Vagabonds
Chapter 1: The Youth
Trigger warning: domestic abuse, violence and strong language
"Bun..gee gum." He let the words roll off of his tongue, raising an eyebrow at the name of the candy in front of him. Such an odd name for sticks of gum. He picked it up to observe it closer. The smell of strawberries and cherries danced around in his nose. His mouth watered at the thought of the taste.
"You find what you want, kid?"
He turned around to face the voice behind him. A woman stood there, tall and lanky, lighting a cigarette. She fumbled with the paper bag under her left arm, attempting to put the lighter back in her pocket. "Well?" she asked, tossing her head to remove the scraggly brown hair from her eyes. It's been days since she's washed it. "I don't have all day." She eyed the brown bag that concealed her poison, indicating its importance.
"Oh come on Hina, you know you can't smoke in here!" The clerk behind the counter looked annoyed, tired of going through this every other day. "Take it outside for Christ's sakes!"
She glared at him, before closing her eyes and smirking. A light chuckle escaped her lips. She reached in her pocket and tossed two coins at the boy. "Here kid. And make it fast. I'm getting hungry." She glared at the clerk mischievously and left the store.
The boy counted the coins in his hand and shook his head. She was absolutely useless. She had only given him 2 jennies; the gum required 5. Feeling defeated -and particularly annoyed- he shoved the coins in his pocket and turned to leave the store. Strawberry and cherry surprise would have to wait.
"Hold on a minute," the clerk behind the counter stopped him. He had a sympathetic smile plastered upon his face, and stuck his thumb towards the candy shelf. "Go on and just pay me what you got. It's all right."
The boy eyed him suspiciously, unfamiliar with random acts of kindness. With another gentle nod from the clerk, he shrugged his shoulders and grabbed the gum, taking it over to the counter.
"That mother of yours drives me bat shit crazy sometimes. She owes me money and she knows it, and then makes you a victim of her bad finances. But these are your golden years, boy, and damn it if you don't deserve something sweet once in a while." He winked at the boy, who in return gave him a blank stare. Boy, he calls me. Like I'm some fragile infant that you coddle. It annoyed him, but he decided to shut his mouth in the meantime for the sake of the gum. He slid the two coins over and muttered a barely audible 'thank you.'
Walking out of the store, he turned and spotted his mother leaning against the brick wall drinking her whisky. "Took you long enough," she slurred wiping a trace of liquid that escaped the corner of her mouth. "Whadja get?"
He removed the gum from his pocket and read it again. "It's called bun-gee gum. It smells good," he licked his lips as he opened the wrapper.
"Bungee gum?" she chuckled. "Kid, I didn't know I was spending my hard earned money on some weird gum. Thought you'd at least get a cake we could split or something."
"I almost didn't get it, thanks to you," he responded with irritation. "The clerk let me have it with what you gave me."
She rolled her eyes and motioned for him to walk beside her. "Stupid Tonchi. He better not expect me to give him anything for it either. That's what he gets for trying to be nice. Poor sap has been trying to get me to come home with him for ages." She laughed alone, sometimes forgetting that her son was only 10 and wasn't amused with her adult themed jokes. She looked down at him and gave a crooked smile. "So how's that bun-gee gum taste, anyway?"
He shoved a stick in his mouth and smiled pleasantly. "As good as it smells." He handed her a piece. "Try it."
She took it and shoved it in her mouth in the same manner. "Yeah this is pretty tasty. Mixes well with the whisky. Kudos to you kid, you've got good taste." She ran her hand through his glossy red hair, making a note of how long it was getting. She smiled tenderly, thinking of how it wouldn't be much longer until the girls came around. He was getting so handsome after all, and she mentally applauded herself for handing down good genetics.
"Alright, Hisoka. Let's head on back."
The lights flickered in their apartment as they opened the door. They were the dimmest essence of green, making their small confinement seem that much drearier. Ashtrays overflowing with cigarette butts littered the floor, and Hisoka scowled as he stepped on a few loose ones. His mother made a beeline for the sofa, plopping down with a sigh. She laughed at joke that only she could hear, making it clear to Hisoka that she was drunk. He rolled his eyes. She had become so typical at this stage in life, so boring. He stared at her for several seconds before she met his gaze. She smirked at him and kicked off her shoes. "Tell you what kid. How about I order us some takeout and we watch some television? It's been awhile since we've hung out."
He looked at her blankly and shrugged his shoulders. "Sure, I guess. But do you even have enough money for that?"
She closed her eyes and leaned back into the couch, relaxing. "Don'tworryaboutallofthatnow," she slurred, letting out a yawn. "I'll get that taken care of. Just give me about an hour or so to nap. And then..I'll..orde…" She hadn't finished her sentence before lightly snoring. Hisoka didn't care one way or another. He was getting so restless with this life that his mother had created for the two of them. And he was starting to itch for something exciting to happen for once.
He studied the small studio in search of something to entertain him. Television was overrated, and trying to watch it was pointless due to their bad reception. He cut his slanted cat eyes at his mother. Sure he loved her, the way a child is supposed to love a mother, but there was nothing deeper than that. He didn't care to understand her, nor did he feel obligated to. She was a silly woman who made silly decisions that led to this mundane life they lived. But that was no matter, and it certainly wouldn't help him find some sort of entertainment in this place.
He searched the closet that kept most of their…junk, for a lack of better terms… and found an old box that belonged to her. She had constantly filled his head with drunken stories about how that box was the only thing she carried with her when she left home. Her parents, his grandparents (although calling them that was stupid in his opinion) had told her she shamed the family when she gave the news that she was pregnant. A drop out high school student and a rumors of promiscuity was already wearing them thin, and a child born out of wedlock (asking who the fathered the child was so pointless)solidified their reasoning of abandonment . So she grabbed everything that mattered to her and hit the road, and blah, blah blah…Hisoka shook his head at the redundancy. Everything that mattered to her, huh? So she was always a bit fickle. He rummaged through the box of irrelevant items: an old playing card deck, a dirty and worn out blanket, some pictures of his mother in rather obscene poses, an unopened package of face paint, and a stuffed bunny rabbit. He grabbed the playing cards (at the very least I can learn to play Gin and earn some money on the streets) and the facepaint, thinking of dirty tricks he could play on his mother while she slept. The rest was as useless as this day was turning out to be. He sat down next to the box and popped another piece of gum in his mouth. The flavor instantly satisfied him, and cured a small portion of boredom that was settling over him.
THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
Hisoka leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes, smiling deviously. Finally something fun. The two idiots upstairs are at each other's throats again. He waited in anticipation at the argument that was to follow. She would accuse him of cheating and drinking too much, he would call her a nagging bitch, and somewhere along the way the police would be called. The thought alone delighted him.
His mother, however, did not feel as enthused. Her eyes popped open in annoyance and she sat upright. "Oh come the hell on! What's a lady gotta do to get a decent nap around here!?" She walked towards the kitchen and grabbed the broom. Standing on the sofa, she banged the handle against the ceiling and screamed. "HEY! KEEP IT DOWN UP THERE! PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO RELAX AROUND HERE DAMNIT!"
Hisoka could hear the man yell something in retaliation to his mother. Well, this took an interesting turn of events. "WHAT'D YOU SAY YOU PIECE OF SHIT!?" He could see the anger dancing in her eyes.
"I SAID MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS BITCH! THIS AINT GOT NOTHIN TO DO WITH YA!"
His mother looked absolutely irate now. "WELL WHY DON'T YOU BE A REAL MAN AND COME DOWN HERE AND SAY IT TO MY FACE! OH THAT'S RIGHT, YOU'RE TOO BUSY BEING A LITTLE BITCH!" Hisoka laughed at his mother's audacity. He had to admit, she sure had a lot of spunk and he admired her for it.
He overheard the woman upstairs make a plea to the man, but her words were abruptly cut off by a loud thump to the ground. Silence filled the air, much to his disappointment. His mother hopped off of the sofa, seemingly pleased with herself. "You see kid, that's how you handle assholes." Hisoka scoffed and went back to enjoying his gum. No sooner than he had closed his eyes, was he interrupted by a loud banging at the door. He slithered open an eye curiously, anticipating the next events.
"WHATDYA WANT!?" His mother slurred, returning to sucking down her whisky.
"OPEN THE DOOR, YOU STUPID BITCH. I'M HERE TO BE A REAL MAN AS YOU SAY!" The man on the other side sounded equally as drunk. His mother mumbled something under her breath and turned to Hisoka. "Go in the closet and shut the door. I don't know what the bastards gonna do, but your mama will handle it." A sly smile emerged on her face. "Actually, keep it cracked open a bit. Wouldn't hurt you to see how things need to get handled."
Hisoka obeyed, and placed himself in the corner to gain a good seat to the show. His heart raced a bit at the thought of a confrontation. So exciting!
His mother dragged her feet to the door, opening it roughly. "So tell me," she egged the man on, words underlined with malice, "just how are you going to be a real man today?" She laughed in his face and took another swig of her liquor.
Hisoka could hear the man grumbling, falling prey to his mother's trap. He smiled at her viciousness. His smiled disappeared when he saw his mother take a step back, putting her hands in the air defensively. "H-hey man," he heard the tremors in her voice. "C-come on. There's no need for all of that now. I was just talking shit."
"That's the problem with all youse broads," he vented, "you want to keep on nagging and nagging until a man can't take no more. I lost my job and the old lady wouldn't SHUT UP about it, and I can only take so much. And now you wanna start with me? Not today. Not to-fucking-day."
"Look man, we all have our issues. I get it, I got tons of em! But there's no need for that." Hisoka peeked through the crack, trying to see what was going on. But his mother's frame blocked his view of anything. Nonetheless, he could sense the atmosphere and her aura change. He heard his mother whisper, "Come on, I have a kid, man. Have a heart. What about hi—"
The bottle dropped to ground.
Shattered glass.
Words caught in a gurgle.
The lights flickered their ugly green hue again.
He caught a glimpse of his mother stumbling backwards before falling over, clutching her stomach. The man in the doorway lingered for half a second before making bolting away. Hisoka slowly came out of the closet, eyes darting around the area. He swallowed the gum in his mouth. "Mom?" He walked slowly towards her on the ground, trying to take in everything that was happening.
She looked up at him with pleading eyes. She was trying to say something, but each word was caught in her throat and replaced with blood. The knife was lunged deeply in her belly, and Hisoka knew instantly that there was no saving her. He knelt by her and stared blankly at her face. He was trying to find some sort of emotion to feel. But at the moment he felt nothing.
She kept trying to say something to him. She reached her hand towards his face and attempted to touch his cheek, but dropped her hand immediately. Hisoka studied her eyes. No shine. No gloss.
No life.
She was gone. In an instant, the firecracker inside of her had been extinguished, and now she lay on the ground completely still. Hisoka couldn't take his eyes off of her. An unexpected emotion washed over him, consuming his mind.
Disappointment.
"How could you be that weak? How could you let that man do this to you?" He became silent, as if he expected her to answer. He shook his head, feeling annoyed. "I guess you want me to avenge your death now, right? I suppose it only seems fair, after all." He got up and sighed. He looked around his apartment. He ransacked the drawers until he came across the sharpest knife they owned. He decided it would have to do, although he wasn't sure if it would be enough. He took another look around before deciding that he no longer needed to linger. He headed towards the door, until the deck of cards and face paint caught his eye. He picked it up and then looked at his mother. "I suppose I'll need something to remember you by at the least." Stuffing it in his pocket, he carefully stepped over her body, and stopped before reaching the door frame.
"Don't worry. I'll take care of him for you. And I'll show you how things need to be handled."
He walked into the hallway with a mischievous smile.
At last, the excitement I've been longing for!
SO WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK? I PROMISE THIS STORY WON'T BE INCREDIBLY LONG, BUT EXPECT THE FIRST TWO CHAPTERS TO FEATURE A CHILDHOOD HISOKA. ALSO KEEP IN MIND THAT THIS STORY IS PRE CANON, SO YOU WON'T BE SEEING GON, KILLUA OR ANY OF OUT OTHER FRIENDS. ALSO AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THE DESCRIPTION, THIS WILL BE RATED M, SO EXPECT SOME STRONG LANGUAGE HERE AND THERE AND SOME SUGGESTIVE SCENES. EXPECT SOME MILD ROMANCE, BUT I PROMISE THIS WON'T BE A FLUFF! I WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE ANY REVIEWS THAT YOU GUYS HAVE OR CRITIQUES (BUT GO EASY ON ME I AM HUMAN lol).
CHAPTER TITLE SONG CREDIT GOES TO MGMT.