Hararu: This is meant to be a stand-alone fanfic with a lot of things left to the reader's imagination or interpretation. It can either be a KilluaxOC or KilluaxReader, how ever you want, but it is written solely from a third person's point-of-view. Also, I'm sticking to the assumption that Alluka is a girl. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Hunter x Hunter. Please go worship Yoshihiro Togashi for that masterpiece.
Within the False World
I'm sorry…
Will you forgive me…
"Yes, these ones please," he replied pointing at the white flowers presented in front of him.
The old florist nodded as he arranges the Lily of the Valleys skillfully into a bouquet with his mitt-covered hands. "Are you perhaps giving this to a certain someone, young lad?" he asked in a playful tease.
With empty eyes, the silver-haired teen simply stared blankly at the flowers. He did not answer, rather he had no answer.
After receiving the flowers, he began to walk out the flower shop. Stepping out, he was greeted by soft cloud pastels and a lively marketplace. Chatter and the smooth tickle of the wind filled the atmosphere. He turned to his left after hearing light footsteps approaching.
The petite figure was waving a hand while the other was kept behind, apparently hiding something. Her hair flowed as she ran almost breathless. With some effort, she curved her lips into a smile in between pants. In a loud voice, she called out his name. As the distance between the two decreased, she began to slow down, stopping when she felt the distance to be comfortable for the both of them.
Focusing on her, he showed a quiet surprise, but never saying anything. As if his hand moved on its own, he presented the flowers to her, almost shoving it in her direction.
Mouth agape, she stood frozen for a moment. Her lips twisted and led to a sigh. Motioning her head from the flowers to him, she raised her right hand to accept them. "Thank you, Killua," she said in a soft, cheerful voice. She momentarily held it close to her heart as she bowed down. Tilting her head back up, she grinned and revealed a plastic bag that she has been hiding behind her back. "I also got you your favourites," she announced gleefully, handing him the bag of Chocolate Balls.
For some unknown reason, he gladly took the present in his hand. He examined it before dropping his arm to his sides.
"This reminds me of the first time we met, just a little less—energetic, I'd say," she commented with a giggle.
"Hey, come back here!" the owner of a certain flower shop shouted, as he chased after a little thief.
"Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope," the little thief repeated to herself, dodging obstacle after obstacle. So far, she had been able to increase the distance between her and her pursuer, except she made the mistake of jumping over a passing trailer. When she was about to land, a silver-haired boy walked hand-in-hand with a little raven-haired girl from a chocolate parlour and blocked her safe landing spot.
"Move!" she warned them a second too late. With full force, she crashed into the boy. The boy attempted to help her by cushioning her fall while standing, but ended up falling backwards with her on top. "What are you doing?!" the boy yelled at her carelessness.
She was about to apologize when she heard the pursuer closing in. Grabbing the nearest thing to her, she shot back up and sprinted away, leaving him on the dusty ground. Little did she know, she was no longer running with the flowers, but with a plastic bag of chocolate.
"That was a scary day," she continued with a crooked smile. "You were so infuriated after all that scolding from the shopkeeper that you swore to hunt me down and present me as the real criminal."
He did not answer.
"No! Help! I'm not coming! I don't want to go to jail!" the little thief screamed her lungs out as she desperately grabbed onto a tree.
With all his might, he managed to pull her grip from the tree. "I don't care," he said, still annoyed at the fact that he took all the blame for her actions.
"Onii-chan, don't be so mean," the little girl scolds, as she observes the harsh dragging action her brother is doing to the thief.
"Shall we go?" she proposed cheerfully. She led their little walk, and he followed silently beside her. Once again noticing the flowers in hand, she recalled, "I remember when Alluka tried to do gardening for the first time. She wanted the flowers to bloom immediately the next day. Of course, that wouldn't really be possible, right?"
He did not answer.
The little girl intently searched for the faintest sign of life as she fiddled with the soil. "It's been a really long time now. Why aren't they coming out of the soil, yet?" she asked impatiently.
"Well, it's only been a day," the older girl tried explaining only making the little girl sadder. She pondered a little before recommending something she thought the little girl would enjoy seeing. "How about instead of waiting for the real thing, tonight, I'll just make you a world with each and every kind of flower I've encountered? I'll try my best to make them look as real as possible," she suggested, attempting to make the little girl, who saved her from her brother's wrath, smile.
"A world of flowers?" the little girl brightened up at the words.
The older girl nodded, smiling. "Actually, I can create any kind of world you want. As long as it's wished for, I can make them come true. But of course, they are nothing genuine," she explained with a hint of disappointment.
"Wishes," repeated the little girl, feeling somewhat uncomfortable with the word.
"Even now, nothing is genuine," she whispered as her smile vanished. Shaking her head, she tried to regain her composure and jump into something else to talk about. "Somehow, even though we had completely different destinations, I ended up tagging along," she recalled before putting a finger to her chin. "Actually, that isn't entirely true," she corrected herself.
He did not answer.
"Alluka took a liking to the scenery in the photographs, so we're going for a visit," he explained, taking a bite of chocolate in his hand.
Feeling the gentle breeze of the sea, she grinned. "I hope I can find something there too," she said.
"Like what?" he inquired seriously.
"Like say—exotic seashells, rare jewelry, treasure chest, ancient artifacts, never-before-discovered-extremely-delicious-food, pretty flowers—any of which I could sell for tons of cash," the girl declared proudly.
"In the end, it's all about money. Reminds me of a certain someone," he sighed with eyes of disappointment at the girl's immaturity.
"And possibly something I don't know," she added as silently as possible, although his ears were still able to pick them up.
"A lot happened in that island," she commented, humming to herself. "The best part was probably when we couldn't find any food, and we had to resort to catching your favourite meal."
He did not answer.
"Killua!" the girl called out in a menacing tone.
"Onii-chan!" yelled the little girl, following the older girl's lead.
The older girl looked up with an evil grin. "We wouldn't be able to eat properly, if you don't come down from that tree, you know," she teased, holding up their supper for him to see more closely.
"Sh-Shut up! Cook them all first!" he exclaimed, feeling increasingly more anxious of the situation.
"Onii-chan, please come down. We won't hurt you," the little girl said, almost innocently, if it were not for the basket of fish she threatens to throw at her brother.
"Look at what you've taught Alluka," he rebukes the older girl, only to earn him a shrug. He would have stayed on top of the tree, if it were not for a sudden slimy, squirming animal creeping up from behind him. He was not sure what it was, but the sliminess and the bulging eyes was enough for him to simply consider it as one of those things. Slipping from the mossy tree trunk, he fell to the girls' grasp.
"Finally," both girls exclaimed cheerfully, as they closed in on him with their own bundles of squirming fish [2].
"Stop it! Kyaaaaa!"
Remembering the details of the events, she could not help but laugh. Turning to her companion, she noticed that he had stopped walking, and was staring at something to his left. She skipped joyfully to his side to see what had caught his interest. Initially, she was at lost for words. It was a peculiar thing, but not that extraordinary. If no one wished for it, then it should not have been there, and yet it is. "An oddly placed willow tree, isn't it?" she uttered.
He did not answer.
"Hey, it's lunch time. Come on!" he called out while walking around the old willow tree. Suddenly, he felt something soft and light rest on his head. Pulling it off, he saw that it was a cleanly knit flower crown made up of Lily of the Valleys.
"Pretty, right? It took me an entire hour," she announced proudly from behind him.
He narrowed his eyes. "I'm not wearing this," he flatly rejected her gift.
She mirrored his actions with a more grumpy look. "It took me an hour," she said, emphasizing the amount of effort it took her from gathering the delicate flowers to carefully tying them together. "Besides, let's just say it's thanks for all the ones you gave me," she added, smiling with a faint shade of pink painted on her cheeks.
He raised an eyebrow. Never in all his sixteen years of existence has he made a single flower crown, much less paid any attention to these flowers. "What are you talking about? I never gave you any."
She shook her head. "You've given me more than I could count," she said with a gentle grin, leaving him more puzzled [1]. She turned away from him, remembering the other flower crown in her hand. "Now, where's Alluka? I have one for her too."
Fidgeting, she closed the little distance separating them. After much indecisiveness, she wrapped a pinkie finger around his. "I hope you forgive this much," she reluctantly said.
He did not answer, nor did he pull his hand away.
"Thank you," she said gently, enjoying the warmth slowly melting her hand. "Let's go," she encouraged him towards the shade of the willow tree.
Closing her eyes, she whispered her unknown words to the wind. She found the thing she desperately searched for, and yet she wanted to take a step back. Will forgetting ever be an option? In the middle of her reflection, a soft and light object landed on her head. Pulling it from her head, she spots a messily weaved flower crown made up of Lily of the Valleys. Immediately turning around, she finds him, hands in his pockets, with a concerned look. In her astonishment, the only words she was able to mutter were, "What's this?"
Dumbfounded by her words, his eyes spelled out, 'Are you serious?' Confirming that she really could not completely understand what he was trying to do, he sighed. Looking to his side, his pale cheeks were shaded pink as he softly said, "Let's just say it's thanks for the one you gave me."
Upon properly processing his words, tears started flowing down her cheeks. Silently at first, until she started wailing incoherently.
He panicked. Just what in the world did he do? "Wh-Why are you crying?!" he exclaimed.
"I dunno," she managed to wail out as her voice drowned in cries.
Another figure approached them with the same messily arranged flower crown. "I made one for you too!" the little girl excitedly declared, seemingly unaware of the current situation.
Seeing the little girl giving her the same flower crown, only made her wails louder.
"I had so much fun. If only," she hummed out, only finishing her sentence with a sigh. With a faint smile, she tilted her head down adding, "And then, we fought. Looking back now, I regretted it, but at the same time, I'm glad."
He did not answer.
"I can't let you go by yourself to that forsaken Continent!" he yelled at her.
"Killua, this is something I must do alone," she explained once more as she clenched a monochromatic photograph in her hands.
"No, it doesn't matter. I'm going too," he restated his stance.
"You have to stay here with Alluka."
At the realization, he stopped, looking away with a pained expression. "Then, stay… I want you to stay here with me and Alluka," he said in a gentle tone, holding her hand in his.
She was taken aback by his bold statement. Tears started welling up in her eyes. "Killua, I'm scared," she managed to say in between sobs.
He pulled her into an embrace, stroking her hair. "I'm sorry."
Later that night, under the bright moonlight, she slipped passed the door. Silently descending the stairs, she bit her lip. With shaking hands, she grabbed the straps of her bag. For one last look, she turned. Everything up until that time was fun, but she decided to end it. Before the tears started flowing once more, she made her way to the exit.
She was about to turn the knob when a tired voice surfaced from the set of stairs. "Onee-chan, where are you going?" the little girl asked, concern evident in her eyes. She pretended to not be aware even though she heard the conversation from that morning loud and clear.
This was the last thing she wanted to happen; Alluka seeing her leave. It might weaken her will, but she shook her head. The entire afternoon she made up her mind, and she swore to never sway under any circumstance. Her choice was not wrong, was it? With determined eyes, she faced the little girl and asked, "Alluka, will you promise me something?"
Sighing, she let go of his pinkie finger. She moved to the front and turned to him. "Hey, Killua, will you smile this one last time?"
Silence settled in and remained to be the only thing that occupied that place for minutes, until he finally decided to move. The first and only thing escaping his mouth was, "Who are you?" For him, it was the only appropriate response to a girl whose face was a complete haze of white, and whose name he did not know.
With a faint and pained smile, the faceless girl tilted her head towards the sky as she replied, "No one." With a sigh, she whispered inaudibly before once again levelling her head towards the emotionless teen. "I am thankful for everything that led me to you," she conveyed, turning around and disappearing into petals [3].
He heard a suppressed cry from the pit of darkness. As he slowly opened his eyes, the morning sunlight penetrated them causing him to reflexively take cover under his hands. Once adjusted, he pushed himself to a sitting position and upon doing so, he felt the lush green grass crisp under his touch. On his left, he found his sister, whimpering under her arms. In a panic, he asked her what was wrong, but she refused to let out a single word, as she had already made an unbreakable promise. In search for something to calm down his sister, he found a nameless stone to his right. He thought there was something significant about it, but the mere idea of it was immediately erased from his mind… just like the tiny Lily of the Valley slowly being swept from his hand by the gentle wind.
…if I can no longer return to your side?
Notes:
[1] In Hanakotoba (language of flowers), white Lily of the Valleys, also known as Spider Lilies, stand for "sweetness" and "promise of happiness".
[2] Taking the liberty of basing this off from episode 18 of Hunter x Hunter 1998. Not sure if they showed the part where Killua gets squeamish about fishies (or anything squirming) in the 2011 version.
[3] Familiar quote, no?
Hararu: Aiiiiight… My hand slipped. To be honest, this is just impulsive writing to lessen my stress before exams, and so, my ideas were all over the place, and somethings (if not all) are just blurry. I apologize for any grammatical and spelling mistakes. I should get myself back to writing after finals (my long-shot has been sitting in the dust for 3 months now). Thank you for reading!