82NinjaFang1331: Thank you
Guest: Well then I hope I will end this on a good note
Random-Fan-2017: Well my friend here you go and great analysis I love each and every time you do one.
xSnvwyy: Oh Yeah, I wrote that part because let's be honest here when we see Ging actually fight all out it will be next level, and he has probably even more secrets that we have yet to know about.
Random-Fan-2017: Yes she would beat him like a Bongo drum.
MoonShadow Rayla: Thank you
ColdAlbatross: Thanks
Chapter 14 Forgiveness
'How am is suppose to talk to someone I killed?' Pitou asked herself as she stood in front of a rather big manor that the hunter association provided to the chimera ants that were working with them.
These ants unlike Pitou and her group, stuck with the former ant queen after Meruem left. They tried to get her medical attention but even with the advanced medicine, the Hunters were unable to save the queen, but it did lead to a relationship where the ants could live peacefully under the watchful eye of the Hunter Association as long as they promised they wouldn't cause trouble and they would stop eating humans.
Now Pitou has made those same promises without issue but now she wouldn't deny, she was getting cold feet. 'I've faced several challenges but this has got to take the cake,' she thought. 'Literally facing someone you've killed. I have no idea what I'm supposed to say, 'sorry I killed you' isn't exactly going to cut it.'
"Are you alright miss Pitou?" asked Cheadle.
"Uh well I would be lying if I said I'm fine," said Pitou honestly. "What exactly am I supposed to say?"
Cheadle hummed as she thought for a moment. "I'm afraid I don't know what you're supposed to say to someone you killed, the best advice I can give you right now is, to be honest, and sincere."
"Yeah I figured that would be it," said Pitou also coming to that conclusion. "By the way, should you really be here right now? You know after what Pariston did."
Cheadle's face began to turn red at the memory, "That bastard." She growled.
~o~
(Two days ago at the election hall)
"Thank you everyone for showing up," announced Pariston. "I know it's somewhat redundant calling all of you here, but I figured we start the finale here, it should end here."
"What the hell is the point of this?" shouted a hunter in the crowd.
"Yeah, you called us all back here to just say you're the new chairman."
"This is pointless!"
"Has the Ant Royal Guard situation been resolved?" asked a hunter with a valid question.
"Now, now, let's all calm down for a moment," said Pariston with his usual popups tone. "Before I move on to my very first act as chairman, let me shed some light on a few details, yes the ant royal guard situation is in good hands in fact it's being taken care of by the zodiacs themselves, so you have nothing to worry about. Also during the as for mentioned incident one very popular hunter recovered, Stand up Gon give a bow," said Pariston this got the crowd's attention as some looked around for the young man. "Don't make me make it an order."
Gon nervously stood up from his seat next to Ging, Leorio and several other hunters were forcing the man to sit with Gon, "Hi everyone." as Gon waved to the crowd.
"YOU'RE OKAY!"
"AWESOME!"
"YOU SHOULD RUN FOR CHAIRMAN," said another. "I'D VOTE FOR YOU."
"ME TOO"
"I'm sorry I'm afraid voting has ended," said Pariston grabbing the crowd's attention once more. "To confirm this Leorio, are you sure you don't want to be Chairman?"
"I'm good," said Leorio. "Just wrap this up already."
"Very well then," As Pariston put on his best smile. "My first act as Chairman is making Cheadle my vice chairman and with that, I'm resigning as Chairman."
The crowd froze, they were so silent, they could all have heard a pin drop, but they all were so shocked they wouldn't have registered it in the slightest. Even the cameraman who was recording Pariston was so shocked he didn't track Pariston as he left the stage.
In the upper levels of the building, Pitou could feel the blood lust in the room skyrocket, not at her or from her, but rather the Zodiacs that were left to keep an eye on her. They were the ones that requested to have the TV in the room.
"THAT BASTARD!" roared Kanzai.
"SON OF A BITCH!" Yelled Cluck.
"So let me get this straight," said Pitou. "He just became the Chairman of the Hunter's association and his first act is giving the job away, can he do that?"
"He just did," said Ginta. "Damn brat."
"Shit," Saiyu took out his staff wanting to hit something, "Is this why he wanted us up here, so we don't kick his ass when he did this?"
This got the other Zodiacs' attention. "Relax," Mizaistrom trying his best to keep a leveled head. "We can't do anything this far away and Cheadle's down there, she probably more pissed than anyone, right now."
"Really?" asked Pitou as they turned to her. "Sorry, it's just I don't really see her as an angry person."
"Everyone has their limits and Pariston just pushed it."
Downstairs Cheadle got over her shock and ran after Pariston. "PARISTON!" she yelled as she caught up with the man, "HOW LONG WILL YOU KEEP MAKING A MOCKERY OF EVERYTHING!" She was so angry and might have charged him if a hand hadn't stopped her. "Huh? Ging?"
"You know I couldn't figure it out until you pulled the stunt with Pitou, but now, I think I got you figured out," said Ging. "You really are a child that just wants to play around with everything and everyone."
Pariston gave a low chuckle, "You know something Ging, if you became Chairman, I would have stuck around," This made both Cheadle and Ging confused, even more so after he turned around and gave them a look of sadness. "At first I hated you but when you ruined my fun during the first meeting, I began to see the similarities between you and Netero."
"What?" Ging for a moment thought Pariston was crazy before he remembered what he did prior to the first meeting of the Zodiacs after Netero passed. "You rigged the trash can."
"What?" this time it was Cheadle who was confused.
"When we all first gathered after the old man died, we picked the way we would elect the next Chairman by random using the trash can. I cheated," admitted Ging.
Cheadle's eyes widened. "You..but that's...Beans!" As she started piecing it together. "You went to him before the meeting and gave him your rules because you predicted-no, you knew exactly what I'd do."
"When I can make my quarry move as I wish then I've succeeded as a hunter," said Ging earning a look of admiration from Cheadle as she realized just how much better of a hunter he was. "But it looks like I wasn't the only one with that idea."
"No," admitted Pariston as he smiled at the memory. "After the chairman died, I knew I had to do one last fun thing with the association, to give him a proper send-off, he made the things so much fun. I rigged the trash can, I couldn't figure out who would start it but I concluded it would be lots and the only logical item to use in the room would be the trash can, so I replaced every pen in the room with ones that had heavy metal in the ink. At the bottom of the trash can was a magnet that would make all the paper flatten to the bottom, thus simultaneously taking the current away from the folded papers sticking to the inside of the bin, putting those papers at the top of the pile. With the top nen users in the room, I had to use technology."
"The rustling noise from the bin was too loud for only twelve folded papers and as Bean had his hand in the bin, too much paper was moving. I should have noticed." Cheadle cursed. "You damn rat!"
"Just me? Ging cheated as well, if he hadn't then Bean might have noticed the extra pieces of paper."
Ging smiled. "Yeah I out cheated you but it's probably for the best with whatever messed up rules you came up with."
Pariston's expression darkens slightly. "Yes, it would have been grand, so much fun wasted thanks to you, Ging. You know I never wanted to be vice-chairman, I just wanted to toy with Chairman Netero, he would groan happily when I put a spoke in his wheel. I wished he had more time to play." He then gave Cheadle a very dark glare. "Cheadle, if you make the association a boring place, I will return to play with you."
Cheadle would have lied if that didn't put a chill up her spine, she quickly spun around and walked down. "Come on, Ging, we got work to do."
'I'll tell her I'm quieting later.' Thought Ging as he followed.
~o~
(Present, Ant Manor)
"As Chairman, it's my responsibility to make sure every part of the association is running smoothly and right now that means checking on the other chimera ants," explained Cheadle. "Not to mention I need a quick distraction."
"Let me guess, that Pariston guy left you a few bumps before he left the job." Pitou's guess was correct by Cheadle's annoyed look. "Wow, he really is a rat."
"Do you have a problem with rodents?" Both women turn to see a teenage girl with red hair looking at them, they then noticed that the girl had a rat-like tail.
After seeing the tail Pitou quickly waves her hands. "Oh no not at all, we were just talking about a guy who screwed Cheadle over." Cheadle didn't say a word but watched the exchange between the two.
"I see," said the girl before extending her hand. "I'm Reina."
Pitou began to extend her hand. "Hi, Reina, I'm Nefer-" Pitou stopped as she looked at Reina's eyes, eyes she recognized well. Pitou's hand slowly fell into her other hand. "You already know me," She paused for a moment. "Kite."
Kite smiled, "I'm not so sure, you are nothing like the person from my memories, are you sure you are the same Neferpitou I fought in my previous life?"
Pitou gave a sad smile. "Yeah, I'm the same person, just a lot of things have changed about me. I've seen a lot and done a lot since we've last met."
"Come, let's talk inside," as Kite lead them inside to a small room where a teapot appeared to be heated and ready. "I don't know if the tea's still warm, I just got done having a conversation with someone else."
Pitou could tell it was the Koala Chimera ant that was following them, he and several others were watching from the shadows or trying to listen through the door. She came back as Cheadle handed her a cup of tea. "Thank you."
Cheadle took a sip of tea. "This is quite nice."
"My current caretaker Colt has a good taste. In his past life, his mother had a great fondness for tea," explained Kite she took a sip of tea herself. "Now I understand why you are here Pitou, but may I ask why the new Chairman of the Hunter Association is here?"
"While I don't believe things will go south here, I know it would comfort a lot of people if I watched over this meeting, not to mention it gives me a chance to meet with the Chimera Ants that came to our side during the conflict in East Gortoeu."
"I see," said Kite before turning to Pitou. "I must say I am quite surprised to see you here. When I heard you were coming here to talk, I honestly had some doubt, but seeing you now, I can tell you've changed."
"Yeah, I met a new friend who helped me with a wardrobe change." Said Pitou trying to make a joke.
Kite smiled, "Yes, I can see you've had a change in our appearance, but that's only a small fraction of it."
Pitou gave a long look at Kite, "Aren't you angry at me, I killed you and turned what was left of you into a little girl."
Kite hummed as she thought for a moment. "That has been a question on my mind for a while now, should I be angry that I died at the hands of a superior opponent, or was it Kite that died. Until I got my memory back I thought I was just a little girl playing with her toys, as I started remembering Kite I thought I was he, but what are we Chimera Ants, people who are reborn, or do we just have leftover memories of the people that made us."
"I...don't know, I've never had a flashback or memories of any life before this one," said Pitou. "I'm sorry, I don't have a better answer for you."
"Is that a question you will be trying to answer?"
"No," said Pitou quickly. "I'm going to find out who I am now, not who I was before."
"Moving forward, that good," said Kite as she put her Tea. "I plan on doing the same. I acknowledge that I am Kite but I am also no longer Kite, that part of me vows to get stronger so this new life I have won't be cut short."
"So you forgive me?" Pitou asked somewhat in disbelief.
Kite was silent for a moment. "...Not completely," this caused Pitou to look down. "But I also acknowledge that you have been making steps and an effort to be a better person than you were before." Pitou looked at the girl in silence. "Maybe someday I can forgive you, but right now the most I can give you is a chance to earn it."
"I'll take it," said Pitou with a smile happy to just have a chance. "I really want to make amends for everything that I and the others did. I realize now we were born with too much power and we grew up way too fast, we truly were nothing but stupid children."
Kite was surprised by this statement. "Wow, you really have been through a lot, could you please tell me your tale."
As Pitou retold her tale once more as she did more Chimera Ants came out of hiding to listen to the story, even Kite's amateur hunter team came out to listen. "After that fight, I ran towards the direction that Killua went, where I ran into the other hunters, I was so exhausted from my fight with Illumi I passed out when Ghoto came by and said he and the other butlers would keep the hunters from attacking me. When I woke up I was in the hunter HQ, where I spoke with Cheadle and we came to the same agreement as the rest of the Chimera Ants.
"Wow, you've been through a lot, Neferpitou." Pitou turned to the bird Chimera that was standing behind Kite. "I am happy about the results."
"Thanks...Colt." As Pitou remembered him, he was the one that asked her to save the queen but she refused. "I don't suppose you guys have been on any adventures since NGL?"
"No," said Colt as he shook his head. "The only adventure I have is watching over Reina." This caused Kite to look up at him, not in any particular way, but as if responding to the name.
"Speaking of which.." said an amused voice, Pitou turned the human female that was sitting not too far away from Kite. She had long red hair and in Pitou's opinion, she somewhat reminded her of Jessica. "You said you had a friend who was an expert in clothes, right?" This caused Kite to visible flinch. "She wouldn't happen to have a good dress for our girl, Kite."
"Jessica could definitely find something for Kite, miss…"
"SPINNER!" yelled Kite answering Pitou's question. "For the last time, I am not your dress-up doll."
"Reina, there is no need for yelling," said Colt in a stern but fatherly tone.
Kite or Reina in this case shrank a little after being scolded. "Yes, sir." Her response caused a few in the room to grin or laugh lightly.
Pitou blinked a few times before looking at the faces in the room for a moment. "What was that?"
"I think I understand," said Cheadle. "While this girl is Kite for awhile she was a
newborn baby and after that a small child, during that time she was being raised by Colt. No matter how much of Kite is in there, the little girl Colt raised is in there as well, am I correct?"
Kite nodded. "Yeah, it's one of many things I'm trying to get used to' he said to Cheadle before turning to Spinner. "and no I will not be wearing any of those dresses you keep trying to put on me."
Then the girl in the yellow outfit leaned forward. "But didn't you wear that bear onesie that Colt bought you?"
Kite flinched again. "Those are comfortable, Banana."
"Excuse me, is Kite here?" They all turned to the door to see Gon, Killua, and Alluka coming in.
"Cat Lady!" As Alluka waved at Pitou.
"Hi," said Pitou as she waved back.
"Gon, Killua, perfect timing," said Kite, as she gestured to some open chairs near Pitou. "Please sit down."
Killua looked around the room. "What did we miss?" asked Killua as he sat down on the couch with Alluka sitting in-between Killua and Pitou.
"Oh nothing much," said Kite trying to push the conversation to a new subject when she noticed Gon was looking at her. "Come, sit," Kite ordered.
Gon did as he was told and sat on the end of the couch. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry, I wasn't strong enough, but next time I promise I will protect you, Kite."
"What you did after you Pitou buried my body worries me more," said Kite referring to when Gon went Beserk, chased after Pitou, and fought the Ant King. "I heard you went crazy overboard in East Gortoeu."
"Yeah, I almost died."
"You fought an opponent that was far stronger than the one that claimed my first life." Pitou felt slightly uncomfortable about the topic and was about to leave before Killua quickly but quietly grabbed her sleeve, signaling her to sit down. "In the end, you still weren't able to best the ant king, he was far stronger than you even with poison running in his veins. In the end, only Chairman Netero's last trap was able to take Meruem's life. In the end, all of your efforts amounted to nothing." Kite's words hit Gon hard. "Though I guess I'm in the same boat, I could do nothing against my own opponent." Kite looked towards Pitou who flinched for a moment before Alluka took Pitou's hand and gave her a smile. "For better or worse it seems." As he gave Kite a small smile. "That aside, it seems that we must get stronger," before looking at Killua. "All of us."
"Right," said Killua. "We have a long way to go before we get to the same level as the Zodiacs, I've only just met them but even I can tell they're far stronger than me and Gon."
"Well, we do have far more experience than you two," said Cheadle. "You two will get there sooner rather than later."
Gon blinked. "Ms. Cheadle, how long have you been here?"
The room went silent before Kite spoke. "She's been here before you."
Gon was embarrassed now. "Oh, my bad."
"It's quite alright, Gon," said Cheadle. "You have a lot going on and after meeting your father, I'm certainly not high on your list of people you need to speak to at the moment."
"Speaking of Ging," as Kite took back the conversation. "I heard you met him."
"Yeah I did," said Gon with a smile. "Have you?"
"He was one of my first visitors," admitted Kite. "I believe he snuck away during one of the nights of the election." This earned an annoyed look from Cheadle hearing that Ging was bailing out on his responsibilities again. "You should go to him."
Gon expression turned at that comment. "I would if I could."
"Huh?" Kite sighed. "Did he at least leave you a location to meet up with him?"
"Yeah, I'm supposed to meet him at the world tree."
"What?" blurted Cheadle as she stood up. "He's not supposed to go anywhere, I requested all Zodiacs to stay so we could make a plan for the association."
"But I thought my dad quit being a Zodiac."
Cheadle turned to stone as she died a little inside. "...What?"
"Yeah this morning when I went to go find him, I ran into that Bean guy and he said Ging left and resigned from the Zodiacs this morning."
Slowly the room began to fill with killing intent as Cheadle slowly began to turn red with anger causing many to take a step away from the woman.
Gon became nervous, "Ms. Cheadle?"
"Dog Lady is angry," said Alluka as Killua pulled her back.
"Uh, Cheadle," said Pitou the only one brave enough to stay close. "How about we take a deep breath." Cheadle whipped her head to Pitou. "Or not."
Cheadle then smiled at her. "Pitou how would like to help me hunt down a deadbeat bastard with me?"
Pitou gulped. "...uh I don't think that's a good idea."
"Ging, you idiot," muttered Kite.
"Let this be a lesson boys, never send a letter for a break-up, do it upfront." joked Spinner.
Killua turned to Gon. "Well, it looks like we're hunting down your dad….again."
"Yeah and it sounds like we're not going alone."
Alluka clapped. "Road trip with Dog Lady and Cat Lady."
Next Time: The Final Chapter | You want to read this now just head over to my page. ~P-A-T-R-E-O-N~ Lorenzo the story teller. There you can read all chapters a head of time and my exclusive stories.
A/N: Well Guys it's been a blast, the next chapter will be the last one, it's currently on my ~P-A-T-R-E-O-N~ I will post it to this sight in a month maybe two, or maybe when I start posting some of the other fics I've been working on. Thinking about making it a vote for my Patrons. But don't worry I will post the last Chapter on this website.
Ps. the whole thing with Pariston is a bit of head cannon of mine, I always thought Pariston would have done something more to screw over the election, what do you think.
Patrons: Re the Novice Artist | James Glenn Chandler | Just A Viewer| ZhaZee Vang | Asmunder Helgi | Weeb Supreme | Cortland | MegaDuck |Eric | WildZappa | Jeffery Flumerfelt | HyperDragoonSV | OmgWAffLE3D | lightze
Thanks for all the support, it really means a lot.
~Lorenzo the Story Teller