A/N: Part One of Two :D

"Ne, ne, Killua."

Sapphire eyes rolled to the right and gazed into hazel ones, feigning boredom. Not that Gon ever said or did anything boring, but if Killua acted too interested, Gon would go off the deep end and take whatever idea he had that much further for the sake of fun. Sometimes Gon's sense of fun scared even the hardened ex-assassin.

"Yeah, what?"

Gon grinned, his smile stretching wide as he stopped, forcing Killua to halt as well and turn to wait impatiently for whatever crazy idea had crossed his friend's mind.

"Do you know how to dance?"

"Eh? Dance?"

Killua blinked, his arms dropping from their casual position behind his head to hang loosely at his waist. Then he flipped his palms up and set them on his waist, raising a suspicious eyebrow. Knowing Gon, the way he answered this question could very well decide the future activity.

"I'm a trained assassin. Dancing was never really on the training menu."

Gon was practically bouncing now, so apparently he'd given him the right answer. Dammit. If that was the right answer, that almost certainly meant chaos would ensue.

"Yosh! I'll teach you, then!"

It was the voice that Killua couldn't resist. The one that trembled with excitement and happiness, which was always accompanied by the most mischievous sparkle in the small hunter's eyes.

"Hoh? I'm rather interested. What is this all for?"

Gon's smile grew and he stretched his arms out wide, spinning nimbly.

"The New Year's celebration on Whale Island! I haven't been back in a while and since we have some free time, I've decided to go for the party! But everyone dances, so I'm going to have to teach you."

Killua laughed incredulously, looking Gon up and down. Sure, he was nimble, energetic and able to move quickly, but he'd never exactly been graceful. Killua couldn't imagine him being able to dance. Dancing required a certain finesse that, as far as he'd seen, Gon didn't have.

"You? Dance? Ha! I may not have had dancing lessons, but I'm sure I could dance a hell of a lot better than you."

Gon's eyes dimmed for a second and he crossed his arms, turning away from Killua.

"Fine. We won't go then."

Killua frowned. Hey, hey, hey. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. He crept up behind Gon.

"I get it, I get it. Teach me, then."

"No."

Ah, damn. There it was; Gon's stubborn streak. He started walking away, tilting his head up high in mock arrogance. There was no doubt he wanted to make Killua beg. Killua leapt onto his back, wrapping his arms around Gon's surprisingly muscular shoulders.

"Come onnn!"

"No."

Killua clutched on tight, even as Gon walked, so that Gon was forced to drag him along. He was strong, that was for sure. But, of course, he had absolutely no patience so he gave up trying to hold back his eagerness and finally relented.

"Uwa. You're heavy, Killua. You must be getting fat from all the chocolate."

This time it was Killua's turn to be affronted, as he let go of Gon and probed his stomach, poking into the hard muscle. There were no soft parts.

"Liar! Aw, come on. Just show me already! Or were you lying about being able to dance?"

Gon looked torn, as if he wasn't satisfied with Killua's reaction but he still wanted to show off. Killua grinned encouragingly, watching him with great interest. What kind of dancing did Gon have in mind?

"Ahh, fine."

He was too eager to be stubborn. Killua's curiosity only grew as Gon took a step back, making sure the ground was clear. He drew in a deep breath and let it out. Then another. Then another. And suddenly, it was as if he had disappeared. No, that wasn't right. Killua could clearly see him, but his presence was concealed. Zetsu?

"Gon…?"

Killua's voice was barely a whisper. He blinked once, and then Gon was moving. It wasn't the 'dancing' Killua had thought it was though. Gon's eyes were closed, and his body swayed back and forth as if it were one with the wind. He lifted his hands, brought them over his head, and spun, achingly slowly. Every movement was slow, precise. Then he lunged with the speed of a striking predator, his feet a blur. He was bending, twisting, his hands darting this and way and that. It wasn't grace… it was agility, power, raw unrestricted instinct. Watching it was like watching a wild animal hunt. It was incredible. Killua had never known dancing could be like this. It was as if Gon was becoming one with the natural world. Then, abruptly, it was over.

"Gon… that was beautiful."

It had been shadows and sunlight, wild and free. It had fit perfectly with Gon's free spirited, instinctual personality. Killua suddenly felt embarrassed, as if he'd just seen something intimate. In a way, he almost felt he'd learned something about Gon that he'd never known before. He averted his eyes, his cheeks colouring.

Meanwhile, Gon flushed with pleasure at the praise. He threw his hands in the air happily as his aura blinked back into dazzling existence.

"Killua thinks I'm awesome! Hahaha!"

He laughed, carefree as ever, and Killua had to wonder if what he'd seen had been a simple illusion. But there was no way those movements could have been imagined, no way he could've pictured Gon dancing so vulnerably. His knees felt rather shaky and he had to look away.

"Hm… maybe just this once, I'll admit it."

He was afraid to say anything else, because something embarrassing threatened to slip out if he spoke again. He was an assassin, he wasn't supposed to be poetic. But words like 'beautiful' and 'serene' were dancing through his mind. He shook himself, trying to get his mind right again.

"It's your turn, Killua!"

He snapped out of his reverie to see Gon's shining eyes completely focused on him, darting all around his body. It almost looked like Gon was measuring something, deciding something. Killua forgot his embarrassment for a second and watched Gon with interest. It was true; there were still parts of his best friend he'd never seen before. This seriousness was rather uncharacteristic.

"I don't think I can dance like that, Gon."

Gon laughed, shaking his head.

"Of course not! The New Year's dance is about everyone finding their own dance. We just need to find yours. But first… you need to learn the basic movements."

Gon leapt to him without even a warning, crouching down and reaching up to raise Killua's arms. It felt like he was being measured for clothes or something. He glanced down for a second to see Gon grinning up at him, then he had to look away again. He was beginning to understand what the tightness in his chest whenever Gon was around was, but that didn't mean he was ready to admit it to himself.

"Lightning, I think… Un! Definitely!"

Gon bounced up then wrapped his arms around Killua from behind. Killua froze, his entire posture stiffening.

"What are you doing?"

Gon, oblivious to his discomfort, grabbed both of Killua's wrists, one in each hand and raised them. Then he started moving, pressing his body against Killua's back so Killua could feel which way he was supposed to move. Right, left, farther left, back right again. The movements were slow but powerful. Killua understood instinctively what he supposed to do, but the warmth of Gon pressed against his back was messing with his mind.

"You start out slow to warm up your body, then you increase the pace."

The hot breath at his ear was too much. Killua jerked himself out of Gon's arms with more force than necessary, his face bright red, and pointed an accusatory finger at Gon.

"You're underestimating me! I got it!"

Gon tilted his head to one side, looking like a confused puppy. Killua took another step back, trying to calm his racing heart. Having Gon pressed against him and whispering in his ear was way, way too much to handle. He'd never learn anything that way!

"Okay… Yosh! Surprise me! I won't watch you dance until New Year's, and… Killua?"

Gon's step was too quick, and suddenly he was nose-to-nose to Killua. Yet again, his breath was tickling a part of Killua's face, only this time it was his lips.

"Wha-Wha-Wha-"

He couldn't even speak properly, his mind felt like it was it was turning to mush. Gon's eyes tracked down his face and Killua swore Gon was staring at his lips. He didn't know if he wanted to be a million miles away or one inch closer, but if this kept up he knew he'd be one of those things. He swallowed thickly, his ears burning.

"Are you okay? Your nose is bleeding!"