The Girl With Nine Lives

They were only twelve and thirteen. They stared at each other, both covered in blood. One without a shirt on, causing the other to want to take hers off too, however society declared that sinful. They were both killers.

"I'm sure you are suspicious of me," the girl with long brown hair spoke to the boy with short white hair. "Who wouldn't be? It's not like I have been trying to conceal it with all of my ability. The one you know of now is Stasy, however there are eight other personalities lurking within me. Melancholy, which you have already met, Apathy, Jealousy, Listless, Rage, Timidness, Love, and Malevolence."

She seemed to spit at the last word, but it didn't show on her care-free face. She looked into the boy's wide, purple eyes. "May I tell you my story?"

He nodded, eager to learn more.

"There once was a small girl. She was rather thin for her age, but no other physical feature differentiate her from any other girl. However, there was plenty of mental differences. For as long as this girl could remember she had nine personalities in her head. Each one only felt a single emotion, so she frequently switched them out to appear normal and give the others some rest. She has remained thirteen for many years, since she has little to no memories of her creation.

"However, what memories she can recall are all of a man with black hair and pale black eyes. And in each one of these memories, there was always a glass wall between them. He often played chess. And the little girl took much delight in watching him conquer his foes easily. Thus was born Love.

"One particular event with her 'brother' happened one evening. He was playing another easy chess game when a man in a white coat disturbed him. He showed him some papers, that made him very angry. They began to yell at each other, though the girl couldn't hear what they were saying. Because of her Love for her brother, she hated this man for causing him unhappiness. Thus was born
Malevolence.

"Malevolence soon grew stronger and stronger over Love as her brother became less and less happy. Soon Malevolence took complete control over her body. The next thing Love knew, she was in a burning city, slaughtered people surrounding her. Malevolence said that they caused this. They destroyed the city of Kainstald. Love simply couldn't bear with the thought. The Fear. The guilt. So Melancholy was born to cope with it, so Love wouldn't have to.

"Many months passed, and Melancholy never once moved from her spot, but after a while, her tears ran dry, and her sobs grew quiet. She was still depressed, but not in a feverish manner. She began to walk around, lifelessly. Thus was born Listless.

"In her travels, Listless came upon a small village. There she met a patient old lady who took her in. The woman was kind and understanding, and nursed Listless out of her depression. She taught her that if she was truly remorseful over her actions she should work to save as many lives as she took. Only then could she be forgiven. So, the girl lived many years of her life, with the old lady, distributing medicines and learning to heal people of their ailments. Thus was born Ecstasy.

"Many events happened through Stasy's soujorn at the old medicine woman's house. At first, it took her a while to face other humans. She became so shy around patients, she couldn't help. She created Timidness to remove her fear of rejection and finally make herself usefull to the old woman.

"Something else happened with the old lady; her family came to visit one summer, and her daughter didn't appreciate that she was leeching of her her elderly mother. She often stole the old lady away, taking away the source of Stasy's relief. Thus was born Jealousy.

"The tension between the girl and the old lady's daughter grew to extremities, and one time, the daughter went so far as to insult the girl and she flew at the daughter in a violent rage. They got into a fist fight and she ended up permanently ailing the daughter. The old lady, although patient and forgiving no longer treated the girl the same way before. The girl couldn't take the awkwardness between them. She soon grew to hate the woman and eventually killed her. Thus Rage was born.

"After this, the girl wandered on her own like a wounded animal. She trusted no one. She never smiled. She only acted 'nice' if it was profitable to her. Always calculating. Apathy.

"And so, nine 'lives' the girl bore. She never aged, never fell ill, never bled. She had killed countless people and nothing could rewrite that. For many years, only Apathy showed on the outside. The other personalities lay dormant, until the girl went into seclusion. She meditated constantly, trying to seek a purpose in her being. She finally came to the conclusion that she must find her brother. He would know what to do. He would give her purpose."

Stasy had been leaning against the wall as she told the story of her life. Her arms crossed against her chest and her eyes closed, she reflected on her past.

"So here I am now," she opened her eyes and looked at Killua, who, disappointingly, had replaced his shirt on his upper body. "I strive to become a Hunter, because they have the most reliable and copious source of information. I just hope my brother is still alive. I can't remember how long I've been alive. I have the appearance of a thirteen year old, so that's what I tell people."

"I understand the different personalities and all," Killua shrugged. "But how come you never age nor bleed?"

"I-I...have no idea," Stasy was smiling broadly, despite the mood she was projecting. "What am I? This is something I also hope to find out when I find my brother. There is something that's definite though." She looked at Killua who awaited her continuation. "I have amazing power laying dormant within me, and can only be tapped through Malevolence. So, I also seek to seal her as well. I try my best to counter hatred by remaining as Stasy most of the time, but I might have a dream at night that causes me anger, and Malevolence might sneak out while my gaurd is down. Who knows how many people I have killed sub-conciously?"

Silence passed between the two children as she let the information sink in. When Killua had finally proccessed it all, he spoke into the gloomy atmosphere. "Compared to you, I just seem like a whiny brat. I come from the Zaoldyeck family, a famous group of proffessional assassins. I've been raised since birth to kill exactly and secretly. My parents see me as some sort of prodigy, and want me to be their heir, but I want to live my own life, so I've run away and came to take the Hunter Exam to kill time."

Again, Killua was surprised by Stasy's sudden laughter. "There's another thing we have in common. We kill, but do not want to kill. On the inside."

"So, Stasy, are you going to tell Gon?" Killua threw the question into the air.

"Stasy?" the girl batted her lashes. "I'm not Stasy! I'm Love!!" She grinned broadly, and Killua was a little disput. What has he gotten himself into?