The day before their departure, the family of four sat around the table for their last dinner together, each with different feelings.
They all had so much to say to one another, but none of them knew where to begin, so the meal was unusually quiet.
Halfway through dinner, Aunt Mito could no longer hold back. "Take your time eating," she said in a tearful voice, then ran out.
Gon and Kaya looked at each other, unsure what to do.
Grandma spoke slowly. "You're both leaving tomorrow. Mito hasn't slept well these past few days. She's sad to see you go, but more than anything, she's worried. Go and say a proper goodbye to her."
The two helped Grandma clean up the kitchen.
Kaya fetched a large jar from his room, filled to the brim with powder made from dried Thundergrass.
Holding the glass jar in both hands, he offered it to Grandma and blinked at her. "Grandma, I ground this jar of Thundergrass powder for you. Make sure you take good care of yourself. When I come back, I'll make you another big jar."
Grandma took it and nodded repeatedly. "Good boy. I will. You take care of yourself too."
After they said goodbye to Grandma, Gon told Kaya to go say goodbye to Aunt Mito first while he helped open the shop.
When Kaya found Mito, she was standing beside the stream behind the house, lost in thought.
Kaya approached carefully and called softly, "Aunt Mito."
When Mito turned around, there were tears in her eyes.
Kaya froze on the spot.
In the three years he had lived here, Mito had spoiled Kaya rotten. Whether he stole a neighbor's chicken to eat or got into a fight with a group of sailors at the market, Mito always cleaned up after him.
To him, then, during the six years since he had crossed into this world, Kite had been his father and mentor for the first three, while Mito had been his mother for the last three.
Kaya hated the thought of parting too.
But he had not forgotten his original goal, and leaving was inevitable.
"Aunt Mito, don't be sad. Gon and I will come back to Whale Island once we get our Hunter Licenses. Don't worry."
Kaya kept his head lowered and his voice quiet, completely lacking the courage to look Mito in the eye.
Mito wiped the corners of her eyes and cupped Kaya's face. "You don't have to comfort me. Your dream is to find Kite, isn't it?"
"You've grown up, so do what you want to do. Aunt Mito will always support you."
At those words, Kaya jerked his head up, his voice rising. "That's not it. Or rather, it was at first."
It seemed Mito had misunderstood his feelings somewhat. After these years together, he had long since become part of this family.
After a pause, Kaya continued, "If Kite is my family, then Gon, you, and Grandma are my family too. There's no difference."
"I'm not taking the Hunter Exam just to find Kite. I'm doing it for Gon too, because he and I are partners for life."
Kaya was not good at saying sentimental things, but with their departure so close, he still wanted to express what was in his heart.
Mito froze for a moment, then pulled Kaya into her arms and murmured, "I'm so glad. Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease."
Kaya finally relaxed too. He slowly wrapped his arms around Mito's waist, taking in the emotion-filled embrace.
Late that night, Kaya and Gon were both fast asleep. Only Mito remained in the living room, packing their backpacks.
As she folded their familiar clothes, Mito let out a long sigh.
Once we say goodbye, who knows when we'll see each other again?
There was a chill in the morning air at the harbor. After saying goodbye to Mito, the two boarded the Sea God at the sailors' urging.
The sails rose, and the ship set off.
Gon and Kaya officially began their journey to the Hunter Exam.
"Aunt Mito, I'm going to become the greatest Hunter in the world!" Gon waved toward the shore.
"Aunt Mito, I won't let Gon become the greatest Hunter, because that'll be me!" Kaya waved to Mito too.
Kaya made Mito laugh, easing some of the sadness of their parting, but she still reminded them, "Remember to write!"
"We will! Go on home, Aunt Mito!"
The ship sailed farther and farther away. Only when they could make out the shape of the whole of Whale Island did Gon and Kaya reluctantly turn away.
Dozens of applicants who had boarded at other ports were getting some fresh air on deck, all glaring menacingly at the two kids before them.
"Tch. The greatest Hunters? What are a couple of brats doing here?" a scar-faced man sneered.
"They'll probably be crying for their mothers before we even reach Dori Port."
The people beside him chimed in.
Gon did not mind the mockery coming at them from every direction.
Kaya was not nearly so easygoing. Pointing at the scar-faced man who had spoken first, he shot back, "Shut that precious filthy mouth of yours. You're over fifty and still haven't become a Hunter. What are you barking about?"
None of the applicants had expected this cute, harmless-looking kid to confront the man head-on, much less hit him where it hurt with every word. They burst out laughing and turned toward the scar-faced man in unison, curious how he would respond.
After all, the long voyage had left everyone bored, and they badly needed some entertainment to lift their spirits.
"Say that again, you little brat!" Unable to bear the humiliation, the scar-faced man stood up and glared furiously at Kaya.
"Kaya, Aunt Mito told us not to cause trouble. You're doing it again." Gon tugged at Kaya's clothes, signaling him to stop talking.
Kaya glared at Gon irritably. "Why should I? You might be easygoing, but I'm not putting up with this. Go play somewhere."
Gon spread his hands helplessly, gave the scar-faced man a sympathetic look, and ran into the cabin to explore.
After sending Gon away, Kaya turned back toward the scar-faced man without a trace of fear and taunted him. "I said, stop barking, you old dog."
Humiliated by the laughter around him, the scar-faced man charged at Kaya with the knife in his hand. "You little brat, are you trying to get yourself killed?"
Kaya did not move, watching the scar-faced man coldly.
"Will you shut up? You're disturbing my sleep."
A tall figure stepped between them. He wore a suit and a ridiculous pair of sunglasses, and casually picked at his ear.
Sure enough, it was that goofball, Leorio.
Leorio addressed the scar-faced man indifferently. "How pathetic are you? Trying to save face by picking on a kid? Have you got no shame?"
The scar-faced man paused, snapped, "None of your business," and thrust his knife at Leorio.
Without any hurry, Leorio grabbed the man's knife arm and gave it a gentle twist. The scar-faced man fell onto the deck, clutching his hand and howling.
Just then, a red-nosed old man emerged from the wheelhouse with a group of sailors. He pointed at the scar-faced man and told the first mate beside him, "Throw this man overboard."
Several burly men hauled up the scar-faced man as he begged for mercy and kicked him into the sea. They even thoughtfully tossed him a life ring.
As the scar-faced man's screams grew more distant, the red-nosed old man surveyed everyone around him and said sternly, "This is my ship. Everyone follows my orders, or you'll end up just like that man. Understood?"
After that little spectacle, everyone on the previously noisy deck shut their mouths and behaved much better.
The captain nodded in satisfaction and strolled into the cabin.
Leorio found another comfortable spot and lay down again.
"Hey, old man?" Kaya called to Leorio.
Leorio gave him a weary glance and rolled over. "Don't bother me, kid." His stomach, however, betrayed him with a loud rumble.
Kaya walked over and gave him a hard kick. Leorio sprang up, furious and ready to curse, only to find a plump, round apple right before his eyes. He instantly began drooling despite himself.
"Want it?" Kaya asked, holding up the apple.
Without the slightest hesitation, Leorio snatched it from Kaya's hand. "Of course. I just helped you out."
He finished the apple, but his hunger remained intense.
Putting on a shameless smile, Leorio asked, "Kid, got anything else to eat? Give me some."
Kaya asked in return, "Want some fish?"
Leorio's eyes suddenly lit up. At that moment, Kaya seemed to glow like a little angel in his eyes.
Overcome with excitement, Leorio grabbed Kaya's hand and declared dramatically, tears in his eyes, "You'd practically be giving me a second life!"
Kaya spread his little hands. "But I don't have any."
Heaven and hell were only a hair's breadth apart, after all. Feeling that he had been played, Leorio instantly lost his energy and lay back down to conserve his strength.
"I don't have any right now, but I can have Gon catch you one later." Kaya leaped onto the mast more than ten meters above the deck and sat there, speaking down to Leorio.
"Huh? Really?" Leorio rolled over again at those words. After searching for a while, he finally looked up and spotted Kaya on the mast. "Is this Gon the kid who boarded with you?"
"Yeah."
"Then where is he?" Leorio asked eagerly. "Go find him! I'm starving to death here."
Kaya shook his head. "The ship's so big, who knows where he is? I can't be bothered to look. Just save your breath and your strength, and wait."
Just as Leorio was about to starve to death, Gon finally ran out of the cabin.
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