Summer. The time of year everyone on Whale Island waited for. Winter may be the season to be jolly, but for the rural folks on the island, it was also the time of great winds and snow; a period of relative hardship for farmers and fishermen alike. Summer provided a time to relax, a time when even the hardest manual workers could take some enjoyment from the daily toil as the rays of the sun lifted people's spirits and melted frozen hearts. Summer was also host to the locally famous Festival of the Sun. Gon lived for the festival and could hardly contain his excitement as the date crept ever closer.
Oh boy, the festival is only two days away! I hope Killua and Biscuit make the journey okay, Gon thought to himself, his hands shaking slightly with excitement. As he lost himself in the memories of Sun Festivals gone by, Gon was suddenly brought back to reality by a familiar smell.
Aunt Mito's crabcakes! Awesome!
If there was one thing Gon loved more than fishing it was his Aunt Mito's renowned crabcakes. The recipe was a closely guarded secret, handed down by each generation of Freecs women and loved by many on Whale Island, not just Gon. Indeed, her crabcakes had won first prize at the Sun Festival's cook-off for the last five years running. As Gon made his way downstairs from his bedroom, the gratifying aroma of his Aunt's culinary treats filled his nose more and more. Stepping into the kitchen, he immediately made a pass for the crabcakes.
"I don't think so, Mister!" Mito said, slapping Gon's outstretched hand away. "We need to save some for your friends. Speaking of which, you better get down to the docks, their ferry will be here soon. Don't be late and remember to show them the famous Whale Island hospitality!"
With a sigh of defeat and denied crabcakes, Gon picked up his jacket, kissed his Aunt Mito on the cheek and left the house. The docks were only a ten minute walk away - as were most things on Whale Island - but he started to pick up the pace nonetheless. His Aunt wasn't joking about the island's hospitality: Whale had a proud history of pleasantries with outsiders and the good native folks hated tardiness most of all. Hurrying toward the docks, Gon's mind swirled with the excitement of the festival, seeing his friends again and, naturally, crabcake gorging. The sun was especially powerful over the island this time of year, it's rays drying many a poor apple left on the tree. Small beads of sweat started to form on Gon's brow as he charged toward the oceanside, his natural determination urging him on through the unforgiving heat.
Oh man, I can't wait to see Killua again….and Biscuit, too, Gon thought to himself, the ease of his mind's ability to focus on Killua first causing a small blush to form across his face.
Within no time at all Gon found himself dockside, just as The Conch - Killua and Biscuit's ferry - pulled in. It often amazed Gon how carefully such a large vessel could be steered. If his father hadn't have been a Hunter, it's likely Gon would have pursued sailing as his profession. As the large ferry began to dock, Gon could see two familiar faces smiling back at him, their hands waving with excitement.
"Hi, guys!" Gon shouted up to his friends, his arms waving frantically.
His words were slightly lost to the wind, but Killua and Biscuit smiled back nonetheless, as they shared a giggle between them at how silly Gon acted when he was excited. After a few minutes The Conch completed its mooring with a slight thud. Killua and Biscuit gathered their things, thanked the captain for the journey and made their way off the ferry. At the sight of his friends, Gon bounded up the front of the gang plank, his knees bouncing with excitement.
"I can't believe you're here! Welcome to Whale Island, guys!" he said with his arms outstretched as he gave an encapsulating spin.
Biscuit gave Gon a deep hug, they hadn't see each other in several months. "You better not have been slacking off while I've been away!" she exclaimed, playfully punching Gon on the arm.
"Nu-uh, I've been training to increase the power of my Nen," Gon replied, a sudden determination filling his face. Biscuit gave a satisfied smile and stepped aside.
Killua gave an oddly goofy smile as he approached Gon, both of them looking at the ground awkwardly as they entered touching distance.
"I'll, uh, just be checking out these flowers over here…" Biscuit said, trying to find a valid excuse to give Gon and Killua a moment, but failing miserably.
As Biscuit wandered off quietly cursing to herself for not thinking of a better excuse, Gon looked up at Killua, his face beginning to flush. "H...hi…" he said, the stupidest grin adorning his face. "I've, um, missed you".
Killua smiled back with an equally stupid grin, "I've, uh, missed you, too".
Trying oh-so hard not to make it obvious she was watching from a distance, a frustrated Biscuit yelled over to the boys, "Oh for god sake, just kiss him already!"
Desperately trying to hide their amusement behind their hands, Gon and Killua burst out laughing at Biscuit's remark.
"You heard the lady," Killua said, his cheesy grin morphing into something far more flirtatious.
Gon smiled suggestively and pressed his lips to Killua's, the feeling of kissing his best/boy friend causing his heart to flutter. As he tried to pull away, Killua wrapped his arms around Gon's neck, refusing to allow the moment to end.
"Finally!" Biscuit exclaimed. "Now come on, love birds. If I smell fish for another second I might literally die," she said, her face twisting into a picture of disgust.
The boys laughed, had one final peck and made their way away from the dock, a decidedly green looking Biscuit close behind. As they strolled casually back to Mito's house, Gon shared many stories from Sun Festivals past, each one grander and ever-so-slightly more embellished than the last. The sun, which had seemed so relentless on the way to the dock, now seemed more pleasant as it framed a picturesque-looking Whale Island. Biscuit smiled to herself as Gon gesticulated wildly, her sharpened sense of danger subsiding as she thought how lucky Gon was to call such a lovely place home.
As Mito's house came into view, Gon's stomach growled loudly. Grimacing as he held his abdomen, Biscuit looked over to him and said with a smirk, "Hungry, Gon?"
Gon didn't reply, his focus entirely on the crabcakes he was forced to leave behind earlier. The last few minutes of the journey seemed like eternity to a hungry Gon, whose walk had evolved into a light jog. As he reached the front door, he turned to his friends and said with a satisfied smile, "Wait 'til you try my Aunt Mito's crabcakes! They're the best thing ever!"
As he opened the door, the rich aroma of his favorite treat wafted up his nose. Ushering his friends inside as quickly as he could, Gon introduced Killua and Biscuit to his Aunt Mito.
"Aunt Mito, this is Biscuit and Killua".
"Welcome to Whale Island, dear!" his Aunt said to Biscuit with a welcoming smile, hugging her as she greeted her. "Please make yourself at home. You can drop your things in the spare room upstairs, that's where you will be staying. We can't have you sharing a room with two smelly teenage boys," Mito said, grinning at Gon at the same time.
Gon scoffed as Biscuit thanked Mito for her hospitality. Without hesitation, she made her way to her room to drop the heavy bag she absolutely didn't need to bring, but one can't be too careful, or at least she thought to herself. Turning her attention to Killua, Mito's expression became one of much stronger appreciation.
"So, you're the Killua I've heard so much about," she said, her expression one of genuine wonder. Mito wasn't aware of the exact nature of Gon and Killua's relationship, though she had guessed it was probably a little more than friendship. "Gon talks about you a lot," she said, grinning devilishly at a nephew she loved to playfully embarrass at every given opportunity.
"Aunt Mitooooo!" Gon moaned, his face turning beet red.
Mito chuckled to herself as she reveled in the successful attempt to embarrass her favorite nephew. "It's wonderful to finally meet you, dear," she said to Killua, her face emanating a truly warming aura. "I'm afraid there are no more spare rooms, so you'll be sharing Gon's room".
"Thanks, Ms. Freecs," Killua replied, somewhat equally embarrassed by Mito's earlier ribbing of Gon.
As the boys made their way upstairs to settle in, Mito shouted after them, "Oh and boys…..leave the door open".
"AUNT MITOOOOO!" Gon shouted back, ready for the world to swallow him up whole.
After settling in and freshening up, Gon, Killua and Biscuit made their way downstairs. Mito was still hard at work preparing dinner, but gave a warm smile as they entered the kitchen. Gon made a beeline for where the crabcakes had been, only to find they were no longer there! Before he could ask his Aunt where they were, Mito said to his friends over her shoulder as she continued working, "I hope Gon has offered to give you a tour of the island? Whale might be small, but there's a surprising amount to see".
"Of course, Aunt Mito, we have today and tomorrow before the festival," Gon replied, eager to move on to the case of the missing crabcakes. "Do you know where th…"
"Oh, I do hope he told you what to expect at the Sun Festival," Mito interrupted. "It's the biggest event in our year here on Whale Island. There's an awful lot to do, although it is customary to wear traditional Island dress to the festival."
"...it'll be fine, but where are th…"
"But don't worry, I took the liberty of putting together a couple of outfits for you," Mito continued. "Biscuit, you can wear one of my old yukatas; it should fit you perfectly. For you, Killua, I had our local tailor make one up. It's amazing what the folks here will do for a batch of my crabcakes".
Seeing his opportunity to solve the case of the missing crabcakes, Gon seized the moment and jumped in. "Speaking of which, where are…"
"Gon, dear, could you fetch me some more rice from the storage outside?" Mito once again interrupted.
Clearly frustrated, but knowing better than to cross his Aunt while she was making dinner for four people, Gon reluctantly stomped outside to fetch the rice. Turning to grin at Biscuit and Killua, Mito said, "He is probably outside cursing me right now. Gon sure does love his crabcakes," as she revealed where she was hiding them. Gon returned with a bag of rice over his shoulder, a look of broody angst on his face.
"Something the matter, dear?" Mito asked, extremely convincingly.
Gon just grumbled incoherently as Biscuit tried her best to hide her amusement. Ten minutes had passed, with Biscuit keeping Mito deep in conversation, wholly committed to the crabcake ruse. Killua played on his phone as Gon resorted to laying his head on the table, a growling stomach keeping his focus entirely off of conversation. All hope had been lost of ever tasting the delectable treat he had been waiting all day for, his dreams were crushed. As the minutes continued to ebb by, Gon wondered if he'd ever see this year's Sun Festival at all. At this rate I'll starve to death, he thought. Just then, as his mind spiraled into a melodramatic black-hole of starvation and denied crabcakes, the sound of his Aunt's voice brought him back to reality.
"Why don't you take your friends to Seashell Cove?" Mito asked. "It's at it's best at dusk, there's nothing like it on the mainland. I'm sure Biscuit and Killua would love to see it".
Accepting that his culinary dreams lay in ashes, Gon reluctantly agreed. Biscuit quickly grabbed a light jacket from the abyss that was her suitcase and they made their way to the back door. Just as they were about to leave, Mito turned and smirked.
"Don't you want your crabcakes?"
There, in all their glory, was a plate piled high with the finest treats on Whale Island. Mito's grin was truly devilish, as she reveled in seeing Gon's mixture of disbelief and utter relief.
"Aunt Mitooo!" Gon groaned as everyone laughed.