The trip to Padokea, where Kukuroo mountain rests, turns out to be a three-day airship extravaganza. Three days to rest, to recover from my injury- and, well, to think.
Not to get all philosophical or anything, but a lot of people die in Hunter x Hunter. I'm sure I don't have to remind you of this. That being said, do I have some sort of responsibility to prevent those deaths, because I can? Because I know that they're going to die?
I mean, I've seen self-inserts save characters before, but even I'm not sure how easy it is. I saved Bodoro (that lucky bastard)'s life on instinct, but further down the line, what the hell am I supposed to do? When Chimera Ants hits… if Chimera Ants hits? Really, who knows how much my existence will change the course of this universe.
All of this thinking hurts my brain, so I eventually drop the train of thought to focus on the present. Sometime later, I presume, I'll have to deal with the consequences of such things- but as I used to say when I procrastinated on my essays, I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.
After an initial airship ride, our group transfers to a train which speeds along the countryside. There's lots of lovely views, and I find myself quite interested in my surroundings. During the exam it was a little hard to gauge the extent of this universe, but in the train car that meanders past lush greenery and extensive mountain ranges I feel a little in awe at this world that Togashi has created.
While my priority right now should be the three boys crammed in the row of seats behind me, I can't help but think how much fun it would be to explore this world. In my past life I had never managed to go much further past the boundaries of my homeland, and seeing the world laid out so openly in front of me blossoms new ideas into my head.
I can do that later… if I survive, at least. For now, I'll follow the script that's been written for me as we go to collect Killua. Then I can worry about the other things.
Up ahead and out of the morning air, a large mountain looms, looking more formidable than its neighbours. Kukuroo Mountain...
We're almost there.
xXxXx
"Okay! Thank you for taking the Lamentation Tour today!"
We've been welcomed into a tour bus by an enthusiastic guide who almost immediately begins to rattle off Zoldyck family trivia for us. I feel like I'm on some sort of twisted school field trip, except instead of going to see the monkeys at the local zoo we're visiting the mansion of trained and professional assassins.
A winding path allows us to approach the mountain's base, where we're greeted by a massive set of gates. These are the testing gates, of course, and just looking at them creates a muddled anxiety in my stomach. Those things look HEAVY.
We depart the bus in clumps, and I take a moment to admire the looming doors. A group of excited tourists from our group snap a few rounds of photos in front of the gates, with me partly tempted to join in- after all, this is Killua's house! Well, the entrance to it, anyway. Who wouldn't want a souvenir pic?
"Hey, Ms. Guide! What do we have to do to get inside?" Gon asks of our unsuspecting tour guide.
"Little boy, were you listening when I explained it earlier?" Our guide says through a tight smile.
"Yes, but…" Gon turns to look back at the gates, naive uncertainty plainly written on his face.
"If you go inside, you'll never get out alive!" She insists. "Assassins live there!"
You mean, beautiful assassins live there.
Yes, this includes Zeno Zoldyck.
We don't get to spend much time admiring the cool doors, because two minor characters have gotten themselves into a bit of a pickle in their attempts to breach the gate.
Namely, they've been reduced to skeletons.
(aka, dead)
Remember what I was just saying about people dying in Hunter x Hunter?
Looking at the slightly hairy remains of the two minor characters makes me feel sick to my otherwise empty stomach. The clattering bones are deposited to the ground by a large, clawed paw that emerges from the testing gates' door, and is followed by an empty silence.
Our tour group gives the appropriate reaction- loud screams and a mad dash for the tour bus. And I am quite, quite close to following suit.
Because damn, I almost forgot that this was a shonen and that we would be facing literal monsters.
"He's only supposed to eat at the designated times…" Zebro, the older man from the guard box at the gate, grumbles from the ground. "Mike! Don't blame me if you get fat!"
A bit of a lighthearted way to dismiss the two deaths, I suppose.
"Hey! What are you doing! Get on the bus!" Our tour guide waves a flag from the bus door, urging our return.
"Ah- You can leave!" Gon calls in response, smiling so damn innocently. "We're staying here."
Her face drops, and without another word she plops back into the bus. Not wasting a single second, the bus driver steps on the gas, and disappears over the horizon- leaving us alone in front of the gates with two clattering skulls.
xXxXx
If there's one thing I've learned through watching- and experiencing- Hunter x Hunter, it's that no one can refuse Gon.
No, like, actually no one. Gon pulls ONE cute face and we're all putty in his little hands.
And that's exactly how we've ended up in the residential cabin of Zebro and Seaquant, just inside the Zoldyck family property. Sure, it was no easy feat to get here- my love of all things canine apparently does not extend to the massive doglike monster that is Mike Zoldyck, who brought me quite close to literally shitting myself in fear.
Inside these servants' quarters, we are greeted by heavy everything- the door drags across the floorboards, the teacups clunk when they land on the table, and when I try and excuse myself to the toilet it's a team effort between Leorio and I just to get into the damn room.
We're here for one reason, "training"- to open the 2-ton Testing Gates and be worthy of retrieving Killua. And by "we," I mean "they," because as Gon, Leorio, and Kurapika suit up into heavy black weighted vests I… just sit there.
"Are you sure I shouldn't wear one too?" I ask as I watch the three fasten the vests in place. Not that I necessarily want to, but I do feel as if I should contribute a little…
"You should rest, your injury hasn't healed-yet-" Leorio staggers, his footsteps loud as his entire body is weighed down by his vest. After travelling forward only a few feet he collapses to the ground. "How is it so heavy?!"
"Each weighs 50 kilograms." Zebro helpfully says, and even my American ass shivers at the number. Sure, I have no idea how much a kilogram is (since I neglected to learn the metric system), but that sounds rough either way. "Please wear it at all times except while you sleep. I'll gradually make it heavier as you get used to it."
On second thought, I think I'll pass on wearing the vest.
But even if I'm excused from the vest, I get my own fair share of the strange, unorthodox training method. A 20 kilogram tea cup is nothing to scoff at, and neither is my tiny bladder when the bathroom is that difficult to get into. (Apparently, I'm pushing open 500 kilograms whenever I need to take a piss. Yeah.)
To sleep, we are given an open room with soft beds, a very welcome change to the accommodations we had while travelling here. I mean, it's a little weird sleeping in the same room as three males, but I trust them- and also, I really don't have any other choice.
The following days are restless for me. Leorio and Kurapika bust their asses off each day, doing an odd assortment of training exercises prescribed by Zebro, while Gon and I sit and watch. He's been allowed a vest at the least, but exiled from the training techniques due to his injured and bandaged-up arm (see: Hanzo vs Gon fight).
There's nothing really for me to do except make small talk with Gon, but I've never been that great at talking with kids that aren't my own cousins, so we end up sitting in silence most of the time. I hate to say it, but… it's kind of boring.
I just feel useless, I guess. I suppose I had this preconception that being born again all-knowing in this universe would give me some sort of insane advantage that would greatly change the plot of the story, but so far it seems that I have barely made a dent into the lives of these four boys.
Except for this wound that I have, too, the gnarly gash from Killua… but if anything, it's proof of what might happen the more canon changes around here.
But even knowing this, I still feel the desire to accomplish my slightly strange goal. Even if it might kill me, my heart craves the satisfaction that would come with keeping together these characters for as long as I can. I've already died once- how bad can it possibly be?
Let's find out, shall we.
xXxXx
There is one good thing about my wound, and that's how it gives me extra one-on-one time with Leorio.
He'll sit with me, helping me rebandage the wound as he makes snide comments about his training vest. A simple moment of my day, but one that makes my heart go doki-doki! when Leorio's perfectly chiseled face leans closer to mine.
"You should expect a scar from this thing." Leorio says as he finishes off the bandage in a knot. I blink away any of the thoughts I've been having and pretend to take interest in his words. "Killua did a number on you. Really, I'm surprised you're not dead."
Actually, I am too. At the moment of the attack, I really had expected to die.
"I'm glad you're not dead, though." Leorio gives me a warm grin and causes an almost instantaneous flush of redness to spread across my face.
"Ah- yeah, me too!"
"Well, back to work it is!" Leorio says, stretching out his arms. I think back to him carrying me in those same arms and my face burns even redder.
But with that, the small pocket of my day ends as quickly as it comes- with a slight hum under his breath, Leorio goes off to rejoin Kurapika in an activity of gardening with 40-kg shovels.
"Alright, I'll do something, too." I mutter to myself in encouragement once I've been left alone in the bedroom. I don't exactly want to pursue harsh training, but if I don't get at least a little bit stronger, I worry for my future in this intensely shonen anime series. "Maybe I'll start with, uh... push-ups."
There's no one else in the bedroom, so after hyping myself up I get into position on the floorboards. Let's see, all I gotta do is push, right? I mean, it's called a push-up, so how hard can it really be-
Within seconds my arms give out and I flop to the floor, the freshly-dressed injury in my abdomen throbbing.
Attempt number two: I struggle back up and prop up on my knees rather than my toes, easing off some of the tension. This is slightly easier, and I manage to get about five or six in before my arms give out.
I don't remember being this bad at basic athletics, but a lot of things have changed since high school P.E… for the moment, I'll blame my inability on the nasty gash in my stomach and definitely not on the total lack of strength in my upper body.
I keep on trying, the room silent as I pump out the push-ups slowly but surely. When I finally collapse in exhaustion on to the floor, I hear sounds from the doorway and peek up.
It's... Gon!?
"How long have you been watching me?" I whisper-yell from the floor, all of my limbs too exhausted to push myself back up again.
Without answering, Gon strides in and sits down next to me. He doesn't say a word to me, just starts to do push ups- one-armed pushups, I might add.
I'm not quite sure how to react to this twelve year old flexing on me, but my competitive nature flares a little bit and before I know it I'm back on all fours, trying to match Gon's quick pace.
"I want to save Killua with my own strength." Gon says out of nowhere, and I almost break my rhythm. I think he's talking to me, but then again, I can't be too sure. "So I'm going to train, too."
By now, the pain in my stomach has increased tenfold, and I pause to take a break and let my wound rest. Gon keeps going, and I'm amazed at how determined he is. There's a reason that people seem to bend their wills to accommodate him, and the more time I spend with him, the more I realize.
"You definitely will, Gon." I tell him as encouragement. "And we're here to help you."
Gon's expression after I say this is a mixture between a smile and something different, some expression that I can't quite understand… but I'm sure that Gon's as happy-go-lucky as ever.
… I think.
"YOU TWO!" the bellows of Leorio catch both Gon and I off guard and we tumble simultaneously out of push-up positions. Covered in garden dirt, Leorio waves around a 40kg shovel like a feather as he brandishes it in our direction. "I said that you shouldn't be overworking yourselves!"
Gon scratches the back of his head bashfully while I try and jolt my brain back into thinking mode.
Behind Leorio, Kurapika emerges, still graceful even when doused by plant fertilizer. These two have been working hard… And I've just been sitting here and complaining.
"Let me help you open the Testing Gates!" I blurt out.
Leorio eyes me and drops his heavy shovel. "Didn't I say already, you and Gon should both be recovering from the Exam. Kurapika and I'll take care of it, right Kurapika? Kurapika?"
Leorio nudges Kurapika with his elbow, who startles slightly. "Ah… yes, that's right."
"Come on~" I plead.
"Absolutely not." Leorio says firmly.
"We are running out of time, though." Kurapika comments. "It's not much longer until Zebro and Seaquant will turn us away. Leorio and I'll work harder, so that you two can rest."
"Geez." By the way, I'm still on the floor, and my completely exhausted physique is likely not helping my case any. "I had time to rest, that's all I've been doing lately."
"You still need more, Bella." Leorio crouches down and pats me on the head with his (garden soil-dirtied) fingers.
I'm not a kid, Leorio. We're literally almost the same a-
Well, whatever. I shake the dirt out of my pink hair and ever so slowly push myself into a sitting position.
"Then tomorrow, when we try to open the gates, we'll make it through." I say. "I'm getting cabin fever in here."
"I can't guarantee that we'll-"
"We will!"
Gon stands up and raises his non-injured arm. "Right? We're going to save Killua. Tomorrow. That's when."
Kurapika and Leorio exchange glances.
"We'll try-"
"No, we will." Sometimes I forget how straightforward Gon can be, and listening to him talk right now is almost jarring.
"We're going to save Killua."
xXxXx
"Today's the day!"
If they're nervous, Leorio and Kurapika don't let it on. Instead they stretch cheerfully in the morning fog, with Gon and I standing just as unhelpfully beside them as before.
"Why don't you try removing those vests today?" Zebro suggests to the two.
"Well, that sounds like music to my ears!" Leorio grins, unclasping the vest immediately. When they toss the black weighted torture devices to the ground, the impact marks a dent in the dirt.
I admit that I am a little glad that I wasn't made to wear them…
Leorio and Kurapika march up confidently and press palms against the gates. They take deep breaths… and then they push.
Their forearms wiggle and wobble but the door doesn't even budge. Beside me, Gon watches them with one of the most intense expressions I have seen on him so far.
A slight crack opens up, just slightly, but Leorio and Kurapika can hardly push the opening any further… they're just about to give up…
There's a sound of rustling as Gon pulls away the white bandage that secures his arm in place and carefully unfastens the heavy vest. He doesn't say a word as he steps in place between Leorio and Kurapika, his own hands firm against the gate.
Well duh, it is a shonen anime. We're going to win through the power of teamwork.
"We'll push together in three!"
"Got it!"
"One…"
"Two…"
"Three!"
Everyone pushes at the same time. And just like that, the crack widens and widens and boom, we're golden, baby.
Gon is the first to step foot on Zoldyck property as he tumbles down face-first through the opening. With Leorio and Kurapika both panting heavily, I feel slightly (actually, extremely) irrelevant as I slowly slide through the open doors.
Through the gap in the gates, sunlight beams down perfectly on Gon.
And for just a moment, I can see exactly what Killua meant when he said that Gon was light.
Because with the sun in his favor and with such an expression on his face, Gon sure as hell is shining.
So yes, it has been a month...
In the meantime I posted a oneshot to pretend that I'm still alive, but I'll be completely honest in saying I didn't even touch this project for weeks. This was a really hard chapter to write, mostly because the content is just a little... boring? Although it's not something I can just snip out of the narrative. In the end I managed to pull together the chapter.
I haven't a title for the next chapter yet, but I can guarantee some fun! We'll meet Canary as well as the other butlers... and who knows, perhaps we'll see some Killua?
With each chapter we approach the "Don't Leave" moment that I have been playing around with in my mind over and over- I certainly hope you'll stick around! Either the next chapter or the chapter after that shall be the last "canon" chapter before we venture into complete canon divergence. I'm quite excited.
A few more comments on this chapter. There's a little more on the morality of saving lives and such, but from the beginning this has been meant to be more of a light-hearted story, so I wouldn't worry about things taking a sudden nosedive into dramaland. Well, actually, when Chimera Ants comes around I'll have no guarantees, we'll just have to wait and see~
special thanks to the lovelies who make my day: Lull Meister, Rubber and Gum, - i, Franz Myers, and Daileywishaw24!
Take care of yourselves and have a lovely day~