Chapter 1 - The Lost Child
"Do you have a name, kid?"
I can't answer. It's not like I don't want to answer, I just can't.
The man who was asking me of my name was a tall and big man. And he was quite scary too.
"You don't remember?" I nodded at his remark.
"I see. Then follow me."
I followed him in this dark forest. If I'm not mistaken this is a mountain, a creepy one at that.
A scene flashed into my mind while walking.
That night, everything was blurred. I can't really comprehend what I saw.
A dark figure was standing on the doorstep.
Next thing I knew, he was killing everybody else in the room.
They were all shouting for help but I'm too scared to even run.
Then, just when i thought he will kill me he suddenly fell on the ground.
His blood scattered all over the room, in the floor, in the ceiling, and in my cheeks.
I saw this man. He was standing right behind the fallen body.
That man was Silva Zoldyck.
"We are here." I looked in front of us. It was a house.
Another man appeared, Silva called him Gotoh.
"Take care of this girl." The man bowed to Silva.
He led me inside. I turned to look at Silva but he was gone in a moment.
"Are you going to kill me?" I was too sure they will kill me.
I witnessed something I must not. Silva killed someone to save me... or maybe for an entirely different reason I'm not sure I want to know.
Gotoh stopped in his tracks when he heard me.
"Master told me to take care of you. I will not kill you not until he order me to." He stated that as if killing was an everyday thing for them.
What are these people?
"Do I need to be like your slave or what while I'm here?" I really can't trust these people that they will take care of me normally.
He laughed a bit. But still he didn't respond.
A few days has passed ever since. Nothing actually happened to me. They didn't break my neck or toe.
After a week Gotoh finally allowed me to go outside the house.
But he warned me about the different creatures in this mountain.
I'm a coward that's why I never tried to run away.
"Annika, what are you doing?" Annika, that was the name given to me by Gotoh.
"It's peaceful out here, Gotoh. Don't worry, I will not run away." I looked at Gotoh from where I'm sitting.
I climbed a tree and he was looking at me from below.
"Just don't wander too much." He was gone after he said that.
Hours passed when I finally decided to go back.
I was carefully walking in the forest when it suddenly got dark.
Shoot, it's night time already?
I don't like the dark.
I got frozen from where I stood.
"Gotoh!" I was screaming for help in my mind.
The bushes suddenly made a loud noise which startled me.
Something is in there!
I sat down while trembling. I covered my ears then shut my own eyes.
I know that something is sniffing my head.
I slowly looked up while still covering my ears.
A d-dog?! No! A monster! No dog can be this huge!
Will this creature eat me?
Will this be the last memory of my six years of life?
I'm afraid! Gotoh!
"Mike, that's enough." Who?
The monster stopped.
"You're scaring her." The voice laughed softly.
Who?
Whose the owner of that cheeky voice?
"Up here." I lifted my gaze and I saw a young boy sitting atop a tree.
He was about my age.
He jumped then landed in front of me. I was bewildered on how graceful he did that.
He has spiky silver hair, very light skin and blue eyes.
He's fairly lean for his age too.
The dog ran away somewhere after he jumped from that tree.
"What?" He asked.
I immediately look sideways when he noticed me gaping at him.
"Sorry. I got surprised that's all. Anyway, thanks." I tried to stand up but failed to do so because my legs were still weak and numb from all that.
"T-thanks? Stop saying embarrassing things! I didn't do that to save you or anything stupid!" What's with his reaction?
I laughed in my mind.
"Why did it left?" I was referring to the scary creature which almost attacked me.
"Why you say? Because I told him to."
He told him to?! How can a freaking boy about the same age as me tell something that huge of a monster to go away?!
"I know that much! But why did it listen to you?" I asked once more with irritation this time.
"That's Mike, our family pet. Obviously it will listen to its owner."
I rolled my eyes at him.
That thing was their pet? Oh yea I forgot this place is weird and everything inside is weird.
"I'm Annika."
"I'm Killua."
"Killua, how old are you?"
I asked him just to be sure.
"Six years old. Why?"
As I thought, were both six.
"I'm just asking. Do you live in that house also?"
He looked at me with his brows furrowed.
"That house? What house?"
"That big and elegant house over there." I pointed at the house where Gotoh lives.
He laughed.
"That's the butler's place. Our main house is that way." He pointed the way using his lips.
Main house? Is that where Silva lives too?
"Hey! Can you escort me to your house?"
I walked in front of him then stop to block his way.
"Will you?" I asked again while nearing my face.
He suddenly blushed. I distanced my face a bit because I think he's not too comfortable with me just yet.
"I don't mind but why?" He raised both of his arms behind his head for support.
Such a laid-back posture he has.
"I want to meet someone."
He looks really interested but he just nodded in approval.
We walked deeply in the forest. How can he walk this fast and not get tired?
"Killua. Can we rest for a bit?"
"Where? Here?" He said pertaining to the forest ground.
"No there. But I can't climb that high. But I want to rest there." Since I came to this mountain I developed a hobby of resting on tree branches.
He sighed but he still decided to carry me to the top of the said tree and I sat on the branch.
Killua sat on the opposite branch.
I can't even climb this high and he easily carried me here while climbing himself?
"You get tired easily, no fun." I eyed him.
"You're just not normal."
"And you're just too normal." He teased while sticking his tongue out.
"It's better to be normal than to be not, right?!" I sent him a glare.
We argued a bit more when I decided to give up since he won't accept defeat in a verbal argument.
He already jumped down from the tree easily like that was as easy as walking.
I was about to go down myself when I noticed how high I am.
The branch I was sitting on is too high for my liking.
"Killua. Carry me down."
It feels like I will fall from this branch any minute right now and I'm too scared to even look down again to check on Killua.
"No. Get down by yourself." He bluntly rejected.
Maybe because he was still annoyed by our argument just now.
"Killua get me down!" I'm already trembling in my place but I tried to hide it from him.
"No way."
"Please."
"No."
I'm too scared. I hate this feeling of fear. I was too scared I started to cry.
"You stupid jerk! I hate you! I will hunt you if I die—AAAHHH!"
I closed my eyes tightly because I knew I was falling. I was too careless and my balance failed me.
Just when I was about to hit the hard ground I instead landed on something warm.
I opened my eyes to see Killua holding me with a face like he was about to cry too.
"Stupid brat! Don't fall on your own! You almost died there you know!" I got scolded by him right after he threatened me there. I can't understand him.
But I was thankful he catched me and I didn't become a dead meat.
I'm so done with near-death experiences happening since earlier.
Is the world trying to kill me today?
After that incident he really got super protective of me and I don't know why.
He even carried me in his back when I got tired from walking.
I touched his hair and he reacted but he didn't tell me to stop so I continued brushing his hair with my fingers.
"You smell good, Killua." We almost fell when I said that.
"Stupid don't spit out things like that! It's embarrassing!"
We continued like that for god knows how long and we finally arrived at their mansion.
He let me down from his back.
So this is the main house. It's wider and bigger than what I imagined.
"What do you plan to do?" He asked me. Actually I don't know either.
"Let me meet a man named Silva, maybe?"
"My father?!"
"Your father?!"
We wore the same shocked expressions on our faces.
Author's note: This is my first fanfic about HxH. Please excuse my bad grammar. Tell me if something is wrong with the story especially with the grammar. I hope you enjoy and thank you for reading. By the way, this story is set on an alternate universe so I cannot promise that I will strictly follow the original storyline. But maybe just a few changes will happen.