Title: Get Here

Author: nikki hiiragizawa

Animé: Hunter X Hunter

Genre: romance/humor

Rating: PG

Pairing: PokuruXPonzu ^.^ This would probably be the first PokuruXPonzu fic ever! ^^

Disclaimer: Hunter X Hunter belongs to Yoshihiro Togashi. The song "Get Here" was sung by Oleta Adams under Fontana Music Company.

Author's Notes:

Okay, don't be damn surprised. I have always loved this pairing. I love them more than I love NeonXKurapica, and I think they really go well. If you don't think so, then we can have a little debate on that sometime, okay? Anyway, this fic happened after the Hunter Exams. We all know what happened to Gon, Killua, Leorio and Kurapica but what happened to Pokuru after passing the test? And what happened to Ponzu after being left in the island to grieve about not becoming a hunter? Well, this is what this fic is all about ^.^ Please enjoy! Who knows, I might even make a PokuruXPonzu fan club, LOL.

Anyway, who is Ponzu and Pokuru anyway..you do not know? Here's a short description of them:

Ponzu: number 289 in the exams, her specialty is chemicals, medicines and killer bees. She was the one trapped with Leorio, Kura, and Gon inside the cave where there are a lot of snakes and she's also Leorio's target for the tag number. She was the one with the pink hat and pink jumper.

Pokuru: He was one of those who became hunters, specifically the one who didn't fight during the last part of the exam. He went cramming with Leorio in fear that the last exam would be a written exam…and he looked stupid…LOL. He also doubted Kurapica's qualification of being a hunter and was one of the people against Kurapica's comment about Killua's disqualification. He has a hat too! ^^

Saa, please go on!

Get Here Part 1

Pokuru let his eyes wander on the surroundings outside the Hunter Association Building. Up to this point, he cannot believe he had became a hunter at last. Two trials just didn't seem enough.

Was it just luck? He will never find that out unless he decided on that fact himself. It could be that it was true…all that the guy Kurapica had said: He, Pokuru, just won out of pure luck. Still, after hanging on through those tests that seemed endless, Pokuru felt that he really deserved the license. With the reasons of endurance and determination, he drowned out doubts within himself and proceeded to enter the Hunter Association main building.

"May I help you, sir?" the attendant at the information desk asked as he approached it.

He laid his luggage carefully on the red carpet before reaching out in his pocket to produce his hunter license. "Yes, I would like information about the past Hunter Exam please."

One look at his hunter license convinced the attendant and tapped quickly in her computer. "What about the recent hunter exam, sir?"

Pokuru laid an elbow on the desk and looked around. "I would like to know, after the exams, those who failed the exam will be taken into custody by the Hunter Association, is it not?"

"Yes, sir." The woman before him tapped on her keyboard and sighed. "You are Hunter Candidate number 53 in the recent exam, am I right. Pokuru-san?"

The young man nodded briefly and continued. "I would like to know, where the people disqualified from the fourth exam were taken after the plane with qualified candidates left."

"Oh, is that so?" The attendant continued scanning her monitor. "After the plane with those who passed left, the survivors who failed were taken into another ship that embarked for an island near the testing site. After they have cured their injuries, they were safely let out of the island. I guess they all went back to their homelands to train for the exam next year."

Pokuru thoughtfully pondered. He was silent for a while, thinking of another question to pose.

"Sou ka, may I ask why you are inquiring, Ponzu-san?" the attendant asked after a moment of silence. "Do you have a relative with you who failed the exam? Besides, I am sure the mechanics and rules of the exam were posted in the Hunter website, aren't they?"

"Yes, but…" Pokuru sighed deeply. "I just have to see someone who failed in the exam. I looked for her name in the Hunter's List of casualties in the site, but I couldn't find her name. She wasn't in the list of deaths too."

The attendant looked as if she's about to weep. "You mean, your lover is with you to the exams," she sniffed. "And you can't find her…oh." She gave up completely and wept.

"Anou, I…"

"Anyway..." Pokuru forced a smile as the attendant went back to her old self. "It could be that she wasn't found among the dead and the injured. She could have left earlier or could have stayed there ever since."

The young hunter looked worried. Do they mean they never found her?

"Sir? Pokuru-san?"

"Uh, hai?"

"May I know her name? The Hunter Association keeps track of the candidates even after the exam had ended so I may have some leads for you, if you like."

Pokuru wondered at how helpful the attendant is. Maybe it was because of his hunter license, or maybe it was because of the confession he made a while ago. "Yes, please. Her name is Ponzu."

+++

The last trip of the day was at exactly 10 in the evening. Pokuru waited by the lobby of the station, worried like hell. Repeatedly, he looked at the clock and at the people passing by.

The computer in the Hunter Association knew Ponzu, her bio, her hometown, and her reason for becoming a hunter. However, the computer cannot tell one thing, and it's if she survived the fourth exam or not.

The announcement of the arrival of the last train ride to Jushu Island blared through the speakers. Pokuru slowly picked up his luggage to board the train. He did not believe Ponzu was dead. He cannot bring himself to believe that. He had to find her no matter what.

How long has it been since they last had an intimate conversation. It cannot even be called intimate, for they just talked once…in that damned ship facing a typhoon.

"Can you hear any signals?"

"No." Ponzu tuned for any more signs of life nearby. After a while, she sighed and threw her headphones off. "No good. We cannot contact anybody. The machine didn't seem broken though."

"Have you found anything yet?" Kurapica was standing by the door. "Have you contacted somebody?"

Ponzu shook her pink-covered head. "No. There was no other vessels within a hundred miles of us, maybe."

Kurapica thought for a while. Hanzo was beside him, talking like crazy. They were talking about something about using the ship. The blue-eyed boy ignored the ninja but gave up after a while. "Let's go talk with the others, Hanzo," he finally said. He turned to Pokuru and Ponzu. "Will you be alright here?"

"Aa," Pokuru answered. "We'll check if we could contact somebody again." With a nod, Kurapica and Hanzo left them. The young man turned to the girl beside him. "Aren't you scared?"

Ponzu looked up to face him. "Me? No, not really. After all, we do not know what will happen…yet."

"I was wondering why a girl like you would like to become a hunter," Pokuru said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I know you are not ignorant enough of the hardships we are going to face before and after becoming a hunter, but you didn't seem discouraged."

Ponzu looked at him and smiled. "If you are that knowledgeable, then why join the hunter exams yourself?"

The young man was surprised at the sudden counter attack but he didn't seem to mind. "I want to be a wildlife hunter," he silently replied as he looked out to the sea. "I wanted to discover something new about nature and preserve them with all I have."

He raised a brow as Ponzu laughed. "That's a very endearing dream, Pokuru." She looked out to the sea herself, eyes shining that Pokuru feared she was going to cry. "I want to be a wildlife hunter too, since all my life has been dedicated to discovering and preserving plant species. I would love to punish anyone who dare destroy the things I love most."

"Yeah, punishing those people," Pokuru repeated. "Maybe," he said suddenly as he blushed slightly. "We could work together if we both successfully become hunters."

"That would be great!" the young woman gushed. "But," she added after a second. "You areb't trying to trap me, aren't you?"

"No! Of course not!" Pokuru replied with red ears. "I didn't intent it to be a lie. I, well, I haven't met anybody with the same interests as I have."

Ponzu looked at him suspiciously for a moment but let her suspicions disappear. "Well, you should be careful anyway. I mean, I could plan out something to upset you from the exams."

"I don't think you can," the young man answered as he put on the headphones himself. "You look too kind to do such things."

Ponzu was taken aback but faintly blushed. "Is that so," she replied. "I…well…you seem nice too."

They both looked at each other, eyes meeting. Pokuru was about to say something when the ship gave a terrible lurch. "What was that?" Ponzu asked, eyes wide.

"All in this ship!" Hanzo's voice blared through the intercom. "We're going to take the ship out now! Prepare the cannon balls and…"

Ponzu's companion looked outside the room, where people were gone. "It seemed they managed to follow Kurapica's plan of releasing the ship from the rock it was attached to."

"Sou." Ponzu looked a little green. "I hope this works well….ow!"

"Ponzu!" The young man hurried to the girl's side. "Are you alright?"

The girl opened her eyes and grinned as she rubbed her head. "I just hit my head. Luckily, I have my lifesavers in here." She patted her hat.

"Lifesaver?" Pokuru gasped. He was almost afraid Ponzu had passed out. For some reason, he was worried a lot for the girl's sake. "What is it? A secret weapon?"

"That's right," Ponzu answered as she sat back on her place. "A secret. That's why I am not telling you. Who knows we might become rivals in the next stage." She winked at him and went on contacting any signal she would encounter.

"Yeah…good reason…" Pokuru murmured. The ramblings outside and the movement of the ship continued for a while, sending both of them sliding to all directions possible. However, seven shots later, they were able to free the ship.

Within a few hours, the sky shone with the light of a new day. The raging storm had passed as suddenly as it had appeared and the ship managed to go through it without any further damages.

"Ponzu!" Pokuru said as he shook the girl's shoulder. "The storm's over."

Ponzu slowly blinked her eyes open. She felt on her head and found out that the headphones were still on her head. "Look!" she suddenly exclaimed as she started tuning the machine. "We got a signal!" She flashed her warmest smile at Pokuru, who smiled back. "We got through it!" she excitedly said.

Pokuru looked at the young woman talking on the radio. It seemed so long ago since he talked to someone like this. They had the same interests, and she was most congenial. Feeling a sudden warmth to his face, he silently realized how cute Ponzu was, and looked away.

The Hunter Association ship came from them hours later, and together, they boarded it. Most of the examinees passed, yet those who left earlier were never found again. The only people who left and were saved were Gereta and the Amori brothers, who were all too kind to everyone. Maybe they decided to be kind for a change since they were saved.

Pokuru decided to relax in the cafeteria. After that long day, he felt that he needed to rest for the next exam. The next exam could be harder than al the rest he had taken.

"Po-ku-ru!" Pokuru turned around to feel a finger poking him on the cheek. A light laughter followed. "Look, you got stabbed!"

"Ponzu," Pokuru addressed his new companion as he moved to provide space for Ponzu to sit on. "I thought you were sleeping already."

Ponzu slurped her cola and giggled. "I was too excited to sleep, so I made a new poison. Then I saw you here, so I decided to keep you company."

"Is that so."

Both of them kept silent for a long while, talking only to greet people they knew who passed them by. They saw the children Gon and Killua pass them, followed by Kurapica and Leorio after a time. Pokuru cherished the comfortable silence with the girl he only met a few days ago.

"Pokuru," Ponzu started. The young man addressed sat straight. Ponzu sounded so serious this time.

"Nani, Ponzu?"

"I have something to tell you." Ponzu was looking away from him and Pokuru didn't know whether she was joking or not.

"What is it?" he answered. Whatever Ponzu was about to say, it was making him feel nervous.

"Don't…don't be angry, okay?"the girl said. She took another slurp from her tumbler and took a deep breath.

Pokuru smiled to assure her. "No, I wouldn't be angry, unless you tell me that you will kill me at this moment."

"No, I wouldn't want to kill you!" Ponzu quickly replied.

"That is good." The young man watched the girl with his dark eyes. "So?"

"Actually…" Pokuru saw her wring her hands nervously. "I would never kill you. I really like you, you know."

"You…"

"You are really kind and thoughtful," Ponzu continued. "And your dreams of being a wildlife hunter were similar to mine. You are such a great person and…heck…what am I saying…"

"Ponzu.."

Ponzu covered her face, which was blushing, with her hands. "I never felt like this before, and I thought, I ought to tell you. I mean, if something happens in the next exam, I won't regret not telling you how much I am moved by you." She looked up and met his eyes. "You don't have to return it, I just…"

"Ponzu." Suddenly. Pokuru's hands cradled Ponzu's own. "It seems we feel the same way." Now, both of them were blushing furiously.

The girl looked down to their hands under the table and stammered. "Well…that…you…you know… It makes me a bit happier."

Pokuru tightened his hold on Ponzu's hands. "If ever we reach the last stage together, let's become hunters together, okay?"

"Hai," Ponzu softly replied. "And if one of us didn't make it, we'll still meet, won't we."

Pokuru breathed a yes. "We'll meet, wherever we are. I'll find you wherever you are, if I ever fail the test. I promise."

"Yes…I promise too…" Pokuru whispered.

No one saw their held hands under the cafeteria table.

No one heard their soft voices promising to each other.

No one knew of the feelings they share.

It was all hidden…but among themselves.

Pokuru felt the train slid to a stop and he hurriedly went out. The mist was starting to drop low into the ground, but he continued walking. He had to find the island where they took the fourth exam. If he starts from there, he would probably have clues of where Ponzu might be.

You can reach me by a railway

He found himself facing a town without any forms of transportation. It was an old village in the heart of this country. The man at the train station said this is the quickest way to get near the sea. He walked on the muddy paths, trying to get across the wet trails made by last night's rain.

You can reach me by a trail way

"Sea, huh?" the old woman by the end of the village said. "If you walk from here through the small woods up north, you'll end up in a city at the top of a hill. Climb it and you may get transportation to get to the sea."

Pokuru didn't know he was so in the middle of a country that he had to travel a long distance to get to a city only. "How long will it take from here to the city, obaa-san?" he asked with flickering hope.

"Hmm…if you start early in the morning tomorrow, you might reach the city by the end of the day. You could ride the farmer's cart that goes to the city everyday at dawn."

"Ah, thank you." He was welcomed to the old woman's home where he ate, slept, and dreamt of meeting with Ponzu once more.

The next day was colder than usual. After giving the old woman a considerable sum of money and his thanks, he approached the vegetable farmer to request a ride on his cart.

The farmer was kind, but not the horse. It moved in a slowly, almost sleepy pace, that they were overtaken by passing butterflies. Pokuru tiredly smiled when he saw the city's view near at last.

The city was large, almost as large as the city in his hometown. Skyscrapers towered to almost reach the sky, and different parks and carnivals were seen on almost every other corner. Still, Pokuru wasn't here to go sight-seeing. He hurried to the nearest computer rental shop and logged in to the hunter's web site.

"You are now in Windia, land of heights," the computer said. "This is a hill at the center of a great mass of lands, towns and cities."

"Not again!" Pokuru exclaimed. He was far from his desired location. Shaking his head, he typed in a request on how to reach the nearest body of water.

"The city's water system is run by long pipes reaching to almost five hundred miles below," the computer replied. "The most possible town you want would be Jenju Island. This can be reached by plane form Windia Airport. Travel time is about an hour."

Pokuru hurriedly removed his hunter card from its slot and made a reservation for the next flight. All the while, he was worried that he might be too late when he reached the island. Ponzu might be wounded and was not seen. She might be lost…she might be…

He shook thoughts out of his head and quickly got in the plane.

You can reach me on an airplane

After an hour, he was able to get to Jenju Island. The little piece of land was completely surrounded by water, but the city itself was amazing. It was up to date with technology and they even have the newly-invented floating cars.

"Hello," Pokuru greeted as he reached an information center about the city. "I would like to inquire about the locations of the hunter exams." He silently cursed himself for forgetting to get the direction of the island the fourth test was held. That way, he would have known the way easier.

"Eh?" the young woman behind the counter said. "You want to know them too?"

"Yes," Pokuru replied as he took out his hunter license. "Why? Isn't it accessible even here?"

The young woman searched in her computer for information. She ignored his hunter license completely. "Yes, it is, but…you see, a girl came up here two days ago searching for the same information. You two were the only ones who asked for it in this place in about three years."

"Oh, is that so?" Pokuru said, a bit annoyed at the delay. "Well, it's good only a few would like to know about hunter exams. They'll suffer in there."

The young woman laughed. "True. You know, she kinda had a cute hat like yours, too. And she was carrying all sorts of plants with her."

"Oh…what?!" Pokuru slammed a fist on the counter. "Plants? Hat?"

"Uh…yes…"

That must be Ponzu! he exclaimed in his thoughts. "Do you know where she was headed?"

"Well, she asked for the site of the last exam and also inquired about the plight of those who passed as hunters. I think she must be on her way to the hunter association main building."

No!!!! Pokuru thanked her and ran out of the building. That meant Ponzu wouldn't be at the island anymore…He fisted his hands. Ponzu…wait for me...wherever you are…

You could reach me with your mind.

"Ride through the Desert of Ikkin! Only 300 jenis!"

The young man turned to the source of sound. He ran up to the barker. "Mister, could you tell me how many people ride through the desert?"

The barker seemed surprised at his sudden inquiry but gave the answer. "There are usually a few. Even though it's a shorter route to the cities in the south, sandstorms and dunes make the travel difficult."

"Did somebody…a girl…with a pink hat and trousers ride through the desert?" Pokuru asked.

The barker laughed. "How could I forget a girl like that?" he chuckled. "Kicked me for whistling at her and vowed to come back later for sweet revenge." He laughed loudly. "Cute girls like that make me melt."

"Thank you," Pokuru answered. "Will you let me ride through the desert."

"Sure. The caravan is this way." The barker called to the caravan driver and raised the flap of the cart to let Pokuru through.

"Thank you," the young man politely said. "And one more thing." He jabbed the barker on the chin, hard."

The barker quickly went to a fighting stance. "What was that for?"

"That was for the cute girl you annoyed. She's with me." He closed the flap of the cart and urged the driver to let his camels start.

You could reach me by a caravan

Cross the desert like an errand man

I don't care how you get here

Just get here if you can.

Author's Notes: *evil laugh* I do not intend to make Pokuru suffer so much! Really! Anyway, I am so happy with this fic I think I screwed it. -.- Tell me what you think and if they are really made for each other onegai? Please wait for chapter 2!!!!