This is actually my first HxH fanfic and I am hating myself for having the nerve to post this. It's been a while since I last wrote something and the last thing I want to do is do this wonderful anime/manga disgrace.

Hopefully, you guys enjoy this and the moment you feel this is turning into a Mary-Sue, TELL ME IMMEDIATELY.

Aside from that, I'm really just writing for the fun of it. Reviews are greatly appreciate, but not required.

There was always a limit as to what one person could endure. There was a limit to the amount of torture he could endure. There was a limit to the amount of laughter he could endure. There was a limit to the amount of grief he could endure. And most recently, I discovered there was also a limit to the amount of ocean one could endure. Who knew that being on a small ship for eight long days would quite literally make me seasick?

Well I didn't.

Truth be told, I wasn't the type to get seasick, the motion sickness one at least. Even if this whole thing became a steroid-enhanced rollercoaster ride at sea, my brain wouldn't end up like it had gone through a blender and my meal would still be safely inside my stomach. Sure, I'd lose my balance and poise, but I had gravity to blame for that. The point was that I, Demina, did not get seasick. Well, not in the normal sense that is.

For the past eight days, there was nothing but water and in those past eight days, I had come to know the various faces of the ever-changing element. First it was calm, the kind of water you'd like to soak your feet with. Then, it would become annoying, like when you just finished an awesome castle and a small, innocent wave would destroy all of your hard work. From there, it could become calm again, or take a turn for the worse, ranging from the kind of water that keeps pulling you under to the kind of water that just wants to plain ole blatantly kill you.

Whichever kind of water it was, I was sick of it. Sick, sick, sick, sick of it. Absolutely sick of it. On and on the ocean went and I was very much fed up with the sight.

A sailor announced that we would be departing soon and I couldn't help but open my eyes to at least get a glimpse of land and remember what it actually looked like. An amused huff escaped my lips. Whale Island. Whoever named the place either had a great sense of humor, or a complete lack of imagination. True to its name, it was indeed, shaped like a whale.

"I'm going to become the best Hunter in the world!"

I raised an eyebrow at the young boy's ambitious words. Best Hunter huh? How cute.

"Once I'm the best Hunter in the world, I'll come back!"

Again, I huffed. Looked like this kid wouldn't get to see his home ever again. Too bad. He was kinda cute too, in a weird brotherly way. Low chuckles began to echo on deck and I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Here we go again.

"Best Hunter in the world?" a man with a large scar running across his face taunted. "Kid doesn't respect us."

Another gruff looking man picked up from there. "Every year, there are millions of skilled applicants for the Hunter Exam. But only a hand few are selected. Don't say stuff you can't back up boy." Another round of laughter rumbled amongst the rougher, tougher looking men as the poor, innocent boy stared at them.

I shook my head, my sister instincts kicking in. These people never learned. They treated me pretty much the same a week ago and they ended up regretting it.

"Oi, oi, oi," I muttered, having had enough of their bullying. I uncrossed my legs and jumped off of the railing going along the portside of the ship, landing daintily on the wooden floorboards. "Are you brutes at it again? You wouldn't want a repeat of last week now do you?" I asked as I rolled my shoulders. A smile tugged at my lips when I watched a few men shake their heads and turn away, but I kept a frown on. "At least the kid's got an honest dream. What are you people here for?" They grunted and turned away. "Yeah, I thought so. Hey kid, what's your name?"

The young boy beamed at me and did not hesitate in replying. "I'm Gon!"

I found myself smiling back. How could you not smile back at that boy? "Demina." I held out a hand and he gave it a good shake. "Pleasure to meet you. It's easier if you just ignore them. It worked for me and it should work for you." The boy in green nodded and I took a good look at him. "Aren't you a little too young to take the Exam?" I asked. It unnerved me to see such a young kid have to face something even most grown men couldn't overcome.

Gon shook his head. "My dad took the Hunter Exam when he was twelve too," he proudly answered, the shine in his eyes causing me to smile softly. There was something to Gon that made him so endearing. Despite literally meeting the kid a few minutes ago, I knew that if there was ever a boy no one could hate, then it would be him.

Laughing, I couldn't resist patting his head. He was just too cute. "Your dad must be very proud."

To my surprise, Gon had to think about my words before shrugging. "I wouldn't know. He left me with Mito-san when I was a baby."

"Mito-san?" I echoed. "Who's Mito-san?"

"My aunt."

Before I could even ask why he was staying with his aunt, we heard a loud crash and went to investigate. Apparently, the sailor named Katsuo had dropped a crate of green apples with some of its fruits spilling all over the deck. Flustered, the skinny man began to pick up the fallen fruits while his fellow sailors began to taunt him.

I frowned at their behavior. Eight days on the ship and I knew for a fact that Katsuo was among the best people of the crew. Well, not really the best best, but he was nice. Actually, most of my meals onboard were spent with him, both of us talking nonsense and laughing. The captain soon arrived though, an old bearded man who always carried a bottle of alcohol with him, and scolded them for dilly-dallying.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Gon go down the stairs and pick up an apple Katsuo had missed. The boy promptly returned it to the sailor and waved goodbye. The small gesture caused me to smile. What a nice kid that boy was.

"Oi Gon!" The boy turned to look up. "Wanna be buddies?" I laughed.

A wide smile that mirrored mine spread across his face. "Sure!" Suddenly, a frown appeared on his face, his wide amber eyes shifting to the sky. I followed suit and noticed the odd, erratic patterns the seagulls were making. I was no expert on seagulls, but if they were moving crazily like that, then something was most definitely up. The looming dark clouds were also a nice hint though.

"A storm…" I grumbled to myself, realizing that all of us would have to take shelter below deck.

A fairly large, crowded room with one door on a ship at sea in the midst of a violent storm? Nope. Not happening. No way. Na-ah.

So why then did I find myself sitting in one corner of the said room, breathing like a serial killer had been chasing me?

Ah, right. Because I didn't want to die in a storm right now.

Annoying as it was, rooms were something I had never been fond of. Never did like the idea of four, unmovable walls closed around me, especially when it was dark. Sure, the lights were on, but still. I didn't like being cooped up. I felt… trapped.

And a twelve year old boy who I had just met was standing right in front me and watching me hyperventilate.

"Demina, are you alright?" Shakily, I nodded and forced a smile. Right, like that would convince him. "You don't look so good. Are you seasick?" I shook my head, wishing for once that I was. If I was, then all I needed was to take a pill or fall asleep or something.

"Just… Give me a minute," I murmured in between breaths.

"She has claustrophobia," a strangely familiar voice stated, causing me to turn and find a blonde on a hammock busying himself with a book.

I frowned. "I do not!" My frown grew deeper when I realized who it was. Blondie. I knew he had told me his name a few days ago, but right now, I wasn't really too keen on remembering that conversation. Besides, I was fairly sure we weren't on good terms because of something that was more than likely not my fault.

"For the past three days I've been on this ship, you've never gone below deck and always chose to stay outside unless necessary," he evenly pointed out, peering over his book to look at me. I grabbed the nearest thing I could find, which had been an apple from one of the crates, and threw it towards him. A frustrated groan escaped my lips when I saw him catch the fruit and take a bite out of it. "Thanks for the food," he mumbled through his full mouth.

"Why you-" I would have said smartass stalker, but Gon cut me off by asking a question and I couldn't really ignore him without feeling guilty. I was starting to hate this sister instinct I had.

"Isn't claustrophobia being afraid of small spaces?" he asked, to which I answered with a nod.

"It's the irrational fear of being closed in or having no escape," I clarified, having read its definition several times throughout my known childhood. "But I don't have it."

"Keep telling yourself that kid," another man chuckled. This time, I found it to be the man in a suit. I had a short chat with him yesterday when I got a headache and he gave me some pills. He was nice and all, but I always found him too engrossed with the magazine he had with him. And it wasn't the kind of magazine you would leave on your coffee table back at home for everyone to see.

Ah, engrossed. What a smart person word. Maybe all that free time had done me some good after all.

"Shut it…" My frown deepened. "What was your name again?"

Sweet revenge was what I got when I saw the older applicant's face.

"It's Leorio. Le-o-ri-o," he said before grabbing an apple of his own from the crate. "Remember it."

"Whatever you say, Leonardo," I sang tauntingly, waving a hand in the air.

"You feel better now Demina?" Gon asked, a smile appearing on his face. I nodded. Really, all I needed was a bit of time to get used to rooms. Some just took more time than others. "You seem to know a lot of people on this ship."

I shrugged. "I've been onboard for eight days. Can't help bumping into the same people." At that point, a man groaned in pain and Gon couldn't ignore it as easily as I could. Excusing himself, Gon ran off to help the poor man. I sighed.

Where was this little angel of goodness when I was sick of the sea?

Several minutes passed before the sea regained some semblance of calmness. Though it was still trying to swallow us alive, the waters were being more discreet about it. The intent was still there though, no doubt about it.

The captain, oh bless his soul, finally opened the door and peeked into the room. He had a noticeable scowl on his face and when I took a good look around, he had every reason to scowl. Most, if not all the applicants were unconscious or on the verge of. What a joke. And to think they were going on about being skilled and shit earlier.

"You four, come with me," he grunted before disappearing into the hallway.

Four? Another good look around and I slumped. I was stuck with Blondie and what's-his-name. Gon, I guessed, was my saving grace.

Up in the helm, I couldn't help but feel relieved at the sight of large windows. Sure, there was a raging storm outside, but that wasn't the point. The point was there was something more in this room other than four, wooden walls.

The captain asked us our names and reasons for taking the Hunter Exam. Gon was as enthusiastic as ever and I finally recalled Blondie's real name, Kurapika. I had to introduce myself too, despite the three of them being already familiar with me. For the second question, however, Kurapika and Leorio were more than reluctant to answer. Actually, Leorio was spouting nonsense on how the captain wasn't an Examiner and all that jazz.

Nevertheless, Gon answered the captain's question and I managed to find out exactly why he was here on this boat. He wanted to find out why his father liked being a Hunter so much, as simple as that.

"I'm here as a favor for a friend's mom," I casually said, turning away from the old man. "Asshole took the Hunter Exam a few years ago and never came back." Huffing, I kicked the floor with the heel of my boot. "His mom's never been the same, so I'm here to find and drag the sucker back home."

The captain accepted my answer with a nod and a small smile on his lips, finding some humor to the blatant way I talked.

Leorio and Kurapika both refused to answer his question. Leorio was being stubborn while Kurapika was trying to keep up his mysterious guy act. Mentally, I shook my head. These people were playing it safe, but Hunters were risk-takers. Leorio and Kurapika were practically asking to drop out from this Exam and the expressions on their faces were priceless when the captain did fail them.

You'd think I would laugh out loud and rub it in, but I was content with a smug look on my face and a triumphant huff.

Karma really was a bitch.

Kurapika yielded and explained why he was on this ship. Imagine the surprise I felt when he revealed that he was from the Kurta Clan, the Kurta Clan. Maybe I didn't look smart with the denim shorts, the orange sleeveless sweater, the old worn boots, and the fingerless gloves I wore, but I really had some kind of brain behind this face and when he said Kurta, there was no other Kurta Clan that I knew of except the one that was wiped out for their Scarlet Eyes by the Phantom Troupe.

A chill ran down my spine at the thought of the Phantom Troupe. I was twelve when the massacre happened and I had never seen so much blood on television before then.

So I guessed all that quiet time I was given had some use after all and all of a sudden I didn't feel so smug any more. I wiped away the stupid expression on my face and kept quiet.

The lone survivor huh? Must have been hard to live like that, alone and knowing who and what made you that way. How could it have felt?

"I don't need your pity," I heard him hiss and he caused me to look up.

Quickly, my compassion for him disappeared and a scowl was on my face. "Well, I'm so sorry for being sympathetic," I hissed back with equal disdain. Honestly, I wasn't even going to be all melodramatic and stuff. Pretentious smartass stalker.

"So you want to become a bounty hunter?" the captain surmised. "The Phantom Troupe is an A-Class Bounty. Not even the most grizzled Hunters can touch them. You'd be throwing away your life."

A huff left my lips. Well that was one fact I couldn't really deny. If he was serious about hunting them down, he'd have to be really, really good.

"I do not fear death." My eyes grew wide at Blondie's statement. "I fear only that my rage will fade over time." My breath hitched. And I thought I was insane.

Leorio simply laughed at the blonde and wondered why Kurapika even needed a License to exact revenge.

Did this man really know what a Hunter was?

Blondie then oh so graciously pointed out some of the perks of being a Hunter. I raised an eyebrow when Leorio was more concerned about having the Kurta address him properly, which ultimately led to the older applicant volunteering to end the Kurta bloodline. Of course, Blondie wouldn't have that and the two marched out of the room.

"They're worse than my bulls," I sighed.

Well, technically they weren't my bulls since I was just a part-timer, but they were under my care at the local ranch back in my village. I herded them from here to there. Talked to them when I was bored since all they mostly did was eat grass when they weren't out headbutting each other. Sometimes I handled the sheep too. They were an even bigger bore to take care of, but way cuter.

"How's about I go check on them to make sure they don't kill each other?" I suggested, when suddenly a sailor pointed out a very large, very dangerous looking waterspout outside. Well shit. "Or maybe I can help with saving our asses? That works too."