Author's Notes:
DISCLAIMER: The later chapters in this story will feature sexual content and themes intended for mature audiences. Only read this story if you are legally permitted to do so by local law.
Continuity with Hunter x Hunter Canon and Spoiler Alert:
This story begins two years after the end of the Chimera Ant arc, which is currently where the 2011 anime is at. I had to extrapolate a lot from the available manga chapters covering what happens after this point to come up with what I think is a canonically plausible glimpse two years into the future, my goal being to try to avoid breaking from canon. It is of course impossible to do this without a number of key spoilers, especially if you have only been following the 2011 anime. You have been warned.
In terms of following canon, the priority list I use is as follows: 1) 2011 anime series, 2) manga, 3) 1999 anime series. The only exception I make to this rule is when the 2011 series omits something important or cute etc., or if the 1999 anime series has something to offer that that is canonically plausible, and enhances either the Gon x Killua pairing, or the Leorio x Kurapika pairing (e.g. the scene from the 1999 anime where Killua tries to get Gon to watch porn with him on the TV in their hotel room during the Yorknew auction arc). I haven't read through the manga nearly as closely as I've watched the 2011 or 1999 anime series, so please let me know if there are any inconsistencies or plot mistakes resulting from this.
You will also notice that I borrow elements from the opening scene(s) of the 2013 Hunter x Hunter: Phantom Rouge movie. My reasoning behind this is I felt it was a fantastic opening to an otherwise terrible movie, so I have salvaged it for this story. In fact, all my ideas for this story started when I found myself repeatedly watching that opening scene.
Unless otherwise stated, I try to stay as consistent as possible with canonical place-names, people-names, geographical locations, character abilities, and the like. Unfortunately there is very little information available on the geo-political situation in the Hunter x Hunter universe, and of all the different cities and countries, so I have done the best I can with what information is available on the various Hunter x Hunter wikis and online databases.
Though I have stated that I wish to stick with canon wherever possible, this does not mean I will shy away from killing off minor or even major characters if it serves the larger purpose of advancing this story. You have been warned.
Chapter 1: Reunion
High above the clouds, the airship's engines hummed busily as steel rotors sliced through the cold morning air. Inside, sunlight filtered through the cabin windows, giving the normally pale-faced boy an unusually rosy complexion as he stared warmly at his sleeping friend.
"Gon." the boy murmured to himself almost inaudibly, lost in thought.
They had been through so much together since that first chance meeting at the 287th Hunter Exam. In fact, it was somewhat of a miracle they had even met in the first place. Armed with only his skateboard and the vague notion that making a friend would be an excellent way to rebel even further against his parents, Killua had introduced himself to Gon on an absolute whim. Were it not for this simple, spontaneous act, the ex-assassin may never have met his first and fiercest friend, but more than that, the person whom he cared about more than anyone else in this world.
There's no way I'll ever betray Gon, no matter what Illumi and dad say, he thought to himself, eyeing his friend protectively.
Killua let his gaze wander over Gon's sleeping body – black, raven-like hair, smooth tan-colored skin, and a contentedly sleepy smile. Though Gon's eyes were closed, the ex-assassin couldn't help but remember their deep honey-brown hue, and that unnaturally bright, wide-eyed look his friend wore almost all the time – unblinking, unyielding, naïve, but at the same time inexplicably wise, burning with the secret intensity of untold power.
Killua's gaze drifted downward, lingering on his friend's partially exposed chest. He found himself remembering how strong Gon looked without his shirt on. They had bathed countless times together during their travels, so nudity was typically no big deal for the two of them. However, now that they had been apart for so long, the ex-assassin couldn't help but wonder how much his friend had changed. In fact, he found this thought almost arousing…
And there it was again. That once merely fleeting, intrusive feeling that now dominated the ex-assassin's thoughts, especially when Gon was around. Attraction. There was simply no other way to describe it. Killua had a crush on Gon, his best friend in the whole wide world, and there was nothing at all he could do about it. Worse still, now that he was 16, these feelings were beginning to manifest themselves in new, awkward ways. As if on cue, dirty thoughts involving himself and the dark-haired boy started playing out in his head.
"Baka!" Killua cursed himself quietly, realizing that his wandering mind had begun to cause a physical reaction down there.
"Killua, is something wrong?" yawned an apparently awakened Gon.
"What?" the white-haired boy asked, quickly pulling his shirt down over his waist to make sure his friend couldn't see the latest in embarrassing underground developments.
"You were probably looking at my face!" the dark-haired boy accused.
"I wasn't." Killua stated flatly, almost convincingly.
"Lies!" Gon exclaimed gleefully.
"I'm not lying." the ex-assassin insisted, his cheeks turning bright red.
"That seems veerrry suspicious…" the dark-haired boy teased suggestively.
"Whatever," Killua shrugged, trying to ignore the cutely mischievous expression on his friend's face. It was still very disorienting being around Gon after they had been apart for so long. Not sure what to do now, he turned to face the window and soon found himself watching a passing flock of birds. Even with this distraction, he still couldn't get Gon out of his head.
A gay Zoldyck… Mother would probably have a cow. He chuckled to himself at the thought. When was it that all of this first started anyway? he wondered.
Killua started to trace back through his entire history with Gon, trying to remember when he had first started feeling this way. He remembered their first meeting at the Hunter Exam; their training at Heaven's Arena where they learned about Nen; that night under the stars on Whale Island; their capture and escape from the Phantom Troupe in Yorknew City; Gon's boundless exuberance upon clearing Greed Island; and finally, the terrible atrocities committed by the Chimera Ants in the NGL, Gon's frightening victory over Pitou, and the terrible cost of that victory. Killua shuddered remembering his friend's mangled, practically lifeless body; how this sight had almost brought tears to his eyes, even though assassins never cry.
I can never let anything like that happen to him again. Not to Gon. He thought to himself.
Killua's thoughts were abruptly interrupted by an annoying female voice echoing over the loudspeaker.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we are about to arrive in Yorknew City. Please fasten your seatbelts as we prepare to dock." The voice turned off with a click as Gon looked up at Killua excitedly.
"We're finally in Yorknew again! It'll be just like old times!" He exclaimed.
"Old times? You mean like getting chased and almost killed by the Phantom Troupe?" the ex-assassin remarked incredulously. "Or maybe…" he continued, an evil cat-like grin forming on his face, "maybe you were referring to that time you were too much of a baby to watch porn with me that night in the hotel…"
Truthfully, it had seemed like a good plan at the time, but this plan, like many of Killua's other plans to get some sort of sexual read off of Gon, had ultimately failed. Though he had tried to get Gon to watch the video with him, he had ended up watching the whole thing alone in the dark while Gon faced the wall in protest of this new violation of their shared sleeping space.
God girls are so gross, Killua thought, remembering that horrendous woman from the video. The guys weren't so bad though – at least the one was pretty attractive. Smiling, Killua remembered how he had risked switching to some more… stimulating programming once Gon finally fell asleep.
"I WAS NOT A BABY!" Gon shouted, catching the attention of nearly everyone on the airship. "Just because I wasn't totally perverted like you back then doesn't mean I was being a baby." the dark haired boy added sheepishly, lowering his voice.
"All right fair enough," the ex-assassin said, shaking his head.
As far as Killua could tell, Gon Freecss had absolutely zero sex drive, though maybe even that had changed while he had been busy tending to Alluka and Gon had been off training with Ging. Admittedly, the way Gon went out of his way to say "back then" was rather suspicious. Does that mean he wasn't perverted then, but is now? Killua mused. Either way though, right now he was mostly just grateful that he would finally get to spend some quality time with Gon.
Killua had Mito-san to thank for that. She had become very lonely ever since Gon had left Whale Island to become a Hunter like his father, and when her grandmother died, she basically had no one left to keep her company. When Alluka and Killua came to visit Mito-san, Alluka immediately took a tremendous liking to her, to the point where they ended up staying on Whale Island months longer than they had originally planned.
While Killua loved his younger sister very deeply, he was no baby-sitter, so it was a great relief when Mito-san offered to look after her permanently. Alluka was quite pleased with this arrangement, and Killua agreed immediately once it became clear that Nanika wasn't going to pop out at the wrong moment and wipe out half the population of the island while he was gone. It worked out for everyone – Mito-san finally had a kid to take care of again, and Alluka finally had a real parent who loved her, so Killua felt he had no business sticking around any longer. Besides, after almost two years without seeing Gon, he was really starting to miss his friend terribly, even though they talked together on the phone on an almost daily basis.
"Killua..." Gon nudged.
"What's up?" the ex-assassin inquired.
"I umm… I really missed you" he said, smiling sheepishly. "Things just weren't the same without you around, and I guess I'm just really glad you're back!" the dark haired boy added, smiling brightly.
Normally Killua would have slapped him for saying something so embarrassing, but he was really glad to hear that Gon felt similarly, though he doubted that his friend felt exactly the same way he did.
"Yeah, well ummm…. I really missed you too," the white-haired boy murmured, cheeks turning bright red. At that moment, the cabin doors swung open.
"Whoops, looks like it's time to go!" Killua added quickly, relieved that they had finished docking and could finally leave their seats. The two boys collected their things, walked across the tarmac, and entered the vast, bustling terminal. When they reached the customs desk, they skipped the line, casually flashing their Hunter's Licenses as they passed through the security checkpoint.
"It was really nice of Leorio to pay for all of us to go on a cruise" Gon commented.
"Well it's about time we celebrate him becoming the new chairman of the Hunter Association. It's taken him what like two years to find time to do this?" Killua added.
"I'm sure he's been very busy with official duties and stuff like that," Gon mused, wondering what it was exactly that the chairman of the Hunter Association did on a regular basis.
"Yeah if by official duties you mean secretly making out with Kurapika, then I'm sure he's been veeerry busy," Killua said suggestively. Both boys chuckled, recalling how several days after Gon had returned from his training with Ging, Gon had gone to visit Leorio at his apartment only to find him with Kurapika backed up against the wall in a rather compromising position. Leorio had always presented himself to the boys as a real ladies' man, so Killua personally couldn't wait to torment him with offhanded comments about his secret Kurta lover.
"Anyway, I can't wait to see our boat," said Gon. "Sometimes big cruise ships visit Whale Island, but I've never actually been on one before!" he added excitedly.
"Mmm the cruise will be fun, but just wait until we get to our destination," Killua replied. "Zeramor Island is supposed to be a tropical paradise, and I hear they even have those 'clothing optional' beaches there," he said, grinning like a cat. "Aren't you curious to see what those island girls think of your body after all that training? We'll probably have to use Nen just to keep them away from us," he added, making a mental note to electrocute the first girl who gets anywhere near Gon.
"Why would I care what they think though? Don't you remember what Bisky taught us? How appearance has nothing to do with power?" Gon asked, slightly confused by what Killua was getting at. "The way my body looks shouldn't really matter…" he added shyly.
"Haha true," Killua replied, quietly face-palming. Well that went right over his head.
"KURAPIKA!" Gon exclaimed, running over to greet the blond-haired Kurta, who had just emerged from around a corner. Kurapika was flanked closely by Leorio, dressed in his usual blue business suit and teashades. The pair looked up and smiled when they saw Gon rapidly approaching.
"Gon! How's it going buddy?" Leorio said, ruffling Gon's already unruly, raven-like hair with his hand.
"Hello Gon," Kurapika said warmly, offering an outstretched hand to the dark-haired boy, who quickly took it and shook with the Kurta, beaming.
Killua watched these proceedings cautiously from a distance, not one for big friendly greetings.
"Killua, get over here!" Leorio insisted. "You're missing all the fun!"
"OK," the ex-assassin shrugged, approaching the trio. "How's it going guys?"
"Come here you…!" Leorio said, pulling Killua in and ruffling his hair. Annoyed, Killua frowned and quickly brushed it back to its original state.
"Killua, you look taller, and so does Gon," the Kurta observed.
"Heh, well at least some things never change… Leorio still looks like he's 37," said Killua. Everyone laughed at this remark except Leorio, who just scowled.
"I'll have you know I'm just barely over 23!" Leorio yelled in response, but this just made everyone laugh even harder.
The four friends exited the terminal and headed towards the street. A white limousine pulled up bearing the Hunter Association emblem.
"Perks of being the chairman," Leorio chuckled. "Come on everybody get in!" Before they could comply with his request, however, a small green man exited the limo.
"Oh fuck me." Leorio swore quietly to himself.
"Beans!" Gon shouted.
"Why hello there Master Gon," Beans responded politely. "Good to see you all again," he added, before turning to face Leorio. "Now, chairman, before you go there is still that small contingency of your opening remarks for the one-star hunter award ceremony, not to mention you still haven't signed the updated international border defense treaty, and let's not forget the…"
"Beans," Leorio interrupted. "I trust you can handle all of this without me. Now if you please, I'd like to get going on my vacation. If you really need help with something just have the vice chairman take care of it or better yet go find Ging and ask him." Gon smirked at this last remark, knowing all too well how difficult of a man his father was to track down.
"Yes sir of course. I'll attend to all of that right away." Beans said, raising his hand to summon a cab.
"OK sorry about that guys," said Leorio. "Anyway, we have until tomorrow morning before our cruise departs, so where to?"
"I'm starving!" both Gon and Killua said in unison.
"All right then food it is!" Leorio exclaimed.
They had lunch at a fancy restaurant Kurapika had heard about when he was working undercover for the Nostrade family during the Yorknew auction. For the rest of the day they toured around the city to see some of the sights they had missed during their last visit.
"Something is different about them," Kurapika said, watching Gon and Killua use their Nen to skip stones across the Yorknew harbor as the brilliant orange sun melted into the sea.
"What do you mean?" Leorio asked. "Of course they're different – they're much more powerful than they were last time we saw them," he added.
"No. I don't mean that," the Kurta replied. "Something has changed between them."
"How so?" Leorio asked curiously.
"I just feel that there's something different about the way Killua looks at Gon, or rather…" Kurapika paused and thought for a moment. "It's not that Killua looks at him differently; he just looks at him..."
"More." Leorio finished his friend's sentence, realizing what the Kurta was getting at. He had noticed it too. As usual, Killua had remained glued to Gon's side for most of the day, but Leorio couldn't help but notice that every time Gon was looking the other way, the ex-assassin could be seen gazing in his friend's general direction, a subtle, far-away smile on his face. "Granted, they haven't seen each other at all for what? Like two years? It doesn't seem so odd when you think about it that way," Leorio mused.
"Perhaps." Kurapika replied, not fully convinced that Killua's blatant, longing stares were as innocuous as his friend was suggesting. "I guess we'll have to wait and see," the Kurta added, a twinkle of mischief flickering in his normally vacant brown eyes.