A/N: People actually review and I'm so happy you guys like it! This story stays and I will constantly update as soon as I can.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hunter x Hunter.

CHAPTER 3

-3 years later-

A blur of black and green made its way from tree to tree, scaring all the birds and animals nesting in the treetops. They squawked angrily but the being paid them no mind.

It landed in a clearing only to reveal that it was a boy of 10 years old. He had spiky black hair, tan skin, and big, brown eyes.

His eyes darted to and fro, trying to locate something.

Rustle.

'Over there!'

He bolted towards the sound only to arrive in another clearing, still empty though a little dimmer than the last one. He looked back in confusion, only to be tackled by a mess of red hair.

He gave a choked sound and fell back, rolling down the hill.

When they finally stopped, the boy pushed the heavy being off of him.

"That's not fair Ren!" he whined.

Renée only laughed harder at his face, not minding how disheveled her hair was. Gon pouted at his friend but gave in and chuckled anyway.

The girl had grown and the change was evident. Her body was more plump but not at all fat, her red hair was longer and more vibrant, her skin was slightly tanned and not pale as it used to be, and her gray eyes always gleamed with emotion, most especially happiness, and were not dull and distant anymore.

Gon felt proud of that because he knew that he had been a big part of the change in her. He was her only friend after all.

They saw each other everyday and went on adventures on the island because they were technically neighbors, which he was extremely grateful for. Tasha and his Aunt Mito were such good friends that this made him feel that the man and Renée were part of the family.

Even if they team up to scold us everyday.' he added.

Renée, noticing his quiet state, poked his forehead rather hard. She didn't mean to do it but she didn't want to apologize either so she let the boy click his tongue at her.

"You looked so serious. What made you think?"

"I just thought of how a lot of things changed for the better ever since we met." he smiled.

The girl felt the heat rise up to her face and turned around, hoping Gon didn't notice.

"Geez. You say such embarrassing things."

This time, he laughed at her for still being flustered when hearing those kind of things.

Suddenly, the wind shifted and everything in the forest went quiet. The two tensed up and looked around their surroundings, waiting for something to happen. It was then that Renée noticed a mark on a tree and her eyes widened in fear.

"Gon-!"

But it was too late.

A growl could be heard in the bushes that lead to the deeper part of the forest.

Instinctively, Gon blocked Renée from view while she held his hand tightly. She knew what was there but she didn't dare make a sound.

The two of them stood there frozen as a large paw emerged followed by another then, finally, its head and body.

"Fox-bear." she heard Gon whisper.

The animal easily towered over them and with the aggressive stance it was taking, they knew one wrong move could send them to their graves. The fox-bear sniffed the air for any irregularities and its nose poked at them.

Finally confirming that there were trespassers in its territory, it gave a loud roar.

It was a warning of what was to come and Renée wasted no time. She pulled a stunned Gon away from the scene and ran with all her might. They wound up deeper in the forest but she didn't think about that, she first needed a place to hide that would hopefully mask their scent.

The red-head spotted a berry bush and jumped in with Gon in tow. She smeared some berries and dirt on each of their faces and neck, desperately trying to blend in.

Then the two were silent.

Their heartbeats thumped loudly in anticipation.

Snap.

Their eyes turned to their right and what they saw made their skin crawl.

It was a fox-bear cub.

The larger beast earlier must be its mother and she hid her cub here so that they wouldn't find it. Now, they hid in the exact same spot it was in.

'This isn't good.' Renée thought.

Before they could make a move, the mother had already arrived in the clearing. Their eyes widened as it immediately headed their way and they all but screamed as its paw swung above their heads.

The two could only hug each other and the mother lifted its paw once more, revealing her claws and bearing her fangs. They shut their eyes for the inevitable blow.

Thud.

Renée jumped at the heavy sound. She barely noticed that they had come to no harm. Only when she felt Gon leave her side did she open her eyes.

Instead of a beast, a tall man stood before them. He had long fair hair under a hat, piercing eyes which were currently blazing with anger, and a bloody sword.

The man looked menacingly at them and raised a hand at Gon.

In a flash, the red-head had blocked her friend and took the hit.

Both males were surprised by her actions but she paid them no mind. She just looked at the man defiantly, daring him to try something else. He looked away and cursed.

"I haven't killed in a long time. Until now. All because of you stupid kids! Can't you see the marks on the trees!? This is fox-bear territory! Did your parents teach you nothing!?" he scolded them.

"My parents died when I was just a baby. She's an orphan." Gon deadpanned.

Renée noticed how he had left out that he was living with his aunt and grandmother and how she already has an adoptive father but the look of discomfort on the man's face was so satisfying that she didn't bother correct him. 'That slap hurt a lot too.' she thought absentmindedly.

The man gave a quiet "I'm sorry." before pacing around the vicinity.

The children finally saw the mother which had tried to kill them. It lay on the ground, motionless and they felt sad for being the cause of such tragedy. They were further saddened when the cub had emerged from its hiding place and licked its mother, asking her to wake up. Its cries drew all their attention to it and it wrenched their hearts painfully.

The man made his way towards the cub and raised his sword, making it flinch.

Gon leaped into action and hugged the fox-bear to his chest, effectively shielding it from death. The animal struggled and clawed at him but he held on firmly.

"What are you doing? Let it go. It has no chance of surviving alone and even if it did, it will only grow to hate humans. That has to be avoided." the stranger said coldly.

Gon looked at him with determination in his eyes and his blood ran cold. "That may be true but I won't let you hurt it."

"What do you plan to do with it?" he challenged the boy.

"I'll take care of it. Ren and I will take care of it."

The girl flinched at the mention of her name and grimaced inwardly. 'Damn it Gon.'

Reluctantly, she made her way towards him and, despite the cub's efforts of biting her, she pet its head gently.

The man never looked away from Gon, the gears in his mind were turning. 'No doubt about it. This is his child.'

"Do whatever you want." he sheathed his sword.

Gon smiled at this and let the cub go.

It immediately ran to the corpse of its mother and lay there. He looked worriedly at his friend but she only smiled reassuringly. "We'll come back tomorrow." A smile made its way onto his face and he nodded. The two then started on their trek home.

Renée glared when Gon nudged her towards the door.

They were back at his house, where Aunt Mito and Tasha would always be waiting for them to return from their adventure of the day.

Their little trips, much like today, can sometimes be dangerous and they knew that their parents won't be happy to see them disobey their rules time and time again.

There was no lying to it because it was obvious with their tattered and muddy clothes and scratched up arms, legs, and faces. Neither of them wanted to enter the door first and decided the usual way: rock-paper-scissors.

To say the least, Gon won with ease and this leads us to where the red-head is.

Heart pounding, hand shaking, she slowly reached up a fist. Hesitantly, she knocked. The door immediately opened and they were met with Aunt Mito's aghast expression.

"U-um... Good evening, Aunt Mito." she squeaked. She heard Gon chuckle nervously behind her as the older female's brows furrowed and her lips formed a very thin line.

"TASHA THEY'RE AT IT AGAIN!" The two jumped at her booming voice and Renée turned to run.

"Hold it."

She sighed in defeat as she was suddenly lifted in the air and was carried inside. She could hear Aunt Mito's nagging voice and could only imagine Gon trying to butt in his explanation, only to be stopped mid-sentence. The girl almost laughed at this if she wasn't going to go through it as well, but albeit differently.

"Renée."

The tone was deep and commanding, as well as reprimanding. She couldn't help but obey the unspoken order and looked up at her foster father.

She learnt how the eyes are windows to the soul and ever since, she figured out how to use that bit of information. Renée mustered up all the guilt she felt, but wasn't entirely there, and the emotion flashed through her gray eyes just as she had made eye contact.

The effect was spectacular.

Tasha's gaze softened and she knew that he was not as mad as Aunt Mito anymore. His face was rather neutral that it was disturbing but she knew better. It was the calm before the storm, but in her case, she never saw the storm.

'Not yet.' she warned herself mentally.

"What did I say?" he simply asked.

"To never do anything dangerous and to never tackle anything we can't handle." she responded robotically.

"That's my only rule, is it not?"

"It is."

"And do you consistently follow it?"

Her eyes flitted down to the floor and she sighed again. "No I don't. I'm sorry Tasha."

The man can't help but smile fondly at her. He knows how she's using her eyes to her advantage but what she doesn't know is that she is actually honest about her feelings. She shows what she wants to show without her knowledge, effectively winning the people's hearts.

He ruffled her hair affectionately. "I just don't want you getting hurt, Renée." He gently lifted her chin up and wiped at her scratches and the dirt with wet cloth.

She winced in pain, but didn't move away. When he was through cleaning her up, the girl hugged her father. They stayed that way, comfortable in each other's embrace.

"I'm sorry Tasha. We were just playing and didn't mean to go deeper in the forest. I know I can't promise to not do it again, but we'll be more careful." she smiled as she pulled away.

The man laughed at her but he nodded anyway.

Aunt Mito was done scolding Gon and she called them to the dining room.

He watched her silently as she ran around the house, helping out with setting the table and adding the finishing touches to the meals. He smiled sadly as she laughed with Gon and they entered a mini food fight.

'She's growing up so fast.' He looked down sadly, desperately trying to control his shaking hands.

'I don't have much time left.'

END OF 3.

A/N: I think I've been making the chapters too long? Please review!