Author's Note

Hello, everyone!

This is my first story ever focused with a serious goal. I do intend to finish this until the very end! (Let's count the years…1…2…3…) All I ask is for your support. Please don't hesitate to send me a message or a review. Do remind me if the characters are not consistent, or are not behaving accordingly to how they are supposed to. Sometimes we can get carried away, ne?

After having spent two years of adventures with his father Ging Freecss, Gon is determined to return home to Whale Island. But an unexpected accident leaves both of them to be separated (again). However, Gon stumbles upon a far-off village in an island in the middle of who-knows-where, with well-adjusted inhabitants and a civilized culture.

But even with the warm welcome he's receiving, Gon meets the wild thorn of the tender bush – a strange girl with a lukewarm personality, whose name is whispered with fear. Is she just overacting due to teenage dilemmas? Or could there be a deeper motive?

The story takes place two years after the latest story arc of Hunter x Hunter, in mid-October. (I would not know much about the latest story arc; I need to brush up on my reading.) Everyone's maturing: Gon and Killua are about the age of 14 or 15. Kurapica is about the age of 19-20. (remembers Leorio; shudders) (Don't mind the pedophile! x_x) Alluka's about 13. I picture Alluka here as a girl; and she's still as innocent as ever. (kawaii~~)

I would not know whom to pair with the unknown character, so this matter will depend on you, minna-san. (For some random reason, I side with the gentlemanly characters and hope that he ends up with the shoujo protagonist. Think Kuran Kaname of Vampire Knight. I would not want a perceivable pairing even before the story starts. That is why I'm depending on your judgment.) It's either Gon, Killua, or Kurapica; I would love to consider your opinions and comments on the plot into the story. Though, I might be asking for too much; I'm very sorry!

The meaning of xenogenesis is the supposed production of a child whom is neither similar to its parents. With all the nen revolving in the Hunter x Hunter world, it is possible. Has anyone got ideas? ^_^

I am warning you in advance: hiatuses will certainly occur. I can't promise that I will update regularly but I will promise that I will not stop until I give this story a proper ending. Now, if I could just catch those plot bunnies…

Please bear with me; this is my first story and I'm just a novice! I hope more experienced writers can give me some advice. But I appreciate receiving mail, because it gives me the inspiration to keep going. Be it a greeting, a comment, a favor, a question, a review; it's more than enough to make me smile and work harder. So keep them coming! Tell me if you get bored with it or I irritate you, too.

Oh, and I will be putting up some opening and ending songs from Vocaloid and other anime; be sure to check them out! The site is Gendou (.net, not .com; and before you can download anything, make an account first. But I guarantee that there are no limits! :D), but you cannot find some songs or any Vocaloid song there, so be sure to check YouTube and use YouTube converter. I do not own Miku, or any Vocaloid, or any song. I borrowed them for this. Gomenasai to all those who deserve the credits for the songs I'm about to use! ^_^

I do not own Hunter X Hunter or all its amazing characters. They all belong to Togashi Yoshihiro-sama. I only own the plot, and the unknown character that is yet to be revealed; plus, the other supporting characters whose names may seem new to you.

Arigatou gozaimasu to OhCher-san for all the encouragement and help you have given me. (Check out her story Eleven Transient Butterflies; I'm sure you'll find it amazing just like I did.) And arigatou for reading this far. It's too boring and too lo-o-oong, so thank you for still reading this.

I hope you can be with me until the end. (Which still has a LONG way to go…)

Enjoy, minna-sama! ^_^


Opening:

E-scape – IA (Vocaloid 3)


Prologue

Brruummmble – CRACK!

Thunder. It was ringing in my ears, deafening me.

Fizzzzle – CRACK!

Lightning. Lightning flashed across the dim sky outside, brightening my room for a few seconds.

As it repeatedly burst alive and quietly disappeared, a sight presented itself before me – the bed sheet was torn mercilessly to shreds. The wooden bedside table was overturned, spilling its contents: scissors, knives, the blade of a cutter – every single object which I managed to sneak into my room, perfectly concealed from the watchful eyes of those who 'guide' me – every single one, tainted with specks of blood and fluff.

The floor was cluttered with reflective glass shards; shattered pieces of a once-majestic antique looking mirror. I never dared to glance at my reflection, because I possessed the equal combination of my parents' characteristics. My parents, who just dumped me in this dreary place, without so much as a farewell note. Nothing else but me in my basket, wearing a set of soiled, yellow baby clothes. Nellor always recounted that day for me – how he saw me laid by the doorway as that tiny, foolish baby which I once was. Hopeless. Fragile.

Abandoned.

What else was on the floor? The remains of a shredded curtain and…blood. Lots of it. It was splattered everywhere.

Fizzzzle – CRACK!

Lightning burst again, and shaft of light escaped into my room, revealing several severed heads of chicken, fish, and stuffed toys. Feathers, small, glinting scales and sparse fibers were strewn across the chamber.

I looked down, unnerving, on this unfortunate teddy bear by my feet. Its fluffy stuffing was forcefully thrust out of its slashed stomach; its arms were gnawed and feeble; a leg was missing, but the other leg was not saved from the misery – it was torn into two and the stuffing was unravelled. The head was separated from the rest of its body; one of its eyes was missing, and bloody slashes left over from the earlier butchered capon were evident on its poor face. Furthermore, that stuffed toy isn't mine; it belongs to one of the narcissist bastards in this place, one who thinks he is better than anyone else. I smirked lightly. He deserves this punishment. His crappy toy deserves this. He…they…ostracize me all the time. And this unfair life…what did I do to be given a life that runs around in hellish circles?

I huddled my knees closer to my chest. I sat in the middle of this chaos I created…on the bed, the throne where I could observe the whole scene this latest wreck. All alone, as always.

Warm fluid snaked its way down my left leg. I raised my wrist and found red liquid substance flowing out through my self-inflicted wound. Curious, I pressed my free hand's index finger to it, transferring some onto my pointer. Mmm…I wonder what it tastes like. Instinctively, I brought my finger to my tongue and sucked on it. Salty. I wish I have a secret stash of dark mallows here… Mental note: go out to town and crash the candy store, then buy boxes of mallows. The taste of blood made me crave.

A sharp pain plunged itself through my brain. I sweatdropped, then lay on the bed. No no no no no…not…not this time again. Crap!

Thump – thump – thump.

Thump – thump – thump.

Thump – thump – thump.

In seconds, my vision was blurry. I began to see a swirl of pixelated colors darting around the room. I shut my eyes tight, but they were still there, dancing aimlessly on the black nothingness. My head throbbed violently, the twinge stabbing through over and over again. I twisted into a fetus position, emotions on fire. My hands desperately positioned itself over my head, uselessly hoping to pacify the knots which were building up inside my skull. I screamed, but no sound came out. I dragged myself off the bed, not conscious of what I was doing, landing with a thud. I pulled myself up, tugging firmly on my hair that I could've ripped a lot of strands off. Dammit! Why the hell is happening?

I made my way through the mess, tripping every so often, and staggered out into the hallway. It was the middle of the night; a few hours past curfew, so there was hardly anyone wandering around. I blinked a couple of times; everything was still a weird, smudgy blob.

Walking down the corridor, my brain began to process a scene which I wasn't familiar with: a large group was gathered in the dark, with barely enough light for me to see their faces. One was tinkering in front of the only light source, and the rest were lingering around. I recognized the shape of the door, and it opened slowly, revealing the small figure of a shoulder-length haired girl in a kimono. I strained to make out the details of her face, but when I came to her purple-colored orbs, the pounding got into frenzy. I lost my footing, slipped and sprawled on the stairs, clutching my head like I had gone mad. I attempted to crawl all the way up, my palms all sweaty and my muscles starting to ache from being stuck in a compressed position for a long time. Thankfully, I was able to stand once I got to the third flight of steps. Leaning against the wall to maintain my balance, I continued towards my destination, of which I had no idea where.

The girl in my vision yanked a male inside the room, which was obviously her age and perilously beaten up.

Thump – thump – thump.

Thump – thump – thump.

Thump – thump – thump…

What the – what's this? I instantly felt his pain. Why?

I suffered the twinge of broken ribs and heavily paralyzed arms, with searing cuts on almost every visible spot. It made my trip an even gruelling one; every step was pure torture. My breathing was now basically gulps of air, like a fish out of water.

The person facing the computer swivelled his chair and acknowledged the new arrival.

"What is it? Is he the key?"

"No, but he has connections to the key."

"I'll say. Good work, Kalluto."

"It was literally my pleasure."

"Was it? Then I should've come along with you. I've had no fun these days. And you haven't even let him live a bit for my beating."

"This was my mission, Nobunaga. He showed quite a resistance against me. I had to do what it takes to bring him here, especially since he's the first promising clue we have to be able to track down our target."

"Let's get on with the questioning. Nobunaga, feel free to strike him if he refuses to respond, but don't kill him. He's by far the only closest link to the key."

"Alright!"

"That's not fair. I want to do the torturing, too."

"Sh-Shizuka?"

"Not now, Shizuka. Or even you, Machi. It's only Nobunaga whom I appointed, haven't I?"

"Fine by me. But I'll be the one to have the pleasure next time."

"I agree."

"Alright. It's agreed. And now…who are you? What are your relations to the key?"

"I don't…I d-don't know who you're talking about…but…if I am familiar with this person…I would keep this…this k-key's identity…along with me to my grave."

"You sure are stubborn, aren't you?"

"Nobunaga. You know what to do."

I finally came upon a secluded room, with only one window way up. I hardly recognized this place, but the back of my mind decided it was well enough for me to stop wandering around. I randomly kicked a box away from the spot on the floor where a single sheet of cloth large enough for my size was laid. I lay down on the wooden floor with only that thin sheet in between. I curled up into a ball, the pounding seemingly sluggish now. My breathing pattern calmed down.

The one called Nobunaga came into the light. His stature seemed well like a samurai to me, but I still couldn't make out much of the details in my mental picture. Looking cruelly upon the victim with blood-thirsty behavior, he grimaced and grabbed the male sprawled on the floor by his collar to Nobunaga's eye level. In one split second, I was seeing the whole vision through the male's eyes. Up close, I wish I hadn't seen Nobunaga's face. His eyes…were like a hungry madman's at that moment.

"Heh. It's time for some entertainment."

I felt a hard punch into my gut. I recoiled into a fetus position, coughing. My insides didn't quite feel right, as though it were flattened into an irregular shape, like dough. I eyed the floor beside me. A glint of a splattered puddle…stains of red…blood. My blood.

Another blow from Nobunaga followed. I guess that male didn't budge. Curse him; he's making my state even worse. What…what did they call it? Sensorial empathy? Or an empathy link…whatever link they could come up with…I'm feeling his every sensation. But why? Who…who is he to have…bonds with me?

Another kick. Then a jab in the cheek…this Nobunaga…I'll get my hands on this jerk one day…

The final blow made me scream. I recalled Nobunaga's image…in my vision…and his blood-tainted blade stabbed through the side.

"Nobunaga! That's enough! Remember that you are not supposed to kill him!"

"You can see perfectly well that we can get nothing out of him, Shalnark. He's useless, and he knows none of the matter."

"Your orders are to torture him to speak up, not to bring him closer to death! And if you so remember, you would not want us to start all over from scratch, now that we have seen proof of the slightest chance that we could actually release Tencho from Kurapika's curse!"

"I do know. I see very well how grave our situation is, but why waste time on this person if he is willing to face the risk of his own death? I can search for a new lead myself. Don't keep your hopes up on him. He will never speak of anything that he might know."

"Perfectly well, since he may not know anything at all."

"What's this, Feitan? You're giving up so easily?"

"What is there to give up on? Be true to yourself."

"…"

"Kalluto. You say that he has a strong connection to the target. How can you be so sure?"

"His nen. His nen is not ordinary. He might probably be a specialist. A powerful one. He has the makings of an excellent exorcist, but his ability is very well closed away. Someone must have intercepted with his nen development while he is growing up."

"Is it? Perhaps that explains why. His nen is concealed."

"That…that stuff again. I'm not…not…an exorcist…like you say. And I…have not…felt any surge…of such aura…I'm just…like any other person."

"I thinkI can finally see your point. We can find a way to revitalize his exorcism. We have to, and quick. We still need Tencho. The Spiders cannot stay incomplete without the true head."

"Are you saying that…"

"We will make him a member of the Spider. He has potential to become just like us, more or less like that stubborn kid we met."

"Ah! Those two! It's a shame they didn't join. They really do have credentials. It's been two years past…they'd be around fourteen now."

"Two years since we've initiated our search! And you still care about that?"

"Remind yourself that it is a shame to let them slip by our fingers! They could've been essential to the Spiders' missions."

"Shalnark's got a point. Nobunaga, don't dissipate the time we have sacrificed. This person will give us motivation to reinstate the Spiders. Who knows the other leads he can give us by the time that passes…bringing us closer to the success of this mission. But whether you agree with us or not, that kid is still by far the promising prospect we have."

"Why is that? Teaming up against me, huh? I'll find the true link myself. Even so that the Spiders' legs must not be to each on its' own step while crawling together."

"Enough of this, Nobunaga! You shouldn't misstep from the decisions. The Troupe cannot be disunited once more! You know the consequences if you do. Think about it. All the people once here and now gone…was it not a result if our disunity?"

"…"

"Then it's settled? He'll be a part of the Spider?"

"The idea's not half-bad…"

They continued conversing about the fate of their captive, obviously coming up with a conclusion.

Brruummmble – CRAACK!

The sky. The stormy sky is blaring its' protest. It sent chills down my spine, reawakening all the sensations of torment inflicted into my physical form. I can't move a single finger. I'm paralyzed into this state, with a pool of blood around me. My clothes…my skin…everything…soaked into my own blood. Terror consumed me, hurling my thoughts into chaos. I didn't bother to re-enter my vision…what…what is this? WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING NOW?!

M-my wrist…my wrist…it BURNS!

A fire? My wrist…ablaze…STOP IT! STOP BURNING ME!

AAAAAAAAHH!

Stop…S-Stop…

Tump-tump-tump…

Footsteps. The creaking of the floorboard and the sound of footsteps reverberated on the other side of the walls of the chamber. Hushed voices. It seems…they've come for me.

"W-What are you doing?"

"…"

Who…who's there?

One side of the wall was replaced by a glow of aura, and two figures cautionously stepped inside.

"She's here! That…what is that…?"

"B-Blood…how…"

One of them rushed towards me and cradled me in her arms, blood and all. The other one hovered next to her.

"Hotaru! Hotaru, can you hear me?"

Sov…lene…?

"She's not going to die! Hurry! Let's bring her to the infirmary…"

"Hotaru! Speak to me, child!"

"Hotaru!"

A panicking cry. I wanted to tell them to go away, but the words stuck to my throat. It's unexpected of them to do such a thing as…saving my life. Nellor…he can't see me like this. I can't…be weak in their eyes, but…struggling was useless. I want everything to disappear. I can't bear to see their sickening, concerned faces. This was all a lie. This was all pity.

My name echoed from afar. Again, and again…a voice so crystal clear…was calling out to me.

Hotaru…

Hotaru…

Hotaru…

The world spun around, and everything went black.


Ending:

Orion de Shout Out – Kishou Taniyama

(Anime: Uta no Prince-sama Maji Love 1000%)


That's it for the prologue. I thought I'd never finish this! ^_^

Feitan seems to be out of character here…he speaks like Chrollo. Argh.

And…um…can someone clarify the meaning of prologue? (What kind of a writer is that?)

Until next time! Wish me luck…Gambatte to all of us! ^_^