"Please," Mito said, her voice rasping against her throat. "Tell me what happened."

The purple-haired Hunter sat himself gingerly on the sofa across from Mito, sipping from his tea. "To begin, I would like to offer you our sincerest condolences on behalf of the Hunter Association. Of course, death is always a very real possibility during the Hunter Exams, and this is still the most likely occurrence. However, your nephew was unable to be located, which is highly unusual, and suggests the possibility of outside interference with the exams.

"We are launching a full-scale investigation of the incident immediately. However, we must ask you not to involve yourself in the investigation. If an outside influence truly interfered with the exam, they are skilled or influential enough to circumvent our security measures. Attempting to track them down would be exceedingly dangerous. However, we will update you with the progress of the investigation, and I will tell you as much as I am able."

"Is that all you can tell me right now?"

"I'm afraid it is. We expect to know more in about a week. I'll send a representative then."

"Will Ging be helping in the investigation?"

Satotz paused, pursing his lips. "About that… I'm afraid he won't be assisting," he answered, scowling darkly.

"I see. I suppose it was too much to hope for, that Ging-kun might quit being a deadbeat for once in his life and do something for his son," she growled. "Make sure to tell him I said that, by the way."

Satotz smiled grimly. "I can do you one better than that, actually. Ging-san owes me more than a few favors, and I cashed one in. He has agreed to a five-minute phone call with you. Actually," Satotz stopped, debating whether or not to continue, "I quite agree with you. Gon-kun was quite charming, from what little I saw of him, and I want to see him safe too. The boy deserves much better from his father than what Ging has given him. I hope you can make him see reason."

She said nothing, and felt the harsh sting of angry tears in her eyes. The man's request was impossible. Ging would never return to Whale Island because he could not; there would never be a place for him here. Even as children, Mito had been keenly aware that Ging was not of Whale Island in the way that she and Grandmother were. When she had stared at the coastline, she saw nothing beyond, but Ging saw vast, sparkling cities and unexplored jungles strewn with wild vines and animal carcasses. For a time, she had longed to see what he saw, but eventually gave up. From then, she decided to simply listen to him and appreciate his passion. But Ging had always known that she could never understand him, nor could anyone else on Whale Island, so he left to become a Hunter and made a disgrace of himself so that no one might miss him.

She wordlessly accepted the cell phone from him. The phone rang for a long time, and Mito began to think that Ging would not pick up, having already run away like every time before. But he answered:

"Yo. Who is it?" he asked.

"Stupid question. You know exactly who it is, so don't waste my time with the pleasantries when you're only giving me five minutes to talk," Mito replied dryly.

He chuckled, "Fair enough. So what did you want to say to me?"

"Will you help me find my nephew?" she asked. Ging deserved one last chance, at least.

"No can do, sis. No point," he answered.

"Please, Ging! I have to know what happened," she begged. "If anyone can find out, it's you."

When Ging spoke again, his voice was strained. He made a pathetic attempt at consoling her: "Ah, Mito, don't be sad. This was always a possibility. You know, they have waivers for this kind of stuff." Belatedly, he added, "But there's a chance he's not dead."

"How dare you?" Mito hissed, unable to contain her hurt. "How can you be so flippant about it? I know that you can never return to Whale Island, but you owe it to Gon to protect him. But instead, you manipulated him to risk his life just so he could follow in your footsteps, so he would be more like you! And now that he's paid the price for your ego, you don't even care anymore."

There was a long wait on the other end before Ging responded. "I suppose so. I think you might be underestimating Gon and his new friends though. I've heard a number of the new Hunter candidates are out looking for him."

"You know that doesn't make it any better. But fine. I can't make you do anything, can I? So we're done here," she said bitterly.

"So we are," Ging said noncommittally. "You know, I thought—" he began to say, but cut himself off immediately. "Never mind. Hope you find him, anyway. See you around maybe."

His reply was punctuated by a long, mechanical beep. Satotz carefully stepped back into the room, trying his best to look like he hadn't actually heard the entire conversation.

"Did Ging agree to help?" Satotz asked.

"I'll give you three guesses," she answered. "Although, he did say that some of the new Hunters were looking for Gon as well. Are they a part of the investigation?"

He shifted in his seat. "No, they are not. Trade secret, but they are not Hunters yet. They must first pass the true final stage of the Hunter Exam before they can be considered Hunters. So we cannot allow them to assist, not officially at least."

Mito couldn't help but feel a bit curious. "What's the final stage?"

Satotz flinched a little, and said, "I'm afraid I've already said far too much. Please forgive me."

Mito was more than a little annoyed by this, but she quickly reassured him, and he nodded gratefully.

"Very well, Miss Freecss. I must be on my way now," he told her. "We will keep you updated on our progress."

She was unconvinced, however. As sincere as Satotz had seemed and as much as she wanted to believe that he was telling the truth, she couldn't help but think that he was a rarity for the Hunter Association. Hunters were fickle and unconcerned with who they hurt or how much they hurt them; she was certain they would lose interest long before they ever found him. And who was to say that the purple-haired Hunter was even any different? No, the Hunter Association would not help her now, so she would do it herself. Do the impossible. Just like every time before.

Mito left Whale Island not long after Satotz; however, she made sure to see him off graciously as was expected of her, her voice laden with just the right touch of reluctance and resignation. It was how she imagined a heartbroken mother ought to act. Hopefully, he would agree.

But Mito knew better than anyone that she was no mere heartbroken mother, fated to lock herself away in her home and waste away in inaction and worry. So she stuffed a bag with the bare essentials and bought a ticket for the ferry off Whale Island without a word to anyone but Grandmother.

"Come here, sweetie," Grandmother had said, wrapping her in a fierce, strong hug. "I understand that you have to do this. I won't stop you. But please do not lose faith in my little Ging."

"Why?" Mito exclaimed, in between sobs. "How—how can you just know like that?"

"I can't know, my dear. But would you ever lose faith in Gon?"

Mito shook her head violently. No, she would die long before that

"That is why I must trust him. I believe he will find the courage to face his failures one day. Please give him the chance when he does."

"I don't know if I'm able to do that. I can't—" her voice broke, "—I can't trust him anymore. We don't have that luxury."

Grandmother sighed wearily. "I understand, dear. In that case, if you can't trust in Ging, then trust in yourself and in Gon. You two are very strong; always remember it."

She didn't know if she could do that either. Mito wasn't strong like Gon was. She knew how to appear strong for the sake of the people that needed her, but that was not real strength. In reality, she was brittle, and she knew that under pressure, she would always break before she bent. But she nodded anyway.

A harsh wind whipped at the sides of the ferry with loud cracks, but the ferry did not rock or creak. The sea was calm now, and the smell of rain lingered. Absently, Mito wondered whether this was the same ferry that Gon had taken to Zaban City. She decided to ask the captain.

"Excuse me, sir, but can you tell me about some of your previous passengers?" she asked.

He spun around, startled. "Oh, didn't see you there, Miss. Anyway, I might be able to help. Can you describe them for me?"

"Of course. I'm looking for a twelve-year-old boy with a green jacket. He always has his fishing rod with him too."

"Ah, the Hunter kid! Yeah, I know him. He was a right help during the big storm a couple weeks ago, but stupid as hell. You know, he threw himself overboard to save one of my crew," he said with a hearty guffaw.

No, she didn't know that, and if Gon survived all this, she would be having a very long talk with him about proper planning and not taking stupid risks.

The captain continued, "His other Hunter friends saved him though. Caught onto his legs and pulled him back on board. Right moody lot those two were."

"Can you tell me anything about those two?"

"What's this all about, Miss?" the captain asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

Mito felt the sudden urge to lie—she wasn't sure quite where it came from and it scared her quite a bit—but she set it aside to analyze later and told the truth. "The boy in the green jacket is named Gon Freecss and he's my nephew. He's gone missing and I'm looking for him."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Miss! Have you asked his father to help you find him? I heard he's quite the big shot at HQ."

"Yes, I have," Mito answered icily. The captain shrunk back under her glare, clearly understanding her implication. "Now please tell me about these two people who helped Gon."

"Um—yes, certainly. One was a blond kid, a little older than Gon. Wouldn't stop lecturing about 'divine revenge for the fate of the Kurta Clan'. Not that I don't get it, but the kid needed to take it down a notch or ten. Anyway, the other kid was older–looked about 27 but swore up and down he was a teenager—and he and blondie did not get along. Tried to start a fight and everything, during the sea storm, no less! Anyway, they had their pissing contest, but then Gon-kun nearly went overboard but they saved him, so I let them all go to the Hunter Exam."

Mito was very grateful for the information, so she thanked him warmly, to the captain's relief. "Just one more question," she added. "How would you go about finding Gon in my place?"

The captain hummed in thought. "Frankly, it's a long shot. Chances are he's already dead, and if he isn't, then you're probably dealing with some of the trickiest bastards in the six continents. You're in a better place than most, though. You have a connection in the Hunter Association; I would use him for all he's worth."

"I can't do that."

"Right, I figured that was the case. Then, in that case, you need new connections. You're going to need strength behind you if you want to do this. Being arrogant around Hunters and criminals is just asking to get yourself killed somehow."

"Thank you, sir." Mito left the deck feeling lightheaded. It all seemed past the point of reality now. When she had stormed her way onto the ferry, she thought she had understood the gravity of her new goal. She had been näive. Against any Hunter, she had no hope of survival. It had been easy enough to forget; Ging, for all his faults, had never liked to intimidate or throw his weight around. So she had forgotten that he could kill her in less than a blink of his eye if she ever became an obstacle. Remembering this made the world feel a little more hazy and less real, as if she had lost contact with reality for a time. For a time, she felt as though she was already a little dead.

But however strong they were, they were all still human and their kind of strength was learned and taught. Mito recalled that Ging had trained fervently so that he could beat her at arm-wrestling, and yet she still beat him soundly until he got his growth spurt. (Why did she remember this now?) She could do the same; she would learn to become someone else, to blend into the ranks of the Hunter Association so that nobody could tell that she didn't belong there.

A/N:

I'm not sure how to feel about this chapter overall. I feel like my writing still feels too trite and reliant on cliché, but oh well. Also, this isn't going to be a Ging-bashing fic, even if I'm not exactly his biggest fan. However, I do appreciate what he provides to the story and I think he is a nice twist on the deadbeat dad trope. Anyway, that's all for now. As always, constructive criticism is encouraged!