Disclaimer: I do not own HunterxHunter, nor do I profit commercially from these writings.

ABC Series

Z IS FOR ZEALOT

She stood there like a statue. Silent and unmoving. The room was cold; there were thin mists clinging about the chamber and her breath turned into white puffs. She didn't really mind the cold. Instead, she stared at the gigantic machinery looming over her in the middle of the room, cables hooked onto it and extending around the chamber like spider web. Perhaps that should be the name. Aranha, meaning 'spider' in the language that she once heard her brother speaking. Yes, that sounded right. She might not have inherited any of her parents—adopted parents, she amended herself—legacies, but she could make one. Aranha could be the symbolic legacy of her parents.

"What's eating you up, printesa (princess)? You have that scary frown on your face again."

If she was surprised and caught off guard by his sudden declaration of presence, she didn't show it. She didn't even acknowledge it for the longest time.

{Her name is Aranha.} She suddenly declared.

"Oh?" Lucian turned to observe the giant metal thing at the centre of the chamber. "So it's a she?"

She simply nodded.

The giant metal thing—which was now called Aranha—was a gift for her. Her sixteenth birthday gift. Her parents, Heen, and Lucian had created it themselves, with some minor help from Shalnark. It was almost like a supercomputer, only that its Artificial Intelligence wasn't so artificial. It was composed of a sentient metal harvested from someplace in the Dark Continent. She didn't know the details of how Aranha was created, but she found herself not really caring about that. Aranha was a gift specially created for her and her only. It made her feel really special, especially after her recent discovery of her adopted status.

"Have you tried connecting to her, then?"

A shake of head.

"Afraid?"

She gave him an almost imperceptible nod.

"Why?"

She didn't answer, and he didn't press. Silence descended between them; her eyes still glued to the Aranha while he alternated between observing her and admiring Aranha.

{Why do I grow faster than everyone else?} She suddenly asked.

"Hm?"

{Da—I was told that regular practice of Nen would slow down growth. I use my Nen on regular basis. So why do I grow faster instead?} She had been trying to avoid addressing them as Mommy and Daddy. It suddenly didn't feel right for her to call them that, no matter how much she wanted to continue calling them so.

"Well…"

{Will I die young?}

"Hell no!" He exclaimed, horrified by the mere thought of it.

{So why? You know, right?}

"Well yeah… But I don't think I have the right to tell you…" He trailed away.

{Please?}

"…On second thought, I think I do have the right. Somehow." He gave her an uncertain smile. "After all, I was the one who took care of you when you were little."

Her eyes widened. She didn't remember… He had always been part of her life, so she didn't…

"There was a time when you were very very ill. Are you aware of that?"

She nodded. She had been told by her parents that her different look—her white hair, her slightly darker skin—was the result of that devastating illness, but now she wasn't sure anymore.

"That stupid illness trapped you in a state of suspended animation. A coma, if you will." He said with a cringe. "You were ill for a long time. More than a decade, I think. After you were cured, your body started to try to catch up with the lost years, hence the accelerated growth. Supposedly the growth would even out into a normal rate once your body had reached the supposed age if you weren't in a coma."

{If I was not in a coma, how old would I be now?}

"Eh… I'm not sure about that…" He averted his eyes. He wasn't telling everything.

{Is the illness the reason why I look like this? Different from the rest of my family?}

"…Yes." That one beat of pause was telling enough for her. It wasn't the whole truth.

She resisted the urge to cry. Why was everyone hiding the truth from her? Why? Instead, she approached Aranha and laid a shaky hand on the machine's cold metal body. The moment her skin touched the smooth metal, Aranha suddenly came to life with a gentle hum and vibration. She felt a brush of something at the back of her mind, as if there was another mind brushing against hers. It was very faint, but it was there nonetheless.

Suddenly, the room wasn't so cold anymore, and the metal didn't feel as lifeless anymore. She felt like she was touching another living being. She even felt thrumming that beat in a rhythm resembling a heartbeat.

"Oooh… Interesting. Exactly like Heen said."

{Heen?}

"Yeah. Guy said the thing here will 'come to life' when you touch it, and overtime it'll gain a kind of personality and intelligence of its own. Scary. I don't know why your parents insisted on making such a creepy gift for you."

{My parents did?}

"The idea came from them, after they saw Heen's machine—he called it Beast. It's same thing as yours here, but bigger and looking way meaner. Yours look cute compared to his, actually."

{Did you design it?} She asked teasingly.

"Nu (no)! Heen did!" He said in a manner very much like a kid who just got caught vandalising the kitchen wall with his crayon and started blaming his imaginary friend.

{Hmm…} She caressed the metal gently. {Why?}

"Why what?"

{Why did they make this for…me?}

"Who? Your parents?"

A nod.

"Why not? You don't really get pampered, so they decided to pamper you for once."

{But…}

"But?"

{I'm not…}

"You're not…?"

She turned to give him a helpless look; almost pleading and tragic. He blinked a few times, not comprehending why she had that look. All he knew that she obviously needed some serious comforting. So he did what he always did to her. He opened up his arms to her; like how he had seen Heen did to her too.

"Come here, printesa (princess)." He said softly, hands beckoning at her to come closer.

She complied after a split second of hesitation. When she was within reach, he promptly took her up and sat her on his lap.

"What's wrong? Something's been bothering you." He asked gently, a hand patting her white hair.

She turned her head to his chest, shielding her face from his sight. Her hand reached up to grip the front of his shirt, but she didn't answer.

"Bia, dragă (dear), tell me. What's upsetting you?" He whispered as he tucked her head under his chin, the other hand rubbing comforting small circles on her back.

It was quite a while later when the Nen words floated from her for him to read.

{I'm not their daughter.}

A beat of tense pause.

"Why did you say that?"

{I'm adopted.}

"Who told you that?"

{Nobody. I figured it out myself.}

"How?" He asked, voice softer.

So she told him how she found herself lacking the symbol of Kurapika's and Kuroro's legacies, unlike her other siblings. How she was also physically different from the rest of her siblings. Different colouring, neither like Kurapika nor like Kuroro. How she had also translated Heen's wistful words as he called her his 'little sister' in his native language. By the time she was finished, he was keeping her in a tight embrace and rocking back and forth gently.

"Oh, demn de milă mica printesa (my pitiful little princess)… Why did you have to find it out the painful way? We were planning to tell you when you were a little bit older…"

{So it's true.} The words came with a sob from her.

He continued rocking back and forth for a while until the sobs receded. Then he pulled back slightly and placed a hand on her tear-stained cheek.

"Bia, look at me." He commanded gently.

When she did so, he leaned forward and touched his forehead to hers while keeping eye contact.

"You are not their flesh and blood. But you are the child of their heart. Those are the exact words your mother once said. Remember that well." He said firmly.

He suddenly manoeuvred her so that she still sat on his lap but facing Aranha. The machine was humming soothingly, a warm glow wrapping around it like a happy blanket.

"Whenever in doubt, look at Aranha. She is a gift conceived and carried out by your parents. The sentient metal that made the bulk of her body is a damn rare item, even in the Dark Continent. I don't know how they managed to procure a lot of the highest quality of those metals, but they pulled it off. Your father might've worked his magic in the Underworld, your mother might've pulled ranks in the Hunters Association to get her hands on them."

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Bia almost giggled at the thought of her parents terrorising the Underworld and the Hunters Association. The picture certainly fitted their style.

"Or they might've both gone to the Dark Continent to get the metals themselves, who knows? But always remember that your parents have invested a lot of everything to build her for you. Aranha is the testimony of your parents' love for you. Do not ever forget that, Bia. Never forget."

With tears still streaming down her pale cheeks—tears of happiness this time—Bia nodded her affirmation and silent promise never to forget, and she sank into his embrace. She was exhausted; physically, mentally, and psychologically. She just wanted to sleep now; a good long deep sleep.

Soone enough, he felt her drifting to slumber. He let her sleep; he could tell she hadn't had a decent sleep for quite long now. Probably since the day she found out about her adoption. Poor girl.

As he rocked back and forth gently with the precious cargo in his arms and while enjoying the strange mechanical yet comforting singing of Aranha, he recalled the conversation he overheard between Lucifer and Heen.

"…What will you do after we tell her about her adoption?"

"... I'll go with whatever she chooses. It's her life."

"As much as it is your life too. She is your entire world, isn't she?"

"Yes. That's why I will let her choose how she wants to live her life. She deserves to be happy. She's been through enough."

Kuroro observed his newest Spider closely.

"She always looks forward to your visit."

Heen turned to look at Kuroro with surprise.

"She doesn't care much about the rest of the Ryodan. They are usually preoccupied by Sarai and Meta. But you, she always waits for you. Always asking me when you'll be coming over."

"If she choose to stay with me, will you let her?"

"If she wishes to be with her biological brother, who am I to say no to that?"

Heen had to smile at that.

"You're her Daddy."

Kuroro smiled.

"I didn't want her at first, you know." Kuroro said at length. "I only agreed to take her along because Kurapika threatened to be more difficult—she was always so difficult back then. I was already having a hard time getting used to the idea that I have a son."

"Now?"

Kuroro gave him a grin.

"Nobody mess with my daughter."

Author's Note: I feel the need to write about how a closure to Bia's problem, or at least some affirmation and reassurance for her. We all know that it was Kurapika who adopted Bia so there is no doubt that she sees her as a daughter. Kuroro? Not so much. Damn debonair isn't very demonstrative with his affection after all.

I figure Bia will be closest to Heen and Lucian, aside from Kurapika and Kuroro. However, it's more likely she'll talk to Lucian about her adoption than to Heen because Heen is partially the reason she found out about the adoption, and also her brother. I figure Lucian taking care of her when she was recovering from Bensalem created a bond between him and her.

So if I pair Lucian with Bia, what do you think?

PS: I am NOT done yet with this! Got some more ideas to upload. Glory Hallelujah, my readers!