Disclaimer: I wish I owned Hunter but it already belongs to Yoshihiro Togashi :( I just own my idiotic OC, Hitomi... yay...
Chapter 28: The Hunter x Bug Problem x Arriving at NGL
"Hey, Gon," Hitomi asked, a little unsure of what to do. "Is that guy... your father?"
The boy stared at his so-called father. Gon took a couple of steps closer to him, as he looked at them with the corner of his eye.
But the man stood up and threw the three to the ground. He summoned... something. It had a clown-face and a big mouth. That's all Hitomi could say about it.
"I got a slot machine in my mouth!" it talked. "It goes from 1 to 9, each number summons a different weapon. This is my Crazy Slots! Don't forget the name!"
Hitomi sweatdropped. "That was pretty... uh... informative," she blinked. "Damn, I could've never thought that it existed a creepier clown than Hisoka."
In its mouth, the numbers started to roll, until it appeared a big '4'. The clown then transformed into a huge, huge gun.
"Damn, bad roll," he then pointed to the kids.
Hitomi jumped to avoid the hit, while Killua managed to push Gon out the way. The girl sighed in relief, before noticing something in the floor. There was a corpse of a little ant, severed in two parts.
"Are you injured?" the man asked them.
He walked towards them, and the kids just stared. He then took off his cape, showing them his long hair and unfamiliar face. Gon gave him a long, dissapointed look.
"He isn't Ging," he mumbled.
Killua and Hitomi's head snapped at him, before understanding what he had said. The girl then turned to the ant and narrowed her eyes a little.
"Wait... I swear I read about it somewhere..." she thought. "Isn't it...?"
"Hey, what was that about?!" Killua demanded angrily. "First you push us down, then you fire at us! Enough fooling around!"
"Fooling around? I was being dead serious," he replied. "If I hadn't opened fire, you would have been attacked."
"By what?! The ant you shot?!"
He then raised his feet, like he was going to step in the insect. Hitomi looked at the ant and froze when she realized that it was slightly twitching.
"You idiot!" she yelled. "That's-!"
The insect, however, was faster so it jumped and bit Killua's knee. He yelped, trying frantically to get that thing out of him, but failed. The man reacted quickly and, as well as he could, got the ant out of him. He then took his weapon and shoot it right on the head.
"What the hell you think you were doing?!" Hitomi scolded her friend. "That's not just an ant. It's a Chimera Ant."
The boys looked at her, cluelessly.
"She is right," the man agreed. "An aggressive, carnivorous insect, currently under class-1 quarantine. From time to time, they even attack humans. You were standing right in front of their nest. If I hadn't fired, a Chimera Ant army would have consumed you by now."
They just stared at him, as he said that they had to go. "Man, forced to take another life..." he mumbled.
"Ah!" Gon exclaimed. "You are the one who saved me back then?" the man looked at him in confusion. "On Whale Island, after I stumbled into the territory of a foxbear with its cub. That time too, you had to kill, in order to protect me."
He thought about it for a little bit. After remembering it, he smirked.
"Oh, yeah, I remember now. I never expected to run into you again here," he said. "You've grown, Gon."
"How do you know my name?"
"I heard it from your dad, Ging-san."
"Eh?" Hitomi said. "You mean that you know him, old man?"
"Old..." he mumbled, before shaking it off. "Yeah, my name is Kite. Ging-san was my master."
"Oh, so you're also Pro Hunters?" Kite asked them.
"Yep," Gon nodded. "Are you one too, Kite-san?"
"Call me Kite, it's awkward being addressed formally by my master's son," he replied. "I am one. Ging-san was one who made me a top-class Hunter. If I hadn't met Ging-san, I'd have died long ago, in the alley of a slum."
Hitomi found herself actually enjoying Kite's story. He told them how he meet Ging, in the alley where he lived. The story went on, from that until he met Gon on Whale Island and that he learned the boy was his master's son when he found him.
"Somehow, I have the feeling that Ging wanted you to meet Kite," Hitomi told Gon.
"Yeah, so I think," Kite agreed.
"Are you two saying he set all this up?" Killua asked them.
"They might be right," Gon commented, looking at the fire. "Razor was waiting for me. Also were Dwun and List."
"Razor? Dwun?"
"Yeah, in a game called Greed Island," Killua's explained briefly. "It's a long story."
"In the game, a guy called Razor was waiting for me, at Ging's request. He, along Dwun and List were among Ging's ten friends who helped him create Greed Island. I also realized something else, if Ging planned for me go to Greed Island and meet his friends, meeting Bisky and the others may have been another part of his plan."
Hitomi hummed for a bit. "That reminds me," she then turned to Kite. "Have you ever been on a game called Greed Island under the name of Nigg, by any chance?"
"I don't recall the name," he said, in confusion. "Wait... I do remember Ging-san taking me inside a game. Greed Island... Yeah, I believe that was its title."
Gon brought his hands on his head and messed up his hair in frustration.
"And there he tricks you again," Hitomi shook her head.
"You were so sure you'd meet him, huh?" Killua commented.
Kite blinked and Hitomi sighed. She then proceed to tell him briefly all about the game, for him to finally understand what they were talking about.
"So the game Greed Island was created to train you guys," Kite commented.
"Only Gon, really," Killua said.
"Yeah," Hitomi nodded. "We just tagged along for the ride."
"That may been part of Ging's plan too," Gon added. "After all, even Pairo's Scarlet Eyes were there, weren't they?"
"Wait, Scarlet Eyes?" Kite said, surprised. "With that you mean the Scarlet Eyes from the dead Kuruta Clan?"
"Yeah, yeah..." Hitomi rolled her eyes. "Long story short, my brother got his butt saved because he was travelling around. I survived by hiding in a wardrobe. At the end, we're both alive. End of the story."
"I see..."
And the talk continued for a long time more.
"Anyway, you said the thing that attacked me was a Chimera Ant?" Killua asked after a while.
"Yes, a Chimera Ant. Under a class-1 quarantine. Normally, no one would be allowed near such a dangerous insect," he explained.
"Did you discover them?" Gon asked.
"No, I specialize in larger creatures. But currently, I'm investigating these insects. Something has been bothering me..." he trailed off.
Hitomi glanced at the dead ant's body and then to Killua's wound. She winced at the sight of it and looked away. It was too big for a little ant.
At the time, Killua would had been unable get it off if not where for Kite's help. And yet, it was only one. What would have happened if it had been a lot of them?
It gave her chills just thinking about it.
"But it appears that now, I'll have to move to a different location," Kite looked at his phone. "I must make a call, but I'm not getting any reception here."
"A call?" the boy asked.
"I'm working with others. Seven of us are working as a team. I guess I must wait for their arrival," he said. "Once they're here, I'll introduce you. They're amateurs, but they're still skilled Hunters."
Right then, a group of four people arrived. Hitomi looked at Kite, with a raised eyebrow.
"Ah, speak of the devil," Kite chuckled.
They then stood up and walked towards them.
"Kite, who are these kids?" the pink-haired girl, who was chewing a bubblegum asked.
"My friends," he introduced. "They dropped by for a visit on their travels."
"Oh, it's a pleasure to meet you all the way out here," she pointed at herself. "I'm Spinner Clow. Call me Spin! Nice to meet you."
"I'm Gon Freecss," he shook her hand. "Nice to meet you, Spin."
Her gum bubble exploded, as she and the others just kept looked at him with doubts whether he was serious or not.
"Yes, he is Ging-san's son," Kite smiled.
"Really?!" they all shouted.
"And you? Not you, too?" an afro-haired guy pointed at the other two, who shook their heads.
"No, not us. My name is Killua Zoldyck," the boy smiled politely.
The happiness of the guy dispelled right after the answer and they all paled. Just the short, pale pink haired girl managed to spoke.
"Um... Forgive me if I'm wrong, but are you part of the famous family of assassins?" she asked.
"Yeah, but I quit," he replied.
They all released a sigh of relief, before turning to the girl, who raised an eyebrow at their intense gaze on her.
"What about you?" the afro guy asked. "You're the normal one, aren't you?"
"I'd like to know your definition of 'normal'," she sighed. "Well, I'm Hitomi Kuruta."
For the third time, they all stepped back in shock.
"Don't joke like that!" he gave her an awkward smile. "These guys are dead already."
They shut up when she showed them her red eyes for a second, before turning them back to her original violet color. Kite laughed, since no one was that normal after all.
"Additionally, they three are Pro Hunters," he said. "So you should show some respect.".
"Wow!"
"Oh, you were right, Kite..." Mon took a small jar out of his bag. "This looks just like the claw of a Chimera Ant queen."
"Can I see it?" Killua asked.
Mon handed the small jar over. Killua looked at it carefully as Hitomi and Gon peered over his shoulders. It was way too big.
"This is a Chimera Ant claw?" he commented. "It's as big as a human finger."
"If that's only the claw... I don't think I want to see the real thing," Hitomi said.
"Maybe one mutated and grew really big?" Killua suggested.
"That's possible, though it may also belong to a completely different species," Kite replied. "Regardless, we just don't know right now. That's why we're investigating."
"It all started with the wonkiest little thing-" Spin started.
"His name was Won! He was a Kakin official," Dinner cut her off.
"What's a Kakin?" Gon asked
"Right here. It's this wild land, in the middle of the Azian continent," Mon replied.
They then told them that it came from a leg of a giant insect found a person who couldn't determine the species of it. But they did know that someone found it near the ocean.
"Sorry you won't be able to catch your breath, but we should hurry after them," Kite told his companions.
"Hey, can we come with you?" Gon asked, feeling excited.
"Hmm?" he thought about it for a while. "Sure."
The three kids smiled at each other.
"Glad to have you," Mon commented.
"Having three Pro Hunters with us is reassuring," Spin said.
"And this is Ging-san's son, a survivor of the Kuruta Clan and one of the Zoldyck Family!" Banana exclaimed. "Oh, sorry..."
"It's not big deal," Killua assured, as he gave Mon the vial back.
Hitomi looked through the window of the truck and frowned. It looked like almost a desert out there, and Kite commented that it had passed months since it last rained.
"So the insect with the large leg could have been a mutation influenced by those conditions," Spin commented.
"But why would it have grown larger?" Banana was confused.
"In order to survive, right? If it's bigger, it have a better chance of securing food," they all looked at Mon.
They all snapped their heads at him for a moment, thinking about that.
"But that would mean it needs more, as well," Banana stated. "Being larger doesn't always aid survival. I believe that this is related to the Chimera Ant's unique nature, not to the environment."
"I agree," Spin nodded. "Because they reproduce in a way not found in any other organism."
"What do you mean?" Gon was confused.
"It's called phagogenesis," Hitomi told him.
"Phagogenesis?" Gon repeated, puzzled.
"What's that?" Killua asked.
"When a Chimera Ant queen eats other organisms, she is able to pass traits on from those organisms to the next generation. She can also eat multiple species to pass on a mix of genes to her offspring," Kite explained in her place. "With each feeding, she lays one to five eggs. The first generation of births has no reproductive capability, so they become worker or soldier ants. They work in service to the queen and her eventual successors. The successors are the king and queen of the next generation. The queen is thus always looking to consume the genes of a strong organisms, so she can pass them to her offspring. And she may consume any species she particularly likes to extinction."
"To extinction?!" Gon was surprised.
"Yes, her voracious appetite can drive her to consume her own weight many times over, in a single day," Spin told them. "That's why Chimera Ant are under a class-1 quarantine."
"So if she sets eyes on you, you're finished?" Killua narrowed his eyes, in worry. "Judging from the size of that claw, her length is at least two meters. That thing could devour a human in no time."
No one said anything for a while.
"Yes," Kite replied. "You're correct."
They met with the other two, Podungo and Lin, before going to search in the shore, where it was first found. However, they didn't have any luck, and because of that they decided to return to Yorkshin City for new leads.
And Spin was researching in the computer.
"I don't see anything... I just checked the past six months, and the largest group only numbered ten."
"Say, can we look up missing people individually?" Gon asked.
"Don't be ridiculous. You know how many hundreds of thousands of people go missing worldwide?"
"We should be able to see which areas have the highest concentrations," Killua commented.
She did as she was told, but not avail.
"No good... The data's two years old," she complained.
"Why don't we start checking for sightings?" Hitomi suggested. "If someone saw a two-meter bug, I highly doubt they would just keep walking like nothing happened."
"We tried that, of course. But we couldn't find anything."
Kite thought about it for a while, before getting closer to the young woman.
"Bring up the tidal data from the day the arm was found," he told her.
And, as expected, the results didn't last long to pop up in the screen.
"The arm was discovered here..." Spin looked at the map.
"Now go back ten days. Locate any currents that may have carried the arm to that location in that time."
"What do you mean?"
"It's possible that the arm was severed after the Chimera Ant made a landfall."
She did as she was told and looked at the map. "It could have come from any of the Balsa Islands..." she said.
"Including the Mitene Union."
"The Mitene Union..." Hitomi gasped in surprise. "That's where the NGL Autonomus Region is!"
"Yeah, as well as East Gorteau," Kite nodded. "There's no getting information out of those two countries."
"What's this NGL?" Killua asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"NGL, Neo-Green Life. The people on there live in nature, away of any type of technology," Hitomi explained briefly and shrugged. "But because of that no one knows what happens in there."
"They primarily communicate by letter. Primary means of transportation is by horse. Anyone knowingly bringing technology into the country is subject to execution," Spin told them. "In '87, a three-man TV crew was caught trying to enter the country to get a story. One was executed, and the other two remain in prison. Of its 2.17 million population, 99% belong to the Neo-Green Life Party, with the rest being support volunteers'."
"If the Chimera Ant washed ashore there, how would the NGL citizenry react?" Kite said. "They probably wouldn't do anything. When a deadly epidemic spread throughout the area, they let nature run its course, refusing to admit international doctors. And if they tried to contact the outside, it would be too late by the time word arrived. If that arm belonged to the Chimera Ant queen, she may have already begun to build her nest."
Hitomi flinched at the thought. That weren't good news at all.
"I bought tickets to the Mitene Union," Spin informed.
"But to reach NGL, we have to take an airship to the neighboring Republic of Rokario, and travel by land from there," Banana added.
"It 'ant' gonna be easy to get into a country of such nasty rumors," Dinner laughed at his lame joke.
"Nasty rumors?" Killua repeated.
"What do you mean?" Gon asked.
"The drug? D2? Ring a bell?" they just blinked at Hitomi, and she facepalmed. "Honestly, guys, do you have any idea of anything?"
"It a drug that's ingestible and propagating rapidly in urban areas worldwide," Kite explained. "It's derived from the bila tree, native to the Mitene Union. And they claim that over 80% of the world's bila trees are located in NGL."
"So the nasty rumors are saying that the drug is being manufactured in NGL?" Killua understood.
"They're only rumors. No one has been able to publicly prove it."
"After all, the country is locked down tight," Dinner added.
"When people try to get in to investigate, they're executed," Spin told them, placing her arms beside her head.
"Executed..." Gon couldn't believe that.
"Come on! If a country closes their doors at the people and kill the people who go to investigate, it's pretty obvious they are hiding something," Hitomi released a long sigh. "And the bila tree-thing is more than a coincidence."
The three of them were sitting on a sofa, waiting for the flight time to come. Then, they heard footsteps getting closer, so they turned around to see Kite.
"It may be a bit late to ask, but are you sure you want to come?" he asked.
"Of course!" Gon nodded
"I'm so going," Hitomi grinned.
"You weren't kidding about the 'late' part," Killua smirked
"We have no idea what the situation is inside NGL. There may very well be a swarm of giant Chimera Ants already, hunting humans down. If that turns out to be the case, my priority will be saving them," he turned at his other friends. "So I may not be able to help you. You must be able to protect yourselves. If you want to come, that's the requirement."
"Okay, got it," Gon nodded again.
"We'll be fine," Killua assured.
"Yeah, we can take care of ourselves," Hitomi added. "We don't need babysitting."
"And if I'm the one who's in danger, you should escape without me."
A huge frown crossed their faces, but they didn't say anything. Not long after that, they boarded the ship. Gon and Hitomi sat on a bench, meanwhile Killua remained standing next to her.
"Remember what Kite said before we left?" Gon asked. "That we should escape without him if he's in danger."
"As if I could forget it," Hitomi grimaced. "That words will end up consuming my head if they continue like this."
"I don't think it was a choice..." Killua added.
"Yeah. That's why we neither of us said anything, but I've been thinking. Is it possible for Kite, who earned Ging's respect, to be in that much danger? You said that Ging had a reason for bringing Kite and me together..." they both nodded. "You're probably right. I don't know the reason, but I can't give up halfway, no matter what's going on. Otherwise, I'll disappoint Ging. Of course, I could never forgive myself, either," Gon's eyes shone in determination. "So I won't run away. That's what I've decided."
Hitomi and Killua gave him a long look, before chuckling.
"Man, you had this totally serious expression, so I was expecting something big," Killua said. "But it's just business as usual."
"Huh? I thought about this a lot. I even ran a bunch of mental simulations..." Gon whined.
"There was no need. Even if you didn't, your conclusion would be the same," Hitomi smiled kindly. "No matter how much you think about it, you're still Gon. That means that if someone said you should abandon them, you'd never do it."
"You make it sound like I wasted my time considering it," he pouted. "Then what about you two?"
"I'm a spontaneous guy, so I'd think about it when the time comes," Killua crossed his arms over his chest.
"You mean you might run away?" Gon asked.
"Depends. I can't say until it actually happens."
"Say for instance-" Gon asked.
"I can't tell you what I'd do in a hypothetical situation," he cut him off. "I don't decide until it's time."
Hitomi chuckled, placing her head over her open hand and thinking hard about it. A bad feeling about that made her wince softly and she frowned.
"And what about you?" Gon asked Hitomi.
"I don't know," she mumbled. "I'm not sure."
The other two eyed her, curiously.
"I mean, no matter the circumstance, I hate running away. And I don't know if I would be able to do so when the time comes. However..." she narrowed her eyes. "What happens if we are in a situation in where the danger that surrounds Kite is greater if we are around? If we are just a burden?"
Their eyes opened at thought of it. Gon looked down and clenched his fists.
"I can't shake off the feeling that we are the ones who will lead Kite to death," she completed the thought.
"We better not overthink things, Hitomi," Killua smiled, placing his arms behind his head. "Everything will be just fine."
"Yeah," she nodded, still not convinced. "I hope so."
Now the group where in the same truck of a diver, who was smoking, making their way to NGL Autonomous Region, through a dessert.
"NGL, huh? They believe living natural is always better. They may be weird for living there, but you guys are weird for coming to visit, too," the man commented. "No idea what's going on, but I've already driven in about ten similar groups today alone."
"Ten groups?!" Gon exclaimed in surprise.
"Yeah."
"Then it sounds like we're among the last to arrive," Kite looked through the window.
Not long after that, they arrived to the place, the border with NGL. There were two big trees, being used for checkpoint and embassy.
"Stay alert. The ants are a concern, but NGL is more than a nature-loving organization," Kite warned them, and they nodded.
They all made their way to the place. Once there, they were met by a man, who looked down to them like trash.
"What brings you here?" he asked, coldly.
"Oh, such a warm welcome..." Hitomi thought, annoyed.
"We're on a hunt. A quarantined organism may have invaded this country," Kite explained.
"If you are pro Hunters, then we cannot deny your entry," he smiled. "Follow me."
Once there, Hitomi was hit by shock. She stared and blinked at the place and... well, the computers. Even though there wasn't supposed to be tecnology.
"What the hell?!" she almost shouted.
"You're using computers and machines," Killua agreed.
"This place isn't within NGL's borders," the man said, as a matter of fact. "This area is used for foreign relations and information exchange."
"Are there any facilities similar to this within the country?" Kite asked.
"No, not a single one," Hitomi narrowed her eyes at his answer. "No machines of any kind are allowed inside NGL."
Her hunch told her otherwise, but decided to ignore it in favor to listen to the same man.
"Naturally, visitors are also not allowed to bring any inside," another man said. "Which means that you'll need to remove all metallic, petroleum, glass, or other such good on your person."
Hitomi glanced at her back, thinking about the vial inside it, and sighed. She took off the daggers she had stuffed in her pockets and her bracelet in her wrist and put them there as well.
"D-Does that include my glasses?" Lin stuttered as always.
"Yes. If your clothes, belt, shoes or underwear contain any plastic, chemicals or metal, you must remove them."
Spin's gum bubble exploded when he said that.
"That isn't funny," she said, angry. "You're telling us to strip naked?"
"Don't worry. There is natural clothing for sale upstairs."
Hitomi raised an eyebrow. "Is he trying to get money or something?" she thought.
"Also, if there are any bolts inside your body, dental implants, gold, silver or silicon enhancements that cannot be removed, you will not be allowed to enter."
At the end, only six remained there: Kite, Podungo, Stick, Gon, Hitomi and Killua. The girl looked at her new clothes in annoyment, the only ones she could get there. She was wearing a pair of white pants and a bright pink tank top, similar of the ones that the other two were wearing.
"I look like a stupid Barbie doll walking around," Hitomi huffed.
"You're stupid, but definitely not a Barbie," Killua teased. "Not at all."
She just glared at him, before going to Spin to give her the bag. Hitomi smiled, asking her for taking care of it. The eyes were valious after that.
"The checkpoint is over there," a woman guided them. "There will be a physical exam and interview, as well as metal, x-ray and ultrasound scanning."
"The security is rather strict," Kite muttered.
"Oh, you think so?" Hitomi mumbled, sarcastically.
Hitomi couldn't believe how problematic entering to a country could be. They even made them exams of the brain, which the girl saw with a raised eyebrow.
"I can't believe it!" Killua exclaimed, eyeing Hitomi's brain.
"What do you want?" Hitomi was beginning to feel annoyed.
"It's bigger than I thought!" he pissed the girl off. "I had no idea it would be actually bigger than a peanut."
"Oh, then I can tell you I'm pretty surprised myself," Hitomi teased back, pointed at Killua's one. "I thought it would be hollow, empty. But there's plenty space of flesh there."
After the tests were over, they let them pass to the country. They all stood there for a moment, as the wind hit their faces. There was a desert, like the one they had been before.
"Okay, let's begin the hunt," Kite said.
They then rented horses and Hitomi sat on one of them. She then turned around and her eyebrow twitched at the sight of Killua, who was literally standing at the back of the horse. She blinked a couple of times, before shrugging.
A little after that, they stopped.
"We should follow the coast and check the villages," Gon said, looking at the map. "If we go through all of them and nothing turns up it probably isn't the country."
"That's assuming those guys were telling the truth," Killua added.
"Yeah," Hitomi glanced quickly at the people in the horses, looking at them. Her eyebrow twitched. "But they are annoying the hell out of me... Doesn't they know what privacity is?"
"They claimed they were here in case we encounter unknown tribes and require interpreters or intermediaries," Killua narrowed her eyes. "But they're obviously here to watch us."
"Well, I never expected the people here to be any help," Kite commented. "My gut tells me that it's here."
The other three understood immediately and frowned in worry.
And they started to move once again, and Killua stood behind Hitomi once again, making her feel a little uneasy.
"Hey, you know," she started. "You may fall if you stay like this for a bit longer."
"Don't worry," he smirked. "I'll be fine."
"I'm not worried, Snowhead. It's just a warning," she mumbled under her breath, irritated. "Fall if you want, I don't care."
"You don't?" Killua raised an eyebrow.
"I don't," she repeated, in determination.
Killua hummed for a bit, placing his arms behind his head. Hitomi released a long sigh, before moving the horse to a side suddenly because of a rock.
"Whoa!" she heard Killua say, startling her a little.
"Killua!" she turned around, in worry, her heart beating faster.
Behind her was nothing and gasped. She then turned around to see him standing in front of her, between her and the head of the horse.
"Just kidding!" he grinned like a cat. "So, do you worry about me, don't you?"
"Whatever," she shook her head. "Don't do that again."
He chuckled, before jumping and sitting behind her, but backwards. Annoyment took over her as she felt his back resting on hers. She then blushed slightly.
"You do love to annoy me, don't you?" Hitomi muttered, irritated.
"Oh, was that obvious?" he smirked. "But you didn't said like me standing, and you are complaining about me sitting?"
There was a long silence.
"Drop dead," that was her only answer.
Something happened then that stopped their childish quarrel. A small bee holding a piece of paper going towards them caught their attention. It stood in Hitomi's hand and Killua took the letter. There was a map drawn with blood, with some writing:
"Help!
Chimera Ant Nest
Rocky Area
Notify the Hunter Association!"
"Hey, Kite!" Killua called, as they all stopped.
He gave the letter at Kite and he looked at it with a concerned gaze. Hitomi on the other hand, looked at the bee posed in her index finger and frowned. She just wasn't able to shook that feeling.
Something really bad was about to happen. Well, you didn't have to be a genius to jump in the same conclusion.
"It'll be dangerous," Kite turned at the kids, after a while. "But could you accompany me?"
"Of course!" Gon said, determined.
"We're Pros," Killua smirked.
"Don't worry about a thing," Hitomi grinned.
After that, the bee flew away. The three kids looked at it as it got further and further away, meanwhile Kite turned to the young woman.
"Miss interpreter..." Kite said, politely. "Sorry, but we're in a hurry,"
"Yes," she smiled, patting the horse in where she was on. "The horses can move a bit faster."
"Not offenses intended," Hitomi said. "But we are way faster than them."
The woman blinked. The three kids stretched themselves as Kite jumped off the horse. He turned to Podungo and Stick and told them to return to the border and inform the Hunter Association.
"If you can't keep up, I'll leave you behind," he told the three kids.
"Right back at you," Killua said, nonchalantly.
"I was bored from sitting on a horse all the day anyway," Hitomi commented.
"All ready to go!" Gon exclaimed.
Kite smiled at them, and the four got into a running stance, feeling again the wild wind blowing their hair away. Hitomi looked at the clueless interpreter, grinned and waved at her.
"Let's go," Kite instructed.
They then started to run, leaving a puzzled young woman behind. She tilted her head to one side, after realizing that they were already gone.
Hitomi looked at the big, disgusting pool of blood and grimaced. A feeling of disgust with slight fear was built inside her, creating an awful mix she wasn't sure if she was going to endure longer.
She shook off that feeling and kneeled down next to it. She put her finger on the blood and inspected it.
"It's isn't old," she commented as she stood up. "Whoever this blood is from, wasn't killed long before we arrived here."
Killua found something and picked it up. He then stared at the bullet with narrowed eyes.
"This is a bullet casing," he stated.
"Nothing mechanical is allowed here, right?" Gon asked.
"So the underground rulers of NGL were manufacturing guns in addition to drugs," Kite concluded.
The girl gave the blood mess a long look, narrowing her eyes.
"It's not made by a human... Most likely a Chimera Ant," her eyes shone in worry. "And if ants are already carrying guns around... That means the NGL's underground rulers have been already fed to the Queen."
Kite nodded, frowning.
"NGL and Chimera Ants... The worst combination imaginable. This could create an unprecedented biohazard," he spoke. "It's safe to assume that the Chimera Ants have assumed control of NGL's interior. The question is if we can reach their nest before the Queen gives birth to the King."
The first city in where the four arrived was already a ghostly one. No people were there, but there was a mess on the floors. Baskets, clothes and shoes, all thrown all over the place.
"Say," Gon called out their attention. "Something smells. Coming from over there."
He pointed at some place and they went over there. They found then themselves in front of a stable, blood over the place. Also, there was a red trail that went all the way until a forest.
But they followed them anyway.
"Hey, this feels like a horror movie," Hitomi said, randomly, while going there. "You know, the bunch of guys that find a path of blood, which they foolishly follows and then gets killed by a creepy ghost... Well, a Chimera Ant in our case..."
Killua was about to reply, but stopped at the sight of it. Impaled with the branches of the trees, there were horses. Hitomi was smart enough to know that they were the horses missing in the stable.
"It's like morning sacrifice," Gon told them. Hitomi and Killua gave him a confused look.
"A ritual practiced by birds called bull-headed shrikes," Kite explained. "They impale their prey on sharp objects, such as branches."
"Hey!" a voice behind them said.
They all looked behind them and tensed. Behind them was a strange creature, that they supposed it was a Chimera Ant. He was some time of combination of human, rabbit and bird.
"Wha-?" Gon shouted in surprise.
"Wh-What's that?" Killua was shocked as well.
"Man!" Hitomi facepalmed. "I think I prefer the ghost over this strange mutation-thing..."
"You!" Killua turned to her, annoyed. "Will you ever get serious?!"
The ant didn't either hear her or care about it. "Trash. Those are mine!" he shouted pointing at the tree, before running towards Kite. He instantly avoided him, but the other three got hit and stepped back.
He was strong.
Kite's aura was released and the ant froze upon feeling it. However, it died down and the man calmly walked past the kids. Hitomi blinked at him, as he leaned in the trunk of the tree.
"Gon, Killua, Hitomi. You three must deal with him yourselves," he spoke. "This is a Chimera Ant soldier. We will encounter many more like him. I won't be able to help you during actual combat. If you can't defeat it, you'll have to leave. You'll just be in the way."
The three of them tensed a bit, before looking at the ant with a determined gaze. They let their Nen out, getting ready for the battle.
"Weren't you listening, Kite?" Gon wiped the sweat out of his face.
"We came here for helping you, not being helped," Hitomi ran a hand through her hair.
"We are also Pros!" Killua rolled up his sleeves.
They then started to slowly walk towards the enemy.
"Don't treat us like kids!" they shouted in unison.
And like that, the battle started. The three tried to attack him physically, in turns, but it was useless. Killua tried, got repealed and stood meters behind. Hitomi tried kicking him, but he grabbed her by her ankle and threw her. She flipped and stood next to Killua. Gon did so as well, but got hit in his back.
"Time to test it!" Killua thought. He jumped on the air and shot him with some kind of thunder coming from his index finger. "Thunderbolt!"
Hitomi raised an eyebrow. "Right, my ability doesn't have a name that great either but... Thunderbolt? Seriously?" she chuckled. "Seems like Kurapika isn't the only one with serious copyrights issues because of Pikachu..."
Gon used the paralysis to stand behind him. He focused Nen on his fist, "First comes Rock..." he chanted. "Rock, Paper... Rock!"
At his hit, the bunny-bird thing went flying. Hitomi jumped on the air, right behind him, and smirked widely.
"Here it goes!" she then clapped her hands and the man got hit. Hitomi was sure, the fall was going to finish him off.
However, before he could touch the floor, another ant really condor-like, caught him before that and flew away. Their eyes opened when they realized what was happening.
"BASTARDS!" the shouting was that loud that it became a harsh wind that almost made the kids lose their balance. "I'm gonna eat you! I will! Remember this!"
The three tensed, looking at him as he flew away. "Our attacks didn't work," they thought.
"That guy's smart. He let his soldier do the fighting, so he could learn our abilities," Kite told the kids, walking towards them.
They didn't say anything, they just waited for him to tell him to go away.
"Are you coming?" they turned around and stared at Kite with a shocked expression. "There's no need to feel down. Your attacks weren't that bad. You just need experience now. If you wish to become stronger, this is a perfect opportunity. But if you aren't prepared, you won't be able to endure the ordeal. Whether we win or lose, hell lies ahead of us."
The three frowned at it.
"Well," Hitomi smirked. "Let's go straight to hell then."
"We're coming," Gon agreed.
"Yeah," Killua just nodded.
End of the chapter!
JokeLover123: Thanks for reviewing! Let's hope you liked this update :)
SoulXHunter: To be honest, I'm worried myself too. I mean, this arc is... special, to put it in a way, so I'm a little afraid of how it will turn into but I still will give my best. Well, thanks for leave a review and I hope you liked it!
Kri: It will happen some changes in their relationship in this arc, but later on... Just wait XD Anyway, thank you for reviewing and I wish you liked this chapter :)
Silent Readers: Thanks for reading! Hope you had fun :D