(Book 2) Neferpitou and the human Royal Guard

Chapter 19 Heart-to-Heart.

All while I, Hina, Teuchi, Sheikah, and Yiga have a good time chatting with each other, Gon has been noticeably quiet from the moment I mentioned Pitou. Feeling the urge to help the guy, I ask him "Hey Gon? Mind if we speak in private for a sec?"

Gon looks startled when I asked this, it was as if he wasn't even aware anyone else was in the room to begin with. "Oh. Sure." he says, and the two of us walk out of the room.

I close the door behind us, and lean against the nearest wall, asking Gon "So, you alright kid?"

Gon sits down next to me, sitting cross-legged. "No." he answers bluntly before elaborating "I wanted to forget about Pitou, about what it did. And... about what I did..."

I narrow my eyes, unable to let something slide. "Gon, she's not an 'it,' and if you ever call my Pitou-chan 'it' again, I'll tear out your throat." I warn.

Gon jumps in his seat a bit before apologizing "W-won't happen again!" He then scratches the back of his head and tells me "But, she? I always thought Pitou was a guy."

That comment has me raise my eyebrow. "You did? What made you think that?" I ask, confused.

He just shrugs in response.

"Hm, questions for later I guess. But for now, lets get back on topic."

Gon nods. "Right. So, what I was saying was, I wanted to move past what happened, how Pitou killed Kite, how I tried to kill you and Pitou, and... how Pitou reattached my arm and did their best to heal me after everything. I can't forgive them for what they did, and I still want to kill them so badly! But, I wasn't any better, I've killed before, and I almost killed you." He then furrows his brows and closes his eyes while holding the sides of his head with his hands. "This sucks! No matter what I do or don't do now, I won't be able to get past this!" he shouts. "Pitou being alive just makes me so angry, but I can't live with myself if I tried to kill them again. It isn't fair!"

This was a lot for me to take in. Deciding to take on one issue at a time, I ask him "So, this Kite, I'm guessing he was a close friend of yours?"

Gon sniffles a bit and nods. "Yeah, he was one of my teachers. But then..." he lowers his hands and clenches them into fists. "That bastard killed him and turned him into... into..."

"A puppet." I finish.

He nods, teeth clenched, eyes still closed.

I feel my brows soften a bit and sigh, admitting "I can empathize with you kid, I know where you're coming from. If someone were to do the same thing to my mentor, I know I wouldn't be able to forgive them either. I'd tear the world apart for the chance to get my revenge."

Gon then looks me in the eye, scowling. "Then how could you love someone like Pitou?"

My own expression doesn't change, and I answer simply with "Because I'm not a good person either. If I have a reason to, I will kill with no hesitation. I am more than willing to kill a person if they aren't important to me. The only line I won't cross, is killing a child. You would already be dead if you weren't still a kid."

Gon looks away after my response, now with a confused expression. "Why is that the line you won't cross?" he asks.

I sigh again, explaining "Because I believe everyone should be able to experience their innocence for as long as they can. It just doesn't sit right with me if that gets spoiled. The world we live in is a cruel bitch, ya know? We should all at least get to see some of it through rose-tinted glasses for a little bit before we inevitably die."

Gon then looks back up at me, now with a more solemn face. "You're angry to, aren't you?"

I nod.

He looks away again, sighing himself this time. Though this conversation was far from being a pleasant one, at least the talk seemed to quell Gon's anger a bit. We both remain silent for a minute before Gon pops the question "So, why are you here now? Why help us humans fight against your own kind? Did the ants here do something bad to your friends?"