AN:
Hello! Thank you for joining me for this new installment of the Inktober Challenge! Today's word is 'Switch'! This is my first time writing Mito and from what I was told, it was Ringochuu's first time drawing her! What a coincidence! I hope you guys like this new challenge that has been added to our collaboration.
N.B FFNET doesn't allow me to insert images, so I changed the story cover image (the first chapter's) to reflect this chapter's theme. If you'd like to see the story with the related image for each chapter, you can check it out on Ao3 as well after reading this!
Also, thank you everyone for your comments on this new story and a big hug to my new and old fans; I love all of you... you guys are the best for keeping up with me posting in-between my homework assignments. I cannot say enough how much your comments motivate me whenever I'm feeling down. You're the best.
Chapter Dictionary:
Willow switch: A willow is a type of tree with long thin branches and a "...switch is a flexible rod which is typically used for corporal punishment." (Wikipedia,2016)
Chapter References: Wikipedia(2016). Switch (corporal punishment).
Chapter Two:Inktober Challenge: Switch
Caught up in his thoughts and thoroughly red faced as a result, Gon was startled when the door to the stockroom suddenly flew open.
Gasping in surprise, he scrambled up from the floor and turned around to face the newcomer. "Um... I—"
"What are you doing here, young master?" The worker, dressed in worn slacks and a T-shirt soiled from carrying heavy cargo, asked when he observed Gon in the corner near the window. "Your aunt has been looking—"
"Gon Freecs!" A woman's voice bellowed, cutting into the workman's sentence as she stepped into the room. Her orange hair caught the fading sunlight pouring in through the door and glinted like brass as she shook her head. "You're in big trouble young man!"
Gon remained where he was, knowing better than to respond when his aunt was in this particular mood. All he did was look on silently as she wagged her finger at him.
Oh no...
She's really angry.
I' m sorry Aunt Mito...I couldn't control myself.
Slowly, he lifted his eyes to her face and as their eyes met, Mito saw the guilt in those hazel depths before Gon quickly averted them. This told her exactly what she needed to know; Gon had done what he did despite knowing that it was wrong...despite knowing how much it would upset her.
"Gon," she started, trying to remain calm. "Have you any idea how long I have been looking for you?"
Looking back to where Mito stood, Gon was not fooled by that sweet, relaxed tone and strained smile.
"…"
"Answer me," Mito said as her smile crumbled into a frown. "You better have a good excuse, because you surely weren't in the restroom like you said you'd be."
"I..." Gon swallowed, the lump in his throat almost choking him as her disapproving glare intensified. "I-I was watching the workers um..."
He thought hard.
Tell her you were watching the sexy merchant.
"No!"
I can't tell her that!
Come on brain...think!
"What did you say, Gon?"
Oh...
"I...I was watching them..."
"Who?"
"The uh workers..."—Gon pointed outside the window to where there were clearly no more of their workmen left on the docks—"um deal with the morning trades and stuff so I could see—"
"You're interested in that sort of stuff Gon?" The worker, the one who had come in with his aunt and who was still standing by the door, asked. "You should have said something earlier while the merchant was still around instead of hiding out in here..." He stretched out his hands to gesture around the small room. "Next time you could probably come down to the docks and help out—"
"I'm not so sure," Mito said, frowning slightly. "After all, he still has his lessons to do. Gon is pretty weak in math overall and I need to teach him to solve..."
"What better training is there than real life experience?" The man said, now walking fully into the room and toward Gon. "Right, little man?"
"I..." Gon had not expected that his lie would have worked this well. "I guess so...but would it be okay if I tag along next time? I don't know anything about trade other than what I saw in Ging's old books that Aunt Mito had me read..."
"Of course!" He slapped Gon on his back in an attempt to reassure him and as Gon coughed, he added, "Your dad was the one who handled the trading and business accounts before he went off to the ancient ruins in the New Continent and he was even younger than you are now so you'll be a natural! It's in your blood!"
"Really, Yori-san?!" Gon exclaimed. "Dad was younger than I am when he did this?"
"Didn't Mito tell you?"
"No..."
Yori grinned, the withering glare Mito was directing his way completely lost on him. "Well let me tell you, he was the best around here! It may seem like a lot but all you need is to see it at work! I have no doubt that you'll definitely be a natural at this!"
"Hey don't encourage him. Nothing has been decided yet." Mito frowned some more, not liking that this possible new venture was going to be taking Gon away from his lessons. "You're going to make him think that it's okay to be skipping out on his classes."
"With all due respect Ma'am, he won't be 'skipping out'. I'll take responsibility for him," Yori explained. "I'm sure this is what Ging would have wanted."
"…" Mito's frown deepened. Why was it that whenever anyone wanted to get her to agree to something, they'd insist that it was 'Ging's legacy', or 'what Ging would have wanted'?
For heaven's sake, Ging hasn't been on Whale Island in sixteen years!
What if Gon learns more about trade and falls in love with traveling...with the ocean...and with something unknown, unattainable and tempting?
The cool breeze, chilled by the ocean, rushed in through the open window to brush the trimmed ends of her orange hair and as she shivered, another thought occurred to her.
What if he leaves Whale Island just like Ging did twenty years ago?
I can't let that happen.
I could not stop Ging then, but I can stop Gon now.
Feeling her ire mounting like bitter bile in her throat, her eyes flashed to Gon and seeing the young man who was the splitting image of his absentee father made her anger suddenly dissipate. His perpetually curious expression and the fire in his hazel eyes that never seemed to die touched something deep inside of her. This isn't his fault. I need to keep my personal feelings out of this.
"Probably," she finally agreed without taking her eyes off of Gon. "Ging never really did like to stay indoors when he was a kid...so maybe Gon is just like—"
"Exactly! The boy not only looks like his dad, he acts like him too!" Yori interrupted enthusiastically with a hearty laugh, patting Gon on his back briefly before looking back at Mito to counter her concerned expression with a reassuring smile. "Isn't it fantastic how Gon has been showing an interest in learning about his father's work?"
Not really.
"Hmmm..." Mito hummed despondently, fiddling with the slim stick in her hands as if its rough texture provided some sort of comfort. I hope that he isn't going to start showing interest in leaving the island too...
"Ah..." Drawn by the movement of her hands, Gon looked down at the stick his aunt was holding, immediately recognizing it for what it was – the willow switch that she used to discipline him whenever he was out of line. He looked away quickly.
"Alright then," Mito said with a heavy sigh, dropping her hands and tapping the switch lightly against her thigh as she pondered to herself on the wisdom of the decision she was about to make. "But before I allow him to do anything he must first agree to put in extra work with his lessons to make up for the mornings he'll be spending on the docks," she added firmly.
"Sure Ma'am, and I can guarantee that you won't regret your decision," Yori piped up in his usual enthusiastic tone. "I'll teach him everything that I know, everything that Ging taught me."
"Hm." Mito turned to Gon. "Now..."
"Um..." Feeling the intensity of that fiery hazel death glare, Gon's smile faltered a bit as his aunt marched further into the room to stand directly in front of him. "Yes Aunt Mito?" he ventured in a hoarse whisper.
Ah.
Standing this close to him, his aunt was not much taller than he was, but whenever she got really angry, she always seemed inches taller than her average height and he always felt more self-conscious. And right at that moment, it also didn't help that she was still holding the switch.
"Gon."
Placing both hands on her hips, Mito looked down at him with a stern glare and making the mistake of looking into her eyes, Gon started to sweat profusely.
"You..." she continued and he tried his best to keep his eyes from looking down at the switch in her hand.
"You do understand that you'd have to work hard right?"
"Yes," Gon replied bravely as his face settled into a determined expression. "I'm not afraid of hard work."
"But you're afraid of math," Mito deadpanned, shaking her head. "You better be prepared to work hard both on the docks and on those equations you keep avoiding."
"Y-yeah..." A bead of sweat formed on Gon's forehead.
"I will not have you do anything halfheartedly." She gripped the switch harder and Gon visibly swallowed hard. "It's either you do this to the best of your ability or you don't do it at all."
"I'll do it...I'll work hard," Gon assured her quickly. "And I promise I won't run away from my math lessons anymore. I'll do all the equations this time..."
"Even the quadratic ones?" Mito narrowed her eyes. "Don't think you can get away with making me show you the answers or by making excuses to go to the bathroom."
"I really won't run away again...or make excuses," Gon promised, not so sure about what was happening anymore. "I'll do all my math assignments."
Why am I agreeing to this?
I hate math.
But...why do I feel so...excited all of a sudden?
"Alright then." Mito straightened up, keeping both hands on her hips as she turned to look up at the worker who was standing next to Gon. He was a tall, strong man in his early thirties but Mito stared him down as she prepared to release her most precious possession into his care. "Take good care of him, he'll be with you guys three days in the week and one day on the weekends. Don't be afraid to work him hard either..." She looked back to Gon and frowned. "Very hard. He needs to learn that the real world is different from the books that he's been reading."
Hopefully that'd make him realize that life on Whale Island is better than the world out there...the world his father lusts after.
"That won't be a problem," Yori replied with a chuckle. "He doesn't seem like the type who's afraid to work hard."
"He isn't," Mito agreed. "But he tends to get distracted easily and disappear if you don't keep a close eye on him."
Gon laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head, knowing that his aunt was referring to his disappearance from his lessons earlier that afternoon.
"Anyway—" Mito beckoned to Gon with the switch. "Let's go, we need to get started on Grammar and Composition before dinner."
"Okay Aunt Mito," Gon replied, looking back at the worker and smiling as he followed his aunt out of the building.
That guy definitely saved him.
"Gon," Mito said as she walked in front of him. "We have so much to do."
"Yes."
"If you hadn't run away we could have been done by now and you would have been able to go explore in the woods before dinner."
"Yeah..."
"But now I'm afraid we'll have to go right through till it's time to eat."
"Sure..."
"You do know what that means right?"
"..."
"You're grounded Gon Freecs."
"..."
This sucks.
"Are you listening to me?"
"Yes...sorry..."
Gon sighed. He had really been looking forward to seeing Kon that evening.
Oh well, he thought, figuring that the foxbear would understand when he didn't show up. It's not like this is the first time I've been grounded.
At least Aunt Mito didn't decide to use that switch on me...
Breathing out in relief, and not wanting his aunt to catch on to what he was thinking, Gon looked back hesitantly to smile at the older man who had remained in the stock building to clean up.
Yori-san really helped me out today.
I have to thank him properly next time, but for now...
Yori-san, thank you.
At that moment, Yori looked up to meet his eyes and although Gon's words hadn't been expressed aloud, he smiled in response and nodded at him as if understanding the depth of his unspoken gratitude.
Leaving the small building behind as he jogged to catch up to his aunt who had long discarded the willow switch, Gon smiled. Walking in the sun, being outdoors instead of stuck in his study room doing homework made him happy and as they took the winding paved path back to the main house, Gon found one more thing to be happy about: he felt relieved that he had somehow managed to escape that extra punishment. At the same time though, as if to counter this feeling, he felt his anxiety mounting, almost blotting out the relief that flooded his being.
My lie saved me...but now I'll have to see him face to face...
No more hiding.
No more running away.
He'll see me.
I'll have to talk to him.
I hope I don't make a fool of myself.
XXX
Afterword: Poor Mito has to deal with such a naughty Gon lol. If only she knew that things were only going to get worse...
AN:Thanks for reading! I hope you guys are fine, I'm heading back into the insanity that is schoolwork. Wish me the best...
Next Chapter Preview: Sneak (this will probably be M Rated, not sure by how much yet)
