More Than a Killer

-PART ONE-

Chapter 1

Home

A butterfly was fluttering next to Killua Zoldyck's head.

With a lightning fast strike he grabbed the insect out of the air and crushed it in his unforgiving grip. He opened his fist and allowed the butterfly remains to crinkle to the dirt. Wearing a look of indifference on his face, the nineteen year old shoved his hands back into the pockets of his slim-fitting black pants and slowly continued to walk along the deserted mountain path.

His head was tilted towards the sky, but his view of the heavens was obscured by the disheveled strands of pearly white hair that fell over his eyes. Nevertheless, he winced at the brightness and bent his head back towards the ground, allowing shadows to obscure his face once more.

The dirt road opened up into a wide clearing and met its end, revealing The Seven Testing Gates standing as a barrier to block the path of any too weak to enter the land beyond. The teenage boy huffed at the brazen and overt gravitas of the gates. They were grand and imposing, a threat to any who wanted to enter and a challenge to any foolish enough to try.

With a disinterested shrug of his shoulders, he pushed against the thick stone gates with one hand, keeping the other submerged in the depths of his pocket. The first five doors surged open, creating a massive opening far wider and taller than necessary for the lean boy to pass through. He sighed with annoyance. He'd only meant to open the first three- anything more was a waste of time and energy- but he was on edge and didn't have absolute control over his strength at the moment. His muscles were tight and ready for conflict.

He stepped through the gates and into the dark forest behind them, well aware that his progress was being closely watched by the pseudo-guard to his right. He didn't spare the bald and plump man a second glance, but through the use of his peripheral vision, he noticed that it was the same man stationed there from his childhood. The thought didn't make him feel happy or reminiscent. He didn't even feel angry. Just neutral. These days that was a good sign.

He took his time proceeding through the dark shadows of the forest, stepping over roots and dodging trees not because he saw they were there but because he remembered where they were. This was the place he had grown up. As much as he wished he could, he couldn't forget any of it.

A young female butler stood watch at a threshold deep inside the forest. Although her face had aged and slimmed, it was still familiar. Her eyes widened with surprise upon his presence, but she didn't speak as she stepped to the side and allowed him to continue walking.

This was his home. He couldn't remember the last time he had been here, but he knew that it was many years ago. When he first left at the age of twelve to pursue a life of his own, he swore that he'd never return to his old life. His life as an assassin. But that was then and this is now. It was too late for turning back.

Killua Zoldyck was home. Permanently.

XXX

Hannah Hazel was a 19 year old college student and it was a Friday night. It would be easy to assume that she was off getting drunk at a frat party or hanging out with friends inside a swanky downtown bar, margarita in hand. However, neither of those assumptions would be true.

Hannah was at the York New University library, sitting at the front desk in the lobby, watching the seconds tick by on the virtual clock provided by her cellphone. The screen read 1:58 AM.

Almost there. The girl thought to herself. Only two more minutes to go.

Only two more minutes and she would finally be able to close up, head back to her precious bed, crash for the night and sleep well into the afternoon of the next day.

There were times she loved working at the library and there were times she hated working at the library. Getting stuck on the night shift was definitely one of the latter. Hannah was a library assistant, meaning that she helped fellow students find the books they were looking for, check them out, and man the front desk in case anyone had questions. Honestly, it was a pretty sweet gig. It paid well and there was plenty of down time to get homework done, doodle in her sketch book or sneak a novel off the shelves to read herself.

However, it was nearing two o' clock in the morning and her mental capacity was all filled up for the day. She had spent the last half hour of her shift just sitting and waiting by herself in a large, completely deserted library until it was officially closing time.

Only a few more seconds now… 3, 2, 1!

Seeing the clock on her phone flip to 2:00 AM gave Hannah more joy than she was proud to admit. She raised her hand in the air in some sort of awkward fist pump and was immediately grateful that there was no one left in the library on a Friday night to see it.

All she had left to do was to make a lap around the library to ensure there was no one left in the building. After that, she could just lock up, shut off the lights and finally go back to her apartment.

Her stomach growled. Well, maybe she could factor in a quick stop for food first.

Both the first and second floors were clear of any stragglers. She had to kindly coax a frantic looking probably-freshman boy on the third floor to leave, however. He was scribbling down calculus problems with an undeniably impressive gusto, studying for a test that was most likely rapidly approaching. He apologized quickly and shoved all of his journals and papers into an overstuffed backpack and was on his way before she could tell him to calm down. That got her to crack a smile before she moved onto the fourth floor.

That was when she was met with a problem.

He was sitting in an armchair with his feet propped up on a low coffee table in front of him. In his lap was a gigantic and ancient looking book. It was at least five inches thick and its pages were yellow and wrinkled with age.

The boy himself looked to be reasonably older than the freshman she had previously sent scurrying away. He was much taller, that was for certain. He was sitting, of course, so there was no way to be sure, but his legs looked so long that there was no way he stood below 6 foot. And then there was his hair. She was approaching from behind him so she only saw the back of his head, but she could tell that his mound of frosty white hair was probably just as bedraggled and tousled 360 degrees around. Playful and bouncy strings of chalk-colored hair pranced around his mane of white, defying gravity as they were capable of appearing impeccably wind-blown from inside a very still and somber building.

For some reason Hannah felt hesitant to approach him. It was crazy. She couldn't even see his face, but there was just something about him that wasn't overly inviting. He radiated this sense of superiority and power that made it clear that he wasn't to be disturbed.

Hannah shook her head.

I am clearly sleep deprived. She told herself ruefully, feeling foolish for her nerves. He probably just lost track of time and would be every bit as willing as the freshman boy to vacate the building peacefully.

Taking a deep breath she tapped him on the shoulder.

"Um, excuse me. I'm so sorry, but the library is closing." She said, making her voice sweeter than honey. She accompanied her words with an apologetic smile so innocent that not even the most heartless person could argue with her. It was a technique that had worked flawlessly many times before.

The boy tilted his head a few degrees so that he could glance at her out of the corner of his slanted eyes. Hannah gulped when they made eye contact. Piercing, icy blue. She saw those frigid orbs of ocean for only a heartbeat before he returned his gaze back to the book he was reading.

"Okay." He said in a bland tone. Hannah waited for him to get up and leave but he didn't.

He was ignoring her!

Steadying herself, she tried once more.

"I hate to bother you like this, but we are shutting down and I'm supposed to lock the doors and make sure that there is no one left inside the building. I have to ask you to leave."

This time he didn't even look at her.

"No."

His single syllable shocked her, leaving her standing awkwardly behind him, speechless. She hovered there for a few moments, unsure of what to do next. She hated conflict, absolutely hated it. That was why she worked in a library for goodness sake. If she wanted to handle aggressive people who didn't have any respect for her job, she'd work at Starbucks.

Not wanting to anger this guy, she quickly ran through her other options. She could call her manager, tell her about the situation and ask for some advice. Maybe that would work if it wasn't two o'clock in the morning. Nancy would not appreciate a phone call in the middle of her beauty sleep. Hannah quickly ruled out that option. Of course, calling campus security would work as well. They would be able to remove this guy no problem. But the idea of bringing police into a tiny situation like this just didn't make any sense.

That left standing up for herself as the only option. She had to insist.

"I'm sorry, but this isn't up for debate." She said, clearing her throat in order to sound more confident than she felt. "You have to leave. The library is closed."

The white-haired boy flipped the page of his book and continued to scan the dense text with sharp, inquisitive eyes.

"I wasn't debating." He threw out the statement so casually, Hannah almost missed it.

She considered what he said. Was he being snarky with her?

"Good." She said, taking the comment at face-value. "In that case, you should have no problem leaving."

"Faulty logic." He said. "I only said I wasn't debating. Doesn't mean I'm going to leave."

Alright, now she was starting to get a little angry. It was two o' clock in the morning. She had been up since 7 AM and she had been working this shift since 5. She was tired and just wanted to go back to her apartment. The last thing she needed right now was this.

Puffing some air out of her nose, she strode a few steps forward so that she was in front of him, directly in his line of vision. She even put her hands on her hips. Anyone who knew Hannah knew that she was getting serious whenever the hands went on the hips.

"I'm not playing around." She said sternly, not having to fake the authority in her voice this time. "You have to leave, now, or I will call the campus police and they will force you to leave. It'd be a lot easier on both of us if you just exit on your own accord."

That got him to stop reading. He looked back up at her, reexamining her with those shocking sapphire orbs. They were so intense, so calculating, that Hannah felt like he was looking straight through her, seeing everything with just a casual flick of his irises. It made her uncomfortable and caused her heart to respond by beating a few extra times per minute.

The corner of his mouth twitched up in a smirk.

"Empty threat." He said and continued to read.

"I told you I'm not playing around! I am being serious. I will call the cops on you!" The moment his eyes were off her, she was able snap out of the trance and into a state of full vigor. Her threat might have sounded believable if her voice didn't crack at the end of it, betraying her hesitance. Her cheeks flushed pink. For the first time she was actually happy that this guy couldn't stop staring at that book or else he would have seen her blush. And then he really wouldn't take her seriously.

She waited for him to respond, but then realized that he was ignoring her again. Frustrated and mentally exhausted, she acted off instinct. If he couldn't stop paying attention to that stupid book, then she was going to remove the problem herself.

She moved her arm quickly to snatch the book right out of his hands.

Or at least that's what she meant to happen.

Instead, it was like he saw her movement coming from a mile away. Without moving the book from its resting place on his lap, he used his free hand to snatch Hannah's oncoming wrist and held it still inside his grip. All while reading that damn book.

She immediately tried to break his grip and free her hand, but to her surprise, she found herself unable to. At first, his hand seemed to be clasped very lightly around her wrist, but the moment she tried to flee, it tightened as though she was bound by an iron handcuff instead of a human hand.

"Let me go!"

"You promise to not try to steal my book again?" His tone was disinterested. Inconvenienced. Patronizing.

"I don't care about the book!" She threw her free hand up in exasperation. "You can have the book! Take it with you for all I care, I just want you to leave!"

"Awe come on, now you're hurting my feelings, Hannah." He said, another devilish smile creeping onto his perfectly sculpted lips.

"How do you know my name?" She instantly snapped. He rolled his eyes and nodded towards a little laminated card safety pinned to her navy blue polo that read Hannah Hazel.

"You're wearing a name card."

Oh. That was embarrassing. She recollected herself and pressed onwards in her failing attempts at persuasion.

"I'm not trying to hurt anyone's feelings. I don't make the rules." She said. Her wrist was still restrained by his hand, but she didn't fight against his grip anymore. When she didn't struggle, it wasn't all that bad. His skin was somehow rough and smooth at the same time. And it was cool. Icy. But it didn't make her skin cold. In fact she was currently feeling pretty warm…

"Then why play by them?"

"Uh, because it's my job?" She responded. Was that even a real question?

"Fascinating life style choice."

Hannah sighed. Talking to this guy was like talking to a brick wall. Except it was exceedingly more frustrating because the brick wall was actually talking back.

"I promise I won't try to take your book." The moment she said those words, the boy released his grip. She was almost surprised that he did. "But please. I'm tired. I've had class all morning and I've been working all night. I just want to go back to my apartment, so will you please just make life a little easier on me and go?"

For a moment Hannah thought his silence was a sign of weakening resolve. She thought he was about to give in, until…

"No."

"Great so you're back to the one word answers."

"No."

"You do realize that was a one word answer, right?"

"No."

"You are so frustrating!"

"And you are distracting me." He replied easily.

"What are you even reading?" Hannah asked, genuinely wondering what book on this planet could be so interesting as to cause someone to be such a stubborn ass to an innocent library attendant.

"It's classified." He responded tonelessly. Hannah raised an eyebrow.

"You're lying."

"Easier than telling the truth."

"Why are you refusing to leave?" She asked instead. "What can be so important that you can't wait to finish until you walk out the door?"

This was the third time she managed to get him to take his eyes off the book. This time there was humor in them.

"Absolutely nothing." He said, clearly eager to see her reaction. "I just didn't feel like leaving."

Hannah's face went blank. Her mouth dropped open in disbelief. She felt another surge of anger rising up in her but it eventually fell flat due to the sheer blasphemy of the moment.

"You're refusing to leave… because you don't feel like it?" She asked weakly, suddenly even wearier than before.

He didn't respond. He just smirked that infuriating smirk of his and flipped another page of the book.

"Why is this happening to me?" She said softly to herself, shaking her head. She was out of options. This guy was clearly not moving and she didn't want to stir up the fuss of calling the police. She wished that she was braver or bolder and could just dial those three simple digits, but she couldn't. She hated conflict. She sometimes hated how much she hated conflict.

She let out another long and loud sigh. It was definitely far too dramatic for a sigh, but she felt like she earned it.

"I'll be right back." She said. She considered adding 'don't go anywhere' as a joke, but then decided against it because this white haired boy definitely did not need any encouragement.

"Going to call the cops?" He teased.

"You know full well that I'm not going to." She called back to him indignantly.

She finished making her rounds around the library, checking to make sure there weren't any other stragglers still present. Thank God there wasn't. Next, she returned to the front desk of the library where she stored her back pack and other belongings. With a sinister smirk, she used the master keys to shut off all the lights in the library, sending the entire building into a pitch black state of darkness.

She left through the front door and locked it behind her, grinning at the thought of that jerk trying to read his giant book in the dark.

XXX

"Welcome home, little brother." The ghostly pale face of Illumi greeted him as he stepped through the front doors of his childhood home.

Killua didn't acknowledge his older brother at first. He swung his head to the left and then to the right, taking in all the sights he hadn't experienced since he was twelve and left on an adventure with… him. Everything was the same. The cold stone walls. The long blank hallways. The dark shadows decorating every corner. It was just how he remembered. He shouldn't have expected anything different.

"Where's father?" He asked, getting straight to the point. Illumi tilted his head, feigning the usual tells of confusion.

"No hello?" He asked. "Is that any way to greet your big brother after so many years?"

Killua didn't respond and just stared at his brother instead, internally noticing how different it felt to be tall enough to look Illumi straight in the eyes instead of always staring up at him. It was a good change. Illumi now decorated his face with a look of disappointment.

"Very well. Follow me. I shall take you to father." Illumi said with a sigh.

Killua rolled his eyes. He knew Illumi wasn't capable of feeling any emotions and it bothered him how the older Zoldyck always insisted on pretending like he did. But that was just part of the game. Illumi was a master of disguise. What good were his needles if he couldn't conjure the facial expressions to match his adopted personas?

Silva Zoldyck rested with his legs crossed on the same throne-like couch he had been seated on the day he asked his son to promise that he would never betray his friends, allowing him to leave with his new companions and live his own life. What a lie that was. Through all these years Silva had never stopped trying to get his precious heir to return to the family business. And now he was finally getting his wish.

Silva gestured for Killua to sit next to him, but the white haired teen silently refused. He remained standing.

"You've grown well, son." Those were the first words Killua heard from his father in years. He remembered the time when he would have felt something upon hearing them. Pride. Happiness. Anger. Skepticism. Something. But Killua felt nothing. They were only words.

"I've come home." He said. His father nodded.

"Yes. It took you longer than I expected, but I am very pleased you have. We've lost a lot of time, but I have confidence that you will be a fine heir nevertheless."

Killua nodded.

"However, this time I must be certain in your loyalty to our family." Silva said. "I must inquire why you have decided to return. Where is that other boy you called your friend? Don? Yon, was it?"

A flash of anger sparked through the young man's eyes, emotion firing through him for the first time since entering his family's estate.

"It's Gon." He said coldly.

"Gon." Silva agreed. "What happened to him?"

Killua stared at his father for a long time, amazed at what little connection he felt towards the man. He might as well be an ordinary civilian off the street for all he cared about him. Just hearing the name Gon, however, just thinking that one, singular syllable… he felt far too much.

Guilt. Anger. Grief. Loneliness. Pain.

"He's dead." Killua said. His words were harsh and to the point, not wanting to drag out this moment any longer than it needed to be. "Gon is dead."

Silva considered this for a moment, closing his eyes. When he opened them again, he wore a pleased smile on his face. He nodded, satisfied.

"We will proceed with your training immediately." Silva said. "You will be a fine heir indeed."

Silva rose to his feet and exited the room.

Killua followed.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Hey everyone! First and foremost I would just like to give you a giant THANK YOU for checking out the first chapter of my first Hunter x Hunter story. I only recently watched the 2011 anime and finished the entire thing in about a month. I was completely blown away by how amazing the story and characters were, so I decided to write this! Killua is older and has been through a lot of stuff- most notably the death of Gon. If you love the little guy, I'm so sorry for killing him off, but just know that it wasn't done out of spite.

If you haven't already figured it out, the italicized portions of the story are either a character's thoughts or a scene from the past. It should be pretty obvious which is which. I know that sometimes flashbacks can be boring, tedious and easily skippable, but I urge you to not skip them in my story! I wouldn't put anything in there that isn't vitally important.

I've already written a good chunk of the story. There are three parts in total- I have a vague outline of what I want each section to be- and I've already finished Part One which came out to be ten chapters. Because of this, the first updates are going to be pretty frequent. Depending on how many people are reading and reviewing, I'll update the story around once or twice a week so stay tuned and get ready for more!

Thanks again for checking out the story! Go ahead and follow or favorite, because I can promise this is going to be a crazy ride. Action, romance, epicness- you can expect it all to come in the future!

Until next time,

Ellie

DISCLAIMER: I don't own HunterxHunter or any of its wonderful (and not so wonderful) characters! I just use them for non-profit fun in my stories:)