Author's Note: Time has passed again. And this is where it really begins. Conversations make bonds. Thanks gozaimasu for proofreading, Amy and Mackan.

Miwaku: I don't own Hunter x Hunter.

CHAPTER 8

3 YEARS LATER

Ging Freecss - eighteen years old, Single-Star Archaeological Hunter - whistled in awe. The vast forest in front of him seemed to be endless as he eyed it from a cliff. And rumors say that in it was the Lurka Ruins.

The Lurka Clan was a prosperous tribe that lived with nature. It was the typical tribe that kept to themselves and had little to no interaction with people other than themselves. However, there was an internal conflict that left everything and everyone of the Lurka Clan to be in...ruins. No survivors, no culture, nothing left but ruins.

Ging definitely became curious.

While the forest (and the ruins itself) was not restricted to the public, its exact location was unknown. Ging had read stories about how people tried to discover what was in it and to, at least, bring back some information. And for some reason, it never happened. It was either the person who tried disappeared or the person came back but without any knowledge or memory of what he or she saw. As said in the stories, it was like a 'mysterious force' stopped them.

'More like Nen?' Ging thought wryly. He deduced that it was most likely a Nen ability like his Nen barriers that were doing that work.

For the past three years since he became a Single-Star Hunter, he dedicated himself to his work. He restored some ruins (again, with the help of his special non-profit organization), found new species of plants and animals (he actually suspected that there were some that did not just appear from out of nowhere but came from somewhere), and participated in researches. In between those were physical and Nen training that he did to keep himself in shape and ready. Through that, he learned more about his capabilities and how much he could still learn about Nen.

All in all, Ging enjoyed his life as a Hunter. However, there was a downside. He was becoming famous for his works - either with the restorations or his researches. It made him cringe whenever he saw news about himself in the television or in the internet. He did not enjoy the fame and the tons of money he was receiving. He could do without them.

And so, he hid from the world. He was always on the run, never staying on one place unless really necessary (mostly, it was for restorations). But it was as if the world was more curious about him now than ever. Every little thing he did, the world wanted to know. He was only thankful that it forced him to learn how to hide more.

'Now, let's go find those ruins.' Ging smirked and dropped down the cliff, running towards the forest in determination.

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

Ging stared at the jagged line on a tree trunk and sighed. 'This is harder than I thought.'

He had been in the forest for a few hours already and he was not moving any deeper in it. How so? He had placed a jagged line on the first tree he encountered to sign that he had been there. And he saw the line five times in the hours that passed.

'They really don't want to be found, huh?' Ging thought of what he could do to get through the Nen ability when suddenly, he felt...death.

Eyes widening, he looked at the dark space in between the trees. The killer intent was subtle, but it was there right in front of him. It was dark and menacing, not like Pariston's that felt like it would torture, but felt like it would instantly kill.

Ging waited for the killer intent to drop. He was not stupid and reckless enough to just barge in. It might set off the trigger of the ones leaking the intent, killing him in a second.

Then, it disappeared. At the same time, two individuals emerged from the dark - a tall, silver-white-haired man and a black-haired little boy that seemed to be…ten-years old.

"Oyaji, it seems that we missed one." The little boy pointed at Ging.

'What the hell?' Ging deadpanned, not knowing how to respond to that.

The tall man hummed thoughtfully. "Well, he doesn't look like an intruder but since our client said to kill anyone we see, we'll have to do it."

"Whoa, wait!" Ging held up his hands quickly. 'They're probably assassins, good ones from what I could sense.'"I'm here to restore the Lurka Ruins."

"That's what they all say."

"'They'?"

The little boy tilted his head to one side, his face showing no emotions. "The intruders we killed."

"Okay, that's just creepy." Ging could not help but comment. Inwardly, he was thinking of what to say so that he would not be killed. He decided to just say what he was. "I'm just a Single-Star Archaeological Hunter who wants to discover and restore the Lurka Ruins. That's all."

"And we're professional assassins hired to kill anyone we see in this forest." The tall man shrugged.

Ging let out a tired breath. He did not expect something like this to be happening. "Look, if you're gonna be killing me, then we're gonna fight. But I don't want to fight."

"Who said about fighting?" The little boy asked and began taking out what looked like needles and pins. ('What kind of assassins are they?!' Ging thought.) "Oyaji, let's just kill him."

"Wait, Illumi." The tall man placed a hand on the little boy and looked at Ging. "You're pretty calm for someone seeing two assassins."

Ging was calm and gradually becoming more exasperated as time passed. "That's because I really don't want to fight. It's too much of a hassle. Also, there's two of you. I doubt I'll survive if we fight." Despite his training, he knew he was no match for professional assassins that knew what they were doing.

"I see." The tall man then removed the hand from the boy's head and offered it to Ging. "Silva Zoldyck. And this is my eldest son, Illumi Zoldyck."

"Zoldyck?" Ging was surprised to see and meet not just one, but two members of the famous Zoldyck Family of Assassins. It was no wonder why his senses were high-strung. His instincts were screaming at him that they were not just normal professional assassins, but really legitimate professional assassins. He took the offered hand and they shook hands. "Uh, nice to meet you. I'm Ging Freecss."

"Ging Freecss, huh?" Silva glanced at their hands before they both let go. "You have a strong aura. Very subtle but the power is there."

"Thanks. Yours is pretty strong too." That was an understatement. If Ging had not sensed Silva keeping in his aura, he would have gotten the whole brunt of electricity-like aura. 'He must be a Transmutator.'

"We're not following the client's wants, Oyaji." Illumi, the little boy, muttered.

"Ah, don't worry about that, Illu." Silva patted his son's head. "I'm sure she'll appreciate it."

Ging raised an eyebrow, immediately becoming curious. "'She'?"

"Yeah." Silva then smirked, blue, slitted cat eyes narrowing. "I was actually surprised when she came to us and hired us. She could actually afford us."

'Maybe she's a Hunter.' Ging hypothesized. He knew that being a Hunter was the easiest way to gain money instantly, with the Hunter license having a high value when sold.

"So we're not going to kill him anymore." Illumi returned the pins and needles back to where he got it. "Let's go then."

"Oh yeah." Silva took out a phone and small curse came out, much to Ging's amusement. "Your mother's gonna shout again."

"When doesn't she shout?"

Ging let out a laugh at that. He did not expect a somehow normal thing in the Zoldyck family like a wife shouting. "Better get home then, huh?"

"True." Silva then took out a small slip of paper and gave it to Ging. "Here, our business card. If you are in need of an assassin, just look there."

Ging took it and eyed it. The business card was actually handwritten with a brush just like the old man's and written on it was 'A kill a day. Zoldyck Family of Assassins. Kukuroo Mountain.' "Wow, uh, thanks."

"You're a unique man. My old man would probably like you." Silva smirked. "Hopefully."

"I'm not gonna be visiting soon anyway but thanks for the offer." Ging stated. 'Or anytime really.'

"And use Gyo." Silva jutted a thumb at the jagged line. "It would definitely help."

Ging facepalmed. Why did he not think of that since he knew that it was a Nen ability in the first place? "Of course. Thanks. You're pretty helpful for an assassin."

"We're not savage killers." Silva rolled his eyes. "Probably shocking to the public."

"Probably." Ging snorted. Oh how he knew what kind of people the public consisted of.

"Anyway, we're gonna go now. See you."

"Yeah." And Ging just watched the two Zoldycks walk away. He realized then that he just met two high-profile professional assassins ('Even that Illumi kid is a pro.' He thought grimly.) accidentally and he lived to tell the tale. "What a time to be alive." He muttered wryly.

He had a feeling that meeting the Zoldycks would be important in the future. He believed that everything happened for a reason and that coincidences were just there to label those events.

Activating Gyo, Ging learned the patterns of the Nen and started walking deeper in the forest. He never expected what he would encounter further.

TO BE CONTINUED

Author's Note: Quite short but it's there for a reason, as said earlier.

Expect in the next chapter: Life-changing, Winds, Stars

See you next time!