Disclaimer! I DO NOT OWN HUNTER X HUNTER! Nor is the plot from the *ahem* unknown story! So don't go around screaming to the authorities accusing me of plagiarism. Dear me, my voice is tired from all the shouting….maybe I should put on a tape recorder?
Last chapter: Ah, the madness of a treasure hunt! But the group had made it safely out before they got buried alive. And thankfully, they're still all flesh and blood. A happy ending? Read on and you'll be the judge ^_~
Author's Notes: Ok, lemme get this straight. The OC's won't be permanent characters, nor won't they be with Gon for long. They're there to have a reason WHY Gon would leave Whale Island (note: this is an alternate world, but I'll keep the places Yorkshin, Kukulu mountains and Whale Island). The originals—Kurapika, Killua, Leorio, etc—are still there! Heck, I wouldn't even think of leaving them!! So…hope this erases some of the confusion ^_^
Oh yes, regarding Purple Hotagi-san's review (thanks mucho! I appreciate it!)…I didn't name them right away because it's sort of a darn simple way, isn't it? My method is to give away the names with quotes or the character's sayings. That seems a lot better than just plain telling the names…here are the clues to figure them out in my story:
Korza - "Can somebody be kind enough to explain what the hell we are doing?" Korza said in strained patience, holding over his prized HAT. Only one of them I described in the first paragraphs was wearing a hat…so he's the cowboy guy! Get it now? ^^
Gau - aaahhhhh…one of my faves….ahem….anyway…one of them were described to be earth-scented (you'll know if you read them ^_^)…and he's the one who said "I can smell the earth from here!" And tantananan! Secret name revealed! Lol ^^
Luce - Well, he's the only one left…so he's the silver-haired guy…you didn't think that name goes to the boulders, did you? XD
Kai - *sigh* Do I haaave to? XD XD XD
But I'm really sorry if I confused you guys. It's entirely my fault…baka baka baka! . Just thought I'd point that out…because I wasn't exactly doing things without thinking, am I? Well, even if my "thinking" is quite idiotic XP I'll try harder now that I got the feedback. Thanks!
Arigato! To Masami and Remmirath, who agreed to be my beta-readers! *glomps* If I do get any better soon you people give your thanks to these guys! Yokatta, I have two awesome writers to help me! Sammi had called first, but I asked Remmirath too for my other fics with higher ratings…^^ She's the expert there…mwehehehehe! ^________^
Itadakimasu!
Chapter 2 ~ Forest Glacier
"The Hunters have emerged victorious once again!"
Luce gave a hoot of joy as Korza handed him his division of gold and jewels. "Finally I can relax myself for the next six months!" He shook the bag open and took a handful of glittering coins, playing with it like a toddler who has been given its favorite treat. Korza sighed resignedly and whispered to Gon, "Bet he'll spend it all in less than three weeks."
"Then I'm gonna lose to that bet," Gon whispered back, his smile wide — his hand clasped around his own winnings. A hand pushed another one to Gon's side, to their surprise. It was Gau's.
"Gon can have it," he explained, patting a kid hawk in its beak. "You don't need money when you live in the woods."
Luce goggled at him in disbelief. "Gon lives in the forest too, Gau. Can't you treat yourself once in a while?"
Gau shook his head in reply. "The forest is good enough for me."
"Have it your way, then. I'll spend it for you!" Luce's gaze turned greedily to the bag and was about to snatch it when a sharp leaf swept in the blink of an eye and cut Luce's skin. "Hey, the hell — Kai! What are you tryin' to do?" he shot at the latter, clutching the bleeding part of his hand. Kai glowered at him in return and kept leaned against a tree, his gold slung over his shoulder.
"Gau gave it to Gon, Luce," Korza backed up the laconic member. "So keep your grubby hands to where your money belongs."
"Awww…Gon, I'm a busy man. It's only fair if we split it, right?" Luce started to persuade the spiky-haired boy.
"Don't do it!" Korza ordered Gon, who looked like he was about to consider. Then he snapped at Luce for taking advantage of Gon's generous nature. "You? Busy? Or is keeping the ladies flocked to you what you call 'busy', you lazy bum?!"
"You keep to your damn business, you cowboy wannabe!"
"Argh! That's it! You wanna fight, you blasted drunkard?!" Korza roared, standing up furiously, looking down at him with as much contempt as one can muster.
Luce took the dare and stood up as well, his fists prepared for a brawl. "Then you'd better get ready to be torn limb from limb!"
Gon sweatdropped. All this fuss over a bag of money….will I be like this when I get old too? He looked around for someone more…practical to talk to. He first thought of having a conversation with Gau, but he noticed he was enjoying himself by playing with a reed flute, entertaining a family of foxes, the heated argument of the two older men evidently the last thing on his mind. Then he noticed Kai counting his share of amount at the far left, almost lying against the trunk, and spoke, "What will you do with all that money, Kai?"
He narrowed his eyes at him warningly through his cape — he never liked people pestering him, asking him questions — but thankfully he answered, "Documents."
Gon couldn't think of an appropriate reply to that. But somehow at the back of his head he knew he'd say that, for the main reason he agreed to come to this expedition was because of invaluable information to the civilization centuries ago. Adults collect strange things, he decided, as he looked over at each he knew: Korza likes guns and western-style materials that many women fawn over, despite the fact that he's already married. Luce buys any booze and beer he could get his hands on, or spends his money at a flashy place where plenty of women dance. Even his Aunt Mito, he had seen, has her own obsession: shiny ornamental accessories. Gau isn't much of an adult to Gon, being the youngest of the group next to him, yet you can identify him by the scent of the soil in his tousled hair and clothes, made of woven leaves. If he ever collected anything, it would be animals, crude flutes and…an assortment of leaves. He had a sudden image of Gau picking up every exotic leaf from the forest grounds and sticking it to his garments, with a huge grin on his face, and smiled.
"What is Gon smiling about?" Gau's curious voice snapped Gon's train of thought. The pair of light green eyes was staring at Gon's, and the listening foxes turned to observe him as well. "Ah…nothing! Just…stuff!" Gon answered hurriedly, not wanting to tarnish his bright mood by relaying just what he was thinking about…unless he'd be proud of it. "How did you learn to play that?" he changed the subject. He had only started hearing the composition during their travels at the cave, and he never got the chance to ask about it.
Gau beamed, holding with his flute like a prized possession. "I hear good music over at Gon's village and I thought, 'Why can't I make one too?' So I asked my friends to help me collect bits to make one for me. And I practice a lot." He played a few notes with it to show Gon, and it was exceptional. Gau played with passion — his eyes were closed to feel the melody, his arms swaying to the rich music serenading the tranquil air. It was a happy tone, its harmony telling the story of a brave man about to start a most extraordinary conquest. It was too good enough to drown the heated squabbles of the other two men. Gon watched him with extreme interest, imagining the man told in his musical story going off to battle, and the red cubs didn't make a single noise as they listened intently.
All of a sudden, the music coming from Gau's flute stopped abruptly. The foxes have already left in alarm. "What is it, Gau?" asked Gon, noticing the peaceful, carefree façade of Gau had vanished.
"The forest is panicking," he answered. He looked up at the blue sky. As Gon did the same, he observed the birds flying away quickly, as if trying to get away from danger.
"True," Kai agreed, straightening up from his lazy stance. "And I hear something……will you two do me a favor and shut up?" he barked sharply at the loud Luce and Korza. One sudden burst from Kai was all it took to get them to cooperate.
Gau jumped to the tree branches and from the top he searched the whole woodland. "There's black…it's burning the other side!"
"What?!"
"To the south of the island!" Gau pointed to the route.
Every eye below widened as they looked at Gon, who was shocked for a second, before…
"Aunt Mito!"
He disappeared through the trees with remarkable speed. "Gon! Oh, boy…here we go again." Korza chased after him, the remaining three in his heels. Using their own weapons, they slashed through burning branches with ease. But one of them was narrowly saved by a needle as it pushed the huge trunk from hitting him from above ("Whew! I owe you one, Kai!" said a very grateful Korza). And true enough, as they ventured nearer to the source, they had detected smoke — the "black" that Gau had described to them — its thick mass nearly choking the group. The pollution blocked their vision successfully, slowing them down in an instant. They tried holding their breaths, as one deep inhalation of the air would undoubtedly lead them to passing out.
"Ugh, this is bad!" Luce choked out as he waved his arms to keep the smog from stinging his eyes, as they had to stay for several minutes trying to focus their vision before moving on. "Where's the damn river when we need it?"
Right immediately, as if on cue, a blast of water nearly drowned the middle-aged man. "Who the hell was that?!" he spat out, shaking the excess water from his clothing as Korza half-laughed, half-choked at his antics. They caught sight of a fairly large blue-gray creature with a trunk as its snout, quite longer than its body. It lifted its weapon again, and did the same amount of blast to the blazing trees. "Another one of Gau's friends, eh?" Luce muttered, as a small herd of the same kind appeared, performing their task. "And where's nature boy gone off to?"
Looking around, they noticed that only three of them were left in the vicinity.
"Korza! Luce!"
They snapped out of their thinking trance as Mito appeared, jumping out of the huge inferno around the trees, her hand clung to her mother's. She scurried to their spot, the only place safe and damp from the animals' water duty, panting heavily. "Did you see Gon?" the westerner-look-alike asked her as she rested her arms on her knees.
She nodded, taking another heave of air to calm her distraught nerves. "He told me to find you guys while he tries to put out the fire." Wiping her sweat-logged face with her hand, and stared at the situation. The creatures moved to another spot — they could hear the hard splashes not too far away. "It really came as a shock to us. We never thought a fire would break out so quickly in this big an island! And something worries me."
Kai frowned, and the other two looked pensive. Mito noticed the look in their eyes and explained. "When Gon helped me escape, we saw someone — strange-looking, at that — lurking around, and he didn't look that panicked to me. And I think Gon noticed that too. He told me to run, but I'm worried. What if he…"
A clear battle cry grabbed their attention. They bolted for the source of the chaos, trying to keep from being eaten by the flames themselves. They screeched to a halt as they reached the place, not believing their eyes. Gon was waving Gau's knife in the air, slashing its way through the invisible sea of air as it aimed for another man — wearing a positively eccentric outfit, his scarlet hair blending with the fire that surrounded them. He kept eluding Gon's moves as the boy lashed out in a mad dance, screaming — his eyes burning with hatred. Mito just stared at him in astonishment. This wasn't Gon at all. What was going on?
A single fist to the boy's face sent Gon flying to the trees. After a painfully loud crash, he collapsed limply to the soft moss below.
"Gon!" His aunt rushed to his safety. "You bastard!" Luce and Korza, enraged, lunged at the man — Korza fished out his guns from his coat and started shooting for the stranger's head — while the stranger easily dodged the bullets with amazing agility and put him out of commission with a blow in the shoulder — Luce began to initiate his favored close-combat — but didn't have enough time to raise his fist — the other man's knee contacted with his stomach with an awesome force that made him propel backwards, luckily caught by a Mother Komodo in the last millisecond.
Kai stayed glued to his spot, observing the foreigner. With a noticeable smirk on his face, he jumped backwards, so quick that Kai had only spent a second watching it, and the figure disappeared with the wind. Kai kept his usual poker face as he slipped back his needle darts beneath his robes.
More of the strange long-trunked beasts came and started sprouting water cannons, and left the forest dry, but in shambles. The beauty it held once was replaced with a dreadful mask of ashes blanketing the woods. Some other families of komodo and bear-cubs went around mourning for their homes. Kai was suitably impressed. Whoever that man was, he did a thorough job with destroying half of the forest in less than an hour…if that was actually his plan.
"Gon. Gon! Please answer me, wake up!" Mito was shaking the unconscious boy in a frenzy, afterwards putting him close to her, fresh tears streaming down her soot-covered cheeks. It seemed like eternity before his lips parted slightly. "Gau…help…somebody please…"
It was then they noticed the teal-haired teenager sprawled a few feet from them, unmoving, his body half buried with cinders.
"Aunt Mito!" screamed Gon, pushing through unwanted branches as he ran frantically to his house. "Grandma! Aunt Mito! Can you hear me?"
He coughed several times, inhaling the thick smoke rising in the forest space. He took little notice, but his eyes were no match for it — he began to blindly amble through, using his sharp senses taken from his days in the forest. But he didn't see the blast of water coming…straight to his face.
Gon rubbed his face and eyes quickly and saw the blue-gray creature. "Sprouts!" he gasped. Gau's favored pet was covered with severe burns all over his smooth back. He threw his arms around the flabby neck comfortingly as Sprouts kept moaning softly in pain. "Did you see other people like me around here?" he asked, nuzzling its ear.
The trunk pointed to a path ahead. "Thanks!" Gon patted him. "This'll be over soon, so you'd better stay somewhere safe!" Sprouts wrapped his trunk around Gon's leg affectionately before trudging past the teen, disappearing into the young flames devouring the trees. Brushing his shorts from ashes, he searched again for his family with renewed determination. He managed to reach the clearing — a little clean hill supported by an old, sturdy tree where his house is located — and he barely believed his vision as he stared at the scene.
Gone.
His house, the tree…everything. What replaced them is a stream of fire, wildly dancing in evil glee, it seemed to Gon. They filled every inch there was, and crackled mockingly to the boy who stared. Gon failed to keep from falling to his knees in shock. Immeasurable pain visited his insides as memories shot back in his brain. "No…this isn't…this isn't real…" he kept mumbling. However, his words held no console to the cruel reality he was facing right then. Nothing.
Just then a female shriek resounded, pulling Gon back to the island. Focus! he repeated to himself again and again, not wanting his past to take away more than he could bear to lose. Not once more. He ran, straining to find where the voice was coming from.
"Gon!" He could finally see his aunt avoiding the flames, her pale dress wrinkled and half-burned, her pinned hair disheveled. But her face broke into extreme relief as she saw Gon. "I'm so glad you are —"
"Look out!" Gon warned her anxiously, noticing the tree right above her losing its stability, and the flames ate the edge of the fairly large branch, dismantling it from the main — falling towards Aunt Mito. She saw this a little too late — she could only cover her eyes and wait for the inevitable. Gon nearly jumped to the spot, but saw someone else swoop down, scoop her up, and brought her to a much safer location.
Gon's eyes widened. "Gau!" He plopped down Mito harder than he had meant to as soon as he saw they were out of harm's way, as he was too little to carry the adult. "Is Gon and Miss Mito all right?" he asked the two, who nodded quickly in unison. Gau's face was of pure anger, and it was understandable. "If only I saw this earlier…" His fists were curled up, shaking violently.
The spiky-haired brunette nodded sympathetically. He may be angry all the while, but Gau had more right than anyone else. This has been his home since birth, even before Aunt Mito brought Gon to live in the island. "We have to do something!"
"Right." Gau looked at him. "All I can do now is make sure the fire doesn't burn the whole forest."
"We'll help," Gon automatically offered. It was the least he could do.
Gau's nose wrinkled in question. "Gon…will?"
"Of course!" replied Gon. "This is our home too! We won't let anything happen to it! Won't we?"
To that Gau broke into a small smile. "I'm lucky I have a friend with me," he said appreciatively.
Despite the new optimism situating around the two, Mito didn't join in. She kept looking somewhere with horrified eyes.
"Aunt Mito?" The two friends followed her gaze and went bug-eyed as well. A man stood high among one of the flaming trees. His face showed a wide smile, almost maniacal, looking down at the condition with noticeable satisfaction. This looked serious. "Aunt Mito, go find Grandma and look for Korza. Stay with them, and you'll be okay," Gon whispered to his aunt as soon as he noticed Gau narrowing his eyes at the stranger.
"But —"
"Now!" he half pushed Mito to a safe route, and was relieved when she didn't fight back, and ran for it.
"That…that man did it!" Gau hissed in fury, reaching for his knife. He could hardly control himself. "Gau, no!" Gon said. He couldn't fight someone without knowing how strong he was!
"I'll make that devil pay for what he did." There was a glint in his eyes that Gon could tell nothing can stop him. But he had a bad feeling about all this…
Suddenly the foreigner looked straight at them. Noticing Gau's outstretched knife, his smile grew wider. "Interesting. Another fight is just what I need."
Something about this man…Gon couldn't see how far his abilities would go. And a different force — evil, most perhaps — was circulating him. None could tell what he can do. To this he felt uneasy. It didn't matter to Gau, who was preparing for a battle, his arm poised perfectly, aiming for his enemy.
He leapt for the nearest branch, the fire not reaching his feet as he jumped from it, reaching the man. Gon watched wordlessly as Gau thrust his knife straight to the adversary's heart, but he jumped backwards without difficulty — all while keeping the arrogant smile on his face. Gau's expression registered surprise, but quickly recovered as he did the same and stayed at a solitary fireless branch merely a few feet away from the other. He took a deep breath, and quickened his movements, slashing with his weapon at alternate intervals.
It was partially successful, as it managed to tear a piece of the stranger's clothing. However — as Gon could see — Gau's technique didn't weaken his unpredictable spirit. In fact, unless the watching boy was mistaken, as every time passed during their battle, he appeared to grow with more confidence and his smile was growing wider than ever. And this irritated Gau even more.
Then it dawned on Gon. "Calm down! Don't be rash!" he called out to Gau. Whether he heard his advice or not, he kept going and striking. Sweat poured down to his chin. The other didn't break any. That was when Gau paused for a second to catch his breath turned out to be the worst mistake he had ever committed.
Finally the enemy fought back. He put Gau out of commission with a single flick of his forefinger. Gau crashed to the nearest trunk and sank to the floor, motionless. "Gau!" Gon went to him, observing the man landing on the grass and started to walk toward them. Gon shook Gau crazily. "Gau! Gau! You gotta wake up now!"
Just as when the taller male was nearing dangerously to the two, heaps of hooves were heard — and in an instant, Gau's monster friend was there in between, growling threateningly at the man. Gau recognized the growl and lifted his head. "Sprouts! Go on, or…" he whispered, but it was in vain. The man grabbed the bulky animal by the horns protruding in its head and shot a vertical open palm right to its midsection. They could only stare in horror as Sprouts squealed in agony as its own blood doused the flabby flesh…before its head drooped to one side.
"Pathetic animal," was his snide remark.
This was too much for Gau. He stood up again, furious hatred spitting from his eyes. The man this time didn't waste time, as he did the same thing he did to Sprouts to the two teenagers, then made them ricochet to the boulder far away.
It took a long time for Gon to recover. Sputtering blood, he clutched his stomach, too exhausted and pained to cry out. "Auggh…" he grimaced. He turned to his companion lying next to him. "We can't go on like this…"
Gau didn't reply. He didn't move an inch. Forgetting the pain he had, Gon crawled over to him and slapped him in the face. "You'd better be alive! Darn it, stop playing games with me!" Gon's voice trembled as he grabbed him by the shoulders.
"Gon…" he heard a faint mumbling from the older teen. "I…I don't…think…"
"Don't you dare!" Gon shouted hoarsely. He gave him another fit of vibration. "Stop looking like the world's going to end! You haven't even taught me how to play your flute yet!"
Gau's lips curved into a small smile. A trickle of blood flowed from the deep gash on his forehead. Gon saw his own hands dipped in blood coming from his friend's stomach and he was coughing a lot of it as well. He was beginning to turn bluish pale. "Gon…" he started, his voice faltering in every passing second. "Promise…me…stay…alive…"
"Don't give me that talk! You are not going to die!"
"Stay alive…or else…I…won't ever…forgive Gon…"
"Stop!"
"Promise…me…"
Tears formed in Gon's eyes, and freely poured out of them. The closed his eyes, his humiliation making him face Gau squarely with his crying. He once made fun of Gau for his bawling over dead flowers. Even if he wouldn't crack at it this time, and the reason he had was much more serious…More tears escaped him, and he bowed his head. A moment later felt something drop to his neck heavily. Taking one final breath, his best friend whispered:
"…Arigato."
~*Next Chapter – The Chase*~
ARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!! WHY DOES HE HAVE TO DIEEEE?! O_o I know, I made this story, but still…I really hate myself. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!