21989 area unknown
I remember the story but not the writer, the play not the cast, and the setting not the name. But one thing I do remember is the man holding me right now. I look at this scruffy man holding a fishing poll holding another babe in his other arm. I don't recognize all he said, I don't recognize most of what happened in this first three years of my life, I mostly remember four little words that define my quest for the next few years and snippets of stories read throughout our time traveling. People and faces come and go, stories are read and history passes through my newborn head. This scruffy man, not caring for anything, told me four little words when he dropped me with a red headed woman all those years ago… "Find your dad, Razor"
—
1994
Whale Island forest, whale island
"GON!" Shouted a young boy running around the forest as fast as possible. "GON WHERE ARE YOU? YOU'RE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE WHEN I FIND YOU BUT YOU'LL BE IN MORE IF YOUR HURT!" The figure rushes from tree branch to tree branch before hearing a roar. The figure stops for a single second, paling beyond a reasonable level and rushing towards the sound of the angered roar. Only knowing the sound from the stories of the few predators on land around the island the boy increases his speed with every tree passed in the direction of the roar, knowing only one person dumb enough on the island to piss of a fox bear. "GON YOU IDIOT!"
Hearing the sound of a cry from a boy and a wounded scream from an animal he finally happens on a clearing, seeing a man kill the foxbear with a single sword swing and nearly collapsing in relief at seeing the other boy safe and sound. Before punching him across the face and nodding to the man while catching his breath while taking a knee.
"Heh heh, thank you for saving my idiot, please allow me to repay you sir." The boy pants bowing his head slightly to the man in front of him. The man is a tall gaunt figure, wearing brown boots, blue pants and a long sleeved white shirt. Around his waist he wears a light blue sash wrapped around three times. He had long white hair, a thin narrow face, a hooked nose and a pointed chin with a blue flat cap on his head. "Now that I've said that." The boys still shadowed face finally faces towards the light showing spiky purple hair with pink tips, facing towards the man he can see a more square jaw and blue eyes. He was wearing a white dress shirt, brown cargo pants and black dress shoes.
Slowly turning his head with shadowed eyes he looks down at 'idiot' and smiles so coldly water would freeze in his mouth. The other boy tried to make himself smaller in the face of the older boy's rage, and seemed to be about to run just as the purple haired boy grabbed his hair. Slowly the purple haired boy speaks, not just with rage but also disappointment. "Gon this mother is dead because of you being an idiot in nature. And if it wasn't for either this man or your fool's luck then you would be dead instead of this mom protecting her cubs."
The man looked startled at the change in both boys, both locked eyes and looking into this conversation, the man can only have a quiet laugh at this and then adds for the purple haired boy after schooling his features "and now this cub is without a mother."
The purple haired boy stands finally, nodding to the man and dragging his 'idiot' towards the child fox bear and forces the 'idiot' to bow with him towards the young cub. "I'm sorry cub" said the boy seriously "we will do our best to care for you, and do our best to try and fill the void your mother left in your world."
Here the man grinned openly at the two boys, impressed by what he had seen. Sheathing his katana the man crossed his arms smirking at this scene, interested in who the two boys names. After asking as much he is startled by their answer.
"I am Gene Freecs, this is my little cousin Gon." Gene smiled towards the man, still shocked at their last name. When seeing the boys reach out their hands to him he shakes them asking one more question. "Do you know a man named Ging?"
"My dad?" Asked a curious Gon. Gon, much like Gene, is a spiky green haired boy in a white shirt and green shorts. Gon looks more startled then even the man at this news.
"Your dad?" Asked the excited man, for the first time showing pure excitement at the knowledge. "Do you know where he is?"
"No he is a deadbeat."
"…"
"…"
"…"
"So no?" Asked a visibly disappointed man. Looking tired but even more determined at the idea this is just another clue, the man whose name is Kite, agrees to take the boys and the cub towards their home, hoping to get more clues on their father.
Along the way Gene has one question. "What is nen?" Startling the man slightly once again. Thinking of what to answer, the man thinks for a second before saying "nen is the expression of the mind over a person's life." He says noncommittally, wondering what the boy will do next. Kite thinks in the situation, walking with his master's son and nephew, with their newly adopted fox bear behind them while talking about a technical secret of the hunters world. 'This is the set for a bad joke isn't it?' The hunter thinks to himself in some amusement 'a hunter, two kids and a fox bear walks through the woods' he thinks with a mental laugh.
"That's nice" Gene answers looking up at the man with a sarcastic smirk. "But I guess I walked into that without asking how to train it." Looking back towards Gon and seeing his confusion, he answers that unasked question with an indulgent smile before answering the unasked question. "I remember very few things from when Ging was here, and I remember him saying a few things and leaving a puzzle only we can solve with Mito. Along the way here he talked of puzzles made of Nen, and us having to be grateful that he is going to all the trouble."
"You have that puzzle?" Kite asked interestedly, completely willing to trade training them in order to see this puzzle and understand his master's riddles for a hint.
"Explanations of nen please." Gene called back uncaringly while taking a small sack from his pocket and picking some berries, occasionally tossing a few to the fox bear that Gon has named "Kon" who happily yipped at the food. 'Seems the boys already accepted their new pet huh' smiling before looking at the two boys and judging them silently.
"Well then" smirked Kite, looking towards the two boys and seeing different parts of his master "how can I refuse this chance?" He questioned sitting down.
The boys and Kon all follow suit as Kite draws four characters on the floor in a line, with arrows flowing from one to another.
"The first part is Ten." Kite proclaimed, tapping the first kanji for the way of explanation. "When you unlock your Nen aura you release your life energy at an astonishing rate. This means if you can't control your Ten you can die. As a trade off your physical and mental abilities reach superhuman levels, and aging is reduced to a snail's pace" Circling ten he moves on to the next one.
"Zetsu" he explains " is the complete keeping of the aura inside the body. Mastering this means you won't be felt except by someone with a higher skill then yours. It can be said that this is one of the most useful basic skills of nen." Looking up to see the two boys, and amusedly the fox bear, he continues on with his impromptu lecture.
"Ren, the amplification of Ten" grabbing a couple berries from Genes bag and laughing at his questioning look, he shows the two berries are different in size. "Ten" motioning towards the smaller berry "is keeping the aura contained, and watching it grow. While Ren" motioning towards the larger one now "is the explosive release of Nen to bolster everything a hundred fold.
"Finally hatsu, the expression of Nen, and the unique way you let it out inside the world." He says wondering what Gene will ask next. Still, he should have expected it.
"Can you unlock our aura?"
Five simple words, from the son of his master. Kite smirked and nodded. Wondering if they will live through this. "Will do kid, make your father proud"
Noticing the two different, yet reflective looks of determination, Kite does the only thing he can even think of doing, he grabs both boys by the shoulder and watches them scream as Kon hides behind a nearby tree. Strangely Kite can feel it easier to unlock Genes then Gons, smirking and realizing he would have unlocked it the slow way in another two years himself. Ging really does come from a family of prodigies huh?
"You're both unlocked" he said as they can finally feel and see their own aura now. "Control your aura and hold it tight to your bodies". Seeing a ten and eight year old right now, both slowly controlling their auras, Kite can only grin sharply.
—
"MOM!" "Aunt Mito!" Shouted Gene running with his brother in all but name towards their two story house on a cliff looking over the ocean, Gene and Gon run towards their home with Kon following excitedly. Mito is shocked to see a man and a foxbear following her two adoptive sons, looking towards the two questioningly, when hearing the story she becomes angrier and angrier at Gon.
"I am so sorry Mr. Kite" Mito said, bowing her head towards the strange man, thankful for the support from him in watching out for her most energetic child. "Please stay with us for your time here, and please relax. It's the least I can do after you saved one of my boys."
"I can see where your son learned his manners from Ms. Freecs" Kite said, smiling kindly at the worried mother. "But I'm also going to train them so they don't do anything like this again. After all I owe Ging this at least."
Hearing the name of her cousin Mito is wide eyed, and immediately asks what he knows of Ging. Hearing he is an artifact hunter and the story of Ging meeting Kite is choking to the single mother, and hearing that Kite will train her boys to be as safe as possible makes her at least somewhat comfortable with the idea of a professional hunter helping her boys. When asked about the puzzle Mito looks shocked before sighing and grabbing it. "Gene said that only when both of them are hunters are they allowed to solve this. And they have to be hunters in order to even start it."
Kite, clicking his tongue with a smile, decides to start training the boys anyway. Giving Mito his cell number to call him while they go out to train. Kite decides to cook dinner with Mito instead of doing all the cooking herself, and her not allowing a guest to do the work for her. All the while Gene and the boys great grandmother look upon this scene kindly, then when facing each other, they can only smirk conspiratorially.
—
1997, November 2nd Whale island
'Kite left a year ago following a trail' a smirking Gene looks to Mito, smirking as the woman converses on the phone with a man. 'Most likely he found uncle already, but now I have my own type of journey to do. Still, it's nice to have someone like Kite as a father figure for myself and Gon.' He thought while packing his bag for his trip. 'After all, I'm going to need it after this.'
"Okay mom! I'm going to go now!" Gene shouted happily while inside terrified of the ritual he is about to conduct on himself. A year ago he found out Gon, surprise surprise is an enhancer, but myself? I'm an enhancer, considering I thought myself a manipulator I'll take it. Then again, I'm doing this aren't I?
"Make sure your careful okay Gene" said a worrying Mom, I do love her in a familial role, but this will make me lose the parts of myself that can't accept that, after all this world chews the average and the ordinary up, so I'll give one advantage for another. I won't die until I'm extraordinary, and I won't rest till I have my answers to all my questions.
"Make sure you bring back something good bro!" Shouted gon from out the window, still practicing his enhancement exercises. Smiling towards his brother he shouts "WILL DO!"
Waving to his mother, great grandmother and pseudo brother and walking deeper into the forest as he slowly loses his smile he finally makes it to the clearing. Folding his shirts and undershirt off his body as he makes his way towards his destination he smiles at all the clearings. Making a stop towards Kon the fox bear decided to guard the village, strong as he is, from other predators in the forest. In response the people of whale island give him food and other things in gratitude. Gene can only smile when seeing what amounts to his family pet being the guardian of his village makes him think of Mike, and snort at the insane comparison. After his little visit he continues walking towards a giant ash tree, hidden from prying eyes
A small clearing on the other side of the forest with nothing but a bag that has a collapsible spear and a noose. He can't help but laugh at the absurdity of what he is going to do, but is determined to see it through
"I know I hang along a windy tree nine long nights
Wounded with a spear dedicated to Odin
Myself to myself
On that tree in which no man knows
From where it's roots run"
Tying the nose while climbing the tree, and looping it through the branches Gene recites the poem of Odin's thirst for knowledge. Connecting the spear into its full version and smiling hesitantly upon it. He is glad he didn't even try to explain to his mom anything more then a camping trip, and had given Gon the wrong side of the forest to look in while he is bored for the next two weeks while he does this bout of stupidity.
"No bread did they give me nor a drink from a horn
Downwards I peered
I look upon the runes
Screaming I took them
Then I fell back from there"
'The tale of the high one- story of Odin's hanging of the world tree'
I smile grimly and do the most idiotic thing I ever have done. I offer my knowledge of the future, the characters, the plot, the things that make me special. All for the knowledge that this brings. I'm a prodigy but that's if no consequence, I'm strong but there are to many things that can kill me. 'If all I do is worry well' I think to myself 'I'll die anyway, so take my advantage Odin. "TAKE IT ALL TO GIVE ME THE RIGHT TO SURVIVE!" I scream to the heavens piercing my side and hanging from the nose with nothing but my nen keeping me alive and conscious. I'm an enhancer, the three specialties of an enhancer are projecting aura, creating nen beasts, and straight up long range variety.
I wonder what new things I will get, and if I can finally sleep at night without worrying about the things that will kill my family, if Kite received the hints about the chimera ants in the green kingdom? What will happen now? I grin through the self inflicted pain, who knows? All I know is I will sleep again, and be a better protector to my family than ever before. 'I wonder how different the world will be?' I think to myself before screaming, screaming to the world with the sound of a man being burned or an animal dying before his screams turned silent as his nen did the screaming for him howling around his body and the tree, but undetectable from outside the clearing.