Chapter 1: The Aftermath

Quite frankly, they had never expected what had happened to happen. A year after they separated at the world tree, the two teens had reconnected and weren't thinking of leaving each other anytime soon. Of course, their reconnection posed some problems, such as the fact that Alluka couldn't be with them on their wild and crazy adventures. Said problem was solved when Bisky offered to train Alluka and Nanika so that they'd be able to have better control over their nen, and so that they could go on the adventures with the two teens.

Once reconnected and Alluka and Nanika learning under the watchful eye of Bisky, Gon had introduced Killua to Ging.

The event was quite hilarious. The stout Ging staring at a teen who was only about a few centimeters off of his height. The non-intimidating poof of white hair distracted him until his eyes, the same honey color as Gon's, met the slightly murderous gaze that the electric blue eyes gave off.

"So, you must be Killua. Gon's told me quite a lot about you," Ging said, holding his hand out for Killua to shake. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Gon nearly bouncing off the wall as his, pre-proclaimed, best friend in the whole world met his father. Ging hadn't been so up to the idea, not being a people person, but once he heard that Killua was a Zoldyck, he had to meet him.

Killua stared at the hand. He was, honestly, extremely nervous, probably more then Gon was when he had to meet Ging. The man, though not looking like much, had an extremely large aura, but that wasn't what made him nervous. It was the fact that this man was the reason why he had met Gon in the first place. He was why they had gone to so many different and amazing places. He was also the reason why the split at the World Tree happened in the first place, but also the reason why they reconnected.

Taking the hand reluctantly, Killua offered a forced smile. "Really? Actually, I'm not surprised. He does tend to talk."

"Hey!" Gon shouted at Killua's remark, which was returned with Killua sticking out a tongue and causing Ging to chuckle.

"He sure does, but I suppose it's genetic. Anyways, I hear you're a Zoldyck."

The glare that Ging got chilled him to the bone and he could here Gon squeak.

"So what's it to you, old man?" Killua said, his voice chilling the bone and causing Ging to shiver.

"Ging, that's not the right thing to say to him," Gon's mumbled, eyes growing wide.

Attempting to return the cold glare, Ging let go of Killua's hand, then straightened himself out so that he'd be a little taller. "I was just wondering. I was surprised when my son said his best friend in the whole world, to quote his words, was among the most infamous group of criminals in history."

Taking a deep breath, Killua gave him a smirk. "Ging, you're walking on thin-"

"It's all good Gon. I just wanted to see if your old man actually had balls."

Taken aback by the comment, Ging let out a bellow, watching as Gon trotted over to Killua, seeming to scold Killua for this comment, only receiving comeback along the lines of him being an idiot and how Killua wanted to see if he was the real deal.

Ging could see what Gon saw in Killua, especially when his blue eyes softened and gave off a caring look when they all began to talk a little more.

After the whole Ging thing was done and over with, Killua and Gon set out to put their Hunter's license to some good use, taking on all the jobs that they could, from finding missing people to catching infamous criminals.

Now, here they were, back in Yorknew, taking time between missions, and they were being themselves. Gon oohing and awing at all the things that the world before them had to offer while Killua made comments of Gon's childlike behavior and causing his own set of a ruckus amongst the shop owners and their customers. Nothing seemed to be different from the usual, but, that day, a lot was going to change.

Gon's eyes wandered across the crowds until they landed on a billboard that was glittering with posters. Darting over to the board, his face was basically pressed into one of the most flashy posters.

"What'cha find?" a white haired boy snicker behind Gon.

With the biggest smile imaginable, Gon looked at Killua and started to jump up and down, as if what he had to say was the most important thing in the world. "Look! Look! There's a festival on the days that we're here!" Gon grabbed Killua's hand and began to shake it violently. "We need to go!"

Killua's eyes glanced between the poster and his extremely excited friend.

What do you do at a festival anyways? Killua thought, which ended up with his face scrunching into a displeased look.

"Ne, what's wrong Killua?" Gon asked, slightly dropping his smile.

"Umm, it's nothing."

Finally, a frowned claimed the always honest boys face. "Don't lie," he crossed his arms and locked his honey brown eyes with electric blue.

Killua, slightly uncomfortable underneath his friend's gaze, looked way and scratched at his cheek. "I just… I don't know what you do at a festival because I've never been."

"YOU'VE NEVER B-" Gon screamed out, getting the attention of everyone within 10 meters.

Killua clamped his hand over Gon's mouth, giving him a glare. Gon returned the glare with an apologetic look, which caused Killua to sigh and remove his hand. Exchanging a look, KIllua began to examine the poster. "Yes, I've never been," he began, not making any eye contact. A slight blush claimed his cheeks, "but I've always wanted to go."

The spiky haired teen allowed a large smile to claim his face, then he grabbed Killua's hand and began to weave their way through the crowded streets.

"WAHH, GON! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Killua cried out, attempting to regain his footing, which eventually happened. He raced side by side with Gon, shooting him another glare.

"Sorry, Killua, I just wanted to get started with the shopping as soon as possible."

A puzzled look consumed KIllua's face, "Why?"

"To buy Yukatas." Instantly, Killua's thoughts raced to images of Kalluto and his mother when he was six. He gave an unimpressed look to Gon, who gave him a sheepish smile. "We can't just go to a festival and not look the part."

Huffing, Killua shoved his hands into his pockets and looked in straight ahead. "Fine, whatever you want to do, but I WILL NOT, WILL NOT, wear anything thing that looks anywhere near feminine."

"Awe, but KIllua would look as good in floral."

As soon as those words left Gon's mouth, Killua tackled him, face completely flushed.

"WAH, GON! TAKE IT BACK!" Killua yelled, locking him in a headlock.

"AHH, Killua, you're choking me. I'm gonna die."

"Good, then you can take your words to the grave."

Killua dropped Gon, shooting him a glare before shoving his hands back into his pockets. Laughing, Gon walked up to Killua's side and then began to, again, make their way towards the stores.

Inside one of the many stores littering the streets, Killua and Gon, mostly Gon, inspected each yukata. Killua yawned, pretending to be intrigued by one of the designs.

"Hey, Killua. I found the one that I want. What about you?" Gon asked, wearing a green, ombre to orange, yukata and a pair of a light wood Geta's (traditional sandals).

Killua looked Gon up and down and nodded his head. "Definitely something you'd choose. The wild colors are your norm."

Puffing out his cheeks, Gon stuck his tongue out at Killua. "That's mean. But you're still avoiding the question."

Not making eye contact, Killua unhooked a yukata from around his arm and handed it to Gon. It was all sorts of shades of blue, and, as he held it, it seemed to make his pale skin glow.

Face lighting up, Gon grabbed Killua's hand and dragged him towards the change rooms. "Put it on. I wanna see how it looks and you need to see if it fits."

Complying with Gon's order, he slipped into a change room, where a man was waiting to help him change.

"Hello, my name is Joga. I'll be helping you today."

Killua immediately started waving his hands, "No, that won't be necessary. I know how to put these on."

Joga stared at him for a second, then offered him a smile. "I understand. Don't worry. I won't look where you're thinking."

A large blushed flushed all over Killua's face. "No, that's not it. I just… I'm fine on my own."

Joga nodded, then left the room. Killua let out a small sigh.

I suppose a normal person would've let him help, he said, beginning to take off his shirt. Instantly, his eyes glanced along all the silvery scars that blended into his body. But I'm not normal. Much less these scars.

He began to pull on the ensemble, letting the smooth cloth sit on his shoulders as he did the obi up around his waist. He looked in the mirror, somewhat satisfied, then started to pull back the curtain to see Gon chatting away with Joga.

"Yeah, Killua's really cool. He's an ex-assassin."

Killua cleared his throat, catching the attention of the others. He stepped out all the way, putting a hand on his hip and giving Gon a glare. "What have I told you about telling people personal information?"

Feeling the angered waves radiating off of Killua, Gon gave him a bright smile, in attempts to cool him off. "Not too. But Joga asked me why you wouldn't let him help you. How am I supposed to tell him you're self-conscious about your scars and you don't like showing strangers."

Before either Joga or Gon knew it, Killua hand socked Gon in the head, his glaring growing even more dangerous by the second. "I am not self-conscious, I just don't want people asking for life stories."

The actions between the two boys caused Joga to laugh, "Well, it doesn't matter because you got it on yourself just fine. I'd say it's a perfect fit, what about you, Gon?"

"Oh yeah, just wait for a second," Gon said before taking Killua's shoulders and placing him a step back. He then began to walk around Killua, looking over every little detail. Killua's skin crawled underneath the intense gaze of his energetic friend, but he avoided it.

Keep your cool. No need to think of this that way, he repeated over and over again in his head, pushing away the growing embarrassment.

At this point, Gon had stopped pacing in circles and was now just staring at the yukata, as if in deep thought.

Finally giving in, Killua flicked his forehead. "Stop staring, idiot. It's creepy."

"Sorry," Gon immediately said, rubbing his slicked forehead. "I just was thinking about how good you look."

As if on cue, Killua's face turned to the color of a tomato and he looked away, "Don't say embarrassing things like that. It's weird." He walked back into the change room and closed the curtain behind him.

Gon stared at the curtain, the image of Killua in his yukata still stuck in his head.