It was warm here.

Warmer than the ship, warmer than the cabin, possibly even warmer than the island you had grown up on. The dark clouds that had rolled overhead since the departure from your island couldn't reach you here. Whale island sat at the edge of the horizon, streams of sunlight bathing the swell of trees with an almost purifying glow. Like the island was protected from anything and everything that intended to harm it.

You understood, now, what the captain meant when he said something or someone special was going to come from this island. You understood what he meant when he described the fluttering feeling of excitement churning in the pit of his stomach with each passing second as you approached the docks. Perhaps on the outside this island was nothing special, a strangely shaped clump of land with an overgrown forest, but if you looked and you really saw one might be able to catch a glimpse of something more.

The closer you grew to the dock, the wider the smile on the Captain's face became. He clutched his pipe with a proud grin and tipped his head back to bathe his face in the rays of sun pouring out from behind the island. He didn't go into detail about the Hunter that he picked up on that fateful day all those years ago, not a name, not an age, not even the date that he picked him up. Like everything about that Hunter was kept tightly under wraps in one big secret, all you knew about him was where he came from.

"We'll be docked here for a few hours, if you wanna get off and roam around be sure to make it back after the horn," the Captain informed from your side.

You bit your lip and rocked back and forth from heel to toe as you braced your hands on the banister, it was a tempting prospect, even from here you could hear the sound of joyous laughter and happy chattering from the shore. You'd love to see what made them so happy, you'd love to be surrounded by happy faces and happy smiles again, you'd love it, but you'd hate it all the same. Being around others, so happy and so full of life when you yourself are drowning in sorrow was a heavy burden.

"I don't know," you replied, "I'll think about it."

"We're an hour out from shore so best think quick, little one."

The Captain stepped away from your side and back to the wheel of the ship to ease it into dock when the time came and you were given a moment of peace. You were getting closer and closer to your end goal as time passed, what was gonna happen when you made it there? All of this waiting, all of this suspense, all of this dreaming for what could be-- at the end of the day would you be able to fight for your life?

Chest heavy, heart in your throat, you turned away from the deck and wandered the dark hall that lead down to the cabins. Though it was noisy down here, though it was dark, and it stank of body odor and dust, somehow it was still easier to think in. The warm air and the crisp forest breeze was almost overwhelming, it felt-- free. Had you ever known what it meant to be free before? After what you had gone through, the weight it lifted and the relief it brought felt taboo almost. Like you were living a life you didn't deserve, not after what you had seen. Like a calm in the storm that would only rage harder when your peace had expired.

Pushing the door open, you kept your head tucked low and slipped round the group of brawling men to find a safe space in the corner where you could simply be. Knees pulled to your chest, head tucked against your legs, you blocked out the sound of boisterous laughter and general douchebaggery.

If you were honest, you weren't sure what exactly it was about Whale Island that was so terrifying to you. Perhaps it was what the captain said, that some huge chunk of your fate was waiting for you there. Perhaps it was the fact that you weren't ready yet, weren't ready for your future to unravel when you were still clinging onto your past.

You must have been sitting there for at least an hour, the ship lurched to a stop and the weight of your hopelessness only bore heavier. Your stomach turned and your hands tightened on your own thighs, you could hear the Captain shouting from above, heard the tell tale signs of the other passengers barrelling out of the cabin to get a taste of solid land again, but still you couldn't move. Distantly, you wondered if the captain would be disappointed in you, disappointed that you weren't the courageous adventurer he thought you could be.

You were a coward.

That was the fact of the matter.

You were a coward when you were peeking through the crack in the closet door as your parents were slaughtered, a coward even now, huddling in a dark corner to avoid the inevitability of your future. You knew there was no way you could participate in the Hunter exam if you couldn't even do this, if you couldn't even step out onto an island then how on Earth could you face your own vengeance?

"Oh (Y/n), you're so pathetic," you whispered to yourself.

Maybe in a perfect world, your guardian angel would stand over you with words of encouragement. But this wasn't a perfect world, this was a cruel, cruel world and there was nothing that you could do to change that. You were one person, a child, it didn't matter your motivations, it didn't matter your impact. At the end of the day this world was rotten, and one alone was not enough to fix it.

With a furrow in your brows, you took a slow, shuddering inhale.

You were right, one person alone could not change things. But one person alone could try.

Flexing your fingers to loosen your strained muscles, you grit your teeth and rose to your feet, rolling your head on your shoulders and rising onto steady feet. The ship was docked but the ceaseless waves that rocked the ship beneath your feet went unnoticed now, you had to be steady, you had to be firm, you had to be strong.

If you weren't then what else would you have?

The ship was empty of passengers, all had wandered off to stretch their legs and work off the inevitable sea sickness. You were the last to leave, the last to gather to courage to, but that didn't matter to you. It didn't matter what place you came in, whether you were last or first, so long as you got there in the end then it didn't matter to you.

When you got to the deck, it was crowded mostly with sailors, wiping down the bannister's and mopping up the floors. The captain stood at the helm, overlooking his crew with that famous pipe still sitting between his lips. He said nothing, even as he spotted you, even as his eyes creased with the broad smile that steadily spread across his lips. You huffed, making a point to ignore the smug look on his face as he turned towards the ramp leading down to the pier.

You couldn't quite explain the swell of nerves pooling in the pit of your stomach as you stared down at the water-stained dock. There was nothing bad that could happen to you here, nothing worse than what you experienced on your own island anyway. Uncurling your fist and turning your hand, you silently pinched your thigh, the shock of pain jolting up your system forced the worry away and finally - you were calm. It was with a slow, steady exhale that you began your descent.

It had taken you so long to get used to the feeling of waves rocking at your feet, now standing on solid ground, somehow you felt even shakier than you had on the ship. Focusing your muscles to stabilize, you steadied yourself with a heaving breath and marched towards the shore. The water damaged pier creaked under your weight but you paid it no mind, your mind was made up and there was no changing it now.

Perhaps it would be ridiculous to some, how much of a big deal you were making out of something so 'inconsequential', but it meant a lot to you. It was the first step to wandering out of your comfort zone, no one would be holding your hand throughout your journey, if you wanted to learn to be strong on your own then small steps like this would have to be made.

The moment your feet hit the gravel a weight lifted off your shoulders. This wasn't so bad. Of course it wasn't, all you were doing was wandering around an island that was no doubts safe. It was stupid of you to think that this would feel like this was an impossible task, to feel that you would never improve. For a moment you relished in the feeling of solid ground beneath your feet, sighing through your nose and allowing your shoulders to drop to soak in the warmth of the sun.

It was nice out here, comforting in a way you never thought you'd find after what happened to you.

Though you were stubborn in the beginning, you were glad that you decided to heed the Captain's words and take a wander. Glancing back at the ship over your shoulder you could practically picture the Captain's smug grin, yeah, you were never gonna tell him that.

Tucking a smile away with a fond shake of the head and a huff through the nose, you righted your posture and took a step.

Though you had no money to spend in the market place, it was still nice to walk through it. The island was small and the community even smaller but it seemed wonderfully friendly none the less, nothing like your home town. No one knew who you were, no one knew what you went through. There was no worries about being recognized, no worries about prying questions and intimate conversations. It was like for a short while you could pretend that you weren't you.

You weren't ashamed of who you were, weren't ashamed of your family name - rather, afraid that should they know what happened to your parents, maybe they too might blame things on you. It was one thing to think those things from one moment to the next, but another entirely to hear it from another's mouth.

You squeezed your eyes closed for a moment and quickly shook your head, you didn't want to think about that here, not when the Captain had promised this island would bring about great things for you. You were allowed to enjoy yourself, even for a little while, no matter what your guilt had to say about it.

The streets were busier than you were expecting, judging by the chatter you heard in passing, it seemed that the arrival of the Hunter Exam ship was a highly decorated event for this town. It made sense you supposed, small islands didn't get much other excitement. Even on your own island the excitement tended to carry, who was going to be the next big name, who is going to bring attention to our mediocre plot of land?

It reminding you a little too much of your own island, enough that a tight coil formed in the pit of your stomach and an uncomfortable prickle rose at the base of your spine. Maybe this was a bad idea after all. You knew you shouldn't have listened to that daft Captain. As the panic continued to surmount and the tremble in your hands grew to a sizable shake, you turned tail and began to make way to the ship. Well - you would have if someone hadn't barrelled into you the moment you took a step.

Your feet slipped out from under you, the coil in your stomach unfurling and twisting into a different sense of panic. You were knocked onto your stomach with a plume of dust and a warm weight settled onto your back. Choking out a hiccupped breath at the pressure of a body collapsing against your own, you coughed through the cloud of debris and clenched your jaw with a pained hiss. You could already feeling of sting of scrapes on the heels of your palms when you went to catch your fall, the human tornado that had crashed into finally seemed to realize just what they were sitting on and rushed to their feet.

"Ah!" he choked out, voice high, a child?

"I'm so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going? Are you okay? Oh god, I hurt you didn't I? Here, let me help you up." For what it was worth, the boy sounded to be far more worried about your condition than you were, the eased the simmer of irritation in the back of your mind.

You blinked through the tears that built up from the dust, you eyed the hand that stretched out in front of you warily, he didn't seem to hold any malicious intent. With a sigh, you reached out to take his hand, and with a surprising display of strength, he pulled you to your feet with ease. You choked down a surprised yelp and teetered on your feet for a moment before catching yourself, releasing his warm grip to brush the dust off of your clothes, it wasn't like they were already filthy, what was a bit more dust right?

"Your knees are bleeding! I'm really so sorry," he rambled once again.

Once you had finally brushed as much dust off of you that could could, you chanced a glance up at the boy. Brown eyes crinkled into a sympathetic wince, the hand he used to lift you rubbed at the back of his head, how is his hair standing up like that? There were a few things that took you by surprise about the boy, the fact that someone so small was as strong as he was, his hair, seriously how is it standing up like that, and most of all- the warm air of peace that seemed to radiate from him.

He looked, much like that crazy Captain, kind.

You sighed quietly to yourself and offered a gentle but sheepish smile in return, shaking your head and waving a hand nonchalantly to brush off his concern.

"I'm fine, just a scrape, it's all good," you assured.

"I do feel really bad though! It was an accident, I promise, I was rushing to get to the ship and then I wasn't looking where I was going because I was distracted but I really didn't mean to hurt you!"

Did this kid have a habit of rambling?

"Hey, it's totally okay, accidents happen," you tried to put him at ease before he dropped into dogeza and offered his left arm as a sacrifice to atone.

Hazarding a glance back at the dock, you were quick to note that there was only one ship at the dock aside from the much smaller fishing boats.

"You're trying to get to the Hunter exam?" you mused curiously, why were you still talking to this kid?

"Ah, yeah! You too?" his guilt was all too quickly forgotten and easily replaced with excitement.

You breathed out a nervous laugh as the boy stepped closer with a broad grin on his face, you leaned back in the slightest to preserve your personal space but found yourself almost endeared by his easy excitement, he really was a kid.

"I've always wanted to be a Hunter! I didn't think anyone around my age would want to be a Hunter too!" he exclaimed.

For a moment, you had half a mind to wonder whether this kid would even be capable of passing the exam. He was clumsy, innocent, and far too trusting for his own good. Would this kind of naivety survive the brutish life Hunters were rumoured to live? These thoughts were forced away the moment they appeared. What right did you have to judge him? What right did you have to underestimate him when you were exactly the same? Too young for this, too naïve for this, too innocent for this. He was a young hopeful that had just encountered someone more similar to him than anyone else on that ship would be, his excitement was understandable.

Easing your sift muscles, you offered the boy a hesitant, but genuine smile. What the both of you needed most right now was a friend, even if you weren't ready to admit that yet.

"Shall we walk to the ship together? Oh! Maybe I can show you around a little before we have to board?" he suggested excitedly.

It was clear the boy was eager to be friends, unaware of how long you were going to be spending time together throughout the exam, it might even be a good idea to make some alliances along the way. And who knows, perhaps having a source of seemingly endless positivity beside you might be the saving grace you needed. Just as you opened your mouth to respond to his eager invitation, a frustrated older gentleman marched over with a briefcase in hand.

"Oi Gon! Don't just run off like that!"

"Ah! Leorio, sorryyy..." the boy poked out his tongue and rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish laugh, appearing at least slightly guilty that he had run off without the older man's knowledge.

"Seriously, I took my eyes off you for one second and you-- oh...who is this?"

Finally taking notice of your presence, the spectacled figure reached up to scratch the top of his spiky head, seemingly embarrassed that he had been caught yelling. At first glance you thought the two might've been related, what with the spiky black hair and the rambunctious disposition, but the way they conversed seemed less familiar than that. Another interesting character that would be accompanying you both on your journey?

'I can't believe that old Captain was right, how many weird people live on this Island anyway?'

"Oh! This is my new friend, I accidentally ran into them on the way, their name is-- ahh...." 'Gon' stumbled to a quiet stop, turning to look at you with a hesitant smile, embarrassed that he had yet to ask for your name.

With a quiet, fond exhale through your nose, you folded your hands over your lap and tilted your body forward at the torso in a polite bow. You had a feeling you already knew how this trip was going to do with people as energetic as these two.

"It's nice to meet you, my name is (Y/n),"

"(Y/n)! I like that name!" testing your name on his tongue, Gon offered a bright smile, bright enough that you almost felt like squinting.

'Is this kid the sun's secret love child or something?'

"I'm Gon! This is my friend Leorio, we just met earlier today! We're all going to the Hunter Exam, isn't that cool?"

"I-is that right? That's nice..." you breathed out with a nervous laugh. It was odd being around all of this positivity, the way they elbowed each other and laughed at something stupid the other said, it felt like you didn't belong.

The moment the thought reached your mind, Gon turned to face you with that ridiculously bright smile and the doubt melted away. You weren't friends yet, knew nothing about each other yet, but when you smiled at you like everything would be okay, somehow you felt it was true.

With a shy smile, you watched the two rush ahead and knew they were waiting for you to follow. The warmth of inclusion flooding through your chest as you watched Gon teasingly push and shove at Leorio, watched as the older man ranted loudly in return, and watched as Gon turned to share a quiet snicker of amusement with you. Fighting off the guilt for the swell of happiness that accumulated inside you, you allowed a quiet chuckle to slip free, oblivious to the wonder that painted Gon's face before he joined you in your laughter.

You would have to thank the Captain when you got back.

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uh so-- i can explain.

okay actually i cant. ive been a lil motivationally challenged these days and i accidentally didn't update for 3 months?

oopsieeeee

listen im sorryyy

i dont really like this chapter tbh i feel like its a lil boring but! we have officially met gon and leorio, i know that gon and leorio meet on the ship on the 2011 version but i wanted to add the fact they met beforehand from the 1999 version. tho this story is gonna follow the storyline of the 2011 version of course, ill just mix in a few details here and there.

anyways im hoping to post the next chapter pretty soon. it definitely isn't gonna take as long as this one did and it should be better i think?

anyways lmk what you thought!

thanks so much for all the love ive been receiving on this and ill see you in the next one

byeeee