‘This is awkward’ did not fully explain the problem she was facing. Gon had stolen the tag from Hisoka, for god's sake, a tiny determined Enhancer for sure .

Was there even a way to make him forfeit?

Likely yes, but none if she also wanted to keep HeeJin and HyunJin.

She gave a long sideways glance at Netero, his face unreadable. Old . He definitely knew the type of conundrum she was facing. Chuu bet he was enjoying this.

She sighed, and mumbled, “Why are you even taking the exam?”

Maybe Chuu can offer something and make him give up to her this round to test his luck in the next one. You know, a logical barter.

She crossed her arms, face scrunching the tiniest bit, and stared at the boy, who seemed tense. Right, their fight has already begun.

And - she stared into his eyes intenty - no. Barter is off the table - just look at him!

She turned towards the spectators, throwing a glance over them and to the board with the brackets. There had to be a w-

Blinked and uncrossed her arms, looking back at the contestants, two in particular.

A plan was forming in her mind, expanding explosively. Chuu’s lips slowly formed a grin.

“Hey, Choerry!” she prepared to ask an unnecessary question. “How are you feeling about your fight? Gonna win?”

All eyes shifted to Choerry as she hummed contemplatively and leaned forward to curiously inspect Hanzo. He half-turned his head towards her and raised an eyebrow.

“Feeling ey-all-right! going to crush him for sure!” cheerfully proclaimed Choerry, not breaking eye contact with the shinobi.

“Then it's settled,” she propped her fists on the hips, as a ripple of reactions went through the examinees. “Gon, show your best.”

He nodded with a shine in his eyes. 

This was a perfect opportunity to poke him around for fun, test his limits and creativity - to compare with another prodigy, Wolf

He rushed at her, head-on. Chuu almost tsked - that was not his best. As Gon drew closer, he changed direction, and then again, to confuse and attack the side that wasn’t protected, strucking her shingles with a winding kick. He jumped back, creating distance between them again, his own shin likely throbbing.

To his misfortune, she did play games - except they weren't half-assed.

She stayed as she was and rolled her eyes as Gon was visibly taken aback at his lack of any result and how strong her leg must’ve felt. “Are you certain it was your best? Please tell me it wasn’t.”

There was admittedly no way for Gon to forcibly make her forfeit, but Chuu doubted her ability to gently bend his will as well.

Determination settled in his face, and he jumped towards her again, now straight at her all the way, jumping up to her eyelevel, right fist drawn back. Chuu unfolded her arms, twirling on left heel, right foot moving back, as Gon’s fist flew by. His inertia continued movement forward and Gon rotated in the air, a heel now whistling towards her. Her right arm flew to his leg, grabbing his ankle in a death-grip as she bent slightly back, just enough for the sole of his shoe to pass by.

Turning around on her right foot, Chuu flung him across the room with enough force that he hit the wall, air getting knocked out of him. However, he purposefully did not sustain any damage.

Chuu just wanted to play, as she said, not to make Gon lose.

Springing back up, he thought for a couple seconds and started slowly circling her. Then, he approached again, now trying for a series of punches that she deflected, before crouching and attempting to trip her up. She jumped to the side and Gon followed.

It continued for a while, Gon rushing into attack, Chuu’s dodging or lightly hitting back. She created some purposeful blind spots and weaknesses, seeing if he would notice, testing him. Some he did and acted on it, others he missed. After a while Gon ignored all of them, at long last realizing all of them were fake.

Sorry, buddy, compared to the average fighter she was a master of hand-to-hand combat.

Another thing Chuu found out was that he learned at a very fast pace.

By the time he began heavily panting and had to take short pauses to come up with new plans, he was a step or two ahead of himself from the beginning of the fight. His intuition in battle and strategizing on the fly were an untouched bountiful soil - Gon evolved with incredible pace. He was really, truly talented. 

Chuu was somewhat envious. And partially sorry for him.

But all games must come to an end.

“This was quite interesting, Gon, thank you. You do have a great potential! Thank you for the fight!” and, before Gon could say anything, Chuu turned towards the judge, voice bright and ringing. “I forfeit!”

Silence hung for a long moment.

“Wait, no! You can’t do this!” 

Gon’s indignant objection was even louder than her statement. He seemed to disagree and oh, how adorable it was. Chuu’s lips sprawled into an innocent smile.

“Oh, but I can , it is in the basest of rules. The necessary one for this type of tournament, even! I can, I want, I do,” she sing-songed. “Congrats, you are a Hunter now.”

“No, that wasn’t right, this was not a fight at all!”

“And who said you even have to fight to win or forfeit?”

“Ngh!” 

Gon grimaced, full of protest, but was unable to retort as Chuu used this moment to repeat to the referee. “I forfeit.”

The man nodded, but anything he was trying to say got drowned out by Gon’s voice again.

“I refuse to accept it!”

The referee swallowed his urge to sigh and explained, “Mister Gon, per rules immediately after one of the contestants forfeited, the match has ended. Miss Chuu already declared her loss.”

But Gon was unsatisfied. “She didn't even attack me once! This was not a match!” he turned back to Chuu. “If you don’t want to fight, we can try something else, but I refuse to take this win.”

Chuu hummed, scratching the side of her neck. Well. She turned to face Netero and pointed her finger at Gon. “Is his refusal to take the win valid?”

“Define “valid”.” Chairman Netero was smirking.

That settled this, then, she thought, turning back to Gon with a smile. “Come on, I lose, you pass, let's go back to the observatory area for the next match.”

Gon was now openly glaring at her. “No!”

Chuu nodded. “Got it. If you do not feel like a part of an audience, I won’t force you.”

She stepped to him and jammed a finger at the side of his neck faster than he was able to trace. His body sagged and she caught him, lifting in her arms.

Walking away from the fighting area, Chuu caught a mix of reactions to her actions. All important ones felt positive anyway and the rest did not matter. 

One of the Association's observers outstretched his arms. “I will bring him to his room.”

She gently handled Gon to him and returned to her place in the row of contestants.

---

Nimbly dodging shinobi’s knee, Choerry flipped over his head, instantly intercepting a flying fist to her side and then bending backwards under a kick to the other. 

Okay, so, in hindsight, maybe her earlier taunt was not the wisest course of action, nor the nicest. Was she a jerk there? No, no, that was some taunting in the spirit of sport, she was pretty sure. 

Choerry got out of the way of the uncoiled punch in the gut and shoved her elbow into Hanzo’s face.

He was going all out from the very beginning, so, maybe, she wounded this teenager’s - by his own boastful admission at the beginning of their match - pride. It might take a bit longer to make him forfeit then.

So, yeah, Choerry was never the wisest one. Which was a good thing!

That way was extra fun!

She got behind him while he flew back from her hit, regrouping in the air, and Choerry met him with a knee to his spine. Very carefully. With just enough force to not permanently dent his armor inwards.

She didn’t want any broken or twisted spines to get in the way of further continuation of the exam, after all!

There were exactly zero chances she could possibly lose this.

For all her enthusiasm, there was a ravine between a very well-trained fighter with no nen and a quite decently trained nen-user. No amount of shinobi preparation could cover it.

Choerry put some distance back on the field, letting Hanzo throw something at her. 

She was yet to be disappointed by this jounin.

Several kunai flew in her direction.

Her smile widened quarter of an inch and she weaved between, hands flying to each of the them.

Metal clanged coldly against itself as the knives hung around her fingers as cumbersome and deadly rings. She took a breath for more witty comments, but there was no opening as another whistling followed the knives. A barrage of shurikens, more than kunai before and faster. 

Choerry flicked her hands, knives falling in place, ready to be thrown. Now, how many could she hit?..

More than a half of the projectiles met in the center with loud clanking and bounced off each other, either simply falling or lightly imbuing themselves in the stone floor. 

Choerry dodged what she didn’t snipe and pouted. One of her kunai missed and instead dug itself into the opposite wall.

Hanzo leant forward and leaped towards her, hand passingly outstretching to pick one of the knives stuck in the floor for armed attacks.

Naur. Choerry dashed and leaped into a roundhouse kick before Hanzo could reach the midpoint between them.

His crush to the floor was forceful, almost breaking the man’s bones, and made several examinees wince. His bald head hit the floor strongly enough to cause a concussion.

She hopped back, letting her opponent drag himself up, wary of her moves. Her smile hung on her face almost absentmindedly, while her eyes were so deep, one might see devils dancing inside.

Neither of them moved for a long while. They could continue, Choerry’s smile ticked up again. 

“But do we really need to?” rolled off her tongue with a knowledge of the following answer.

Hanzo’s face turned sour.

“I forfeit.”

---

HyunJin felt horribly confused with what just happened. It felt like a hallucination instead of a real fight.

If she was asked to recount the match, the actual battle , her answer would be short. There were rapid contacts and then cold weaponry and then a pause and Hanzo standing up and forfeiting.

This was just that above what she could see.

HyunJin was torn between shock (what the hell), awe (wow, what the hell) and a tint of annoyance bubbling inside. She didn’t know whom the last one was directed at - herself, for missing the clues, or Choerry, for hiding that kind of skill. Skill meant knowledge.

HyunJin knew the girl was good, smarter and stronger than her, there were no questions nor jealousy!

And still. There was an opportunity for questions right in front of her nose this whole time.

As she turned to a beaming Choerry coming back, frowning, wanting to ask so much - how, where, can she, does she know?.. - the referee opened his mouth. 

“Winner: number 81! Numbers 44 and 390, please approach!”

Her fight.

Choerry’s face dropped the cheerful grin and turned serene. She gave her shoulder a firm squeeze. “Good luck.”

HyunJin nodded, putting down her backpack, as Chuu patted her back and HeeJin held her arm for a second.

This was going to get ugly.

She walked up to her place and waited for the announcement of the beginning of the fight. The man in front of her was seizing her up, looking vaguely intrigued. Hisoka alone was enough to make a person tense, the danger apparent to anybody, yet more his interest. 

As HyunJin made contact with similarly golden eyes, there rose a question in her mind - was his disinterest worse ?

Because there was nothing more than just thin curiosity in his eyes.

Small unnecessary mercies - he wouldn’t kill her or he fails the exam. Except, now that she was on that line of thought, was he really all that scared of failing?

HyunJin decided not to ask.

When the referee marked the start of the fight and jumped far, HyunJin clenched her fists and dashed at Hisoka.

She felt oddly composed.

He dodged, sidestepping as she approached, a faint but sharp smile on his lips. She followed - he jumped back again and again. HyunJin paused and hopped back, rather than following him, ending up at a distance further from him than at the start.

Was she supposed to continue pursuing him? Was he waiting for something?

Both of them stood still for a couple of seconds before Hisoke dramatically sighed and, in a blink-

his face was directly in front of her.

Hisoka’s palm connected with her stomach like a hammer, sending her flying back. It knocked all the air out of her lungs and HyunJin wheezed as she twisted in the air for a better landing. Her feet touched the ground and she lowered herself to ready up her next attack- 

Hit flew in her right side and that was likely a crack, wasn’t it? - the pain from the kick coming to her a second later - she was airborne again, this time landing in crouch, hands raised and ready to defend, but nothing came this time. 

He did not follow, instead staying in the same spot, watching her with borderline morbid curiosity, hand on his hip, weight shifted to one leg. Hisoka smiled cheerfully - which was just wrong on his face, HyunJin felt that in her lungs, it was so far from genuine smiles from Chuu and Choerry - and waved his hand in front of him. Flick of the wrist and cards appeared in his hand.

Oh no. 

HyunJin dashed at him again, low to the ground, not looking away from his hands. As he started a motion to fling them at her, she changed her direction, circling him, waiting, but they never left his hand. Hisoka was watching her with a mocking smile, as a fast movement of his wrist sent alarms blaring in her head. 

HyunJin dug her heels in the floor, heavy lean and a small jump allowing her to almost dodge successfully. Almost, as one of the cards cut deeply in her left arm, at which she didn’t even flinch. In the next second, she neared him, focused.

He sidestepped an attempt to trip him, and HyunJin shot out her other leg as a momentum follow-up as she straightened, only to be caught. 

“Come on, sweet fruit, don’t disappoint me,” he sing-sang quietly, smirking, his voice making her skin crawl. 

She yanked her limb free. “I am not trying for you .”

HyunJin aimed her fist at his solar plexus, knowing she would never kill someone, who can kick her thirteen meters away, in that way. As he expectedly blocked it, she now had a point to leverage herself from, HyunJin aimed her knee to his side with full force.

She saw in the corner of an eye his smile snaking fully on his face. Her promise made to herself at the beginning of the exam, to never cross paths with him, zipped through the backyard of her mind. 

Suddenly her legs were out from beneath her and HyunJin was falling. A hand on grappled, nails - claws - digging in her skin, squeezing and driving her down.

Her head hit the floor and for a moment there was only blackness in front of her, mouth opening in shock and pain. She made a desperate gasp for air and noted that the hand left . Alarmed, HyunJin scrambled to stand up, her coordination failing her, room swimming in front of her eyes. 

Hisoka was standing several meters away, a whole deck of cards shuffling between his hands.

She rushed to her feet and dashed to the side just as they left his fingers.

HyunJin did what she could for another minute. 

Then another. 

Then five minutes had already passed.

Then she was fighting him for ten whole minutes and none of her punches ever connected. With Hisoka, she means - one time he redirected her punch to the floor and both of them cracked, leaving her without her dominant hand.

Hisoka wasn’t shy about grabbing it next time he twisted her hand, intent on that enough to simply block her left fist and specifically grab her injured one, sending a burst of pain up her arm.

Whenever she glared at him, eyes flickering to his face, he seemed more and more ecstatic and HyunJin was not liking any of it.

And yet, it was not unfun .

She sent him a cascade of punches, when her right hand was still fine, she tried to trip him numerous times, while he kept sidestepping and acrobating around. HyunJin used her knees and elbows whenever she got close enough and, once, was about to bite his wrist off when it was right in front of her. Unfortunately, her teeth only caught air. 

HyunJin did not know how he got his cards to dig into stone either - she could only dodge, dash and clench her teeth as best as she could, taste of blood and vomit on her tongue from all the hits in her stomach and head.

She determinedly worked with everything she had, yet Hisoka kept dodging, grabbing her only to inflict more damage - her right forearm was fractured for sure now - and never staying in one place long enough. HyunJin even used some of the hits he used on her, learning them on the fly, trying hungrily to come up with something, anything!

She gave hers everything , but nothing came anywhere close to landing a single goddamn hit on him.

She felt angry, annoyed and outclassed in every aspect and yet HyunJin still was in some weird layer of calm and focus. It was the only thing that kept her constantly performing at her best every moment of this fight. 

He kicked her and she spun around, flying high, cushioning her landing with the heel of her left, pushing from the position to jump to her feet, mindful of her afflictions.

“You should stop before I kill you,” cut through her tunnel-vision Hisoka, aiming to be neutral in his tone but failing, voice tainted with lust and excitement.

“You will have to fail the exam this year then,” she answered, not overly afraid, between ragged breaths. In the third minute he broke her ribs and breathing became a task on its own. But if it meant she could get a few more seconds for a break, HyunJin would keep talking.

“You are right,” he mused. Her effort ended up giving her nothing, and Hisoka threw another batch of cards instead.

HyunJin, vision swimming due to numerous hits to her head, raging pain from her hand and ribs and all the bruises and deep cuts he left with his stupidly, weirdly, impossibly sharp cards, topped with admittedly severe exhaustion, had trouble dodging projectiles now. One of them landed in her thigh, the other digging into her left arm, again, criss-crossing her previous cut. Was he aiming for that?..

There was a knee in her stomach before she was able to take his cards out and it hit like a speeding train - she no longer could use the truck to describe Hisoka after he left his footprint on one of the tiles - sending her upwards.

She hit the ceiling, her head crashing into solid stone (again) - and HyunJin was falling down. She had to turn upright to land without breaking anything, but through the absolute chaos and pulsation in her head, her vision swimming and overwhelming ringing, she was only able to get herself somewhat vertical. As soon as HyunJin fell closer to the ground, her legs tensed to handle at least some of the force, but weren’t at the right degree and buckled, her arms instinctively striking the floor to cushion the fall. 

Her right arm exploded in pain.

A scream started tearing through even before she fell completely to the ground. The impact, only barebly softened by her attempt at landing, beat all her air out, choking her scream, leaving her open-mouthed, on the verge of blacking out as her likely damaged ribs hit the ground too.

closed with an audible clack, inhaling with noise. Her body spasmed as she had to cough. More blood on her tongue. She twitched to drag her healthy arm underneath her, determined to push herself up again.

“You are marvelously stubborn,” praised Hisoka from above, voice quivering with emotions. “But unless you wish to waste any chance at passing at all, you should give up now.”

HyunJin kept silent, gathering whatever left she had of her strength, pushing herself up, standing on all fourth. She was willing herself to get to her knees, to push on her own two feet, come on, she can do it - when Hisoka lightly kicked her, flipping her on the back, walked closer and took her broken right hand.

And squeezed it. 

---

“Winner - number 44! Next, 53 and 404, please stand forward!” 

Kurapika felt sick, honest to spirits sick, watching how Leorio and the girls helped HyunJin to get to the spectators zone. The girl couldn’t walk on her own, struggling to even stand up by herself, and needed Chuu to lift her up gently before Leorio could even try to. Redhead brought HyunJin to the audience zone with utmost care, others hovering near, worriedly looking at the cradled hand.

He didn’t know HyunJin well, the closest to getting-to-know dialog was their talk on the boat. 

Kurapika underestimated her. She was stronger than him, just a smudge, but stronger.

However, even with her best performance, she lost.

And had to fight again .

Against Hanzo or Chuu..

He swallowed forcibly, focusing on gently putting his bag to the ground. It was his turn.

Now that he had a clear demonstration of skills, Kurapika got confirmation that he was extremely lucky to be in the right branch. Everyone on the left one seemed monstrous.

He walked forward to the center of the room, facing number 53. Pokkle, if he remembered correctly. An archer, Kurapika’s blessing and a curse - it was enough for the redhead to land a single hit in an arm or leg and Kurapika was done if arrows were poisoned. Blessing - the blond was fast and he fought against archers plenty.

His mom was an expert archer.

At the referee's signal, he moved forward, keeping low, taking out his bokken at the same time as Pokkle raised his bow, jumping back.

As Pokkle drew the bowstring, Kurapika watched carefully at the signs of him letting it go. He should dodge in that exact moment, not a second earlier.

---

‘Shaken’ did not convey her state properly. Nauseous. Terrified. Doubting. Pitiful.

Determined. 

Also disturbed. And worried - for both HyunJin and herself. Was she going to have to claw her victory out the same way? With every cell of her body? Was she even capable of pushing herself to the full extent of her abilities the same way?..

HeeJin was taking great care in appearing calm, not a single worry displayed outwardly. Just a happy daughter interested in art, no thoughts, only satisfaction in her life, no threats, only safety, only safety, no, and she was spiraling into panic again, bad thoughts, worse thoughts, the worst ones.

She needed to pass. More than anything she ever needed.

Kurapika was darting around the room, circling Pokkle, gaining, while the archer tried to maintain the distance and get the nimble boy with one of his arrows. It all boiled down to waiting for the spectators.

HeeJin thought that about Pokkle’s lack of luck - arrows made a poor weapon in game of determination with “no killing” rules.

Just like her sabre.

She risked a glance at Leorio, who stood to her right, over the gap where Kurapika previously was, and with a startle caught him looking at her from a corner of his eye, expression tense. She held the contact and blinked (she hoped) nonchalantly. He frowned, bottom lip twitching downward, before shifting his focus back to the battle at hand.

HeeJin knew that he was a medic or was trying to get into university to become one, which meant he was probably a kind-hearted individual. Probably. 

Maybe she should appeal to that side of him? Could she dig into his humaneness while fighting?

She doubted it. It was difficult to be gentle to a person with a weapon pointed at you, was what she was told.

Each person so far showed themselves a better fighter than she was. HeeJin knew she was rather good with her sable in perfect conditions, 

But compared to the people around her, she felt dwarfed. 

Even Kurapika, who used a pair of sheathed bokken - HeeJin could see the determination he fought with, almost ferocity. She didn’t have that ferocity. Her life will become harder with each passing month, but she will ultimately live if she fails. She would just either struggle to survive or be put back into her gilded cage. She’d live. 

But so would a lot of the people around.

Was the battle experience drawing the ravine between them? (Choerry moving terrifyingly, dangerously fast, forcing a Jounin to look not any better than Gon and to declare forfeit after a battle of less than two minutes, while donning a smile all the way through)

Morality or lack thereof? (Chuu throwing Gon around as a game without a second thought, only miracle or her skill or mercy keeping him from getting broken bones)

Hunger towards something? (HyunJin, keeping attacking Hisoka even knowing she was outclassed, standing up and continuing again and again)

What was she lacking? What was that she had? Was either of those she could use?

Kurapika’s bokken stopped just under Pokkle’s chin.

Pause.

“I forfeit,” gritted out Pokkle through clenched teeth.

“Winner - number 404! Next match: numbers 234 and 403. Please step forward.”

Moving on autopilot, HeeJin set her backpack down and walked up to the starting position, faking composure with her every breath.

Leorio stood in front of her, frowning, with hunched shoulders. His hands were shoved deep in the pockets in his suit trousers. There was none of the coldness in his eyes that she was afraid to see.

“Ready?” asked the referee and HeeJin nodded (she can do this, do her best, do your best, the victory, the freedom was at hand’s reach), not looking away from Leorio, who made a jerking nod. In her sidesight, the referee held his hands up and brought them down in a cross, “Begin!” 

The referee jumped back immediately. Neither she nor Leorio moved.

There was a very, very realistic bunny hopping around, with flops of its ears and phumps of its body each time it landed. There was zero doubt in her mind that if she picked it up, she’d feel the animal’s fur and smell and a convincing weight…

Goodness gracious, take control of yourself, HeeJin!

“You look tense,” slipped from . She caught her subconscious attempt at delaying, forming a friendly smile. HeeJin cocked her head. “Would you mind sharing?”

Leorio scowled and took out one of his hands from his pockets, lifting it to scratch the back of his head. She followed each of his movements, her hand ready to fly to the sabre’s handle. 

“I don’t want to fight you,” he blurted out, looking away, voice heavy with discontent.

“Me neither,” admitted HeeJin, somewhat relieved in the back of her mind at the man’s words. She risked a look to the side too, gazing over all other examinees. Her eyes stopped on Chuu, who gave her thumbs up and a little shoulder dance. If HeeJin was not in the middle of something, she would’ve kissed the girl for the speck of comfort that support brought her.

She looked back at Leorio. 

Previous fights arose in her memory. The ease the girl dealt with Hanzo (no, not that fight), the simplicity of the fight with Gon (felt closer), before forfeiting herself when she decided to. She never fought for the decisive victory. It was just a game for her.

HeeJin’s mind was silent after that, a rare occurrence for her and she grasped on her last thoughts to fill the void, before making a sharp inhale.

‘ Who said you even have to fight to win or forfeit ?’

That was right! There were more ways to win than straight-up violence! They could simply put the win at the stake of something non-combative! Like a sport!

Or a game.

Her memory darted to the simplest of all of them - a coin toss.

However, that was way too random and way too out of their hands to use in this situation. She wouldn’t put her goals at the stake of it, Leorio would likely neither. But HeeJin had another common game appearing in her mind when she thought about coin toss, and it fit just right.

“How about a round of rock-paper-scissors?” she voiced before any doubt could toss the idea aside and silence the first idea she had during this whole ordeal. HeeJin gave a charming smile, raising her fist in invitation.

There were groans from the audience and a glance revealed that those were Kurapika and Killua, the first hiding his face in his palms and the second throwing his head back. For some reason, it brought her more confidence in her plan.

“Rock-paper-scissors?” repeated Leorio, straightening up.

“Yes,” confirmed HeeJin. “Since none of us wants to fight each other, we can settle it with something like that.” She caught herself before explaining the situation with flipping a coin or offering him to offer other ideas - his friend’s reactions indicated there was a history that may be to her benefit. 

Suddenly, Leorio smiled. “I like the idea.”

HeeJin cheered inside and there was a real smile blooming on her face for the first time in days. “One round or three?”

“Your choice,” offered similarly much happier Leorio.

“One then,” announced HeeJin with arised confidence and turned to the referee. “Can you count for us?”

The man nodded and HeeJin raised her right hand all the way behind her, flexing it, making sure her fingers would be loose enough, stretching them out, smiling confidently. She continued moving her fingers for a couple more seconds before resting them in a relaxed fist. HeeJin knew what she was going to throw and how.

Leorio squinted and moved his arm too, though not bringing it all the way behind her.

The referee started counting down and HeeJin winked at the man, smiling wider, bravading her way into the victory.

Leorio looked at her, both his eyelids twitching for a moment.

“...three!” announced the referee and they simultaneously brought their hands down, HeeJin not breaking eye contact with Leorio, doing a planned twitch of all her fingers outwards, on the way down, when it passed her head, before pressing them together in a tight fist. 

Only when they both froze, Leorio’s face going slack, she dared to look down on his choice.

He had two fingers weakly curled, but still in a recognizable choice of scissors.

She felt a wave of relief crash on her and fell on her.

This was it. She did it. 

She won.

HeeJin fell on her knees, feeling like there was too much air and too little, her breath struggling like she was going to cry.

She won. She passed the Hunter Exam.

She never has to go back.

She won.

HeeJin let her eyes close and lips move in quick prayer, facing the sky, while in the background Leorio let out a grumbling admit of a defeat, and the referee announcing her victory.

Something crashed at her.

“Congratulations!” rang loudly in her ear Chuu’s laughter, arms embracing her tightly. “That was great!” 

HeeJin sobbed.

(Her best was finally good enough.)