"As you know, I am indeed the Witch of Dimensions, my name is-"
"Yuuko Ichihara." I said.
I cut her off right away. I already knew her name thanks to the old man and I didn't have time for formalities. Gon was dying.
She looked at me, bewildered and wide eyed for a moment before regaining her blank-faced façade.
I continued.
"My grandfather sends you his regards from Kukuroo Mountain."
"Grandfather…?" The Witch questioned. "Ah! Zeno Zoldyck! So you're his grandson? Which of the five are you?"
"Killua, third son." I said. "Can you save Gon?"
She down at the bloody boy in front of her and spoke.
"Yes, but at a price."
I remembered the warning the old man gave me about the price being what's dear to me, but I need to save Gon no matter what. I let my gaze fall to the blood stained bandages before me, then to the Witch, and for the first time since I arrived in this dimension, I noticed the people standing quietly behind her.
A tall, brooding man with raven colored hair and crimson eyes. I could tell just by looking at him that he was stronger than me. Next to him was a flippant blond man who had two eyes that were as blue as the sea. Him and the kid next to him seemed to have some sort of power that resembled nen, but it was slightly different. I say kid, but he must have been at least three or four years older than me by his looks. He had brown hair and dark brown eyes. The three stood in silence as I conversed with the Witch.
"I understand, but please hurry," I tightened my grip on Gon's arm, "he can't survive off the life support machines for very long. Time is of the essence."
The Witch nodded in agreement and I swear I saw the brunette's face behind her flash a look of sadness. What was the meaning of these strangers' presence? And why would they show sadness for someone they've never met?
"Your price, Killua Zoldyck, is that once Gon is healed, you are not to tell him that it was you who did so. In addition, you are to travel with the three mean," She gestured to the people behind her, "and help them accomplish their goal."
I gulped. How could I possibly help these people? What do I have to offer them?
"In your world lies the way to give Syaoran here the vessels for his parent's souls." She said.
*'A nen user perhaps?' I thought to myself. If it's creating vessels, that's kind of like Omokage's nen. No- Omokage only infused their eyes into doll bodies, it's not the same. This will be troublesome. I grit my teeth.
"As soon as the vessels are made, you are to part ways with Gon."
I felt my face slack a bit but I quickly found my composure again. If I know Gon, our paths will cross in the future, but that won't happen if he's dead. The choice I will make is obvious.
"Ok." I said, accepting the deal.
"If fate proclaims it, your paths will cross again in the future, Killua." The Witch said.
I laughed to myself. What, can she read minds too?
"Maru, Moro, take Gon inside and begin the healing preparations."
Two girls, one with long, wavy blue twintails and the other with short, pink hair with two buns placed promptly on either side of the top of her head, came out of the shop behind the Witch and approached me.
"Yes, mistress." They said in unison.
They reached for Gon to whom I allowed them to pick up. I was surprised when the two girls lifted him with ease.
"Killua," The Witch started, "come with me. We have things to talk about."
I followed her, walking past the three men in the process. I noticed how the dark haired man stared at me, and how the blond and the kid stayed silent while giving me looks of sympathy.
-0-
After the boy, Killua-kun, followed Yuuko into the shop, the tense air let up.
"That boy hides his emotions well." I said.
"Hmph. Just like someone else I know." Kurogane glared at me.
"Not anymore Kuro-puu~~." I said. " It was almost too fast to tell, but when Yuuko told him he would have to part ways with his friend, his face was downcast for a split second."
"Un. He looks younger than me. I wonder what type of things he's had to go through." Syaoran added.
"That other kid looked to be in really bad shape." I said.
"Yeah, I wonder what happened." Syaoran followed up.
"The brat's past doesn't matter right now. What does matter is the fact that the other kid and Princess will be getting their bodies back." Kurogane snapped.
After Gon-kun was healed by Yuuko, she and Killua-kun went into another room to talk. They exited the small darkened room after about four hours had passed. Killua trudged over to where Gon laid sleeping and sat at his bedside, promptly falling asleep himself right there. Yuuko placed a blanket over Killua's shoulders then found a seat next to Syaoran at our crowded table.
"What did you guys talk about, Yuuko-san?" Syaoran asked.
"Since you all shall be traveling together to his world tomorrow morning, I had him explain to some things about it as well as himself."
"And?" Kurogane huffed, sounding completely uninterested as usual.
"What I know already is that he is from a family of assassins; the Zoldyck family. I happened to meet his grandfather, Zeno, some time ago and helped him secure a certain item I had at my disposal for one of his targets. Killua is actually the heir to the Zoldyck name despite only being the third oldest out of five sons."
I could tell that this got Kurogane's attention because he snapped his head away from the street night view from the window. Myself and Syaoran simply sat quietly, listening to Yuuko's story.
"So that means he's strong right? I like this kid." He snickered.
"Not necessarily, Kurogane. Technically speaking, Killua is only the second strongest amongst his siblings. His oldest brother, Illumi is by far stronger than him."
"Then why is he the heir?" Syaoran asked, perplexed.
"Because he has the potential to become stronger than his brother. Killua didn't want to be the heir though, and so he left Kukuroo Mountain and decided to take the Hunter exam." Yuuko replied flatly.
"Hunter exam?" I asked.
"Yes." Yuuko nodded. "Hunters, in Killua's world can be bodyguards, bounty hunters, or hunters of exotic animals or items of the like. Killua and Gon are both pro hunters and very young might I add. They're both fourteen years of age right now, however they both took the exam two years ago which is also where they first met."
"I see." I said.
"If I might ask, how did Gon-kun end up like that? It's been bothering me for a while." Syaoran asked, voicing the concern that had plagued my mind.
Yuuko answered stoically.
"Killua accompanied Gon in search of his father, Ging, who is also a pro hunter, but left Gon in the care of his aunt Mito when he was a baby. They ended up meeting an apprentice of Gon's father after they had gained a clue to where he could be from a game that he created called Greed Island. The man's name was Kite. Kite was a contract hunter who conducted ecological research in different lands. However in the land where they were, there was a war brewing. One between man and chimera ants."
"Anta? How the fuck do you call a fight between tiny ass ants and humans a war?" Kurogane spat.
Yuuko shot him a glare, which was unexpected. Her tone changed from unemotional to very serious.
"This is subject that is not to be taken lightly, Kurogane. I trust you will remember that when you arrive in Killua's world tomorrow. That place is still recovering from the devastation."
Kurogane was silent and I guess Yuuko took his silence as a response because she continued.
"Chimera ants are hybrid creatures made up of various animals. The King had three royal guards, Menthuthuyoupi, Shaiapouf, and Neferpitou. According to Killua who had faced Neferpitou multiple times, she was the strongest out of the three in his opinion. She was also the one that attacked Kite, Gon, and Killua. She managed to cut of one of Kite's arms which threw Gon into a frenzy and he would have died from his rashness had Killua not knocked him out and fled as Kite ordered him. Awhile later when reinforcements had arrived and they concocted a team to rescue Kite, his mind had already been destroyed by Neferpitou's nen."
We were all speechless, more astonished really. That mere fourteen year olds could go through all that. Despite Syaoran's own ordeal, I doubt even he feels that it was as bad as what Killua and Gon went through.
"The Hunter's Association chairman lost his life in the process of fighting the King, and Gon used all of his nen at once to defeat Neferpitou, rendering him in the state you see him in now."
"I see, so how is the Association fairing then?" I asked.
"According to Killua, the Association is currently having a election to decide the new chairman. In short, it's in utter chaos." She finished.
"Can we back up a minute?" Kurogane asked. "What's nen?"
**"It's a manifestation of your aura, Ossan."
I looked behind Yuuko to see Killua leaning against the doorframe of Gon's room. 'When had he gotten there?' I asked myself. I hadn't even noticed him, and neither had Kurogane nor Syaoran but I had the nagging suspicion that Yuuko knew.
"Hey brat, what did you just call me?" Kurogane yelled.
Judging by the reaction Kurogane had, I'm guessing 'Ossan' isn't an appropriate title for him? But seeing Kurogane all frantic like this is fun so I'll just sit back and watch for awhile.~
"There's five different categories or nen users. Transmuters, Enhancers, Emitters, Conjurers, Manipulators, and Specialists." Killua said.
"What type are you Killua-kun?" Syaoran asked.
"You can just call me Killua. I'm a Transmuter and Gon is an Enhancer…..but he can't use nen anymore…..in the final battle with Pitou, Gon did something he should have never done. He concentrated all his nen potential in an instant to kill Pitou. Because of that his body was strained by the sheer force of the energy that he used. Even the doctors didn't know what to do. They were baffled and I didn't have time to search for a nen eraser. So, I remembered the old man saying something about a witch who can grant wishes."
***Yuuko told us beforehand that Killua was forced to mask his not only his presence when learning assassination, but his emotions as well. However, his will power was not enough to hide the tears that welled in his eyes, which just went to show how deeply he cared for Gon.
*I know Omokage isn't in the manga and is only in The Phantom Rogue, but his power is the only one I could use as an analogy for the person who will create Syao-papa and Saku-mama's bodies. By the way, this person who will help them will be an OC because I tried looking for someone with an ability that I needed and there simply isn't one so I'm creating one. I didn't mark this story with an OC tag because this person will come in muuuuuuuuch later because i'm gonna make the gang search for him/her.
**I try not to use or slip in random Japanese words into these fics but, I just can't think of a proper english equivalent for Ossan. Using 'Old Man' or 'Uncle' for when Killua referred to Kurogane just seemed weird so please forgive me this once.
***So I know it's out of character for Killua to cry out in the open like that (and i'm pretty sure he's only ever cried in front of Palm and Alluka) but I thought it was necessary and I was also thinking about episode 124 where Killua cried in front of Palm and it was so sad and my heart just went out to Kil ;^;