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The Loudest Sound

"We're almost there."

That is Ging, my father. We are currently on our way to some village on the corner of the known world. We're heading off to the Dark Continent, you see. Don't ask me how I got him to take me, it's a long story. He-he.

It didn't take long for us to arrive at the village. It is like many of the rural towns all around the world, really, and it isn't hard to find where the inn is. After all, it reeks with the smell of liquor. Especially at that time of night, too, every drunkard in town is in there (as Ging wouldn't miss commenting on).

Ging and I enter the structure and are greeted by an even fouler smell. My eyes twitch at that strong, strong wave of foulness, and I almost cover my nose but it is impolite to do so in front of so many people (who caused the smell in the first place) so I stop myself.

I hear someone gagging, and it is quickly followed by the old woman behind the counter shouting: "Oi! Be sure to barf on the bucket!" She says as if the bucket is a very specific bucket just for his puke. Who knows? Maybe it is.

Ging ignores them (of course) and nonchalantly walks to the bar counter. "A room for two please." The woman then looks at me and looks back to Ging. "Your son?"

"More like a carbon copy." He grins, I puff my cheeks offended. Ging doesn't miss this and pretends to be aghast. "You did not just get offended young man!"

"Being compared to you is insulting!"

"Teme—"

"Old baaaggg-"

"Here's your room." The woman intervenes and we hear collective disappointed 'aws' from the drunkards. Ging gives me the key.

I look at him.

"What? You're too young to drink."

Oh.

And so I went to the room. But before that…

"May I use the rest room?"

"It's over there." The woman pointed. "Turn left."

"Thanks."

And I went. As I walk I see a man crouching down and gagging up his insides to a bucket of sorts. It wasn't large but I see that the plumbing here isn't bad so I didn't quite get why he vomits in a bucket. I shrug and went inside the bathroom to answer nature's call, just before I go to bed.

…

#The next morning#

Click Clack Click Clack

My eyes lazily opened at the sound of metal. It sounds like a bell—but without the pleasant sound. My eyes soon adapt and I realize it is barely morning. I look at the adjacent bed and see my dad's not there, but rather slumping there below the bed. I shrug, unsurprised, and proceeds to listening to the clinks.

I stood up and head to the window. I place my hand and rest them on the window sill before I look around. My eyes turns to my right and stays there. I get a glimpse of a young girl around my age and she is carrying two metal buckets both a quarter of her size.

The girl is currently two buildings from our inn and I find myself watching her passively. She has shoulder length brown hair that followed her movements, and she is wearing simple clothing. Overall, she is a pretty simple girl.

But there is just something oddly graceful and yet odd with how she moves…

Soon the metallic sound stops and she knocks on a door. A man soon comes out and the woman says something and she smiles lightly, with my eyesight I can see disappointment there somewhere but she gives a grateful bow anyway before proceeding to the next house.

She seems to have found what she is looking for in the next house. For after the woman says something she smiles and bows again but with more brightness than before. The woman smiles as well and goes inside but leaving the door open.

I thought the girl will follow her inside but, instead, she stays outside and just places one of her buckets in front of the door.

A minute or so later the woman came out with a small bucket and poured something sticky on the larger bucket on the ground. I narrow my eyes at what I think the substance is but shrugs it off in the end. Why would a girl collect vomit anyway?

Soon, she arrives at the inn's doorstep. I watch her 2 floors below directly below my room as the innkeeper arrives outside. Like the woman from the previous house, she leaves the door open. And then I saw the bucket. The bucket the man was vomiting on the previous night.

I blink. So she is collecting puke?

Why?

More curious than disgusted, I run down stairs and meet the lady who is cleaning up the bar and casually passing by the unconscious men on the ground.

"Ano…"

"Good morning."

"Good morning, Miss. May I ask who that girl was?"

"Oh, that was just Faye."

I nod. "Why is she collecting vomit?"

For a moment there, the woman just stares at me. She eventually answers though. "She's mute, you see. It makes sense if one's superstitious enough, but it really is just disconcerting for everyone else."

"No one told her this?"

"Oh we did, countless times since she started a few months back. But it looks like she firmly believes in its effect… or maybe she was just hardheaded. Either way we couldn't change her mind."

I stare. I still don't get it. I have no idea what she is talking about. The woman sighed before leaning down to whisper.

"I think she eats the vomit. You know, thinking she'll be able to talk by eating what other people excrete from their mouths."

A disgusted sensation ran through my stomach. "EH?!" But in the end, the prevailing feeling is pity. And admiration? Perhaps she knows it might not work, but she is vent on trying it out anyway.

I gulp and… ask where she lives. The woman immediately looks at me incredulously. I gulp again.

"Please?"

"…in the woods."

"Thanks!" And I run to the door.

"Wait, boy!"

"Yes?"

"What are you going to do?"

"I… just want to know her, I guess."

"What?"

"Please tell Ging I'll be back in a few hours~ Ja"

"But—"

"But what?"

"Aren't you… disgusted?"

"I am, kind of." I say honestly, just before I find an enthusiastic grin on my face.

"But I want to be friends with her anyway."

…

I follow her inconspicuously from house to house. I don't want to interrupt her. Plus I'm kinda at a loss for words. What am I supposed to say anyway?

So I followed her all the way until she ends her round. Her buckets are both half full and she's quite strong to be able to carry them.

She continues her way outside town and we eventually reach the forest. She doesn't seem to sense me there, but I definitely sense lots of beasts around. I guess they are probably turned off by the foul smell, or it could be that they are just peaceful animals.

Tap Tap

Rustle

Tap

After some hiding behind the trees and bushes, I soon see a small hut of wood and stone in the middle of the forest. It is just as big as the room we rented back at the inn. Not sensing me, she goes inside the building.

But the moment she close the door, I frown at myself. I realize I am just a stalker. I want to know her not just follow her. So I knock the door after some minutes of composing myself.

Then I remember she was mute. Perhaps she is deaf as well?

But I knocked anyway, just to be sure. I can't just go in and check myself now, can I? Soon, she opened the door and I am, after all, wrong. She looks at me with a bewildered expression and waits for me to speak.

I probably took quite some time to utter anything.

"I…I…hello! I'm Gon Freecs! Nice to meet you." I smile and she does too, even when it is a bit awkward. I peek inside the house and saw the buckets from before on the floor.

It was then that we hear coughing. The type that will place goosebumps on anyone's spine—as if someone's coughing her/his life out.

Faye's eyes widen in fear and she quickly run inside the house. By instinct I follow her and we end up in a small room at the back of the house, just after the kitchen. I see an old woman lying in bed, and Faye right beside her looking both cool and anxious. Faye is really quick in taking action, too. She is holding water and holding the woman up to a proper position by the time I arrive there.

I help her but when I touch the old woman, I can't help gulp. With just one touch, I realize she doesn't have long to live. Even if I do add my nen. In fact, adding it may hasten her death. I look in anxiety towards Faye and she looks as if she knows it. At least the fear in her eyes told me so. She was holding back her tears, aiming to appear strong and calm, and I see this is because the old woman is looking at her. She quickly wipes away a drop practically before it goes out of her eyes.

Faye looks at me and I take the old woman as she ran outside the room. I stare in puzzlement until I am pulled out of my daze by the old woman tapping my arm.

"…help…her."

I can only stare at her for a long second before gently putting her down to follow Faye. I ran down and follow where the slight sounds were coming from. I end up in the living room and…

My eyes widen in what I saw.

She is sitting in the floor, in front of the buckets, and she was scooping as much of the grimy liquid as she can and places it in her mouth. The pit of my stomach is churning, but even if some of it may be disgust, it really is mostly something else.

Faye… she is suffering, it is so obvious, and the sources of the tears she was hampering might be too many as well.

I ran to her and grabbed her vomit-soaked hands. She looks at me in surprise, despair, and anger. She was hurrying? But for what?

And then… it hit me.

The reason why she is doing this.

She once again stared at me, but this time it is more of a glare, as I grab her arm tighter and force her to stand up. I knew we don't have that much time for coaxing.

I make Faye clean up and dress up with her best clothes, most of the time with my brute force. I wash her face myself and soon she submits and follows what I do. I gently drag her back to the old woman and smile brightly at the two of them.

I make her sit and the old woman opens her eyes slowly and smiles. "You…look…pretty…my c-child." She says and Faye's eyes widen.

I gently help the woman as she extends her arms. I placed her hands towards Faye's chest—where her heart hid. Faye looks at me, again, in surprise.

"She knows, Faye." I say, "You never had to say it."

I shift and look at the woman. "Right?"

She nodded before opening her mouth and froze. It feels as if she was gathering all of her might to—"I love you." She says, very coherently.

And it is the last.

It lasted for a long moment, her sad sobs, and I want to help her somehow but I can only watch. At least I know, she will not have any regrets as she probably feared before.

I can only smile at her encouragingly as I watch her calm down, slowly but surely.

"You're so lucky, Faye-san." I say and for a moment she stopped crying and stares at me in incredulity. "You know… most people rely on words to express their feelings." I pause. "You're lucky because you didn't have to."

And I was so happy and sad at the same time I didn't know what kind of grin came out of my face. I just know it'll be stuck there for a while.

"You're amazing, Faye-san!"

And she stared at me once again, but with a weak smile accompanying the tears she has been hampering for such a long time.

Silence ensue and I remain sitting there, not quite in the mood to move either.

I see her stare at the ground with my peripheral view and she blushed, before slightly turning her head to my direction. Slowly, she got neared and—Chuu! Kissed me on the cheeks.

She flushes (my cheeks does the same) and looks back down and then away from me.

I chuckled.

"See? You even have a lovable way of saying thank you."

END

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