Raphael continues to adventure alongside Killua and Gon.
The moment they landed, they knew the Accompany card worked. They were teleported to a misty area, the ground desolate, cracking as if sucked of all life.
But there was more to this area as the fog lifted. Not everything was void of life. Grass still grew, extending far from the shoreline.
There was also a lone Sakura tree overlooking the sparkling water, petals drifting by them. The three continue to look for Ging.
Then Gon noticed the silhouette hidden by the tree, a lone man fishing in the water. He whispered in surprise, "Ging…"
The two caught who Gon was looking at, the man by the tree, unmoving at the three new presences behind him.
Gon felt overwhelmed. It had to be Ging. There was no one else beside him here, so he mustered a smile, taking several steps forward, calling out to the man once more, "Ging?"
The man turned in their direction, watching him carefully. It took them far too long to realise who it was, the voice should've been the first, and only indicator of whom the kid was. But the hair, those eyes…
He couldn't believe his own.
Standing up, he let go of the fishing rod, removing his cape as he flashed a bright smile at the boy, "Gon! Wow, you've gotten big."
Gon thought his smile would've faltered. It wasn't Ging. But he knew who it was, HE was the man that had saved him back then, when he was being attacked by the mama foxbear. Kite was the reason, Gon's desire to be a hunter was invigorated to find his father, Ging. He didn't just walk towards him, he RAN.
"What are you-" Kite didn't have time to finish his sentence, not when the boy ran towards him, tackling the man into a big hug, "Kite! It's really you! I can't believe it."
He burst into infectious laughter, the man comforting the boy as he smiled through the act.
Killua and Gon could only look on in confusion, they had no idea who he was. But what they could gather was that he meant a lot to Gon, perhaps an old family friend?
Raphael turned to Killua, to see if he knew who it was, but his friend was equally confused, "So, you don't know who he is either…"
"Nope, not a clue. Never met him, nor has Gon told me about Kite…" Seeing the two laughing…
Hugging…
It made him feel jealous, knowing there was somebody else, besides him, that could make Gon smile so much, "But Gon sure seems to know who he is…" He tried not to show his jealousy, "Hey, Gon. Who is he?"
Gon turned to his friend, finally having a lightbulb moment, "Ah…" Of course, they wouldn't know who he was. They've never met Kite on their travels. For once, he felt embarrassed, embarrassed he'd have such a lively reaction without saying anything, other than screaming his name "I'm so sorry." The boy gestured to the man, "This is Kite. He's the reason I wanted to become a Hunter…"
"~"
The smoky smell of cooking fish wafted in the air from the crackling fire. The fish was mostly ignored, by everyone as Gon made sure to introduce everyone before going on to explain how he met Kite on Greed Island, all about the foxbears and how he adopted one of the wild and aggressive cubs, domesticating Kon.
Kite let out a sigh, "It was heartbreaking when I was forced to take another life…" Kite gestured to the boy, "YOU should've known better than to go into their habitat when they're raising their young. Did you not see their warning signs?"
Gon pouted. No, he hadn't… At that time, he was fixated on exploring the island, not on any territorial markings.
"Give him some leeway, not even I know about Foxbear territorial markings." Raphael brought up the argument in the boy's defence.
"I'm pretty sure Mito warned me, but I was too excited to go exploring…"
"Seriously…" Everyone had the same reaction, their heads turned to look down at the floor in shame.
Gon fumed at their reaction, he was excited to explore. Besides, Killua had a lot of fun when he was shown around the island.
Kite eventually looked up, "Oh, I haven't properly introduced myself, "My name is Kite, and Ging-san was my master."
"Oh!" Killua found himself smiling, "So that's why Gon wanted to be a Hunter, not just because he found out his father was alive…"
Gon gave a nod, "Because I learned not only was Kite his student, he was still alive and roaming the world."
"You do know what this means, Gon…" As Gon shook his head at Killua, the boy smiled, "It means you still have a chance to find him."
"REALLY?!" Gon got excited, smiling widely. He hadn't hit a dead end, this man probably even had a way to find Ging, "Tell me more about Ging!"
"Certainly, but first…" Kite gestured to the boy, "Tell me how you found me."
"Yeah!"
"Oh, oh! I get to explain Greed Island. It is in my field of experience."
Killua cracked a smirk at this, challenging his friend, "Is that so? I'm pretty sure he just asked us how we got here, and not our entire backstory."
Raphael merely pouted, "Boo, it is a fun story…"
Kite broke out into a smile, laughing at the boy's reaction, "I'll be sure to ask you all about your side of things." Seeing the kid's smile return, showed him that Greed Island means a lot to Raphael.
"Oh, that's right! You had to have been to Greed Island before."
"Me?" Kite pointed at himself in confusion. He felt like that name should trigger an old memory, especially after Raphael dropped its name. Then it clicked, "Oh, wasn't that a game Ging-san was working on?"
"Yeah, it is a world full of so much stuff to do!"
"Is that so…" Kite cracked a smile, "Yes, Ging did take me inside that game, once."
Raphael's eyes widened in shock, "Wait, did you do the whole introduction, with GING?"
"Yes, I did. Why?"
"We had to enter one person at a time so none of our saved data conflicted with any others. Oh, man. You got to be introduced to the game with Ging. That would've been cool. So did you meet…" Raphael turned to Gon, "was it Eta, Gon?"
"Yeah!"
"Hmm, I don't remember anyone named Eta…"
"Young girl, white hair, wearing a giant helmet?"
Kite shook his head, "Afraid not."
Hearing this made Raphael's eyes lit up, "Oh man, you got taken into the Beta version of Greed Island." Is it possible he did this before the actual introduction to the rules of the game was built-in to the system. Wait, that wouldn't make sense.
Kite said that Ging took him inside the game, which means Eta or her sister Elena were the ones who controlled how Kite entered the game. He was probably just taken straight into the game if Ging was involved. Damn, that would've been cool if Kite was there during the Beta testing phase of the game, before the majority of the features were implemented.
"Wait, the timeline might not add up. Drat…"
Killua quirked an eyebrow. Why was he so excited about that? Usually, Beta versions of the game are in worse condition than their released counterparts. To each their own, he guesses, "What about your handle? The name you used. Did you register under the name Nigg?"
"Yeah, I find that weird, why not Kite? Why Nigg…"
"Not sure, I forgot what I used. But if my introduction was different to yours, I wouldn't put it past Ging to change my in-game name."
"See, I knew it!"
Then Ging may have given you the temporary name… Don't know why he'd use Nigg and not Kite." No, that wouldn't make sense. If Gon saw Kite's name instead of Ging, he might have not been interested to finish the game nor use an Accompany Card, "No, I think Ging just straight up lured you, Gon, into a false sense of hope."
"Damn it!" Gon let out an exasperated sigh of frustration. He had been tricked, bamboozled by his father yet again, "He tricked me!"
Seeing the frustration on his friend's face, he could understand his feelings. He was so close, yet now, he's so far from his goal, he might be backtracking the rest of the world like Kite had to do in order to find him. He couldn't help letting out a small quirk from the corner of his lips. It meant they'll be together for much longer now, "You were so sure you'd meet him, huh?"
"Of course! It was Nigg, an anagram of Ging…" Turning to his friend, he pouted, "How could I not?"
Killua could only smirk in response. It just means Gon will now have to look even harder for his old man, "It'll be a minor setback. It gives us a reason to be…" He felt the beginnings of a blush cover his face. He almost admitted something extremely embarrassing, "It just means we have to look harder for clues."
"A reason to be…" Gon tilted his head in confusion, "To be what?"
"N-No-Nothing!" Killua made sure nobody could see his face, "Like I said, we just have to look harder for him!"
Raphael took in the situation, wondering how it got to this? Killua was so shy to admit he likes spending time with Gon. He shouldn't be, given how much time they've spent together over time. Unless, a part of him is afraid, or worried that their fun adventure ends once they find Ging…
"So, Gon, what should we talk about now? There must be so much you want to ask Kite about Ging…"
"First, tell me all your stories, Gon, and your friends. It has been a while since we last saw each other."
"Of course!" Gon was giddy to talk to Kite, not just because it's been a while. Not only is he now a Hunter, he's talking to Kite, Ging's pupil.
"~"
Gon did most of the talking, telling the man about everything leading up to the Hunter's Exam, "Oh, so you're all also pro Hunters?"
"More like amateur Rookies…" Raphael made a quip in their direction, earning Killua's ire. He looked more pissed, than he was mischievous. Had he gone too far?
"Oh really!" Killua found a cruel smile curling across his lips. He wasn't about to take that insult after everything they've been through together, "We beat you fair and square a couple of times, so does that make you weaker than an amateur? Oh, and we fought and won against Genthru while you were busy hiding with Tsezguerra's cards."
That was a fair insult. But he wasn't about to take one of Killua's roasts laying down, "Can't argue against that, but I did rob him blind when he thought he could manipulate me into handing over those cards. It was a foolish ploy on his behalf…" He refused to bring up that he got away unscathed, seeing how hurt Gon had been after the fight. He refused to go there.
"Alright…" Killua jabbed a finger in the boy's direction, "What makes a Pro Hunter, a Pro, in your eyes then?"
"To have an endless goal, to always be on the hunt for the next thing."
"Gon has that down pat. Finding Ging seems to be an endless goal at this point."
"That's true." He hummed in agreement. Greed Island had no direct connection to Ging, Nigg was just another test for Gon. This time, it was with an old acquaintance of Gon, and a student of Ging's "But once Gon finds Ging, what's next? Does he give up being a hunter…?"
Gon didn't know how to respond. He never honestly thought that far ahead. He wants to learn everything about his father, but then what…?
Do they go off on their own adventure, finding something they want to do… together?
Or maybe Killua finds what he wants to do after helping him find his father. Then they can do that instead…
Those sound-like fun ideas.
Kite listened to the boy's musing, wondering how he even reached that conclusion, "If I may, who brought you up with that idea?"
"My father, if I'm being honest…" Raphael sighed at the thought, "Though it's not entirely his fault, I'm also to be blamed. When I got my licence, I returned home to train, only to keep training for months. My dad told me I needed to have a goal in mind, something to strive for. I wanted to search for information, things that were lost to history, things that can keep cultures alive and thriving."
He found his smile faltering, "But I didn't want to leave home without an edge in battle, I wanted… I wanted to be able to beat my father."
"There will always be someone stronger than him, you know…" Kite gauged the boy's reaction.
"That is true. But if I can't beat him, at the end of the day, how could I work towards protecting my father, or someone I might one day cherish? You need to be strong to protect those you care about, otherwise I'll always be the one being protected…"
Gon nodded along, "Yeah, that's like me with Killua, I want to be strong enough to protect my friends and beat even stronger opponents, but he's the one always cleaning up my messes…" Gon found himself smiling shyly at his best friend.
Killua however, was blushing madly, "I'll always be a step ahead of you to clean up your messes, idiot…" He quickly turned away, so his friends wouldn't notice.
Kite found himself chuckling, "Those goals are pretty normal to have. But one shouldn't strive to be stronger than the rest, especially when they could have strengths you don't excel at."
"Like you and Zetsu…" Killua found himself bursting into laughter when Raphael frowned.
"How about you?" Gon turned to the older man, "Since you're Ging's pupil, are you a Pro Hunter too, Kite?"
"That's not the only thing…" Killua was quick to gesture to the two of them, "I want to know the full story, on how you two met."
"Honestly…" The man smiled knowingly into the crackling fire, "If I hadn't met Ging-san, I'd have died long ago, in the alley of a slum…"
Everyone who spoke about the man made him out to be this amazing figure, full of knowledge, skill, a Pro Hunter with skills far beyond the rest of his peers. He must have some amazing stories to tell, things to talk about that he discovered or cultivated.
Kite went on to explain his story, how the two met.
Gon's smile only grew with each new piece of information he discovered about his father. He can't wait to meet him. "Is that how you met him?"
"Yeah. Surrounded by the friends I made along the way with various animals. Ging-san did say that good Hunters are well-liked by animals. He said I had potential, so I got interested."
"And that's how you became his student?" Given that Ging praised him, Killua wondered if surely, he must have, right then and then, made him his student. That would've been cool to see, considering everything they've learned so far about the man.
"Sadly, no…" Kite found himself laughing at the memory of the situation, "I had to force him to teach me. He absolutely hated dealing with any kind of hassle…" He never expected only one of them to be surprised, the other two continued to smile, "So I was never his student… at least, officially. But I was a stubborn one…"
Kite found himself smiling once more, "No matter how far he tried to get away from me, I kept pestering, bugging him to make me his student. Eventually, I started to develop my Nen, and he began teaching me to hunt."
Given the smell, he could tell the food was already cooked. So, he grabbed several fish, handing one off to each boy as Kite continued his story, "As a result, I was able to pass the Hunter's Exam with little difficulty."
"Sounds like what happened to you, Killua, huh?"
"I'm pretty sure mine was easy, because one, there were no Nen users. And two, the examiner didn't specify that we had to knock out only three people and steal only their tags. Except one…"
"You left one tag?"
"Yeah, Tonpa's."
"Tonpa? He was at your exam too?"
"Yeah, both times. I wasn't touching his tag… also, it's so that when he woke up, imagine the surprise on everyone's faces when they found there was still one more tag left."
"Absolutely diabolical…"
"You must be a skilled fighter to knock everyone out."
"Very…" Killua smiled proudly at Kite, "So what happened after you beat the exam? Did Ging finally let you be his student?"
"No, I had one more hurdle to clear for Ging, before he could be satisfied. Can you guess what it was?"
"I think…" Gon clenched the fish tightly in his fist, "I might know what it is."
"Oh…?"
"No, I definitely know. This is what Ging would've said… Try to catch me."
"Exactly. You're right. That's how I ended up finding you."
"See Killua, I knew it! I figured it out!"
The boy found himself looking longingly at Gon. He was so proud of himself for guessing correctly. It was probably the only answer, given what they've been dealing with. But still, seeing Gon this proud of his answer. Well, it made him feel a bit fuzzy inside knowing that made Gon happy, "I know…"
"But as far as I knew, he was the world's greatest Hunter. It was going to be the most difficult hunt ever. There were zero clues or leads to begin from. And I didn't hear word of a single sighting. He'd managed to completely erase his existence from the world."
"Sounds like he'd give Waldo a run for his money." Raphael humoured the idea, the thought of having to find a man with zero clues would've been hellish.
"Yeah, even his presence on the Hunter's database was locked behind passwords."
"So…" Gon got giddy to hear that he wasn't the only one struggling to find the man. What other kinds of adventures will he have to embark on like Kite had to, in order to find Ging "So what happened in the end?"
"I was struggling, and grasping for a single clue, so that's when I went to his home. To Whale Island. Then I met you, Gon. But back then, I didn't realise you were Ging-san's son. I didn't learn that until I found Ging-san and told him what happened on Whale Island. You know what he told me…?"
Gon shook his head. He had no idea what the man would've told Kite after his incident with the foxbear.
Kite's smile widened, "That was my kid. His name is Gon. Thanks for hitting him."
Both Killua and Raphael choked on their food. They didn't expect that, like at all. Who thanks someone for beating their kids senseless… Killua could think of only his family, but they wouldn't chastise him for not knowing a beast's habitat rules.
Then there were Raphael's thoughts. He couldn't imagine his father chastising him for that, or thanking someone for beating him senseless… He'd just warned him to double-check things in advance.
"It's common sense to avoid foxbear territory when they're raising young."
Gon was the only one excited to hear this, the others were practically baffled by the situation. This wasn't common knowledge, like, at all…
The only reason Killua could think of his family knowing about foxbears, is because it has some type of unique poison attribute, or… they planned on using the habitat to dispose of a body, otherwise, that would've been useless information to them.
Kite could only smile from the boy's reaction. It seems like Gon was the only one to accept the news, "Ging-san wasn't surprised that I went to Whale Island, or that I met you there. It's almost as though he'd expected it. Looking back, it may be that everything's gone according to Ging-san's plans."
"Seriously…?" Killua could only mock the situation. Nobody has that kind of foresight, to be able to predict outcomes in the way he designed it to happen.
There was no way Ging stumbled across Kite and thought to himself, I'mma use this guy to force Gon to become a Hunter and play Greed Island… That would be some insane level of foresight. Then again, he did tell Razor to beat the ever-loving crap out of Gon when he comes to beat Greed Island, "There's no way you're arguing he orchestrated all of this?"
"Yeah…" Raphael joined in the argument, "Like, he couldn't have predicted you'd be friends with Killua, let alone me, for that matter, so you'd use Accompany to teleport to Ging only for him to think. No, he's still not ready to meet me, so I'm going to send him to Kite instead. Like, what is he expecting you to learn from Kite this time…?"
"Hmm…" Kite racked his brain for a possibility. He couldn't think of one off the top of his head, "Well, I can't prove the theory. It sounds ridiculously hard to pull off…"
As the man watched the fire crackle, Gon piped up, "I think he's right. Razor was waiting for me. And Dwun and List too."
"Razor? Dwun? List?"
"Yeah, in Greed Island…"
"It's a long story." Killua added at the end. It'll take a while to explain everything that happened in Greed Island.
"I'm pretty sure I could explain it in great detail, Kite." Raphael quickly smiled. The thought of getting to explain the world again to a person who hadn't heard about it, excited him.
Killua could only roll his eyes. Of course, Raphael would want to take a crack at it. He lived and breathed Greed Island like it was a drug to him, "Of course you would…"
The teen glared at Killua for a second, only to shift his attention back to Kite. He looked a little intrigued to see how Greed Island fit into his theory. And he was determined to try. To at least have a crack at explaining it in a manner that may fit Kite's theory "I'll explain the world and mechanics, you're good to add anything I miss, story wise? Gon…"
"Yeah!"
A/N: Leave a review, it helps inspire me.