Beta:
(≧ڡ≦*)
Before the group headed out, Miwa called Kite away.
"Um..." Miwa hesitantly tugged on Kite's shirt.
Kite looked down at her. "Yes?"
"Would it—do you think it'd be possible if I could hold the sample?" Miwa asked.
"What do you want to do with it?" Kite frowned.
"I'm... kind of a sensor of sorts. There's a type of energy emanating from it, and I want to feel it," Miwa slowly explained. While she didn't feel Kite was a bad person, per say, she didn't feel comfortable explaining everything to him.
"Hmmm... Okay," said Kite, offering her a smile. "Treat it carefully."
Kite pulled out the small jar with the claw inside. Uncapping it, he poured the claw out and into Miwa's expecting hands.
Oi, kit. Can I get a closer look at it directly?
'Um...'
I won't hurt it.
'You sure?'
... Reasonably.
'Meh.'
As Kurama interacted with the world through his chakra, Miwa had to envelop a small portion of the ant arm in it. It said a lot about how careful Kurama was, because he was being so precious with it that his chakra didn't even start burning it. He only probed at it for a few seconds before he pulled back, not wanting to risk destroying it.
This arm... this creature... It comes from someplace like me.
'What do you mean?'
It's not a chakra-based creature, but there is a certain type of energy inside it similar to my own. I would guess that it originates from an environment that exudes volatile energy. Curious. The only other comparison I could make would be an ant that lived near a bijū all its life, but even that's not quite right, as it clearly cannot withstand my chakra for more than a few seconds. Interesting, very interesting. I wouldn't mind meeting more of such creatures.
'So... it's not from this world?'
I doubt it.
Miwa felt a very odd kinship with the creature.
She wondered if they had arrived here through similar means.
"Well?" asked Kite as Miwa handed the claw back.
"Um... Chimera Ants... aren't from this world, are they?" Miwa ran her fingers through her hair.
Kite smiled at her. "Correct. They're from a place called the Dark Continent."
'Wow. Gotta check that place out then.'
Could be fun.
'There might be other bijū there.'
Maybe.
The thought of finding more creatures like Kurama filled Miwa with a simple joy. As soon as she, Gon, and Killua had a moment alone, she'd tell her friends what she had learned with Kurama.
(≧ڡ≦*)
They had gathered in a rather cramped car. Stick Dinner drove, with Kite, Gon,and Killua up front. Kite sat in the passenger seat, and Gon and Killua were squashed in between. Miwa had to sit on their laps.
Well, okay, she didn't have to. She could have easily ran alongside the car without breaking a sweat but she missed them so much and wanted an easy excuse to cuddle.
Gon was never going to say no to cuddles, and apparently Killua missed Miwa too because he also accepted the cuddles and head pats.
The rest of the colleagues were in the back, and some of them definitely made some aww faces at the children being cuddle buddies.
They drove through a barren region, only sand and rocks in sight. Kite leaned against the window. "It hasn't rained in this area for months. The weather is unusual this year. It's possible that this is affecting the wildlife in some way."
"So the insect with the large leg could have been a mutation influenced by these conditions," theorized Spin.
"But why would it have grown larger?" questions Banana.
"In order to survive right?" countered Mon. "If it's bigger, it'd have a better chance of securing food."
"But that would mean it'd need more, as well," disagreed Banana. "Being larger doesn't always aid survival. I believe this is related to the Chimera Ant's unique nature, not to the environment."
Spin nodded. "Yeah, that'd make sense. Because they reproduce in a way not found in any other organism."
"What do you mean?" asked Gon.
"They reproduce through a special process known as phagogenesis," said Kite. "When a Chimera Ant queen eats other organisms she is able to pass traits on from those organisms to the next generation. And she can also eat multiple species to pass on a mix of genes to her offspring. With each feeding, she lays one to five eggs. The first generation of births has no reproductive capability so they become worker or soldier ants. They work in service to the queen and her eventual successors. Those successors are the king and queen of the next generation. The queen is thus always looking to consume the genes of strong organisms so she can pass them to offspring. She may consume any species she particularly likes to extinction."
"To extinction?" gasped Gon.
Spin said, "Yeah, her voracious appetite can drive her to consume her own weight many times over in a single day. That's why Chimera Ants are under a class-1 quarantine."
"So if she sets her eyes on you, you're finished?" Killua frowned. "Judging from the size of that claw, her length is at least two meters. That thing could devour a human in no time."
"Yes, you are correct," said Kite.
(≧ڡ≦*)
The group had a small break to stretch their legs out in the car before heading out again. Miwa used that opportunity to fill Gon and Killua in on what she had learned.
When she had finished explaining Kurama's story to her friends they sat back in silence.
"I wonder if the ants are like that," Gon thought out loud. "They just kind of arrived here right? Must have been scary."
"If the ants evolve on what they eat and if they've already eaten humans... could they become like humans?" Killua wondered.
Gon cocked his head. "You mean could they have emotions like humans? Huh. That sounds really interesting. I wanna find out!"
"Me, too," admitted Miwa.
"Who knows," Gon mused, "the queen might have met someone like Kurama before."
Miwa's eyes shined. "Oh! Do you think that'd be possible?"
"Only one way to find out." Gon had a sunny smile.
"Beat it to submission until it starts answering our questions?" Killua smirked.
"Exactly!" exclaimed Gon, causing Miwa to giggle.
(≧ڡ≦*)
The next day the group had arrived to meet the last of the colleagues, two small adults named Lin and Podungo. As it turned out, the arm had been originally found in that area. Lin and Podungo had questioned the locals, but the only lead that could be discovered was that it washed up on the beach.
The group searched the area for any signs, but they couldn't find anything concrete. It had rained heavily since the arm was originally found, so they couldn't even track it from scents.
The group checked in to a local hotel to regroup and assess where to go next.
According to Kite, the queen would move around until she found a place she liked and then she'd build a nest. From there, it wouldn't be much longer until she amassed an army.
Using the internet, they examined the currents over the past ten days to theorize a trajectory.
"... It could have come from any of the Balsa Island," said Kite as he peered at the computer. "Including the Mitene Union."
"Mitene Union, huh..."
"Oh, where the NGL Autonomous Region is," commented Banana.
"Yes, as well as the East Gorteau," murmured Kite. "There's no getting information out of those two countries."
Killua folded his arms over his chest. "What's NGL?"
"It's an acronym, standing for Neo-Green Life," explained Banana.
"It's a country founded by people who wanted to live in nature, away from machine civilization," added Stick.
"Here," said Spin as she pulled up a map.
Mitene Union was a long island comprised of five different countries—NGLA Autonomous Region, Republic of Rokario, Hass Republic, Republic of West Gorteau, and Republic of East Gorteau.
Spin tapped at the NGL. It was the furthest country to the west. "It uses letters to communicate and it's primary means of transportation is by horse. Anyone knowingly bringing technology into the country is subject to execution. In '87 a three-man TV crew was caught trying to enter the country to get a stoyr. One was executed and the other two remain in prison. Of its 2.17 million population, 99% belong to the Neo-Green Life Party, with the rest being support volunteers."
"If," Kite said slowly, "the Chimera Ant washed ashore there, how would the NGL citizenry react? They probably wouldn't do anything. When a deadly epidemic spread throughout the area, they let nature run its course, refusing to admit international doctors. Even if they tried to contact the outside world it would be too late by the time word arrived. If that arm belonged to the Chimera Ant queen she may have already begun to build her nest."
"Then I guess we should confirm," said Miwa.
"Yes," agreed Kite. "Spin—?"
"Already buying the tickets to the Mitene Union," she said, typing away at the computer.
"But to reach NGL, we'll have to take an airship to the neighboring Republic of Rokario, and travel by land from there."
"It ant gonna be easy to get into a country of such nasty rumors," chuckled Stick.
Killua cocked his head. "Nasty rumors?"
"Have you heard of D2?"
"Yes," bemoaned Miwa. "Ugh. I hate that thing."
D2 was a narcotic that had been rampant in Meteor City. Along with a lot of other drugs, but the D2 had been the most common one. Miwa's clones accidentally blew up a stash of it, and the powder was so powerful it made the clones pop. It was a dangerous drug that incited primal urges in anyone who took, and pumped them full of dopamine in the process. Anyone on D2 wouldn't think twice about their actions. Angry? Beat anyone into a pile of goo. Horny? Hole's a hole, willing or not. Hungry? Flesh is flesh, human or not.
According to Chrollo, D2 was the main drug responsible for the rampant increase in cannibals in Meteor City in recent years. Of course there had always been cannibals, but with D2's release that number doubled.
If Miwa ever got her hands on the asshole who made the stupid thing—
Kite seemed briefly amused by Miwa's frustrations. He explained to Gon and Killua, "It's an ingestible drug that's propagating rapidly throughout urban areas worldwide. It's derived from the bila tree, native to the Mitene Union. They claim that over 80% of the world's bila trees are located in NGL."
"So the nasty rumors are saying that the drug is being manufactured in NGL?" Killua concluded.
'Kurama—'
I'm sensing—
'If you're sensing bijū bomb time, you would be correct. If that's where the drugs are, I think we should pay it special attention.'
Yes.
"It's not confirmed," said Kite. "No one has been able to publicly prove it."
"When people try to get in to investigate, they're executed," Spin said with a shrug.
"Hmm," was all Miwa said in response to that.
"We'll need to head out in an hour," said Spin, tapping on the monitor. "Got our tickets."
"Good. Take a breather then we'll pack up and move out."
"Ah... we probably won't have good coverage at NGL, will we?" Miwa realized.
"No," said Kite.
"Okay, be right back," she said, hopping out the window and jumping up onto the roof to make a quick phone call.
It rang three times until someone picked up.
"... Hello?"
"Hi," said Miwa. "Just checking in."
"Everything is fine," said Chrollo. "I almost have the fūinjutsu alphabet memorized."
"Wow."
"I'll practice on explosive notes first," continued Chrollo.
"Oh! I have some extra chakra ink prepared if you want to use that," said Miwa. "It's in my desk."
"I saw." Miwa thought she could feel Chrollo smile. "Thank you."
"Um, I wanted to give you a heads-up I'll be going to a place that probably won't have good cell service. The Mitene Union."
"Oh. You should avoid the NGL if you can."
"That's actually where we're going."
Chrollo fell silent.
"They have a massive drug trafficking ring there," he said slowly.
"I am aware."
"Are you going to clean them up like you did with the cannibals?"
"Solid chance."
"One of the leaders," he said, "collects maps."
"You want me to steal the maps while I'm there?"
"Might as well."
"Okay," Miwa agreed. "Um. If there's an emergency, please split my hiraishin tag since I probably won't be getting any phone calls."
"Understood," he said.
"... The cannibals haven't come back, right?"
"There was a secret cult worshiping some type of tentacle monster but Nobunaga and Feitan cleared that out," said Chrollo, amusement in his tone.
"I missed destroying a secret cult?" Miwa gasped. Argh! That sounded so much fun. "Please tell me it was boring and I didn't miss out on anything."
There was a long pause. "It was boring."
"Thank you for lying to me."
"The cult leader is still alive. Do you want us to keep her alive for you?"
"Nah... hunt is over, and it's not fun to play with used up prey."
Chrollo made an acknowledging noise. "Have fun at NGL."
"Think they'll have secret cults worshiping something weird?" Miwa asked with hope in her voice.
"No."
"You could have lied to me."
"I could have. I chose not to. Goodbye, child."
"Goodbye," she sighed, hanging up.
(≧ڡ≦*)
She had but one more important task to do before she was completely ready to disconnect.
She teleported to Kurapika, a cup of hot cocoa in her hands. She had purchased the cocoa from the village while they were waiting for their airships. She requested whip cream on top and a chocolate drizzle to make it extra ooey gooey sweet.
Kurapika did not immediately react to her presence. He sat in a dimly lit room, his gaze focused on a computer screen in front of him. Slowly, he turned his head to face Miwa.
She held out the hot cup of cocoa.
He quietly accepted it.
"Doing okay?" she asked him.
"Everything is progressing well," he answered. "What's this for?"
"To warm you up," she said. "I—I was afraid you'd get cold again."
Miwa hadn't been able to visit Kurapika often because of how busy she was. The young man did not reach out to her either. Too focused on reclaiming the lost eyes of his clansmen, in addition to finding out more information about the flesh market so he and Miwa could destroy it.
Miwa had given him a lot of hiraishin placement tags. He only had to slap one down on a hard surface, and it would mark the area for Miwa to teleport to. He had been strategically placing them in preparation for their eventual assault.
Time in the underworld did not do his heart kindly. Kurapika was someone who ought to fight to defend, instead of fighting to avenge. He was a sweet soul, and being drenched in death and misery took a toll on him.
Miwa was afraid he'd become too cold one day.
That one day he'd be out of her reach just like—
For a moment he blurred in her vision, overlapping with different faces.
With her other hand, she pulled off his goggles and held them up to him. Her voice was cracking now. "They're broken. C-Cracked. I can't see straight out of them, but I'm going to keep hold of them 'til I die, because th-they're precious. Even if they don't work r-right anymore, th-they're still precious. Th-They're still loved. I still believe in them."
Her heart thumped loudly and painfully in her chest.
Kurapika took a deep drink of the hot cocoa. He smiled at her. It was small, but still kind.
"Thank you," he said.
"I'm going to be out of contact for a while," she said, feeling her throat tighten all of a sudden. "Please tear a tag if you need me."
"Understood," Kurapika responded.
Miwa shifted her weight anxiously. "Kurapika?"
"Yes?"
She reached forward and hugged him. She hugged him as tight as she dared, terrified of what would happen when she let go. "Please stay warm."
He patted her back.
(≧ڡ≦*)
I thought about writing stuff from the Ant's perspective but I literally wouldn't change anything from the manga/anime yet so not much point lol. Much more fun to watch the ants animated with all the gore, screams, and delicious tension. Episode 76 is the start for those interested. ^^
God, I love this arc.
This chapter is kind of short, but the next one will be longer. See y'all next week!
Answer: Tōshirō Hitsugaya, Sōsuke Aizen, and Lelouch Lamperouge. Sōsuke and Lelouch are brilliant strategists, and I feel they would constantly compete against one another which would be fun to watch. Tōshirō because childhood nostalgia and I have a soft spot for tsunderes.
Question: And who would you want to rule beside you? Or would you prefer to rule completely alone?
Reviews are love!