Heartfelt Affection

Author's Note: Yay, new Hunter X Hunter fanfic has now been released! *does happy dance*. I would like to explain some things since this account is a shared account. I am the one with another account (surprise!). I am mostly doing it from my OC's point of view since there's going to be three main OCs' and it's going to get confusing if I keep on changing it, and I'm keeping the names simple since it would be hard to keep on trying to figure out who is who, so my First Friend's (the friend who shares the account with me) OC and my Second Friends (the one who has no idea what Hunter X Hunter is, but adding anyway) OC is going to be in English, and my OC is going to have a Japanese name. The character descriptions below will explain.

My OC:

Name: Tsukiko Kinoshita

Age: 12

Appearance: blue-gray hair with bangs tied into plaits and the rest up in a high ponytail tied with another two plaits, pale skin.

First Friend's (the one who shares account) OC:

Name: Echo Towaru

Age: 12

Appearance: silver hair tied into two side ponytails, bright aquamarine eyes, lightly tan skin.

Second Friend's (the one who has no idea what Hunter X Hunter is, but adding anyway) OC:

Current Name: Leslie Gale

Real Name: Bridget Kuruta

Age: 12

Appearance: light blonde hair pulled into a high side ponytail, sapphire blue eyes, pale skin.

Now that's it for the introduction!

Disclaimer: Hunter X Hunter belongs to Yoshihiro Togashi.

Prologue: Assassin x Rich Girl x Kuruta

Normal P.O.V:

-bang-

A gunshot echoed through the night, causing chaos, turmoil and panic in all the hearts of the people in the room. People stood up and ran about. Some ran into each other, some were huddled in a corner and some screamed their heads off in bloody murder running about. None were aware of the young 12-year old girl at the glass dome at the very top of the building. If they calmed down and looked closely or actually had 20/20 vision, they would be able see her. But it was natural human instinct to act like how the people did there… most anyway.

Tsukiko P.O.V:

I sighed. I was bored after I shot my target from the glass dome of the newly built structure. I glanced down and saw the panicking people down there and became interested. I put down my rifle and lie down.

What an interesting reaction. I thought with an amused expression on my face.

I soon got bored and started star-gazing. I knew that the alarms would've gone off by now and that security would be searching for the assassin, but who would suspect an innocent twelve year old?

Except that innocent twelve year old isn't innocent, but guilty.

I spotted the constellation Leo and instantly felt relaxed. After all, I am a Leo.

Not the prey, but the hunter.

I spotted numerous other constellations, but I couldn't peel my eyes off that particular one. After a while, I was finally able to stop looking at it after one particular thought.

I should get going now. Tsubasa would be expecting me back home.

I stood up and jumped off the dome in one swift action. I landed on both of my feet silently, after all, assassins were meant to be silent and deadly. I walked quietly out of the surrounding grounds, away from the noise and panic.

I arrived at the mansion in a mere 15 minutes even though it was about 50 kilometres away. I skidded to a halt at the iron gates which was that only entrance visible around the premises. There were many underground tunnels which led into the house, but they were reserved for emergency purposes only. I was a bit surprised to find that the gates were slightly open because they were always locked and I always had to use the skeleton key that Tsubasa gave me. I had a bad feeling, and those feelings were usually true. I couldn't shrug my suspicion off. I pushed the gate open and slipped through. I winced at the tiny squeak it made because it sounded very loud due to the silence. I made my way to the front door and I found out that my suspicion was correct. The door was slightly ajar once again. I made sure that the door didn't make any noise when I opened it and was relieved that it didn't. I crept silently inside, melting into the shadows so nobody could see me. As I reached the door to the room where Tsubasa spent most of his time in, I was horrified at the bizarre scene that greeted me. The maids and other servants were lying on the floor, eyes rolled inwards, showing the whites of their eyes and what I presumed dead. My heart thudded rapidly, but I refused to let myself panic. The employees were specially trained so that they would kill any intruders, if somebody could kill them all, they must be very strong. I heard muffled voices from the room ahead of me with light spilling through the gaps. I crept closer and placed my head against the door, trying to eaves drop the conversation that was currently being held inside. I was able to get a clearer sound of the voices, but their conversation horrified me.

"So what are we going to do with this guy?" asked a male voice.

"Just leave him. We were able to retrieve the items which he had, so we can return back to danchou now." Someone replied.

"Kay'." The first person agreed.

There was the sound of a window opening and I heard the faint sound of the two people landing. I waited a few moments until I was sure they were gone before I burst open the door to the room. My face went slack with shock. There, in the centre of the room, was Tsubasa, lying on the floor bathed in his own fresh blood. There were countless slashes on him and you could tell that he had struggled and put up a fight. The job looked rushed and messy like the person was hurrying so they could quickly finish it and escape. I rushed over to his side and immediately searched for a pulse, expecting none at all. It surprised me when I did find a pulse beating in his neck. It didn't satisfy me because I knew he was going to die of blood loss soon, a few minutes at most. I placed his head on my lap, ignoring the blood which was now staining my clothing and splattered on my skin. He shifted in my hold and painfully lifted his heavy eyelids, grimacing at all the effort it took him to do just that one little movement. I knew he felt useless and helpless.

"T-tsu-ki." He stuttered, coughing up blood immediately afterwards.

"Shh. Don't try to speak, it'll only hurt more." I told him, unable to keep the wobble out of my voice. He gave me a weak smile and a tear slid down my cheek. He reached his hand towards my face and wiped it away.

"I-I need t-t-to tell you s-s-some-th-thing." He rasped. Before I could reply, he continued.

"I-I w-was th-the one who k-killed y-y-your c-care-t-taker." He told me.

"I already knew that." I whispered, a tear fell of my cheek and landed on his.

"I-is th-that s-s-so?" he said. I nodded.

"I a-also w-want t-to t-tell y-y-you of y-your heritage, th-that y-your f-f-father is a-a v-very f-f-famous h-h-hunter. I-I c-can't t-t-tell y-you e-every-th-thing n-now, s-so t-take th-this card t-to find m-more i-in-information." He informed me. He shifted uncomfortably into a new position to give me the card. I accepted it and slipped it into the pocket of my jacket and he resumed his original position.

"W- well, I w-want t-to t-tell y-you my k-killer, but y-you h-have t-t-to p-promise n-not t-to a-avenge m-me."

"Okay." I promise. I knew that I shouldn't make promises I couldn't keep, but I had to know the one who murdered him. He was the only one I had left in this cold miserable world that only held pain, loneliness and sorrow, and now I was about to lose him as well.

"I-I m-mean i-it Tsuki." I felt a pang of guilt as I knew that I was going to betray his last wish. I gave a slight nod.

"The Genei Ryodan." He whispered without stuttering this time, blood dripped from his mouth instead though. I gasped.

"But why would they want to kill you?" I demanded. He opened his mouth, only to release another spurt of blood. I knew that his time was coming to an end.

"R-remember t-t-that I w-will al-always b-be w-w-watching o-over y-y-you." He told me. He smiled and his eyes fluttered shut. The hand which he had held out to me grew heavier as I was still grasping onto it, refusing to let go of it. It soon dropped from my hold and returned to his side. I cradled him in my arms and wept.

"No. No. NO! You cannot leave me Tsubasa. I refuse. Even if you killed the person who looked after me as a mother, you're still the only person I have left!" I cried. I heard the faint rustle of clothing and looked up. A man stared back at me and froze. I narrowed my gaze into a glare. We stared into one another eyes for what seem like eternity, but in truth was only a split-second. He jumped off the window once again, leaving me to stare after him in resent. He was definitely one of the murderers. I rubbed my tears, but only resulted in smudging blood on my face. I stood up, leaving Tsubasa to lie on the floor in a peaceful manner and walked out, leaving his next client to find him dead. My footsteps left blood on the floor and people would probably follow it, but they wouldn't find me.

I'm sorry Tsubasa. I can't keep your promise. I'm going to become a hunter, seek out my father and hunt down the Genei Ryodan.

Echo's P.O.V:

I woke up to the sound of birds chirping and sunlight filling my room. My personal maid, Sakura, had set my breakfast to the left side of my bed and drew the curtains open. She glanced back, her strawberry blonde hair now turning into a pinkish-golden hue in the light surrounding her. It contrasted her hazel-blue eyes very well. I stretched and yawned.

"Good morning, Young Mistress." Sakura said politely.

"Morning, Sakura." I replied dreamily.

She gave a curt nod as she waited patiently for me to finish eating my breakfast of tea and scones. After I finished, I got out of bed and stood. Sakura went over to my wardrobe and got out a blue dress with white silk ruffles. She got a matching pair of stockings and blue shoes with heels and ribbons. She helped me into my clothes and I walked over to a drawer and got out a blue and white headdress that matched the dress and had blue silk ribbons which draped over the sides of my head. I sat down and Sakura tied my long silver into two ponytails. I put on the headdress and stood up.

"What's my schedule for today?" I asked Sakura graciously, all traces of early morning reactions gone.

"You're free to do whatever you want. You've got no work today, Young Mistress." She informed me. I cocked my head to one side and glanced outside.

"Is that so? Well, the weather is fine today, so why don't we go on a picnic?" I suggested.

"If that's what you want," Sakura said, "we shall do."

I had given up on making Sakura more informal with me because that had ended unsuccessfully. I was unable to continue my childish ways even though I was only twelve years old because I needed to become a proper lady. My governess had always scolded me for acting so cheeky and unladylike when I was younger.

"Prepare the necessary procedures." I told her. Sakura curtsied and disappeared.

How do they do that?

I sat down on the picnic rug that Sakura had prepared and laid down. I stared at the clouds and closed my eyes, letting the sounds of nature overwhelm me. It had been a long time since the last time I had felt so peaceful.

The last time being when my parents were still alive.

I heard footsteps approaching me and uncovered my hands slightly so I got a better view of my new accomplice. It was Sakura. She sat down beside my and looked more relaxed than I've ever seen her before. I sat up and took a piece of cake. I put a spoonful of it into my mouth and began to chew. It was a strawberry shortscake, one of my favourites. The silence between us stretched until the end of the picnic. After all the food had been consumed, I stood up and dusted my clothing for anything that had unintentionally clung to me.

"Shall we go now?" Sakura asked, suddenly standing beside me. I nodded.

I didn't know that when I got back, I was in for a surprise.

The first sign of something bad happening was the smell of burning. It grew stronger with every step. I threw a worried glance at Sakura who was anxious to get back. She sure was emotionless for a eighteen year old and it was very rare for her to display any emotions at all. I was first to see what happened. As I turned the last corner which led to the garden where I would usually return from going out on adventures encouraged by curiosity, I was shocked to see the mansion set ablaze; the very same mansion which I had spent almost my whole entire life in. I stood there gaping and was too late to get out of the way of the deadly needle. I only noticed it when it was only five inches away. My face went slack with shock and my hands instantly covered my face in a protective motion. I felt an impact which pushed me onto the ground. I looked up and saw Sakura shielding me with her body, her shoulder length hair tumbled freely from its usual neat bun and a light cut had penetrated her flawless skin and blood oozed out despite the fact that a cut like that couldn't draw blood. She got off me and pulled me up before I could react. She pushed me to the side and eyed me urgently.

"Young Mistress, you have to escape now. Don't look back or come back. If you do, you'll die." She warned me. I scrambled back up after I had fallen to my knees from her rough shove. I could still feel the pain of the rocks digging into my skin and creating scars which would stay on me for a while, but ignored it.

"Hurry!" Sakura roared. I nodded, fearful of the current situation and how Sakura was now reacting. I raced back the same course Sakura and I had travelled through in my ripped and blood stained dress. Thank goodness I had brought my bag which held my purse and other essential needs. I also had my bank card which would allow me access to my bank account and family money, so I would be able to purchase another dress. I heard a conversation which had begun which I was surprise to hear.

"How naughty of you to tell my target who I was supposed to assassinate to run away." Said a monotonous voice behind me whom I assumed was my assassin.

"Shut up! Tell me who your employer is!" Sakura demanded.

"Well since you're going to die anyway, I might as well tell you. It's the Genei Ryodan." said the man. I gasped.

The infamous group also known as the Spider Troupe?

After hearing this, I knew that the assassin sent was Illumi Zoldyeck; the eldest son in the Zoldyeck family. This just encouraged me to run as fast as my legs would take me.

Why would the Genei Ryodan want me dead though?

I remembered the day when my parents died. I shook my head to shake the idea off. It was impossible. Then the silliest realisation I could think about at the moment happened.

I can now go back to being cheeky.

Leslie P.O.V:

The auction that was held once every leap year in Helsway had just begun. It was one of the biggest auctions in the world and all of the community was required to attend or participate in the auction, regardless of their status. The rich mingled with the poor and average, but they had an entire floor to themselves, so the rest of the people were crowded. I didn't want to come, but I was required to. The last time I had come, I had lost sight of my adoptive parents and ended up around the place crying out 'Mum!' and 'Dad!' I received many sympathetic gazes from people who had passed by, but none had stopped to help. This time I clung to the sleeve of my adoptive mother's jacket. Many people stared at me. I understood why though. It was not an everyday sight that you saw a girl who looked like a delicate porcelain doll. I seriously looked nothing like my adoptive parents. I remembered how there were many rich people back at the orphanage who had wanted to adopt me badly, but I stubbornly refused each one. I only agreed to being adopted by my current parents. I was named 'Leslie' by my new parents and was teased non-stop for it for about a year before the other children grew tired of me ignoring them and coming up with great comebacks. I didn't blame my parents though. They just had a bad knack for coming up with weird names. For instance, who would name a cat Goldfish despite the fact that its fur was orange? Too bad Goldfish died two years ago. As my adoptive parents and I took our seats which we were lucky to find in the front row, the lights dimmed and silence fell.

"Hello ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the Helsway auction held every four years! We hope you enjoy the items for auction this year!" the voice of a man boomed through loudspeakers around the room. I covered my ears from receiving any further damage.

"The first item we have today is the game 'Greed Island'! A game created and design for and by hunters! There are very few copies of this game and it is rumoured that if you die in the game, you die in real life too! So I advise only brave souls to buy this." he continued. Numerous bids were put for it and someone finally rose to an amount of money which no one could put up against, but I wasn't interested. I was just thinking about the last bit the auctioneer had spoken

"It is rumoured that if you die in the game, you die in real life too!" Who the hell would want to by a game like that?! However, it fascinates me. Why would you die in real life too?

I was snapped out of my train of thoughts by the auctioneer's voice which was starting to irritate me. My eyebrows twitched.

"The next item up for sale is the scarlet eyes! An item for collectors. The scarlet eyes originally belonged to the Kuruta clan that was massacred five years back by the Genei Ryodan. The starting price is 3 billion zennies!" he informed.

Kuruta clan?

As I thought that, my vision became red and I gripped my mother's sleeve tighter from panic.

What's going on?!

Just as I thought that, my vision went blurry and my thoughts went fuzzy as I plunged into a deep black abyss.

Dream:

"Bridget, hurry up! We have to go now!" a male voice urged me.

Bridget? Who's that?

"Why?" I found myself replying. I looked up, still clutching my brown teddy bear in my hands. My silk white gown was now in tatters. I looked with fright in my eyes at the boy who was older than me by five years that had blonde hair and blue eyes which were now a beautiful scarlet colour. I wanted to open my mouth to reply, but was unable to. I then realised that this was a memory from my past which I had lost five years ago.

"We just have to." He told me with exasperation

"But nii-chan!" I complained. I wanted an explanation for why we were leaving.

"I'll tell you later." He said as though reading my mind. As we ran through the house where I had spent most of my life in, we passed by a broken mirror shard, I was shocked to see that I too had scarlet red eyes.

"Nii-chan, where's my older brother?" I asked. When my past self had asked this, I knew that this boy, who I had suspected was my older brother before, was in fact my real older brother's best friend. He bit his lips.

"Narumi will join up with us later." He told me.

But my older brother 'Narumi' never turned up.

"…lie, Leslie, LESLIE!" a voice called, rocking me at the same time.

"Hmm?" I went sleepily. My adoptive mother sighed.

"The auction has ended." She informed me. I bolted upright to find that she was correct. The people who had attended were now emptying the room.

"Let's go then." I said happily, jumping off my seat and skipping to the exit. My adoptive parents chuckled lightly, but I knew that they were puzzled at their adoptive daughter's behaviour and enthusiasm because she was the silent type. They decided to shrug it off in the end though.

Later At Night That Same Day:

I silently packed my duffel bag, ready to go somewhere else. I was careful not to make any noise so that I wouldn't wake up my adoptive parents. I was so concentrated on it that I didn't notice the sound of my bedroom door opening and only realised when the lights flickered on. I flinched.

Oh Shit. Looks like I've been found out.

I looked sheepishly up at the two adults looming over me.

"Why are you packing up in the middle of the night?" demanded my father. I directed my gaze to my mother who was next to him with a pleading expression. Too bad she was siding with my father on this.

"I agree with your father, young lady. Now tell us why you were packing. It's like you're leaving or something." She said sternly. I looked down at the fingers I was fiddling with.

"I'm going to participate in the hunter exam this year." I told them after deciding to give them my real reason. They gasped.

"No you are not. It's too dangerous." disagreed my now worried mother. I looked up angrily.

"Yes I am, and I'm not going to let you two stop me! I just found out my real identity and what my destiny is that fate had in stall for me." I shouted angrily. I stood up, knocking the chair which I was sitting on, and stormed out with my packed belonging, leaving my two horrified adoptive parents gaping after their adoptive daughter.

I'm sorry mum, dad, I have to do this. And Genei Ryodan, watch out…

A/N: So how was the prologue? I did one from each of their P.O.V so you know why they want to become hunters. I guess this is like an introduction? Oh well. Look forward to future chapters~