"You watch me seperate myself
From who I really am,
To fit into your plan."
Pieces, Dark New Day
Chapter 1B
The air hung heavily, like it had since the devastation of disease hit the tiny island. Even the sun seemed afraid to shine into the darkness that surrounded Whale Island. The wind filtered eerily through the trees and across the small trail. Dust devils racing off into the distance. The smell of salty water was more like breathing in death than the sea. Even the ocean noises stood muted in the bleakness, broken only by the shuffle-shuffle of people passing along the road. However, despite all this unhappiness, he wouldn't stop smiling.
The shorter and younger of the pair glanced behind him to the man smirking like the devil himself. Which, truth be told, Gon wouldn't be surprised.
"You still haven't answered my question..."
"How much longer until we get there?"
Gon couldn't keep the twitch out of his eye. Every time he asked the man anything pertaining to his identity he'd change the subject. And he was still smiling! Had he no sense of mourning? Not one to be rude, he answered the man's question.
"At this pace it won't be until late tonight."
A small sound of disappointment made it's way from the back of the man's throat. "How disappointing."
"I'm sorry it's such a long walk from the harbour, but the villiage isn't all that bad."
The man's eyes seem to sharpen slightly.
"How unusual."
Gon turned to look at the man, still moving forward, confidant in his footing. "Wha..?"
"This melancholy..."
Confusion first, centered at the abrupt change in topic, then anger had taken over Gon. Hot and uncontrollable. He'd found himself loosing control over such emotions more and more recently. Snapping at the smallest thing.
He'd even found himself throwing some of the dishes Mito had favored into the walls of her house why he washed them. He'd just stop and stare blankly at the harmless reflection of himself in the newly cleaned plate, before his building anger would edge its way inevitably to the top again. He took his anger out on the helpless plate, and, more often than not, he'd find himself collapsed in a pile of broken glass, holding back tears. Helplessness. He felt it so keenly nowadays.
Gon turned his lower body around sharply so he could fully face the man. He planted both his feet firmly on the ground, his face upturned in a snarl. The perfect picture of adolescence. The Gon of old, who allowed his emotions full reign. The man's smile widened. He was still smilling!
"You have no right to tell me how I should feel!"
"How beautiful," he was confused again. " the emotions that cross your face. The taste of anger. What else, what other emotion," the man's smile reached a new purportion, predatory, "can I garner from this ripened fruit."
Something clicked in Gon's mind. Ripened fruit? But that was...
"Hey, I know you, don't I? You seem really familiar." An almost childlike expression of contemplation took over Gon's face. He brought his hand up to his chin in thought, almost ignoring the man completely. Where had he heard that phrase before. It was right on the tip of his tongue...!
The man himself had to keep himself from falling over in shock. Was this boy serious? That should have given him away! He knew Gon to be simple and childlike, endearing traits on his prey, but never forgetful. In fact the boy had a rather uncanny memory.
He closed his eyes and with a sigh, smile still on his face, he opened his eyes to find the boy less than in inch from his face. Standing tippitoe (my he was short!) to stare into his face, determination plain in his eyes. He was staring, studying.
The man's smile faltered now, a small 'oh' of uncertainty forming his lips as he gazed back. A sharp nod later and the man blinked as Gon hurried his way back up the trail. He smirked once again before continuing to follow the youth from behind.
Darkness had settled in quietly. The sounds and sight of day and night transgressing from one to the other in an almost unnatural way. It was like something from a child's storybook. The man found it boring. He decided instead to focus on his companion who was laguidly walking up a hill ahead of him. In thought?
How interesting...
"I wonder..." the abrupt breaking of silence caught the man's attention completely. "Why was Leorio not there?"
The man didn't answer. It seemed Gon wasn't even speaking to him.
"I mean he was supposed to be there. The boat was paid for. Everything was planned out for today. It makes no sense, and now you..."
The boy trailed off leaving the man in an odd silence heavy with thought, not completely his. What about him? All well, the man wasn't going to push.
Gon, however, had been thinking such thoughts sence they left the harbour. With all the money they paid there was no reason why Leorio wouldn't be here. Perhaps the boat this man came on and the one they had bought for Leorio were two different ones? Maybe the one they bought had changed their mind, too fearful of the disease claiming the island to come near? Maybe Leorio had missed the boat, but then wouldn't he had called him? If any of this had happened wouldn't Leorio call? Did this man behind him have something to do with it...?
Gon was no longer a child. He'd grown up. Learned a better understanding of the darker parts of human nature than he ever truly wanted. He'd fought and clawed his way to where he was in his own mental understanding of the world. There were many instances that would have lead him to death if he hadn't.
However dark his mind had gotten or older he had become, Gon still had many child-like qualities to him. Many times Killua would complain that this particular nature of Gon's would be the death of them both. Despite that, Gon just couldn't bring himself to automatically think the worst of someone when he saw them. He still retained that bit of himself. If he hadn't he probably would never have brought this man with him. Never had said a word to him in greeting. But he never could do that. He could never throw away his trust and optimism for it was as much apart of him as any limb on his body. It was just who he was.
Through that very optimism, Gon had decided that if Leorio would not call him, then he would call Leorio. If only to insure the health of his long time friend.
The sound of an open shutter had caught Gon's attention. Jerking his head up and refocusing his thoughts to the now and then (after all he was a man of action, thought and planning was what Killua did best.), he realized that he was home.
The shutter smacking the wall indignantly was the only sound of greeting. A town full of memories that left a heavy sense of foreboding. He found himself overlapping his memories with what he saw. It was almost like trying to trace over one drawing on a new sheet of paper by following the barely visible lines. Trying to piece together and cope with the obvious differences that just weren't sinking in. Comparing and contrasting realities.
This couldn't be right. Did he get dropped off at the wrong island?
A breeze passed by, strong and cold. Gon coughed as his body stopped trembling from the cold. He always hated this time of year. Cold and yet warm. His body couldn't be sure which one to accustom its self to. It left him with a horrible cough and stuffed up nose. Nothing too serious. He hardly ever got 'sick'.
Now wasn't the time to worry about that, however. He'd come back because of Mito. He'd promised himself he'd never leave her. Not like he did. While he understood why the man had to leave, Mito never excepted it. Always felt abandoned and hurt. He never wanted to cause her pain like that. So, he came back.
Wrapping arms around his body he continued towards the home of the only woman he ever considered mother.
"We're here," Gon looked behind him at the smiling man.
"Is that so?" the man replied, bringing his hand up to play with his red hair, he glanced away before continuing, "and here I was enjoying our little stroll..."
Gon's eyes widened in shock not realizing the sarcasm. "Really? Isn't it a bit cold?" Almost as if to punctuate his statement the wind picked up causing Gon to give a half sneeze - half cough. "This weather always gives me a cold."
"Hm? Well then, let's get you inside." The man's eyes came back to Gon's. Almost staring straight into him. Into where no one ever had the right to look. No one but...
The man's pale hand came up to caress Gon's face causing him to jerk back roughly, feet following him a step to distance himself from this very strange man. Who was currently passing by him like nothing had happened.
"Hey! Wait up!" Gon called after, trailing behind the man.
"Your house is very interesting. It's intertwined with a tree."
"Oh... Yeah. Hear let me get the door for you." After all, Mito had brow-beat manners into him. He took a minute before opening the door, however. Almost bracing himself for the lack of "welcome home" he'd receive upon opening the door.
The door creaked quietly as he gently pushed. He needed to oil the hinges, Mito would never approve of such disrepair. Slowly, he stepped over the threshold. He'd wondered at the feeling of strangeness that hit him. It caused him to pause once again after his first step into this. This was the first time he'd ever entered his home without hearing her welcoming voice.
"Welcome home."
"Wha?" Gon's eyes widened as he turned around to stare at the stranger ( still smiling)
"Welcome home, Gon," Mito's voice came softly from the now opened door. Looking past the entrance, Gon saw her seated in the kitchen. She was pale and fragile looking. His mind once again flashed back into "trace-the-picture" mode. Comparing her now to her then.
Her coughing form brought him running through the hall to where she now sat hunched and huddled. "It's so cold in here, Gon. Did you close the door?"
He was rather worried at the strangeness of the odd, shaking lilt in her voice. "Yes, of course."
"That's very good of you. It seems to get colder and colder nowadays. I just can't keep up."
Gon mimicked her coughing fit from before, hand going over his mouth. Mito finally turned to face him. "You didn't seem to waste any time catching a cold. You always seem to have one around this time of year, though."
"Mito, do you have a-"
"No," she cut him off not harshly, but it was sharp none the less. The strange lilt from before lending it's edge, "Not a cold..." An unidentifiable look shot in his direction.
"Mito..?"
"You need a hair cut, Gon."
"I said, 'welcome home'."
Gon blinked back as a reply.
"You seem to be here alone, so, I thought I'd welcome you home." The man said it simply. Said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world to do.
Gon stared back at, hard. The same unwavering gaze he had as a child.
"Your hair. You cut it."
It was Hisoka's turn to stand in confused silence.
"You cut you hair, Hisoka." Turning sharply on heel, Gon walked completely into the house, leaving the door open for the man to follow him in.
Hisoka's hand had reached back to play with his hair again. Really it was more of a trim. No difference at all. "So I have."
I finished in less than 6 months this time!
1. Flash back sequence has commenced. Really it hasn't too terribly much to do with the present. It just involves a lot of Gon angst and what happened while Gon had been taking care of Mito.
2. This is actually supposed to be part of chapter one. So, through great intellect, I dub this here Chapter 1B. Nifty, ain't it.
3. I abhor this chapter. I hate and loathe the way it came out. Scratch that. With an exception of the prologue, I hate how this whole story is moving along. That and I just can't help how ooc everyone seems. Thank god for my A/U warning... But at least Gon knows it's Hisoka now. And to think, it was his hair. Poor Gon, so simple.
4. I got a word processor! I dare you to find mistakes now, biotch! No, seriously, if you find any let me know.
5. Which, funnily enough, I kept on spelling the last word in statement 4 wrong. I had to go back and revise it 5 times.
6. Despite everything. I've currently got 350+ views on this story. I've gotten 9 reviews. I'm not complaining. In fact, I've never met such a group of un-lazy readers in my life. Definitely a record for me. Thank you all!
Anael Razualle- You make me feel like royalty! And it's too true there isn't enough Hisoka/Gon out there.
Spiel- Thank you so much for your constructive criticism. I warned everyone I was Lazy at the beginning. Despite that, I have every intention of finishing. As for Hisoka being recognizable? I'll explain that at the very beginning of the next chapter in detail.
Megami no Hikari- If that ever happens. It'll be a long way a way. The way I'm seeing it, this story is going to last awhile longer than I originally thought. Besides Killua won't show for another 3-4 chapters.
That concludes a whole chapter of nothing. We've got angst, flashbacks, and Hisoka smiling. Nothing important. But Hisoka smiling. Yeah. That's important.