Author's Note: Time can do a lot of things. Thank you Amy and Mackan again for proofreading!

Miwaku: I don't own Hunter x Hunter.

CHAPTER 4

3 YEARS LATER

Fifteen-year old Ging Freecss took a deep breath and smiled widely as he watched the final preparations being done to the complete restoration of the Kongo Gold Vein. He was proud of what he had done in the past years, as he should be. It was not an easy journey for him after all.

After his orientation with the old man and bumping into Pariston Hill ('How did he know that I was the passer so fast?'), he had gone straight to a computer café that allowed access to the Hunter website and began researching. He had immersed himself into blogs and articles related to ruins around the world. However, he had felt that what was on the websites were not enough. So, he had also gone to libraries and researched some more.

Through those months of just researching, Ging had found out that most of his relatives died. He actually did not know what to feel with that. In fact, even up to the present time, he still did not know how he should feel. Of course, he felt the sadness and loss, but it was like he moved on quickly. He was not sure if it was a good thing or not.

He knew, though, that not visiting Whale Island was a bad thing.

He did not mean it. He actually thought about it throughout the three years that passed. But then, he was too busy and easily distracted by his work as a Hunter. The odd jobs, the training, the restoration...it was hectic for him and he dismissed any thought that was not related to the three.

Ging could not help the wry smile that broke in his face. In the three years that passed, the most difficult (and most frustrating) for him were the odd jobs. When he had finished his research, he had noticed that quite an amount of money was gone from his account. He had figured that it was because he paid for the information he wanted...and it was a lot of information. And so, he had begun looking for jobs so that he could gain back the money. At the same time, he had looked for people that could help him with the restoration.

It was during that time that Ging saw how much the world sucked, especially for the poor. He was almost always refused when he had asked to be hired. He would have done any job, as long as he was capable of doing it. There were those who took him in, of course, but only part-time. It was enough for him to get by his daily life. But then, there was one event that triggered the next turn of events.

Ging scowled as he remembered what happened. His next choice of workplace was an antique store that needed salesmen. When he was finally called to be interviewed by the owner, he had walked in the room but had stopped mid-step when he saw the owner had actually eyed him up and down. He had immediately stormed out of the room. When he had almost reached the inn he was staying at the time, he was pulled back and punched in the gut.

Ging winced and rubbed his stomach. He remembered the pain. It was unlike any other punches he got before. It was more intense, like there was some sort of force added to it that he could not see. What happened afterwards had stunned him.

He had felt something come out of his body and covered him whole, much like smoke. When he had looked at who punched him, what had registered on his mind was,

'What is this white smoke covering us?'

He had no answers. Then, as if on slow motion, he had watched the man that punched him pull back an arm and move forward towards him. He could see it clearly. He could see how the white smoke gathered to the fist and unconsciously, he had done the same thing. Since he was faster in terms of reflexes, he had landed the first punch on the guy that attacked him, knocking him out unconscious.

That was his first taste of Nen.

Ging smirked. 'I was right with "aura" being an important word.' He had, of course, looked it up. And there, he had begun learning about Nen. He had taught himself, not wanting to interact with a Nen master and not finding one near him because he was always on the move. That became his everyday life - wake up, train in Nen, talk to informants, research about restoration, eat and bath somewhere in between those, sleep. He had lived like that for two years.

"Hey, Ging! See if the structure is stable enough!"

"Yeah! Don't just stand there, smiling like a loony kid!"

"Well, he's really a kid."

"Oh shut up!" Ging shouted, annoyed when the ones who teased him just laughed. "Fine! I'm coming there!"

And then, there was his little group that he formed last year. It was a special non-profit organization with him as the Head of it. It composed of ten different kinds of people with one common thing - they only want to know the truth, nothing more, nothing less. There was only money given to the cause, no money returned. They did not want fame or fortune, only discovering something new and would keep it a secret.

Ging had difficulty in finding those people. He had to talk to anyone who would care to listen to a fourteen-year old kid babbling about ruins and hidden secrets. More often than not, he was always brushed off and ignored, especially when he said that no money will be given. All of those whom he talked to were older than him so he kind of understood why.

But when he found one, who was genuinely interested with what he wanted to do and willing to keep secrets and even donate some money, he did not lose hope. He searched almost everywhere and from there, he gained ten allies that joined together to begin in the restoration of the Kongo Gold Vein. They met up to exchange information and resources, to talk about what they could find in the ruins, and even to just relax and hang out (at first, Ging was uncomfortable with other people and kept to himself, but through time, he relaxed and began interacting with them).

When the papers were done (the Kongo Gold Vein was actually a restricted place and in order to somehow preserve it, Ging and his group had to work hard to gain the trust of the ones handling the ruins) and enough resources were gathered, they had begun the restoration.

And now, it was almost complete. Ging grinned, feeling the excitement pump through his veins. 'This is what I've been waiting for, as a Hunter!'

"It's done! The ruins are completely restored now!"

"And I've checked the surroundings! It's all good!"

Ging immediately went up to the trees, much to the shock of his allies who were just common folk and not as...physical as he was, and stared at their work.

It was beautiful, magnificent, and many other adjectives synonymous to that. From the destroyed lands and wrecked form, they managed to restore it to its former glory. Of course, it was not the same as before; however, it showed what the Kongo Gold Vein was all about. And to Ging, it was satisfying.

"How does it look, Ging?"

"It's awesome!" Ging grinned. "Better than we expected!"

"Everyone! Look at this!"

Ging glanced at the direction of the shout and saw one of his allies waving, signaling them to come over. He dropped down to the ground and together with the others, they went there. And once there, they understood what it was all about.

"Is that the Kongo's burial place?"

"Who would've thought that it would be underground?"

"This is amazing! A hidden trap door!"

"What could be inside?"

Ging eyed the faces of his allies and smiled. All of them wore genuine looks of wonder and curiosity. 'I'm happy I picked them. I don't have regrets.' He then said, "Let's find out together!" and pushed the door open.

And their hypothesis was correct. It was a burial place, and at the same time, a place of hidden wealth and ancient texts. Ging turned to his comrades and, to his shock, they were cheering and laughing and there were even some who were crying.

"We did it! We actually did it!"

"This is definitely worth all the trouble and hard work!"

"Just look at those tomes! And the treasures! We can find out all sorts of things here!"

"And we can't thank you enough, Ging, for making this happen!"

Ging had to take a rewind at that. "Huh?"

"Yeah, Ging, you were the one who grouped all of us together to do this."

"You worked harder than the rest of us just so that we could reach this point."

"And so, thank you!"

"Thank you very much!"

There were shaking of hands, patting of backs, and hugging. Ging was uneasy with the sudden touches but seeing the joyful and awed faces of his allies, he started to smile and returned the shakes, pats, and hugs. The emotions he was feeling...they were more intense than any other emotion he felt before.

'Is this...true happiness?' Ging did not know but if it was, then he was content. He learned then and there that it was not just what he discovered that made him happy and excited. 'It's seeing these faces of triumph and delight. The shit that we did just so we could come here, all that work to restore the ruins, and the bonds that formed in all of us - all of those and more. It's about the journey and all its detours and obstacles - that's what makes this even more satisfying.'

Ging could not stop smiling at his revelation. He now knew the importance of relationships and hard work. And he could not wait to do it all again with the same ten people that also helped him.

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

"Who said about disbanding?"

"Sheesh, Ging. Talk about pessimistic."

"Or maybe it's his angsty teenage phase?"

"Ah, understandable. It's the hormones."

"They might be raging."

"Or as shy as he is."

"Man, to be a teenager again."

"So young..."

"He's probably gonna wander off somewhere."

"And be all teenager-like."

"Alright, I get it! I'm a teenager! Stop rubbing it in!" Ging yelled out, a blush staining his cheeks.

"We can't help it!"

"We sometimes forget you're only fifteen."

"So when we do remember..."

"...we have to rub it in!"

Ging groaned. This was one of the times where he missed being alone. "Anyway, I was just confirming that this non-profit organization will continue on even without me."

"Where are you going?"

"You're not coming with us?"

"Well..." Ging scratched the back of his head sheepishly, not really knowing what to say. "This organization is not our whole life, right? We still have other responsibilities and all that. I'll be going my own way and you all will do so, too. We could keep in touch." He then took out his phone and gestured with it. "If anyone has some interesting projects, then just send a mail."

His allies smiled at him and agreed to that. And with that, Ging walked away with his head high and a smile so wide it covered half his face. 'Until next time then!'

However, the following days after the restoration were a disaster for Ging Freecss.

TO BE CONTINUED

Author's Note: This chapter, so dark and cute and happy.

Expect in the next chapter: Mobs, Scroll, Yells

See you next time!