Chapter Text
Among all the effects of being reincarnated into a new body, the original soul of who that body resembled awakening after he had already spent a good amount of time inhabiting it was not one that Kite had anticipated. Two souls in one body was hard to fathom, but he had already died and been reborn, and that itself was strange. If that was possible with Nen, anything could be, he supposed.
It just so happened to be the day before Kite had planned to set out in search of someone suitable to assist him in re-learning Nen – because Ging was unavailable, and only taught things once, no matter how stubbornly Kite may have insisted. He had planned to use the day to rest and relax before the journey, but now, he had been forced to take a backseat in his own body. He knew she was there, but his ability to communicate with her was low. There was a thick plexiglass window between the driver’s seat and the backseat. Or perhaps a dense wall of fog between them would more accurately describe the divide?
Kite had noticed her over the past week or so – a voice in the back of his head, at first easily mistakable for a passing thought of his own but soon growing distinctly different. Different opinions, different wants, different needs. A different identity. He had begun to absentmindedly fulfill the requests of this voice, in what seemed like lapses of control over his own wants and needs. It only recently became clear that she had been fulfilling those requests, taking the reins of the body temporarily in moments where Kite had his guard down. Her appearances had been mostly inconsequential thus far, and none of his friends seemed to have caught on… Which was good, considering he couldn’t seem to communicate well with her. He was always at least somewhat aware of what she was doing, and she seemed aware of him, but any attempts to communicate between them were uncertain and hazy.
It seemed like she had taken control now. The body began to rise from the seated position it took. The girl took a moment to glance around the bedroom before making her way out the door and towards the kitchen. Poking her head through the door frame before fully making her way in, she scanned the area and found nobody in sight. She was really thirsty. So, she reached for the refrigerator and pulled out the milk. She undid the cap, brought the gallon up to her mouth, and— Nope, no, we’re not drinking straight out of the jug! The body’s hands froze, mouth mere centimeters away from touching the rim. Kite found himself in control of the body once more, the girl’s presence taking an anxious back seat. He put the cap back on the milk and placed it back in the refrigerator.
Until now, he’d tried communicating with her via internal thoughts. Maybe if he spoke out loud she’d understand him better?
“We don’t drink milk like that. Everyone else needs to be able to use it too, understand?”
His head was silent in response, only a thin layer of anxiety permeating the fog. Eventually, the anxiety faded, and it felt like she had gone to sleep. He could no longer ‘feel’ her presence.
“...Kite? Who were you talking to just now?”
Colt appeared in the doorway, a puzzled look on his face. If he had overheard that, or even seen that, there’d certainly be no explanation that he could think of. Kite briefly considered telling him about the girl, but he wanted to hold off until he could communicate with her – at least until he had a name for her.
“...Hey, Colt.” Kite ignored Colt’s question, asking his own in response. “Do you know of any Chimera Ants who are made up of two humans and retain memories from both?”
“I can’t say that I do… Those of us who remember our human lives tend to only report memories from one specific human. I’ve occasionally heard of some brief glimpses of animal memories, as well, but those are rarer. It’s certainly not out of the question.”
Hm. Kite had hoped Colt could point him toward the direction of a Chimera Ant with two human souls who could help him figure this out, but of course there was no such luck. For some reason, there was a flash of relief in the back of his head, as if the girl was glad Colt didn’t have an answer for them. …Didn’t she want to figure this out as much as he did?
“...Thanks anyway.” Kite replied, leaving the kitchen. He made his way to the living room and sat down, eyes fixed on the scenery out the window.
Head feeling heavy and fuzzy, Kite stared at the horizon for a few moments. What the hell was happening with him? For most of his new life so far, he had just assumed it was him - but the more he thought back, the more he wasn’t so sure. The conversation with Koala, for example – he had thought back on it and felt his words were more venomous than he had intended… He had no reason to be that angry at Koala specifically. He supposed he had just gotten caught up in the moment, but… Was it the girl then, too?
“...ite?… Kite…. Kite!”
A somewhat stern voice snapped Kite out of his thoughts. He turned to see Colt standing in the doorway, a concerned look on his face.
“...Are you okay? You seemed really out of it”
Kite rubbed his temples with his palms, head still feeling odd in a way he couldn’t really describe. “I’m fine. Just feeling a little strange lately.”
“I can tell. Will you still be okay to leave on your journey?” Colt asked. “I can forward a message to the amateur hunters to know to expect you there a little later.”
The amateur hunters… They were waiting for him in Doli, where they were set to catch a blimp to Swardani… It wasn’t all of them – Just Spinner, Banana, and Monta for the time being. Friends of Kite’s, and friends were important to have in stressful situations like this.
“No, getting out of here will be good for me.” Kite responded bluntly. He cared for Colt, and appreciated his concern, but he’d been holed up in this house for enough time that he desperately needed out. He had places he needed to be. People he needed to see.
“...Okay. You know I’ll always be here if you need me.” Colt said, punctuating his sentence with a forlorn sigh and turning out of the room. It must be hard for him, Kite thought. He couldn’t have thought the child he began raising would so soon become so distant — Kite didn’t think of him as a father, not now, but he was appreciative of Colt’s status as a caregiver while he was still growing and recovering his memory.
Kite glanced at the clock. 1pm. It was an hour before he was set to leave with Koala. The car seemed to already be parked outside. Had time really passed that quickly? He could have sworn there were two hours left at least. He supposed he needed to get ready. He took a moment to think of the girl, to see if he could sense her presence at all. There was a vague feeling of grogginess, like how one would feel after waking up, but he couldn’t tell if that was his feeling or not. Nevertheless, it felt like she was there, in the back of his head, just barely.
It was time to get ready. Kite made his way back to his room, packing his bag with a few more necessities. Koala was waiting by the door by the time the clock hit 2pm.
“...Ready?” Kite asked bluntly. He didn’t have much of an opinion on Koala, but for some reason, every time he saw him, there was a layer of contempt clouding his brain. It wasn’t his animosity — it had to be the girl’s venom that laced his words toward Koala, not his. He felt her stir in the recesses of his consciousness, anger and regret swirling into a whirlpool of scorn towards this beast who had so pitifully come to grovel at their feet.
“As ready as you are,” Koala replied, holding the door open for Kite. “Shall we?”
The two (three?) got into the car, the hired driver greeting them before falling quiet for the rest of the drive. Kite gazed out the window, eyes fixed on the clouds in the sky. The girl watched the clouds with him.