The sea breeze was invigorating to the souls of the fishermen. They were at peace, living as they saw fit. Every day they'd go out on their boats one by one, and catch their livings. Inhabitants converted with the ocean, and when the time came, they'd come back home to sell their day's worth. Each time smiling faces and cheerful impressions greeted them by the docks, wives and family alike awaiting their return with eager passions. They worked together and as a whole, they are what make Whale Island. A small island albeit but peaceful, amorous and void of any disaster. It had the perfect forestry for creatures to dwell in, and sights unlike any other for those who cherished nature's gift to the world.
A particular residence on the top of a lone hill was one that adored such things. The timber entrance swung inward and revealed a young boy no older than the age of six exiting the household, waving heartily to his aunt. He had tanned skin that shone smoothly in accordance to the beating sun's rays, and pure, round hazelnut irises that yelled wonder. His raven hair spiked above, managing to give him a little more height than he actually had. The boy simply wore a white singlet and dark beige shorts with boots for his adventure on the island that day.
"I'll be back soon, Mito-san!" His childish voice announced to the woman unsurely smiling in the doorway.
Mito wasn't particularly fond of the boy wandering about on the island by himself. But he'd shown her on more than one occasion how capable he was of handling himself. He had an uncanny ability to attract animals to his side, where they were pacifistic instead of ferocious like many others around. Eventually her hesitant smile faded into a warm gesture, and she softly waved back to him as he ran off into the nearby forest. Each day he appeared more like Ging, it made her wonder just how long it would be until he disappeared as well.
Pushing leaves and vines to clear his path, the six year old observed his surroundings and found nothing threatening in his trail. If a large beast of any type came into view, he was small enough to hide without mistake. A jovial smile spread across his lips, and he found a nearby tree to climb up. Due to his shortness, he could only climb certain trees, and his jumping ability was only average by his standard. Although he'd found it was far higher than adults could achieve, much to his delight. When the fishermen watched him climb up one of their boat's sails one day with such ease, he looked back to find them shocked, though appalled in a seemingly good way.
The fond memory made his smile grow, and he climbed to the highest point of the tree as it overlooked the forest. A salty draft from the ocean coursed through him making Gon feel nostalgic for some reason, though he couldn't quite put his finger on why. It was a feeling that didn't come by too often, but only at certain moments in time. Gon sighed with exasperation and leaned off the tree, walking along the branch he currently occupied. When it bent down due to his weight, he leaped from the tree and touched down on another branch, thicker than the one before. It easily supported the young child and there he sat down, taking in the environment around him as if he were a part of it. Soon he shut his eyes and let his legs hang down as his consciousness swept away with slumber's soothing blanket.
Fluttering wings of birds and hysterical chirping jolted him from his sleep. Gon snapped his eyes open and he abruptly sprung forward, turning his head to the source of their leave. The time had touched noon, and the temperature reached its climax with radiating warmth. There hadn't been any change in the atmosphere, but something was amiss. Jumping down from the tree with the support of branches to catch him along the way, his boots hit the ground when he decided to investigate. "What was that?" he asked himself in a lowly whisper. His keen hearing aided him in his search, and in no time he located what had been the disturbance in his sleep. He would have been proud but…
But he certainly wasn't expecting this. It was… frightening.
Gon stood there, dumbstruck. His mouth was left hanging open, eyes widened in disclosure. His stomach twisted grotesquely in all sorts of forms, and he hesitated to move from his spot. The longer he watched with mortified pupils, the closer his legs gradually dragged him towards the scene. A nervous bead of sweat ran down his paling cheek and slowly he knelt down, knees crushing the leaves beneath him as his body grew uneasy. Thick scents of blood made his nose wrinkle with discomposure, and he had tried many times to look away, but couldn't find himself capable of it. He felt sick to the point he almost needed to bring up his breakfast. No six year old should have to see this, but it was too late to forget.
In front of him was a boy appearing his age, the form lying on gravel. Where the sun shone through the trees, it circled around his figure and illuminated it stunningly. Mattered, slightly spiked snow white hair lay on the ground and strands of blood covered the locks. He had glistening pale skin that perfectly accompanied his highlighted features, and a baby face that gave him the appearance of a foreign porcelain doll. The only deduction from the glowing beauty was his distressing condition, and it made Gon idly bite his bottom lip. He was unconscious; completely bruised and battered. Blood ran over his bare arms with deep lacerations, down his head and left side. His sleeves had been torn from sheer force and were left with barely enough cloth to call it a shirt. The albino's pants however were fine and only slightly torn at the hems.
He was the reincarnation of an angel in the innocent child's eyes. Had he fallen from heaven?
"H-Hello..?" Gon's stuttering voice escaped him. His instant thought was to see if the boy was okay, but he knew nothing of first aid, or anything above applying a bandage to a sprained ankle. Mito knew much more than he did, but unfortunately she wasn't there. She was back at the house with her grandmother and Gon desperately wished they weren't so far off.
When he didn't receive any reply, he worriedly turned his head to both sides. No one was around, and if he didn't act this boy was likely going to die. Assuming the white haired boy wouldn't awaken because of his injuries, Gon came to a conclusion and acted as swiftly as possible without endangering the other's life. He grabbed one of the stranger's arms and wrapped it delicately around his own shoulders, pulling him up from the ground. Afterwards he took hold of his other arm and repeated the process. As he stood up, Gon hunched forward and cupped his hands under the pale legs beside him and allowed for the unconscious male's body to lean against his back. He was surprisingly light and not all that much taller than him thankfully, so that made the trip far easier than expected.
"G-Gon…what …" Mito stuttered out, hand covering her mouth in surprise, "…what happened?!"
Gon reached the door to the house within half an hours travel and he was covered in sweat from the trip. The heat was so overbearing he felt like toppling over on the ground just like how he'd found the boy beforehand. Sweat dripped from his flustered expression, and Mito ran from the kitchen to the two children. Cautiously, after a short observation of her foster child's state and the one on his back, she took the unknown boy away and laid him on a matt in the living room. There was no exchange of words between Gon and her, except a small hesitant reply from the raven haired youth. He kept his distance from Mito as she grabbed the first aid kit from the cabinet nearby, but was obviously worried from the shine in his hazelnut orbs.
"I found him in the forest. He's been like that the whole time…"
Blood escaped his wounds and sunk into the matt in a pool of crimson, and his complexion seemed worse than before. Although his breathing appeared steady, Mito knew differently when she checked the albino's pulse in his neck. After cleansing her hands to keep bacteria from spreading, the woman didn't waste any time and began to address his wounds after ripping off the remainders of what used to be his shirt. His expression remained the same, indifferent as if he was a lifeless doll, and inwardly she feared the worst of his condition. Just how long had he been like this? Where were his parents, his family? She'd never seen this child on Whale Island before.
"Mito-san, is he going to be okay?" Gon's brows furrowed with worry.
Unfortunately his aunt didn't reply since she was too caught up in addressing his injuries. Perhaps she didn't hear, but Gon decided he wouldn't ask again in case it bothered her train of thought.
"Gon, can you go fill up a bowl of water? Bring a hand towel with you as well," her voice laced with a firm tone, and the latter promptly darted into the kitchen to gather what she'd demanded. Not once did her eyes leave the wounds that were slowly mended by her assisting actions. The lacerations appeared to be left by a creature with sharp claws, or perhaps with an intricate blade. Whatever left him in that state no longer mattered to her racing thoughts about saving him. There was only one question that sat at the back of her mind, desperately trying to inch its way to her throat in the form of a question.
Just who was he?
Even though I have two other fanfics that I'm working on, I couldn't keep this AU in any longer.
I have absolutely no idea where this will lead up to, so until then, enjoy! Little Killua and Gon are just the cutest. Well, when they aren't traumatized that is. It gets better, I swear I don't torture children just for the fun of it... o.o
Reviews are welcome. See you next chapter!