Chapter 7: The Son of the Sea
The Sea-Rat cut through the choppy, dark-blue water for two full days. Yuta spent the time in a daze, lulled by the constant, rhythmic creaking of the hull and the sharp, clean smell of the salt spray. He was a good sailor, his body accustomed to the unstable ground, his mind focused on the mirrored blade he practiced drawing in the cramped, dark quarters below deck.
On the third morning, they arrived.
Dolle Harbor was not a town; it was a rough-cut collection of weathered docks, rowdy taverns, and crowded fishing markets, all clinging to the edge of a massive, densely-forested island. The air was thick with the cries of gulls and the overpowering, pungent smell of fish, tar, and low tide.
Captain Grem, his face like a dried apple, clapped Yuta on the shoulder. "This is as far as I go, boy," he rumbled. "My associate... the real ferryman... he's due in tomorrow. His ship is the Seagull's Nest. Find him, and he'll take you the rest of the way, if you're stubborn enough."
"What about tonight?" Yuta asked, adjusting his pack.
"The ship is your bed, if you want it. Or you can explore the town," Grem grunted. "Just... don't let that shiny sword of yours get you into a fight you can't finish."
Yuta took the advice, leaving his pack and blade in the care of Grem's first mate, taking only his small pouch of Jenny. He was hungry, and the market was alive with sound and steam. He wove through the crowd, past men with nets slung over their shoulders and merchants shouting over barrels of silvery-scaled fish.
A smell cut through the briny air—smoky, savory, and rich.
His eyes landed on a stall where a large, greasy-looking man was fanning the smoke over a grill of enormous, perfectly-charred, golden-brown fish steaks. Yuta's stomach rumbled immediately.
"How much for one?" Yuta asked, his mouth watering.
The merchant, a man with beady, shifting eyes, looked Yuta up and down. He saw a small, out-of-town boy with canary-yellow hair and no-one watching his back. An easy mark.
"Ah, for this!" The man boomed with false cheer, lifting a steak with his tongs. "This is a premium 'Dolle Sea-King!' A delicacy, fresh from the deep trench. For you, young traveler... one thousand Jenny."
Yuta's sky-blue eyes widened. "One... one thousand?" That was a third of what he'd paid for his entire voyage. "That... that seems a little high, doesn't it?"
"High?!" the merchant scoffed, leaning in conspiratorially. "Boy, this fish can give you the strength of the sea! It's a bargain! But, you look like a smart kid... 900 Jenny, and that's my final offer."
Yuta, inexperienced in the art of the haggle and overpowered by hunger, grimaced. He'd have to. He sighed, reaching into his tunic for his money pouch.
"That's a lie."
The voice was bright, clear, and absolutely certain. It cut through the merchant's patter like a fresh wind.
Yuta turned. Standing there was a boy who looked to be exactly his age. He was a creature of the forest, dressed in a simple green vest and shorts. His hair was a physics-defying explosion of spiky black-green, and his eyes... his eyes were enormous, hazel-brown, and shining with a guileless, powerful honesty.
"What did you just say, you brat?" the merchant snarled.
"I said you're lying!" the boy repeated, pointing. "That's not a Sea-King, that's just a common Rock-Snapper. And you can tell from the gills it's at least three days old. It's worth 200 Jenny, tops!"
The merchant's face turned a shade of boiled purple. "Gon! You again! Are you trying to ruin my business, you little pest?! Get out of here, you Hunter's brat!"
Yuta's head snapped up. Hunter's brat.
The boy, Gon, completely ignored the fuming merchant. He turned to Yuta with a grin so bright it was like a second sun had risen in the market. "Hi! He was totally ripping you off. Don't worry, I know a way better place. The fish is super fresh! Come on!"
Before Yuta could even react, Gon had grabbed his wrist and was pulling him away, leaving the merchant to scream curses into the crowd. "Tch! Annoying kids!"
Gon didn't stop until they were at a small, clean stall run by an old woman at the far end of the dock. "Granny's is the best," he announced. "Two grilled snappers, please!"
They sat on a nearby piling, their legs dangling over the water, the grilled fish hot in their hands. It was, as promised, delicious.
"Thanks," Yuta said, taking a bite. "He really had me. I'm Yuta Vance."
The boy swallowed a huge mouthful and beamed. "I'm Gon Freecss! It's nice to meet ya! So, are you a traveler? That merchant totally knew you weren't from around here."
"I... guess I am," Yuta said, feeling a strange, easy comfort with this energetic boy. "I'm here to... to take the Hunter Exam."
Gon froze mid-bite. His huge eyes went impossibly wider. "NO. WAY!" he shouted, jumping to his feet on the piling. "REALLY?! ME TOO! THAT'S WHY I'M HERE! I'm waiting for the ship, too!"
Yuta felt a jolt of pure shock, followed by a slow, spreading smile. He wasn't alone. "You're... you're kidding."
"No! I'm serious!" Gon said, sitting back down, his legs kicking excitedly. "My dad, Ging... he's a Hunter! He left me on my island, so I'm gonna pass the exam, find him, and show him what a great Hunter I am!"
The way he spoke of his father—with such bright, unqualified, certain adoration—sent a strange, complex pang through Yuta's chest. A mix of jealousy and sadness.
"My father was a Hunter, too," Yuta said, his voice becoming quiet.
Gon's energetic bouncing stilled. He looked at Yuta, his gaze suddenly perceptive. "Oh. Is he... is he here?"
"No," Yuta said, looking at his own reflection in the dark water below. "He's... he's dead. He died on a job when I was eight. His name was Kael Vance." He touched the hilt of his blade, which was back in Grem's cabin. "I never really knew him. That's... that's why I'm taking the exam. I want to find out what kind of world he lived in. What kind of person he was."
Gon was silent for a moment. His expression was one of deep, simple empathy. "Oh... Yuta. I'm sorry."
"It's okay," Yuta said, offering a small smile. "I hope you find your dad, Gon. It sounds like... we're both chasing our fathers, in a way."
Gon's bright face returned. "Yeah! We are! We're totally the same!"
A comfortable silence fell between them, filled only by the gulls and the taste of the sea.
"Hey," Yuta said, pulling out his money pouch. He walked over and paid the old woman for both meals.
"Whaaaat?" Gon yelled, scrambling after him. "You didn't have to do that!"
"You saved me 800 Jenny," Yuta said, shrugging. "Consider it a finder's fee."
"Wow! Thanks, Yuta! You're awesome!" Gon cheered, his joy so pure and loud that several sailors turned to look. "We're definitely gonna be friends!"
Yuta looked at this strange, bright boy. For the first time since leaving Aethel Glen, the cold knot of anxiety in his chest finally, truly, began to unwind.
.
.
.