Disclaimer: I do not own Hunter x Hunter.
CHAPTER 2
Salt.
That was what she first thought of as she opened her eyes. Everywhere she looked there was iron and the smell of salt was heavy in the air so it tickled her nose albeit annoyingly.
The girl blinked a few times until her eyes adjusted and only then did she feel that the floor was swaying.
A groan escaped her lips, suddenly feeling her stomach churn wildly. Grabbing her head with one hand, she propped herself up with the other and she saw that she was lying down on a small, dirty cot, reeking of something she didn't really want to know.
Paying no mind to the health issues at hand, she slowly stood up, dusting her rather dainty dress off while struggling to keep her balance.
Barefoot, she made her way towards the only door in the small room. She leaned against the door as she turned the handle and pushed it open. The girl was greeted by a stronger smell of salt and a long, dark corridor with a small flight of stairs at the end.
Heaving a sigh, she wobbled down the narrow walkway, almost toppling over more than once.
She finally reached the stairs and her small hands immediately grabbed hold of the handles. Just as she touched it, the staircase wobbled, shaking off some rust.
She crinkled her nose in disgust and carefully made her way up the rickety old thing.
Light pierced her eyes when she reached the top and the girl immediately squinted and raised an arm to protect her eyes from the sudden blindness. She heard, rather than saw, a man stomp towards her. His figure loomed over her and she gawked at his large size.
"What're ye starin' at?" he sneered at her.
The girl thought that it was truly an ugly sight to see and said nothing, continuing to stare at the grotesque fellow.
"I said, what're ye starin' at!" He raised a hand and hit her at the side of the head. His hand was large and it was easily bigger than her whole head. Naturally, the impact sent her flying to her right and she slammed into another man.
Pain shot through her entire body and she clutched her head in an attempt to stop the ringing she heard. Feeling quite disconcerted, she threw up whatever was in her stomach all over the other man. He yelled in anger and easily lifted the little child off the ground by the scruff of her dress.
"Wha' do ya think yer doin'!? Ye stupid bitch! Look at me shirt! It's got all yer filth! Ya good fer nothin' - !" "Stop it Balthazar."
The man, Balthazar, was halted from slapping the life out of the poor girl. She slowly opened her eyes to turn towards the woman that had saved her.
The woman was beautiful. Long, dark hair cascaded down her mid-back. She had sun-kissed skin and perfect, pink lips to match her hazel eyes. She could have been a heroine from a fairytale or a lady pirate if it weren't for her ragged dress and the pail in her hands.
"The poor thing just woke up. She doesn't know the goings-on here. Let her go so I can teach her." she stated calmly.
Balthazar let go of the girl, leaving her to fall on her bum unceremoniously with a weak "Oof!"
"Jus' 'cause we have strict orders from chief to not treat ya like the others doesn't mean ye get to be so high and mighty, Emilia." Balthazar grumbled.
She said nothing and he turned to the girl with a snarl. "And ye better watch yerself. I ain't gonna be gracious next time. Now git!"
She didn't need to be told twice and scrambled towards Emilia who coolly stared down the man as he turned and walked away, muttering angrily about women. The woman turned towards the girl and warmly smiled.
"Well that was close, huh? What's your name sweetie?" "I'm.. Um..." The girl furrowed her brows in concentration for her name.
Well, what was her name? Why couldn't she remember even that?
Seeing her trouble, Emilia looked at her sympathetically. "Nevermind that now! We need to start working or else we'll get punished for dawdling around. Now - !"
She didn't get to finish as the iron ship rocked violently and the girl, unprepared for it, fell and hit her head on the railing. The last thought that occurred to her was, 'Oh. We're at sea.'
She woke with a start. 'T-that was...'
The girl felt a wave of nausea from sitting so suddenly and she collapsed once more on the bed.
'A bed?'
She felt around and sure enough there was the mattress and the sheets that covered her. She even had a large pillow all to herself!
Turning to her right, she saw a plastic bag filled with transparent liquid hanging from a metal rod. She noticed the liquid drip into a thin hose and by following it, she saw that it was connected to her, or rather INTO her, through a needle poking at her wrist.
Her face contorted to one of utter panic and disgust. 'Where am I?' she thought while anxiously looking at the curtains that blocked her view of what's beyond.
Sensing movement just outside, she found the courage to speak up. "Wh-who's there?" The shuffling stopped and was replaced by murmurs.
She waited for someone to come in but nothing happened.
Getting slightly impatient, she called out again, this time a little louder. "Hello? Is anyone there?"
She saw a shadow reach up to pull the curtains back and she held her breath in anticipation. The shadow hesitated before finally opening the thin sheet of cloth that blocked her.
A man in his 60's beamed at her. She blinked and released the breath she was holding, however she did not let her guard down.
"Hello. I'm glad you're awake. How do you feel?" he asked gently, sitting at the foot of the bed.
She looked at him warily, unsure of whether to trust him or not. 'He seems kind.' a little voice inside her said. 'Looks can deceive.' she retorted.
Noticing her distrust, he quickly amended himself. "Oh sorry! I'm supposed to introduce myself! My name is Tasha Godfrei. I saw you passed out in the mountain and thought that you needed help so I took you here. This is a clinic in the small town of Whale Island." he explained albeit sheepishly.
The girl looked at him, as if scrutinizing the validity of his words. She furrowed her brows and he worried that she still did not believe him then she said, "Isn't Tasha a girl's name?"
The man blinked at her in surprise before throwing his head back and laughed. The girl felt embarrassed because of what she said, and also because people are starting to stare at them, but she was slightly annoyed that he didn't take her seriously.
Tasha's laughter died down and he looked at her again with a fond expression in his eyes.
"I guess it is a girl's name. I'm sure it wasn't well thought of by my parents but it's still a name right? If I may, what's your name?"
The girl was stumped.
It was that question again.
How would she answer that when she didn't have a clue to who she was. Not even a name!
The girl looked away and muttered a small "I don't know." He didn't fail to notice her pained expression and his gaze softened.
"How are you feeling?" he asked, hoping to change the subject. "I feel okay. Better than I ever felt in my whole life." It was so soft that he almost didn't catch it, but he felt happy that she had answered him.
He felt that she finally trusted him.
A scream invaded the place, startling them both.
Realizing that neither of them made the sound, Tasha peeked outside the curtains and looked around only to find the small clinic already empty, save for a few nurses and doctors.
"Ouch! That stings!"
"Stop squirming Gon. It won't hurt that way."
"But still- ow!"
The female's voice harrumphed. "Next time you should try to be more careful. Got it?"
"Yes doctor." the boy said dejectedly.
A young woman emerged from the curtains beside them with a little boy of 7 close behind. They saw Tasha peeking and gave him a curious look, much to his embarrassment.
"What's wrong sir?"
"O-oh nothing! I was just curious as to who's next door." he laughed.
The doctor shook her head but he saw a small smile grace her features before she left.
The boy glanced at the girl behind the man's shoulder and immediately grinned and walked up to her. "Hi I'm Gon and I'm seven! What's your name?"
She stared at him with eyes full of surprise and a hint of annoyance because of the question he threw. She decided not to answer him but when she looked into those innocent, big, brown eyes of his, she felt guilty, but she didn't know what to tell him.
"Her name is Renée and she is also seven years old."
The two looked up at Tasha. Gon's expression was that of curiosity while Renée's was that of being overwhelmed.
She hadn't thought of naming herself. No one bothered to either.
Just him.
This strange traveller that only chanced upon her.
With tears in her eyes, she looked up at him gratefully. "Thank you, Mr. Godfrei." she said softly. He smiled at her and patted her head affectionately. "Call me Tasha from now on okay?"
Renée nodded and smiled toothily at him.
Gon looked at the warm exchange, his heart bursting with happiness for the girl, though why and what happened, he doesn't know. His gut told him that she was saved and renewed because of the name the man gave her, and he trusted his gut.
He smiled again, effectively catching Renée's attention, and asked her, "Is he your father Renée? Do you live here?"
The said girl gave a sideway glance at the man, hoping he'd answer this one as well. He caught the look and didn't fail her. "I'm not her father and I don't really live anywhere, let alone here."
She looked down, suddenly finding her hands interesting.
She'd be lying if she said she wasn't disappointed.
'What did you expect? Just 'cause the man gave you a name doesn't mean he'll give you a home.' the little voice inside her scolded.
"But I would like to."
Renée looked up at the man, hope filling her body. Did he mean that? She wasn't misunderstanding him right?
"So you are her father? I'm confused now." the boy scratched his head. These two were weird.
They laughed at his expression and soon enough he was laughing with them.
"I am her father now and we will live on this island." he answered both of them once they've calmed down.
The children's faces shone with happiness.
'A home.' she thought.
'A friend.' he grinned.
END OF 2.
A/N: Please review!