Author's Note: Write. Write. Write. Or it should be "Type. Type. Type." Anyway, this is fun! Thank you again, Amy and Marcus, for proofreading this.

Miwaku: I don't own Hunter x Hunter.

CHAPTER 1

2 YEARS LATER

It was midday in Whale Island. The rush hour has just passed in the wet market. For twelve-year old Ging Freecss, it was the perfect time.

Finishing his last batch of fish to be gutted, he removed his apron and called out, "Tou-san, Kaa-san, I need to go now!"

"Okay! Take care!" His mother shouted back.

Ging grinned and began running towards the forest. His destination - the swamp where the Master of the Swamp (the huge fish-slash-monster) lives. He was feeling really good because he had a feeling that today was going to be the day that he would finally see the beast lurking in the dark waters.

Two years have passed since the day he heard about the Hunters. Throughout those years, he researched about what a Hunter is and how to become one. When he had asked the locals, he was only laughed at, although, there were some who had indulged him.

"Hunters are basically what they are - hunters. They hunt. It is up to them what they have to hunt though."

That just fueled Ging's desire to learn more. He then found out about the Hunters Association (the organization for Hunters) and through that, the Hunter Exams. Apparently, the Hunter Exams were so difficult that only a select few from the hundreds that would participate could pass it. Ging saw the statistics. It just made him excited.

Because of that, he started training. He had not chosen anything specific to train into. He only did physical training to strengthen his body and to boost his stamina. He figured that he was bound to learn more when he participates in the Exams and, hopefully, when he passes and becomes a Hunter.

'So close.' Ging smiled at the thought as he jumped from one tree branch to another.

When his family had heard about what he was planning, they were, of course, shocked. Ging understood - he was surprised himself after all. He never wanted anything more than this in his entire life. He never felt that excitement with anything else other than the thought of discovering something new. He could remember the conversation they had about it.

"Why do you want to become a Hunter so suddenly, son?" His father asked.

Ging answered the first thought that came to him. "Because it sounds like fun."

"Fun? You make it sound like it's a game." His mother frowned. "I heard about Hunters. They have dangerous jobs. Even the application to become one is dangerous!"

"But that's it, Kaa-san!" Ging exclaimed with a grin. "It's exciting. To know more. To see more. I want that! So much!"

Beside him, his grandmother chuckled and patted his head. "I have never seen you this ecstatic before. Well, why not then? You seem to really want it."

"I do." Ging smirked and looked at his confused father, his concerned mother, and his smiling grandmother. "And I'll prove it by catching the Master of the Swamp!"

Ging cringed a bit. 'Man, I sounded like a child back then.' Even though he was still, technically, a child, he did not want to think of it like that. He was determined to go through the process of becoming a Hunter. He was looking forward to it.

He stopped at one tree branch and stared at the swamp. From those two years that passed, he thought of ways on how to catch the Master of the Swamp. Layered nets, multiple cages, different kinds of bait...all of those, he tried on the creature. And he failed most of the time. The only one that worked was a certain kind of bait.

'Who would've thought that the common earthworms are its favorite food?' Ging snorted slightly. It was ridiculously...basic. 'No wonder no one has caught it yet. It's always overestimated.'

His brown eyes flicked to the string of his fishing pole and to the end which was submerged in the water. There were small ripples surrounding it. 'It's time.' He quickly went up the tree where his fishing pole was and held it, careful not to jostle it too much or his prey might notice.

Despite the favored earthworms, Ging noticed that the Master of the Swamp was much more intelligent than other sea creatures. It did not take the bait immediately. It waited until it was sure that the bait will not go away and that it was not connected to a hook. When he thought of that, he decided that he needed to make sure that the earthworm was around the hook tightly. Also, he learned how to be patient.

On the first trials, Ging got frustrated whenever it took so long for the creature to take the bait. But from that, he learned that hunting was not as quick and easy as it seems. He taught himself to be still and quiet. He made sure that his movements were minimal and almost soundless. He took note of the times that it swam close to his bait (which were almost always when the sun is up and bright - understandable because the light helps in seeing the bait better in the murky waters) and the times that it did took the bait (which were almost always just moments after it swam close to the bait).

'This is probably just the beginning of being a Hunter, the basics.' Ging tightened his grip on the rod. 'I really can't wait.'

And it was like a signal. The string stretched downward so hard that Ging was almost pulled down by it. He resisted though. He pulled and pulled until his back rested on the trunk of the tree he was standing on. He looked down at the swamp that looked as if there was a whirlpool in the middle from how much his prey was circling and fighting the catch. Smirking, he dropped down the tree, making the string slide against the tree branch and at the same time, helped him get more force to catch the so-called monster.

'Good thing I thought of using a heavy-duty fishing string.' Ging landed on his feet and started pulling again, circling the tree so that the tension could pull tighter. And it worked.

A big, blue sea creature with sharp teeth, tiny shrimp-like legs, and hard-looking scales was at the other end of the string, caught in the hook. Ging grinned. "Finally! And just in time!"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Ging wanted to hide as of the moment.

"It's really huge!"

"I told you it's a monster! No normal fish can look like that!"

"And Ging caught it himself?"

"No way!"

"That's pretty awesome!"

The looks of disbelief and awe made Ging question why he brought the Master of the Swamp to the town just to show it to his relatives when he could have brought it to their much private house at the hill. And the answer, of course, was...

'I didn't think much about it. And my parents are here anyway.' He glanced at the crowd and saw his wide-eyed parents. He could only smile wryly.

"Okay then! Let's start gutting it!"

At the shout of the fishmonger, Ging gawked and shouted, "Wait! Hold on a minute! That was not my plan!"

There was a simultaneous "Huh?" in the crowd.

"Well, you see." Ging scratched the back of his head. "I didn't catch it so that we could kill it. I just did that so that all of us will know what it looked like. I'm gonna return it afterwards."

Silence dropped in and only the slight breeze could be heard before it was broken by one of the men in the crowd. "Is that so?"

"Uh, yeah. And also to prove that I could be a Hunter. I'm going to take the Hunter Exams this January."

Another silence dropped in and then, there were yells.

"What?! Are you serious?!"

"Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?!"

"You're just a kid! Too young!"

"There's no age limit in becoming a Hunter." Ging found that one out through research. "And I know it's dangerous. But so was catching this." He pointed to the Master of the Swamp who was swishing its tail up and down.

"That's totally different!"

"And what about your family? You're just gonna leave them?"

And Ging had to pause at that and looked at his parents. They were not saying anything but Ging could see in their eyes how worried they are. At the same time, he could see that they were resigned to it. "Tou-san, Kaa-san..."

"Well, we couldn't stop you even if we wanted to." His mother smiled.

"And you really want this, son, so we'll support you." His father added.

Ging smiled, grateful for having understanding parents. It saddened him that he was going to leave them here in the island. However, he knew that his true calling was out there...as a Hunter.

From there, the crowd started to disperse slowly.

"So he just wanted to show off? What an arrogant kid, that Ging."

"He'll probably fail anyway."

"He better not come back here crying when he failed."

Ging rubbed his forehead at the comments and sighed. "Sheesh. I feel the love and support here."

His mother laughed at that and pulled his cheek gently. "They're just concerned citizens, Ging. Don't take it to heart."

"You just gotta show them you could do it." His father gripped his shoulders tightly. "I have faith in you that you will pass."

"Thank you." Ging muttered and bowed his head, not wanting his parents to see his flushed face from the compliments. His mother and father just laughed. He would miss that when he goes away.

"Son, I think you should return the Master of the Swamp. It looks a bit...blue on the gills."

Ging eyed his father then the huge sea creature that did seem like it was having trouble breathing. Back and forth, he did that until he could not hold on to what he wanted to say. "You make the worst jokes, Tou-san."

"I would know." His mother teased. "I married him after all."

"Yeah, you married the worst joker but I'm glad it all worked out."

Ging backed away quickly. "Okay, enough of that mushy stuff. I'll go and return the monster now." He ignored the amused chuckles from his parents and hid a smile of his own.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"And there!" A huge splash from the swamp almost got Ging wet, but luckily, he jumped away before it even landed. "Now that that's done, I should go prepare."

"Ging? Prepare for what?"

Ging's eyes widened in surprise and he turned around to see his five-year old cousin, Mito, staring at him with big, round eyes. "Mito. What are you doing here? It's dangerous here."

"Are you going away?" Mito asked, ignoring his words completely.

Ging let out a deep breath. He actually expected this. He was just not prepared to say it. So he answered bluntly. "Yeah, I am."

He was definitely not prepared for the shouting and crying.

"Why are you going away?! Don't leave! No! No!" Mito wailed and ran towards him, hugging his waist tightly.

Ging felt the tears seep through his clothes. It hurt him, to see Mito like this - hurting over him, crying over him. He wanted her to stop. He was leaving everything that he ever knew just so that he could discover more. 'She shouldn't waste her tears over me. I'm the one leaving. She should just be angry or something.'

In reality, Ging was just uncomfortable with all the emotions in his surroundings and, at the same time, in himself.

Kneeling down, he gently pushed Mito away until they were face-to-face. Mito was still crying and hiccupping. "Mito, there's something I want. And it's out there, not here in Whale Island. I'm going to be a Hunter for that."

Of course, Mito looked confused at his vague words. He did that on purpose. 'Or maybe not so on purpose...' Because even if he asked himself what he wanted, he did not have a tangible answer. He could only say, 'I want to feel that excitement again. To see something new.' And he knew that if he said that, Mito would just look more confused.

"You're going away." Mito finally stopped crying and was now pouting. "Let's play before you go!"

Ging could do that at the very least. "Okay, okay. Hide-and-seek and I'm it?"

Mito grinned shakily but it was still a grin. "Yeah!"

"I'm gonna start counting." Ging closed his eyes and counted down out loud. In his mind, he could sense Mito staring at him. Then, at the number five, his little cousin ran towards him, hugged him again, and started running away to hide.

At one, Ging opened his eyes and slapped his hands on his cheeks so that he had a reason why his cheeks were flushed. 'So embarrassing...'

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A few weeks after, Ging left on a ship that will take him to Dolle Harbor, which was apparently the place where one could find a clue to where the Hunter Exams will proceed.

And during Ging's journey, tragedies fell on the Freecss household.

Mito's parents - his uncle and aunt - died in a traffic accident.

His father went missing in a fishing trip, and found dead on the broken boat pieces.

His mother became a victim of a contagious disease that was deadly even with medical treatment.

His cousin, Mito, and his grandmother were the only relatives he has left.

And he only knew that after the Hunter Exams.

TO BE CONTINUED

Author's Note: Why is this so dramatic really? Where is my humor? I'm hoping it will come soon.

Expect in the next chapter: Buttons, Magical Beasts, Captain

See you next time!