A/N: Wow, surprised to see me again so soon? Yeah, me too. Unfortunately I don't really like this chapter...but the action starts up after this so...


Killua frowned into the mirror, running his hand through newly shortened hair and not liking the way it felt between his fingers. Unfortunately, Gon had caught a glimpse of him today, which meant he had to change his appearance. Such a shame too, his hair had been getting long again, almost ready to be tied up behind his head. He liked it that long. Now it hung choppily above his ears, not only cut but dyed a dull black as well. The color made his skin appear ghastly and sick, not helped by a pair of brown contacts that turned his eyes yellowish green. Change his clothes as well to those of a merchant and the Hunter shouldn't recognize him. He'd just have to be careful about his aura while aboard the ship.

Honestly the assassin didn't like having to chase his prey, but in this case he wasn't being given much of a choice. Gon left via boat tomorrow. Between now and then, the chances of finding a opening to off the Hunter were entirely too slim. Normally he'd just slit his throat while on the ship, but no that wouldn't work either because there were so few passengers. Suspicion could too easily fall onto his shoulders.

Another glance in the mirror and a small snarl (Killua hated disguises) and then he was gone, back into the cheap motel room he'd rented to plan until tomorrow. (Aka, sulk, he really liked long hair)

Gon had to squint his eyes against the reflection of the sun's bright light off the water. The harbor sparkled, a gentle breeze urging small ripples across the surface, making it appear as restless as the boats that sat upon it. They bobbed by the docks, sails fluttering as passengers and crew bustled about. On one boat in particular, energy seemed to be concentrated.

The brigantine's name was Mertyle, a strong ship with three masts and good sailors aboard her. Gon made his way up the gangplank and onto the main deck, Captain Miriam giving a smile and a nod as he passed. Others who were bound for Ami City stood about, some looking nervous and others just bored.

The sun was high in the sky and when his shadow fell completely underneath him, Miriam gave the sign to set sail. A sailor down on the dock was just pulling the gangplank away when a sickly looking man came running up, out of breath as he desperately dashed on board, crew cursing him as he passed. Had he not been waving the fare of twenty Jennies over his head, Miriam would not have let him on. As it was, he hardly made it.

Gon watched with half an eye as the man said a few words to the Captain before leaning against the rail of the ship to catch his breath. He really didn't look well. Meanwhile, the rest of the crew continued with their preparations until the freshly unfurled sails caught a good breeze and the Myrtyle slowly pulled away from her port.

Personally, the Hunter loved sea travel. The wind carried a strong scent of salt and an odd freshness that only came from the ocean, and he took a deep breath of it. Their trip would take a few weeks and he was looking forward to it, always one to enjoy the gentle rock of a ship and the hustle and bustle of the sailors. A lot of times, if they were good natured enough, he was allowed to crawl around in the masts, finding the flat wooden places where one could sit back and relax, and the odd ropes one must climb to get there.

Gon's attention was drawn again when Miriam clapped his hands, calling for the passengers to gather around him. The ship had three levels below deck, the very bottom being for cargo, the second having the crew's quarters as well as the mess hall, and the the top most having eleven cabins, the largest and foremost being the Captain's, the other ten much smaller and for guests.

"Each one has a number on its door, but I'm not about to assign em out to ya, so it's up to you to stake a claim to one. I will say though, that there will be no fighting or stealing on my ship. So keep your fingers to yourself and don't go creeping around other people's rooms. Other than that, breakfast is at seven sharp, dinner at ten. Try to stay out of the crew's way and don't go down to the cargo area, there's nothing for ya down there. If you get sea sick, do it over the railing. Other than that, just don't be a hassle. We've got a few weeks to spend together and I don't want there being any animosity between y'all."

With that the Captain gave a nod and went to stand up at the helm of his ship, giving orders as the Myrtyle navigated her way out of the harbor and into the open sea.

Gon ended up in cabin number six, finding a small bed and a trunk available to him there. Since he hadn't brought anything with him besides his backpack and fishing rod, it stayed empty as these he just left leaning against the wall.

Other than himself, there were seven passengers; a woman and her small daughter, an older man of about seventy, the sickly man who was late, a young girl in her early teen's and her twin brother and a rather small woman with rich, exotic looking clothes. None of them were exactly talkative at first, and for a few days they only really saw each other at meals. Gon quickly made friends with the sailors and spent his time in the ship's intricate rigging though. Where everyone else was, he had no idea.

After about the first week everyone began warming up to one another a bit. The twins were Ally and Sally and they were looking for adventure. The old man, named Denien, was a citizen of Ami City and had only left to visit some relatives. Adriana and her daughter Daisy were looking for a fresh start, and Selver, the sickly man, was simply looking for a place to start his new business. As for the exotic woman, she stayed to herself and rarely spoke even as the voyage wore on.

It had been their second day out when the Hunter had realized his follower from York New was on the ship. He'd been hanging from a net, shielding his face with one hand as he looked out to sea to catch the crisp breeze on his tongue when a small shift in the air had alerted him. It was the vague taste of a familiar aura, the feeling of eyes on the back of his neck. He didn't move like he'd noticed, only bringing his gaze around slowly to glance at the deck of the ship. Only Miriam and several sailors were visible. Gon pursed his lips, the aura gone like nothing but a mere memory.

He wasn't terribly worried that he was still being followed, but this other person's devotion interested him. Why go through all the trouble of getting a disguise and boarding this ship to the middle of nowhere with him? Honestly, was there a bounty on his head that he wasn't aware of or something? Or maybe he just had a really big secret admirer.

Thinking back, the dark haired teen pulled up the very brief memory he had of his stalker. Cerulean blue eyes, a pale wisp within a shadow, a lingering scent of something sweet yet musky. Not really enough to go on, but it was all he had. It was then that he started making mental profiles for each of the seven passengers.

Leaning against the railing of the ship, Gon looked over the few who happened to be on deck with him in the early morning light, stretching their limbs and letting the brisk wind pull their hair into knots. Eight days in and he still wasn't sure. Honestly none of them had really peaked him as being his follower, but that didn't mean he was just going to close his eyes.

For the most part, he'd ruled out Adriana, Ally and Sally. But that still left three people under his mild suspicion. Considering this person hadn't yet proved themselves dangerous, finding them wasn't his top priority. He was more concerned with enjoying himself. Besides, why whisk the passengers into a flurry with personal questions and other such snooping? If whoever was following him intended to show themselves they'd do it eventually. If not, then oh well.

The sudden call of a seabird caught the Hunter's attention, an odd sound for being in the middle of the ocean. They'd left most birds behind miles ago. In the distance there was a whole flock of them, flying in on soft wings, feathers streaked with the dull colors that allowed them to prey on fish below. They called to one another, coming together to create odd formations before falling apart once more.

Had their talk not been so distressed he simply would have thought there was an island nearby and think nothing of it. However, their voices carried notes of danger and warning and it made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up straight.

Brown eyes tracked their movement through the sky then traced their flight back towards the horizon, watching clouds scuttle in on a wind that seemed to be picking up speed every second. The water, as well, seemed to be more restless than usual, the top churning itself into a froth and lapping eagerly at the Myrtyle's sides.

"There's a storm coming!" came the cry from the sailor in the crow's nest, telescope pointed out to sea.

"Get inside," Gon ordered, turning back to face the other passengers. They looked slightly alarmed before deciding they didn't really want to be caught in the rain and moved below deck obediently. Miriam emerged just as they disappeared, face turned towards the sky and looking grim.

The Hunter glanced back out at the horizon, spotting a line of dark clouds forming in the distance. He knew why the Captain suddenly looked so heavy. Heaven help them, a hurricane was rolling in.


So, can you see why I don't like this chapter? Well, whatever. Just bear with me my lovelies. I didn't spend a whole lot of time on it.

~Xen