First thing's first: for those who already read the original first two chapters, I trashed those and replaced them with a much more solid single chapter. At the time, I hadn't thought too much about Gon's backstory, but I think I've established it in my mind now, and looking back, I realized I needed to do some major revisions. Thus we have Chapter One.
Also, I decided to up Gon and Killua's age to 14 (no pun or parallel intended) just because it would work much more nicely with the story. Plus, if you guys want romance, which many do, I'm much more likely to add it in if they aren't prepubescent children. (Not like 14 is that much better imo).
And finally, to new readers as a heads up, Gon and Kurapika are both FEMALES in this fic. Hope that doesn't turn anyone away for whatever reason.
Anyway, read on! Don't let this author's note stop you! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Hiatus x Hiatus belongs to Yoshihiro Togashi.
That man has ruined my life.
Chapter One: Why x She x Went
十四番
11 Years Previous
"Take her and run!"
Small fists came up to rub big brown doe eyes, but it was no use. All Gon could see was a red haze, colors and shapes that blurred together creating a mess of a scene. Cries of frustration, glass shattering, desperate sobbing - was that her? - Gon's senses couldn't grasp any one thing except the strong arms tightly wrapped around her, shielding her from the unknown world just beyond her back.
The woman holding her stood and dashed off, out into the new moon-lit world.
"You'll be fine, you'll be alright..."
She knew that voice. Fuzzy images of warm honey eyes and soft smiling lips calmed Gon, just for a moment. She could ignore the clashing sounds and the heavy smell of blood and the suffocating air that had previously dominated her senses -
A strangled cry stripped the memory to pieces.
THUD.
The woman held Gon even tighter to her chest, running faster though the eerie woods.
Somewhere in that unknown world, a snake-like voice filled the small clearing. "Excellent job, my dear little brother."
She tripped, turning slightly so that Gon didn't get crushed in the fall. The woman scrambled to stand again, but froze as a dark aura closed in on the two of them. Closer and closer and closer -
"Please!" The woman cried. "Spare her!"
Gon itched to see everything, but her mind was filled to the brim with numb fear. That woman's voice... It was... She was...
"But that isn't my job."
Shlunk!
Gon let her eyes travel in slow intervals to her right, where a pale hand ran through red cloth that only darkened with thick crimson blood by the second.
That hand...
Her mind started to go fuzzy again, but not before she caught a clear glimpse of the woman's face, smiling, but full of terror and pain.
Gon tried to form words, to form at least a name, until she felt thin, iron hands grip her sides. Her own eyes, dark with horror, darted to the shadowy thing slowly pulling her away from the dying woman. Pain coursed through her as its icy nails dug into her flesh.
"I'm... Begging you." The woman choked out.
Another sickening shlunk sounded.
She was thrown into a disarray. Nothing made sense. Who were these people? What were they going to do?
Why can't I see clearly?
The shadowy monster raised a hand, nails glinting in the moonlight, brought it up to her neck -
And the world suddenly turned upside down. The cold left, as well as the suffocating aura; Gon sucked in a gasping breath, unclogging her mind.
Black trees whipped by. Wind caught her short raven hair and whipped it wildly around. She was bawling.
"Don't even worry..."
Her eyes widened at the deep yet soft voice.
"You're safe now."
But that didn't matter to Gon. Because all she could see were the battered corpses of two woman and a shadowed demon standing above them.
And all she felt was alone.
十四番
Present Day
Crack!
Electric blue lighting sliced through the pouring rain, illuminating the grey skies for just a short moment.
In neighboring cities, the flooded streets were virtually empty, solely occupied by hurried businessmen and shady customers. The world had trapped itself in the warm, cozy indoors. Small noses pressed against the glass of thousands of windows, watching in awe as strike upon strike of lighting crashed to the ground a world away.
To them, it was a fascinating phenomena. How unlikely for each bolt of electricity to land virtually in the same spot, every time.
As the hours passed and the rain never let up, the innocent bystanders retreated from their windows, finding other more interesting things to observe.
The natural man. Nothing out of the ordinary.
Humans will always get bored of their toys at some point. To them, there's always a bigger fish out in the sea, a constant demand for new entertainment.
That's how it always is.
And that's how it will always be.
十四番
The storm never let up that night.
Through the mist, a small figure was visible, crouched on the hood of a small beat-up vehicle, tossed away and long forgotten.
It was a girl.
Her eyes were open and alert, boring holes straight through the precipitation at some unseen target far in the distance. Her long raven hair was tangled and matted to her cheeks, her jacket heavy with fallen rain. She shivered, just the slightest bit.
Yet still, she never moved.
"You must be getting cold by now."
A tattered umbrella rose above her head, held by a young woman with messy pink hair tied back in a pony tail. Her face showed no concern, but her actions proved otherwise.
The small girl smiled and shook her head.
Silence passed between them, but it was an understanding quiet. So the older of the two sat down on the hood and curled her knees up to her chest, aiming her gaze in the same direction.
They waited.
And waited.
And waited.
"Ano, Machi nee-san."
The pink haired girl pursed her lips. "What?"
"Did they really have to go to all this trouble?"
With those words, Machi could clearly see the worry in the small girl's honey-brown eyes. She placed a lithe hand on her shoulder. "It's no trouble." She reassured.
"But..." The girl played with her green jacket sleeves. "I could have waited until after the storm..."
Machi sighed, knowing full well that whatever explanation she gave, the raven-haired girl would not accept it. "They'll be back soon. I promise."
"Are you sure?"
Of course she didn't know for sure.
"Absolutely."
But she had to give the girl that hope.
Her bright smile was enough for Machi's own stony face to curl into something warmer. Only for her family was that expression of love ever present.
It seemed the older girl's words had meant something, because not a moment later, two approaching figures took shape in the grey distance.
The short girl jumped down from the discarded vehicle. "Uvo-chan! Nobu-nii!" She cried in delight as she ran towards the two men. They were equally as excited, greeting her with noogies and chuckles of their own.
Machi met them halfway.
"Did you find one?"
Nobunaga, the leaner of the two men, snorted. "Of course. Why else would we be back?" To prove it, he held up a small metal box.
She nodded. "Let's get back already."
"Aye aye."
The young giggling girl rode on Uvogin's shoulders on the journey back.
十四番
The four entered a small alcove in a rocky area of the ramshackle city. Their temporary home was somewhat cave-like, but to them, it felt like a safe haven from the lightning and wind outside. A fire crackled in the center. Surrounding it were ten others, whose eyes shifted to the entrance upon their arrival.
A blonde boy stood excitedly. "You got it?"
Nobunaga shook the box slightly.
The operation began immediately.
The small girl was placed on a flat rock used as a seat.
"Where?"
She pointed to her right shoulder.
One member, the "mother" of the group, Pakunoda, replied uneasily, "It's going to hurt."
A few members burst into laughter. The pain was a small price to pay for the result of the operation. And anyway, they knew the girl wouldn't complain once. She was strong.
She removed her jacket, and someone hung it above the fire to dry. She slid the strap of her black tank-top slightly down her arm, exposing her right shoulder blade.
With a quick glance around the room, Machi began.
十四番
The operation was speedy, with the help of a little aura.
Machi set the tool down, wiping a thin bead of sweat from her forehead.
"Done."
The crowd dove in closer, eager to get a look at the finished product. The sight made their eyes go soft.
On the girl's shoulder was an inky black spider with twelve legs, complete with the number "14" on its large abdomen.
To those who didn't know this ragtag team of fourteen, the tattoo would look exactly as it was - a tattoo. Maybe a little cool or a little weird, but a tattoo nonetheless.
The few who knew of the group might see it as frightening, as a threat, or as their life flashing before their eyes.
But to them, it was special. The tattoo was a trophy. It meant family.
As they "oohed" and "aahed", one of the members stood at Gon's side, placing a firm hand on her opposite shoulder.
The group quieted down, expectant looks directed at the man they called their leader.
"Everyone," Kuroro Lucilfer declared. "Please officially welcome into our family our newest member: Our number 14, Gon Freecss."
十四番
Gon forgot about the rain.
Rain was a symbol of sadness and despair, of lost hope and broken dreams.
None of that was present as they partied the night away. She assumed the normal bedtime rules didn't apply to her anymore since she was now officially a Spider.
A Spider.
A Spider.
She shivered gleefully at the sound of that. These people were her family, no doubt, but now she was part of the Team, the Gang, the Troupe. She wasn't just Gon Freecss anymore. She was Gon Freecss the Spider.
She laughed out loud.
"Gon!" Uvo called, somewhat drunkenly. "Get over here!"
So she skipped over to the growing limbo group.
十四番
A few weeks passed by. Nothing much happened, not only in their little group, but throughout the entire known world. The plethora of rain led way to growth in their junkyard city.
Stagnant ponds gave life to mosquitos. Rust sprouted and spread across the scrap metal strewn about the place. Black mold and algae opened their pores to the stuffy air.
Life in Meteor City was beautiful.
Gon herself was particularly enjoying the beauty of it all. This uncharted town was her safe haven, her base, her home. There wasn't a single person she'd met whom she didn't instantly bond with. The survivors in Meteor City were tightly knit. Everyone was family. Everyone deserved respect.
Because of that bond, she spent the entire morning and afternoon bidding them all farewell.
In her pocket, she fingered a card.
"When will you be back?" Grungy old men asked at every corner and trash heap. It was a well-known fact in Meteor City: Gon was off to take the Hunter's Exam.
"Eto..." She put a finger to her lip, then grinned. "Maybe by spring!"
And everyone pouted before wishing her luck.
Her choice to take the infamous Hunter's Exam may have been well-known, but her true reasoning was common knowledge only to a select group of fourteen.
十四番
"...That's why I want to become a Hunter."
The thirteen older Spiders were shocked. This idea of hers, it was so...
"No way."
"Leave it be."
"You're staying right here."
Indignant, Gon insisted that she have her way. And if Gon was anything, she was as stubborn as a mule.
Machi spoke first. "Why do you suddenly care?"
How to answer this? The newest Spider furrowed her brows a little in concentration. "Just... A feeling. That dream keeps recurring. Not dream, but..." She raised her face. "Memory."
The decision was tough, much tougher for some than others in the group. What she planned on doing wouldn't be a first for their little Gon, but it was the feelings attached that worried them.
But after a fateful coin toss, it was decided.
Kuroro reached a hand out, signaling for the applicant card that now seemed like a death waiver to them. He filled it out in a few strokes. The deal was set.
The raven-haired girl kept it in her pocket with a grateful grin before being crushed by one of Uvo's dreaded bear hugs.
She felt a sense of pride fill her in that moment.
Gon was going to become a Hunter for one reason and one reason only: to get vengeance on the ones who killed her biological family.
十四番
The day of departure was almost over. All that was left was saying good-bye to a certain intimate group of thirteen others.
She kept her eyes on the ground until the words left her mouth. "I'm going to pass." Her honey orbs met each of their eyes individually. Her jaw set. "I promise I'll pass."
Little did she know that her passing or failing of the test wasn't the concern of the Spider.
She hugged all of them, despite a few protests and refusals to return the embrace. But she knew these people. She knew they meant well. After all, they only wanted to protect her.
"I'll be back soon!" She called with a vigorous wave. "I'll miss you! And I'll make you proud!"
Gon was long gone. She couldn't have heard the murmur that passed throughout the family she left behind.
"You already have."
Next time, on 14:
"Let's just say... I'm hiding for right now."
Is this really all I've got to work with this year?
She could feel it, on her shoulder - her tattoo still burned slightly; the girl's words just made it all the more noticeable.
So yeah... There it is. It's vague, I know, I'm sorry!
(シ_ _)シ
But I'm sure all your lovely questions will be answered in due time.
Tell me if you liked it better, worse, or if you're a first-time reader, if you liked it at all, etc etc.
Have a fluffy day :3