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Evening had befallen amongst the cliffs of their training grounds. The citrus hues of the sun’s rays peeked over looming ranges of sediment, casting dancing shadows every now and then. Gon and Killua shoveled at the rocky barriers of the cave with a newfound eagerness and determination for rest as dinner drew near. Sitting near the cave’s entrance, Bisky merely chuckled at the youths’ groans of exhaustion as she peeled back the skin of the potato for their supper. The pocket-knife was running down smoothly underneath the vegetable’s peel when it’s motion paused. Upon realization, it was funny how domestic the three were acting; two young boys and their older guardian.
It’s almost as if I’m their mother, Bisky thought. There was a moment of silence before she burst out in boisterous laughter at the prospect of being a maternal figure. Her laugh rang through the canyons. I’m way too young to be a mother, she contradicted, although there was a part of her subconscious that begs to differ, almost as if it was screaming at her. Who am I kidding..I may not look it, but I could definitely be a mother. Bisky sighed. She sat with the boils of the stew in the pot beside her and the distant laughter echoing from the cave. She didn’t move, she just sat, contemplating.
What’s wrong with being a mother? Absolutely nothing. It’s just the prospect of her becoming a mother or anything of the sort deeply unnerved her. But why? The annoying, ever-so curious part of her subconscious nagged on, begging for her to come to a conclusion; begging for a sense of closure. Bisky let out an irritated huff at that. Is it fear? Fear of what? Bisky listed out everything that could even be remotely scary about motherhood: labor, loud crying, cleaning up bodily fluids, even being caught with handsome men by her own child! She sighed once more.
Deep down, within the depths of her core, Bisky already knew the answer to begin with. She hesitated to see eye to eye with her fear.
Bisky had spent so much of her youth and coming of age years dedicated to becoming a pro-hunter and business, she hadn’t paused momentarily to simply embrace the scenery and beauty of that time. Perhaps now, the years that should have been a period of her motherhood are just mere imitations of what she would have wanted in her youth. She’s grasping onto the perception of adolescent freedom to make up for the wasted times of her childhood. The fear of losing freedom scares her the most.
At the back of her mind, she's also aware that her young, innocent persona of a child with springy pigtails and bouncy skirts just reinforces the facade of youth. How pathetic must I be to care about my looks at this age?
“Bisky!” Gon yelled as he and Killua raced back up from the cave, with a surprising amount of energy even in their disheveled state.
Gon’s loud voice had snapped Bisky back to reality where the sun had hidden behind the horizon, and the faintest chill of the cool night air rustled her hair. It was when the kids had finally reached Bisky, that Gon had started rambling quickly about learning a new nen technique on how to shovel through the rocks at a more efficient pace. It was when he finished that he had remembered to take a deep breath and Killua stared at him in disbelief, his face scrunched.
Bisky glanced at the two’s interaction and smiled. Her eyes averted down to the stew, long overcooked.
“Anyways! Dinner’s ready whenever you guys are.” She stood up, saving the unpeeled potato for the next day’s meal. As she turned and kneeled to store it safely amongst other items, she could hear the clashes of dishes as the hungry boys desperately shoveled a portion of stew into their respective bowls. Bisky rolled her eyes and chuckled disapprovingly at the cacophony of sounds behind her. She glanced up at the starry sky with her arms resting upon her knees and took a breath of the crisp air. The clouds moved ever so slowly amongst the curtain of black that was the night.
“Bisky?” Gon questioned, realizing the silence of their master. She turned slowly to face two pairs of big, round, curious eyes, and stuffed cheeks. Her eyes softened at the two and her shoulders relaxed as she smiled.
“What are you staring at hag?” Killua managed to murmur out between filled cheeks. Bisky’s entire face dropped. “Oh come here you—!” She quickly lept at the boy, putting him in a light chokehold and driving her fist into his now grimy hair. “Learn to swallow before being rude!”
“Maybe if you let me go first!” Bisky reluctantly let go and laughed at her victory. Killua’s grumpy glare made it all the better.
It was moments with these two that Bisky realized she didn’t mind fulfilling her motherly role. Moments in which she nagged Killua just to tease him. Moments in which Gon rambled on about new techniques. Moments in which Bisky witnesses growth from the young buds ready to bloom. Perhaps it was her underlying maternal instincts that urged her to help these two lost souls in the first place.
An immense feeling of gratitude washed over her. She would have to thank them sooner or later; for allowing her to step into a new time period of her life and learn to not be afraid of new responsibilities.
But for now, Bisky would train and work them to the bone. Out of love, of course.