Gon spends his first day talking with his peers.
Iason goes Deepwater diving with his partner, Sakura, showing the ropes from what he's learned.
A\N: Just finished writing the chapter today, sorry for the delay. I might repost it later if I decide to take a second look at it.
Gon left his two lovers behind to explore the island together on their first day out together, bidding them farewell with a kiss. One was quite embarrassed by his farewell affection, considering it was out in public and several people could see them.
The other was thankfully more receptive, willing to accept the outcome because he had gotten used to it.
He doesn't believe either of them dislikes PDA, it is more of a matter of where they were standing at the time. They don't want any of them to regret any of their actions, just because someone else doesn't like seeing them. However, even if someone were to spit in Gon's face, to call him a degenerate or disgusting… the boy wouldn't stop showing love towards his partners, every chance he can get.
The boy was quick when he wanted to be.
He wanted to waste the least amount of time talking to the others, so he'll have more time to spend with his partners. One or two of the people he must talk to might be difficult to track down, but if he could at least speak to half of them before dinner, he'll have done half of his job for the day.
He needs to at least gather a few details, to paint a picture of what went on. The reports said one thing, but having them recount their steps would give him a better picture, than words in a document.
There were only six people he, apparently needed to talk to, but if there was another person involved in this case, he wasn't aware of… he might be able to find more about the situation.
He decided to visit the Life Saver, Michael, first, given that in the report, he was the one that found the "accident" body. He spoke to the ladies at the reception desk, narrowing down the man's location.
When he found him, he waved at the older man "Hey…"
"Oh?" Michael looked up, shocked to see the spiky-haired boy from earlier "You were the kid in the meeting."
"Yup… just wanted to get details about the accident."
"Sure…" The man picked up a surfboard, putting it under his armpit. At least the boy was being discreet "What do you need, other than what was in the report?"
"Are you sure there was no bite mark?"
"None found. The gear was in perfect condition, so it wasn't the fault of the gear… nor were there any rips or tears in the suit. As I reported, there were only signs of death by dying from surfacing too quickly. It happens when one doesn't adhere to proper surfacing protocols."
"Did you see anything in the water odd, when you went to-fish out the body?"
"Nothing of that sort… the water was clear, beautiful waves… nothing out of the ordinary."
"What about the shark in that area?"
"What about them?"
"Did they seem… agitated. They might be scared about what's down there…"
"So, it's possible more than one shark was eaten…?" Gon asked inquisitively. He needed to narrow down how long whatever it was, had been making its home on that side of the island.
"It could be possible, although, I'm not a deep-sea diver, so I won't be able to search the deeper waters for anything odd or unusual. It's best to speak with Steffelor about that."
Gon thanked him, but before the boy could leave, the man spoke "For a kid, you ask some very interesting questions. I look forward to seeing what you can do."
Gon gave a smile, nodding before leaving the man. He had other people he needed to talk to.
"~"
Iason held his partner's hand, the two breathing slowly as they cautiously swam deeper into the water. They weren't in the restricted area; it was just this would be the first time either of them was deep diving.
Iason felt a tap on his hand, the boy stopping to look at his partner.
Once Sakura had his partner's attention, they pointed to a deeper part, a place where two sharks were playfully swimming. Turning back, he smiled through the visor.
Iason gave his partner an okay sign, before tapping his hand in response. Returning the smile, he gestured to his partner, asking him how he was feeling via a few hand signs. They have a system in place, it's just teaching and getting used to the system will be difficult, especially seeing as the two of them were learning it right now.
Sakura gestured to his boyfriend, motioning that he was okay.
Iason gave a thumbs up in response.
Sakura then gestured to the shark, motioning that he wanted to explore a little deeper.
Iason wasn't too sure, not because they were already deep, it was more about the Kruleabon sharks. They were playful, in nature. Just a small accident and they could be split apart.
Against his better judgement, he allowed Sakura to pull him along. He motioned for his boyfriend to always have eyes on him just in case, as the two went deeper.
As soon as one of the sharks noticed their presence, the two sea creatures started moving towards them, one getting in between them.
The act of the shark pushed them apart, Iason getting a little worried.
But once he saw Sakura remain in motion to his spot, feet keeping afloat in the same general area, he relaxed. His partner was playing with the belly of the shark, giving its tummy scritches.
The shark wiggled as though it was giggling.
Iason tried to do the same, but due to the motion of the shark surrounding him, it instead slapped him across the face with its fin. It didn't hurt, but the act made him reel back in shock.
Sakura giggled at his partner's reaction. The motion made him sway on the spot.
When the shark came back around, Iason tried to grab the shark, but being in the water, it slipped right through his fingers. The shark moved in front of him, swaying like it was giggling in the water.
It swam a little away, expecting it to be chased. Iason didn't.
The shark grew frustrated, swimming back to the young boy, wrapping its body around him as though it was hugging him.
The act made Iason melt, the warmth from the creature reminding him so much of Gon. He held the creature, hands rubbing up and down the creature's back. Then his hand ran over a cut in the skin, causing the shark to swim away as though it had been hurt.
When he saw what was on the back of that shark, his expression widened.
There were old wounds; teeth marks, embedded in the skin.
Iason motioned to Sakura, gesturing that they needed to go to the surface. Iason began their long process of surfacing, hoping neither of them will get sick if they make a single mistake during the process.
"~"
The next person Gon found was the coast guard, the man prepping the boat.
"You're going out on patrol?"
"Yup…" The man looked up, noticing the small hunter "You're welcome to come. It usually takes me about an hour to do a complete run, but it looks like you have ants in your pants."
"I only have a few questions…"
"How good of a swimmer are you?"
"Pretty good."
"Good, hop on. I'll take you around while we talk. When we're done with your questions, I'll move closer so you can swim back to land and I can continue, on my way."
"Alright!" Gon climbed into the boat, offering a hand to the older man "Gon, Gon Freecss."
"George, coast guard." The man gave the boy's hand a firm shake.
"No second name…?"
The man revved the engine "I do, but while on this job, you learn to be a little discreet. All you need is one angry guest, and your life can be made into hell over social media. Plus, we're not supposed to give our names out to guests…"
"Sounds fair…"
Starting the boat, the man went off, the boat sailing into deeper waters "So, what do you need?"
"You were the one that found the half-eaten body, correct?"
"Yup…" The man adjusted his sunglasses, peering into the deeper water "It was a gruesome sight, especially for an island that's supposed to have no common predators on the island. You could imagine the uproar something like that would cause… if found by a guest."
"I understand. Has there always been no predators…?"
"I would assume so. This is a question best for Geoffrey Klein, as he's been the manager for here, longer than I've been a coast guard. If anyone knows something, he'd be the best person to ask for information like that."
"What about the Kruleabon Shark, was that also found by you?"
"An associate, but she reported it to me, so I was on the site at the time."
"Does she know any more on the matter?"
"No, nothing at all."
"Was the rest of the body found?"
"No, unfortunately. Whatever chomped on that poor creature, left only bits of it remaining."
"But the diver, you found the remains?"
"Yup, was floating in the water. There were several teeth marks all over it, missing chunks all over the body. Some of the bones were chipped, so the teeth might be incredibly sharp. This was all in the report… which I assume, you also read."
"I did… what makes you believe it was poison?"
"That was Danny's guess… It was also agreed with by the person performing the autopsy. If you want a full report, you're going to need to see Cassidy, as she was the one that performed the autopsy."
"Why wasn't she in the room with the others?"
"Considering the type of discussion, the eight people in the room are the main ones you'll have to report to. You can ask Geoffrey for her information…"
George moved the boat like a jet ski, weaving through the rocks. He was a skilled driver, a professional to be able to weave through the rocks with such grace.
"That's impressive…" The act left Gon feeling impressed. His smile glowed in the sunlight, still smiling even though the contents of the discussion told him he should be sad about the situation. He doesn't know much about the diver's life, so it wasn't affecting him as much.
But if the diver was Sakura or Iason, he'd have vowed to get revenge on whatever killed them. He promised not only Killua and Daniel but Sakura he'd never act like that again. He plans on keeping that promise.
"You should see the last coast guard. He gave me a heart attack the first time he did that. I see that you… are more impressed, than scared. So, you're no normal teen. You seem to be legit with your credentials."
Gon pouted from the levied accusation. Was the Hunter's Licence not enough, or was this another test handed down via Geoffrey Klein?
"Any other questions you need to ask me?"
Gon gave a nod, "A few… How big do you think this thing is?"
"Going by the teeth marks on the diver's body… anywhere from two meters to possibly five."
"How deep do you think it's going to be?"
"A question best left for Steffelor. But if I had to guess… anywhere between the one-fifty to the two-fifty mark. Given that there could be other bodies, mainly of sharks down there… that's how far I would go to look for clues."
"One more question… do you think it's gotten to other parts of the island; it's just they've found no reports."
The man shook his head, "I don't think so…" He scratched his chin a couple of times, thinking further on the question. His expression grew dark at the prospect, the revelation of the possibility of the situation being far worse than either of them had anticipated "But if it has… we're in big trouble."
Gon took the information on board, thankful for the key note-taking skills he has learned via Killua and Daniel. Killua's questioning tended to be more precise like he was cutting deep into weak points on a hard surface.
Daniel's questioning tended to scratch the surface, looking for those weak points.
Gon pointed toward the island, "Can you bring me closer?"
"Certainly…" The man swerved, heading back towards the mainland. When he got close enough, Gon jumped off the boat before he could come to a complete stop. He practically launched himself off the side of the boat with a wave, flinging himself into the water.
Gon swam back to shore, The man chuckling to himself as he returned to his route. Gon was a daredevil. If he can keep that momentum, he might have a chance of dealing with whatever lays deep, in the underwater forest.
"~"
When Iason breached the surface, he took off his mask, Sakura also doing the same. Iason pointed to his partner "The shark that slapped me in the face, had a wound on its back. I may have hurt it by accident… we should tell Gon what I found as soon as we see him."
"Alright…" The boy smiled at his partner, "While I'm worried for the shark, I'm also glad. It means if there are toxins involved, recovery is also possible."
"Maybe for the sharks… we can't say the same for humans. Considering, the only case, died."
Sakura gave a small nod, wondering why he wouldn't have taken that into account. With all the information they know, which is nothing at all… he was speaking as though he was acting less worried for his boyfriend.
The thing is he was just as worried for Gon, as Iason was for him.
They don't know what Gon is up against… for all they know, it could be a vicious beast roaming the waters. Sakura eventually spoke up, "I am worried about Gon… I…"
"I'm not accusing you of not being worried though…" Iason spoke, slightly confused "I merely pointing out that we don't know about everything. Maybe if we tell Gon about one of the shark's scars, we can find out if this thing is roaming to other parts of the island."
Sakura found himself smiling "I understand… How did I do for our first-time deep diving?"
Iason chuckled, "You did great. I was worried for a second when the sharks separated us… but you remained in motion. You didn't sink lower, or get too far away from me. I think we'll be fine exploring as a group."
Sakura brought his partner closer, kissing the boy on the forehead, the taste of salty water lingering on his lips. His smile grew as the seconds passed "How about your forehead the shark slapped you with its fin by accident…"
"I saw you laughing…"
Sakura's cheeks flushed red at the accusation, turning away as he somewhat pouted "I wasn't laughing on purpose."
"I know… I would've laughed too… if I wasn't completely shocked by the act. Although, it did hug me as an apology… and the hug did remind me of Gon."
"Aww…" Sakura turned, squishing his partner's cheeks "You can ask for a hug later. I think we should continue to explore… Gon will be busy for most of the day, so we should keep going."
Iason agreed, He moved the mask back in place, his partner following in his footsteps. The two dived once more, aiming for as deep as they can go.
"~"
Gon's next target was Danny, considering George mentioned he was one of the people that helped bring the body over to a new person he learned about… Cassidy may have found other clues on the diver's body that were left out of the main report he read.
Danny was currently in the security office, managing the cameras. So, when he sat down, he could see the man sipping on a coffee as his eyes remained glued to the screen.
Gon cleared his throat, the man looking over briefly "You're the Pro Hunter."
"I'm surprised you didn't refer to me as that kid as everyone else did."
"Well, if you can slap one of those cards on the desk… you must know what you're doing. What can I help you with?"
"A few questions…"
"Sure, shoot…"
"You said the diver was poisoned…"
"I sure did… he was as stiff as a metal rod."
"What makes you think it was poison?"
"Poison, Toxins, Venom, one of those… whichever word suits that circumstance the best, that diver certainly had it."
"What do you think made the creature stop chewing on the body?"
"Dunno… maybe the diver didn't taste good after a while. Like chewing gum. Not my area of expertise. You're gonna want to speak to a nurse, doctor or even a scientist for that kind of information."
"Like Cassidy?"
"Sure… she might know. Dunno how you found out about her name though."
"George mentioned it in passing… including your name."
"Well, I was one of the few people who didn't vomit while transferring his body."
"George vomited?"
"Nope, that guy's gut is as solid as steel. I can admire that in a man…"
"Is there anything else you can point out?"
"The body smelled putrid, usually having remained in the water, the smell would've died down after a while… but the diver's body… was a constant smell. I wouldn't go near it if I were you…"
"You still have the body?"
"We sure do… Ask Cassidy to see it. Although, I'd suggest you bring a visor as it appears to still smell funky."
"Will do… thanks for the assistance. You know where I could find Kevin?"
"Yup, he's on lunch break. He'll be taking over for me in half an hour. Though he might not be on lunch for long… I suggest you run quick. Though, I'd avoid any questions about the body… he has a terrible gag reflex."
With a bow, Gon left to find Kevin. It was the last person he'll need to find before he sees Steffelor. They'll need to match up to their calendars to at least go exploring for a little bit in the west underwater forest.
"~"
Gon found the last remaining man packing up, his lunch container with barely any scraps remaining. Just as he threw out the scraps, the man spots the young boy "Oh, no… is this about the job?"
"Yeah, just a few questions."
"I just ate my food…" the man sighed, "What do you need?"
"How are you involved?"
"I just helped Danny move the body, that's all. I didn't stay in the room long enough to know what was going on. Best to ask Cassidy or Danny."
"I already spoke to him…"
"Then ask Cassidy, I probably won't be able to contribute anymore."
"Can you describe the smell…?"
The man gagged slightly, licking the inside of his mouth as if contemplating how he could best avoid the conversation "Did you ask Danny?"
"He said… putrid."
"That would best describe it. Although, I'd say it's like finding a dead skunk, inside another dead skunk's asshole. You'd think it'll… smell like it's rotting or something. But that… that's something else. I hope I'd never have to deal with that smell ever again…"
"Thank you for your time." Gon left, leaving the poor man behind to look at his container. Shaking his head as if he regretted those last few minutes of his life.
"Oh, I don't know if I can eat dinner now…"
A\N: There will be no chapter next week, as writers block decided to pull a reverse on me. I have notes for 15 chapters, all of which, are for future chapters… where the characters are over 16, which right now… they're currently 14, going onto 15.
Three of those… involve smut.