Here is my contribution to the HxH fall exchange, and a gift for G-odspeed. I hope you'll like it !
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Killua went to the ship bow and closed his eyes as he let the salty sea spray play with his hair. He'd been sailing for three days. As his destination got closer, he was feeling both excited and nervous.
Alluka came by him, and shouted : "Look ! It really looks like a whale !"
Killua didn't need to open his eyes to nod in agreement. He remembered well the first time he had visited Gon's place. He had seen the typical silhouette of Whale Island thickening the horizon.
Alluka ran to Kurapika and started to chat excitedly. Kurapika listened to her patiently, but he was obviously not in the mood for a talk. His hair was messy, his clothes creased, his eyes puffy and he hardly held back a yawn. He had slept almost the whole boat ride. He said he had intense fatigue due to an "unusual mission", even if he refused to say what this mission was.
"Kurapika, go wash your face with some water, you look like a zombie" said Leorio behind Killua. He was already prepared, his luggage packed up on his shoulder and ready to disembark.
"Well, it's the right time of the year for that" responded Kurapika with a tired smile. "I won't need any disguise tonight."
"Play the wit !" says Leorio "We're about to land, gather your stuff together already !"
"Well we don't land for half an hour" said Killua looking at his watch. It was just like he had stabbed Leorio.
"Half an ho… ? Rah, it's too long, I can't wait !" He threw his luggage away, jumped on the guardrail. Alluka grabbed his sleeve to stop him from swimming to the island. Leorio gave up, and instead decided to wave his arms and shouted : "Woohoo Gon ! We're coming !"
Killua covered his face in his hands : "We're too far, stop embarrassing yourself."
"Stop underestimating Gon" replied Leorio. "You're as aware as any of us what he's capable of."
Killua smile but did not answer. He was actually pretty touched by the man's naivety.
He couldn't guess Leorio was right. Far from them, perched on the highest tree of the highest peak of the island stood a teen. A pair of binocular screwed on his eyes, Gon smiled so wide that it could have cut his head in two. He jumped on his feet, waved : "Woohoo ! Leorio ! I can see you !" and ran as fast as he could to the port.
He arrived way too soon, and as the ship was approaching the land, Killua could see him walking around with impatience and excitement on the wooden wharf, like a puppy ready for the most exciting walk of his life . Killua's heart ran faster. He hadn't seen his friend for so long. They had lived such different lives since they separated at the foot of the World Tree. Gon had to learn to live without nen again. While Killua lived so many adventures, a fun and insouciant life with his sister. In a word, the life Gon had dreamt of having with his own father, or Kite. Instead, after a couple of weeks traveling with his new friends, he had to go back in his native Island. Without nen, he couldn't follow his friends in all of their adventures. He was slowing them down and put himself needlessly in danger. He was stuck with a family he loved, but couldn't share the same life, just like the life Killua had ran away from. Killua wondered how his friend was feeling right now.
The ship drew alongside the pier. The gangway resonated under the heavy steps of Leorio. He ran and took the child in his arms, spinning him around. Kurapika, as happy but more collected, embraced him. And what about me ? wondered Killua. Shaking hands is too formal, nodding is too cold, giving a kiss is… just... no, and…
But Gon didn't let him torture himself further and jumped into his arms. "Killua ! I missed you !" he shouted, and Killua would have tinnitus during the next hour. He hardly had the time to recover from this emotional storm when Gon turned to Alluka and roared : "Alluka ! You grew up so much !" like an adult. Actually Alluka grew only three centimeters. Gon easily grew ten, but Alluka looked very flattered.
Gon couldn't stand still : "Ok so I'll introduce you to Mito. Killua, you already know. We're gonna put your stuff at home. Then we'll visit the island and eat at my grandma's and then bathe in the river it's not cold you'll see and after…"
"Wait a minute young lad. My cargo isn't unload yet." Leorio cut him short, readjusting his glasses with a teacher-like move. A huge wooden crate was pushed on the quay, with a large tag : "Oreo Papadiknight". Kurapika stared at it in defiance. It didn't look at all right to him.
"Your cargo ?" he said. "You plan to do business here ? I thought you'd have earned enough with your hunter licence."
"Not business" said Leorio, looking even more proud. "Something way more fun !" He put his hands up in enthusiasm as a second bigger crate was parked near the first, with the tag "Lol Ohio Callmetonight."
"What do you mean when you say "fun"?" asked Killua, looking at a third crate, even bigger than the first ones, tagged "Reyo HotdamnIdon'tgetathingaboutthisnameIgoonstrike".
It seemed to be exactly the answer Leorio hoped for. He placed his hands on his hips and started a very unnatural laughter: "Haha ! I knew you wouldn't think about it ! The weather and the soil on Whale Island are inauspicious for pumpkin farming. It's very hard to find any. So I've brought some !" he concluded, while a fourth, bigger, larger, heavier crate is hardly handed next to him, with the tag in another writing: "Loud guy with weird glasses."
Kurapika enunciated very slowly : "You mean that all those boxes…"
Killua pointed at them "are full of…"
"...pumpkins ?" ended Alluka.
"Yep !" confirmed Leorio, literally radiating with pride. "I don't know if pumpkins can last long travels well, so in doubt, I've brought four hundreds."
"Four hund…!" Killua choked.
While the boy jumped upon Leorio to punch him, Gon turned to Kurapika : "Pumpkins ? But… what for ? I have plenty of vegetables at home."
"For Halloween of course" said Alluka. "It's tonight."
Gon looked at her with empty eyes and a polite smile. "Halloween ? What is it ?'
Whale Island had its own rich culture, and it's own death festival, in summer. During previous Halloweens not at his home, Gon had been on Greed Island, where players easily lost all sense of time. And he was too busy being tortu… trained by Bisky to think about anything else.
So Kurapika launched into a historical and mythological explanation of Halloween. He was frequently interrupted by Alluka who focused on disguises and candies. Gon couldn't figure out the relation between all this information. His gaze went from one to the other, more and more confused. When he felt like his head was going to explode, he cut them short : "Okay, okay, I didn't get everything, but it looks fun and as long as we do it together, I'll be happy with it."
Kurapika forced Leorio to carry all the crates by himself, to teach him a good lesson. He reached Gon's house far after all the others. Gon had already showed everything to everyone twice, and was about to do so again. He smiled largely when he saw Leorio coming up.
"Ha here you are ! I'm hungry ! When do we eat the pumpkins ?"
"We're not going to eat them !" laughed Kurapika. "We have to carve them first."
Before the questioning gaze of Gon, Kurapika decided to show an example. He came near to Leorio in the garden, bent over and out of breath, and patted him on the back, making him stumble. "Now that you're warmed up, you can unwrap your cargo and bring us the pumpkins ?"
Leorio opened the crates, swearing and calling Kurapika names. Kurapika gathered everyone in the kitchen and opened the window. He told Gon to take the longest knifes. Alluka was very excited and put an apron on. "You'll see Gon, it's fun, a little hard, but a strong boy like you shouldn't have any problem."
"Any problem doing what ?"
"This" answered Kurapika. He waved at Leorio in the garden who throw him a pumpkin by the window. He raised the pumpkin in his left hand, and his eyes set ablaze with a scarlet glow. He raised his right hand, and his chains clinked. The children could felt a change in the atmosphere. A stiff coldness. Alluka started to show some concern.
"Kurapika… what are you…"
She didn't have the time to end her sentence. The chains drilled the peel, ran through the pumpkin, exploded the flesh, rummaged inside, with grating noise and groans. Kurapika's moves were strong and precise. The chains danced around him, spreading orange flesh everywhere, clinking like funeral bells. The pumpkin vibrated, about to break up. And everything stopped as suddenly as it started.
"Here it is" said Kurapika with a smile, his eyes taking their normal color again, as if nothing happened. "A Halloween Pumpkin" He showed it to the children. Alluka screamed, Killua swore, and Gon yelled : "But what is this terrifying thing ? Why does it have a cross in its forehead ? Is it a Halloween thing ?"
"It is" said Kurapika with a patient smile. "Carving pumpkin is traditionally used to express all the repressed anger and hatred you silently carry in your heart all year long."
A flying pumpkin landed in the table and the distant voice of Leorio came from the garden : "It doesn't mean that at all !"
While Leorio and Kurapika started an argument from each side of the window like an old couple, Alluka grasped with difficulty the pumpkin almost heavier than her. "My turn !"
"I gonna help you" said Killua. "Take care not to cut yourself."
"I'm no longer a baby" said Alluka with a baby pout.
They felt in their back the atmosphere getting colder again, and the clinking of chains. They exchanged a look and all crouched down. Right in time : masses of pumpkin flesh flew through the kitchen over their heads. Killua whistled : "Is he going to do this with the four hundreds pumpkins ?"
"Looks like" whispered Gon..
They seeked refuge under the table. Killua wedged the pumpkin between his crossed legs and Alluka enthusiastically start to dig in it. Gon couldn't see it, but he was sure Killua was helping her by surrounding her knife with his aura, because the frail little girl carved the firm flesh like it was mashed potatoes and finished her work quickly. She stood up from under the table, showing up her work with a proud smile.
"Look at what I've done !"
"Adorable." said Kurapika.
"As sweet as you." said Killua.
"So cute !" said Gon putting his hands up.
"What ? What is it ?" said Leorio from the garden. "I can't see !"
Alluka's smile had slowly faded at every answer. "It was supposed to be frightening…" she muttered, highly disappointed.
"Don't worry, you'll try again, you're very talented !" Gon cheer her up. "And what do you think of mine ? Scary, isn't it ?"
A stupefied silence settled in the kitchen, only interrupted with Leorio's yellings who still couldn't see anything.
"Yeah, it's scary, but…" started Killua carefully.
"But I don't get where I'm supposed to put the candle in." wondered Gon.
"It's because it's a carrot, Gon" said Kurapika.
"So what ?" said the boy. "Aren't we supposed to carve orange vegetables ? I put so much effort in this. Carrot are not very cooperative."
Alluka broke into laughter and waved at the window, so Leorio could give an actual pumpkin to Gon. But Leorio was no longer in the garden. She turned to his friends. "Is he upset because we didn't show him our works ?"
"I think he went to seek something" said Kurapika mysteriously. "He won't be long."
"You know something we don't" accused Killua. "What are you guys planning ?"
"Us ? Nothing at all." pretended Kurapika. "Gon, why don't you take a couple of pumpkins and bring them to us instead ?"
"He's trying to change the subject" muttered Killua, while Gon jumped through the window.
He brought back eight pumpkins at the same time. Alluka choosed a little one. All the kids jumped under the table when they heard the clinkings that were so fast and angry they swore it sounded like a chainsaw. Alluka quickly finished and showed her second work.
"Ho, lovely." said Kurapika.
"It looks like a little rabbit !" said Killua.
"So cute !" said Gon putting his hands up.
"What what what ? I can't see I can't see !" Leorio were back in the garden, his mysterious job done, pretending nothing happened.
Alluka frowned but stay determined. She carved four more pumpkins. Each work was sweeter than the previous one. Everytime Gon cheered with his hands up. The fourth time he forgot he was still under the table with his knife in his fist. The blade passed through the table wood and no one was able to retrieve it. Nonetheless, Gon was making noticeable progress.
"Look !" he said showing up his latest work. "This time, there's enough room for a candle !"
"Good job Gon !" congratulated Killua. "Next time, you'll carve an actual pumpkin and not a sweet pepper !"
"It's not like we're at risk of not having enough pumpkins." said Kurapika.
"I've heard you !" said leorio from the garden. "And look ! I was right : Look at this one ! It's wounded ! Totally useless !"
"Ho no !" said Kurapika ironically. "There are only 399 pumpkins left ! What will become of us ?"
Leorio roared and ran through the window, the incriminate pumpkin under his arm. He reached Kurapika so fast he didn't had the time to avoid him. Leorio lifted the pumpkin with both hands and smashed it on Kurapika's head. The wounded part exploded, and Kurapika's head got stuck in the vegetable. Totally unimpressed, Kurapika took a knife and carved two holes for his eyes.
"You can poke fun at me" said Leorio, "but you'll be happy to have so many pumpkins when we…" he stopped suddenly.
"When you what ?" asked Killua, trying to look suspicious but still struggling with refrained laughter.
"Nothing" answered Leorio and Kurapika in the same time. Actually, Leorio said "nothing". Kurapika said "gfrrgmlr" because there wasn't enough room for his mouth, but the intention was here.
Meanwhile, Nanika had asked for a try. She choose the roundest pumpkin. The result had been immediately recognized : perfectly round eyes, and rounded lips edges. Nanika had carved her own face.
"It's pretty logical" commented Killua. "Nanika has to grant every wish literally, without any interpretation. She has no imagination."
But everyone agreed it was the cutest pumpkin of all. Alluka came back in her body, and looked at the pile of terrifying Kurapika's pumpkins with a sigh of envy.
"I'm not made for Halloween. I should just give up."
"Frdfmlfrrr…?" said Kurapika. He took a knife again and finally carved a mouth hole. "What are you saying ? You're obviously the Halloween Princess this year."
"The Halloween Princess ? What is it ?" she asked.
"You never heard of this ? It's a true story. Happened a long time ago. I can tell you."
"Yes please" said the kids at the same time.
Kurapika went to the window and signed Leorio to come closer. He whispered in his ear, his huge pumpkin head bouncing against his temple. Leorio nodded in agreement. Then Kurapika closed the curtain, plunging the kitchen into darkness. He sat with crossed legs on the table, avoiding carefully the blade pointing out of the wood. While the children moved chairs next to each others and sat. Kurapika lighted a little flashlight and slipped it in a gap between the pumpkin peel and his neck. The mouth and eyes hole glowed with an eerie light, the shadows around his mouth deepening and fading as he was talking.
"Once upon a time..."