DISCLAIMER: I WISH I OWN HUNTER X HUNTER

In the world of Maharlika, three continents existed. One was primarily of snow, one was of sand, and the other was of water.
They were large land masses and collections of islands, once together, now isolated from one another.

It was a world of monarchy, despite its age, as it could not go further for any more progress would destroy that world. It was a world that controlled people—constantly attacking it with storms and earthquakes and volcanic eruptions—to ensure they do not take beyond what they deserve.

It was a world that was alive, and well, and striving; But at the same time it was stingy. It only selected few to be born with power to hold it close.

These people were gifted individuals, albeit not always of good heart.

They were very rare.

And all were destined for greatness.

…

CHAPTER 2: The Docks of Montague

Nearing Borders of Montague

"Thank you for the food!"

A merry atmosphere prevailed at the deck; The sound of metal touching porcelain, chatters, and chewing blended peacefully with the calm sound of the waves and the birds' cooing around them.

The crew ate their respective breakfast at the deck that morning (partly because it was hard for Kurapika to change positions), and then there was the fact that the weather was especially good that day—an indicator they were nearing the island famous for its peaceful environment.

The group formed a circle with Ging at the 12'o clock position facing Kurapika who, in turn, had Gon seating right beside him. Kaito was near Mito, while Hanzo was beside grandma, who was apparently Mito's mother. The ninja was at the time looking away from Kurapika who was sending him small seemingly-apathetic stares then and again.

In any case, Hanzo wanted to open up a lot of topics, since he was a gregarious ninja by birth. And yet, somehow, he needed to be on guard in case he asked something sensitive like the Padioka thing. He might just get thrown off-board the ship if he did, and so would his lucky ticket to his destination.

Though, really, it would be better if they just take him under their wing. They pretty much swept his request under the rug, damnit!

In any case, thinking before speaking was not Hanzo's specially, so he kept his mouth shut majority of the time just to be safe.

They finished peacefully with Kaito apparently having the turn to wash the dishes. "I'll help you." Mito offered, and that smirk on Kaito's face couldn't be more obvious.

Ging stood up and told Kurapika he could let go of the wheel now and went to the front of the ship, while Grandma helped with bringing the plates as well and Hanzo was obliged to do so as well.

Hanzo turned around though, just for the heck of it, when he saw Gon wiping some sweat on Kurapika's forehead. He raised an elegant eyebrow. How interesting, he mused, since the boy who was so guarded with him a minute prior now couldn't even notice his prying stare.

And he wasn't sure if it was just him but, frankly, he could see flowers floating around them. He whistled lightly. "Those two are close."

"Indeed." Grandma chuckled. "They are best of friends and they treasure each other very much." The woman looked quite proud, for some reason, and started monologuing. "That boy… he wouldn't even have the capacity to smile now if it weren't for Gon and Ging."

"Is that so?" He blinked and walked side-by-side with grandma for curiosity. "What happened?" And the old woman only smiled.

"Not quite my story to tell, child." She said, and finally headed back down to bring the plates. The ninja looked at the two kids, still oblivious to him, and only shrugged in the end.

"Oh, before I forget." The old woman paused and stared at him and his bald glory. For a moment, he thought she was going to compliment him but instead she shifted her gaze somewhere behind him. He followed her line-of-sight, and saw a broom.

He blinked.

"You didn't think you can freeload for nothing, yes?"

…

"Ne, Kurapika. Are you really okay? This…," she paused looking at the other ship. "…is a pretty heavy job."

"It's fine." Kurapika ignored the bald ninja that just passed them (and was mopping the floor with boisterous sound effects,) and smiled at Gon. "You underestimate me."

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

Gon tilted her head before shrugging and looked at the other ship again. She noted how some parts of the ship had been crushed by the chain and now with much more damage than what it had the last time she checked. She wondered if Kurapika had full control over his weapon, but decided not to speak.

But then her ears then perked at faint sounds and she ran to the balustrade to get a closer look. Kurapika blinked at this. "Gon?" He uttered, and followed her to the ship's boundary. Gon raised a finger to her mouth, asking for silence.

"Shhh…"

Kurapika didn't speak anymore and only watched her, quite used to her sudden jolts of seriousness then and again. His cerulean orbs watched as her back straightened, as if taken aback.

Gon, at the time, was hearing annoyed and angry yells from the ship. And a second later she heard a loud splash, loudness she associated with something very bulky getting thrown into the water. That, or just a very fat man jumping out. "Hm."

"What is it?" Kurapika asked reflexively, without looking at the ship, because his sights always had this tendency stick like a magnet towards Gon.

"Someone escaped… I think."

"What?" Kurapika immediately whipped his head to the ship, and soon they saw a rather…horizontally gifted… man swimming away. "Oh."

"You think we should go after him?" Gon said, and she was already unzipping her turtle-neck jacket. Kurapika quickly cleared his throat (primarily to keep her from undressing) and said it didn't matter. From the looks of it, he escaped by himself anyway.

Gon's stature softened and her hands fell to her sides, relaxed. "I guess so…" Kurapika sighed and raised his hand to her jacket, zipping it back up for her. His hand stopped the moment it was closed and he looked to see her. Gon was looking at him, that warm unchanging gaze directed at him. He opened his mouth to say something, when a shout from the other side of the ship stole their attentions. "We're here!"

The two teenagers looked at each other before going to the front of the ship. Gon's eyes widened as her eyes landed on the docks. But before that, the place's natural features took her attention. "It had pointed hills!" She exclaimed. "Amazing."

"Hmn." Kurapika nodded with a smile. "Montague means Pointed Hills, Gon."

"Oh…OH." Said Gon and grinned at him. "You're so smart, Kurapika."

He knew he was an intellectual, that was a fact, but any compliment from Gon just felt especially good to his ego.

And he only smiled.

…

A few minutes after docking, the group once again met on the deck. They'd stay in the coastal country for a few days, and they'll meet up after certain assignments. Ging adopted a firmer pose and assigned people tasks before they settled somewhere else.

"I will take these fellas to get our money," said Ging and pointed his thumb at the other boat. "Gon and Kurapika go to get groceries and other materials in the list."

And then he looked at Kaito. "You will remain with the women to watch the ship." And Kaito was more than willing to do so. As always, that smirk was so obvious that only Gon, and Mito, were not able to see.

"What about me?" That was Hanzo. And he was still holding the mop.

"Keep cleaning."

…

The clinging sound of bells resounded across the room the instant the door was pushed inward, alerting the shop owner that new customers had arrived.

He was an old man, and he set up this shop of his even before majority of his customers were even born. In any case, he smirked when he saw a young blonde, whom he made out to be a boy with long hair, open the door for a younger girl. The kid's a gentleman. A trait that was becoming rare, slowly, but surely.

The teenagers were both carrying bags with both hands, full of items like groceries and building tools. The old man wondered what they could be doing in his shop.

The girl smiled at the boy and he did the same before they entered his shop. They turned to him and he automatically yelled his customary "WELCOME, Costumers!" and then he almost said his "How may I help you?" but paused. His experienced eyes snuck a look at what they were holding.

He owned a shop for accessories, mostly antiques. They had brought various functional items. So he could only think of one thing: "What would the couple like to buy?"

The boy blushed a bit and shook his head, while he girl didn't think much of it. "We're not a couple." He said, stealing a glance at the girl who only titled her head. "I come here looking for something." He said in a business manner that surprised he old man, albeit there was a bit of awkwardness—telling the man the boy was a bit shaken because of him. He felt guilty and amused.

But he, too, needed to be professional. "What is it boy?"

"A necklace." He said succinctly. "A gold one, molded like a lizard. Two red gems signify its eyes."

The old man looked up. Gold with gems? That'd be expensive, and he'd want to sell it if he actually had it. Unfortunately, "I have not seen such a treasure, child. I apologize."

"How unfortunate." He sighed, but no hard feelings were directed to him. The boy was extremely mature, he could tell, and he wondered what the necklace meant to him.

"I get new supplies every then and again, though." He added, in an attempt to make them feel better. "You can come back and look again."

The blonde smiled, though sadly. "We're travelers." He said and looked at the girl, who was empathically looking back at him. "But we'll try."

…

"So it wasn't there…" Gon sighed as she and Kurapika walked back to the ship, feeling slightly disappointed. "It could be in the next town."

"If it was, it could've been bought already."

Gon frowned. "Mou. Don't be so negative, Kurapika!"

"S-Sorry."

But before Gon could nag him even more, a strong gust of wind passed by them. It was fresh and cool. It was the sea breeze, and they could practically taste the saltiness of the waters nearby. Eventually, it passed, leaving the people refreshed, and the two teenagers looked at each other and immediately laughed at how each other looked.

Their hair were so disheveled that they looked like they just did a couple dozen pinwheels in succession. Gon ended her laugh with a soft chuckle and found herself wanting to touch Kurapika's soft blonde hair. And she did. "Your hair's getting long." She said, seeing it was already touching his shoulders.

"Hmn." He agreed, staring at her… mesmerized at her proximity. "I remember back then… as a kid, I used to be mistaken as a girl often." He still was.

"A pretty one though."

"You're not helping."

"You're very manly now, even with the longer hair." The compliment made him smile.

"I'm thinking of cutting it short." He finally said. He'd been cutting them himself rudimentarily, but it was always until it reached the same length. It was the length he had wore all his life. But looking at Gon, so close, he wanted to move forward. "All the way above my ears."

"I can cut it for you." She said immediately, making him blink. She caught this and frowned sadly. "You can refuse."

He shook his head. "It's not that." He smiled. "Thanks."

They walked back with Gon telling him the hairstyles that could be possible. "Are you sure you won't cut my ear by accident?" He joked and she smirked, unoffended.

"I asked Mito-san to teach me!" She said and blushed a bit, making him stop his steps in befuddlement. "I was kinda waiting for you to want to cut your hair shorter again."

Well, that was unexpected, Kurapika mused, before clearing his throat to compose himself. To his relief his eyes ended up on another accessory store, but a more typical and contemporary one for women. He smiled and looked at Gon, who only batted her eyelids in response.

Kurapika gently extended his hand, and Gon knew to take it. He slowly led her to the shop and pointed at something. "You want one?"

"Eh?"

Kurapika waited for another response. He saw Gon's hair down a few times before, usually when she just woke up and hadn't bothered tying her hair back up. It suited her, really, especially with her maturing face.

"I'm going to have a change of image. Want to have one yourself?" He said, lifting up a red hair band. "It'll be your pay as my new… hair cutter."

Her eyes glistened immediately. He knew it was because he just said she'd be cutting his hair from then on. What an odd arrangement they had, but did it matter? "Really?" She made sure and he nodded.

Her bright smile would be etched in his head the whole day.

…

"Can I wear it now?" Kurapika nodded in assent. However, Gon was not the type to look at mirrors. If she put it on alone in the middle of the street, he knew it would be very unruly. So he extended his hand and took the hair band, silently offering to do her hair for her.

Maybe she'd look at him as an older sister, but shrugged in the end.

Kurapika loosened up her hair, and her hair was a little curly due to the tie. He combed it by his hand, feeling the softness of her curls against his palms, carefully sliding the band over her soft raven hair after. He smiled. His judgements were accurate. It suited her.

Even more than he anticipated.

He noted how Gon grew from a charming girl to a young lady. He felt happy he got to see it. But too soon he found that old man's words ringing inside his head, disrupting the calm reverie he was entering. It wasn't the first time—that people mistaken them as a couple. However, he started wondering how long it would be considered a 'mistake'.

"Hey, Gon." He asked, hand now from her head to the side of her cheek.

"Hmn?"

"What do you think of me?"

"What kind of question is that?" said Gon, with that usual chuckle.

"As a friend? As family? Or… as a…" He paused. He refused to stutter. "As a man."

"I know you're a man, Kurapika...," said Gon, as dense as always. "That means you're like a brother!" She meant this in contrast with 'sister'. Nevertheless, he felt very heavy.

He was silent the whole way home, and Gon's yell would eventually call him back from his trance.

"We're here!"

…

They were now all hanging out on the deck of the ship. The only person they were waiting for was the carefree captain, Ging. In any case, they were not impatient—they were all deeply pre-occupied with something else: Kurapika's hair.

"Are you sure about this?" Mito asked, looking at Gon with a dangerous-looking scissor. "And that new hair-do looks good on you, Gon!" Mito silently wondered if everyone should change images.

"Thanks—and I am, I am sure about this!" She said and played with it a bit to make her point. Of course, it only made them a lot more nervous, but Gon was often confident of her own skills because she really had a good basis. So, they looked at each other anxiously before nodding in a (reluctant) unanimous vote to give her a chance.

Besides, Kurapika, the possible victim, seemed fine to risk his head, anyway.

They gulped as the scissor's sharp metallic material reflected the sun's rays.

And a few extra heartbeats were forced out as they watched her cut the first batch.

And again…, and again.

.

The ordeal ended without bloodshed. Mito was supposedly happy with just that. She knew she was the one who taught Gon, but this was the first real-person she used her new skills to, so she had her worries. However, she was in for a pleasant surprise.

"It looks good on you!" She couldn't help but exclaim happily. "You look quite dashing."

Hanzo looked around as he cleaned up the hair (as ordered). "Thank you." Kurapika said to Gon, the latter smiling proudly. Kaito, on the other hand, was obviously wondering if he should cut his hair.

And Hanzo couldn't quite relate. He liked the comfort of having no hair at all.

"Noobs." He thought with a superior smirk, just as he swept away the last strand of hair on the floor.

…

Meanwhile

Ging was walking nonchalantly as his bag was full of paper cash, and he was holding paperbag of gifts. He grinned at the items he bought with the reward money, and they still had plenty to spare and keep.

It was then that his sharp eyes caught men wearing matching attire. Attires designed to make a man look more imposing and strong. He knew immediately they were some sort of men holding positions of authority. Police, perhaps?

Yet he could tell that they were mostly thugs, really, meaning they presumably weren't very smart, but there was an assumed air of confidence that might actually have some basis. And these men were getting into a pub.

Who knew what kind of gossip he would get.

…

Several minutes after his infamous new haircut, Kurapika found himself staring into vast the sea. The girls went to the kitchen, to ready them some snacks. Hanzo was probably sleeping by then, while Kaito was reading a book. And then there was the captain, who had yet to return.

As always, Kurapika's mind always wondered at a rate most people probably couldn't follow. And it ended up with the necklace, slightly to distract himself for being family-zoned by Gon.

It was the necklace he failed to acquire, yet again, even after such long years of searching. But he knew not to be too hard on himself. He was focused on living with these people, and simply looking for the necklace wherever they landed.

The necklace was one of his clan's most precious treasures. He wanted to keep it, at least, so that he had a piece of his clan behind. It was sentimental, he knew, and they taught him that was fine. Spending your life trying to kill was not, that was one of the things this family made sure he understood. In fact, they promised that they wouldn't help him with anything else related to his clan.

That…if he wanted to the sole purpose of his life to be to hunt down those monsters, than he would have to jump the Planck.

In retrospect, he would've done so, but Gon kicked her father out of the way and tried to convince him otherwise.

Kurapika looked down at the railing and recalled how a hard time he gave them, to make sure he understood that.

He closed his eyes.

"Live their lives for them, then!"

The eight year old Gon's words still rang inside his ears, and it still resonated inside him, as if she just uttered them a second ago.

The crew found him almost eight years ago—full of anger and lust for revenge. In pretty much any standard, his hardheadedness was a hopeless case. And yet they did not give up on his soul, and they even treated him as family.

They did their best to change him—and look at him now. He smiled. He was happy.

"Kurapika?"

He flinched at the voice he would know dozens of meters away. Kurapika fought to get his composure back, and turned to look at her with a smile.

"I brought you some pie."

"Ah…" He smiled. "Thanks."

She grinned and he gestured to take a bite with his spoon. But before he put it inside his mouth he realized she was just staring. "What about you?"

"I want you to taste it first."

"Why?"

"Oh, nothing…"

One of his eyebrows rose playfully. "This isn't poisoned is it?"

"Mou!"

"I was kidding." He said immediately, and then laughed. He finally took the pie. He blinked in surprise. It was very unexpectedly good.

"You made this?"

"Hai!"

He chuckled. "You're improving."

"Yay!"

"Want to have a few bites for yourself now?" She nodded and borrowed the spoon that he just used and used it. Her eyes beamed.

"It's true!" She exclaimed happily and he smiled. He could tell his cheeks getting a lot warmer since her arrival, and internally wondered when he'd get used to this familiarity.

Kurapika was happy with how close he was with Gon, he truly was. But after all these years of friendship, he couldn't help but feel that he wanted… more. Am I being greedy? He wondered.

How much more can this develop, he wondered even further, and felt even more nervous than he was before.

"Kurapika?" Gon asked, and gulped her food. "Are you okay? You're pale."

"I'm fine."

"You're not being stingy with me with my own pie aren't you?"

"Of course no—"

He blushed and swallowed the pie she just made him eat. He just swallowed something that came from her mouth. Sure, it was only the utensil, but still...

He wondered if he was being silly, especially at the age that he was already in. However, he couldn't help it. And by the love of gods—Gon's proud beam was not helping him reach coherency.

He leaned down without thinking. But he stopped himself. And even stepped back by reflex, so he looked like he just accidentally leaned down, when reality was the opposite. Or so he hoped. And Gon's oblivious stare confirmed it.

For some reason, a part of him wished she knew what he almost did. Kurapika sighed. He sighed at himself, his situation, and his reluctance.

But… looking back, there was nothing stopping him from moving, was there?

Hmn

He also knew that if there was anyone Ging would want for Gon it would be him, Kurapika, whom Ging himself raised—from a small immature boy, to (dare he say) a man.

He scoffed immediately after that thought. A man? Him? He doubted it, now.

For what was he going to lose by trying to move forward?

He was afraid.

He was afraid that Gon's innocent and trusting eyes would change.

"I wonder what's taking Ging so long?" She asked all-of-a-sudden, catching him by surprise. He composed himself as quickly as he could.

"He's probably spending some of the reward money on odd things." He sighed and smiled at her awkwardly, trying to push the embarrassing thoughts he just had to the back of his head.

Gon chuckled. "I wonder what he got for us this time."

Kurapika remembered Ging always bought stuff for them, surprises. They were always…weird though, but it was always the thought that counted so they all thanked him anyway.

He remembered one of his first gifts to him was a comb. A highly ornate one at that.

Kurapika hoped that he'd have a better sense by now.

…

Ging held back his sneeze. He found it slightly difficult since he wasn't the type to hold it in. However, he was doing stealth works at the moment so he was kinda in the mood to be as quiet as possible. He assessed that they couldn't use nen, so he used his In and even when he was basically just a few feet away from them, they wouldn't even notice his presence unless they looked at him directly.

Thinking back, he really didn't have to be this close. Sure, his hearing wasn't on par with Gon's (for some reason she was blessed with better hearing) but his hearing was still inhuman, and he could hear them across the room.

It was all for the thrill of it, he guessed.

He nonchalantly drank his alcohol while listening. The two men had no idea.

"Isn't that bound to fail?" One said obviously in doubt of whatever they were talking about. The other man, smiled confidently.

"No, the ring is at the top of their game." He said, and Ging's ears perked at that. 'Ring' was an espionage term for a network of spies. That or it was just literal ring. Anyway, Ging continued to listen.

"The plan started 2 years ago, they should have already planned it. We lost quite a few billion for this mission." By that time, Ging's instincts told him to stay. "Those people of Padioka were just dying for a change." The man let out a low, apathetic laugh, "Literally."

Ging's eyes widened. Silva.

He turned to their direction without thinking and the two men looked back. Whatever his expression was, it certainly alerted the previously lax men. They quickly held out their weapons, and Ging only stared at them. The stick-like items on their back was, apparently, a sort of gun.

And everyone knew that, it seemed, since when they took it out everyone in the bar ducked or ran out. Still, Ging only stared.

"Who are you?" The man demanded and Ging closed his eyes a bit before standing up, and facing the two men. "Gentlemen," said Ging, "Would you like to tell me more about what you two were just talking about?"

One of the men frowned, while the other was purely defensive and pointed his gun right on his head. "I'm the one asking questions—" He roared, "Who are you?"

"I'm… an old resident of Padioka." He said coolly, and raised his hands. "I would like to know what's happening to my country, that's all."

"That's classified." He said.

"But I already hear the gist of it. Why not tell me the rest?"

The man smirked and held up his gun and walked closer to him, so that the tip touched his head. "Then we'll just have to kill you."

"Indeed." Ging agreed. "So why not tell me the details since you're going to kill me anyway?"

The man gestured for his partner to come closer and make it point closer to Ging. The other gun touched his heart. Apparently, there was now no escaping his imminent death. Arrogant men were so transparent.

"Assassins are off to kill the royal family." The man whispered and Ging pretended to be nervous. But he didn't have to pretend to be shocked. He expected as much, but to the point of wanting to kill the family? It wouldn't be easy, but they did say they hired the top. And two years? It was probably planned well.

Not by these idiots, of course.

"You're not going to say anything before you die?" What? Was he waiting for a 'thank you for telling me before I die?' plead? Ging mentally shook his head, and stared at the eyes of the dominant man.

The man flinched immediately under Ging's fearless stare.

And immediately pressed the trigger.

…

Gon whipped her head to the direction of the city, and immediately caught the sudden flight of birds around. She heard a gunshot.

But before she could tell the others, they already whipped their heads to the direction she was looking at. At least the other men who could use nen. However, even Hanzo, who couldn't use it yet, felt the strong presence fast approaching them as well.

And soon enough, they figured out who it was. They immediately went to the deck to meet the presence, who appeared a few seconds later.

"Oi, kiddos." It was Ging, as expected, but what they didn't expect was the blood-soaked attire.

In any case, the expression in his eyes didn't allow anyone to ask any questions. They stayed silent, and waited for him the speak. And he did.

"We're going to the capital." He paused and looked slowly at the direction where it probably stood. "Now."

They stared. Which capital was he talking about? And why?

He answered their questions before anyone could utter anything.

"We're going to see ourselves some royal families."

.
.

END OF CHAPTER 2

Coming Soon:
CHAPTER 3: The Capital Cities

…

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