Red alarms blared across the building as security guards fell upon pulling their guns out and employees crouched under office tables hiding from the ensuing screams and approaching footsteps. To their relief, the danger passed them without a glance their way as they entered the next floor where a single dark room laid, filled with monitors and papers and bottles of ink.
"You know better than to scare my employees, Boar. I don't remember doing anything to you."
"Nothing, huh." The man chuckled darkly; his black strands of hair waved free even despite the turban. Without further ado, he stepped forward into the room. The group behind him fell back at his unworded request; the heavily soundproof room enclosed once again with the lock of the door. The room remained dark with only artificial lights of white lighting up around the ground figure.
"Or know better than to trespass my lair, Boar."
Two Nens heavily clashed as said man's obsidian eyes narrowed, "I would not have done it if you had answered my calls, Fox."
"I don't have many requests of this world. But. October 10. No one is to disturb me on that day. You did. It's only right for me to cut off all relations with you. I don't remember doing anything to you. Get out."
"There was—"
"GET OUT!" Finally, the young man turned. Normally pacific blue eyes bled red; black darkening everything as a red energy foreign and malignant covered benign soft golden spikes, turning them absolutely feral. Seeing this however, only steeled the intruder's resolve for this was the cataclysmic power mankind had and needed.
"Naruto—"
"DON'T SAY THAT NAME!" The man roared; canines sharpened and readied for one of mankind's disasters condensed into a black ball of pure miasma before ending it and calming as he heard the papers fluttering and saw the lights flickering. 'Boar' knew all the right reasons to better trespass his lair. The man huffed as he went back to his monitors, "You don't deserve to say that name. Don't push your luck. I know your tricks. We're the same people."
"Except we're not. You're from the Outside and I'm from the In." Which was kind of ironic when you thought about how he was the explorer who travelled everywhere outside while the other was a hikikomori who probably never left shop for years. "The Dark Continent is opening soon. I can feel the time approaching. I'm not arrogant enough to think I can protect everyone. You're necessary in humanity's success."
"Keep telling yourself that. I'm not interested. I don't care about Outside. I never cared about humanity. And I'll already told you… I don't remembering doing anything to you."
"Then… you won't care if I personally erase the Spiders you love, do you?"
"You wouldn't dare."
A dark chuckle escaped him again as he flourished his arms high into the air, "How many things do you think I wouldn't dare doing? Hunters are a bunch of egomaniacs. We set aside everything else to get what we want. What I want right now is you."
"How gay. You're an Archaeological Hunter. Leave them alone."
"I'm a Double Star Hunter and can always apply for Triple. Blacklist Hunting A- and S-class world thieves sounds the perfect first accomplishment to make."
"...But they won't lose to the likes of you."
"You're pushing for excuses, Naruto." The man's black eyes seemed to be amused now, anger fading away with each word.
"I'll kill your son and childhood friend on Whale Island."
Not many ever saw him with how he holed up in this single floor room and everyone always knew him by various epithets and not name, but this is why Naruto was one of the most famous underworld and hidden information gatherers and brokers. Even Netero only knew of him as a cyber site robot named Fox on the most expensive, but most accurate information sites that even non-Hunters could access.
Because Fox wasn't a Hunter. He didn't bother for the license. The reason why Boar and other people, the number of which could even be counted with the fingers on a single hand, knew him was simply through a very coincidental way.
They wanted to make a Nen Game.
And Fox was one of the greatest hidden Nen-Users in the world as he helped Greed Island work by being in charge of Conjuration the same way as Razor was in charge of Emissions and converting reality into Joystation game console format. His company, though plain-sounding, was the most famous game-making companies in the world for making ideas become reality, Marilyn Inc..
"Gon won't die."
"And Mito?"
"You don't kill innocents. We both know that." He paused before smiling, "Thank you for continuing to help my game, Naruto." He bowed, "I apologize about that October 10 thing. I forgot."
There was a long silence, but Hunters were patient. And finally, the other man in the room huffed, "...I don't forgive assholes twice. And that was a commissioned job; Greed Island has nothing to do with a stupid owner who neglected it, Ging."
"Hahaha~ Still." Ging laughed as he heard the acceptance. Though… "Since you blocked me for almost forever, can you unblock me now? It's bothering me. No one blocks me."
"I'm sure countless do, but you never realize it. Done."
A dark ringtone filled the air and Ging pumped his fists in the air in achievement, "Yatta!"
"So… Why do you want to go Outside anyways? It's dangerous out there."
"Are you an idiot, Naruto? I want to because it's dangerous. It must be fun~! Just imagining all the wonders in that original Journey Guide of the East Dark Continent… It's a whole new world of unknown out there."
"...Sou? All I see is death for humanity."
"Which is why you'll work to correct that, right, Naruto?! First—"
"...I prefer staying inside. I dislike humanity anyways. Games are better. Information is better. You don't have enough money to convince me."
Ging ignored the blond as he walked closer, stepping over tons of paper scattered on the ground to sit cross-legged by the blond human. His eyes discreetly watched the quickly opening and closing windows of information giving and receiving; it being mostly the latter for the blond who could still play games while managing it all at once. It was an abuse of amazing superly unnatural speed. "First, you have to get a Hunter License."
"I don't need one. I survived twenty one years without one. I don't even exist in this world." "Tax-avoider." "I can already sneak into forbidden places. I have and can get all the things I want here in this room. I don't need benefits."
"And then you might want to go for Double Star." Ging continued once again ignoring the blond, "Triple would be fine too. I'll let you on my Archaeological team since you have the qualifications and can read Ancient Language and those weird scribbles you call seals. Then when the old geezer finally dies, V5 will let up expedition restrictions and we'll be able to go to the New World~!"
"Oi. What are you doing deciding my future for me? I already hinted 'no' from Step One."
"Datte~ Naruto always refuses me~" The blond shied away from the playfully puppy-eyed Hunter. "But he never refuses in the end~" Ging smiled as he watched the younger man of twenty further. They met eleven years ago and it's felt like forever. Yet the boy was still the same with his childish tendencies.
"You always come up with impossible requests. I'm not going outside… much less take an Exam full of sweaty humans and idiotic wannabes."
"Come on, Naruto. It won't hurt to get a Hunter License."
"People will know me. That old geezer's already perceptive enough. And it won't hurt to not get a Hunter License."
"Please~"
"...fine."
And so began the legend of the Fox and the Boar... as if they weren't legends before.
A/N: Drabble oneshot plot bunny thing. Up for adoption if anyone wants.
