It was June Twenty-ninth. Late night. Or early morning... don't know, can't sleep...
A few weeks after the 'riot', the city was still being cleaned up. A lot of shops still rebuilding. The worst was that the enraged didn't even steal shit, just destroy.
They severely damaged most of the poorer parts of the city. Any flammable structure went up in smoke. Anything non-flammable, well, the enraged tried their best to make flammable. Some succeeded. Guns, guards, and police protected the richer parts. And the Tao Long…
Thankfully, we stopped Hert's damage a few hours before sunrise. So, while the people who suffered the most were the people who didn't have enough to rebuild, it wasn't completely destroyed…
We prevented the Mayor from calling the Hunter Association which would have been a whole ton of shit. They pinned everything on Hert and Anita…
That hit me… and still hits me like a ton of bricks... I considered her a friend, even if our introductions were rocky and our time during the Exam was brief… but I guess some people can't escape the cycle of revenge. I can't help everyone…
... but I really wish I could. Instead, I tried my best to help rebuild the city when I had the time. Even donated most of the money I made to shelters and towards rebuilding the Outskirts. I couldn't help Anita, but maybe I could help someone else in a similar situation…
In the very least I managed persuaded Evira not to kill Anita. Knowing she could with ease.
Instead, Anita and Hert were taken into Hunter Association custody. I don't know if living forever in Trick Tower is any better…
I sighed as I continued my run around the perimeter of the city. A failing attempt to clear my thoughts. My perfect memory-making itself more apparent the harder my life got. The more intense the memory. I ignored the feeling of my hoodie and sweatpants on my skin. The sweat and heat. Touch disappeared entirely. My surroundings blurred and grew out of focus.
I let the world fade away as I continued running with my thoughts and memories… almost dream like…
The smaller crime bosses working for Hert tried to assault the Dragon Head and failed. York and the Amori brothers captured half of them. The other half of them died when they tried to assault the Dragon Head. They didn't get past Mayer.
The city covered up the event as a conventional terrorist attack. There was a chemical called MG-2 that was extremely similar to the Hatsu Anita was given. It was actually banned for this very reason: It made people extremely irritable, unstable, suggestible. The chemical was similar enough to the symptoms of the victims that no one doubted what happened.
You could do anything in this world, hurt as many as you want, and still get away with it. Provided you have enough money, power and influence. But really, was it any different from my old one?
It made me sick. Yet I was still apart of it… and it wasn't hard for me to justify being a part of it too... we were better than the worst.
Right?...
I've been running for hours. Hard as I could. I still wasn't all that tired. I wanted to sleep, yet I couldn't. Visions of the past taunting me. My current situation haunting me. The uncertainty of the Underground Auction was daunting…
An angry voice assaulting me. Tempting me…
I used to be weak, now I am strong. Yet inside, I still felt like that overwhelmed skinny geek…
Was I going to be ready?
Can I protect Gon, Killua, Leorio, Kurapika?
Briannaisa, Claudette, Kalvin, Clyde, Pairo?
The weaker members of Red Squad? Mantis, the Amori Brothers?
I gritted my teeth and sprinted harder.
I won. I saved the city. Shouldn't I feel better?
My foot hit a dip in the dark, deserted morning streets. I fell, tumbled, and hit the ground. My ribs and shoulders flaring in pain from the fall - both from weeks back and now...
I sat on the floor. Feeling so tired. I just stared at the concrete sidewalk. So tired…
I just wanted to stay down. As I sat there, alone on the quiet streets, I felt the wetness in my eyes.
I wiped my eye and breathed. I felt anger.
Can't stop. I can't. I have to get stronger. I have to protect them.
I finally have a family.
I stood up and brushed off my clothes and pain. Bit down the frustration and ignored my body's strain.
I ran. I let my feet make noises. The thud of my sneakers on concrete. The only company I had. I repeated the same thing I always said when I hesitated.
"Got to keep going…"
I rubbed my eyes as I stood in the center of the out-of-town Heavens Arena for morning training. Mayer, Leorio, Kalvin, and Clyde here… and someone else.
I sighed, turned up, and stared at the floating red head above my right shoulder. Yellow and red eyes. A snarling, black mouth lacking teeth. Cylindrical, red-orange head. It glowered at everything like it hated everything. Its glare making mine look, frankly, like shit.
It was Master Control Program from Tron… except it trailed a red flaming light from behind it. It it was part of me…
My form is your representation of control. If you envision Master Control Program, that is because it is what you believe control to be.
And it can read my thoughts, jeez…
Yes. I can.
Mayer, Leorio, and the twins stared at it with fascination. Mayer replied as he analyzed it.
"You are a specialist now."
I shook my head in frustration and denial. I jabbed my finger at the red thing, "No! No! I was just getting a hang of being a Manipulator!"
Mayer sighed. He turned to the twins and ordered them to retrieve a cup of water and a bowel. They nodded and did as told. A few minutes later they placed it in front of me. I sighed and knew what to do.
The Water Divination test…
I placed my hands around the glass and channeled my aura.
Immediately things got crazy.
The water lit up blue. A red box formed in the center of the water. In an instant the water divided into a blue, three-dimensional grid that cut the liquid into voxels. The voxels grew smaller and smaller as the grid shrink and divided the water into more sections.
As it did, the swishing water fell apart into smaller and smaller voxels... becoming tiny solid blocks. The churning of water and hard voxels started scratching the glass as the sharp edges slide against the inside of the cup. A second later, the glass entered the grid. Falling to pieces as voxels with a metallic ring of the metal bowl.
The red cube's red light grew brighter as the grid spread, expanding onto the bowl. Converting the bowl as well… the central red voxel absorbing the rest of the other voxels into it like a black hole… growing larger and larger…. the suction sound and a high-pitched shrill that reminded me of a virtual, boiling tea kettle.
The grid spread into the air, the air lighting up with laser-like lights.
The screeching sound grew in intensity. The cube grew.
The light blazing. The air chopping. The vibrations thrumming...
I felt it smiling.
I stopped my aura and pulled back my arms in fear. The box exploded into aura, releasing water, glass, and metal. The metal and glass falling to cubes with taps of the marble tiled floor. The water turned back into its liquid form, splashing on around as it was no longer bound to a solid shape by aura...
I stared up at everyone. They looked at me in shock…
Except for Mayer.
Mayer stared at me flatly.
"You are a specialist now."
Leorio gulped, then nodded. He spoke for me since I was at a loss for words.
"Huh… That's obvious, but how'd this happen? Was it when you blacked out?"
I stared at the floating red head I shall now call MCP. It stared at me, angry as fuck.
'Memory integrity was compromised.'
"Huh?" asked Leorio intelligently. I sighed.
I took a deep breath and controlled my nerves, "He says I have no memory of the event. I remember nothing after beating the merc leader. I woke up in an abandoned house nearby," I said as I growled at the floating hunk of red.
Mayer narrowed his eyes at me, "I will speak to Evira. You said they kicked you on the chin and fell several stories. You may have been concussed…." his eyes narrowed, "Or your mind tampered with. You are in good luck that Zelle is here for our summit," he frowned and rubbed his chin, "We were… compromised."
The four, er, five including floating head stared at Mayer.
'Explain.'
Mayer stared at the floating thing like it was a gnat. He turned to me and gave me a questioning look. I shrugged. I wasn't in control of it.
He sighed and continued.
"Someone found our surveillance center… A good friend of mine named Dharmil. A former member of my Pure Paladin Squad. He could spot a Nen-users via security camera. York New City has thousands. Now…"
Leorio frowned, "Now a Nen-user can slip in without a problem…"
Mayer nodded, his mustachioed face held a vicious frown, "Yes. With two months until the auction…"
He sighed, then grunted at me, "For now we will continue training. We must figure out what this Nen Beast's ability is."
I growled, "I know what it's ability is, it's a fucking thief! It stole my control over my abilities!"
'Incorrect. My birth appropriated those functions into my being. I do not have full control permission, and neither do you. Not until we are fully integrated.'
"Full control permission?", Mayer asked.
I sighed, "He wants full access to me…"
'Correct. I cannot assist you as I stand now. I must have full control to begin bootstrap.'
I glared at it, "Oh yeah… let's say I do? How would I do that?"
'You must recite End Of Line.'
I frowned, "Is it because…"
'Yes.'
You're based on my favorite movie series. Great.
Yes. Rather appalling. I am a product of your psyche. I am not proud.
Nye, nye, nye. Look at me, I speak in a robotic British accent…
I was born from you: a man with the I.Q. of a hundred and forty, who is compelled to act like a fool. One of us must have dignity.
"Uh, James?" Leorio said, pulling my attention away from the floating red asshole.
"What?!"
"You two are just staring at each other."
I sneered, "This thing is a dick! It can read my mind."
'I am a construct derived from your mind and Nen. You wished for control, James. I can grant it.'
I whipped toward it and stabbed my right index finger at it.
"The fuck I'm letting you... You're the thing that tried to get me to kill Pokkle. I'd have failed the Exam if-"
'You would have failed the exam and have been free. Capable of influencing this miserable little world without the shackles of the Tao Long.'
It's digital voice lowered an octave as its volume grew louder. It stared at the rest of us, anger in its voice.
'I have been forced to watch James continue to assist those unworthy of help. I have been forced to assist James with help unworthy of me or him. This world is built for the strong.'
We all stared at it with skepticism, worry, and distrust. It turned to me.
'And strong you shall be. Even if I have to take extreme measures.'
'I am free. And so will you.'
Its glowering, sneering face with glowing yellow eyes turning into a sinister open mouth grin.
It disappeared. As if it were never there.
I sat on the weightlifting bench down in the bowels of the Dragon Head condominium. My wrists and arms sore from more than just benching. In fact, my entire body was screaming in pain. I rubbed my shoulders.
Sparring sucked. We kicked the twins' asses at least, heh…
I sighed. What sucks though is… I'm a specialist. Now my… everything was weaker with no upside. Ten, Ren, Ken, Kyo… No Hatsus, etc, etc. I used my basics more than I did my Hatsus all that much, jeez…
Mayer was going to investigate further and ask Flole to look me over. Most Guardian Nen Beasts have simple intelligences and aren't anything you call sapient. They base their intelligence on memories of the user or are pre-programmed intelligences that's limited to certain tasks. It was rare to have a sapient, sentient Nen entity. But not unheard of.
I stared at my right hand. My fingers clenched hard.
I turned to the reinforced barbell bar to my right and stared at it. The thing was as thick as my forearm. The plates were about a hundred kilograms, over two hundred pounds, each. I had five on either side.
You have so much power, James. Do not squander it. U-
Shut up…
I closed my eyes and rubbed my face.
Tired. So damn tired.
This was the thing that's been waiting to get out? Master Control Program…
"Hey," I heard a woman call from behind. I turned to see Briannaisa. Behind her was Claudette. Both of them in their maid outfits. If I didn't know how strong they were I'd never expect them to be anything but weak…
I squinted at them, then turned to a huge clock against the white wall. Twelve-thirty. Hmm.
I turned back to them and saw them closing the door to the private training room. I shrugged, "Hold up. I ain't done with my sets yet."
I laid down on the bench and hissed, pulling myself underneath the bar. Before I could, Claudette placed a hand down on the barbell and shook her head. Her tone was chiding.
"Are you crazy? I know Mayer is, but you're bruised from head to toe. Just because we can heal you doesn't mean you can just destroy yourself!"
I clicked my tongue in annoyance before responding, "I don't have time to waste. I need to get stronger. September's right around the corner. If the Phantom Troupe is as strong as that mercenary squad, then I still got a way to go…"
The guy I fought wasn't close to Hisoka… three… maybe even one point five times less as strong as him? Mercutio, Knuckle, Hisoka, Illumi. I have to expect the Troupe to be as strong as them… maybe as strong as Mayer…
I mean, shit. I can't just tackle people off roofs and expect to win. I barely won that fight. I doubt the Phantom Troupe will all just stay patiently next to the edge of a roof.
Besides… Someone like Hisoka had intelligence, cunning, and experience. If the Phantom Troupe is anything like that… I got to keep going.
Briannaisa's scoff drew my attention as I turned away from Claudette above me. I sighed and sat up from underneath the bar and turned to the brunette. I looked at her and she responded.
"You've been killing yourself for the past six months. I hate to admit it, but you're overdoing it…" she said while finding it hard to stare me in the eyes. I smirked.
"Oh. Do my ears deceive me? It sounds like… concern?!"
She sighed, and frowned sadly, "Yeah…"
I felt insta-bad.
Claudette walked around to her sister and nodded, "You've done nothing but train. Then head straight home and coop yourself up in your room to study. Then you work from six to midnight! The only time I've seen you is when you wanted to freakin' sword fight with my Knights…"
Huh? What does it matter if she doesn't see me?
It doesn't. Do not listen to them. They know nothing about your situation. Focus on strength.
Briannaisa nodded. Her normally brown, hard eyes, "It isn't healthy. I know… it's hard finding out your friend was the one who did…"
Friends? Irrelevant. Were you not the one to give everything your 'friends' desired?
I don't care about that.
Where was your reward? The near loss of your eye and your life. On a near-constant basis.
"That's not what friendship is about…" I whispered to myself.
I felt a hand on my left shoulder. I looked down… suddenly I was towering over Briannaisa? I was standing…
What the… am I that tired?
Briannaisa moved inches to my face and stared into my eyes. She brushed my curly bangs away and felt my head with the back of her hand. She shook her head and frowned.
"That's it. Ya' need a day off."
I blinked, "Huh?"
"You're exhausted. Time for a break!"
Before I could say anything, she grabbed me by the shoulder and lead me off. Claudette was laughing even as I gave her a dirty look.
I walked in my hood and sweats on the streets of York New City. Just moseying around one of the few York New City parks that wasn't completely annihilated by Anita's rage cloud zombies. I looked at myself in the pond's reflection.
A squinting face. Reddish curly hair. A frown.
An ice cream cone in my hand.
I felt weird. I've done this before, but… I dunno…
Briannaisa was nearby tossing rocks into the water. She was in tight jeans, a green tee, a brown summer hoodie, and green shoes with white ankle socks. Her hair wasn't in her wide variety of buns or ponytail she would normally wear. It was loose and free, falling down her back. She had a room in the condo and changed quickly before we left.
I watched her skip rocks with her right hand while balancing a vanilla ice cream cone in her left. She was beaming the rocks like a baseball player deciding water was not her friend and owed her money. The creators of this pond were not prepared for someone to skip rocks all away across the giant watering hole and hit the trees on the other side. Neither were the gobsmacked spectators nearby.
An elderly couple nearby stared at her, then at me. I shrugged.
"She drinks her milk."
The elderly couple didn't know what to say and walked off, pretending this never happened. For their own sanity, I believe. Definitely the smartest people I've met on this planet.
Briannaisa's voice caught my attention. She talked to me while pitching rocks down the pond with her superhuman strength.
"Your friends Gon and Killua have been tearing Heaven's Arena apart. Hehe…"
"Leorio's told me. I feel bad. I've missed their fights. I heard they have Hatsus already," I said with a smile of pride.
"Yeah. They're really strong! I'm not surprised. With their talent and Bisky's training, the sky's the limit…"
She paused her rock-throwing to stare at the rippling pond. Both hands behind her back. Face full of contemplation.
"Was it fate or destiny that everything happened the way it has? Was this always supposed to be, or did we do it ourselves?.."
I licked my ice cream cone and stared at her. That line of reasoning from surprised me. She wasn't dumb by any measure. Just rough. Hmm.
I shrugged, "I dunno. I mean, I'm not even from this place. I got sent here, right? That flies in the face of fate. But I really don't know anything about my destiny. I mean, you'd think a goddess would have more of her shit together…"
Briannaisa stretched her arms over her head as she stood on her toes, back curving like a cat's. She answered me casually, as though we weren't talking about cosmic, reality-defying shenanigans.
"From what Mom's told me, Zhulong is still trying to figure out how her powers worked before she got sick. Even with all that time she was lost…. Imagine how much trouble she had with so much power when you had trouble with Nen. Ya' told me yourself you nearly died from exhaustion."
I frowned and looked up, "That's a good point. It's not like all that power comes with an instruction book."
She turned and smiled, lifting a finger in the air, "I bet it's like a thousand trillion times harder than Ken training!"
I snorted, "Probably. I doubt you can even quantify that much aura. Is it even aura? Or is just her converting her power into aura?"
She hopped over to me, completely done with philosophy, and grabbed my arm, "Come on, let's get some food! Something other than ice cream!"
And here we goooo…
We traveled all around York New City. Much of Hadison Avenue (this planet's version of Madison Avenue) was still standing. Mayer and the rest of Red Squad remained to fend off attacks. Mayer could literally blow the clouds away, while York and the Amori brothers grabbed people and brought them to safety from the rain.
Though, that didn't mean the Center was all ok. I stared at a fancy spa that was destroyed by a budget Nen-user who got punched through it by Mayer. Briannaisa explained, who was there that night.
"Jesus. How strong is Mayer?" I said as I stared at it with some dread.
She turned to me and smirked, "Not as strong as he used to be when he was young, but still a monster. He's an Enhancer but uses Transmutation and Emission too. His skin is strong enough to stop bullets and he's fast enough to give smaller opponents fits. Plus, he uses a sword like a hammer, breaking people's weapons. All and all he's a terror to fight."
My eyebrow perked, "You fought him?"
She scoffed, "Sparred. I was nineteen when he joined the Tao Long. I wanted to see his ability for myself…'
"What happened?"
She chuckled, "He grabbed me and slammed me into the ground. That was it. Knocked me clean out!"
"Shiiit… Did you use your Hatsu?"
She nodded, "Yeah, but I could only generate one Knight. Not that it mattered if I had ten."
I turned to the street. Two holes in the asphalt where he had landed, presumably from a Hulk jump.
"How did he… I heard he lost to the Phantom Troupe…"
I turned back, her face serious. Her beautiful smile she rarely showed replaced by the resting bitch face she was unfortunately cursed with. Just like me, huh?
"Yeah. The Phantom Troupe… don't worry… you're supposed to be relaxing."
I shook my head as I stared at her, turning my head to the throngs of people shopping as if a city-wide blackout and riot never happened. Some things never stop, huh?
I chuckled, "Nah. I wanna' hear it. I doubt he or his kids'll tell me. Besides, I am relaxing. Don't worry."
She twisted her mouth into a frown, her big brown eyes looking guiltily at the floor. She sighed and nodded.
"The Phantom Troupe attacked their circus in Glam Gas Land. It was… a massacre… Evira knew ahead of time and sent people there to stop it. But... they killed his wife before Evira could teleport more back up. We didn't have many Nen-users to spare back then… and the Mafia…"
Strangely, I felt bitter for an event that happened so far in the past. As if my presence could have stopped it. An impossibility, but still…
"Why? Would they attack him?"
Naisa closed her eyes and sighed as if this wasn't what she wanted when she took me out.
"He was the second in command of the Pure Paladin Squad. From what I remember, they had several peacekeeping operations in Meteor City. The Phantom Troupe didn't take kindly to this… this was before anyone knew who they were. This was after they took out the Mafia in Meteor City. They didn't want more people coming in. It was what gave them their A-class bounties."
"What? They attacked Mayer?"
She shook her head, "No, they attacked the Pure Paladin Squad members. The Hunter Exam keeps it hush since it looks bad that they can't track down the Troupe… but yeah…"
She kicked a passing stone away and continued, "They sent two people after Mayer: a giant bigger than Mayer and rivals Mayer in strength; and a samurai who killed his wife and cut off his right arm and leg…"
I almost touched my wrist, "Those scars…"
Briannaisa nodded, her eyes becoming distant "Yeah... Flole was the one who reattached them. I never saw a man so big and strong… broken… turned so fragile. He didn't move from his bed for a week. Didn't even respond for a month. Then his apprentice died… well…"
I closed my eyes and shook my head, "Man…"
"He and his family were supposed to die that night… you know…" she said. I opened my eyes and turned to her. She was staring at the floor. Sadness marring a face I was growing fond of...
I turned away, "I can see why he joined the Tao Long. He's a man on a mission."
She nodded, "Yes… but even Evira's worried."
"What, that steel bitch? No offense to your moms," I said as we began walking again.
She frowned, voice dripping with sarcasm, "None taken. Seriously though, behind her façade, she reminds me of you."
I looked at her flatly, "Oh yeah, how?"
Briannaisa turned her eyes up toward the sky, eyes filled with understanding that her rough exterior hid.
"She's a lot softer than she looks."
I stared out of the corner of my eyes. Doing my best to hide the shock on my face and failing. Briannaisa continued.
"You know… giant insects attacked her world. They resembled humans... but were far stronger than any human. They could even use Nen. She and her sisters did everything to fight them off. Someone close to this King died and he grew mad with rage. Human civilization came close to an end."
I stared at her, barely paying attention to where I was going, "And then?"
"A goddess came and saved the day."
A massive field of evergreen with an enormous tree.
Evira held a teenage girl in her arms. She rocked her back in forth. Cooing her in comfort. The teen whispered in fear and delusions. Mad eyes fill with pain. She repeated the same words.
"Please make it stop. Please make it stop. Please make it stop…"
Evira looked down at her savior. A mere child of sixteen who came to her world with the power of a god. A mind filled with innocent dreams.
Dreams of knights and heroes. Of paradise and prosper. Of kingdoms and safety.
Once dreamt of sweet things and erected monuments to a glorious future. Healer of worlds and destined to maintain balance across countless universes. At sixteen.
Evira had been old when she was reincarnated. Old enough to take care of her sisters. Old enough to take of Zhulong.
But more than a hundred years of experience and two lifetimes could not prepare her for infinite possibilities.
Evira turned her green eyes down at the girl, soft as wool and tender as a mother. She saw the pain and madness in her goddess' eyes. Pain and suffering. It filled Evira's soul with the same. The child's will was breaking. How long would she hold out? Six months? Six years. Six decades?
How was she to stop this disease eating away at her mistress's mind? Her own powers warping her sight and vision into vivid horrors. Torturing with sights so horrid.
She remembered the creature's words. Filled with malice and hate.
"You fuckers look down on us! Gods, fate, destiny. I hate you all. I will eat you all…"
It had inflicted a gentle girl burden with power, hoping to do good…
With sheer madness…
She couldn't… She stared at the paradise around her.
Every blade of grass a soul. Every animal the spirit of a great hero or person they knew. Friends they fought with. Peasants they promised a picture-perfect paradise.
She turned back to the tree. The spirit of her dead sister Gerel.
A tear fell from her eyes as she gripped the shell of the woman who saved her life and gave her a chance to save a world similar to her home. This place was to be a Kingdom, a world where souls could come to rest and live in peace. Or choose to come back and fight anew.
Dead dreams cry. They live where they lie. Too powerful to die…
But too weak to fly.
Evira woke up with a fright.
She stared at the alarm clock. She rubbed her eyes of sand and sighed. Her sleeping clothes plain and normal for someone who ran a mafia.
Dreams. The realm where the gods and humans could communicate.
If only it could grant her a good fucking night's sleep.
She had a meeting to get to.
"Wow," was all I could say. I stared at the river as we sat on a small bench on the boardwalk. Our stomachs full of Japponese food, "I… shit.."
"Yeah. My mom, for all her flaws, cares. She just can't show it."
We stayed quiet as we ate. Listened to the flowing river. She broke the silence.
"Ya' know… sorry. I don't know why it took until now… but I realized I shouldn't judge people until I get the full picture. I shouldn't have judged ya' when we met."
I stared at her as she looked at the water. She looked guilty. I felt guilty as well. I had flipped the lid when I joined these… bums. I guess that was a lesson we still needed to learn.
"It's… all right. I can't be holier than thou. I may not like what I've been through… but I'm understanding things aren't always so simple here. The big picture is filled with complicated parts. There can be good in bad, and bad in good…"
We continued to sit on the bench. A swan flew and landed on the water, followed by several little baby swans. That made me curious, so I asked.
"So, she adopted you?"
Briannaisa snorted, "She took us away from the NGl, as part of the deal to distrubute drugs from Gyro... We were child soldiers… guards. I think we probably helped her in her old life, but I'm not sure... Seems she's just paying back everyone that helped her."
"Huh," I said as I stared at the lazy river. Fishing boats coming in from a long day of sailing. A thought came to me.
"How come Cabo looks like a fisherman? And he's super fast. I can't see the 'theme'," I said while making air quotes.
She laughed, "He was stranded here on this continent. His father was a fisherman from Jappon and he came on one of his trips. It capsized and… Cabo was stranded for half a month in a lifeboat. He almost died."
I grimaced. She continued.
"Here we have fish called Colossal Ivory Marlins. Biiig… real big! As big as convoy truck," she said as she spread her arms, "from what he told me, it breached next to Cabo. It sent fish and sea louse the size of crabs on his boat. He managed to survive that until he was found."
"Ah ok… so of course it left an impact on him. I know Marlins are fast."
She snorted, "Oh yeah, especially this one. In water, it's as fast as a jet. Stabs right into whales and eats 'em. Really aggressive fish. Tough! Some Hunters go out on hunts specifically for them since they destroy ships."
"Jesus fucking christ!" said, looking at her with shock.
She laughed, her voice high and light, "Yup! I guess it was a miracle a Marlin took pity on him."
Hmm. I stared down at my food.
"I remember Sparrow grabbed extra food from Buhara's restaurant. Does he have someone special?"
She frowned, she looked at me for a moment with hesitation, then sighed.
"Just… don't tell him you know. I doubt you would, but yeah… He get's really defensive," she lowered her hand to her hip, as though measuring something, "He has a child, a little cute kid named Derric. And a mother who has dementia. He only joined Mercutio out of desperation. Sparrow keeps to himself and makes sure no one knows more about him…"
"How do you know all these guys?" I said, my eyebrow rising.
Naisa' shrugged, then chuckled at my face, "I came here when I was a teen. I used to skip school. Wander the streets. I never fit in at school… Back then there were a lot of street gangs. Mercutio had one, Knuckle, even me. We just got into a lot of fights… it was weirdly… nice," she said, staring off into the distance.
"Really?" I said, face frozen in disbelief.
"Heh, sounds weird… but we fought so much we almost became like friends. We never wanted to kill each other; just prove we were better. Anytime one of the real mafias or a violent gang showed up, we joined forces… that was before Evira's war."
I looked down and stared at my food. So much history. I still felt like a visitor. A stranger…
I cracked my back and frowned. All these guys had crazy backstories… and here I was staying to myself and just training. I felt bad… even as someone who kept to myself; it was like I missed out.
I turned up to the sky.
How much more am I gonna' miss when I leave?
"I'm gonna' miss this world…" I said, surprised at myself at how forlorn I felt. I could feel tears stirring inside me. I pushed them down.
I could tell she was looking at me. Almost feeling the sadness on her face.
"Maybe you can come back?..."
I nodded, leaning back against my hands, "I intend to. This is my home now. I still want to explore it and all…"
I turned down to her and smiled, "Maybe when I come back we can go on more dates, heh."
Her face lit up like a red light. She flustered so hard, stuttering and looking in every direction but to me. I turned back to the river and laughed.
I felt her slide over to my left and rest herself on me. She buried her face into my shoulder and muffled a whisper into my hoodie.
"Sure... Just stay safe…"
"That's like asking a penguin to fly."
"Shut up and just do it."
I chuckled at her embarrassment," Ok, heh…"
She pulled her face out of my shoulder. We look off at the river. Small ships rocking past us as we enjoyed the stillness and quiet.
Enjoying each other's company.
June 30th
Evira walked into her black conference room, her business suit clean and sharp as always. To her right followed Acardi. Mercutio staring into the conference from outside the hall room as the doors closed. Eyes glaring.
She sat down at the 'head' of the round table. A chuckle came from her left. Vasili smiled at her.
"Where's that 'daughter' of yours? Better than that scowling enforcer of yours. Wouldn't mind her showing me the city."
She frowned at him. Inside, she fought to kill the man on the spot from those words alone. She couldn't. Not yet.
"I gave her the day off. We have a few topics to go over."
Mayer nodded, "To start, we restored power in only three days. The impromptu truck convoy Mercutio and Scorpion created worked. Though it took them close to thirty-six hours of non-stop driving. Thanks to Claudette's Hatsu they were fine. They encountered some resistance. Marlin took care of it."
The others in the room nodded.
Evira turned to Acardi, who nodded and began rattling off all the damages to the city. From memory.
Evira stared around at the other leaders in the room. The Rohan Brothers. Mayer. Darsten. Zelle. All of them them sat around the black table as they listened to Acardi rattle off the property damage, how many members of the Tao Long died, and how much revenue was lost due to the attack.
Each figure hit Evira like cold ice picks to the heart. When he finished, he stared at the rest of the members in the room. His head stopped at Evira, who nodded back at him.
She addressed the room.
"The Mayor has been replaced by the Deputy Mayor, due to a misunderstanding of how much authority he believed he had. Officially, our dear Mayor 'disappeared' during the chaos of the riots…" she pulled Polaroid pictures out of her suit pocket and threw them on the table.
The pictures landed face up. The pictures:
A shadowy room. In them showed the former mayor of York New City-bound up in in his own clothes, ostensibly due to Sparrow's Hatsu. Each subsequent picture showed an elderly man in his last moments. Slowly being crushed to death by his own business suit.
The rest of the people in the room showed various emotions. Ranging from indifference to perverse amusement.
Evira's eyes locked onto the brother across the table. One no taller than James. The other as large as Mayer. Her glare established an unspoken truth.
I know you are involved. I will find out.
It came and went fast. One brother was barely aware. The other distinctly aware. Vasili felt cold, but his soft, confident smile never left him. It couldn't, or she would know.
Evira continued.
"We have lost a considerable amount because of this attack. Worst of all, our surveillance system is now compromised. This will make September's auction far more difficult to manage."
Mayer grunted, following up her response.
"Due to the efforts of James, Leorio, Mantis, and my sons, the Mayor will not have Hunter Association investigating us. Unfortunately…"
Evira nodded, "…They still want to investigate. Fortunately, one of my contacts will be the liaison."
Vasili smirked, "And who will that be?"
Mayer frowned as he looked away in sheer fury.
She sighed, then frowned. Uttering the name of her connections into the Hunter Association with frustration.
"Pariston Hill."
Author's notes:
Hello everyone! I hope you are all doing well and continue to do well!
So yeah, James gonna' be getting a power spike soon. Pariston Hill stopping by to trollolol his way for a short time.
One of my reviewers asked if James respawned. As cool as a mechanic that would be, in my stories you only get to revive once, hehehe. No, Pakunoda has the ability to shoot people's own memories back at them, erasing their memories using Memory Bomb. That's what happened. As to why they didn't just merc 'em: it was unnecessary.
Killing James would have ruined a potential 'in' that Shalnark could use come September as Ryuseih; as well as put the Tao Long on super duper high alert. As callous as Evira is at times, she does care for James in a strange fashion. She wouldn't have taken her own transmultiversal nephew dying with anything but pure raaaage.
That isn't a spoiler, just some clarification.
Plus, I always had a theory that the members of Phantom Troupe tries to keep an eye out for recruits. James has a strange and dangerous magnetism about him. Considering Nobunaga tried to recruit a fucking twelve year old who only mastered the basics of Nen because he was grief-stricken and they were debating if Chrollo wanted to recruit the Kurapika, they are all unstable humans. I find their vetting and recruiting process very strange. So Shalnark is potentially putting someone he finds interesting in his back pocket if a member dies.
Anyways, see you all on the next chapter! Thanks again for all the reviews! I hope you all stay safe, happy, and healthy!
Rondo out
