"Are you sure about this?"
Mito stood in front of Gon, her mind trying desperately to find a way to convince him not to go. She knew there was no point; once he had that look in his eyes, the same one Ging always had, he wouldn't be persuaded by anything. But she had to try, so she could at least tell herself she'd done everything she could while she laid awake at night worrying. Gon grinned, his spiky hair bouncing as he nodded.
"Of course! I really think it'll help me find out what kind of person Ging is. Plus, I'll be protecting everyone!"
Yes, he'd be protecting everyone, but at the cost of what? Mito knew it was selfish to want to keep Gon sheltered while other women's sons and daughters went out to fight the war, but then again Gon wasn't like the other sons and daughters. Whale Island had always been neutral (it wasn't like there were any natural resources on it) so they'd never experienced the suffering and death that other places did. Gon had spent his childhood laughing, and even now at the age of eighteen he was much more boy than man. She didn't want him to lose that. She'd seen the look in the eyes of soldiers who had come home. War broke men. What would it do to a boy?
"I don't think this what Ging would've wanted for you. He left to protect us. Joining the war… isn't that throwing away the life he's tried to give for you?"
Her cousin, Ging, had joined when he was eighteen too, and he'd come back only a couple of years later with a baby. He hadn't said what had happened or who the mother was, he'd only said the boy's name was Gon and he wanted Mito and Grandma to raise his son as if Gon were their own. But Gon was too much like Ging for them to ever get any comfort. And now, like Ging, he was running off to fight a war the first chance he got.
"Not at all, because I'll be fine! I don't know if I'll get to see Ging… I don't think Privates see Lieutenant Generals much… but I still think fighting under him will be awesome!"
Gon's eyes sparkled and he hopped excitedly from foot to foot, the dog tag around his neck making a quiet tinkling sound. He'd get his own tag once he joined, but he'd always worn the one Ging had left. Mito finally gave in upon hearing the same tinkle she'd heard when Ging had left, and she let out a sad sigh, crossing arms.
"You'd better come back as soon as the war's over, Gon Freecs. And don't you dare come back with a baby unless you're at least twenty five!"
Gon laughed again, nodding happily. She gave him a critical once over. Standard grade military pants, boots, and a black tank top really did give him the look of a soldier. If you ignored the boyish face and spiky hair. He was lucky they'd done away with the shaving heads rule.
"I will. Bye, Aunt Mito! I'll see you soon!"
Gon gave her a quick hug then turned and bolted towards the port, heading to the ship that would carry him to the basic training grounds. Mito leaned against the doorjamb, watching his slender back disappear. Basic training was hard. It distinguished boys from soldiers. Cruel as it may be, Mito hoped he'd fail basic training so he'd get sent home. But she knew it was a hope in vain. No matter how hard it was, once Gon had his mind set on something, he'd do it.
Gon glanced out over the sea, leaning so far over the side of the ship that a few people thought he might fall over. Finally! He was finally following in Ging's footsteps. Yes, he wanted to join to protect the people he cared about, but he couldn't deny his burning curiosity to discover why Ging had left when he was a baby. Ging could've stayed—he'd done his part—but he'd chosen to go back and climb the ranks to become one of the most powerful and brilliant Lieutenant Generals anyone had ever seen. There had to be some sort of grand appeal to joining the war, else why would a man with a good, solid future throw himself back into an uncertain, death-filled one? Gon inhaled deeply.
"Hm. You seem quite young to be a new recruit, but those clothes suggest you are."
Gon turned to find himself face-to-face with a tall, muscular man. His crimson hair was swept back easily under a fancy-looking military cap, and his skin stood out in stark contrast with his dark uniform. Gon opened his mouth to reply before noticing the star obviously displayed on the man's uniform. The man saw his hesitation, and his smile was not unlike that of a shark's.
"Oh, no need to worry. Rank doesn't matter at this particular moment. I'd just like to get to know you better. I'm Brigadier General Hisoka."
A Brigadier General?! Why was someone of such high rank even on the ship, and introducing himself to Gon, no less? Gon quickly stood up as straight as he could, disappointed to see his eyes only reached Hisoka's shoulders, and saluted. But, of course, he was so flustered he used the wrong hand and he ended up totally botching it.
"S-sir! I'm Gon Freecs!"
Hisoka laughed, low and throaty, and stood a little taller so Gon was forced to look up.
"Freecs? You wouldn't happen to be related to Ging Freecs, would you?"
Gon nodded frantically, wondering if this man knew his father. Hisoka leaned in closer to examine Gon's face, then smiled as if what he saw pleased him a great deal. He reached down and lifted Gon's dog tag, reading it with a smirk. Then he used it to pull Gon closer as he leaned down to whisper in the boy's ear.
"I like those eyes. Gon Freecs… if you ever need anything, feel free to come to my quarters after hours. I can help you with all of your needs… and desires. Anything at all."
Gon shivered, an unpleasant feeling washing over him. He felt like a piece of prey caught by a predator. His body was frozen, unable to move. His eyes tried to find someone else's to beg for help, but everyone had their eyes averted. They even looked relieved, as if happy that they weren't the ones who held Hisoka's attention. A bead of sweat formed and Gon's temple and trickled down his face with agonizing slowness. The ridiculous notion that maybe Hisoka would never let him go crossed his mind, but Hisoka finally released him, leaning back with a heavy-lidded leer.
"I'll be keeping my eye on you, Gon. Don't disappoint me."
Gon swallowed as the man sashayed away, joining a fellow B. General with long black hair. Why had that person come straight over to him? And what did he mean by going to his quarters? Gon had the feeling it was something he didn't want to find out, so he quickly went into one of the cabins and spent the rest of the trip by himself, shivering whenever he thought about 'Hisoka.'
Finally, after a few hours, they arrived at the port, and, after checking to make sure Hisoka wasn't around, Gon disembarked with the rest of the people. Since the ship he'd been on only went to the military base, everyone was either military personnel or someone who was planning to go through basic training. The atmosphere felt strange to him, thick and heavy with a feeling he couldn't quite place. Everyone seemed so… serious. No one was fooling around, no one was laughing, everyone was simply talking in low, stiff voices or being completely silent. He wondered if something had happened.
"All new recruits this way!"
He turned, along with a bunch of other men and women, to a tall, thin man with light hair and a curled mustache.
"I'm Sgt. Satotz and I'll be one of your instructors in basic training. We don't formally start until tomorrow, but that doesn't mean we don't expect respect from you. Tonight, you'll be sorted into squads, and tomorrow is when the real test begins."
The prospect sounded rather exciting. Gon had no idea they'd be performing basic training in squads, but now he was excited to see who he'd be placed with. He looked around, wanting to find someone to talk to. Satotz began to walk and everyone followed him, murmuring amongst themselves. The atmosphere was much more relaxed without the higher ups like Hisoka around, and people began cracking jokes and laughing.
"Hey, hi! I'm Gon! So… do you think basic training will be fun?"
The person he'd been speaking to turned to him, already preparing to answer, but when he saw Gon's face he stopped dead and dropped away from the pack, not saying a word. Gon glanced at him curiously but kept going, wondering if maybe he was extremely shy or something. He looked around and found another person who looked roughly his age, and he jogged up to him with a large grin.
"Nice to meet you! I'm Gon!"
He would've said more, but that person also gave him a strange look and then moved away from him. Gon frowned, then lifted his arms and sniffed experimentally. No, he didn't smell bad. And he didn't really think he looked all that strange, either. So why was everyone shying away from him? He tried to talk to a couple more people, but he kept getting the same response. As he looked around, he realized that no one was even running close to him anymore, and everyone seemed to be avoiding his gaze. Did everyone hate him or something? His head dropped, and he suddenly wondered if maybe this was a bad choice after all.
"Gon, was it? You should really stop trying to talk to people." Gon glanced up, his heart rising just a little; someone was talking to him. But his heart sunk after the next words. "You may end up getting them killed."
Killua Zoldyk didn't know why he did it. He'd caught a glimpse of a boy around his age on the ship, and he'd felt a faint interest because there weren't many people his age. He'd watched as Hisoka had gone up to the boy, pulled him close and said something that set the boy shivering. He could only imagine what it was; the guys close to him were talking about Hisoka in low, hushed voices. Something about how he marked attractive young boys as his own when they first came on the ship. It seemed that if they got through basic training after being 'marked,' Hisoka would make sure no harm would come to them. Unless it was from him.
Killua's lips had curled in disgust at that. So the B. General was a creep who liked young boys. He'd wanted to go over and say something, but he'd forced himself to stay and listen to the rest of the conversation. The guys had said that once Hisoka marked someone, the news spread like wildfire and everyone knew they weren't supposed to go near him. Hisoka didn't like other people touching his property. Or even looking at it for that matter.
Killua didn't give a shit what Hisoka thought, though. His family name was famously known in the military for not being famous. They were all in high ranking positions, but no one knew what division they were in or where they were half the time. They only knew that when the Zoldyk family name was mentioned, someone ranked high on the opposing side would die, and no one would know who or what had killed them. Killua was the only one who had decided he didn't want to join the Special Forces team his family was part of. Quietly slipping into enemy territory and killing someone while they slept seemed cowardly to him, despite the fact that it got the job done. That being said, his name still carried enough weight that Hisoka laying a hand on him would cause quite the disturbance.
"What do you mean?" The boy he'd been watching, Gon, looked at him with huge, truthful eyes. The kind of eyes that soldiers didn't have. Killua shouldn't have approached him; it had been a bad idea from the start. But for some reason Gon had annoyed him so much that he'd had to speak up. How could anyone be so stupidly naïve? Even if Killua hadn't heard the conversation, he would've been able to figure out why everyone was avoiding him eventually.
"I mean Hisoka owns you now, so anyone talking to you is going to get it from him."
Gon contemplated that as they jogged, his eyes rolling up thoughtfully. Killua examined him from the corner of his eye. He was attractive, there was no denying it—it was obvious why Hisoka had been drawn to him. Tanned skin, muscles toned for endurance rather than strength, a youthful, symmetrical face, warm eyes that carried the saccharine sweetness of boyhood and innocence… Killua imagined Gon would have his choice of lovers from both sexes. But that wasn't all.
"He doesn't own me! Why would anyone think that?"
Yep, there it was. Just like Killua had thought. A pure mind, full of fluff and childishness. In a military environment, that meant that, rather than lovers, Gon would have a whole lot of men and women forcing themselves on him. Killua cursed silently to himself, wondering for the hundredth time why he was even getting involved. If he just let nature run his course, he was sure Gon would be eliminated. If not by the trials of basic training, then certainly by mental anguish from the unwanted desires of crude people.
"That's just the way it is with anyone he talks to."
"Oh."
Another silent moment, then, "Why are you talking to me, then?"
Killua glanced at him, wondering if Gon was making fun of him. But no, he seemed genuinely curious and… was that worry? For what? For Killua? Stupid, stupid kid! Who would be worried about someone they didn't know from a hole in the ground? That kind of mentality would get him killed!
"Because I do what I want. No one tells me what to do."
Gon laughed, easy and lighthearted. Killua gave him a strange look. How could he laugh in a situation like this? Did he literally have a mental problem?
"I see. I like you! What's your name? Do you wanna be my friend?"
Friend? FRIEND?! Killua almost choked on his own spit. They were eighteen for crying out loud! How old did this kid think he was? Twelve? Killua shook his head in exasperation. Just leave. Just ignore him and pretend you never noticed him. But… dammit, he couldn't do that. He had no idea why, but there was something about Gon that was achingly familiar. It tickled something in the back of his mind. It was one of the most annoying things he'd ever experienced, like an itch he couldn't scratch. Fine. Fine then, brain. If you want to be that way, I'll stay with him until I figure out what the hell this is.
"My name is Killua. And fine, I'll be your friend. On one condition."
Gon jumped practically five feet high in excitement. Killua rolled his eyes, wondering why he felt déjà vu. He shoved the thought away, narrowing his eyes as Satotz stopped; it was time for them to be placed in groups.
"Killua, what's the condition?"
Gon's whisper sounded incredibly loud, especially since every person had fallen silent to listen to the groups Satotz was about to announce. Some people shot him glares while others smirked. Killua mentally shook his head, regretting agreeing to such a stupid thing already. But he could see in Gon's eyes that the boy would keep asking him questions if he didn't respond.
"You have to be careful."
He murmured it as quietly as he could out of the side of his mouth. As ridiculous as it sounded, and despite the fact that Gon probably wouldn't listen, he really felt he needed to say it. This wasn't a place where you could let your guard down for an instant, but Gon hadn't even had his guard up for an instant. It was terrifying.
"Okay!"
Gon agreed happily, though Killua was sure he didn't really understood.
"…rio, Freecs, Gon, Kurta, Kurapika, and…"
Killua snapped back to attention at Gon's name, his eyes widening as he processed what had been said. Freecs? Gon Freecs? Like Ging Freecs? He was about to ask Gon if there was any relation, when Satotz called out the last name of the four man squad.
"Zoldyk, Killua."
Damn. This was going to be a long, long thirteen weeks.
