This is a follow-up to my fic Turn Red. Normally I don't make sequels, but I really wanted to do this one, so... forgiveness?
Also, I'm assuming the hospital Gon ends up in is in Yorknew. Because otherwise I have NO IDEA where it is.
I do not own Hunter x Hunter. Even though I REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY WANT TO!
Anyway, here we go!
Enjoy!
"Why are you leaving?" Leorio asks as I stand by the door with a backpack strapped to my back. Ready to leave. In fact, kind of anxious. I have to go before Gon gets back. Because if he comes back, he'll somehow manage to convince me not to leave.
"Because, I always wanted to leave the Kurta village and explore the outside world. Why not take the chance?" I reply.
"What about Kurapika? You're not gonna wait for him to wake up?"
"No. He'll understand if you tell him. He felt the same." I explain, putting my hand on the doorknob.
"What about Gon and Killua? You're not gonna say goodbye?"
"Why don't you tell them I said goodbye? And that I promise we'll meet again?"
"Fine. Leave if you want. I bet you'll regret it." He replies.
"Well, I'll still have my phone. So don't worry about it."
"I'm not gonna be able to convince you to stay, am I?" He asks.
"Nope."
"Fine. Go! Just don't be stupid."
"Fine. Bye old man!" I call as I throw open the door and run down the hall of the run-down slum building.
"WHO'RE YOU CALLING OLD MAN?!" He shouts after me as I laugh at his reaction.
I stare up at the large buildings around me. It's been almost a year since I was here in Yorknew City. Since I talked to Gon.
Damn. I should call him.
Just as I'm thinking that, my phone vibrates in my pocket. I pull it out to see Killua's name on the screen.
Well, speak of the devil.
I click the green accept button and press the phone to my ear.
"Hey Killua. What's up?"
"Where are you?"
"Yorknew City, why?"
"Can... Can you come to the hospital?" He asks quietly.
And I start to worry.
"Why?"
"Um... Gon was in an accident. I'm going to get someone to help. And he wants you to stay with him. Since it's been so long."
He's hiding something.
He's totally hiding something.
"Okay. I'm on my way." I reply.
Might as well find out myself.
I walk into the door of the hospital. Sort of expecting to see Killua waiting for me, but no one I recognize is here. Just some random strangers.
I walk up to the front desk. The receptionist looks completely exhausted.
"Hey, I'm here to see Gon Freecss." I state to the young lady.
"Um... 7th floor 5th room down the hall." She replies.
"Thanks." I walk towards the elevator. Preparing myself for Gon and Killua's obvious anger at me for not saying goodbye directly. Killua will probably smack me upside the head. Then Gon will yell at me for about 30 seconds before hugging me and saying how much he missed me.
The elevator dings and the door opens. I see Killua sitting on a bench a ways down the hall. He's staring at the ground, his hands in his hair.
"Killua! Hey, Killua!" I shout, running down the hall towards him.
He looks up. He quickly stands and runs down the hall towards me. He wraps his arms around me.
"Killua?" I question. He's never done anything like this before...
"It-It's really good to see you Yuno." He responds.
"It's-It's good to see you too Killua."
He swiftly lets go and lightly hits me on the back of the head.
"WHY THE HELL DIDNT YOU WAIT FOR US TO CONE BACK BEFORE YOU LEFT!" He shouts.
I pause. I don't know what to say.
That I wanted to see the world?
That it was my dream?
To leave them behind?
That I was worried about giving up if I saw them?
That I didn't want them to convince me not to leave?
"WELL? WHATS YOUR ANSWER?" He demands.
"When-When I was in the Kurta village, Kurapika, Pairo, and I wanted to leave. We wanted to see the world. But then Kurapika left, and a week later the Troupe came. And then, after a year with them, my memory was wiped. So, once I remembered that I wanted to see the world, I realized that I could. Even if Kurapika wouldn't come with me, I could still go. So I did. Leorio tried to stop me, but I ignored him and left anyway. I'm sorry."
"I hope you feel horrible." He replies.
"Good to see you too."
He walks up to the door I can only assume is to Gon's room. He puts a hand on the doorknob but pauses before turning it.
"You... May wanna brace yourself..."
"What do you mean?"
He turns the handle and pushes the feeble door open.
A giant bed fills about a fifth of the giant room. The bed is surrounded by medical machines and tubes going through the curtain surrounding the bed. Including an oxygen mask. There seems to be some kind of aura 'leaking' from whatever's in the bed.
And whatever's in the bed is wrapped entirely in bandages.
"Killua. Where's Gon?" I ask, the realization suddenly coming to me.
He just gestures towards the thing wrapped in bandages with his head.
Gon is the thing wrapped in bandages. Gon is the thing with the 50 medical machines and tubes sticking into him. Gon is the thing leaking all his aura in a hospital bed.
Gon didn't ask for me to come. Because Gon can't talk.
Because Gon is dying.
"Gon... Gon's dying." I state.
Killua just nods.
"But I know someone who I think can save him." He replies.
I barely here Killua's words over my own inner screaming. I shouldn't have left. I should've stayed. If I had stayed maybe I would've been able to stop whatever happened. Maybe Gon would be awake. Smiling his big dumb smile like he always has. Maybe he'd be okay.
But I had to make myself happy. I had to see the world.
And now my best friend is dying because of that.
I feel water slip down my face as I cover my eyes with my hands.
What am I gonna tell Mito-San?
What about Ging?
Gon will never meet Ging.
Because of me. Because I had to take off to sightsee.
I owe Gon my life, yet I basically took his.
What do I do?
What do I do?
Please, someone tell me what to do!
"But, if I can't save him..." Killua pauses, "He would want you to be here with him." Killua finishes.
"No... He would want you... Why would I be the one? I left. I didn't... I didn't even say... goodbye..." My legs suddenly feel weak, but I refuse to fall. I slowly walk inside the door and sit on the bench right next to the door frame.
"Because he missed you. You should have seen his face when Leorio told him what you said. He said that he wanted you to follow your dream. But he locked himself in one of the rooms for the next four hours. I could hear him crying through the wall."
I made Gon cry?
I made Gon cry.
I made my best friend cry.
"I'm staying. So get out of here, Killua."
He looks at me, slightly surprised at my tone.
"Go find someone who can save Gon."
It's only been three hours since Killua left. I don't know who he thinks can save Gon, and I really don't care. Gon just has to live.
Gon has to live.
Because then I'll be able to apologize.
But what if he doesn't make it?
I stand slowly and shakily. If he doesn't make it, I can't regret never apologizing to him. Never saying how much I owe him and how sorry I am.
"Um... Hey Gon. It's... Been a while... Hasn't it?" I pause. "I don't know if you can hear me, but I'm... I'm... I'm so... Sorry. I'm so sorry Gon. I'm so sorry I left and didn't say goodbye and that I never called or... Anything. I'm so sorry. I was so selfish. Killua told me about what happened, and I'm sorry. It's my job to be there to stop you from doing stupid things, and I wasn't there when you needed me to stop you. I'm the worst friend ever. I owe you so much, and I wasn't even there to repay my debt. Please... Please... Please make it Gon. Please don't die on us."
I sit down and resume my silent vigil. I'll sit here as long as it takes. As long as I have to for Gon to come back.
Suddenly the door opens and a tall black-haired weird guy comes through.
"Hey Leorio." I whisper.
He slowly turns his head in my direction.
"YUNO? HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET HERE?" He shouts.
Why is he shouting? Gon is sleeping. He's probably exhausted. Whatever happened, he deserves his damn peace.
"Quit down Leorio." I reply angrily.
He pauses for a second, clears his throat and adjusts his tie.
"How the hell did you get here?" He asks quieter.
"Killua told me to come. And he left. He's off to find someone to help Gon. He didn't even tell me what happened."
"And you actually picked up his call?" He asks with poison in his voice.
"And what about Kurapika? He hasn't even picked up my calls. And he thought I was dead for five years." I reply.
"... You... You make a good point... but still. Kurapika leaving didn't make Gon cry for four hours." Leorio retorts.
"I know. Dammit, I know! I don't even know what the hell happened, but it was all my fault! I should've stayed with Gon! If I had stayed with him he would... he would... he would be okay... I want him to be okay..."
"He and Killua met up with a friend of his dad. Extremely long story short the guy died protecting them and Gon lost it when he found the one who killed him. He used up basically all his aura to beat her. He basically killed himself." Leorio explains.
Basically killed himself.
Gon basically killed himself.
If I had been there, would I have been able to stop him?
I would've been able to stop him.
Tell him revenge was a stupid idea. That it wasn't worth his own life.
Tell him he had so many people waiting for him. Wanting him to stay safe.
Killua, Kurapika, Leorio, Mito-san, Ging,
and me.
I wanted him to stay safe.
But I left.
I ran away.
And now... this...
DAMMIT!
"I'm sorry. I should've listened to you Leorio. I really should've listened to you. I should've at least stayed to say goodbye. Or not left at all."
"You're damn right." He pauses. "So, what're you gonna do now?"
"Wait for Killua to come bac with someone who can save him. Then I'm staying with Gon until he tells me to leave." I reply.
"Good call. Oh, by the way, have you heard anything at all from Kurapika?"
"I said no. He's completely ignored every one of my calls."
I hope he's okay too.
"But I'm sure he's fine." I follow up.
"I hope so. I'm gonna kick his ass for not picking up my calls."
I smile slightly. Leorio can be a real funny guy sometimes.
"Ging is at the Hunter headquarters." He states out of the blue.
"WHAT?" I demand.
"Ging is at the Hunter headquarters because they're electing a new chairman."
"A new chairman?" I ask.
"Netero died." He clears up.
"Oh."
"Why do I feel like everything that's happened since I left is directly my fault?" I ask.
"Because most of it is." He replies.
Well, someone's bitter.
But right.
He's right.
He's right, and I hate that.
Why do I have to stay outside?
Why do I have to stay outside while Killua and his little sister try to save Gon?
That whole 'secret that no-one can know' is bullshit. Killua will probably just tell me later anyway. Or Gon will, if Gon ends up okay.
Dammit. Gon better end up okay. So I can apologize properly.
Suddenly the door to the room on the roof opens. And an oddly short now 14-year-old comes walking out.
Gon.
Gon's okay.
Gon's alive.
He's okay.
His eyes widen as soon as his eyes land on me.
Are... Are they welling up?
Well, I know mine are.
"Yu-Yuno..." His eyes are defiantly shedding tears.
He practically lunges forward to hug me.
And I hug him back.
"I'm so glad you're okay." I whisper to him.
"You came... You're here..." He replies.
"Yeah. Yeah of course I came."
He doesn't respond, he just holds onto me. Clinging to me like a small child about to be taken away from his mother.
The last time I saw Gon, he was 12. He was a twelve-year-old kid who had just saved a friend from doing something stupid. Who had just done something for me, and the only family I have left.
And now he's fourteen. And I'm fifteen. And I abandoned him.
And he's happy to see me.
Gon really is the best friend in the world.
I would like to ask the readers of this story a small favor.
You see, one of my favorite shows of all time, Young Justice, may possibly get a third season, but only if a lot of people watch it on netflix. Please, please please, please watch Young Justice. It is a great show (cartoon) and really needs another season. I am literally begging. I really would appreciate it.
Anyway,
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!