*****The sunset brushed the edges of the village, carrying the damp scent of earth. Gold and blue streaked the sky.
Gon closed his eyes, recalling his return home and his aunt Mito's smile, which had warmed his heart after all the exhaustion. He chuckled softly, yet a trace of sadness lingered in his eyes, remembering her worry hidden behind calm words:
— "Did Ging remember me? Did my name ever cross his mind?"
Even his strong grandmother carried a heartbeat of longing mixed with anger for the absent Ging. Gon wished, if only once, to see them together and hear Ging speak the truth from his heart.
He stared at the clouds.
— "Did he really have to follow through with that commitment?"
It wasn't reproach—just childish curiosity. Frustration bubbled up, and he rolled on the ground over and over, fiddling with his cellphone as the weak signal buzzed annoyingly. Maybe Killua had tried calling dozens of times.
Gon sighed, utterly helpless.
---
*****In the laboratory, Kinnao raced against time to bring the girl back to consciousness. Her subconscious had awakened into the nightmare of an incident from five years ago. Sweat streamed down his forehead as he pressed buttons, adjusting her vital signs.
Tensho stood nearby, stunned. He stared at her.
— "It's never been like this before… what are those eyes?!"
Kinnao grabbed him, eyes flashing with anger.
— "Snap out of it, Tensho! Adjust the room temperature gradually with her body!"
Panic-stricken, Tensho pressed buttons at random. Yuzura's heart rate soared, doubling the normal range.
— "Impossible… her heart is going to burst! What do we do?!"
Purple energy lines flared across her body. The air trembled, machines wailed, and the lab seemed on the verge of explosion.
Kinnao opened all ventilation shafts. Water jets erupted overhead, drenching everything.
— "Yuzura! Yuzura! Wake up! Yuzura Valtea!"
Silence. No response.
He reset the speaker. Suddenly, a commanding female voice echoed:
— Madam Valtea: "Yuzura… come on. Wake up, girl."
She blinked. Heart rate stabilized. Breathing evened out, as if she had just emerged from a long drowning. Her dusky eyes scanned the room with sharp clarity.
— Tensho: "Finally…"
— Kinnao (relieved): "I thought we were done, little one…"
As smoke extractors rumbled, Tensho asked:
— "What now?"
— "We wait… until she stabilizes. It's complicated," Kinnao replied.
Yuzura's gaze shifted to the external speaker. Her voice—first words in five years—was sharp, cold.
— "Why am I here again… where is she… where is that…?"
— Kinnao (interrupting): "Sorry… she isn't here. That was only a recording."
— Yuzura (coldly): "Is that you, old man…?"
The glass was opaque, yet she tracked the source with her eyes.
— Tensho (excitedly): "I'm here too! Little lady!"
She ignored him completely.
She stared at her reflection—frail body, protruding bones, tattoos across her skin.
— "Then… what are these tattoos? How long have I been here?"
— Kinnao: "Lie down. I need to examine you again."
— Yuzura (angrily): "You didn't answer me… since when?"
— Kinnao: "Five years since the incident."
Her chest tightened. A quiet, burning pain flickered in her gaze.
— Yuzura: "Why did you save me?"
— Kinnao: "It was our duty."
She shook her head, frustrated.
— "Saving me only to turn me into your responsibility all these years… damn it… now I understand why you wanted to get rid of me."
Both froze.
— "What do you mean?"
— Yuzura (bitter smile): "My hearing recovered some time ago… I thought most of it was delusion, but I've heard a lot. Right, Tensho?"
Tensho stammered:
— "Ah… yes… yes… I'm sorry… I only wanted to end your suffering…"
— Yuzura (coldly): "I know exactly what you meant."
She lay back, pain coursing through her numb body and heart.
— Kinnao (muttering): "You were always calm… but what is this coldness?"
— Tensho: "Her case drained us… her awakening is a scientific miracle. Without secrecy, we would've published—"
— Kinnao (whispering): "Quiet…"
— Yuzura (smirking, sarcastic): "Thank you… for making me a test subject."
Tensho whispered, almost to himself:
— "Your revival… the Lazarus effect… witnessing it firsthand… we could've had fame and fortune…"
— Yuzura: "I know your type, sir. But none of this impresses me."
She pointed to the iron wall on her right.
— "Perhaps you'll find something useful there…"
Tensho ran toward it. Kinnao caught him before he opened it, muting the audio.
— "Are you insane? She'll hurt you!"
— Tensho (embarrassed): "I-I was just playing along…"
Kinnao reactivated the speaker.
— "You have no right to judge us. This is my work as a doctor and scientist… now calm down, Yuzura. I'll position the device around you—it may feel slightly suffocating."
He turned to Tensho:
— "I'll take it from here. Leave."
— "But—"
— "Go."
Tensho left reluctantly.
Yuzura's eyes drifted across the screens.
— "What is this…?"
She flinched, pulling her hand away.
— "Stop… I don't want to know anything."
— Kinnao (firmly): "This will be my last time with you… you need to know the world you're returning to."
— Yuzura: "She… she's gone because of the explosion, isn't she?"
— Kinnao (sadly): "Unfortunately…"
— Yuzura (screaming): "Then why did she order you to save me?! I told her I didn't want this life!"
— Kinnao: "Enough… we wouldn't have succeeded without your spontaneous revival… as if you didn't truly want to die…"
Then, barely audible:
— "This might be my last encounter with you… and with that, my promise to her will be fulfilled."
Yuzura whispered bitterly:
— "You don't understand the reason for this bond… you mad old man…"
She traced the tattoos along her body.
— "What is this? A summoning ritual…?"
— Kinnao: "You'll understand soon enough…
And the IV infusions will gradually restore your muscle mass. Your weight now… is like a five-year-old child, if not less. Do nothing reckless."
He finally left.
In the rehabilitation unit, fragmented memories flickered… then Kinnao appeared on a screen.
— "I know you're surprised to see me again. This is an early recording—because I know you won't stay here long. We've prepared everything you'll need once you leave:
an app to guide you, braces and wheeled shoes to support weak legs, a neatly organized medication box…
And for your eyes, Pilot Goggles with reinforced lenses to absorb energy and conceal their true color."
Kinnao's voice faded. Yuzura was left alone—between the machines and the memories that had dragged her back from the edge....