Hey! Thanks for clicking in my story! Im gonna be honest here: I've been a HUGE fan of FanFiction for a while now but I never got the guts to publish one myself. I've never considered my writing or my ideas good enough to be published but HEY! someone convinced to try it! So, here I am!
This is my first story. At least the first formal story I've ever written as fanfiction. With that being said I would like you to consider a few things:
English is not my first language so if you find any mistakes, I would like you to KINDLY point them out for me to fix them :)
I have a full time job and a I'm a part time student so my time dedicated to writing is limited to a few hours a week. Please bear with me and have patience for me to update if you are looking forward to next chapters. Trust me. The toughest reviewer on my work is myself. On everything in fact. I want everything as perfect as possible.
I have never ever written something in my life except short stories. I have no idea how to plan a decent plot line. If you know how, I'm open to tips, suggestions or anything useful really.
As usual, a little disclaimer: I DO NOT own HxH or anything related to it except the plot changes and my OC.
Please review. As an amateur writer, I'm open to critique and flattery :3 I would like to know what I'm doing right and what I'm doing wrong.
Prologue: Our Story Begins
"I see… I understand." Isaac Netero was caressing his beard while speaking on the phone. He was admiring the view from a large window on one of the highest floors of The Hunter Association building.
[…]
"Yes, yes. I will take care of it."
[…]
"Ja na."
Beep
"Who was that?" asked a young girl as soon as he hanged up.
"Ehh well I was just assigned a very difficult task." He answered lazily. He then stopped moving his hand up and down his beard and stared deeply in thought at the floor.
"A task? Like a mission?"
"Yes. But is much more than that. People's lives are at risk and it's to be taken care of as soon as possible." He raised his head to stare at the ceiling now. "I should assemble a small group of capable Hunters to assist me. Hmm who could I take with me?" He thought out loud.
The girl frowned. If they asked directly for her grandfather's help, then it must be serious. "What is it about?" She asked while placing her hands behind her back.
Netero looked cautiously at her from the corner of his eyes. He resumed to caress his beard once again. "Apparently some... beasts attacked and devoured humans somewhere and have gained the ability to speak, think as individuals and even develop the ability to use Nen."
She frowned in annoyance. Whats with that vague information?
Netero continued with his explanation. "It seems…" He closed his eyes and lowered his hand. "...that an important event will occur in a couple of months. We are to fix the situation before that happens or it will turn to a real headache for me."
An important event? She considered his words.
"So… You're basically going to make sure they don't mess up." She bent her upper part of her body forward with her arms still on her back. "And if they do mess up, you have to pay for the broken plates?"
"Plates? What are you talking about?" He asked with an innocent smile.
She straightened. "Don't play dumb. You know what I mean."
His smile faded but his eyes still had a glint of amusement, or maybe it was excitement. He started playing with his beard again while he answered "Not quite. They already need me. These beasts are really strong and it's dangerous to send more unexperienced Hunters after them. Especially in a place where technology and communication are limited to none." He stopped his movements and lowered his hand as he fell deep in thought once again.
Hmm.. It sounds fishy. If the consequences of their failure are severe enough, they would require Netero to deal with them.. maybe even blame him for it.
She eyed his grandfather carefully. He looks worried… and he isn't telling me much. He never gets worked up about anything. What is he hiding?
She walked towards him. "How long will you be away?" When she was within range, she stretched her arm to grab his hand. "Who will you take with you?"
Netero casually raised his hand back to his beard, missing hers by a few centimeters. He acted as he didn't noticed her intentions.
"Hmm if everything goes as planned, I would hope to be back in two months. If we fail to dispose of the beasts before that deadline …hmmm..." He paced away from her for a few seconds. Then with forced smile and his index finger raised, he answered "I have no idea hehe."
"I-I see."
She eyed him once again. His movements looked natural but she knew better. He removed his hand on purpose and he is walking away from me to avoid any physical contact. This only caused her concern to worsened. Is this task really that dangerous? She frowned. Is he… in mortal danger?
Her hands became sweaty and she felt a pit on her stomach.
Netero noticed the change on her expression and aura. He felt a pang of guilt on his chest by being distant but he couldn't afford to let her use her power on him. The outcome of this mission was unclear and he didn't want to risk her precious granddaughter to witness something painful or unpleasant.
He resisted the urge to hug her and pat her head. He wished he could tell her everything was gonna be alright, that he would be back to her side in a blink of an eye.
But he couldn't. He has never lied to her and he would not start now.
He looked at her with honest and guilty eyes. "I'm sorry, Kaala… but I can't let you get involved." He closed his eyes. He didn't want to see her face as soon as he says his next words. "That's why, as your grandfather and the Chairman of this association, I'm ordering you to stay away from anything related to this mission."
Her concern turned into shock. Her eyes widen. "WHAT!? No way! I was just about to ask you to take me with you! I can help!"
"Nope." He simply stated as he opened his eyes and walked to the door. "I have enough help already." He placed his hand on the doorknob and closed his eyes halfway. "Please understand. There are enough good Hunters lives at risk. Enough innocent lives at risk."
"Including your own. Right?" His silence answered for him. She was about to step closer but stopped midway. She was scared he would misinterpret her actions and leave. She forced herself to stay where she was. "You know my abilities can save lives! The mission will last at least a couple of months. That's enough time to-"
"Kaala." He interrupted harshly
Her vision became blurry. "You expect me to stay here? Doing nothing and waiting for months for news if you made it back alive or not? You're not even telling me everything!"
He didn't say anything. Once again, silence confirmed her fears.
She sobbed. "That's not fair…"
Netero felt very conflicted on how to deal with the situation. He tried to liven up the mood to stop Kaala's tears.
He flashed her with his goofy smile. "Hohoho I know, I know. But life is not fair." He took a quick glance at her. As expected, she didn't find it slightly amusing.
She stood there with her arms falling on her sides, her hands clenched tightly into fists and a expression of hurt and anger. Tears threatening to roll down her cheeks.
He sighed and finally opened the door. "Find something to do. Do missions. Train. Go fight in Heaven's Arena. Anything to distract you from your worries." His face turned dead serious again. "But I'm not changing my mind. Stay away from any mission related to this one. Got it?"
She didn't answer. She felt betrayed.
Netero stared at her for a few seconds. "Take care."
"You too…" she whispered.
He went out room and closed the door behind him.
Kaala couldn't sleep that night. She went over Netero-jiisan's words over and over again in her head while laying on her back on the bed.
She felt miserable and lonely.
She thought of what he said, the little information he provided, the deadline, the Hunters he might take with him, of what kind of beasts could do what Netero-jiisan described…
And she made a choice.
She dried her eyes with the back of her hand, took a deep breath and brought both hands up to her face to slap her cheeks at the same time. Calmed down and with her feelings and thoughts in check, she began to plan her next steps. Ok. First things first.
She replayed the whole scene in her head and realized her grandfather had revealed some things unintentionally.
The place he's going is far away and technology is almost inexistent. The beasts are strong and big enough to kill and eat a human and somehow capable of… absorbing new abilities from their prey?
It wasn't much but enough to know where to start looking.
Morning came as sunlight brighten her room through the windows she didn't bothered to close yesterday. Just in time.
She sat up, took her Hunter License from her pocket and ran outside without hesitating. I need information.
Luckily for Kaala, as a Hunter she had access to a great amount of information. Money wasn't an issue. And if necessary, she could use her Hatsu as an extreme measure.
She ran down the street as adrenaline kicked in. She felt energized even after pulling an all-nighter.
Netero-jiisan might have warned some Hunters at the Association not to get close to me. Especially those who might go with him to wherever he's going. Maybe ordered another bunch to report any suspicious movements I make.
It didn't matter.
Her Zetsu was good. She was a terrible liar but she could handle a few fake alibi's if she practiced enough. She had more than enough money for traveling and basic needs… or even bribe if necessary. Kaala could even threaten someone if she used her abilities correctly but she doubted she would have to resort to those kinds of measures. Those kind of things were not her thing.
Despite all of that, she felt confident and unstoppable.
I won't go down without a fight, grandfather.
