Chapter Text
DISCLAIMER: I WISH I OWN Hunter X Hunter
"This is spoken language."
'This is someone's thoughts.'
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CHAPTER 1: Kaito x Gon x First Encounter
WHALE ISLAND
Deep within a small island in the middle of nowhere exists a small and peaceful village. The houses conformed to a certain style, yet most established their own identity as directed by the people who lived there.
One such house is located farther from the rest. It was also a pub and shop which means people still go there. What was interesting was it is placed under two trees that got entwined together after long years of company. The house looked cute and peaceful on the outside, but inside…
"Waaaaaa…. I'm so bored Mito-san! Can I please go outside?" A 9-year old girl in the name of Gon Freecs implored her aunt. The little girl was cute with her huge eyes and raven hair that framed her face perfectly. Her aunt's eyes twitched.
"No, Gon, you're a girl. And girls are supposed to know how to do house chores." She stated as-a-matter-of-factly.
"But I already do know how to do them! Desu." She retorted. 'Doesn't mean I have to do them…'
Mito winced, knowing precisely what the girl just mused. She sighed and whispered to herself, "You're really nothing like your mother…" forgetting the fact that her niece had superhuman senses… which meant the little girl heard.
Gon tilted her head in wonder. "Nothing like…you, Mito-san?" She asked innocently, she knew Mito wasn't her birth mother but she never knew either of her parents. So she pretty much believed Mito is her parent. Mito's eyes widened and she quickly tried to hold back her tears.
"You can go o-out and play now, Gon." She muttered making Gon frown.
"But if I leave, you'll cry." She bluntly stated, making Mito really want to cry. Mito went closer and hugged her tightly.
"It's fine Gon, it's nothing you did. So go out and play now. I need some time alone, please." She said to the concerned girl sweetly.
"But…"
"Get out, Gon." She ordered gently pushing the girl to the door.
"But—"She retorted as she stepped outside.
"Get OUT." Mito shouted and slammed the door at her face.
...................................................................................................................................................................................................................
FOREST
Gon absent-mindedly wondered around the forest. At a young age, she knew when her aunt is lying. She was extremely worried about the older girl and was in a trance the whole time. After a while, what pulled her out of her daze was a loud growl that would make most people immediately run for their lives or freeze in terror.
But not Gon. She did live in the forest her whole life, and she was gifted with incredible instincts so that she was able to survive and learn anything on her own. She calmly looked around to see that she walked into fox-bear territory. Soon, her eyes shifted to the source of the sound.
It was a fox-bear, of course. And a huge one, at that.
She gulped. 'Uh oh….'
...
The beast growled again, this time making her shiver. She saw the cub right beside her. The bigger one was the mother, she knew. And she immediately deduced that she was in more trouble than she had expected. She quickly surveyed for an escape route.
There was absolutely no way to tame this one. She was a mother. And it is nearly impossible to tame a mother who is convinced that something- or someone- will harm her child. The fox-bear went closer making her flinch. She frantically looked around again.
There was no escape route good enough to outrun the animal. It was already too close to her.
But nothing good will happen if she just stands there. So she decided to try the closest escape route and pray that lady luck was on her side. She carefully stepped back and gestured to run when—
SLASH
A sword that appeared out-of-nowhere found itself inside the mother fox-bear and an instant later she was lying lifelessly on the growl with a helpless cub crying for her.
Gon froze.
...
The tall long-haired man towered over the small girl who was frozen in front of him. She was staring blankly at the two beasts. He saw tears line up in the kid's eyes. He knew that it was not tears of relief, it was of grief. He frowned irritably.
"What the hell is a little girl like you doing deep in the forest? And in monster territory! Did you not know that you could've died?" He yelled at her vehemently only to be ignored.
"You didn't have to kill her."
"That's true. So I should've let her kill you instead, huh?"
"She has a child." She just spat back.
"…That reminds me." He muttered as he unsheathed his sword and walked towards the cub. "This little one must die as well. He will attack humans after this." He said, held up his sword, and whispered an apology. He gestured for a painless slice when-
"NO!" The girl shouted determinedly as she placed herself in front of the cub in an instant. The man flinched at the girl's quickness, but froze at her strong unwavering gaze that was all too familiar to him. He mechanically returned his sword back to its cover and asked,
"What's your father's name?"
"I can't tell you-desu. Mito-san told me that I should not give other people's or my name to strangers." She stated making him wonder who this 'Mito-san' is. He sighed.
"I suppose so… So, what are you planning to do with the cub?" He asked, curious.
"Raise it- masu." She replied. He scoffed.
"Goodluck with that then, kid."
"You're not allowed to get in the house until you tell me the truth." Mito stated decisively as she pushed her rugged-looking niece, with a number of wounds here and there, out the door… again.
"But Mito-san-!" Gon shouted as she knocked on the door.
"No." She responded from behind the door. Gon let out a heavy breath to ready herself to tell her aunt the truth.
"I found a fox-bear that lost its mother. I tried to raise it…" She muttered under her breath making Mito open the door. She smiled fondly at the little girl and patted her head.
"You should start taking care of yourself, Gon."
"Hai…desu…"
...
*The next morning*
Gon excitedly ran towards the river where she left the long-haired man and the cub, which she decided the name Gonta, remaining balanced as she made sure the bowl of milk in her palm would not spill. She saw that the man had his back on the tree hugging his sheathed sword, with a hat covering his eyes. She shrugged and went to the cub lying near her mother.
She stared sadly at the mother fox-bear for a while and decided to bury her. She dug a huge hole and readied a bed of flowers beside it. Then she placed herself near the mother fox bear and took a deep breath to ready herself to move its large corpse. But the body of the fox bear, nearly 20 times as heavier than her, seemed to be reluctant to move. She pushed and pushed until it finally moved half a meter.
She pushed again, this time it moved by itself.
She blinked, and saw that the long-haired man was helping her. She smiled at him, but the man just ignored her and continued pushing.
"Thanks." She said as he returned to his original position. He made a simple nod.
Gon then turned her gaze back to the cub. She took the bowl she put somewhere and placed it near the cub. She walked back and pretended not to watch. Several minutes later, Gonta slowly walked towards the bowl and slowly licked the milk away. Gon smiled and let herself watch the cub openly. She stared at the cub fondly but was stopped when she felt that she was being stared at, herself.
She looked at its source and asked, "Is there anything wrong long-haired-niichan?"
"Kaito's my name, kid."
"…Is there anything wrong Kaito-nii?"
"Omit the honorific."
"Why?"
"I don't like it."
"Why? Mito-san said I should since you're so old- desu" She stated bluntly making him sneer in both irritation and amusement at the oddly polite insult.
"… I'm only turning 17 in a few weeks."
"Really?"
"Really."
She beamed getting him to wince.
"(Advanced) Happy birthday, then. Kaito-san!"
...
*A few days later*
Gonta playfully played with the little girl as they played in the river. Gon already caught the cub's heart, and Kaito was very impressed.
'Good hunters are liked by animals.' He mused recalling how her father, his master, was also loved by the creatures. She already introduced herself as Gon Freecs. She didn't say what her father's name was but it was obvious that they're related. Gin told him about a child he left behind, and it can only be her.
He did not know why her aunt kept her father from her, but he knew it was none of his business. In fact, he had no reason to stay… the time he found out that his master wasn't here and the moment she gave him a basket of fruits as a birthday gift he should've left.
He looked at the girl who was watching her new-found friend fondly as she made a fish act like catnip.
He closed his eyes again for another nap.
'It's not like I'm in a hurry, anyway.'
....
After fighting with himself several times whether or not to tell her about her guardian's lies, he decided to go with the former.
"Gon." He called the girl semi-loudly. She was out of sight and was probably up a tree somewhere but the girl had superhuman hearing. He heard the gentle rustles of leaves, and it was getting louder.
"Hai?" She asked with her trademark stare.
"Is your father's name Ging Freecs?" He asked her bluntly getting her to involuntarily let go of the branch but she reflexively regained her balance, much to Kaito's relief.
"You know him…?" She responded incredulously.
"He's alive, and I'm looking for him right now." He stated at the girl who looked as if she believed him, but there were no traces of anger in her eyes.
"Why?"
"He's my mentor as a hunter, finding him is the last part of our exam."
"I see…" She muttered, Kaito flinched at the continuous absence of anger in her eyes.
"Your aunt lied to you, you know."
"Yeah. But she has her reasons, I'm sure she's planning on telling me in the future. And I think I knew he wasn't dead yet…" She smiled at him sadly. He patted her head.
"You sure are mature for someone so simple-minded..."
"Hn?" She tilted her head.
"Nothing."
She tilted her head at the older person's odd behavior. The boy just sighed.
"I'll be going now." He stated and abruptly stood up.
"Huh?"
"I can't stay here forever, you know."
"You can't?" She asked with innocent skepticism. He hid a smile.
"No. But we'll meet again if you try to look for your father. If you want to, of course."
"I will. But I don't think Mito san's going to like it – desu." She muttered, but it was obvious she was determined to do what she just said.
"Become a Hunter, just like him."
"I'm planning to. I want to find out what kept him from coming here- desu"
He grinned.
"We'll be waiting, Gon!" He declared and started walking away. She waved at him.
"See you later, Kaito-san."
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END OF CHAPTER 1
Coming soon
CHAPTER 2: Fish x Rod x Departure