I took a long break from fanfiction and HunterXHunter and now I have to many freaking fanfic ideas. Dude, why? Anyway, this one is a bit influenced by other shows, games and movies: Mahoutsukai no Yome, Mushi-shi (slightly), Howl's Moving Castle, and Rune Factory, mainly.

A Leorio/OC fic because I love him. An OC/Canon and AU so not expecting many readers, haha. In this version, there are no Hunters or anything. Leorio's in his final year of med school after busting his hump trying to get enough money to go. He's never met Gon, Killua, and Kurapika. Welp, let's get started!

Disclaimer: I only own my OCs and that's not much to brag about.

Chapter One: The First Signs

It started small for him.

At first, he just heard them, chiming laughter like little bells and tiny growls not unlike a cat's. Sometimes there were other small sounds that kept him company as he studied for his final exams like the rapid beating of tiny wings, little electric buzzes as something brushed by his lamp, and the pitter-patter of tiny feet. Only when Leorio wasn't actively listening for them could he hear the sounds which, of course, only made him more worried about his own sanity. At least the sounds weren't unpleasant, he shrugged. They were quite nice and relaxing actually.

Then he started to see little ones. At first, it only happened when he crossed his eyes, the little twinkling lights and furry creatures nothing more than a fuzzy outline to him. Gradually, they became clearer to him and he started to see them when he wasn't expecting to. When using the bathroom one day, he let out an unmanly scream when he saw a tiny, bird like creature sitting on top of the toilet paper roll, staring at him. His roommate laughed and asked him what kind of meds he was on; there was nothing in the bathroom besides a terrible smell. Still, Leorio brushed it off, thinking that as long as they didn't scare him on the toilet again, he could do much worse as far as stress induced hallucinations go.

He brushed it off, of course, because he believed they'd go away soon; he'd aced all his finals and his tests! Soon, he'd graduate and go on a trip with his buddies to celebrate, leaving his strange imaginary friends behind!

At his graduation, a tiny poof-ball with miniscule eyes and short, stick like arms and legs was fiddling with the yellow tassel on his cap. Though he was confident the cute little guy was a figment of his imagination, he resisted the urge to throw his cap with his fellow graduates. He could've sworn he heard it purr when he hesitantly reached out with a finger to pet its fur. Did hallucinations feel real?

He confided in his friend Zepile that night, expecting the brown haired guy to laugh at him. But he took the aspiring doctor seriously, pulling him aside for a private chat.

"Look, after I quit making fakes and forgeries, I struggled with a lot of stuff for a while. I didn't make much money, anyone who heard about me wouldn't employ me, and my girlfriend dumped me." He spoke in a whisper, watching out for any eavesdroppers. "I got really depressed and started using drugs to cope; I was really messed up for a long time, man..."

"I'm not using anything!" Leorio hissed back, caught between being insulted by the implied accusation and being proud that Zepile would confide in him.

"I know that! I'm just saying that when I decided to go cold turkey, it was the hardest thing I ever did! But a dude in my support group told me about this secret place that he went to when he turned clean five years ago; he said that after a month there, he felt reborn, never wanted to go near any pills or that junk again." He shrugged. "I gave it a shot, thinking it was all a bunch of crap, you know?"

"Was it?"

"It was one of the hardest months of my life, man. But something about that place made me feel...clean. It was this tiny little place in the middle of nowhere where everyone knew each other and lived off the land. Not super crazy on being all green and eco friendly and all, but they were big on farming and earning your dinner. At first I hated it; withdrawal symptoms were killing me, and I didn't want to dig around in the dirt with a bunch of strangers!

"But I slowly got used to it. I got sick a few times in the start of the month but they helped me through it. The one time it was really bad in the second week, I could've sworn I saw an angel! She took care of me, and I felt safe, so safe...After that, I knew what Jean meant. I felt reborn! Full of energy, happier, and alive!"

"So you think going there will help me with these...things?" Zepile scribbled something down on a scale of paper and discretely passed it to him with a shrug.

"Probably. I mean, when I was there, I...I saw things like that too." He sheepishly admitted. "But not since."

A few days later, all his friends were setting out on the celebration trip of a lifetime. So was Leorio, of course, but he wasn't going on a trip to drink and make merry, knowing he had finally gotten through the hell that was school. Unfolding the piece of paper Zepile had given him for the hundredth time, he wondered if this was really worth it.

The village was inaccessible by plane but the nearest town had a port. After that, it was an hour long trip by car, and a three hour walk through a dense forest trail. "Talk about the middle of nowhere..." He sighed, rubbing his numb and heavy arm. "At least I won't get sick too easy; stupid guy forgot to update his shots before leaving the country!"

Even as he grumbled, he knew in his heart that something was there for him. He wasn't sure what yet, but he had a nagging feeling in his gut that said going there would be the start of something big. Even though he grumbled the whole time, dragging the heavy suitcase he bought himself as a graduation present, Leorio boarded the ship with the slightest hint of a smile on his face.

The boat rocked. And not in a good way, either. Just his luck, Leorio had left at a bad time, only to get caught up in a storm that the captain called one of the year's worst.

"These come out of nowhere in this part of the sea." The man had nodded sagely, his red nose making Leorio wonder if he was drunk. "Why you heading all the way out there anyways, city boy? Nothing really to see in Eelry besides fish, kelp, and, well, eels. They raise them, you know. Bunch of crazy people if you ask me, but they make good seafood."

"I'm thinking of doing a round-world trip..." Leorio unskillfully lied; he was terrible at hiding the truth, stupidly honest at heart. The captain hummed, unconvinced.

"They say there's some rare produce you can only get there. Perfect vegetables that last twice as long and fill you with energy, milk that takes forever to spoil, and stuff. Nobody knows where it comes from but it's almost magical, they say." The captain nodded to himself, watching Leorio's face carefully. Apparently, he was pleased with the look of confusion he saw because he grinned widely, slapping the young man on the back. "If you find some, bring a bit back for us, city boy!"

Later that day, a timid young crewman almost fell overboard. Leorio grabbed him, thankful for his long arms, and pulled him away from the side. "Be more careful!" He warned the guy despite having even less experience on ships. Two hours later, he stitched up the sole cook's hand after an unfortunate accident with a rather sharp knife. Since the guy was in no state to cook, he helped out with that too, following dirrections to a T to create all sorts of strange dishes he'd never even heard of before.

Needless to say, the crew was sad to see him leave in the end. Leorio grinned widely as they saw him off like one of their own. Even if there was nothing special about the village after all, at least he tried something new and made some friends.

As to be expected of a fisherman's town, the stench of seafood filled the air, each stall offering a different kind of catch. Even after being at sea for a while didn't prepare him for just how...fishy the place was! People bought by the pound, shopping at the huge fish market the way he had at supermarkets, buying whole weeks worth to freeze.

"You're lucky you came to down now, buddy!" A buff, suntanned man slapped him on the shoulder with a giant grin. "Today's the month's bigest fish sale! Plus it's all You Can Eat Challenge Wednesday!"

"What's that all about?" Leorio asked, liking the sound of "all you can eat".

"It's an eating challenge! You're given a huge amount of food, the shop's biggest servings, and you have to eat it in the time limit to get your entry fee back!" Seeing the disappointed look on Leorio's face, the guide leaned in and whispered, "Look, we only really have fish here so we'll do pretty much anything for tourism. It might not really be all you can eat, but it draws a better crowd with that name."

Well, at least the guides were honest. "Where can I rent a car around here?" He asked, impatient to get on his way.

"A car? Well, old man Lucas has one he might let you borrow. Or you could hitch a ride with him if you're going to the forest! We get a few eccentrics like that now and then." The guide rolled his eyes. "Never see a lot of them again. Probably got eaten in the woods, I think. Dunno what they're looking for around there!" Oh, so they don't know about the village, huh? Leorio thought, paying the man for his help. "Thanks, man! I'll flag Old Lucas down for ya'!"

Old man Lucas was not old. Leorio soon found himself eye to eye with a very scary looking, very buff, and very tired man. That, in his mind, was never a good combination. Running a hand through his light, shaggy hair, Lucas glared at anyone who looked at him strange for still being in his pajamas. "What ya' want, city boy?"

Again with that nickname...

"I was hoping to hitch a ride to the forest." He tried to say with a bit of confidence, but when Lucas furrowed his brow in confusion, he felt like running for cover. Any guy who could look scary in pink pajamas was nobody to be messed with.

"Oh, now I remember!" Lucas's face brightened as he slapped himself on the head. "Zepile told me he had a friend coming to visit. Leorio, right? He told me you were fond of nature." He grinned knowingly.

"Yeah, that's me...Wait, you know Zepile?!" The bigger man laughed, a booming and friendly sound. Motioning to Leorio to follow, he walked to his garage.

"Yeah, we're in the same support group. I only attend a few meetings a year now. Jean-Lucas, recovered drug addict. Nice to meet you." Unlocking it, he tiptoed around all his scattered tools to get to his truck. "Sorry about the mess; I thought I'd have more time to clean before you got here. My boat hit a storm too so it took a week to get here. Yours only took three and a half days! Talk about lucky!"

"So you also, uh, enjoy nature?" Leorio asked, remembering the phase from before. It seemed almost like key-words, telling him to be careful of what he said here.

"Of course! I was the one who told Zepile about the forest after all." He flashed Leorio a toothy grin.

"An angel, huh? I think I know what he means!" Jean nodded. "I saw something similar in my first week. I ate some gross looking mushrooms—which seemed like a good idea at the time—and got sick. Big shock, right? But while I was in and out of it from the poison, I saw this young girl giving me this disappointed look." He laughed loudly. "I felt so embarrassed! Like I disappointed my ma' or something!"

Leorio laughed with him as well, trying to imagine a man as tough and scary as him being intimidated by a girl.

"But what's weird is, I met everyone in the village and even the outskirts of the village soon after that. She wasn't there! Nobody would tell me who she was. Never saw her again either."

"So she just showed up out of nowhere?" Leorio asked curiously, scratching his head. "Nah, that'd be impossible..."

"Don't be so sure!" Jean winked, a big grin on his face. "This land is strange! When I lived there, I could've sworn it was magic. Heck, I thought I saw, well, things...After I left, I didn't see them anymore. I missed them...They're mischievous buggers, but you can't help but love them. The fairies, I mean." He grinned sheepishly. "You can laugh if you want. But I really believe that's what they are."

"Nah, I looked them up a couple times." Leorio admitted, scratching the back of his head. "I just figured I was stressed out so bad I was imagining them." Turns out the darn things are real...So that's where all my socks were going after all. He sighed, thinking of all the things he'd have to replace once he got back home.

"We're almost there...Hey, you know about the forest Guardians? You'll know them when you see them but...remember to be polite. If you act scared or hostile, they'll kill you to protect their land. So if you see one, don't worry about looking dumb. Just bow and introduce yourself. If they bow back, you're in the clear. If not, don't move until they leave. Turn around and come back. If you're not back in five hours, I'll assume you got through safe. Got it?"

Though he was so nervous that he felt like he might hurl, Leorio nodded as confidently as he could.

Not a great first chapter but I tried. It'll get better, I swear. Anyway, tell me what you think. I don't really have much else to look forward to than feedback, haha. But the next chapter, the main character, the heroine for this fic will appear. I like her character and hope you'll like her too. She's a real cutie.