A/N: This is my first fic about this pair. Quite unusual, but I think it's reasonable...^^; Oh yeah, please forgive me regarding some misspelled words, and my grammar... Geez! Not an expert, okay? (Everybody make mistakes... connection?!) And another thing...

Feitan: Aruki, would you please shut up, and proceed in the fic?

Aruki: Yare, yare. Geez...That hurts... Okay folks, read on!

Disclaimer: I don't own Hunter X Hunter. It is of Togashi-sama's.



Freedom

He had been hiding this for so many years now. The half of his face is covered with scarf sevral years after he joined Ryodan.

Feitan was there when Kuroro Rucifuru first started Ryodan. He witnessed all the people's tears when he kill others. He saw and met other Ryodan members who were weaker and stronger than him. Even then, he was cold- blooded as ever. He never cared about others' feelings, even his own. However, if he's cold-blooded, ruthless, a person having all the qualities of a killer; Shizuku, the newest member of Ryodan, was silent, innocent, forgetful... quite unlike him.

She was noticeable when it comes to him. Though he didn't care much, it's as if half of him wanted to know her more: Why she had those glasses, why she joined Ryodan, why she's like that. But, though half of him wanted that, he can't. Why? Because it's different when you're in Ryodan. There seemed to be no feeling involved.

On the other hand, Shizuku sometimes wonder why half of his face is hidden. She thinks, once in a while, 'There's nothing to hide; why though?' But he once took that scarf off, revealing the remaining part of his face hidden, during the the time when they went to Semitali Building to rob the auction goods. She privately thought, 'He looks great...' And he was actually wearing formal clothes at that time.

* * *

When Pakunoda died, there was somehow different atmosphere. First of which, dancho was not there for he seemed to be waiting for someone who could destroy the chains; second was, when Pakunoda loaded her memory gun, with her memory bombs, transfered... or rather shot the other first six members of Genei Ryodan(Feitan, Shalnark, Nobunaga, Machi, Phinx, and Franklin), they were somehow silent because they were apparently lost for words. It contained her innermost worries, her thoughts, sufferings, disappointments, all her emotions, including the care, as a friend, for dancho and the group.

She can't help but wonder what they saw; what memories Pakunoda have; whether she feels something towards another person..

But Feitan, didn't have time to dwell on all these. He just somehow realized you need freedom. He started asking himself on why she looks innocent...'Is she always like that? Innocent-looking? Does she have feelings such as despair, or even guilt?'

All these thoughts, these wonderings, these questions, were all answered two years later, after Genei Ryodan was through. Feitan decided to roam the world by himself, satisfy himself by killing, finding deserving opponents, and hoping to meet and fight Kurapika, the so-called "Chain-hand" However, Shizuku decided to let the people(remaining Genei Ryodan members) see her true self: how she express herself when she's angry or disappointed; her guilt, happiness...all emotions felt by human beings; all emotions she've experienced or will be experiencing.

She already forgot what she said to Feitan the day before, but before he left, he spoke to Shizuku seriously, for the first time.... "What are you going to do now?" Shizuku had said. "I don't know how this happened , but I, a once cold-blooded person realized something... Like waking up for the first time in years..." "I just want to say that everybody has the right to feel something. We have freedom to do so. But, here in Ryodan, it's different. But, it's your own decision. Now, you're free..." "Shizuku, I-" he paused for a while, then removed his scarf off. "Why don't you come with me? You're free, too, right?" He looked at her. "I don't know. Maybe, I'll just stay here. I don't have anything to do. Who knows? I could be one of the first persons in the group dancho would build."

After that, Feitan went back to the base, Shizuku was left hanging around for a while. After sometime, he came back and said, "Sayonara," to Shizuku, his back on her. Then he left. Shizuku stayed rooted on the spot as she looked at the leaving silhouette of Feitan. She returned in the base, sat on her usual place, but she noticed there was something folded on it. Being inside a base like theirs, it was dark, so he didn't realize what it was at first. When she picked it up, she saw a sort of design of skull-- Feitan's scarf. "Feitan..." A note fell and it simply said, "This is freedom..."



"When I removed the scarf, I felt strange freedom. There were sudden burst of emotions that came from a person, once cold-blooded and ruthless..." --Feitan







A/N: So, whadya think? Weird, right? But, to tell you the truth, I really like this fic, especially the pairing... But, really, it's too simple. I just don't understand people...some, I repeat, SOME prefer to pair Hisoka and Shizuku, or Shalnark and Shizuku... but anyway, I'm not them, and they're not me.

Feitan: Aruki, can't you stop about all these nonsense?

Aruki: Hey, I have freedom, you know. Just like what Shizuku said, right, Shizuku?

Shizuku: Yeah!

Aruki: See?

Feitan: Oya, ma (Oh my God)...

Aruki: Okay, gotta end it here. Thanks for your time. Review please, and no flames...