Standard disclaimer applies to all chapters henceforth.

Chapter 1: Stone

The baby stared up at him, eyes round and large. Her mouth formed words, but no sounds came out. If it had been gifted with the gift of speech, she would have, with no doubt, spoken to the man and told him things far beyond her years, told him exactly what he wanted to know. But if she could speak, she wouldn't be out here, and would instead be inside, jewels and finery draped over her being.

"How old are you?" This girl was far more intelligent than most children her age should be. He didn't know her exact age, but she couldn't have been much older than the son that he carried on his back right now, in a woven straw basket, cradled in blankets that people had gifted him..

Again, she opened her mouth but no noise came out. Her nose scrunched up as she frowned, as if it was a surprise she couldn't say anything. Disappointed by her inability to speak, she instead raised a single finger followed by seven fingers. A year and seven months. Four months younger than Gon.

"I'm Ging and this is my son, Gon. What's your name?" He sat beside her and set his sleeping son in his lap, deciding that as long as he was stopping, he might as well let Gon see the different world that he had arrived in.

The girl shook her head, thin wisps of black hair following her movements. She looked down at the floor, disappointed in herself. She forced her hand to write in the sandy dirt, with characters that she remembered people desperately trying to teach her in a last ditch effort to aid the speed at which she learned to talk. It didn't work, but she did know how to write now.

No

A look of understanding flashed on the man's face. She couldn't speak, so she hadn't been granted a name either. He took in her appearance again and saw that she was lacking the healthy fat that all infants had. She was by no means malnourished to the extreme, but one could tell that she was not accustomed to having a full belly every day. Her hair lacked the healthy shine that was present on his son's and she was far too pale for somebody who looked as though they were waiting outside for quite some time.

"Well, do you want me to take you away from this place?" The building behind her was a severe looking one, grey but grand. No gentle light filtered down from the windows, though it was night time. It was an unhappy looking place that didn't look like it had a child's touch.

She tilted her head, considering him, before shaking her head from side to side. He had come from nowhere, and though she wasn't happy here, she was safe. Being happy could come later, when she learned to speak. Then she would be worthy of smiles and happy glances, and she could travel the world whenever she wanted.

Gon began to wake up, arms stretching out of the bundle of blankets he was wrapped in. He was by no means a quiet child, but most of all, he was curious. He looked up at his father before he waddled over to the foreign girl.

"Who?" He turned to his father, inquiring after the small child in front of him.

Ging patted his son's head. "Her name is Nova. If she wants, she can come with us, but only if she wants to."

Even at her young age, she had a high mental capacity and high emotional capability. She was confused, because this man was someone she didn't know, but the boy looked like he was her age and he looked so happy. He didn't look like he was scared, and he looked like he felt safe as he snuggled into the man's arms. A small spark of happiness flew through her chest when she realized that she had been named. It wasn't as good as being named by her parents, but a name was a name, and now she could finally be called something.

Ging asked her again. "Do you want to come with us?" The scarce few animals around the castle they stood outside began to gather around him. An angry voice called from one of the towers around the castle's walls.

"Child! Come here!" The anger in the voice was unmistakable. Ging could tell that it was tinged with regret and sorrow, but at the young age of a year and seven months, the only thing that the newly christened Nova could tell was the anger present.

A troubled look came over her face, and Ging frowned because no child should have that kind of a look on their face. Childhood should be filled with happiness and smiles. He wasn't that great of a father, that he knew, but at least he had ensured that his son smiled every day. Not once has this child smiled since he got here, and he doubted that she ever did.

Gon had a huge smile on his face when Nova turned to look back at him, searching for answers. She didn't want to stay here, not right now. Maybe one day she would come back and face her fears, but right now, all she wanted to in a loving embrace. She wanted to be able to share the same happiness that this boy had. Gon held his hand out to her, and for a moment, Ging saw true recognition in his son's eyes, and knew that one day, if allowed, they could become the best of friends. Nova, too, reached out a shaky hand, bringing herself to her feet.

The voice called out again, sharp and loud. "Where are you? If you don't come within the next minute, you'll be punished."

In the end, fear always won out. As shakily as it had been offered, Nova's hand retracted quicker than Gon's smile came. She stood and bowed to Ging and Gon. Two darkened circles from tears formed on the dry dust settled on the path, but when she looked up at them, her dried lips smiled so big that they threatened to crack. She turned away from them and didn't look back as she hurried to find the person who was calling for her.

Gon looked up confusedly at his father. "Why?" he asked, his hand still waiting for it's partner to meet his.

Absentmindedly, Ging clenched his robes. Before relaxing his fists and calming his son. "Sometimes, Gon, people are trained to be caged and live a life without freedom. When they try to leave, something always prevents them." Now, he looked his son right in the eyes. "Don't ever become caged, Gon. When you grow up, grow up to be free, and make decisions that benefit yourself. Otherwise you'll be stuck in a cycle that will be inescapable."

His sharp ears picked up a harsh sounding slap. Perhaps, the saddest thing, was that no cry came afterwards. That meant she was too accustomed to abuse that she did not even let anyone know about the pain that followed. She would grow up to be strong, and maybe she wouldn't end up completely broken, but with a childhood like hers, there was no doubt that her past would always come back to torment her.

For a second, he contemplated breaking her out of the prison she was in, but he decided against it. Even though the fire in her eyes was dying before he spoke to her, when she left, it had been burning anew. When she survived this, when she finally broke out, she would be stronger than someone who had always been free. She would understand the consequences of her actions much more than his son.

A bout of angry yelling directed at the girl could be heard even by his son, who covered his ears. "Not fair," he complained. His son took to people like Ging took to animals. The animals that still danced around them stilled before they ran, as if predicting what would happen.

An ear shattering scream broke the clear day. Tears formed in Gon's eyes, and he looked like he was going to wail as Ging patted his back and put him back in the wooden basket on his back. His stomach was unsettled even though he had seen far worse. He had seen people who had been mutilated, their guts pouring out and blood running out their eyes. He was no stranger to death and gore.

Children were innocent though, undeserving of the kind of pain that typically only grown people felt. Ging wondered what the girl would grow up to be like, when she was subjected to this kind of pain and trauma at such a young age. He knew, in the back of his mind, that there were many children who faced so much worse than her. He knew because he saved many of them on his travels, taking them out of hellholes and giving them hope.

But if she didn't choose that path, he couldn't help her. He left a little bit of his Nen there, to linger in the form of a pretty bauble he hoped she would pick up one day. For nearly ten years, the silver bracelet was left there in the dirt, overlooked by the animals and stepped on by uncaring nobles. Rain and dust and mud covered it, but his Nen had infused it so that it would glow to her, and only to her, until she picked it up.

Almost ten years later, in early November, a little girl whose name was only known to three people in the whole world ventured outside for the first time since she saw that odd man and his son. As if it was calling for her, she walked straight to the bracelet, dusted it off and placed it on her wrist.

She didn't admire it and trudged forward into the forest. Her figure was malnourished and scars ran up and down her body, albeit in clever places that nobody but herself would be able to see them. People rarely came to visit them, but even they, themselves, did not wish to see the painful red welts that were raised with each crack of the whip. They didn't care that when she was much younger, barely a toddler, she had cried for hours on end when they had first punished her. She was a mistake and nothing more to them.

Nova knew that, but she didn't concern herself much with thoughts of anything like that. Instead, she let all of her anger swirl in her belly, waiting for it's turn, when she was finally strong enough to survive on her own without any help. She would not take any revenge with her own hands, and she was not one who thought revenge was a dish best served cold. All she would do was watch as they slowly fell apart, and the strong stones that they thought would protect them forever would turn on them.

At that moment, when she was walking away, she didn't even have the heart to think that she would one day be strong enough to see them fall. She instead walked forth with a goal: the 287th Hunter Exam. As long as she didn't fail, she assured herself that she would never have to come back to this place again. For now, that was better than any revenge that could ever be given.

The voice, older now, called out for her again. "Come back here, you impudent child!" She had seen three more children of hers born; one a stillbirth, one who died from fever, and one more who survived. He was a male, which ensured that the family line would go on, but once he hit the age of six, it was apparent that he was not nearly as smart as Nova had been at that age.

She had been used as a tutor, one that was reprimanded frequently if Sterling fell behind in any subject. Even Sterling looked down upon her, though he was well aware that she was his older sister, and much smarter and capable at that. Nobody even tried to go after her, because they thought that she would come back, and if she didn't there was no great loss.

The Arsenios had no use for people with disabilities, too blind to see their real worth, even if it was already shining with every step they took. Nova didn't risk a glance back at the imposing grey walls that had always cast a shadow on her life, for fear that she would go running back to the same fate she had wanted to escape for so long. Only the letter, clenched in her hands, gave her strength to take the last step, finally out of reach of the castle's grip.

Ignoring Nova's innate talent was a choice the Arsenio's would all regret, as after each hour when they called after her from inside the supposed safety of stone, Nova never came for them. When they were finally pushed to the edge, and they called for her to be their savior, the last glance that she chose not to give to them, would be their downfall, and when they were old and grey, crying on the steps of the rich, she would look down at them from the highest point that one could.

And she would laugh.

I wanted to write this fanfiction, because so frequently, people write about an OC ending up with Gon or Killua as children, and that really shapes how they act and think. Don't get me wrong, I love those fanfictions, but I wanted to see the kind of character that would develop if they stayed in their current lifestyle, even if a different one was offered to them.

For a brief outline: next chapter, Nova will go to the hunter exam, but none of the beginning stuff will be shown. It will skip directly to the first phase. As I'm writing Nova's character out, I feel like she wouldn't be one of those lovey kinds of girls, at least, not to begin with. She is a strong character who takes pride in being self-serving. So if there is any romance, it will be long in the making, and even then, barely existent.

If there's any grammar mistakes/spelling mistakes, just let me know and I will try my hardest to edit it as soon as possible.

Reviews/follows/favorites are always a delight, and it makes me happy to know that people are taking and interest in my writing.