Chapter Text
Not the Ghost - The Crane Wives
“If only I could break the chain of disappointment weighing me down
Shake off the ghost that whisper whenever you’re not around (you’re not around)
I won’t be afraid of all the things I wanted.”
-
Gon sat earnestly on the ferry’s deck, the salty wind of Whale Island ruffling his raven-black hair. He stared ahead, taking in the sights of the place he had called home since he was small. His caramel irises were colored with excitement and slight nostalgia, complemented by the golden rays of the sun above, reveling in the familiar salty air and clear sky of his home. The boy had so much planned to check in on, and he could hardly contain himself.
Gon looked over past the docks, and watched groups of sailors and fisherman interact with one another as they prepared for departure. They bickered and joked with one another, talking about their soon-to-be catches. It reminded Gon about his excitement when he first caught the Master of the Swamp before he went to take the Hunter Exam. More or less, it brought a smile to his face. Whale Island had always been home to more outlanders rather than residents, groups of sailors coming and going month after month. It was refreshing to see the sights he was so used to. It felt normal. It felt comforting. Different, but comforting.
“Attention all passengers,” The captain spoke from the ferry’s speakers, “We have officially docked. Please enjoy your stay at Whale Island, the remote patch of land known primarily for its fishing catalog. Traveling with you all has been my great pleasure.”
The few passengers who were aboard began to disembark, carrying fishing and hunting gear with them. Gon got up, and followed the tiny bundle of people leaving. The wind still blew pleasantly as his feet finally met the ground of his hometown. Gon sighed with relief. Although he liked adventure, being seaborne for over a week on end was a rather tiring experience. Gon grabbed his beetle phone out of his pocket, opening his messages app.
You have 6 unread messages.
He held his phone tighter, his excitement bubbling. No, Gon thought to himself, powering down his device. I’ll wait until after I see Aunt Mito. He was anticipating a text from Leorio, as the boy had asked his friend an important favor. Gon had refused himself from checking his texts the entirety of the ferry ride, telling himself to wait until the time was exactly right. And that seemed to be relatively soon!
Gon began jogging towards his house, his sprint maintaining a constant speed over the stone pathways that lined Whale Island. As he travelled, he was greeted by many of the townsfolk and salesmen who inhabited the commercial area of the land.
“How’s it being a hunter, Gon?”
“Can’t believe Whale Island’s got a whole ‘nother one of them!”
“How are those adventures goin’?”
Gon greeted the comments with a smile. Maybe he would have to live a somewhat average life from then on, but he was still a hunter at heart. Not just that, he didn’t have to treat his suddenly Nen-free life with normalcy.
Well, he already knew that. He had known that.
Gon continued to move with enthusiasm, eventually arriving home. Home. It was weird, after everything he had gone through with Killua. This was it, he didn’t have to worry anymore. There was no technical need to worry about hunter-related things, because he was home. But he could still worry, and he definitely was going to worry. But, seriously, this was it. He was home.
The boy stood a few meters away from the door, approaching slowly. It felt odd, after everything. He would be safe in the comfort of the environment in which he was raised, surrounded by the people who nurtured him to be who he was. But oh, how deeply he wished Killua was here too. He innately wished Killua and Alluka had a home they could return to.
Gon sighed, and gulped. It really had hit him how long it had been since he was here. He knew his Aunt Mito would ask a ton of questions, and how would he respond? He couldn’t be honest.
He approached the doorway slowly still, each step taken with meaning. Once he reached the porch, he hesitated. This was it. This adventure was over, and he wouldn’t be obligated to think about the horrors he had faced ever again. The only thing he needed to remember was what Killua had done for him, and how he needed to get stronger to repay him some day. Nothing else, because it was going to be okay.
And so, Gon knocked. Honestly, he knocked a whole lot louder than he had anticipated. In the moment, he simply let go of consciousness and let his body flow. Once the door opened, he was immediately greeted with kindness.
“Hello, how may I-”
“Gon?”
Mito stood in the doorway, still somewhat shocked by her child’s sudden appearance. She seemed to be taking in the situation and surroundings, her expression softening. Her face melted into a look of love, smiling adoringly at the boy in front of her. “Gon, you really need to warn me before coming home all of a sudden,” She said, tilting her head.
The lady appeared to have been cooking. She wore an apron which was well-used and stained as far as the eye could see, still keeping a somewhat neat appearance. The cooking attire had been battered with layers of flour and baking batter. Under the apron, she wore a timeless orange flannel that Gon recalled seeing the previous time he was home. He remembered specifically how Killua had been there.
“Are you alright Gon? You came home so suddenly, I just worry. I always worry. I know you’re a hunter and all, but I still am so incredibly worried about you. You still need to make a huge effort to stay safe, because if you don’t, I swear to god, Gon I’ll-”
Gon desperately embraced his aunt, sobbing into her chest. Caught off guard, Mito wrapped her arms around him, rubbing his back gently. She opened her mouth, about to ask a worried question, but she remembered the look in his eyes. That look that reflected deep suffering. It left a gaping hole in her heart. Mito had rarely ever seen Gon like this, and when she did, she knew something was terribly wrong. He was still just a child.
Mito sighed, still tenderly holding him. “Gon,” She began, knowing she was about to hit the mark, “Where’s your friend?”
Gon snorted, sniffling and crying ugly tears. He buried his forehead deeper into his aunt’s chest, gripping the back of her flannel tight. He snuffed louder, attempting to compose himself ever so slightly before speaking. “Killua has to deal with a lot right now,” Gon explains softly, his voice slightly muffled as he speaks into Mito’s collar, “Without me.”
Mito sighs in understanding, now brushing her hand through the boy’s hair. “Do you want to talk about what happened?”
Gon simply stands in the vulnerable position he has left himself in, time passing sluggishly. After a moment, he slowly shakes his head, signalling that the answer is no. As worried sick as his aunt is, she nods with compassion, her expression delicate. She lets the warm breeze blow into the house, resigned with how she truly will never understand the appeal of being a hunter. To her, all the profession does is cause hurt. It was tragic. Mito did not push for an answer, but at the very least she was at peace knowing the child she raised wouldn’t make the choice to leave as his father selfishly did.
“Gon,” Aunt Mito says, breaking the embrace carefully, her hands still placed kindly on top of her nephew’s shoulders. “I hope you know, you don’t need to tell me everything. But anything you do want to tell me, I am absolutely here to listen.”
The boy stood in front of her, his lip still trembling slightly. He nodded with a newfound energy, and smiled through the last of his tears. “Pinky swear?”
Mito nods, grasping Gon’s hand and interlocking their pinky fingers. His head turns in slight confusion, but it’s not long until he catches on. In turn, he presses his thumb up against his aunt’s, preparing to do the chant Gon has long done since childhood when making a promise.
“Pinky swear! If I lie, stick a thousand needles in my eye,” The two chanted, twiddling their thumbs together, giggling softly as they did so.
“And seal it with a-” Aunt Mito continued, her smile fond and wide.
“Kiss,” Gon whispered, his soft-spoken word finishing the chant as he firmly pressed his thumb up against Mito’s. His cheeks were stained with tears and his undereyes were lightly riddled with red, but he was no longer sobbing. He seemed relatively content, seeming to accept everything that had happened. Gon giggled quietly, and then hugged his Aunt Mito once more. “Thank you so, so much, Aunt Mito,” He said, his smile heard shining vibrantly in his tone.
Mito smiled, and returned the hug. “No need to thank me.” Being able to raise such a wonderful child has been enough of a blessing.
“Well,” She said, welcoming Gon inside. She shut the door, and began walking towards the kitchen, preparing to put the grapefruit pie she had been baking into the oven. “I wish you would’ve warned me before coming home on such short notice, young man.”
“Hehe, sorry,” Gon said, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Only joking. I’m baking pie, and it’ll be done in an hour or two. Why don’t you go get changed and shower?”
“Right! Thanks again, Aunt Mito!” Gon yells, running up the stairs to his bedroom.
“Be careful running up there, would you?” Mito demands in response, chuckling softly. Whatever was wrong, she knew Gon would be able to fix it up in his special way. She smiled, and put the pie in the oven, the aroma of baking dough and fruit beginning to fill up the kitchen. For now, she would be there for him. She would be there for him until the two boys would be there for one another.
And she was sure despite whatever may be happening, that would be soon.
- - -
Gon opened his bedroom door, and took a minute to intake his surroundings. He stood with a sense of nostalgia, looking at the cassette player still laid out on the floor from when he and Killua opened the package Gon’s father had left for him. His gaze wandered to his bed, where he recalled walking in on Killua lying fast asleep, cozy in his blankets, despite setting up a futon on the floor. He smiled thinking about it, remembering how peaceful and serene his friend had appeared that night.
He wandered over to his dresser, beginning to open the drawer to grab a new outfit. Halfway through opening the compartment, however, his eyes became painfully stuck on a specific picture frame that was mindfully placed atop the piece of furniture. He paused, slowly closing the half-open drawer as he was still captivated by the familiar photograph. Gon delicately picked up the frame, staring at the contents of the picture.
Aunt Mito had placed and framed the picture of him and his friends that he had sent in the mail ever so long ago when he had passed the Hunter Exam.
Gon simply stared. Him, Leorio, Kurapika, and Killua. All of them together, a record of their friendship, despite being chained to separate paths. His sight almost immediately became dead set on one person in particular. Killua. He desperately wished for his company. He knew the time wasn’t exactly right yet, and that he was still too weak, but he decided it was okay to be a little bit selfish.
Gon had also taken note of how pretty his friend’s eyes looked. They had almost reminded him of the jewel Bisky had chased after so vigorously throughout their Greed Island adventures, the Blue Planet. There was definitely a reason why that gemstone was so coveted. Its color was beautiful, similar to the oceanic waters of his hometown.
Gon blinked a couple times, realizing what he had just reminisced about. Changing the subject of thought, his stare shifted quickly over to his dear friend, Leorio. He really was awesome.
“Oh, right!” Gon exclaimed, a switch flipping in his brain. He quickly took out his beetle phone, tapping hastily onto his messages with Leorio.
Hey Gon
I convinced Cheadle to give me that contact you asked for
Pretty helpful to have connections within the association
Guess the election really did pay off
Anyways, here's the number, don’t be afraid to thank your super duper awesome friend, Leoriooo
Success! After asking Leorio a relatively hefty favor at the dock in Swardani city, his friend had delivered. Gon had done a lot of pondering as to how he would go about enacting the tougher parts of his Nen training, and who better to ask than Bisky? When he had realized that he had no way of truly communicating with her, he knew he could trust Leorio with the task of finding her contact information. He was truly indebted to his friend, and he told himself he would someday pay him back.
Gon began to text Leorio back, making sure to express his gratitude.
Thank you SOOOOO much!!!! I’ll contact her IMMEDIATELY!!!
The boy closed the tab, clutching his phone close. He stared out his window, taking a gaze at the forest nearby his house. Gon grabbed his fishing rod, which stood leaning on his dresser’s side. Without changing his clothes or bathing as his aunt had suggested, he rushed down the stairs, putting on his classic green boots at the front door. He slung the fishing rod over his shoulder, and began to walk outside.
“Gon, what are you doing?” Mito questioned the boy sternly, still in the kitchen, this time washing the kitchenware she used to curate the pie crust batter. “Surely you’re not planning on going out. Young man, the pie’s about ready and your great-grandmother is almost home from the market!”
“I’ll be back really soon! Promise! I just gotta make a call and meet an old friend!” Gon exclaimed, already out the door.
“You haven’t even changed your clothes, Gon!” His aunt yelled, running frantically to the door, despite her hands being caked with dish soap. “For gosh sake, this child is going to be the death of me…”
Gon waved cheekily at his aunt as he ran in the direction of the pine trees and marshes ahead. He traversed with intense enthusiasm, trotting forward. The boy continued to travel until he found himself sitting by a tree, the wind blowing in his hair smelling faintly of the rich, damp soil surrounding him. Gon’s fingertips felt the grass beneath him, the dirt below feeling soft to the touch. He delicately sat his fishing rod next to him, and then began sifting through his back pocket thereafter. He held his beetlephone in front of him, unlocking it.
He took the number Leorio had sent him and inputted the contact into his phone’s dial. Gon took the initiative and proceeded to call his mentor, waiting anxiously for a response. The phone rang for a moment or two, until eventually a familiar voice spoke from the device.
“Hello? Who might this be?”
Gon was quiet for a minute before speaking, unsure of how to begin. It struck him in that moment that he was probably going to get scolded the second he explained what had happened. He took a deep breath, and spoke.
“Hi Bisky!” Gon exclaimed, excited to speak to his teacher after so long, but still somewhat nervous.
“Gon, is that you? How’d you manage to get my number?” Bisky replied, her tone seeming to portray her amusement.
Gon laughed heartily, holding his phone close. “I asked a good friend of mine who knows a lot of people in the association,” He replied, fidgeting with the blades of grass beside him.
“Of course you did,” Bisky sarcastically responded. “Anyways, I’m sure you needed me for something. What’s up?”
“Well,” he began, chuckling awkwardly, “It’s a pretty long story.”
“Let me guess, you were the boy who ended up half-dead after the whole NGL situation?”
Gon fell silent. He froze for a moment, then clenched his fists, one hand ripping the grass plain out of the ground, and the other tightening his grip on his phone. He grimaced in shame, and then softly replied, “How’d you know?”
“Word travels fast and rumors spread faster, and it's not everyday a thirteen-year-old gets practically killed and miraculously brought back to life.” Bisky audibly sighed, and then spoke closer to her phone’s microphone. “And I had a hunch it was probably you knowing how reckless you are. Seriously, messing with a mission of that caliber? You had a death wish.”
The boy peered to a patch of flora in front of him. The grass was patterned with bundles of forget-me-nots. “I’m really sorry, Bisky,” he replied, his guilt showering his tone.
Bisky chuckled, “I’m the very last person you should be apologizing to, Gon.” She paused for a minute, and then began to speak again. “I should’ve expected you two would’ve run off into danger immediately after I was done with you. I’ll admit I’m disappointed, but there’s no point in dwelling on it, right?”
Gon nodded, although no one was present to see it. “Osu!”
“Anyways, I expect that someday you’ll tell me the full story,” Bisky said, appearing to sound somewhat mellow. “So, what’s up? Are you still earnestly training with your Nen?”
“Well you see, that’s kinda what I wanted to ask you about,” Gon said, still treading carefully with how he phrased what he said. “‘Cause when the whole situation happened, I kind of…”
- - -
“YOU WHAAAT?!”
Bisky was in a state of total shock and panic after Gon had briefly explained what had happened. Although he had admitted his memory was relatively patchy as to how the fight with Pitou had gone, he had known the incredible drawbacks of the power he had withdrawn.
“Gon,” Bisky began, “Nevermind reckless, what you did was foolishly irresponsible! I knew you had the potential, I just never thought you would go to such terrible lengths to acquire power early on.”
“I know that now,” Gon admitted, still sounding ashamed of what had happened.
“So, you wanna try getting back on track, right?” Bisky asked tentatively.
Gon laughed awkwardly. “Well, my Nen nodes are sort of closed up completely,” He replies, rebutting Bisky’s previous question.
“I see,” Bisky began, “We’re starting from square one then, huh?”
“I guess so!” The boy exclaimed, his guilt-ridden mood beginning to shift in a more positive direction.
“Alright then, I’ll be over there soon to help you out. I’m in the middle of hunting for a special ruby, and she’s been a tough catch.” Bisky squealed, daydreaming about the jewel. “Oh, she's just so precious! I just need to get my hands on her!” She growled, insisting on acquiring the gem.
“I’m sure you’ll get it,” Gon assured, grateful for his mentor’s patience despite his mistakes. “Does that mean you’ll be coming to Whale Island?”
“Sounds like it!” Bisky replied, her amusement growing once more. “I’ll probably get there by the holidays. For now, you make sure you focus on meditation!”
“I’m really excited!”
“See you soon, then! You better not slack off, Gon, you hear? Oh, and tell Killua I said hi!”
Right. Gon hadn’t mentioned at all to Bisky that the two of them were no longer hanging out together. It hurt to think about, really. Training with Bisky on Greed Island is what had truly nurtured the friendship the two boys had with one another. Gon remembered a specific night in particular, after training by the cliffsides until the sun had fallen, where the two boys laid next to one another on the rocky ground below.
Gon recalled how beautiful the sky was that night, and how picture-perfect the memory had come to appear. He remembered staring up at that sky with his best friend by his side, giggling as they joked and poked fun at one another. He remembered this conversation in particular.
“Gon,” He recalled Killua saying, “This… is really fun.”
Gon had turned to his side and stared directly at his friend. He noticed the light brush of red that painted his pale cheeks, and how the moon complemented the sapphire glow of his irises. Gon noticed a lot of things about Killua.
“Yeah!” Gon had exclaimed, still keeping his tone quiet enough to not wake Bisky. “I just really, really love travelling with you, Killua. I can’t thank you enough. You’re really awesome, y’know?”
He remembered Killua covering his face, as his cheeks appeared to redden slightly more. “Y-you don’t just say that all of a sudden!” He hissed.
“I can if it’s true,” Gon replied, sticking his tongue out teasingly.
“Tch, moron!” Killua whispered.
Gon giggled, and turned onto his back to stare at the sky. He laid down, feeling content with his surroundings.
“Um, well,” His friend began, causing Gon to immediately turn his head towards him. “You’re pretty awesome too.”
Gon was sure his smile was huge when Killua had said that, although his friend’s gaze refused to meet his own. He still sat lying next to him, staring intently, taking in the moment. Although he wasn’t sure why, that specific memory had stuck with him for a considerable amount of time, and-
“Hello? Gon, are you there?”
Gon snapped immediately back to reality. Right. Bisky, and telling Killua she said hello. As much as he wished he could do that, now wasn’t exactly the right time. Realistically, he could always shoot his friend a text, but he wasn’t really sure...
“Yeah, I am,” Gon finally replied, clearing his throat. “Don’t worry, I’ll let him know.”
That was a lie.
“Alrighty, see you soon! I’ll stay in touch!” Bisky bid farewell, preparing to hang up the phone.
“Bye!” Gon responded.
And that was that.
Gon sat in silence for minutes on end, contemplating to himself. Bisky likely thought that he and Killua were continuing to accompany one another, seeing as how inseparable the two were during their training with their mentor. He had already delivered enough bad news for one day, so maybe the fact the two had separated could wait to be revealed on a later date. It was likely for the best, seeing how freaked out Gon had already made Bisky. He recalled how much she adored their battle compatibility, or rather their compatibility in general.
Gon stood up, still leaning his body ever so slightly against the tree. Everything in the world suddenly felt larger than life itself, overwhelming him. He sighed, kicking a rock and slinging his fishing rod over his shoulder once more. There was a lot he wanted to do, but he wasn’t sure when he could get there. He wanted to apologize to Killua and give him a genuine thanks for everything his friend had done for him. He wanted to overcome his weakness so that he could protect the people he loved. It was painfully obvious to Gon that the things he wished for were out of reach where he stood currently, but he would try.
Maybe I can go see him, Gon thought to himself, referring to an old friend of his. It could help me get my mind off of things.
The boy began to travel farther into the forest, setting his sights on finding Kon, the foxbear he had befriended when he was just a small cub. He ran and ran, until eventually he found himself at a small marsh, surrounded by cypress trees, the lakes riddled with lilypads. Beside one of the lakes stood a jarring cliff, towering above the marshland. Gon searched around the lakeside, looking behind every nook and cranny, despite the foxbear’s now large size. Eventually, Gon stood up on a large rock beside a patch of marigolds, yelling his friend’s name. “Kon!”
For minutes on end, there seemed to be no response. However, Gon still continued to stand confidently atop the rock, patiently waiting for the foxbear to arrive. It didn’t take long for a familiar face to peer out from behind a large boulder that stood near the cliff.
Gon peered over the edge of his shoulder, and the face of his friend caught his eye. He waved for Kon to come join him by the lakeside, and the beast came to sit contently next to the boy. Gon vented desperately to Kon about his struggles and thoughts, the foxbear listening ever so intently as time passed by. The boy fished and bonded with the beast for many hours on end, until eventually the sun was near setting.
Eventually, the time had come for Gon to say goodbye to the beast.
“I’d better head back, Aunt Mito’s probably worried sick,” Gon said, ruffling the fur on the foxbear’s forehead, the beast seeming satisfied with the attention. “Thanks for listening to me ramble, Kon. I really appreciate it. I feel a whole lot better now.”
Kon appeared to nod, then nudged Gon in an attempt to communicate that the boy should likely get going. He responded with a nod of his own, and left the marsh, waving goodbye as he jogged off.
- - -
By the time Gon arrived back home, the sun had long since set. He quietly opened the front door and took his boots off, gently placing them by the welcome mat. The lights were still thoughtfully kept on in the house, however the atmosphere implied that no one was awake at this hour. He expected that his great-grandmother Abe would likely be asleep considering the daylight was long since gone, however it was unlike his aunt to be resting this early.
Gon peered into the kitchen, the counter abandoned, but clean. Aunt Mito always did a fantastic job of keeping innately tidy. He turned around after flipping the light switch, and walked up the stairs, making his way to the doorway of her bedroom. The boy cracked open the door ever so slightly, examining the room.
Mito was fast asleep, snoring softly. Gon felt bad about his surprise arrival already, and him running off with little explanation likely worried her even more. No wonder she was worn out. He shut the door carefully. At the very least, she was getting the rest she deserved. Gon smiled, and walked into his own room.
He walked up to his bedside, lifting up the covers so that he could lie down. However, something else caught his eye. Atop his bedside table, Aunt Mito had left a slice of the pie she had cooked alongside utensils, a note left delicately beside the pastry.
I’m so very happy you’re back home. Try not to stress me out too much, okay? Enjoy the pie. Love you! . . . P.S., You’re starting your studies back up again tomorrow morning. Please be ready.
Gon giggled, reading the message to himself, a cheeky smile painted on his face. He grabbed the slice of pie and fork, and began eating the dessert as he sat on the edge of his bed. Although it had gotten slightly cold from sitting out a little too long, the pastry still hit the spot. The boy scarfed down the delicacy, and set the plate aside. It really was great to be home.
That night, lying comfortably under his blankets, Gon felt at peace. He realized that he was in no rush. Time would do its work, and he would be able to make it up to everyone he believed he owed.
He would make sure of it.