Chapter 2

Ying wondered at the size of the fish. "Oh my god," she said, mouth watering. "How many meals do you think this would make?"

Gon stared at her with way too serious of an expression. "A lot," he answered, nodding. "We probably shouldn't eat it, though. My dad let it go when he caught it, so I will too."
"Darn," she sighed, then perked up again as a devious grin made its way onto her face. "What if I told you that with my magic sightly powers, I deduce that you should eat the giant crab-fish?"

Gon frowned, thinking hard. "Well, why should I?"
"You get super strength and a kickass meal." He shook his head, grinning widely.
"Nah! Mito-san already makes me food! And I can train really hard to get strong, all by myself!" Ying shook her head sadly, feigning somber resignment.
"You drive a hard bargain, kid."

Beef-jerky definitely did the trick; a little too well, to tell the truth. Both Gon and Ying could see the horde of fish attempting to chase after it only to be scared away when the Swamp King went to bite. And then it got distracted by the schools of fish trying to run away, and - well. It took until high noon to catch.

"Oh, jeez, I forgot how strong you were," she laughed as she saw Gon carry a fish a hundred times his size with ease. "This is almost a little bit cartoonish to be real."
"Huh?" Gon tilted his head confusedly. "What do you mean?"
"Look. Back home, carrying this fish all by yourself is literally impossible to do without breaking all your bones. This weighs over 100 tons."

"What's home like?" He asked suddenly, as they were walking back. How was this fish even alive? She briefly hoped they wouldn't kill it before they even got there. Well, it was part crab... "You had a sad look on your face when you were asking, miss. It seems like you miss it."

"Oh!" She laughed, loud and clear. "Well, home sort of feels like your house, to be honest. There's this feeling like you're safe and you're never alone, and even when you're not feeling too good one day you still have your family and that's all that you really needed in the end."

She saw brief flashbacks that she didn't really have to think of too hard to remember - mom's badgering whenever she came down to eat breakfast too late and a smack on the head with a rolled-up newspaper, dad's stupid glasses half-askew on his face and his need to fog them up every morning with a cup of coffee (you dumb, dumb idiot, coffee doesn't fix hangovers even if you claim it does.) She rubbed the side of her chin to get rid of the warm tingling there.

"I see!" Gon's smiling too now, and she can visibly see his own memories going through his mind. "I feel like that too when I'm with Mito-san!"
"Good." She smiled back. "Don't forget it."

(She couldn't very well tell him to never get mad, but when she looked at the back of his head and saw an older Gon - taller, long hair that was held up by the sheer force of his aura alone and dangerous beyond imagination she almost messed up her pace with her mind blaring run, run, you don't know this person why is he here and she blinks again and he's bouncing on his heels, carefree and energetic.) She reminds herself that he's Gon, and he's only just beginning this adventure, and it doesn't have to go that way when the time comes.

She'll follow him wherever he goes.

And she blinks again because the townspeople are cheering and a crowd has formed near the fishmarket because Gon's dropped this thing at Mito's feet, and when Ying looks at Mito's face it's not joy she sees in her eyes but trepidation, a little fear. Their eyes meet through the sea of people and Ying nods similar to the way she did yesterday, and Mito's shoulders slump in resignation. They both knew what would happen.

She would be lying if she said that no harm would come to him, but if there was one thing that Mito knew with absolute confidence, then it was how Gon always kept his head up and he never gave up, no matter what the setback. Even if his limbs were broken he'd get up and climb a mountain in order to become a Hunter, because that's how deeply his determination affected him. (Mothers worry, Ying knew that, and what she could promise was that Gon's friends would hold him back if he became too upfront. She wasn't heartless.)

Rage was a terrifying thing, and Ying hoped to God that whatever Gon did, he wouldn't leave them behind. What use were fair-weather friends, anyway? They would leave when it mattered most. Even if it was their own suffering that brought their group down (which means don't leave, stupid. We're right there with you.)

"Gon." He looked back at her, straight on in that way that only children knew so that they gave you their full attention.
"Hm?"
"You're gonna do great."

And although his stare turned a bit more assessing, trying to determine what exactly she meant with a less sunny demeanor, Ying flashed white teeth at him and he was back to normal, if not more aware.
"You're funny!"
"Hah? You wanna run that by me again, little man?"

And all was okay again.

They made the return trip before the fish managed to suffocate - wow holy shit this fish has some amazing breathing capacity - and Mito ushered them both back in, much to Ying's chagrin. She was starting to feel a little like a kid again. "Clean up, now, dinner will be in a half hour. I'd like to speak with Gon for a moment."
Ying took the cue and went upstairs to take a shower. She couldn't hear anything as she undressed, so she shrugged and simply stepped in. She wasn't that nosey.

She heard snippets of muffled conversation once she left the bathroom, and she knocked twice on the wall to alert them before entering. Mito's eyes were a little red and Ying looked away respectively, and Gon had his backpack on the ground next to a couple of folded shirts and socks.

"Thank you for letting me stay," Ying said, kneeling and bowing her head to the floor in a surefire sign of respect. If she somehow managed not to show enough while in someone else's house, her mother would spank her. Mito looks almost horrified when she turns her face upward, and Gon tugs her back up with a bout of laughter. She briefly untangles.
"Hey! You don't need to do that to Mito-san!"
"...Sorry," she responds, coughing. Her ears were a bit red. "Custom."

Mito promises that she doesn't need to do that under their roof, and Gon bounces upstairs with that ceaseless excitement of his. Ying opens her mouth to speak once she hears the door, but Mito beats her to it.
"Please protect him."

You're going with him is a quiet question left unsaid, but she's pretty sure Mito understands because Ying had already known she was going to and was about to say it herself. "I'll try to hold him back," Ying finally replies, and the relief on Mito's face is both beautiful and heartbreaking. "I'll make sure he writes letters."
"Three times a week," Mito orders, but the smile tugging at her mouth makes it hard to stay serious.
"I don't think I can keep him in place long enough to write more than a paragraph, but I'll do my best."

Ying set the table and waited for Gon to come down before starting. They both ate like starved wolves, and although Mito told them to "eat slower! What if you choke?" and Gon actually did have something go down the wrong pipe, Ying laughed and thumped him on the back and it was one of the best meals she's ever had because it felt right where she belonged.

She loves this surrogate mother and her problem child, she's loved them ever since she saw them, and she'd damndest remember her promises. They were no longer fictional characters, and she was now a part of this story. She'd better learn to protect this kid to the end and beyond, and to do that she'd better learn to fight.

Somewhere deep in the pit of her stomach, something responded to that thought, a coil of tension that had been there all this time and had only just unraveled itself. Will was a strange motivation, sharp and fleeting, but it was strong and planted its roots so it could set the foundation for growth.

He's gonna do great.

I love writing and I pray to the lord that this never stops yEET - Thank you for reading! See you in the next chapter!

Alstroemeria: This flower is symbolic of wealth, prosperity and fortune. It is also the flower of friendship.