Note: I kind of changed the ages.

Upon the School Grounds Part 1

by: the cat

Disclaimer: The hxh characters are not mine.
Unfortunately. If they were, yum yum! Please … this
is just for fun.

Warning: Has some shounen ai … but, can be sort of
thought as just close friendship. Very close
friendship … if you know what I mean. *wink wink*

*****

Gon could not believe it. School. Oh, it's not like
he hasn't been to school before, but this school … it
was huge! There were huge buildings that seemed to
sprout from nowhere. He used to study in little
schools, in the province where he came from. Schools
were everybody knew everybody else, where everybody
grew up with everybody else.

Now, it was time for big schools. Was Gon scared?
Sort of, but he was also excited.

"SSSSSSSSUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGOOOOOOOOOIIIIIII!" he
yelled, taking in the whole view of the school campus.

Okay, he was very, very, very excited.

He was eager to look around, but as soon as he took a
step forward, he realized that he had no idea where he
was going to go.

"Hmm, Aunt Mito said to go to classroom 304." Gon
mused. "In Nostrad Hall."

He looked up, there were so many buildings, how could
he know where was Nostrad Hall?

He looked around for someone to ask, but everyone was
bustling around going here and there. They looked so
busy that he didn't want to disturb them. Then, he
noticed a boy, about his age, sitting by a tree,
wiping the wheels of his skateboard. The boy has
white, spiky hair.

"I'll ask him." Gon decided, walking towards the boy,
but then he heard a yell.

"Please, don't hurt me, U-Ubogin … I do have the
homework here. I did it, really."

Gon saw a huge guy crouching threateningly over a
shivering student.

"Yes, I'm sure you did it." the big guy said calmly,
"But I need it now and if you don't give it to me in
10 seconds that face if yours will no longer have a
nose."

Gon's eyes widened, why was the big guy, Ubogin, doing
that? He really looked intimidating as he crouched
over the other student. The other students were all
ignoring the scene … well, not all of the students.
There was a group by the side that was watching all of
this calmly.

"5, 4, 3," Ubogin was counting the seconds before
pummeling the other guy's face.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Gon yelled. He rushed over
there. He knew that he must not let this person punch
the other one. It was WRONG.

"Yes?" Ubogin turned to Gon. "Who are you?"

"I'm Gon. I'm a new student." Gon introduced himself.

"Well, Gon," Ubogin emphasized his name, "Since you're
new here, let me tell you something that every student
knows. I am Ubogin, and people don't stop me from
doing anything I want. Understand? If anyone tries
to stop me, they get punched."

Gon was shocked to say the least. Isn't this a school
… a place to learn things? Why was this Ubogin person
so violent? "But beating other people is wrong." he
found himself saying.

Ubogin laughed, "Beating people up? Kid, I don't beat
people up, I teach them a lesson. One they'll never
forget."

"Well-" Gon was cut off by the ringing bell.

Ubogin scowled at him, "We'll just have to continue
this stimulating conversation elsewhere." he turned to
the guy he was beating up, "And you, if you don't hand
me the homework now, you're dead meat."

"H-here." the guy limply gave the homework.

"Good." Ubogin turned around, went to the group that
was looking at the three and they all left.

Gon shook his head to clear it and smiled at the
person at the ground. "Are you okay?"

The guy just looked at him and said, "I-I'm going to
be late," and left.

"Hey!" Gon yelled, surprised at such an abrupt
departure.

"That'll be no good." a voice behind him said.

He turned and saw the boy with the skateboard, the one
he'd been looking at earlier.

"What do you mean?" Gon asked.

The boy smirked, "He's so scared, he's shaking in his
shoes. Whatever you say will just go through his
shaking head."

"But, why would he be scared of Ubogin? He's just a
student, right?"

The boy shook his head. "I went here to check out who
was brave enough to try to stop Ubogin. I guess
you're just stupid. Listen, Ubogin is not just a
student. He's part of a gang, the Genei Ryodan.
They're from various grades and they're tough. You're
lucky the bell rang, or else your first day here will
be a first day in the infirmary. If you continue
doing that, it wouldn't be your last."

Gon absorbed that in, "So, they're bullies?"

"Of the worst sort," the boy confirmed.

"Then they should be reported, right?"

The boy sighed, "Whatever you say. That would be
stupider. Never mind. I'm getting late over
nothing." He turned and was about to leave when Gon
asked a question.

"Hey, wait! What's your name?"

"Killua." the boy's face twisted into a weird smirk,
"and you're Gon."

"Yeah, hey, could you tell me where Nostrad Hall is?
Room 304?"

Killua stared at the boy, "Well, it just so happens
that's where I'm going."

"That's great!" Gon chirped, "Let's go there
together!"

As the two chatted on, with Gon going on about his
history and Killua silently grimacing, but secretly
listening, the start of a friendship budded.

*****

"Don't you ever do anything but read?"

Kurapika didn't even gratify Leorio a glance.

"Hey, pretty boy, I'm talking to you." Leorio rudely
put his hands in front of the pages. "Listen, will
ya?"

Kurapika finally looked up, "I was getting to the good
part."

Leorio shuddered, "Sometimes you scare me, what could
be the good part about a chemistry book?"

"I was in the middle of an explanation about a
concept." Kurapika complained.

"Thrilling. Are you telling me that you'd rather read
about some random concept than have lunch with me?"

"I am having lunch with you." Kurapika pointed out.

"No." Leorio said seriously, "I am having lunch. You,
my beautiful blond, are reading. You are not having
lunch. I am having lunch alone." He looked Kurapika
in the eye, "So will you put your book down to have a
conversation with your best friend? Look, I even got
your favorite meal from the caf, those horrible
vegetables."

Kurapika smiled, "You shouldn't have. Thanks." He put
away his book and bit a carrot.

Leorio admired his best friend, "No wonder you keep
that girlish figure. You eat like a girl."

"Do I?" Kurapika mumbled.

"Yes, it's like you're on a constant diet! You're a
guy! Pig out on meat. Red meat is the man's meal."
As if to emphasize his point, he bit into the steak
that was on his plate.

Kurapika glanced at him, "Actually, you get more
nutrients if you eat plants since they-"

Leorio cut him short by shoving a forkful of meat into
his mouth.

"That'll cut your little science lecture." Leorio
said, happily munching on his food.

Kurapika just smiled tolerantly. Then an unexpected
person sat on their table.

"Hello, Kurapika. What were you reading?" It was
Kuroro, an upperclassman. They weren't close to
Kuroro. They knew nothing about him except that he
was smart, he was the leader of the Genei Ryodan and …
well, he seemed to like talking to Kurapika.

"Kurapika is not reading." Leorio informed Kuroro.
"He is eating, having lunch with me."

Kuroro merely glanced at Leorio, then got the book at
Kurapika's table, "Chemistry? I like this subject. I
wonder if we could study together. You can ask me any
questions." he smiled at Kurapika.

Kurapika looked away, "Er, that would be nice."

Leorio growled silently at his seat. That would not
be nice, he grumbled. Kuroro was always bothering
them when Kurapika and Leorio were together. Can't he
go mess up some other table? Of course he can't argue
with Kuroro, or else he'd be the target of the Genei
Ryodan.

He glanced at Kurapika, of course, he couldn't blame
Kuroro for wanting to be with Kurapika. He is so
pretty, smart, nice and the list goes on. Kurapika
was all a person could ask for.

All Leorio could ask for.

Plus, Leorio thought wryly, all Kuroro wanted.

The leader of the Genei Ryodan was typically a loner.
He rarely seeked people out. Kuroro had been going
after Kurapika the whole year, it wasn't very
difficult to wonder why.

Kuroro was smart, handsome and strong. Was he all
Kurapika could ask for?

Leorio grimaced at the thought and set it aside. He
glanced at the two in front of him. They were talking
about some chemistry concept. Maybe I should study,
too, he thought, looking at them enviously. He wanted
to have an intellectual conversation with Kurapika,
too. Then, maybe those two wouldn't talk so much.

*****

Pakunoda hoped that looks could kill.

She wanted to burn holes in that Kurapika's head so
hard, she could actually picture it in her mind.

"Hey, stop that." Phinx said. "It's not working."

Pakunoda looked away from Kurapika and Kuroro and
sighed. "I guess."

"Stop being so depressed." Shalnark advised. "There
are lots of guys around here."

Yes, but none of them are Kuroro, Pakunoda grumbled.
She had a huge crush on Kuroro since … well, from the
time they met. For a time, she thought he liked her,
too. But now she knew better. She was just a part of
the Genei Ryodan for him. Just a buddy. Kurapika, on
the other hand, he was the perfect one. The one who
could do no wrong, Pakunoda sneered inwardly.

"I'd beat him up, if Kuroro wouldn't beat me up."
Ubogin said, trying to comfort her.

Pakunoda shrugged, "It doesn't matter." she lied.

Of course, they didn't believe her.

Luckily, there was a very welcome distraction.

"Hello, guys." It was Machi and Shizuku.

"Hello." Shalnark smiled, moving over to make room,
"How was class?"

Machi shrugged, "I probably failed the test."

Shizuku glanced at Shalnark, "Huh?"

Shalnark smiled even wider (if that is possible) "How
was class?"

"Oh …" she sat down next to Shalnark and Franklin, "Um
… there was a new student from the province."

Ubogin stopped chewing. "Was it the brat? You know,
Gon from the morning?"

Shizuku looked at him, confused, "What happened during
the morning?"

Machi sighed and answered for Shizuku, "Yes, it was
Gon."

Ubogin grinned, showing the partially digested food on
his teeth, "I can't wait to teach that country kid a
lesson."

"I think he has spunk." Nobunaga piped in.

Ubogin scowled at his best friend and yanked his
ponytail, "I think he's annoying."

He surveyed the cafeteria, "I wonder where he is right
now?"

Machi shrugged and Shizuku looked confused as she
looked around the cafeteria. "I forgot what he looked
like." she confessed.

Ubogin grinned and messed up her hair, "That's okay,
he'll turn up somewhere."

Then the members of the Genei Ryodan continued to eat
lunch.

*****

"This is a nice place." Gon cheerfully declared,
unwrapping the sandwich that his aunt prepared for
him.

Killua looked at the new kid, resentfully, "I didn't
ask you to sit with me."

"I didn't like the cafeteria, it's too crowded. Your
spot under the tree is much nicer. I hope it's okay
if I sit down." Gon sat down.

Killua sighed, "You already sat down, anyway." In
truth, he didn't mind Gon's company. He even found
him interesting, plus he was so nice, it was strange.
He even petted the filthy dog at the school grounds.

Gon took a big bite of the sandwich, "Hmm, my aunt
makes the best sandwiches."

Killua glanced at the sandwich, it did look good. His
parents gave him money to buy food, but he'd rather
spend them later on video games.

Gon was looking at him curiously, "Aren't you going to
eat?"

"I don't eat lunch." Killua said calmly.

"Look, no way am I eating while you don't eat. Let's
cut my sandwich."

While Killua protested, Gon ripped his sandwich in
half and gave the bigger part to Killua.

"But this is your lunch." Killua protested. He may
not be the most polite child, but he knew that it
would be improper to accept it.

"Nah, we're friends, right? Friends are supposed to
share stuff."

Killua just looked at him, dumbfounded, "Friends?" he
whispered.

"Yeah!" Gon smiled, "Look, to make it even, why don't
we make a deal? I share my sandwich with you
everyday, while you show me around the city. Is that
fair?"

Killua was a child from a rich family. He was aloof
and cold (according to his classmates). Killua wasn't
supposed to have friends. He just had his computer
and his skateboard. Now, here was Gon offering
friendship …

"Hello?" Gon looked at him, inquiringly, "Are you okay
with that?"

Killua smiled at him. It was an actual smile, "Sure.
I'll show you around." He bit into the sandwich. It
was the taste of friendship. It tasted great.


TO BE CONTINUED

Hey there! Did you guys like it, or should it be
thrown away? Comments and suggestions please.

Note: To make things more interesting, I jumbled the
ages of the characters a bit. They are all in high
school. They are in the following year levels:

First - Karuto

Second - Gon, Killua, Machi, Shizuku, Neon, Senritsu

Third - Kurapika, Leorio, Pakunoda, Phinx, Shalnark,
Feitan, Kurotopi, Miruki

Fourth - Kuroro, Ubogin, Nobunaga, Franklin, Hisoka,
Illumi

Er, I can't think of the other characters. I'll just
add to this list later. I know Machi seems a bit
young, but I want some members of the genei ryodan
with Gon and Killua.

Hope you liked it!

Comments please!

~the cat