DON'T SKIP THIS NOTE PLEASE
Here's my newest warm-up project. It's different to what I'm used to writing, and is def going to have some uncomfortable themes in it. That's the warning. The main focus is my oc's POV, and sometimes maybe a couple others here and there, but mostly hers. Oh, and this is kind of an HxH x Ajin crossover, because I just can't get enough of that damn anime/manga xD
Again, this is going to have some uncomfortable stuff; older man/young girl, self mutilation, sadomasochism, suicide, plain ole blood and gore, and lot's of creepiness (because Hisoka). If you're not comfortable with that, it's OKAY. You don't gotta read this. I ship a lot of older man/younger woman couples, but even this is way out of my comfort zone. I'm writing this because of that, it's practice to write different things, and I haven't quite written something as creepy as this yet. My Ajin fic came close, but at least that Kairi is 17. This will be my first fic shipping someone under 16.
Here's a quick character summary:
Guren is the twin sister of Gon. Exceptions: Her hair is plain ebony unlike Gon's black and green, and is spiky like his, only not styled up (a sketch of her will be at my deviantart page at psychodoll-behindyou) Her eyes are big like Gon's, but red instead of brown.
Her outfit is also identical, only red and black, with shorter, fitting shorts and a jacket vest over a black sleeveless shirt.
Guren was actually believed to be stillborn after she was born right after Gon, but by a miracle she lived, to her parents and doctor's relief. This was actually the first time she awakened her nen, and her immortality.
That's right, Guren is a Ajin. Not that she knows that, or what nen is. She only discovered her immortality the same day she discovered her ibm. The fateful day that Gon got attacked by a mama fox-bear, was the day her ibm first appeared. Guren's only thought that day was to get away to safety, but her ibm didn't consider Gon in the panicked feeling, and escaped with Guren in it's arms.
Guren was scared for herself being in the arms of a scary being and scared for Gon, and tried to escape it's strong arms, but her shouted orders for it to let her go backfired. It dissolved, dropping her and she couldn't stop from tumbling down a steep hillside, breaking bones against many trees on her way down.
Her first death was an accident, and when she awoke, she knew that she was supposed to be dead.
After that she worked to discover more about her ability, including summoning the thing that both saved and killed her, befriending it once she realized it held no ill-intent.
Nobody has ever been able see the ibm, or as Guren had taken to calling it, Sandman or Sandy, as it had a male figure and was made up black sand like substance and black bandages, and her grandmother has always told her and Gon that the sandman is what helps you sleep at night. It's an entity that can't be seen, and that's why you wake up with sandy eyes after a good night's sleep.
Guren knows this is just a story now, and that her Sandman isn't the same as the story, but she named him when she was 6 and the name stuck. It was still accurate for some parts, anyway.
It was impossible to completely keep Sandy a secret from Gon, who was the light of her life after Ging abandoned them, so she introduced the two of them. Gon can't see him, but the fact that it was something that could be touched and heard was enough proof for him, and they always referred to him as her imaginary friend.
That was also the first day Guren discovered that Sandy could speak. When she introduced him to Gon, it surprised the both of them by saying hello with a deep, echoed voice, like it had gravel or dirt stuck in it's lungs.
Sandy grew with Guren, it's speech is still limited and sometimes broken, but it can hold conversation and could be brought out up to 4 times a day instead of once like when she was a kid. He's grown to nearly 7 feet tall, has clawed humanoid hands and no facial features. His head is like a human's, just without features.
At first he was mostly skeletal, but he's grown some definition like Guren, and has an ambiguous masculine figure, with a heavily muscled upper body and limbs, but with a waist barely bigger than a spine.
Guren has matured a lot faster than Gon due to her circumstance. The little 12 year old has frequented rougher parts of town to find the toughest men in pubs and the like and learned to fight by watching a lot of brawls. There wasn't any professional fighters on Whale Island that she could find, so she had to teach herself. She's more of a brawler because of this, and usually will fight dirty (or just with Sandy). It was essential though, she needed to know how to defend herself.
Her greatest fear is someone discovering her biggest secret, and taking her away to dissect or experiment on. Or worse, what her beloved big brother would think of her immortality.
Gon, Guren, and their new friends Leorio and Kurapika have just started the first phase of the Hunter Exams that Gon has insisted on entering at 12. He desperately wants to find their father, to talk to him, but Guren could care less about Ging. She's becoming a hunter for her own purposes, but plans to help her dear older brother find Ging as much as possible.
Lastly, I'm writing this as separate parts unlike what I did for my Sing fic, that way this can actually posted faster. Once I'm done editing this and finish up my Giovanni/Saya chapter's draft, I'm gonna start rewriting chapter 3 for Sing again.
Enjoy, and sorry. (Because...Hisoka)
XXX
I, Guren Freecs, secret immortal, am bored out of my mind.
A couple hours have passed since the start of the first phase, and we've been slowly gaining speed, now full on running instead of jogging. Gon and I had stamina for days, so we're good, but dammit I was bored!
I pouted and looked around, trying to find someone to talk to or entertain me. Kurapika and Leorio didn't really want to talk just for the hell of it, they mostly wanted to save their breath. Well, Leorio, mostly. He was really starting sweat.
People have started dropping like flies, one guy in front of my brother and I literally just went from a sprint to dropping in exhaustion like a puppet with his strings cut. We managed to evade him...well, Gon jumped over him, but I kind of used his back like a stepping stone. Accidentally!
I sighed loudly in exasperation, earning annoyed looks from the boys around me. Well, except my brother, he knew how I could get when I was bored.
"Well, I'm bored." Obviously. "I'm going to run up ahead for a bit and find someone to entertain me. Later!"
I quickly sprinted ahead, ignoring the "Wait!" from Kurapika, and smiling at Gon's "Be careful!" I heard Leorio mutter something as well, but couldn't make it out from all his panting.
My scarlet eyes scanned the crowd for fellow participants who weren't having a rough time with the run. I picked out a few, although most of them didn't seem too friendly looking, or a few looked just as bored as me.
There was a short teen with a bow on his back, and a bit further ahead by a creep covered in needles was a bald man in a black and red outfit, his color scheme similar to mine, except reversed.
I mentally shrugged to myself and decided to go with him. He was barely breaking a sweat, maybe he'd be more willing to talk than the archer kid.
I weaved through others effortlessly until I was next to him, and he immediately turned to look at me curiously. I gave him a friendly smile. "Hello! I'm Guren. What's your name?"
He blinked at me, looking taken off guard before returning my smile, just as friendly. "Hello, little one! I am Hanzo! I'm a ninja from Jappon!"
Woah, I wasn't expecting that. "You're a ninja?!" I said excitingly. "That's so cool! Can you do any cool ninja tricks?"
He nodded. "Of course, I graduated from school with top marks!"
"Can you show me some?" I knew I picked the right guy to cure me of boredom!
This time he shook his head and faced forward. "Ah, I'm afraid not. They are forbidden knowledge to outsiders." Ah, damn. Spoke too soon.
"Oh..." I said, disappointed.
He seemed to pick up on my mood and quickly changed the subject. "So, how about you? Where do you come from, young one?"
"Ah, my brother and I come from Whale Island." I guess. Don't actually know where we were born...damn Ging! "He's further towards the back of the group with our friends, I just came up 'cuz I was bored." I said, giving him a silly grin that I've copied from Gon.
It was my most successful camouflage. It says that I'm nothing more than a happy, naive little girl. Nothing like I actually was. Although, I am fairly happy with my life. Sure I get bored easily and crave adventure and excitement just like my brother, I just lose interest easier.
Ever since learning I was immortal, I started acting way too careless in the face of danger, or worse, acting nonchalant instead of afraid or cautious when confronted by people who were stronger than me or just bad in general.
I learned that the hard way when some pirates passed through Whale Island one time. Without getting into too much detail, one guy talked down to me, I mouthed back, he held a knife up to my throat, and I looked him dead in the eye and told him to do something I'd overheard one of his crew mates say earlier.
I felt fear for my life for the first time since waking up in bloody and torn clothes at the bottom of that hill a year prior, not because my mortality had changed, but because of the look on his face when I came back to life.
His face was of pure shock and fear. I'd never seen anyone look afraid of me before, and it caught me off guard. Deep down, I'd realized how people would probably see me if they knew, but then he starting spouting off that I was a monster and so was everyone in my family.
I didn't truly know the limitations of my immortality, like if I was like certain species of bugs that only truly died once the head was destroyed, or if I was completely consumed by fire. But I did know what would happen if he went after my brother, aunt, and grandmother, thinking they were like me.
I felt true fear, not just for what would happen to me if people discovered me, but for my family. For Gon.
Out of pure panic, like when it all began, I summoned Sandy for the second time in my short life, with the unspoken desire to silence the only witness.
He did so quickly, and messily. And for the briefest moment, I swore the pirate saw him, judging by how high he was looking and how small his eyes got in terror.
The look was stuck on his face, even as his head rolled down the deserted alleyway.
Thankfully nobody suspected me, and it was after that incident that I had the horrible realization that I had changed. Not just physically, but mentally. I didn't think like a normal human being anymore, or feel like one either. I didn't see death the same way. When people on the island died, friends or just people we grew up around, I felt nothing.
Gon cried when one of grandma's friends had passed when it was her time, she was always such a nice lady that offered us snacks and sweets when ever she saw us. I was fond of her too, but I felt nothing when I was told she died.
And that scared me. I knew that it wouldn't be the same if anything happened to Gon. Hell, when he fished up the king of the lake, I was having a mental breakdown watching him jump and twist around the tree just to reel it in.
But what if something happened to the rest of my family? I just didn't know.
Not only that, but in my mind, my death was just an inconvenience. A necessity when I'm seriously hurt. I get too careless playing in the mountain side and break my arm? A sharp rock to the jugular will make me good as new. I come down with the flu and will probably miss the yearly island festival that Gon and I have been waiting for? A couple minutes submerged underwater in the bath will have me ready in no time.
It was a habit I was desperately trying to break. I had stopped resorting to such means as often as I used to when I was in my single digits, I haven't taken my own life just to take the easy road to full health since I was ten. I'd resolved myself not to do so during the Hunter exams unless absolutely necessary. If Gon's life was in danger, or my chances of failing the exam was due to injuries, or if my secret was exposed, I was going to be like everybody else.
If I get a boo boo, I'll deal with it.
Instead, for the past two years I've been training my own body as much as possible without affecting my development, along with Sandy.
I came back to the present when I noticed that Hanzo was talking about his home country and gesturing excitedly next to me, unaware that I had zoned out for pretty much all of it.
I let out a more discreet sigh than before. Damn, bored again…
XXX
Another couple hours have passed and I'd long since left the ninja to find others who would be willing to chat. There weren't many takers, and most just plain ignored me or told me to piss off.
After the wrestler guy said this, I heavily considered bringing out Sandy just to trip him up and leave him in my dust wondering what happened. In the end I deemed it not worth it, Sandy was a secret weapon, and just because he can't be seen, doesn't mean he can't be heard or felt. He still said random things I've said in the past every now and then, and if someone bumped into him they'd know there was something fishy going on.
I sighed and eyed a certain person not too far ahead of me. Hisoka had been on my radar for a good half hour now, but I'd promised Gon that I wouldn't approach the man just for the hell of it. I'd been deliberating the pros and cons since I spotted him, but in the end decided not too, especially when the pins and needles guy sidled up to run next to the smiling magician.
Nope, nope, nope.
Not a fan of needles, immortal or not, I still fought tooth and nail when I had to get vaccinations shots. But I didn't have to get them anymore! Ha, take that, auntie!
Then I got hit with an epiphany.
I grinned and full on sprinted, taking the steps three at a time and leaping over collapsed participants to reach the front of the pack until I was running with our strange proctor.
Satotz gave me a questioning look, to which I just gave a friendly wave. "Hello."
He nodded, still effortlessly bounded up the stairs at an even pace. "Hello." He greeted, saying nothing more.
"So how far have we been running?" I asked curiously, noticing that he didn't seem to be affected at all, like he ran for hours everyday for fun.
He glanced at me again and I saw that he had blue eyes. "About 80 kilometers." Huh.
"Okay." I said simply, Gon smile still in place. "So, what do you do as a hunter?" I asked, genuinely curious about a hunter's lifestyle. It was something I still wanted to figure out for myself once Gon and I passed. He was going to go off to search for Ging, but since I could care less about finding the man, I'd have to find my own way to make a living.
He hummed and was silent for a second, and I was worried he wouldn't answer. Then, he said, "I'm a Ruins hunter, normally. I'm on vacation right now and offered to help with the exams this year since I was in the area."
"A Ruins hunter..." I repeated, blinking up at him. "Do you just go and find old tombs and stuff?"
His curly mustache twitched. "Sort of, yes."
"Huh." I said, and then asked, "Do you have fun?"
"Hmm?" He looked down at me. "Why would I choose that profession if I didn't like it?" He asked, voice lighter, like I'd just asked him why he chose to wear a suit.
I held out my hands like a certain someone did earlier, in an exaggerated shrug. "Well, people do stuff they don't like all the time because it's good money or it's what they're good at, but that doesn't mean they like it."
At that Satotz simply blinked at my unexpected logic. I gave let my silly smile turn into a more genuine one and asked again, "So, do you like being a Ruins hunter, Mr. Satotz?"
He was silent, simply studying me. I waited patiently, hands back to gripping the straps of my backpack.
Finally, he said lowly, "Yes, I enjoy my profession. I was always been inspired by a certain man to become a Ruins hunter, so I knew what I wanted to do since the beginning."
He closed his eyes and his mustache twitched, and I wondered if he was smiling. "What about you, #406? What is it you with to do if become a hunter?"
"My name's Guren," I corrected. "Honestly, I don't really know. I don't know what all the options are for hunters, I only know about Beast hunters, Blacklist hunters, Treasure hunters and now Ruins hunters."
"I see. Is there anything in particular that you feel you would like to do?" He asked politely.
I shrugged again, less obnoxiously than before. "I don't know. I mostly decided to be a hunter to help my brother with what he wants to do as a hunter when I can...I do want to visit places, since I've lived on Whale Island most of my life...I guess I'll figure out what I want to do once I pass!" I finished with a silly grin again.
Satotz nodded. "Fair enough, Miss."
We talked about what he finds when he raids ruins for a little bit. I was finally starting to feel my legs start to feel the burn of running up countless steps when something bright caught my eye. I faced forward and whooped for joy at the sight of daylight.
"It's been nice talking to you Mr. Satotz, but I am so ready for some fresh air, so...see ya in a bit!" I gave him a wave and sprinted full speed towards the exit, feeling my hair fly off my forehead from the sudden wind.
I burst out of the tunnel and took a deep breath of fresh air, muscles happy to be stationary for now. I smoothed my wild hair back down so my fringe wasn't sticking straight up and turned when I heard Satotz reach the exit as well.
"You have some impressive speed for your age." He complimented, nodding his head. I was about to reply when I was cut off my two youthful voices shouting victory as they simultaneously bounded past our surprised proctor.
I smiled when I saw who it was. "Bout time, slowpoke." I teased, and Gon turned towards me with shock. I then noticed the other boy he was racing was staring at me with surprise as well.
"Wha-what?! Aw, no fair, sis!" Gon whined with a smile. "No we have to treat you to dinner!"
Huh?
"Huh? No way! She wasn't part of our deal!" The other boy complained, pointing at me. "It was just us, and I totally won!"
"Nuh uh! I came out before you did!"
"Actually," I cut in, gaining the attention of both boys. "You guys tied coming out of the tunnel, right Mr. Satotz?"
The man nodded confirming my judgement.
"Oh..."
"Man..."
Then being the wonderful ball of sunshine and positivity that he is, my brother declared, "Well, then I'll have to just treat you, Killua! And you can treat me!"
"Hah?"
I giggled and decided that I liked the kid who had befriended my brother. As others started to slowly join us outside, I walked up to the boys and offered my hand to the silver haired kid. "Hi, I'm Guren, Gon's sister. What's your name?"
He eyed my hand for a second before smirking and grasping it in a shake.
"Killua. Nice to meet ya." He then studied my face for a second, eyebrows raising. "Wow, you really do look like an exact copy of Gon! If you styled your hair up like his, it'd be like a looking in a mirror!"
I nodded and ran a hand through my hair. "Heh, yeah, we get that a lot..."
"Your eyes are pretty cool, too." He said sticking his hands in his pockets, looking cool as a cucumber.
I blinked at that. "Really? Most people are uncomfortable or weirded out by the color."
He shrugged. "Well I'm not exactly normal." Huh. Fair enough.
Killua, Gon and I went to the side of the exit to sit down and chat, Gon looking happy that his sister and new friend were getting along so well, and I starting asking Killua about his skateboard and what tricks he could do.
Eventually Leorio and Kurapika came out of the tunnel, the latter turning towards us when Gon called out for him.
"Hey. Is this the finish line?" Kurapika said, breathing a little heavy.
Gon shook his head. "I heard it's not. Don't know where the real end is, though."
"Oh..." He sighed, and stared around. "Well, at least the fog is starting to clear..."
Gon and I both jumped up at that. "Really?!"
Sure enough, it was starting to clear to reveal miles of dense forest surrounding us, with no end in sight.
"This is Numere Wetlands, also known as the Swindler's Swamp." Satotz said, addressing the whole group from where he was at the front of the pack once again. "This is the path you have to take to get to the second phase. There are many rare creatures here that you can't find anywhere else."
I tilted my face up and sniffed the air, smelling a bunch of different scents in the air. Many were of animals I've never smelled before, but mostly all I could smell was the cold, wet air. The fog cleared up, but it wasn't gone. That was going to make it tough to get through the swamp, especially if the ground was going to be damp and muddy.
And Sandy doesn't do too well with water, so I don't even know how he'll manage in fog…
"Many of these animals will do anything and everything to trick you and have you as their meal. So, please do not stray far from me. If you get fooled, you will die." Our proctor warned, causing a lot of my fellow contestants to shift nervously.
I heard the gate closing behind us and nibbled at my lip as I tried to come up with a plan. I haven't died and come back after being eaten by something before, and I sure as heck didn't want to experience it. So do I stay with Satotz for the whole trip, or do I stay with Gon to keep an eye on him?
I took a deep breath and decided it would be best to stay with my brother. If anything happened to him, fog or not, I'm confident Sandy and I could protect him. If his new friend decided to run with us the whole way, then I'll just have to protect him as best as I can too.
Suddenly a shout broke me out of my thoughts, and I turned to see a disheveled man glaring at Satotz. He proclaimed that he was the real examiner. He pulled a dead monkey like creature up whose face was a contorted version of Satotz.
I rolled my eyes at the whispers coming from all around, already believing the real imposter. I did a double take when I saw Hanzo joining in with the fools, along with Leorio. I thought he was a ninja?!
I gave Leorio an annoyed look, which he missed because he was too busy glaring suspiciously at Satotz. Someone commented on Satotz' run, saying that was more than enough to believe he wasn't human. I mean, really? That's just rude.
My sensitive ears caught the sound of something cutting through the air at high speed and suddenly cards struck the liar in his torso and right into his forehead, killing him instantly.
There were gasps of shock throughout the crowd, especially from Leorio next to me. Everyone seemed to be taken off guard by the sudden and swift death, but all I could focus on was how cool that was! Well, not the death, but the razor cards! Talk about a hidden weapon, nobody expects a deck of cards to be secret instruments of death!
I turned towards the sound of shuffling cards and already suspected who the perpetrator was. Wait, shuffling? Those cards are metal, aren't they...?
Low and behold, Hisoka was calmly and effortlessly shuffling a deck of cards, chuckling to himself. "I see," he drawled. "it's obvious. You're the real one~"
I turned to where he was looking at saw Satotz with his hands full of cards, expertly between his fingers so he wouldn't be cut. Huh.
Satotz didn't respond verbally, only tossed the cards away with a flick of his wrists. My brows furrowed when they fluttered to the ground.
"So he is the real deal?!" Hanzo exclaimed.
Obviously. Seriously, what are the standards of becoming a ninja?
"A so called 'proctor' is a hunter hired by the Selection Committee to serve as a volunteer. Anyone with the title of hunter should be able to easily deflect that kind of attack~" The magician continued, pocketing his cards. Seriously though, what were those cards? Were they made of some kind of flexible metal?
"I'll take that as a compliment. However, if you attempt to harm me again, no matter the reason, it will be considered a violation against the proctor. I'll have no choice but to disqualify you. Do yo understand?"
I glanced back at the corpse with the cards still sticking in his body like knives, and noticed the ape man had run away. As Satotz began to lead the group through the swamp, I quickly went to the body inspected the cards carefully.
I ran a finger across the edge of one and was surprised to find it to be a blunt, normal ace of spades. I plucked one out of the man's torso and bent it experimentally. Yup, definitely just a normal card...how did he do that?
"Hey Sis, let's go!" Gon called from behind me.
I quickly slipped the card into my back pocket and hurried after my brother, mind swirling with questions.
XXX
I'm starting to think that the fog clearing up earlier was a well thought out prank by the swamp swindlers.
The fog has been getting thicker with every minute that passes, making it even harder to see who was in front of us. The boys and I were staying close together now, with Gon in the middle. Leorio and Kurapika were a behind us towards the back of the pack, still tired from the earlier run, and everyone was keeping tabs on Hisoka.
I sighed, starting to feel bored again. Killua glanced at me. "What's up, Guren?"
"I'm bored again."
"Ah? So you think this exam is easy too, huh?" The silver haired boy said, adjusting his skateboard more securely under his arm. Suddenly his cat like eyes narrowed, and he suddenly faced straight ahead. "Gon, Guren. Let's go to the front of the group."
My brother blinked at him in confusion. "Okay. We don't want to lose track of the proctor in all this."
I studied Killua's suddenly tense frame and discretely glanced behind us to see a group of men glaring purposely at Hisoka. The magician's lips were curled up in that same smile he's worn for this whole exam.
Oh.
I cleared my suddenly dry throat and realized what Killua meant.
"More importantly, let's keep our distance from that Hisoka guy." He said, confirming my thoughts. "He just attracts trouble."
I frowned and sneaked a glance behind me again, taking in the amount of people eyeing Hisoka. I wasn't sure if I felt bad for Hisoka for being ganged up on, or for the guys who were ganging up on him.
Nah, let's be real, that guy dissolved another guys arms just for bumping into him, and killed someone else with just cards. Those idiots were screwed.
"Leorio! Kurapika! Killua says we should move to the front!" Gon called behind him, and Killua whipped his head around to stare incredulously at him. I smacked a hand to my forehead.
"Stupid!" Leorio called back. "If we could go faster, we'd already be up there!"
"Don't worry about us, you guys go on ahead!" Kurapika chimed in, making Gon look to me in worry.
"You really think they'll be okay?" He asked me, and I shrugged.
"They made it this far, big bro. Kurapika's smart, so even if they run into trouble, I'd trust him to get them out." I said, trying to ease my brother's worry. I don't think I was completely successful, though.
"What about Sandy?" He whispered, glancing at Killua's back as he ran a bit ahead of us. "Can you have him look out for them?"
I sighed shook my head. "I'd like to, but with how dense this fog has gotten, I don't know how much use he'd be. Plus it would be hard for him to be sneaky in these wetlands, he'd be easily heard..."
Gon nodded with an accepting look on his face, eyes troubled.
I let out an explosive sigh, already starting to regret what I was about to say. I really hated it when Gon looked sad, though. "I'll stay behind and keep an eye on them, okay?"
He looked at me in surprise. "What? No, you don't have to do that, Guren-"
"I know, but I will. They're our new friends, right?" I smiled, wrapped an arm around Gon's shoulders in a hug. "Just stick close to Killua, and we'll meet up at the next phase, ok?"
Gon still looked worried, but I gave him a light push towards the other boy. "See you later, Killua! Take care of my brother!"
They gave me one last look over their shoulders before hurrying ahead, and I stayed at the same pace, trying to locate where Leorio and Kurapika were. That's when things started getting weird.
Out of nowhere these huge turtles with strawberries bigger than me hanging from their shells were there, successfully scattering the group in a panic. I veered off a bit with a couple others, and frantically hoped Leorio and Kurapika weren't still back there.
I didn't recognize anyone around me, and thought about digging through my bag for my pocket knife.
I didn't really have anything to fight with besides Sandy, my knife, and my small pistol that I had stolen from the pirate I killed all those years ago. I've never really used it, I only kept it around for a quick reset, and honestly, if Gon knew I had a gun on me, he'd freak out.
My choice was decided for me when my little group was suddenly surrounded by bright lights. The people around me decided to stop and stare at the pretty lights like morons, but I ran even faster to get away from them, and did a mighty leap so that I soared over them.
A quick glance told me that they were butterflies, beautifully colored ones, which meant they were all the more dangerous.
They started releasing a pollen, and immediately held my breath to avoid the poison. I landed with a wet thud, and heard similar sounds behind me. I kept forward, not looking back.
I don't know how long I ran, using my nose to lead me towards humans, avoiding any smells that I didn't know. I almost got my leg bitten off by a huge brown lizard, but luckily I was quicker. I paused in my run for a second and sniffed, smiling when I recognized the aroma.
Ah, I'd recognize that cologne anywhere. A couple days around it has it ingrained into my brain by now.
I quickly ran towards where I smelled Leorio.
A few minutes passed and his smell was practically burning my nose, but then I smelled something else mixing in with his.
The scent of something sweet mingled with the odor I was tracking, making me tense. Who was with Leorio? It wasn't Kurapika, or anyone else I knew.
I strained my eyes and tried to see who head jogging ahead of me, and felt my heart skip a beat at when I saw wavy red hair.
Oh shit.
Gon's face flashed through my mind, and I knew he would be crushed if his new friend suddenly died, especially after I said I would protect them...
I then noticed that Hisoka's left shoulder was a little bulkier than normal, and I almost felt lightheaded with relief when I noticed it was Leorio over his shoulder. Oh good, I think he's still alive! I mean, who would want to carry around a dead body?
I threw caution to the wind and dashed towards them so that I was in front of the sweet smelling magician, causing him to make an abrupt stop.
"Oh~?"
His vulpine smirk dropped at my sudden appearance, before curling back up into a delighted smile.
I gave him my best Gon smile and pointed towards Leorio, keeping a watchful eye for any cards. "Hi there! I believe you have something I've been looking for!" I said in a cheery voice, trying to keep my voice carefree.
He tilted his head a bit and studied my face for a moment, before his smirk widened. "Ah...you must be the sister he was asking about~"
I tilted my head as well. "Huh?"
Hisoka chuckled, a giddy look in his eyes, making me even more confused. "The boy with the fishing pole. He was looking for you~" He elaborated.
I froze.
Hisoka came into contact with Gon, but only Leorio was here...where was everyone else...? Where...where was Gon?
My mask slid off my face and I glared, the only thing I could think was that if he hurt my brother, I would end him.
The magician's eyebrows were raised and his lips parted in silent surprise at my sudden shift in mood. Or maybe he could feel my intent in the air. I gave him another grin, this one all me. It probably resembled an animal baring its teeth in warning. "Where's my brother...?" I asked in a deceptively soft voice, not taking my eyes off his.
His eyes stayed locked on my face, taking in my expression before his smirk stretched even wider, and responded in an equally soft tone. "Oh...I really like that look...~"
Even through the haze of rage, I could tell he was toying with me, intentionally deflecting. I took a deep breath, trying to think clearly, and took a step towards him. He didn't move, just continued to stare at me with barely concealed anticipation.
"I'm not gonna lie," I said, as if I was discussing the weather. "I rather like you. Have since I saw you do that magic trick with the flower petals."
Hisoka hummed at that, eyes tracking me as I stepped a bit closer again. If he reached out, he could probably touch me, but the rational part of my brain didn't register the danger.
"But," I said, voice a little quieter. "I don't care how interesting you are...if you did something to Gon...I will kill you."
It was silent for a moment. I stared up at the tall magician, and mentally prepared to dodge or dash away at the attack I knew was coming. I threatened him for that very reason. If he was focusing on killing me, he wouldn't expect Sandy.
He did nothing, said nothing, only stood there with a hand holding onto Leorio's legs and the other hanging loose at his side, slightly twitching. I focused on bringing out Sandy, black sand slowly getting thicker behind me.
Then suddenly my world shifted in the span of a second.
I was suddenly the one looking down at Hisoka, his hand wrapped around my entire neck. My airway was immediately cut off, and I heard the wet thud of a body hitting the ground. I grit my teeth and continued to look defiantly at the grinning magician, and wondered what was taking Sandy so long.
I grinned back, and let out a choked laugh. I wrapped my hands around his wrist, digging in my nails, hoping to draw blood.
Hisoka moaned, and I watched with some confusion when instead of the murderous anger or annoyance I was expecting at my defiance, he got a light blush across his pale cheeks, eyes glazing a bit as he looked at my expression.
"Oh...you're so cute, little Guren…~" His voice was even weird, not at all what I was expecting. Or planning for.
The black sand paused from coming out of my skin, losing concentration at the turn of events. Is he making fun of me?!
I hissed like an angry cat, and hooked my legs around his arm, squeezing with all my strength, trying to break it before he broke my neck.
"You're such a fighter~" He cooed, watching me try to strangle his arm to death. Jesus, his muscles felt like rock. I can't do anything like this.
I let my legs fall from his arm to dangle uselessly, and once again tried to summon Sandy. I could hit myself for being stupid enough to not finish doing it earlier, because now I could barely concentrate. Black dots were appearing in my vision from the lack of air, and I couldn't tell if Sandy was even being formed anymore. The fog was doing what I had feared earlier, the water in the air was messing with our connection.
When water was involved, controlling or communicating with Sandy was like trying to make a long distance call with bad reception, not to mention he was a lot slower than normal.
Suddenly it was like everything was crystal clear, and I knew from experience that I had gone on without air for a dangerous amount of time. I was going to suffocate to death soon, and if I passed out before I could summon Sandy, I'd be left out here defenseless while I reset for whatever swamp creature to find. I really didn't want to wake up being eaten.
But damn it, I can't stay awake any longer…
My eyes started to close without my permission, but I stared Hisoka down, taking in every detail in that moment. Exotic wavy red hair with strands starting to fall from it's styled position at his temples and nape due to the constant moisture in the air. Naturally pouty lips stretched in an excited smirk. His painted cheeks that were still dusted with a tinge of pink. His arched, thin brows, his nose that any male model would die for.
And finally, his unsettling eyes. Not brown that lightened to a warm amber like my brothers, but yellow like that of a snake. They looked more gold now, actually. Whatever he was feeling to make his cheeks blush was making his eyes darken as he gazed up at me.
So many different emotions danced in his eyes, that I couldn't even identify them all.
Finally, I let the fight drain out of me and closed my eyes, succumbing to darkness with the bitter taste of defeat on my tongue.
XXX
When I came back to consciousness, it was slowly. That was my first clue that I hadn't died.
My second clue was how tired my body felt. I could still feel the burning in my legs from the constant running, and how sore my throat felt as well. If I had died, I'd be fully rejuvenated right now.
I opened my mouth to take a deep breath of crisp cool air, but instead inhaled a masculine scent bathed in sweetness.
Then it dawned on me that I wasn't laying on the cold muddy ground, or in the belly of a swamp beast. In fact, it felt like I was in motion.
With effort, I opened my eyes and saw a blurry mass of white and red. I blinked a bit to try to clear them, and brought up a heavy arm so I could rub at them.
"Well, well~. Good morning, sleeping beauty~" A smooth voice sang from close by. My eyes moved towards the source and saw the very person who put me to sleep. Seeing Hisoka helped clear my head a bit, and I forced my head up to take stock of my situation.
I was moving because Hisoka was carrying me like a toddler, one arm holding up my body like it weighed nothing. Leorio was back on his other shoulder, still out cold. The magician was moving at a light jog, towards what I hoped was the next trail site.
I couldn't help but stare at his smug face in confusion. "What you doin'?" I mumbled.
"Hmm?" Whatever do you mean, little Guren~?" He said in a playful voice, obviously knowing what I meant.
I rolled my eyes, and idly wondered how he knew my name. "Why didn't you kill me?" I asked in a biting tone. Or I tried to. To me it sounded more tired than anything.
His amused glance said the same thing. "I'm not going to kill someone with so much potential~!" His face got that weird look again as he said this. "You, your brother, and your two friends all passed~" Well, that explains how he knew my name. Gon probably mentioned it.
"Passed? Passed what?" I muttered, trying to wriggle out of the man's hold. In response, he shifted his grip so I was tucked more securely into his side. I huffed and pinched the arm I was sitting on in retaliation.
"I was playing a little game earlier when your friends came upon me, and like you, they managed to impress me. Your brother and the blonde are just fine~"
I gave up trying to get free. Hearing that my brother was okay calmed my lingering nerves instantly. "Oh...okay." I said simply, my earlier ill intent towards the man forgotten. "You know, I can walk just fine now."
"Oh? That's good to know~"
I waited for him to put me down, but he just continued to smile. After about thirty seconds, I reluctantly let it go. "We're heading towards the next phase, right?"
Hisoka hummed in confirmation.
I sighed and slumped into his shoulder, resigning myself to be carried all the way there. We traveled in silence for bit. I honestly felt like I could fall right back to sleep like this. Not wanting to be unconscious in the presence of such a dangerous man again, decided to start up a conversation.
"Hey, so I was wondering…"
His eyes darted to me. "Mmhmm…?"
"Well, it's been bugging me...but how did you make those cards so sharp before?" It's something that'd been eating at me since taking the ace from that ape's corpse.
"Ah~, a magician never reveals his secrets, little Guren~" He chided, giving the skin of my exposed thigh a not so light pinch. I winced; that was probably revenge for earlier.
"Oh come on," I whined. "I promise I won't tell anyone, not even my brother!"
Hisoka tsked. "That doesn't sound very convincing…~"
I pouted at that and gave him a flat stare. "I'll have you know, that I am very good at keeping secrets."
His lips curled up. "Oh, I have no doubt about that~"
I narrowed my eyes. "Okay...so you'll tell me?"
His smirk suddenly morphed into a happy smile that looked as fake as my Gon smile. "Maybe if you continue to impress me~"
He then turned his head forward again, topaz orbs staring straight ahead.
I let out a dismayed groan and flopped down again, face buried into his white shirt. I cursed the fact that it was foggy again; I could probably trick him if Sandy was here!
Wait...trick.
My lips curled up into a devious smirk, a plan forming. I quickly schooled it into an innocent smile when I pulled away from his shoulder. I leaned back as far as I was able to without making Hisoka think I was trying to escape, but mostly so he couldn't see my back.
"How about this," I waited until his eyes were trained on my own before continuing. "I'll perform a magic trick for you. If you can't figure out how I did it, you tell me about your trick. Deal?"
The entire time I was talking, I put my hands on my hips for show, hiding the face that I was carefully pulling his ace of spades out of my back pocket.
"That's awfully bold of you, little girl~" Hisoka purred, quirking an eyebrow at my cheeky confidence. "Attempting to beat a magician at his own game~?"
I shrugged, making sure to keep my right arm low as I casually wrapped it around him again, and made sure his eyes were on my other hand. I slowly reached towards his chest, and as predicted, his gaze snapped to the appendage that was getting closer to his neck. "Neh, but that's what makes it fun! It's a challenge." I calmly gave his chest a pat, like he was the family dog.
His cunning gaze drifted back to me, eyes shining with interest. "Well then, what do I get if I do figure you out~?"
I made me pause. "Huh? Oh, um…" I didn't really think about that…
His eyes curved a bit, looking at me like I was the family dog that just got caught doing something it shouldn't. "Ah, you're quite confident in your little magic trick, aren't you~?"
Quickly realizing my mistake, I tried to get back into control. "Well, what do you want if you win?" I said, a tad exasperated. I just wanted to make him show me his sharp card trick!
Hisoka hummed deep in his throat and let his eyes dance around the foggy forest in thought. I waited impatiently for him to just name his reward already so I could get on with it. I idly let the leg that wasn't next to Leorio swing gently with Hisoka's strides.
"If I win, I want to fight you~"
I blinked in surprise at his request. Or by the sudden sharpness in those golden orbs; his demand. I couldn't stop myself from swallowing nervously. "...You want to fight me?" I asked, voice giving away my befuddlement. "I think we both know how boring that'll be for you." I said, referring to what put me in this situation to begin with.
"Now what happened to that ferocious girl that was so determined to kill me earlier~?" He wondered aloud, before his smile died a bit. "I didn't scare her away, did I?" He sounded genuinely worried.
I rolled my eyes and gave him a look that said I questioned his sanity. I'm sure it was a look he recognized. "Fine. I'll fight you if you figure my trick out! I'll even make sure to go at you with all my power, happy?"
My answer was a powerful and terrifying burst of something that had my mind screaming at me to runrunrun.
I choked and instinctively tried to get away, with little success seeing as his arm was now locked around my torso like an iron band, nearly crushing me against his chest. The softer parts of my body hurt from where they were uncomfortably squished against his. I heard various creatures from around us take off in fear. I opened my eyes (when did I shut them?) to peer at Hisoka and lost my breath altogether at the sight.
His face had that weird look again, only ten times more intense. He had a full blown grin now, teeth flashing dangerously, and ivory skin twisting from the strain of such a sinister smile. The skin of his cheeks dimpled and narrowed his eyes further, and the painted shapes on his cheek was crinkled.
What was the worst was his eyes. It was like seeing the real Hisoka for the first time; his true self shined through those eyes. This man was like a ravenous animal-no, worse. I knew animals, and they hunted others to survive. This man...Hisoka hunted and killed for the thrill. Not even that; as I looked closer at those cold, yellow eyes that were starting to roll up, he hunted and killed for pleasure, as if seeing blood he'd personally spilt was the only way to find enjoyment in life.
My heart sank into my stomach. He was a true beast that can't be caged. Won't be caged. He'll hunt and devour as long as he's able, and still be hungry, never truly satisfied.
I thought back to the butterflies earlier, and realized they were the same. Hisoka was as dangerous as he was beautiful. His beauty didn't fully mask his malice though, which was why only a fool would challenge him without a care.
A fool like me.
Hisoka was worse person I could've encountered in these exams. Forget fighting, just being with him like this was going to get me killed! He was going to find out just how un-effective killing me will be.
My throat constricted in pure fear at the possibility. Anyone finding out about my immortality was my worst fear, but just the thought of Hisoka finding out…I didn't know how he would react, honestly. It scared the hell out of me.
With how close I was pressed to him, I could feel how his body quivered with excitement at the thought of fighting me to the death, and we both knew who'd win. I felt lightheaded.
I've heard of bloodlust before, but had never seen or felt it before. Bloodlust must be what was twisting Hisoka's face into that weird expression I keep seeing. I'll never confuse simple killing intent with this primal lust for death ever again.
My lungs were screaming and I vaguely realized I was lightheaded because I haven't breathed in a while. I immediately took in a gasping breath of air, gripping the loose material over Hisoka's chest. I noticed that his heart was beating rather hard under my small fist.
As if breaking a spell, the crushing air was gone. I took in greedy breaths of the suddenly clear air.
Hisoka let out a low chuckle at my suffering. "Ah, now I'm really getting excited~. Go ahead and do your trick now, Guren~"
I didn't respond, still trying to catch my breath. His hold on me loosened and he looked at me questioningly. I glared at his audacity.
"Mm? You alright, little kitten~?" He said, voice dripping with honey.
"Yeah, I'm fine! And don't call me that!" I snapped out, my fear was washed away once again by prickly irritation at the evil magician. God, the nerve of this man!
I noticed then that the fog was starting to clear up again, and decided that I really did need to do my trick while I still had low visibility on my side.
Luckily I didn't drop his card while I was freaking out. I cleared my throat and said in my best Hisoka impression, "Now, without even touching the deck, I'm going to swipe one of your cards~!"
Hisoka's lips curled up at my grandiose tone. "Oh~? Going to make one of my cards magically appear, are you~?" It sounded like he wanted to tack on a this should be good at the end of that sentence, but said it with his eyes instead.
I leaned back and made exaggerated hand motions with my free hand, while my hidden one rose up to his wavy hair and with the best of my ability, flicked the card through my fingers and made a show of pulling it out of the red locks.
I smirked and waved his ace of spades in front of his face. "Sir, is this your card~?"
Hisoka made a noise of consideration, eyes flicking from what was obviously his card and my smug face. "It certainly seems to be~"
I grinned victoriously and swept my arms out like I saw him do the first time I saw him. "Tada~"
"Not bad~" The magician complimented, tone conveying his amusement. "Do I get to reveal your 'magic' now~?"
"Sure, but you only get one guess!"
"Mm, I better make it a good one then~" Before Hisoka even finished his sentence, he had plucked the card out of my hand and waved it in my face. "You didn't get this from me at all...you picked it up from the body of that swamp ape earlier~"
I felt my veins turn to ice. "W-what? No I didn't!" How did he guess that quickly?!
He quirked a brow at me. "Oh? So little Guren is a liar and a thief~" He slowed to walk then, and I noticed that the fog had cleared completely. A crowd of people were a bit ahead of us. "You need a bit more practice, kitten~ I recognized the card as one I threw earlier."
I bristled in humiliation at being figured out so easily. "Are you telling me that you remember every card you throw at people?!"
The magician just smirked at me. "The dried blood on it was also a dead giveaway~"
I was brought up short at that, and glanced at the ace. Sure enough, there was dried blood all over the corner that helped kill the ape earlier, staining the white face red. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from spitting curses at the man's smug, stupid face. Damn it, I was an idiot!
Finally I muttered a "You win…", and stared at his numbered badge like it was the most interesting thing in the world.
"Hmm? Sorry, what was that, little Guren~?" He drawled, eyes laughing.
I flashed him a glare. "You win, alright? I lost." I said, looking away with a sulky expression. Honestly though, I didn't feel too put out. I felt more embarrassed that I made myself look like an idiot in front of Hisoka than anything.
Which confused me, because if he thought I was an idiot he would probably lose interest in fighting me, which was good. But the thought of him losing interest in me made an unpleasant feeling clench at my chest, and I didn't know why.
"That's right~, now you owe me a fight~" The jester said in a low voice, his smile taking a more predatory edge.
I frowned, remembering the whole reason I was wary of losing our bet in the first place. "I take it you're not going to wait until after the exams?" I asked, looking for a familiar face in the crowd, specifically Gon, but only saw Satotz. He must have sensed my gaze, because he immediately looked over in our direction.
The proctor's eyes widened visibly when he saw who was carrying me and Leorio. I quickly averted my gaze. My worry from earlier was starting to creep back when I still didn't find Gon or our new friends.
"Of course not~" Hisoka said absently as he was weaving through some of the contestants on the outside of the crowd, heading towards a shady area.
It took me a second to remember that I'd asked him a question. "Ne, Hisoka…you really didn't do anything to my brother?" I asked, wanting confirmation again.
The man let out a huff and finally set me down on my own two feet. "My~, what a lucky little boy to have such a loving sister to look out for him~" He said, and set Leorio down so that he was propped up against a tree.
Then I got a good look at his face.
"Shit." I hissed, crouching down so I could inspect Leorio's bruised and swollen face better. "What did you hit him with, a hammer?"
The man let out another huff and I suddenly felt something heavy land on my head. I let out another hiss when my thick hair was suddenly held in a fist and my head was forcefully turned to face Hisoka. He looked down at me with his usual playful expression. "I'll let you know when I'm ready for our fight, kitten~"
Then he abruptly let go and walked away.
I ran a hand through my short messy locks and scowled after him. Damn it, he didn't have to pull so hard!
I settled down on the left of Leorio, letting the tree block me from Hisoka's sight. I just needed my brother. Then all my confusing feelings can go back to the way they're supposed to be.
I took off my tag and used it to make little dirt snowman while I waited anxiously for Gon. I had made a whole family of dirtmen by the time I finally heard, "Sis!"
My head shot up and I saw Gon rushing towards me, looking sick with relief. I jumped up and met him halfway, nearly tripping on Leorio's legs in my haste. I wrapped my arms around his neck tightly, breathing in his familiar scent, and that worry in the back of my mind was gone. He was okay! He didn't even look hurt!
His arms were just as tight around my middle, nearly lifting me up with the strength of his hug. He let out a joyful laugh then and spun me around, drawing a giggle out of me as well. We ignored the annoyed "Heys!" when my feet smacked into other contestants.
He set me back down and beamed at me. "I'm so glad you're alright, Guren! Kurapika and I were worried!"
I then noticed the older boy was next to us, and gave him my best Gon smile. He returned it with a small smile of his own. "I'm glad you're alright, Guren. When Gon said you were supposed to be with us, we were all worried."
"I take it you guys ran into some trouble by the look of the old man's face." I said, glancing behind me. They followed my gaze and winced.
"Ah, sort of…" Gon trailed off, obviously uncertain of whether or not to reveal that they had an alteration with Hisoka.
I sighed and grabbed his hand, pulling him back the way I came. "I figured you did, big bro. Now come on, let's see if we can rouse Leorio and we can all share stories."
Kurapika gave me an amused smile when he saw my drawings while Gon retold his adventures through the swamp. Killua eventually wandered over to group up with us again and hear what happened as well. Poor Leorio woke up feeling miserable, and I for the first time I wished others healed as fast as Gon and I could.
I was relieved to know that Hisoka didn't do too much to them. He must of been feeling satisfied with the amount of contestants he had already killed prior. It was only when I'd agreed to fight him did his thirst for blood get reawakened.
When I told my story, I of course left a lot out. Gon was the only one who knew about Sandy, so he knew why I couldn't defend myself as well as I normally would, and the others just looked plain pissed that Hisoka tried to strangle a little girl. Leorio especially was red with anger.
I just told them I was unconscious for the whole trip here, only feeling a little guilty at the lie. It just wasn't worth what Gon's reaction would be to his precious little sister playing with fire.
Killua gave me dismissing look before turning back to my brother, asking him if his nose was really good enough to track Leorio. I couldn't help but pout a bit. Geez, did he not just hear me say that I tracked the older man the same way? Where's my respect?
I felt a couple locks of hair get gently tugged and saw Leorio giving me a grin. "Ha, now you know how I feel when you brats underestimate me." My pout melted away and I stuck my tongue out at him teasingly. I heard Kurapika try to smother a chuckle with a next to me.
"Well done, everyone!"
We all turned towards where Satotz was standing in front of the large gate. " The Visca Forest Reserve is the location for the second phase. I will take my leave, now. I wish you all the best of luck." With that, he trotted in his unusual gait back the way we came.
Gon and I made sure to wave him farewell, earning us some amused looks from our friends. By the time we put our hands down, the gate slid open, catching everyone's attention.
Behind the gates was a huge mansion like building with a courtyard with many strange looking stations.
"Those who have passed the first phase, please step inside!" Called a feminine voice.
When we walked in we were greeted by a young woman with blue hair and a very large man. Seriously, he looked almost as big as my house! I almost missed what the lady said while I gawked at the man."I'm the proctor for the second phase, Menchi."
"I'm Buhara, the other proctor." The man said, an easy going smile on his face. Suddenly there was a loud grumble that caused many people to look around for a wild animal.
"You must be hungry," Menchi said, glancing back at her fellow examiner.
"I'm so hungry I could faint!" Buhara groaned, rubbing his stomach.
My stomach gave me a bit of a twinge as well, and I shared a miserable glance with Gon. We were already hungry once we got to the secret hunter location, and after running for hours and dealing with our little dustup with Hisoka, our stomachs weren't happy.
The lady proctor stood up from the sofa and announced, "Okay. For the second phase test...you'll be cooking us lunch!"
I blinked. Cooking?
"Hold on! Did you say cooking?" Came an irritated voice from the crowd. "We're here to try out for the hunter exam!"
"You heard correctly. Your challenge for the second phase is to make a dish that will satisfy us."
"Why a cooking contest?"
Menchi put her hands on her hips and proudly said, "Because Buhara and I are Gourmet hunters!"
My eyes lit up a bit at learning about a new type of hunter. So, there were even hunters that based their lifestyle around cooking...?
Many of the hunter contestants burst out laughing.
I frowned, hearing a lot say that it must of been a joke, the loudest being the one to speak up earlier. I glanced up at Menchi and cringed internally at how annoyed she looked. These idiots-!
"So, Ms. Gourmet hunter. What kind of dish do you want us to make?" The same man said in a condescending tone.
"The main ingredient will be pork." Buhara said, standing up to his full height.
Again a mutter rose up. "Pork?"
"Like a pig?"
I rolled my eyes, hearing that, and noticed Kurapika doing so as well. Seriously, what other kind of pork is there?
"Any type of pig you find in the Visca Reserve Forest will do." Buhara answered. "It doesn't matter what kind. You will use the tools and appliances here to prepare us a dish using the pig. If we are both happy with the dish, you will pass the test!"
"But it's not just about taste," Menchi added, still looking irritated. "Do not underestimate the complexities of cooking. You hear me?" She opened her eyes at the end and glared out at us.
I couldn't help but be nervous. I wasn't a chef by any means, and I only knew how to cook a couple things because of Aunt Mito. Bacon was the only pork related dish knew how to make, but I had only ever cooked already prepared bacon! I didn't know what part of the pig it came from…
I nibbled on my lip with worry, and shot a look at Gon. He was pulling at his bottom lip, looking thoughtful. Yeah, just like I figured. He didn't know how to cook pork, either. I knew that he could only really make camp food, so his idea of cooking would be to just roast the whole thing.
I was torn out of my thoughts by Gon grabbing my arm and pulling me after him. "C'mon, sis! It's time to start!" I stumbled after him and tried not to panic. I still didn't know what part of the pig was the bacon! I shook my head and sighed. Well, time to just do what I do best.
Wing it.
XXX
Well, there's chapter one. Hope you liked it!
Ja ne