Bronze-tan skin, bright caramel eyes that can hold so much intensity and emotion at any given moment; tall black hair and a smile so bright, it could practically blind you. Gon Freecss was the epitome of beauty.

In the little village where he grew up, The Village of Whale Island, he was practically treated as a prince. Constantly showered in gifts, mostly by hopeful bachelors and bachelorettes, who hoped to marry him when he came of age. Some have even gone as far as to ask his Aunt Mito for his hand in marriage, offering her a fair dowery. Though of course, being protective and motherly as she was with Gon, she would refuse every time.

At the ripe age of fourteen, he still held innocence. Though he was rather toned and well built for a boy his age, due to his constant work outs and hikes to the lake that lay in the middle of the woods on the outskirts of the village. These features, along with his friendliness and bright ways, not to mention his looks, left the villagers practically in awe of him, it was no wonder he was popular amongst them.

Gon was one of the only children his age around the village, which left him quite lonely at times, though his bright smiles and cheerful personality hid that loneliness. He kept himself busy to distract himself from that void by going out every morning to fish, or workout in the early evenings by doing push-ups and such in his backyard, which essentially gave the villagers a good view of him and he'd constantly have a crowd of onlookers, watching him rather lustfully.

On one such morning, it was no different from the other days. Sun up high and bright, promising good weather; Gon was up early as he was the type to seize the day. His feet pounding along the well worn path to the lake, fishing pole laying across one shoulder; humming a tune his Aunt Mito would always sing to him before bed when he was a child. Despite his Aunt's protests, Gon insisted on being the one to provide the family with food, being it was just himself, his Aunt Mito and his grandmother, as his father was not in the picture. Fish was always on the table, and after fishing, Gon would shop in the village market for other sorts of food. He even got discounts, since all the market owners were rather fond of him. Sometimes he'd catch extra fish, which he'd trade for meats and fruits, along with bread and other necessities.

Upon arriving to the lake, he'd beam, gazing out at the crystal clear water, an unusual hush laying over the woods, with the only sounds to be heard being the crickets hidden among the marsh and tall grasses.

Setting up in his usual spot, back propped against a tall rock, he tossed his fishing line far into the water and held his rod tightly in his tan hands as he waited for a bite. Being as lucky as he was, a tug on his rod moments later, alerted him that he got a fish and sure enough, after pulling it out, there was a fish dangling at the end of it.

About two hours later, Gon returns to the village, a basket full of fish in one hand and his fishing rod slung over his shoulder, a proud grin on his face.

"Looks like you had a good day today," the shopkeeper at the edge of the village commented, as Gon walked past.

"Sure did." Gon stopped, placing his basket onto the ground. "Care to trade me some of your bread for a couple of fish, Ms. Aya?" His sweet smile practically made the shopkeeper weak at the knees and she immediately agreed, even giving him four loaves for only two of his fish.

"That's mighty generous of you, Ms. Aya!" Gon's caramel brown eyes glistened in delight, the ones all the women, and even men, would swoon over. "Mito-san will be happy!"

She waves him off. "Think nothing of it, darlin'."

Gon gives her a wave goodbye before picking up his basket once again and heading deeper into the village, stopping by a few more shops on the way home. The results were the same as they were with Ms. Aya; the shopkeepers giving him more than he needed for only a couple of fish. Needless to say, by the time Gon returned home, he still had plenty of fish in his basket, along with enough food to last them at least a week if not more.

"I'm home!" He called out upon entering his home, propping his fishing rod by the front door after nudging it closed with his foot. Removing his shoes at the threshold, his Aunt Mito appears from upstairs.

"Have a good day?" She asked, eyeing all the packages of food and his basket of fish in surprise. This was the most he's ever brought home.

"Mhm! All the shopkeepers were generous today!" Gon chirped, seemingly proud of himself.

His Aunt Mito knew very well how the shopkeepers almost all had daughters or a relative wanting to marry Gon. Their generosity was due to in hopes of changing her mind and marrying him off to one of them. Gon's innocence showed he was oblivious to all of this.

"I see." Was her only response as she leaned down to pick up the packages. "Bring the basket and help me put all the groceries away before you go wash up for dinner."

"But it's still early!" Gon complained, a pout appearing on his tan face. "Can't I go outside for awhile after I help you?"

It usually was hard for Mito to say no to Gon, so she reluctantly agreed, and cheered up by this, he eagerly picked up his basket of fish and followed her to the kitchen.

After about an hour of helping his Aunt Mito put away the groceries and happily telling her about his day, Gon dashes out the door and heads out into the woods once again, his boots pounding along the dirt. Though this time, as the woods circled the entire village, he headed in a different direction then he had in the morning. Upon passing the village bar, he heard booming voices coming from several men drinking out front and curious, he slows down to listen in, as occasionally, these men had interesting stories to tell. They mostly boasted about hunts they went on or women they slept with, but something they said now caught his interest.

"I'm tellin' ya! Several of my men disappeared while I was ona' hunt and they're still nowhere to be found!"

"It was the Beast, I'm tellin' ya! The one I heard was locked away in thee abandoned castle out in thee back part of the woods! He's like a ghost and has the eyes of a demon and claws ta' boot!"

"You morons know thee back part of thee woods ain't safe! Especially at night! Ye' had it coming' to ya."

Eyes lit up with interest, Gon looks towards the woods. Sure, he's heard rumors of the Beast, but this was the first time he's heard it in awhile. Plus, he's never been to the back part of the woods, his Aunt Mito warned him about it. It was darker than the rest of the woods, with trees void of any leaves and shadows looking like they could swallow you whole. It was all exaggerated to say the least, but Gon had always promised Mito he wouldn't venture that way.

But now, listening to these stories and adventure in his blood, Gon couldn't help but head towards the direction, where the abandoned castle was rumored to be.