You guys. Dudes. Y'all are on CRACK.
I've been so overwhelmed doing college full-time again, as well as working full-time that I haven't been able to work on this story. As of writing this, you all have made it Number 1 in the HxH2011 tag. I'm so grateful for every single one of you that has shown me support.
And I'm always watching this story, and I'm watching everyone who comments on it (and some of you guys crack me up).
Thank you all for almost 19k reads by the time of this upload, and I'll see you all later!
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Dinner.
It was...
Uh... Well...
"Great planning, Wing," She held back her vomit, "But- *gags*, it was poor-" Zushi held his hand out, silencing Y/N from speaking further.
"I'm not that sorry for what I'm about to say," Zushi inhaled, "This food tastes awful!"
Her (e/c) eyes grew in disbelief. Who the fuck turned Zushi into a bratty child? Wing sighed softly across the table. The girl could only stare back and forth between the two boys. She remained still as a statue.
"Zushi."
Wing's aura shifted.
The hair on Y/N's neck stood straight. Uh oh. The child in question jumped. His body shook quietly. Wing pushed his glasses back up his nose. Y/N could almost see the glimmer on the edge of the glasses.
"It could use a lot less salt next time," Y/N interjected, "Zushi, apologize to Wing before he beats the snot out of you."
The boy huffed, his confidence a few moments prior was nowhere to be seen. He turned to Wing and mumbled something under his breath.
Y/N could almost feel the impatience in the mentor's aura. I'll beat the snot out of him if I have to. She turned towards the unappreciative boy, who still had not recited an apology.
With her foot, she proceeded to kick the chair that Zushi sat on. The chair moved backwards. The impact from the kick dropped the boy on the ground, his silverware going down with him.
"Don't try playing smart with him, Zushi."
The boy let out a groan and slowly rolled onto his side. Wing sighed in defeat. His student, mere seconds later, got back onto his seat and resumed his meal.
Oh right, I have to be someone in the morning. "Wing, I have to leave tonight. I've got a meeting at the Hunter Association's headquarters in the morning."
The remainder of her time was spent helping Wing and Zushi clean up and relax in the living room. Around the late evening hours, Y/N bid the pair goodbye, and set off to the airport.
-Time Skip-
Y/N gave one last look at the massive building. Welp here goes nothing. She walked into the building, where a familiar face was there to greet her. The girl smiled with glee.
"Beans! It's great to see you."
"Yes, the pleasure is all mine. Please," He held his arm out towards an endless hallway, "Follow me."
She followed the well-dressed man from the main lobby towards the unknown. I wonder if the Chairman has an update for me. They passed a few double doors until they stopped in front of a blank wall.
Y/N and Beans used Gyo to reveal a similar set of double doors. He opened one of the doors, and let the guest enter first. She could sense something off-putting about the room.
She studied everything and everyone in the conference room. There was a rather long rectangular table in the center of the room with numerous amount of chairs that were occupied by people Y/N had seen before.
There were plants positioned in each corner of the room. And my god... The floor was designed with a checkerboard pattern. This room needs a design upgrade, ASAP.
Her attention turned to the figures at the table. Wait, I know some of them.The Chairman stood up from the head of the table. "Y/N, it's about time you're here. I heard you ran into some trouble on your way in." He gave her a knowing look.
Word really travels fast around here. "Yeaaah. Um...I'm not interrupting a meeting, am I?"
The guest slowly walked up to an empty seat at the opposite end of the table the Chairman sat at, where there were more faces. She made eye contact with each person sat at the table. I don't know any of their names, but these are the Zodiacs.
(A/N: i have no fucking clue of the Zodiac's personality so I'm watching the Election Arc as I'm writing this lol)
One person, in particular, caught her breath. He looks exactly like Gon. "This whole meeting is about you, lady." The man in the yellow and back tracksuit interjected.
"Kanzai, let the girl breathe for a minute, why don't you?" Y/N couldn't help but stare at the woman who spoke up. The lady in question looked like a sexualized baby blue chicken with her outfit.
Chairman Netero brushed off their comments, "I see you've familiarized yourself with Nen since you completed this year's Hunter Exam."
Y/N stood at the end of the table, eyes narrowed with caution. Yeah, something is definitely Huntley here. "What exactly are you trying to ask me, Chairman?"
He chuckled, "Right! There's a point to all this," Netero cleared his throat, "Please, sit, and we can get the meeting underway."
"Chairman, we're still missing Pariston and-"
"We can do without them for now." The atmosphere in the room changed, "I like to keep my eyes on the candidates who pass the Exam each year."
Where is he going with this? Y/N sat herself next to a man who wore a cow printed outfit. "I know that you and your friends visited young Killua's residence."
"So you also know that Leorio went to medical school, Kurapika went off to find answers about his family, and Gon, Killua, and I went to Heaven's Arena." She kept her focus trained on the Chairman. Y/N couldn't look to see if Ging had even reacted in fear he would figure out she knew who he really was.
"Yes. Unlike your friends, you possess a rather one-of-a-kind ability."
Y/N's eyebrows furrowed, "My Nen?"
The Chairman chuckled to himself, "You've possessed the ability of Nen before realizing what it was. I saw the way you moved during the Exam and during your time at that fighting arena."
Is he offering me a position with these guys? "I'm waiting for a question, Chairman."
He smiled, "I'd like to know how you used that trick to escape the hands of the Phantom Troupe."
Y/N's mind flashed back.
I've got to be quick. We're far enough away that I can safely use my Nen to travel back to Heaven's Arena. But...I'd still be way too close for them to find me. She scowled.
There is one other place I can go to... She held a hand up to the barn wall and focused her mind. She pictured a purple portal opening to a familiar building on the opposite side of the Republic. As soon as she felt the air shift, she opened her eyes.
"You haven't come across anyone that can do this?" Y/N's eyebrows scrunched together.
Her mind flashed to the first place she met the Chairman, inside that blimp during the Hunter Exam. Without lifting a finger, an amethyst-colored portal manifested next to her.
The wind picked up slightly between the meeting room and the new entranceway to another location. A few of the Zodiac members sat upright in their seats.
"Interesting," A new voice emerged, "Very interesting indeed."
Y/N closed the doorway. She looked over her shoulder. And to think I couldn't get more unwanted guests to show up today.
The man entered the meeting room. His blond hair was almost blinding to look at. His magenta suit didn't help the predicament she was in either.
Pariston.
"Hello everyone, by the way," He waved, taking his sweet time walking over to an available seat, "I apologize for being late again."
Our main character could sense a uniformed hatred for that man. She studied those who sat across from her, and the man seated directly to her left. Why does the Chairman want to know of the Phantom Troupe?
The portal closed behind her. She bit her cheek. That can't surely be the only reason why he called me here, right? If I were to plan ahead of this meeting, what would the outcome be, assuming I knew how the Zodiacs' worked as a collective group?
Y/N balled her hands in her lap, "My answer is no."
"No? I haven't even asked the question." The Chairman's eyes sparkled. How intuitive.
"You want me to be some sort of apprentice for the Zodiac's, no? Otherwise why would they be here today?"
Y/N moved her seat back and stood up. As she turned to leave, the Chairman pulled out a tan colored folder. "Before you go, Y/N, take a look at these photos."
He slid them to her end of the table. Pictures? She opened the folder. Her heart dropped. The man next to her shifted in his seat. The girl let out a breath.
There was a small pile of photos, the first one revealed an old friend from the Hunter Exam. Blood pooled around the girl's body, her whole person unrecognizable except for the shoes and hat she wore.
Her face and chest were practically mush and dirt. Holes pierced through the body. Y/N could make out the teal colored hair through the chunks of what remained of the head.
Ponzu...
She flipped the photo over to the next one. Her heart dropped.
Although it was dark, the photo detailed the stark outline of a man at the hands of a monster. Bones and blood surrounded the beast. Y/N thought back to when she began the Chimera Ant Arc.
How does he have this photo of Pokkle?
"They were slipped under my door yesterday morning."
Y/N looked up at the Chairman, "So there's no way of knowing who gave these to you?"
The girl put the two photos back into the folder. No one else can tell who these two are in the pictures... Not unless they knew that the two of them would be there.
"Unfortunately not," Chairman Netero replied, "That brings me to my next question. Y/N," She looked up, "I'd like your help in identifying who those two in the pictures are. There is a slow growing number of Hunters who have gone missing since the start of the year-"
Y/N held her hand up, "There's no need. I know who they are.
The only problem here is that the events captured in the photos haven't happened yet."
"Those pictures are from the future? Are we really supposed to believe that?" The black and yellow tracksuit man scoffed.
Chairman Netero brushed his facial hair with his hand, "I see. Well it seems that we've got ourselves quite a predicament."
Y/N sighed, he knows who sent him the photos. "Is it who I think it is?"
He chuckled whilst the majority of the Zodiacs remained uncharacteristically silent. "Indeed. That woman came by earlier today and asked about them."
Something shifted in the air.
"...Right." The hairs on her arm raised beneath her jacket, "Wait." This bitch can time travel? "Then we've got a bigger problem on our hands if she can get her hands on these."
"I'm so confused." A woman with bunny ears moaned, rubbing her temples.
A majority of the Zodiacs silently agreed. Throughout this meeting this far, they've had little to say or add to the conversation. Perhaps it was because of the Chairman's poor planning, or maybe something else had caused him to bring them together.
Y/N laughed nervously, "It's not your guys' problem, it's mine. It shouldn't even be possible to have these in the first place."
"And why might that be, Y/N? Are you to believe that someone isn't capable of murder?" Pariston leaned back in his chair.
The girl shook her head, "I know she's capable of murder. It's just that... These events haven't happened yet, so I'm not sure how she was able to get them."
The air grew stiff.
There's something else.
Something felt...
Off.
Y/N stared at Netero, her eyes narrowed, head tilted to the side with confusion. There was something different in the air.
"You sense it too, Y/N. I can feel it too." Pariston sighed into his chair.
She surveyed the room, "Yeah- Whatever." An unseen force touched her shoulder.
The girl turned around quickly. However, the energy was much faster than her reaction time. It's energy pressed itself onto her face and sent her flying across the table and into the wall.
The air shifted again. This energy... Through the growing dust and crumbling ceiling, Y/N felt a twitch in her body. Time seemed to slow down.
The Zodiacs readied themselves. Mizaistom, the man who sat next to Y/N, let out a small gasp. He stared at the glowing eyes through the dust, in the direction Y/N was thrown toward.
From the direction of the unseen force came a feminine laugh. That laugh... The girl stepped down from the dent in the wall and brushed off the crumbs from her shoulders.
An all-too-familiar woman appeared from the dust. Her skimpy attire of fishnet leggings, that were beneath her bikini top and jacket brought a new layer of "uh oh" to Y/N.
Chairman Netero stood up, "Can we help you with something?"
Y/N couldn't help but laugh. The woman snapped her head up at the laughing girl. She held her hand up. Y/N stopped laughing as she was lifted into the air by the woman's Star Wars like grip.
"Glad to see you're still here, Y/N." The woman grinned.
The girl's eyes still glowed as the dust slowly settled. Oh, it's her. Y/N manifested a portal beneath the woman, and secondary portal above that one.
In an instant, the woman let go of Y/N, and fell through the first portal, and into the second one. And then the first portal again, and then the second portal, and then the first portal, etc.
"Who is that?" One of the Zodiac's questioned.
"That," Y/N coughed, her eyes returned to their (e/c) color, "Is the woman who took those pictures. Her name's Shari."