Killua's POV this time. Don't know if I'll keep the symmetry between chapters (probably not all of them), but it happened naturally here.

Disclaimer: I do not own HxH. If I did, we'd talk a lot more about Kurapika.

Like all things with Gon, Killua knew he was being avoided.

He wasn't being ignored per say; Gon still spoke to him, engaged in his childish games, and spent nearly every second of every day planted near or next to him. Ignored wasn't quite the word. Rather, he knew that something was distinctly wrong with their recent interactions, and he knew that the problem laid in Gon.

There were two things he could do, the first being ignore it. He had tried that, admittedly, but after a week or so it became clear that ignoring it wasn't doing anything to help, only to frustrate him. The second was more complex and took more of an effort to sustain. Though he wasn't sure what brought on the change, what Killua did know was that if there was anything he wanted out of life, it was to make Gon happy. With this clear in his mind, he pushed to do just that, trying to keep the other teen in the highest of spirits at all times, no matter what the cost.

The problem was, Gon didn't seem to want to be cheered up.

No matter what Killua did, no matter how hard he pushed, the light haired teen found himself being pushed away, sometimes subtly and sometimes outright. It didn't always happen, but it happened enough to make him wonder what he could be doing wrong.

In the moment that Killua realized he did not understand, he found himself suddenly afraid.

After that, it became all Killua could think about, all he could focus on during the daytime. When Gon would push him a little too roughly, he would laugh it off, noting boisterously how strong the other had gotten. When Gon would push past him, he'd trail behind closely, commenting on how the other's sense of direction was so much keener. When Gon would refuse to return a smile, Killua would give him a moment alone, feeling his heart clench at the look on his face that reminded him of a place he never wanted them to return to.

Sometimes he wondered if Gon ever felt similarly.

Despite this, there was nothing more Killua wished for than to stay with Gon forever. He had effectively made Gon his world, and it was his hope that someday the raven haired teen would return his devotion. Especially when he thought of how he was watched at night.

Killua had learned to feign sleep around the same time he had learned to walk, but that in no way impaired his senses. Any gaze that held intensity would wake the teen; it was an incredibly useful trick to have up his sleeve when dealing with potential enemies. He supposed it had something to do with the sensitivity of his aura, though he had not been aware of it as a child, but it had been effective nonetheless. So at night, when Gon would start to toss and turn only to go uncharacteristically still, Killua would find himself on the precipice of awareness. All it took was the turn of the other's head, and he was awake, keeping his eyes closed and breathing still.

It disturbed him that Gon could essentially go days without making eye contact but would gaze openly at him in his sleep. It took every ounce of commitment not to open his eyes, to catch the other in the act and question him. He had imagined it a hundred times, played out all forms of the situation he could think of to all possible ends, but he found himself holding back. If the only way Gon could look at him was in his sleep, then so be it. At least he was looking at him at all.

Killua wondered what could have happened for the sudden change in his friend's behavior; it had to be serious for it to disturb his sleep nearly every night. Though they had gotten older, Gon had not lost his childish charm: at least around everyone else. Things still seemed normal around Leorio, on the occasion that they saw each other, but then again it had been some months and Killua wasn't sure the issue had presented itself then. He also wondered if the doctor would have even noticed. Most likely not.

Part of him feared without question that Gon was growing tired of his company, but the sliver of hope that these nightly interruptions were giving him tried desperately to persuade him otherwise. They still went on adventures, Gon chasing after Ging in between jobs as they travelled from place to place, making new friends along the way and running into some old ones. He had never expressed any outright dissatisfaction, but Killua wondered if with age Gon had become more skilled at keeping secrets. The idea stung, but he didn't discount that it was likely. They had both changed so much, between the time spent apart and the rest of their growing up together, that it was only to be expected. Sometimes he missed Gon's childish innocence.

He thought about the times Gon did look at him, outside of thinking he was unconscious. He would catch him every so often peeking out of the corner of his eye at him, but that had only been because he was looking too. Other times, he would feel eyes on his back, on his neck, mostly when he was turned away. It was a strange feeling, to be watched by your best friend, but he couldn't really say that he disliked it. More so, he was confused by it, but still it lent itself to the desire to be seen, the desire for Gon not to lose interest in him. As selfish as it was, perhaps that was his greatest wish.

Killua was determined to hold that gaze soon. He was damn sure of it.

If only he could figure out what it was that kept Gon from sharing in their happiness the way they used to, he would be able to fix it.

After all, losing Gon was the stuff of his nightmares.

Well this update was fast. Who needs sleep, right? Thanks to my first reviewer! I love all of the nice commentors!