One
It had been so many summers ago, but the memory was still fresh in my mind.
I was thirteen, he must have been in his early twenties. At first I thought I had been cursed, from all the people in world I had to be the one to get kidnapped.
I try to forget those days, but today these memories run through my head as I sit here waiting to take the Hunter Exam.
He had bright colored hair and his eyes seemed to not notice any of us sitting, waiting to be sold and traded. I had no parents waiting for me. There were a total of six young women, including myself. We were being transported by ship, and all of us were being held under deck.
Perhaps it was the dark basement, the secrecy of the exam and the dangerous men around me that brought these memories back. Or maybe it was the man with the bright colored hair that stood in the same basement as me. I felt the cold ground beneath me, my legs had given out on me. The cold engulfed my body, before I knew it I was shaking.
It was dusk when we were being hushed into the ship like cattle. He was there guarding the ship, the cargo. When I first laid eyes on him I felt like we were destined to meet. My stomach fluttered and in an instant I was mesmerized by him. My eyes made only a few moments of contact with his silhouette but I would never forget him. I knew that even as I was sold and traded that that man would be the only one in my heart.
My badge spinned in my hand, 392, and I kept on getting lost deeper and deeper.
Her hair was golden like the sun, and she had completely accepted her fate. I'd never forget her. We had two weeks to bond before we were taken to the ship that would transport us to the city where we would be sold. Her name was Xiu and she refused to use her family name for they were the ones who had sold her into slavery. She was the person who taught me about sex. Xiu had an adventurous past before she was sold. She was nineteen from a poor family, and she often used sex as an advantage to get what she wanted without shame. She taught me what she could so I could survive in the world that awaited me.
There was a loud scream from within a crowd that set me free from the strings of the past. It was him, he had killed someone once again. I got closer to the ring of people staring at the dead man, my eyes unwillingly followed the man with the bright colored hair until he disappeared in the dark. This was him, the one from the ship, again I felt my stomach flutter.
"Number 44, Hisoka, the magician." My legs followed the voice in a group of children that were trading information. "He's really that dangerous?" I muttered from behind the boy wearing green as the man in the blue finished his speech. They all turned to look at me, it seemed they were unaware of my presence. "It's best we all stay away from him." The short stout man in the blue said to everyone. My mind told me the same thing but my body refused to listen. Even now my mind played the various scenarios I had dreamt up long ago.
"I'm Gon, what's your name?" The young boy in the green stretched out his hand, "I'm Iris."
Iris was the name given to me by my owner, the man that tormented me for so long.
"This is Kurapika and Leorio, and that's Tonpa." The blonde said hello, as well as the man in the suite and the one in the blue. Before I knew what was happening the man who I could now identify as Tonpa gave us each a soda, I thanked him and walked away from the group.
On my way to my side of the wall I heard various people speak of "the rookie crushers" leaving me to stare at the unreliable can of soda in my hand.
"Can I have your soda? I'm super thirsty." A small laugh escaped my lips, it was not related to the boy with silver hair and blue eyes before me, I was simply being immature remembering my thirst for number 44. "I think it's best if you don't, I heard some people speaking ill of the person who gave this to me. They referred to him as the "rookie crusher" and now I don't trust this soda." "I know." The boy with the silver hair winked and walked off, the hiss of the soda being opened reached her ears. She was left a bit dumbfounded wondering who this wild child was. But before she could keep thinking there was an ugly ring throughout the room, Iris quickly got up to follow the crowd,
"The Hunter Exam will now begin!" She felt her insides fill with joy, she had made it, this was really happening.
The girl with the auburn hair followed behind the man with the perfect mustache. She was nineteen years old, six years ago she had been sold into slavery after being kidnapped from her town. She was bought by an old, reputable business man. Six years ago she would have never thought that she would be a widow with a vast fortune, her future her's once again. Iris of Barbati, when Barbati bought her she was thirteen, at sixteen she was forced to marry the aging old man. To her luck, he died a year later leaving her the Barbati fortune. The first thing she did with her new wealth was buy Xiu, together they enjoyed a frivolous year. It was with Xiu that she shared her love for the strange colorful man and Xiu shared her tale of how the man had returned to buy them out of slavery. Unfortunately Iris was one of the first to go in the auction followed by Xiu and the rest in their group. Xiu thought it was worth pursuing and encouraged her friend's quest.
XX
It was late in the evening and those with ties to the Barbati fortune all gathered in the estate of Iris Barbati. It was a night to celebrate the fortune they had all made thanks to the closing deal Iris had secured through intimidation and seduction, but of course only a very few knew of her tactics.
Iris had carefully planned her mingling and she had worked all night to stand where she now stood. While she considered them friends for taking care of her when her husband died and helping her manage the trade business she could not see them as friends when she truly needed to. She had a different kind of friendship with them, it wasn't like Xiu. With Xiu she would joke around, she felt at ease talking to her, she felt cared for. Silva, Kikyo and Illumi Zoldyck, the most well informed people in the planet should be able to aid her in her quest to find her true love, right? But as she had walked closer to them she wondered if they would even waste their time on something so insignificant as her hunt for a man who's name she didn't even know. However, as she mustered the courage to ask for their help she caught herself telling a different story.
From what they know, she is looking for the men that traded her, declared she had found all them but was missing the colorful man. It was Illumi's emotionless face and dark eyes that made contact with her bright hazel green eyes first. Illumi blankly stated that he knew of such a man with similar attire to what she described; He was Hisoka Morow, and he would be participating in the upcoming Hunter Exam.
Illumi then brought a fork to his face and chewed on a small piece of the moist red velvet cake he was holding. Iris counted the number of times Illumi's jaw moved up and down as he chewed. He chewed too calmly, not a single worry on his face. Illumi gave no other information and slowly walked away. Thanking her luck first, Iris then thanked Illumi's parents and walked away, making sure she gently placed one foot down before placing the other one in front of it to try and contain her excitement.
Xiu first noticed the way she was walking, it was too stiff. She rudely abandoned the conversation she was in and made her way to Iris. The closer Xiu got the harder it was for her to decipher what was happening. At first she assumed the Plan Z had miserably failed but now that she was only a few steps from her now pale friend she saw it in the eyes of Iris.
There was fire, her hazel green eyes were on fire.
Iris took Xiu's hand and lead her away from the party hall. Both girls crossed hand in hand through the people until they were outside. The garden Barbati had built for Iris was breathtaking. There were a few people that gave them a quick look as they walked further and further away but those people quickly went back to their partner's and their wine. Iris soon let go of Xiu and quickened her pace. As soon as her shoes touched the grass of the vast open area she took off running, ditching her shoes, her long sequin evening gown grazing the grass as if it was of insignificant value. Twenty-five year old Xiu ran after Iris, ignoring the discomfort of running in a figure hugging mermaid dress. "I found him!" Xiu stopped in her tracks, it took a few seconds to put two and two together. Xiu's eyes lit up, she tackled the young Iris who was too distracted spinning around out of joy. Iris turned to face her friend just in time, dug her feet on the ground to keep both of them from falling over and wrapped her arms around her friend, accepting her barbaric hug. Xiu's shrilled laughter filled the night air, Iris feeling free again joined her best friend who was now jumping up and down, pulling Iris with her. Xiu was happy for Iris for she knew something her friend didn't and that was that Hisoka had personally gone back to look for Iris.
Hisoka had offered to buy Xiu's freedom for information on Iris' whereabouts but she had just been sold and her owner refused to resell her. Her heart swelled as she watched Hisoka fight her owners guards, killing three of them. Before things could get bloodier the hosts of the auction stepped in and Hisoka was escorted out; Xiu yelled out to the man Iris's fate as he was being escorted out. That night she was punished for her actions earlier in the evening. She embraced the pain from the beating she received and the hunger in her stomach. She knew the man would never find Iris because of the secrecy of the auction and the power of the buyers but in her heart she dreamt a happier ending for her now lost friend.
Xiu's hope returned that evening, the hope that her friend would find happiness and love. Iris meant the world to her. She had noticed Iris slowly withering away, the laughter abandoned her delicate, small voice and the light in her sparking eyes had started fading… until she told Xiu of the man with the magenta hair. Xiu tighten the hug around Iris, "let's get you ready then."
And that's how nineteen year old widowed Iris of Barbati ended up in the Hunter Exam.
So I barely finished watching Hunter X Hunter, can you guys believe I avoided that show for years? Now here I am writing my first fan faction ever on the show I avoided for so long! I thank Andrea Bocelli and his beautiful music for the inspiration. I hope you guys liked it, btw I'm not really sure where I'm heading with this story.