Chapter Text
Cue dramatic music-
"Strange beasts,"
"And monsters."
"Vast riches."
"Hidden treasures."
"Evil haunts."
"Uncharted frontiers."
"The mysterious unknown."
"The people who are captivated by the magic in those words..."
"Are called..."
"Hunters."
I was waiting. I watched as the water shifted and settled as fishes swam through the clear water, occasionally going near the shores of the lake. The beams of sunlight piercing through the trees and reflecting on the water, exposing the life underneath it. I took a nervous breath and calmed my beating heart as I continued to stare. It wasn't until a few seconds later that it finally happened.
Scrrrrrrr!
A gasp.
Splash!!
"It's-!"
I stood up and jogged closer to him. I raced towards the lake and into the cold water, only halting when the water reached my knees and soaking through my dress. My eyes widened in awe. I could not believe it, yet it hapened. He finally, finally…
"You caught the Lord of the Lake!!!"
I cried out in disbelief and gaped, before a grin formed on my face. Gon caught it. He'll finally be a hunter!!
I ran back towards the shore, only faltering when I saw a large shadow underneath me. Hesitantly, I looked up and froze, seeing a huge fish soar above me and land in the grass right in front of me.
"Wha-?"
I blinked. Gon leaped down from the tree he'd hidden from, his fishing rod in his hand, and his grin was so bright that the sun was pale in comparison. Thanks to Gon's immense strength, we managed to bring the fish into the city, beaming as the villagers whispered and pointed their fingers at us. The fish flapped as we pulled it, deliberately trying not to hurt the poor thing. I saw Aunt Mito as I tried to step to the left and away from the commotion to watch the crowd gossip.
"It's huge!"
"This is the Lord of the Lake?"
"It's been twenty years!"
"I know. It was Gon's father at that time, right?"
"He's his father's son."
A man stepped closer so he could see more of the fish and said, "Gon actually caught the Lord!" He turned to look towards his back to where Mito was and continued, "Look, Mito!"
Gon beamed as he turned and I cringed when I saw her expression, looking away when she glanced in my direction. I understand that she means well but Gon is Gon, he wouldn't give up no matter how many times you told him to, if anything, he'd work harder.
Gon ran up to her and said to her, "I caught the Lord as promised…" His smile stayed bright, " So I can take the Hunters Exam, right? Right?"
Mito's face was solemn as she looked at Gon, knowing that she couldn't stop him from leaving now. She promised.
"I'll do my best!" Gon swore.
He spotted me behind the crowd and turned even more excited than before as he yelled, " Tori and I are going to be the best hunters there are!"
I froze. I gaped at the both of them and tentatively cracked a smile at the boy that I grew up with, muttering under my breath, "We will."
"We promise to become hunters!"
I didn't follow them when they returned home. No, I stayed with the fish because no way am I leaving the fish here to be stolen, do you know how much the flesh of this fish would sell?
With that thought, I rolled up my sleeves and yelled at one of the stalls near me, "Excuse me, auntie! Can I please borrow a knife and a cutting board? Preferably a big one."
It wasn't until I finally finished everything that I noticed that the sun was already near the horizon. Dammit, that took too long. I was supposed to find mushrooms for dinner.
"Poor Mito."
"The son's following his dad's footsteps, huh?"
"Tori is also aiming to be one-"
I whirled around to face a crowd gossiping. I hid a grimace and pocketed the money inside my bag. What's wrong with us being hunters?
I didn't stay long enough to know how their conversation went, opting to go home. People were confusing, I mused. I sighed, looking up towards the sky and closed my eyes, reminiscing.
I'm not supposed to be here.
I was dead but now I'm not. I recalled bits and pieces of a life short-lived. When I remembered, I'd been four. I had thought it was a dream at first, but to make a dream this realistic? I had no option but to accept it, add to that my maturity, which was rapidly increasing. I had gone from a loud, crying baby who laughed at anyone getting hurt to a quiet baby who could have opinions and who still laughed at people getting hurt. I know I had a family—a family that cared about me—but I couldn't for the life of me remember their faces. The only thing that I could recall was the countless trees that surrounded my home.
I waved at a few vendors where we usually bought groceries. "Hello, uncle!"
"Ah, Tori! How is your grandmother?"
"She's doing great! Wait, is that a new item?"
"Oh ho! Good eyes you have there lil lassie! This just recently came in from outside!"
I walked uphill until I noticed a few wild mushrooms growing just beneath an oak tree. I checked if they were poisonous and lifted my dress as a makeshift basket to carry them. As soon as I finished, I went on trekking up the hill until arriving home and being greeted by Gon's grandmother who then ushered me towards Gon's room where he and Mito were. I complied, albeit a bit confused as I handed her the money and mushrooms. It wasn't until I sat down next to Gon who was packing that I realized that Mito was going to have a talk with us.
Oh no, I'm too dumb for this.
"Gon, Tori, are you two sure about this?"
Gon continued to wipe his fishing rod, face serious, "Uh-huh."
While I, on the other hand, had frozen. My lips were pursed, eyes wide and shoulders hunched up; A habit of mine that did not fade since I was a small child. It took me a second to gather my bearings before I responded in a small voice, "Yes."
Mito sighed and continued while looking at Gon, "Gon, your father abandoned you when you were still very young to become a Hunter."
"I know."
I stayed silent and wondered if I should leave but the look on Aunt Mito's face prevented me.
"He chose to become a Hunter over raising you!" Mito's brows furrowed as she yelled at Gon. "And you!" She turned towards me.
"You know better!" My mouth fell. I struggled to find an answer but ultimately decided to stay silent. I couldn't find any words.
Mito's face softened, "Oh Tori."
I chose this time to speak, "I really want to be a hunter."
And most importantly, to see the world.
I was holding a toad when I first said this out loud, my face full of mud. I sat there, full of confusion as everyone ran around like headless chickens and asking me questions such as why I would choose such a dangerous profession rather than being like the others. There were tales. Of how people died and vanished, never to be seen again. Still, the only thought that was on my mind was if other species of toads evolved differently like the one that I was trying to hold.
... okay, my thoughts were probably not that advanced since I was an 11 year-old, but it was years ago, so cut me some slack.
This island wasn't enough. I wanted to travel around the globe—see what it had to offer. I was fascinated. I wanted to know how other cultures lived and thrived; if there were wars and other events that Whale island had missed due to how far away we were.
I wasn't like Gon, I know that. Unlike him, I wasn't strong enough to survive the world. Regardless of that, it was worth a shot.
"Yeah! Being a Hunter is great! My dad was even willing to abandon me to become one!!" Gon… no.
"You two… A Hunter is a dangerous job!"
Gon and I were one of the youngest, along with Noko, on the island and so it wasn't a surprise when we stuck close with each other. There weren't a lot of kids on the island, scratch that- we were the only ones who weren't past the age of 18.
Wherever Gon was, I'd be there. And when others found it weird, I didn't mind it one bit. So when Gon declared that he was going to be a Hunter, everyone expected me to follow. They relaxed when my 10 year-old self didn't. Of course, that was only because I did not find any motives to be one. But skip to a year later…
"You never know when you might lose your life! Don't you two understand me?" Mito was trying to persuade us. She knows that won't work o- oh.
Gon looked away from her, "I don't." I sucked in a breath.
"But I want to know more!" Fuck, Gon. She's not…
Gon stood up and shouted, "I want to become a hunter so I can discover why it was so important to my dad!"
Mito doesn't want us to… she doesn't want us to leave her as Ging did.
"And we'll come back. Gon and I." I blurted and watched Mito startle, who probably wasn't expecting me to realize.
I smiled softly at her, making note of the slight wetness of her eyes, "We'll make you proud."