We sat quietly on a branch looking over the edge. The blue fog just above us our heads, impossible to see through. Mushrooms were more abundant up here from the moisture. The smell was murky, thick and warm in my nose. I didn't like it, but I was here for Ahmad. I noticed his shirt was still torn from the back and shoulder, exposing much of his tanned muscles.
"I know you want to talk to me Raine," he said grabbing my attention. "My mood has been kind of weary since the wolf appeared and I figured you saw something with me in it. It was inevitable."
I looked away. "I'm that obvious?"
He laughed. "You aren't the best liar either. But I'm glad you're with me." His eyes still focused on the rainforest. "I couldn't argue with Kurapika either. Your senses are exceptional."
I hid a smile and studied the forest too. I closed my eyes, listening intently. Sounds of water drops and insect chirps echoed in my ears. There was no wind, so the shaking of branches would give me a hint. Especially for its size. "I hear nothing yet. It doesn't seem close."
"I think so too."
I cleared my throat as we pushed further. "You were right...I did want to talk to you. Well—more like wanted to make sure you're okay. I'm sorry if I'm over stepping my boundaries." A small ache pressed in my throat, my body heating up. I hadn't even used my power on him and yet I had never felt so guilty. I couldn't shake off the cruel ways Riv had the wolf kill. Ahmad hid his past well. His smile was too calming, reminding me how strong he was to move on with his life. And me? I've never experienced killing like that before. The perspective of hurting his mother, as if I did it with my own hands...was haunting.
I could taste the sweat falling to my lips. I wiped my face.
"It's okay, Raine." He placed a hand on my shoulder. "You saw what you saw. I'm certain you were shown all the lives that wolf has taken, and it also confuses me when you show it kindness. It doesn't quite sit well but after hearing your thoughts with Kurapika...all I can do is respect your feelings and decisions. You have the full picture, while we only see what was in front of us."
My heart lightened at his response, yet my body refused to accept it as I remained stiff. He read my thoughts perfectly. It felt like someone was finally listening.
"Your feelings are still valid no matter what," I said. "We both know the enemy now is Riv. Benny was..." I huddled into my knees and sighed. "You didn't know this, but the night before our expedition in the jungle..." I looked down at my hands. "I was about to kill an innocent child, my body controlled by someone else's Nen. And if I hadn't broke out of the trance...well, I knew I couldn't live with myself. So when I saw the wolf kill over and over...with his own hands at someone else's will, I knew that wolf was stronger than me. I wondered how it could stay in this world anymore? But it some how found hope in his life to help us out when I would be too weak to keep going. But the wolf's guilt was immense towards you Ahmad."
Guilt, guilt, guilt. That word seems never ending these days.
Ahmad kept still, lost in thought. I peered forward to continue the scout and we jumped to another area in the tree tops.
"I never got to tell you this, but I also think you're strong," I continued. "You use your past experiences to push through to make things better, when others get lost in their past or block it out." I thought of Kurapika and Hisoka. "And I noticed it within the first few hours of traveling with you." I let out a breath, finally saying it aloud. He deserved to know at the very least.
"Do you not think you're strong?" He asked.
I paused, expecting a different response. "Strong..." I quietly repeated.
He smiled. "I can see what Bisky goes on about. You hardly think about yourself or well-being."
"Ha. Which is why I appreciate your efforts to take care of me. And the group. I don't think I'll ever meet another person who brings tea when I'm tired, hurt, upset, or even just sitting by a fire. You are definitely going to stay in my future."
He turned to me with utter sincerity. "Do you mean that, Cinta?"
"Like you said, I'm not the best liar am I?"
"Terrible." He chuckled.
Though we fumbled in the conversation, our senses still tuned in to our surroundings. My hand constantly pressed against the trees' rough bark. My calloused fingers embedded within the cracks, anticipating distant vibrations from its webs. We continued diligently in quiet movements, changing directions towards the strongest signals. Ahmad pointed out hidden webs here and there so I could familiarize myself. Unlike normal spiders, the webs were thick and opaque, reflecting a mossy dark green that blended in with vines. When I focused hard enough, I could detect the paralyzing chemicals radiating off it. Prickling my nose. He also told me to stay away from the eggs because the mother used it to root out its surroundings. It was fascinating...but it was also death.
"It's almost impossible to tell if it has red eyes because of its flowered head," he started. "But because it has appeared under a full moon, and is quite unique in its power, I don't doubt for a second it's working for Riv. In fact, I have a feeling he'll control the spider soon to find us since he lost his main camera if he hasn't already."
"And maybe capture us..." I inspected every rigid tree as quickly as possible. A small breeze carried a few scents to my nose. Bitter, damp fertilizer.
"I know you can protect yourself but I'd hate to lose you." Ahmad crouched near me yet hadn't met my eyes.
His comment took me by surprise. "What do you mean?"
"Well...I—I'm not sure." His head buried into his hand. "I don't know why I said that. Nevermind."
I thought for a moment as I placed a hand on the tree to hold myself and smiled. "Then I'll guess it's because we can relate." That excited feeling when we traveled. When we discovered new things. The moment I entered the jungle I was already guessing about him. Wanting to follow him. We could have been closer friends had we met earlier.
"I thought so...did you—and you don't have to talk about it—but did you lose your mother too?" He asked slowly trying to meet my eyes.
"How did you know?"
"I picked up on something when you mentioned it was just you and your father. Then Kurapika mentioned it in the argument last night... sorry."
"Oh..." My fingers curled in. "Yes...her and my little sister. Because of Riv."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Both our legs perched on the branch. His shoulders tilted towards me though he looked onward.
"What was your mother like?" I asked him.
He laughed. "She was actually a lot like you. You both have brown skin, the same thick hair. Her eyes were green, however. And mainly, she was always looking at the bright side of things. She always encouraged me to never be afraid. She always ran into danger with my father and I..." Ahmad took a deep breath. "And then my father would scold her for being reckless, but we knew we couldn't stop her." He wiped his face. My smile faded as his eyes fell to concern. "Raine...I wasn't so generous before. I was rather cold with the new people I had to lead. My father had lost his touch since she was gone and I had to take on more than I could handle, losing people by the minute to careless mistakes. But when my father said it was my turn to go alone, that he needed a break, it was you who reminded me of her, as if it was a sign for me to keep pushing through. You made me want to be adventurous again to its fullest."
I felt my cheeks heat up, more than the fog had already made them. With a loss for words, I clutched my chest feeling a weight shift in my heart.
Ahmad's smile brightened. "And I can tell you've already influenced those around you."
"I have?" But my heart was still thumping wildly listening to his story. It was the first time I truly heard what went on in someone's life without using my power. No one has ever told me willingly. This...I don't deserve to hear this. But I could listen to him all day if he'd continue to let me.
He chuckled again. "Yes. Kurapika looks more in tune with his feelings and rage. In fact, I saw him meditating this morning and in the pink blossom biome. And Hisoka...it's pretty obvious he's the type of guy that likes to do his own thing. But he's been calm and attentive lately. And Bisky, you two already seem close enough as it is."
"Would you believe I just started talking to all of them five days ago?"
"Really? Well it makes sense because I also haven't known you for very long and yet everything feels..." He tilted his head, running his hands through his hair. "How do I say..."
"It just feels right."
"Yes, precisely. It feels right to be here. We were meant to cross paths."
"I guess I'm just that up-close and personal type of person. It can't be helped." I joked enjoying the deep blue atmosphere. When I peaked down, the perspective of the trees twirling until the trunk touched the ground looked like a piece of art and I got lost in it for a few moments. How did I get here to this moment? I lived on an island my whole life and have been missing out on this place. If my past didn't happen, would I be here today? Would I have never met Ahmad?
Then a small white flower appeared in front of my face. "This can't be helped either." He looked into my eyes with a sheepish grin. They almost twinkled, a hopeful gaze.
I stared at the flower's soft glow in awe. Its pretty simplicity in a snow white color was enough to captivate me. The flowering was thick, layered with petals on petals around the center. Its texture soft and delicate. I pulled my hair to one side and stuck the flower above my right ear.
"Well?" I turned to him, leaning in so he could see.
His eyes flew to my flower, or my face. Actually his eyes darted everywhere before leaning away and rubbing the back of his neck in an awkward smile. "I-it looks pretty. I mean—you do. You are. Not the flower. Well the flower too." His words diffuser to mutters before turning away.
I blinked a few times, curious. His aura had blasted an alarming amount of red in my face, heat just as dense as the fog.
"Thank you," I finally said.
I stood up sensing a stronger odor. My skin scraping against the damp bark. But before I leaped away, I looked back. "Could you....give Benny a chance?"
He let out a low breath. His face softened, "I will."
"There!" I whispered, nudging Ahmad. We had been scouting for a while now, gradually moving in the direction of the others but back and forth in a small perimeter.
An enormous black spider hovered in the distance. We were already activating Zetsu. Ahmad's presence almost invisible next to me. The spider's legs were spinning threads of green silk, while white eggs dotted the trees in the fog. It was about fifteen meters away, its back turned to us.
"Its good that it's preoccupied and hasn't picked us up on its radar. I can't tell if it has red-eyes because it lacks a face," he whispered.
"Then I'll pick up if there's a red aura around it but I'd have to get closer..."
I quickly darted towards it without waiting for approval. I'm aware of the dangers, and I have my foresight to sense what could happen. The flower head had a bright red center with soft pink petals that faded to a matching vine-green shade. Up-close, the legs had a thick exoskeleton similar to that of a crab. Ragged bumps razed down, capable of cutting the trees themselves, but it was probably meant for its webs.
My heart stilled as the creature made no noise. The reason why we couldn't detect it until we saw it. My eyes refused to blink. I had to be stealthy. Ahmad was still behind me, letting me go. I jumped lower, straying away from the eggs above. My blood rushed eagerly to shrivel in chills but I forced it down to focus. The vines of its web fumed with violent chemicals. The spider was finally closer, a few meters away. Enough for me to make out a faint mix of colors in its center. Deep blues wafting around. Calm and busy. I headed back to Ahmad.
"It's not being controlled right now but its emotions were fairly distinguishable. It seems that even if it's half human, it resumes regular animal habits. I have a feeling it will fan out to look for us later. If Benny was Riv's main camera, he would estimate we're around this part of the jungle, and attempt to control this one, especially at the advantage of using these webs. We should head back."
He nodded. "If the wolf continued west, then we should only be less than a mile away from them."
"How fast can the spider travel?"
He sighed. "It travels as fast as those black panthers, if not more but it won't wander far from its eggs unless Riv makes it. What's more dangerous about it is that we won't be able to hear it coming." He narrowed his eyes at the spider.
"Are you... suggesting you stay and I head back?"
"Your ability will guard them better than I can. I want to keep track of its movements in case it gets closer."
"I don't want to leave you here. What if our course changes, you would have to know. Being in pairs is safer." I tried to convince him.
He paused to consider. "I figured you would disagree but you do make a good point. Fine, you head back to join the others and inform them of its ability and whereabouts. I will come back in twenty minutes to update. If the course changes, wait for me. And I think it's best not to use the cone to communicate in this area. Its uncanny sensitivity will definitely pick up our location."
"Alright...be careful Ahmad." A small wave of anxiety crippled through me as I glanced at him then turn away.
"You too, Cinta..."
I found my way back to them, estimating their location. I'm still using high ground in Zetsu, concealing my presence. Illumi and Hisoka followed behind Kurapika and Bisky. I wondered why the two men didn't scout together but it didn't matter, everyone was safe. I studied the area making sure there were no webs.
My vision spiked blue, a 'wooshing' sound surpassing my head. I grunted, tilting my head right, cracking my neck. Illumi had thrown a pin at me, his face still turned away. But I had caught the pin with my left hand. Everyone turned to look at me.
"Raine!" Bisky noticed the deadly projectile in my hand. Hisoka raised an eyebrow glancing at Illumi who shrugged.
"What? I was just being cautious." Illumi took the pin back.
I hadn't the energy to acknowledge that. "Where's Benny?"
A low growl echoed in my ear, his faint figure appearing next to me.
"Where's Ahmad?" Kurapika asked.
I updated them on the Spider's whereabouts and its webs.
"Oh. There hasn't been anything like that so far," Kurapika said. "I think the dog can also smell the chemicals and has been leading us away from it."
I turned to Benny. "Good boy." He sat down tilting his head down. His tail twitched adorably.
"And if Ahmad is coming back shortly, we should just stop now," Kurapika told me.
"How come?" I asked.
"Because I think we're here. There's a mountain in front of us, and I don't think we're going over it. When you came, Benny was sniffing the ground as if looking for something."
I stopped peered at him as Benny resumed sniffing the ground. We followed him for a few minutes, stumbling into a seemingly large willow tree surrounded by a small open grass field. Benny led us around to find a stream of rushing water. A small waterfall poured from the top of the tree, and flowed out into a soft creek, dividing the field. Large rocks lined the edges with moss piling overtop.
This is what I saw in my power. One step closer to the village.
"I didn't expect this." Bisky beamed. Benny started clawing at the tree.
"We go up the tree?" I asked confirming. He floated upwards. "So a change of course. Looks like we're gonna wait for Ahmad."
I roamed through the open area, noticing a difference in temperature and humidity. The colors of the fog thinned to a light green. As I continued wandering, I caught sight of Hisoka, sitting on the other side of the small river, who sat cross-legged on a rock. A deck of cards in his hand. Illumi hopped up the tree studying a dark cave-like entrance.
Hisoka's small glances at me called me over. Though I was here for the mission, this man wouldn't stop at nothing to pin me down. And I had promised a game.
Tonight, I have to win...for the both of us.
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