again. Seriously, he needs to work on his impulsiveness. You began shaking your head in disapproval before realizing that you were in fact, the exact same. You quickly shrugged that thought off, remembering that it was in fact not the time to dwell on that.
While you were racking your brain, trying to find a way to pass this quiz, Leorio just kept yelling at the old lady. Kurapika tried to tell him something but was quickly shut down by the old lady. You wonder why.
You were still trying to find a solution when the grandma posed her question:
"Your son and daughter have been kidnapped. You can only rescue one. 1, your daughter. 2, your son."
Your jaw dropped open as you stared incredulously at the grandma. There's absolutely no way you can answer that.
Once again, you were back to ripping out locks of your hair trying to come up with something. If this kept up, you'd be bald by the time you reached the exam site, if you even made it that far.
In fear of accidentally saying something that could ruin your chances, you made the smart decision to just shut up. You don't really know how game quizzes work, but you're sure that you can't fail if you just don't say anything. As the lady starts counting down, you notice Leorio grab a wooden plank, which you assume he plans to use to attack her.
"Leorio! How is that gonna help anything?!" You shouted in your head, hoping it would somehow reach him.
Spoiler alert: it did not.
Sometimes you wonder what exactly goes through this man's head.
Thankfully, Kurapika stepped between Leorio and the granny, causing you to let out a breath you didn't even know you were holding. Of course, the two began arguing and Kurapika revealed that we had in fact passed the test.
"We passed?" You and Leorio asked simultaneously.
Even after Kurapika explained why, you still didn't understand. Well, you decided it best to not dwell on it. The past is the past. All that matters now is getting to that lone cedar tree.
After the grandma was done explaining, you were about to enter the path but realized you forgot something.
Gon!
You whipped your head around only to realize he was still lost in thought. Something in you decided to just let him be, so you stepped closer to him and waited till he was done. Suddenly, he let out a loud sigh and dropped to the ground.
"It's no use. I can't think of an answer." he admitted, exasperated.
Gon’s honesty earned a laugh from you, Kurapika and Leorio.
You offered the boy your hand and pulled him towards the exit, "C'mon, we have to head for that tree!" You chirped while dragging him through the tunnel.
You notice that Leorio has a tendency of complaining a lot.
The entire walk there, he went a whole tangent about literally everything. Though, you've learned to just tune him out. You're sure he just likes to hear himself talk, much like every other adult.
After some more walking, the tree finally came into sight. A house sat right next to it, which you assumed was the couple's house and went to knock on the door. However, as you approached, it sounded like there were more than two people in there. You could hear maybe around three different breathing patterns.
"Wait! Guys, it sounds like there's more than two people in there." Your warning was not headed in time, as Leorio was already opening the door.
What awaited you four was the sight of some odd yellow creature kidnapping a young, purple-haired woman. There was also an injured man on the floor next to them. Leorio immediately ran over to tend to him.
On the other hand, Gon and Kurapika decided to chase after the magical beast. You trusted the two to be able to retrieve the woman safely, so you chose to stay with Leorio. After all, after living in a forest for your whole life, you were able to identify all different kinds of herbs. You're sure you could find one to help with healing. Not only that, but if another magical beast were to appear, you could protect Leorio as he restores the husband back to full health.
"I'll go see if there's any herbs that can help! I'll be right back." You shouted from behind you before leaping out the shattered window.
While you were gathering all different kinds of plants, you happened to notice two of the yellow beasts from earlier exchanging a few words before going in two opposite directions. You thought this was odd, but finding Gon and Kurapika would be too time consuming. Plus, you don’t know how bad the husband’s injuries are. He might not be able to last that long.
You decided to return to Leorio and tell him what was going on. Besides, if there's two, one might come back for the husband! By the time you reached the cabin, the man was already all bandaged up. So, you quickly whipped up a concoction that would act as a pain-killer before allowing the man to rest. You informed Leorio of your findings and you both agreed to wait until Gon and Kurapika returned.
You soon found out that this was all planned and was, yet again, another test. Seriously, how many tests do you need to take?! The family of beasts began explaining the reasons why everyone passed and yada yada. You really only heard that everyone passed, as your thoughts were consumed by the concern for your growing hunger. Now you really wished that you'd packed a lunch…
The cold air blew against your now rosy cheeks as the Kiriko flew you and your friends to the exam site. Never in a million years would you have ever seen this coming. Though, it was always a childhood dream of yours to one day soar through the sky. Imagine how useful that would be? Maybe that's why birds make such good hunters.
Your rambling thoughts were disrupted when a particularly strong gust of wind hit you, making you shiver. Careful as to not disturb your navigator too much, you slid your fur lined hood over your head. It wouldn't do anything to make your legs any less cold, but at least your ears wouldn't be frozen anymore.
It'll still be a couple hours before you reach Zaban City. In the meantime, you figured you'd get a little rest.
When you wake up, your real journey will finally begin.
Fun fact! Katsumi sometimes acts more like a dog than a fox because, when he was younger, his dad had trouble properly teaching him how to hunt because of his leg, so he bought a dog to do his job for him. Therefore, you picked up on more dog-like habits.