A young Leorio was sitting by the beach, watching the sunset across the orange horizon. The day had just finished. "Such a long day..." He stretched his arms and yawned aloud.

Once again, he spent most of the day looking for a job and money. He lived in a town near the sea , so most jobs for teenagers like him were fishermen's assistants or vendors in the market. The problem was, there were so many teenagers in their town. Almost every fisherman had a kid that they didn't need to hire anyone else when their kids would do it for free.

He heard a familiar tune from behind which came from a maple leaf. Leorio smiled in recognition as he turned to see his best friend: Pietro. He looked at Leorio with bright blue eyes and gave a smile from his thin lips. He ran towards Leorio and took a seat beside him.

"Yo," he greeted Leorio.

"Yo." Leorio sighed.

"Found work already, Leo?" he asked.

Leorio shook his head. "Naaahh... I wish I'd find work soon. I won't be able to finish this semester without it."

"You're really dedicated, huh?" Pietro grinned.

"Yeah. I'm gonna be a doctor, and earn lots of money."

Pietro laughed. "You gonna be famous, okay? By that time, I'll paint ya on every canvas I get."

"Yeah," Leorio answered and gazed at the sunset. Blue was slowly taking over the orange view. "I really wish that'd happen."

Leorio looked at Pietro.

To his shock, what he saw was a rotting corpse, sitting beside him, smiling at him. It was a happy smile. It didn't seem to mean anything bad, but terror overcame Leorio.

"Thanks for the wish, Leorio. It was just too sad that you didn't become a doctor on time."

"P-p-pietro..." Leorio started to shake violently. "I-I..."

The corpse offered his hand. "I want to congratulate you. You're a doctor, now."

Leorio backed away from the corpse. It was offering its hand to him, but he refused, rather, he didn't accept. He didn't know what he refused and he didn't know why. All he could feel was confusion. Was this something to mock him of his failure? Did Pietro want to remind him that he failed in saving his own best friend?

"Please... let me congratulate you, Leo..." It advanced towards him. He continued to back away until he stood up and ran.

"But Leorio..." 'Pietro' limply ran after him. After running for a while, it fell to the ground but was able to grab Leorio's left ankle.

"Let me go!" Leorio cried. He struggled to go way, but the corpse's hold was strong.

"Leorio..."

"Let me go! Let me go!" Leorio stuggled to free himself. As the corpse held tightened its hold on him, the more he panicked. Slowly, dark clouds gathered in the sky, giving it an eerie shade of violet. Clapping thunder resounded in his ears as he felt strong winds and tiny drops of water against his face.

"Here!" a child's voice called in front of him.

"Jen!" Leorio cried in recognition. She was standing there, holding her stuffed rabbit in one hand and the other outstretched to save him. He struggled to reach her hand as Pietro continuously tugged at his leg.

"Oniichan!" Jen called him. As he struggled, Jen's face cleared more and more. "Hold on!"

Leorio gave one hard pull. Finally, he was able to break free of Pietro. It seemed to be a mere release, but for Leorio, it felt like he was freed from a dark prison cell that provided nothing but cold, fear and hunger.

His fingers touched Jen's hand, then held it altogether. He stood up and carried Jen in his arms then ran away as fast as possible.

"I'm glad you escaped, Oniichan," Jen said. Leorio smiled then looked at Jen, about to thank her. He was shocked at what he saw.

It was a corpse of a young girl, holding a stuffed rabbit in her hands.

-------------

It was that dream again. It always disturbed him, and it never failed to show itself at least once in Leorio's sleep. And the strange part was that it always ended there. It never had a continuation of sorts.

The dream meant a lot to Leorio, though. He said yes to Meila's request, though he was unsure of himself. She couldn't thank him enough and asked what he wanted in return. He said that it was for free. She thought he was joking but he told her that he was serious. It was okay with him. It was a promise he made to himself that when he would become a Hunter, he would use the money to finish his medical studies, then cure sick children for free. It was the only way he could think of to make up for Pietro's death a year ago.

Pietro was his childhood friend, almost like a brother. Both of them grew in the orphanage. He wanted to be an artist, while Leorio aspired to become a doctor. Despite of the different interests they had, they continued to become best friends.

By age sixteen, the orphanage required its inhabitants to find a job for themselves, and contribute some money for the younger ones and their lodgings. Pietro was lucky enough to become an artist's assistant due to his undeniable talent. Leorio, on the other hand, would not be accepted by the doctor as an apprentice because he already had one. As a result, he worked out odd jobs to save money for university tuition and at the same time pay his dues in the orphanage.

After six months, the doctor told Leorio that he was ready to accept another apprentice. He started his work and did his best. As an apprentice, he assisted the doctor, and learned some things about the trade. At the same time, he was paid a small fee for working for him. He finished his apprenticeship in just a year. He was ready to go to the university. He took the entrance exams, and passed. He realized, though, that he still did not have enough money to pay for the tuition fee. He worked another hard six months for more money.

He finally had enough. He then left the village and went to Miala to study. During the academic year, he never failed to write letters and send some money he earned from a part-time job to Pietro. He went home during every summer break to earn more money for the next semester.

When he came home after his fifth year, a light epidemic had struck their village and its neighbors. Getting a job was too difficult. One of its victims was Pietro. Pietro looked fine when he welcomed Leorio at the port, but then he found out that it had been two months since he was diagnosed with the disease.

At first, Pietro seemed okay, then he started to vomit blood. He was diagnosed with a disease called merilia. He had heard of the disease when he was still a doctor's apprentice in the village. It isn't very deadly. It is caused by a bacterial infection in the respiratory tract. It can be contracted from places that lack sanitation. A good example is the orphanage which was never funded well by the government. Many other children in the orphanage were infected, too. Fprtunatrly, it can be cured by an herb called helia. It was common, but extracting the special fluid within its stem took a long complicated process that was pretty expensive.

ince getting a job was difficult, Leorio wasn't able to gather enough money before the beginning of the new semester. Consequently, he wasn't able to enter the university for his sixth and last year. At the same, they didn't have enough money for Pietro's medication. He looked perfectly okay, but during the fifth month e started to feel pain his chest. After another month, Pietro died.

He actually lasted longer than what the doctors told them, an evidence that he was holding onto life as much as possible. He had so much left to do. There were only a few adults in the orphnage who can work and support it. He was still to finish his art studies. And of course, he still hadn't painted the great Doctor Leorio on canvas.

Ever since, Leorio had felt guilty about Pietro's death. If only he had more money, he could have finished his med studies right away, and could have done something about Pietro. If only he was able to find a decent job, maybe he could have been able to save up enough for the medicine. Money wasn't the only one to blame. If he had studied harder, maybe it could have taken him less time to get a license and cure Pietro. Many told him that it wasn't his fault and his efforts were admirable, though. However, he wouldn't believe them and continued to feel guilty.

There was no way, however, that he was going to sulk around and despair. He wanted to find a way to make up for what he lacked. He had heard that the Hunter Exam for that year would be held in a month's time. He packed his things up and headed for Kujira Island, where a ship was waiting to take examinees to the venue. He'd get a Hunter's License, gather lots of money, then become a doctor and cure sick people for free.

That was his vow. It was noble. He had done almost everything he stated there. He now had a Hunter's License, he had gathered money to continue his studies, and now, he had just gotten his medical license. He was now a full-pledged doctor.

Jen's disease was merilia, all right. Helia extract quite easy to acquire, just enough money was needed. It was not a problem for him now. He could always borrow money from the Hunter Association using his license card. He also had enough medical knowledge to cure the disease. There was nothing in his way to keep him from curing Jen. Or was there anything?

It was a dream, no, a nightmare that tied him down. A haunting memory form the past that was showing itself once more.

//Can I cure Jen? Can I now do something that I wasn't able to eight years ago? Can I? Can I, Pietro?//

Anyone would say yes.

//NO.// The voice boomed at the back of his head. It was a very familiar voice that he seemed to have known for most of his life. It was a voice he longed to talk to, a voice that had kept him going on through every single ordeal he faced. It was the voice of his own best friend, no, his brother. It was the voice of Pietro.

//No, Leorio. You couldn't do it.// The voice was half-mocking, half-sympathizing. //You're no different from what you were a year ago. A great friend, yes, but not a great doctor.//

//I tried my best to keep myself alive during those days... days of suffering... waiting for you. Where were you, then? Enjoying the lavishness of some medical university while I was slowly being drowned in death? Yes, you came, but did you do anything?//

"No, Pietro... I tired to earn money to..."

//I bet you're still flirting with girls, like what you were doing before?//

"No..."

//You still slack off, delaying things...//

"No... stop..." Leorio clutched his head, pulled the strands of his short brown hair. He was guilty of everything the voice said. What was that voice? Was it truly Pietro's? He tried to remember his friend. Pietro was the greatest, and he always told Leorio what he thought. He never lied to him.

//You're still as greedy as ever.//

"Please..." His head was in pain, like it was being split in two.

//You're no different from what you were when I died. How can you do something about that little girl now? Make her hope for nothing, like I did?//

"Please stop it."

//Give up, Leo.//

//You're failure with me is your first and last. I don't want you to fail again.//

//You aren't meant to be a doctor. You'll never bring happiness to yourself or to the people around you through that.//

//I want you to live happily. Forget about me Leorio, forget your vow. Move on. Do something else. You'll never make it. You'll only end up feeling sorry for yourself and those people you'll force to hope for nothing.//

Leorio looked up. "Ha," he laughed to himself. Was he kidding himself that Pietro was there? Of course, not. Yet, the voice seemed too real to ignore. And it was correct. He couldn't do anything about Jen. It was stupid of him to make such a promise to Meila. Why could he do anything that he couldn't do before? He was still Leorio, kidding himself that he was someone else, like a doctor. His friend Pietro was always right. He never lied. Why not trust him? All Leorio could do now was wish that somebody would come and save the poor girl.

He recalled the oyaji at the university, the one who posted the test results. The oyaji slipped after Leorio wished him luck. Well, what else could he do?

The voice spoke no more. It had won. It made Leorio give up. Was it for the better?

------------------

Meila nervously waited at the back of the bar. It had been two weeks since she met the doctor Leorio.

//Where could he be?// It had been two weeks since they met. He promised to cure Jen, but he hadn't shown up since. Maybe he was gathering something for the medication.

But just three days ago, Jen's condition started to worsen. She woke up with pain in her chest. There was no doctor to examine her. She needed money and continued to work. She left Jen under the care of a kind neighbor.

A blonde head among the hordes of people in the tavern suddenly caught her eye. The tavern was built near the port to accommodate those coming to and leaving Miala.

She remembered the blonde head as one of Leorio's companions who ate dinner with him in the tavern. Maybe he knew where Leorio was. She quickly got our of the bar and ran to the owner of the blonde head which was slowly disappearing through the tavern's front door.

"Excuse me, sir!" she called. She had second thoughts about calling the person 'sir,' but what the heck?

The blonde head turned and looked at her. "May I help you?"

"Um, excuse me, but do you happen to know someone by the name of Leorio?" she asked, panting.

"Why, yes," the blonde answered. looking at her, puzzled.

"Would you please come with me inside?" she asked.

"Uumm... okay..." She grabbed his hand and led him to the back of the tavern.

------------

Kurapika listened intently to what the girl was saying. He knew she was the waitress that served them food in the tavern two weeks ago. It was so expected of Leorio to try impreessing girls. But why wouldn't he show up now that the little girl was suffering? No matter how sloppy Leorio was, he never broke his promises.

"Do you know where I can find him?" the waitress asked hopefully.

"I'm sorry, I don't," Kurapika answered.

"Oh..." she said then looked away with a sad expression on her face.

"He may be in the university dorm," suggested Kurapika. He had to leave soon or he would miss the ship to Yorkshin. Nostrad allowed him only two weeks for a leave. He stayed in town for a while to look at the rare herbs that were exclusive to Miala. He already had enough samples to bring back. He had to leave now or else it'll take him another week to go back.

Strangely enough, he had never seen Leorio during those two weeks. He sometimes saw Gon and Killua around Miala, working for money to gather money for tickets back to Kujira. Until now, Gon avoided using his license as much as possible.

"I couldn't leave my work place right now..." she murmured.

"I'm sorry," Kurapika apologized. "I have to go."

"Yes, thank you," she answered. Kurapika was about to walk away when a familiar voice called his name.

"Kurapika!" It was Gon with Killua. They were running towards him. They both had their backpacks ready, probably about to leave.

"Ah, Gon, Killua."

"You're leaving already, too?" Killua asked.

"Ah, yes."

The waitress, whose name was Meila as Kurapika found out, looked at the three of them sadly.

"What's the matter with her?" Gon asked. Kurapika relayed to Gon and Killua what he had been told earlier.

Gon was ready to comfort anyone who felt sad. He approached her. "May we help you, Oneesama?" Killua gulped upon hearing "we" and not "they," "he," or "she."

Meila looked away. She had bothered enough of Leorio's friends already.

"We can help you," Gon volunteered. "The three of us."

Killua and Kurapika sweatdropped. //What now?//

"No thanks," answered Meila. "It's my own problem."

"No, Oneesan. We'll find Leorio for you."

Killua threw a coin at Gon's head, telling him that they're about to board a ship to Kujira which was leaving in a few minutes.

"You have a ship about to leave," Meila said. "Please don't bother with me anymore."

"No!" Gon objected. "There'll always be a ship there."

"Gon," Killua interrupted. "We paid for tickets that's for a ship that's leaving today."

"Leave if you want, Killua," Gon gave him a glare. "I can always earn money."

"Okay, fine," Killua said then threw the tickets in the air. Kurapika did the same. They gave up. Gon was determined now. If they left Gon, he wouldn't be able to find Leorio. He didn't even know where the university was, so they might as well help him.

"No, please don't," Meila pleaded. She stood up to pick the tickets up, but Gon's hands held her shoulder firmly.

"Just sit there and wait. We'll bring Leorio here as soon as possible," Gon declared with a smile.

"T-Thank y-you," Meila said, almost in tears and bowed her head and gratitude.

"You guys coming with me?" Gon asked. "Then let's go."

Meila watched as the three walked away. She silently thanked Kami-sama for such people. She stood uo and went back to work. She hoped they would find Leorio soon. She hoped that he would be able to cure Jen. She wished that Jen will soon be all right.

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bad dream sequece is all i could say. please bear with me. i don't think there are any translations needed for this chapter. again, comments are needed. just give me a private email if you want. it's [email protected]. thanks.

to chapter 3