Between the Cracks

Chapter Four

 I was shaken awake, and met Gon's face as I came to. Almost automatically, I checked that Alpine was still in my lap and Patch was still asleep. How he still was after being shaken, I didn't know.

Sunshine twittered from beside me, so I picked her up and set her on my backpack, putting Alpine and Patch next to her. I yawned widely and stood up, noticing that almost all of the men in the room looked seasick.

Repressing a laugh, I followed Gon to a room that I figured was the captain's cabin. I looked to the wheel and there the captain was, his apparently ever present bottle still in his hand. Gon led me to the back of the cabin, where two other people stood against the wall.

One was tall man with black hair, brown eyes, and a navy suit. He was also holding a briefcase, and looked to be in his late twenties. The other person had bright yellow-blonde hair and grey eyes. I wasn't sure what their gender was. They had a feminine face, but a masculine kind of aura. They were also wearing a blue and red, dress-like outfit.

The man with the black hair turned to me, meeting my gaze. I immediately looked away, allowing my hair to obscure my face. I stood close to Gon, on the far side of the other two people. The captain said,

"Alright, you four, what are your names and why do you want to become hunters?" I tensed slightly, not sure I wanted to tell the man my deepest desires, but Gon spoke up,

"I'm Gon! I want to be a great hunter so I can one day find my dad!" He smiled widely and to anyone else, he looked completely unbothered about mentioning his father. I could see the trace of sadness in his eyes though.

I wanted to hug him, but I wasn't comfortable enough with all these strangers around. Gon looked to me, and I knew he wanted me to follow suit, so I took a deep breath and spoke.

"Alexis. And.. I- want to find my parents," I said quietly, looking at the man with the brown eyes and the briefcase, who was next. Unexpectedly, he exclaimed,

"Why are you two telling him anything? He's not an examiner." The blonde person nodded in agreement, and I turned to Gon. I knew wouldn't have had me speak up and potentially make me anxious for nothing. The captain said, looking to one of the men at the edge of the room,

"Alright, call the Hunter's Association. We have two more dropouts." Both of the other's eyes widened, and the blonde person sighed before saying,

"I am Kurapika, the sole survivor of the Kurta Clan. I want to become a hunter to kill the Phantom Troupe." The captain's eyes widened, and he looked a little sad as he said,

"That's suicide." After hearing the blonde person talk, I came to the conclusion that Kurapika must be a boy, and was probably around maybe eighteen.

"I don't fear death. I fear only that my rage will fade over time." I was shocked at his statement and stared wide-eyed up at the boy, feeling a swell of compassion. The man with the black hair stepped forward, saying,

"Mr. Leorio here. I don't have a noble mission like everyone else. I just want money! With money you can buy a big house, a good car, and lots of liquor!" He pantomimed taking a shot and smiled widely. I was a little irritated by his reason, but I stayed quiet. Kurapika calmly said,

"You can't buy class, Leorio." Leorio turned bright red with anger, but said calmly,

"It's Mr. Leorio to you. Why don't we take this outside so I can finish off the dirty Kurta bloodline once and for all." I saw Kurapika tense, and realized that while he had a calm and kind exterior, he wasn't so calm on the inside. I thought I saw his eyes turn red, but when I blinked, they were grey again.