So little information this time. I based the schooling system in this chapter off the one that I had attended. Basically there are 12 years and kids start at about 6-7 years old and end being 18-19. Until the 9th grade (14-15yrs) kids share their classes with their classmates, but after that they have to choose different subjects and tend to separate. Some classes are still the same with your classmates, but usually you start interacting with people from different ones as they all mix up.
8
The brightly shining sun through the open window woke up the sleeping boy. He slowly opened his tired eyes to yet another different view. Another different room. Another different life and memories. Killua rose up on his bed to look around but quickly fell back realizing what must have happened.
I didn't die, I'm sure of that. That only leaves one thing-
A pained sound escaped his mouth as the boy covered his eyes with his arm. He failed again. He made a stupid decision again. He couldn't do anything again...
I let him die.
He laid unmoving in his bed, covering his eyes from the far too bright rays of light and just breathed heavily. It was his fault again, because he stupidly decided to avoid Gon and when it mattered the most he wasn't there to protect him.
I don't even know what happened to him.
A gentle breeze came through the opened window and the transparent curtains fluttered in the wind. Killua could hear some birds chirping and the whole atmosphere seemed so relaxed and...happy? What's there to be happy about? If this is how it ends even when I'm not with him then what can I even do? Maybe the best choice is to never let Gon out of my sight? I need to find him and make sure to protect him, no matter what cost.
The boy gritted his teeth, deeply inhaled and exhaled before rising up on his bed again. He looked around his room which seemed really average - not that big, but still plenty of space. There weren't many things, some necessary furniture, a few posters on the walls, a writing desk cluttered with chocolate wrappers and some in-depth models of various machines.
After inspecting the room Killua stood up from his bed to check how he looked. His body seemed to be about twelve and he felt that he didn't have any dangerous illnesses. The boy's vague memories told him that this world was one of the less dangerous ones and that he had lived a pretty boring life. He didn't really have many people whom he could call friends, since it seemed that people thought of him as a weirdo because of his hair and snarky attitude.
He still hadn't met Gon in this world.
Killua eventually decided that he'd try to live his current life as he had before. Maybe he would meet Gon along the way, though he seriously felt that he wouldn't be able to wait for long since the events of the last world.
The boy finally got ready and carefully headed out of his room and down the stairs to the first floor. His house also seemed pretty normal and he even felt a bit out of place. A nice smell was coming from the kitchen, so Killua decided to check it. To his surprise his mother was the one standing in it and preparing something.
Now that's something you don't see every day. A thought came to the white haired boy as he quietly approached his mother. Maybe it's not actually her but some maid who looks alike?
Before he could come any closer the woman turned around and made a high sound. "Killua! Don't scare me like that! I know how you like to sneak up on people, but I don't need a heart attack first thing in the morning!" she gave him a stern look.
"Ahh, sorry." The boy said a little dumbfounded. "I didn't mean to."
"Well, it's okay. Anyway, have some breakfast and get ready for school." his mother said as she put down a plate on the table for him. "Illumi said that he wanted to walk with you today, so he's waiting in the living room."
"Illumi?" Killua asked surprise washing over him.
"Yes, Illumi. Your brother. Remember?" the woman said a little questioningly.
"Yeah... It seems that I didn't sleep too well today. I feel a bit out of it." Killua scratched his head absent mindedly.
"Oh dear, really? Maybe you should stay at home then if you're not feeling too well?"
"No, I'm fine." the boy said trying to hide his surprise. The mother he knew wasn't this caring. Well, she was, but in her own way. This was something completely new. "Thanks for the food. I'll be going out now."
"Take care." his mother said with a small smile.
As Killua headed into the living room he saw Illumi sitting on the couch and texting on his phone. He looked to be about sixteen. As soon as the other noticed him, he put his phone in his pocket and stood up.
"Good morning, Killu." Illumi said in his usual emotionless voice. At least this hasn't changed. "Are you ready?"
"Sure."
"Then let's go. Hisoka's already waiting." Illumi said as he headed out through the front door.
Hisoka?! Oh god, I hope this won't get bad. Killua silently prayed to himself as he followed his brother. Maybe it was a good thing that he was showing the way, since the newly awoken boy would have most likely gotten lost on his first day.
"Ah, there he is." the older boy said and Killua followed his line of sight until he saw a red haired boy, who looked about the same age as Illumi, standing at the corner and waving to them.
Wait, is that really him? He looks so different with his hair down and no makeup. Killua's train of thought was quickly interrupted by the scene in front of him - Hisoka had one of his arms around Illumi's shoulders and his lips were on the other's cheek. Seriously?! They're dating? The white haired boy watched in astonishment as Illumi shoved Hisoka away. They were saying something but Killua's mind just wasn't registering anything at that moment. The redhead then turned to him and gave one of those creepy smiles of his. All right, that's definitely him. Killua thought to himself and didn't even notice that he was being scooped up and put over the taller boy's shoulders.
"H-hey! What do you think you're doing?" he yelped trying to hold on and not fall.
"Hisoka." Illumi said in a cold tone.
"Don't worry~ it's just some service." the red head said with an innocent smile.
"Well I don't want it." the shortest boy opposed.
"No can do~ I'll only put you down when we get to school." Hisoka said in a sing-song voice and smirked. Killua decided against struggling, since that could lead him to falling and he dejectedly stayed still on the other's shoulders.
Damn, treating me like a little kid. I'm mentally older than this thing. The white haired boy kept muttering all the way until they got to their goal. He was finally let down but not before a bunch of other kids saw him. He just glared at them, so that they would keep walking like nothing had happened.
"Well, Killu, see you for now." Illumi nodded to him.
"Bye bye." Hisoka waved and turned to follow the dark haired boy who was already walking away.
This is just getting weirder and weirder.
Killua looked around his new surroundings. The school building was quite large and kids of all ages were swarming around. He slowly headed towards the place that his memories were telling him was his classroom and as he entered the room he saw a lot of unfamiliar yet known faces. Nobody seemed to care that much about him, so he just sat down in his seat, folded his arms on the table and laid his head on them. I might as well get some more rest.
The boy didn't manage to relax for long as the bell rang and his teacher came into the room. He heard everyone quieting down and a murmur spreading. The kids were whispering to their friends and Killua finally decided to look up from his desk and he was once more taken by surprise.
It was Gon.
Right next to the teacher a smiling Gon was standing and looking around the room excitedly. As the teacher was explaining something about the family condition and a change of work places Killua was just staring at the sight in front of him. He seriously hadn't expected to meet Gon this soon and he couldn't take his eyes off of him. It felt like if he did, the boy would disappear just like in the previous world. He had seen so little of him, so now his eyes were trying to take in as much as possible.
Gon kept looking around the room and his eyes finally locked with Killua's. The two of them stared at each other for a bit until the teacher told Gon to take a seat where he wanted to. He nodded enthusiastically and almost skipped to a table next to Killua's.
"Hi, I'm Gon!" he said with a huge smile. "What's your name?"
"Killua." the white haired boy said with a smile also appearing on his face.
"Wow, that sounds so cool!" Gon said in amazement. "Your hair also looks really awesome. Did you dye it?"
"Nope, it's all natural." Killua said with a little smirk.
"Really? That's even cooler." the dark haired boy giggled.
"Just don't start fainting on me, okay?" the taller one grinned.
"I'll try." Gon grinned back with all of his teeth showing.
|:
It seemed like they had known each other for forever and to Killua it was not far from the truth. The two of them hit it off immediately and talked freely about anything and everything. Killua wasn't exactly the most popular kid in school, though it looked like Gon got along with everyone, but he still preferred to spend almost all of his time with Killua. The white haired boy even caught himself sometimes thinking that maybe they were making up for all of the time they had lost before.
One day, about a year after their first meeting, they got in a bit of trouble for playing a prank on their teacher. It wasn't anything big, just a little messing with their class' test papers, but they got found out and sent to detention after the lessons.
"It's still worth the look on her face." Killua smirked with his arms folded behind his head as the two of them were walking to the classroom meant for detention.
"It sure was." Gon smiled back and skipped the last few steps to the door before opening it and mockingly holding them open pretending to be a butler. "Please come in, young master Killua." he said in a cool tone.
"Don't mind if I do." Killua responded happily and took hold of one of Gon's hands to drag him in the classroom too. Both of them stumbled through the doorway and started laughing at each other.
"My my, it seems like these two are having a lot of fun~" a familiar voice came from the back of the room as Killua froze and turned towards it just to see Hisoka waving to them, but the more surprising thing was seeing Illumi sitting right next to him.
"What the hell are you two doing here?" The white haired boy asked a bit scared of the answer. Gon was just looking surprised over his shoulder at the other people in the room.
"We accidentally set fire to the chemistry lab." Illumi said in monotone.
"You say accidentally, but we all know what really happened." Hisoka added in an amused voice.
"Seriously? You blew up a classroom?" Gon asked looking really amazed.
"Oh that would have been nice." The red head turned to the other sitting beside him. "Maybe we should try to accomplish that next time?"
"It sounds pretty interesting, I'm in." Illumi clapped his hands.
"Now look what you've done!" the white haired boy smacked the one beside him. "You gave them dangerous ideas."
"Eheh..." Gon cheekily smiled rubbing his head.
At that moment the classroom door opened and two people entered. A tall dark haired guy with glasses and a shorter blond one. Leorio and Kurapika? They looked the same age as Killua remembered them.
Kurapika walked behind the teacher's desk and turned to the rest of the room. Leorio stood awkwardly behind him, his eyes darting around. Kurapika cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "Today we'll be here instead of the teacher, since he can't come and as a part of the student committee we volunteered to help out."
"Volunteered? More like you forced me to come." Leorio mumbled beside him.
"Quiet you, it's our duty to assist the teachers." Kurapika looked at him sternly.
"How can you even talk to me like that? You know I'm your senior. You should show some respect." The taller male started rambling.
"And in the student committee I have a higher post, so that makes me your senior." Kurapika glared back but composed himself after a few moments to look at the others. "So as this was a bit unexpected, tell us why you're here today."
"Chemistry lesson gone wrong." Hisoka cooed.
"Got caught after a prank." Killua said in a bored tone.
"You make it sound so innocent, but either way you're still in need of punishment." The blond crossed his arms. "Might as well take out some papers and pens."
"Ahhhh... But that's boring." Gon started whining. "Let's do something more interesting! Maybe we'll get to know each other better."
"I don't want to know these guys better." Killua nodded towards Hisoka and Illumi.
"Come on, Killu. We need some more brother bonding time. I barely see you anymore after Gon came. Maybe we should deal with this problem?" Illumi turned to Gon with an unreadable expression as the other visibly shrunk under that look.
"Don't you start with this again." Killua scoffed at his brother.
"Again?" the long haired boy raised his brows.
Ah, damnit! Messed up the time again.
"I meant... Well..."
"You always bother him when you think you're not getting enough alone time." Hisoka interrupted to Killua's relief. "He probably meant that."
"Ah, is that so?" Illumi just looked at his brother. "I still think you're spending too much time with Gon. People usually aren't that attached to others unless they're family or lovers." he then suddenly widened his eyes and made a little 'o' shape with his mouth. "Oh, Killu, when were you going to tell?"
"Tell you what?" a faint blush appeared on the white head's face. "You're the one making ridiculous assumptions."
"Hey, what does he mean by that?" Gon looked curiously at Killua from a distance that really didn't help with the situation.
"See? Already as close as Siamese twins." Hisoka dropped in his two cents as well.
"Will you stop that?!" Killua was starting to get frustrated and Gon jumping around him and asking what they're talking about really wasn't helping.
"Okay, okay. Everyone calm themselves." Kurapika clapped his hands. "I don't think now is a good time to start arguing on who's going out with who."
"Like you're one to talk about love affairs." Leorio smirked at him.
"Neither are you." the blond just folded his arms.
"I'll have you know I've had plenty of girls!" the taller male snapped back.
"And there's a reason why none of them lasted for long." Kurapika simply stated. "Anyway, we're getting side-tracked again."
"Fine." Leorio turned to the class also. "But I agree with the little kid - writing is boring. Let's do something more exciting. Might as well make this time entertaining."
"Oh, oh!" Gon started jumping a little. "First you've got to tell us your names."
"The name's Leorio and this stuck up guy beside me is Kurapika. I got roped into this by him even though it's my last year here and he's still got a few left. I mean, how does that even work? I should be the one ordering him around." Leorio started nodding to himself with a look of deep thought.
"Because it's clear who's the more mature one of us." Kurapika glanced at him with a disapproving look.
"Me next! I'm Gon and this is my best friend Killua." the shortest boy happily announced. "We're gonna spend the rest of our lives together!"
"Oh, marriage proposals already?" Hisoka looked amused at them but before Killua could say anything he continued. "You can call me Hisoka, the one sitting next to me is Killua's bother Illumi."
"So is this a family business or something?" Leorio looked from one brother to the other. "Getting in detention?"
"Might as well be." Killua muttered to himself but Gon also heard it and smiled at the other boy.
"So I think we should play something." The hazel eyed boy said. "People always get to know each other better through games."
"I offer card games." Hisoka raised his arm. "I've got a deck with myself."
"That's great, don't tell me, we're going to play strip poker or something?" Killua said jokingly.
"A great idea. I wouldn't have said it better myself." the read head smiled at him.
"I don't mind." Illumi agreed.
"Wait, isn't it kind of boring with just guys?" Leorio tried to ask and turned to Kurapika for back up but Gon was already answering for them. "Okay, we're all gonna play!"
|:
About an hour later they were all sitting at a few tables combined into one and everyone had various degrees of clothing loss. Hisoka, Kurapika and Illumi had almost all of their clothing left, only a few accessories lying on the table next to them. Killua and Gon we're down to their undershirts and trousers and Leorio only had his underwear left. The oldest teen was already fuming and Gon and Killua were snickering at him, throwing in a comment now and then.
As another round came to an end and it was once more Leorio's loss he quickly stood up from the table, smashing both of his arms on it. "That's it! I'm not playing anymore!"
"Maybe that's for the best." Killua grinned.
"Trust me, I've seen him clothe-less and it's a sight you don't want to know." Kurapika shuddered.
"Uuuumm..."
"It was an accident. At least from my side." the blond explained.
"From your side?" Gon looked curiously.
"We were on a little trip with the student committee and I got to room with him. All I can say is that he looked pretty happy strolling into the room from the shower completely naked."
"I didn't think you'd freak out that much. Getting weird ideas and all." Leorio grumbled while trying to pull his pants back on.
"Who wouldn't freak out?" Kurapika looked angrily at him.
"Me." Hisoka intervened.
"You don't count." Illumi simply said.
"Sometimes I really wonder if those two are actually going out or if I just imagined everything." Killua whispered to Gon.
"They just have a different way of showing it." the other boy shrugged.
"I guess. Either that or Hisoka frequently kisses anyone whom he finds mildly interesting."
"Either that." Gon said as he put his shirt back on.
Leorio finally got dressed and turned to everyone. "Well, this was still pretty fun. Not a bad thing to get to know interesting people, though that said I should be going. Maybe we'll see each other some more?"
"Definitely." Gon enthusiastically started waving to him as the glassed male opened the door.
"Then I'll go too." Kurapika stood up. "I must admit, that was fun. If you ever need me I'll be happy to help out with anything." the blond headed to where Leorio was standing and also gave a little wave. The other ruffled his hair and as they walked off Killua heard Leorio commenting on Kurapika's 'motherly tendencies'. He glanced at Gon who had a big smile on his face and felt a little tug at his lips too.
This is how it should be.
|:
Time passed quite quickly. It seemed that they had only met a few days ago and yet already a few years had gone by and everything seemed to be going great. Kurapika and Leorio became constant faces seen everyday even though they were in different years, but Gon somehow managed to still get them all together even after Leorio had finished school and was now studying at a medical university nearby. Killua would sometimes see familiar faces in school and it felt kind of reassuring.
It was a bit surprising to see Bisky as one of the teachers, but still looking like she could easily be a teenager. Killua almost dropped his bag when he and Gon had entered a new classroom just to see her behind the teacher's desk.
That said, the blonde used her 'young looks' to often mix into the students and hear all the hottest news. One day Killua and Gon were walking through the hallway and at the corner of the taller one's eye he saw something that looked vaguely familiar. The boy stopped to get a better look and froze in place when he saw what had caught his attention.
A guy who looked too close to the ant king to be anyone else and a petit white haired girl walking next to him.
Holy shit! The white haired boy started frantically looking around him to see if there were many people around. Should I do something? Is he the same? But before he could decide on his further action the boy's panic was interrupted by Bisky.
"Oh, so this is the famous new student duo." the female said out loud, though it didn't look like she was talking to anyone in particular. By that time Gon had come back after noticing that his friend wasn't walking beside him and he was now listening to the conversation.
"Famous duo?" Killua asked not really sure what answer to expect.
"They only came this year, but it already seems that almost all of the school calls Meruem 'The king'." Bisky kept on talking. "I'm not even sure why, maybe it's his aura? He even has some followers. Well, anyway, even though he's older than Komugi, it seems that the school board agreed to let them attend the same classes, since the girl has lost her sight and Meruem is something like her escort. She refused to go to a special school saying that it wouldn't be of any good to Meruem, who had stated that he'd follow her wherever she chose to go. Isn't that kind if romantic?" Bisky made a dreamy look. "Ahh, young love, so sweet~"
"Love?" Killua raised a brow at that. It was really hard to imagine the ruthless king that he had known caring for a helpless girl.
"Of course, there's no other way to call it and this kind is the most unconditional. Maybe you boys will experience something like this in your lives too." The blonde woman reverted to her lecture mode with her finger raised up just as Killua remembered. He had to remind himself not to actually try and use Gyo, since there wasn't any in this world. "The feeling when you want to help and protect the person most dear to you, thinking that their happiness is the most important thing to you and not wanting anything in return. Perhaps just being with that person is enough. That's what I call a pure feeling. Though one must never forget themselves. "Bisky raised her finger even higher. "Because what good can you do when you don't even care about yourself? You should always remember that you're important to others and you're important to yourself."
Then I guess I broke one of the rules.
"So you mean that the felling when you want to be with a person and give them everything would be called love?" Gon asked with a curious look.
"Only if it's healthy. It shouldn't be an obsession. And of course, there's all kinds of love in this world - family, friends, romantic, obsessive, altruistic and so on." the teacher explained.
"So how can you tell which is which?" the dark haired boy cocked his head.
"You have to figure that out by yourself." Killua said.
"Ah, I guess you're right." Gon nodded. "So, are we going to your place today? We should hurry then to have more time to play." the boy spun on his heel. "Thank you for that information, Miss Krueger."
"I told you to call me Bisky." the woman shouted after the boy who was already happily strolling towards the school's entrance. She smiled after him and turned to Killua. "So, have you figured it out yourself?"
Caught by surprise the boy looked at her for a few seconds before sighing as he started walking to catch up with Gon.
"I figured it out long ago."
|:
"Well I'm saying that we should celebrate your seventeenth birthday with as many people as possible. That way it'll be way more fun." Gon kept nagging.
"We celebrated your birthday with a bunch of people, so why not do the opposite for mine?" Killua still stood his ground. "I don't really want all of that fuss. Ideally for me would be just the two of us."
"But would that really be interesting?"
"Are you saying the time we spend together is boring?"
"No, no." Gon put his arms in a defensive position. "It's just that we spend every day together. I thought maybe you'd want to see some new faces."
"Not really. I enjoy your company the most." Killua crossed his legs while sitting on his bed. "That's why I don't really want a lot of other people spending my 'special day'," he said with little air-quotes. "As you so put it, with me."
"Ech, I really can't change your mind, right?" the dark haired teen dropped on his back on the bedroom's floor in defeat.
"Not this time." Killua grinned looking over him. "It's always me who agrees to everything you suggest. Let's spice it up this time."
"Okay." Gon gave a warm smile.
It was already nearing Killua's seventeenth birthday and it was a bit of a new experience for the boy, since in all of the other worlds he had never reached this age. Gon had already celebrated his, though it looked like he was looking forward Killua's even more than his own.
"Then it'll be just me and you?" the hazel eyed boy asked once more.
"Preferably."
"Okay, then leave everything to me."
"Is that going to be your present?" The white haired boy said with a little tease in his tone.
"You'll see~" Gon cooed as he stood up and sat on Killua's bed too.
"Oh come on, you're terrible at keeping secrets." the blue eyed teen grinned as he extended his arms and started wiggling his fingers. "Will you be able to keep being mysterious after this?" as he said that the boy pounced the other and started tickling his sides.
"K-Kill-ua!" Gon weaved for breath as his laughter filled the room.
"I won't stop until you tell me what my present will be~" Killua kept on tickling as Gon tried to shield himself.
"N-no! It's go-ing to-o b sec-ret." the shorter boy finally managed to roll over and pin down Killua's arms instead. "You'll just have to wait and see."
And this situation just got a bit unexpected. Killua thought as he looked up at the smiling Gon over him, having him pinned down on his bed and both of them breathing heavily. The two of them stared at each other in silence for a few moments before Gon lowered his forehead to touch Killua's. "I promise I'll try to make it memorable." he said softly before letting go of the other's hands and standing up from the bed. "I'll see you tomorrow." He waved with a smile and headed out through the door.
Killua kept sitting on his bed in a little daze after the other had already left. His hand unconsciously traveled to his forehead and a soft smile tugged at his lips.
Could I really wish for this? He looked at his reflection in the mirror which had a little butterfly sticker at the very corner. He had figured it was Alluka's doing to make his room cuter. It was still a little strange seeing himself look like this - taller and more boyish, though with the same untamed silver hair and the same piercing blue eyes.
Could I really wish for something more with Gon?
|:
The day of Killua's birthday was nearing and Gon was still trying to be secretive. As the other would physically shut his mouth with his hands as soon as it looked like he would say something unnecessary, Killua kept on thinking if he should try something new with their friendship, but the boy would always shoot himself down before he even managed to say or do anything about it.
What if he doesn't feel the same?
What if he thinks I'm repulsive because of this?
What if I ruin everything..?
The white haired teen would just keep silent and try to carry on with his days the same as ever.
The day of his birthday finally came and as school was ending Killua got a text from Gon saying that he should wait for him on the roof. Their last lessons were different, so the blue eyed boy headed for the designated place after the bell rang. He had received a few congratulations from people around the school and a call from both Kurapika and Leorio. The two of them kept talking over each other, so it was a bit hard to make out what exactly they were saying, but Killua was certain he had heard 'we wish you the best of everything' and something vaguely resembling 'snatch your Gon' before the line went dead.
The boy headed for the roof and once he opened the door his eyes were a little blinded by the sharp sunlight. As they adjusted a surprising view unfolded before him.
The site was filled with flowers of every kind and colour and in the middle of them stood Gon with a little box in his hands and a silly grin on his face.
"Y-you..." Killua's words got stuck somewhere in his throat as the boy slowly walked through the petals laying on the ground. A little blush appeared on his cheeks as he kept looking around. "Isn't this a bit girly?" he tried to joke as Gon giggled and stepped closer to him.
The shorter boy extended his arms with the little box and waited for the other to take it. As Killua finally took the present in his hands, he looked down to inspect it. I can't really tell what's inside. It's quite light. He thought to himself still looking at the box, but before Killua could try and open it he felt Gon's hands on his cheeks. As the boy raised his eyes to see what the other was doing he felt a soft press on his lips and that was all it took to make his mind go numb. Killua almost dropped what he was holding in surprise, but quickly composed himself as he accepted the kiss and closed his eyes. It tasted so sweet and innocent and it felt so right.
The two of them finally separated to get some air and Killua opened his eyes to see Gon smiling warmly in front of him. His face was a little flushed and Killua could feel the heat on his cheeks as well.
"Happy birthday." the dark haired boy said softly.
After a few moments of silence Killua smiled himself as he put down his present and enveloped Gon in the biggest hug he could manage. The slightly shorter boy put his arms around the other as they stood together just breathing in the scent of the flowers and each other.
"Thank you." Killua murmured into Gon's shoulder.
"Does it mean you like it?" the hazel eyed boy cheekily asked.
"Of course I do!" the white head pulled back to look him in the eyes. "This is the best present I've ever gotten."
"Fwew." Gon seemed to relax his stiffened shoulders. "I was afraid you wouldn't."
"I guess that's normal." Killua smiled back at him. "But really, we've been sleeping in the same bed for about five years and spending almost every waking moment with each other. It would be stranger if I had hated it."
"Then why didn't you do this yourself then?" Gon made his custom childish look.
"Because... Maybe I was afraid too." the taller teen lowered his head.
"Then that makes us the same." Gon grinned as he brushed of the bangs covering Killua's eyes. "Now come on, we've got to get everything to your house."
"And how do you plan on doing that?" Killua said in a surprised tone. "There's a ton of these." he gestured at the flowers. "And there's no way we can carry it all in one go."
"Don't worry, Leorio said he'd drive us home." Gon replied happily.
"Leorio?"
"Yeah, he should be waiting for us downstairs. Maybe Kurapika came too."
"You really thought this through, didn't you?" the white haired boy laughed a little. "Okay, come on. Lets carry what we can downstairs."
As Gon had said, Leorio and Kurapika were indeed waiting for them and as they greeted each other Leorio pulled both of them into a hug. He kept going on how his boys had grown up and Kurapika just shook his head and smiled at them.
After the tallest male calmed down they all started carrying the flowers into his car. There were still a lot left when the car was full, so Leorio suggested that he could just drive a few rounds back and forth, since Killua's house wasn't that far away and that the two boys should continue on with the birthday. Gon thanked him for about a hundred times before he and Killua finally left the other two.
As they were walking down the street Killua decided to check the little box that he had gotten from the energetic boy. The white haired teen carefully unwrapped it as Gon kept glancing at him with shining eyes.
"A... Choco-robo?" Killua took the candy box from the packaging.
"It was mostly just a decoy." the hazel eyed boy grinned.
"And it worked wonders to make this the best birthday." the taller boy opened up the candy box and threw some chocolates into his mouth.
As the two of them were walking to a cafe that Gon had suggested the boy suddenly stopped to look at the main street that was quite busy at that time of the day. Killua followed his gaze to see a group of kids playing in the park with the ball.
"Hey, aren't they a little too close to the street?" Gon said in a slightly worried tone.
"I think they know the safety regulations. It's not really our business." Killua replied already turning away and starting to walk again.
"Look out!" a scream came as soon as he had turned and before the boy could realize what was going on he saw Gon running into the street.
What's he doing?! A panicked thought came right before Killua dropped the box in his hands and took off running himself. He caught a glimpse of a little girl standing frozen in the middle of the road and shakily holding a ball in her hands. It seemed that the cars right in front of her couldn't manage to stop in time and Gon had decided in the split second to push her away.
There's no time, he won't manage! Killua tried to run as fast as possible after the boy in front of him but he just seemed to get further and further away. No, no, no, no, NO!
"GON!" a desperate shout came from the panicked boy's mouth as he extended his hand to reach the other.
In a moment that seemed like an eternity Gon looked back at Killua and the other took this opportunity to grab his hand to pull him away from the street only to run in there himself to push away the kid. The blue eyed boy felt a rush of relief when he realized that he managed to save Gon just as he felt the impact of the car.
He couldn't even feel the pain as he laid on the ground. Various chaotic sounds and screams surrounded him, but all the boy could make out was a loud 'KILLUA!' of the voice he was so familiar with. The voice kept getting closer and in a moment he could feel his body being gently lifted. The world started getting darker and the only thing that came in view was Gon's frightened face.
"Killua! Please... hang in there..." the boy started choking on his breath as Killua felt a few warm drops land on his cheeks and everything just kept getting darker.
The last thing he remembered was making a smile.
9
A soft breeze of wind awoke Killua. As the boy opened his eyes he saw a forest before him and a faint sunrise colouring everything in warm tones. A deep sigh escaped his mouth as the white haired boy remembered what had just happened. I was able to save him. Killua smiled to himself, though he felt a slight pang on pain in his chest.That's enough for me…
At the corner of his eye the boy noticed Kite leaning onto one of the trees. He's still alive! But that must mean-
"Morning, Killua!" A childish voice exclaimed near him and as the blue eyed boy turned to look he was greeted with Gon grinning at him. "Ready to go find the Queen?"
No, we can't! Killua gritted his teeth. It's only going to be useless… I have to stop them! "Actually…" he dragged out the answer to think of something to convince the others to go back, but nothing came to the boy's head. "I'm not." He said as Gon's expression turned into a confused one. "Because I know that we won't manage it."
"You can't say that until we try." The dark haired boy tried to argue. "There's still time left until the King's birth."
"That's not what I meant. We can't go… We can't go because it'll only end badly." Killua raised his head to look at Kite who was only silently listening to him. "Please trust me. I know that I sound ridiculous, but it's the truth."
"And what will happen?" the taller man finally spoke up.
"You…" the white haired boy exhaled. "You will die trying to protect us."
"Killua, I never knew that you had clairvoyant powers." Gon said looking amused. "But is that really true? Isn't Kite really strong?"
"He is, but our enemies are even stronger. We need to go back and get back-up, since we won't manage to get to the Queen in time anyway."Killua looked sternly at the others. "Will you trust me?" he locked his eyes with Kite's again.
The silver haired man stayed silent looking deep in thought for a few moments before raising up his head to look at the two boys and finally slightly nodding.
|:
Killua still couldn't believe that he had actually managed to keep Kite alive even as they regrouped at Peijin and met up with Palm, Knuckle and Shoot. Soon after they got the news about the selection and the plan to invade the palace was almost the same as the blue eyed boy had remembered for the exception of Kite joining him and Gon to fight Pitou. He wasn't sure if this would be better, but at least Gon looked normal and all Killua could hope for was for him to stay like that.
The palace raid went the same and Pitou had to heal Komugi again. Gon and Kite agreed to stay and keep watch of her as Killua said that he needed to check on some things. The boy knew that he'd have to help Knuckle once more and all of the events were pretty similar to how he had remembered them. Finally, Pitou was done as the white haired boy returned and the four of them stepped out so as not to damage the room where Komugi was. Killua felt pretty happy – everything was going so well.
Why did he even hope for everything to end that way too?
The boy hadn't thought that without Gon's power-up they wouldn't be able to defeat the Royal Guard. All he could do was helplessly scream as he saw Pitou slicing off Kite's head when the silver haired man tried to protect the two boys from the blow. Killua slowly turned his head to look at Gon, expecting the worst, but all he saw was the other completely frozen in place as a few tears were rolling down his cheeks. At that moment the white haired boy realized that he was the one who had to end this fight. He couldn't let Gon snap.
And yet how had he expected to win against Pitou when he knew that even Kite couldn't do it? Killua tried his best, but it just wasn't enough. He just couldn't do it.
There's no point… He slumped down to his knees. I'm not strong enough.
Maybe I'll just try harder the next time.
The boy hanged his head as he gave up. He just hoped that it wouldn't be too painful when the ant sliced him up too, but then he heard a sudden shout of his name. Killua raised his head to see what was happening and it seemed that the time slowed down once again. As Pitou was leaping towards him in the last second his view was shielded by Gon, who had jumped in front of him. The dark haired boy's expression turned into one full of pain as he let out a scream when the Royal Guard's claw came in contact with his back. He fell right down towards Killua as the boy caught him cold from shock.
"Why..?" The taller boy breathed out as he felt the warmth of blood coming from his friend's wound. Pitou just stood in front of them, looking at the scene that was unfolding with some interest.
"Because I couldn't see two people I care about die." Gon faintly smiled. "I'm only glad I could protect you…"
And again Killua felt so helpless as the tears started pooling at the corner of his eyes. All he could do was cradle his friend's body as desperate wails escaped him.
