Hit double digits! Yay :)

Also, in case you weren't aware, I rewrote the beginning, so you might want to go back and re-read chapter one real quick before reading this chapter, otherwise it might not make total sense. Yes...

Disclaimer: I do not own HxH.

Chapter 10: Gon X vs. X Killua

十四番

The tension in the air was so thick, Killua was sure he could slice right through it with his retracting nails.

The two children paced, making sure to keep on opposite sides of the circle they were forming. It was the girl versus the boy. The sun facing the moon. The Spider against the assassin.

Yin and Yang.

They suddenly stopped, resolute ice plain in both their eyes.

"I give up!"

He blinked. She raised her brows.

Did they...?

"No, I give up first!"

Again, they'd shouted at the same time.

Pink faced, Gon balled her fists in frustration. "I'm letting you become a Hunter! Just take the win!"

"I don't want it!" he retorted. "That's not why I came here."

"I don't need it either!"

"Then why'd you come?!"

"That's not important!"

"You're just avoiding the question!"

"You're avoiding me!"

Killua opened his mouth to continue the rapid-fire debate, but slowly closed it when he realized he had nothing to say to that. She was right. But so was he.

He wouldn't back down so easily.

With a grueling sound, he let his nails grow, shocking a few of the bystanders. Even Leorio, who'd seen what those nails could do, was taken aback.

"What are you doing!?" He shouted, trying to lunge for the white-haired devil. A few members of the Association held him back.

Killua said nothing, only taking a step closer to the obstinate Gon.

"Killua!" Kurapika cried, only able to restrain herself from taking him down due to years and years of practice. She'd known something was wrong, but the atmosphere felt like a haunting memory, or a nuclear bomb right before it explodes.

"Why don't you tell the truth?" Killua's voice was barely audible, just for the two of them, but his malice seemed to speak for him. "Why keep it a secret?"

Gon was still firmly planted in the same spot. "Now isn't the time."

He spat, "Then how about I say it?"

With that, she lunged at him. One arm locked around his neck while the other gripped his wrist, preventing him from stabbing her in the face.

Immediately, Killua reacted, hooking a foot behind her knee to bring her to the ground - unfortunately, her grip around his neck was still tight, and he crashed too.

They pulled at each other's hair, twisted limbs, pinched the soft skin on their arms (luckily, Killua's nails had returned to normal during the exchange). It was amazing to the observers in the room, who watched in awe as the fearsome tension quickly vanished as they wrestled in a similar fashion to the way many small children do.

And it amazed them even more when the two burst out in laughter, rolling around on the floor, clutching their shaking stomachs.

Dumbfounded, Kurapika turned to look at her companion, but Leorio looked completely lost, if not more than herself. In fact, everyone on the sidelines was either staring with their mouths gaping open or scratching their heads.

The laughter finally died down.

"I'm sorry." Gon said, still laying on her back on the tile floor. "I was gonna tell you, but then you found out. I didn't mean for that to happen."

Killua sighed and sat up in one motion. "I kind of overreacted. It's a, uh... " He rubbed the back of his neck. "... Bad habit of mine."

Gon sat up as well, hands in her lap. "Are you still scared?"

He didn't take quite as long to answer this time. "Not really."

"Good." She gave him the thumbs up with a grin. "Because we're friends, right?"

...

She opened her eyes, curious at the silence. "Killua?"

He'd never heard those words together before. They were warm words, if words could have a tangible feeling at all. He smiled a little at that. "Yeah."

They maintained eye contact for a moment, all the previous hardness and bitterness in the honey and cerulean orbs replaced with comforting familiarity.

Killua smiled at her before helping her up with a hand, shaking it in the process.

"Congratulations, Hunter-san."

She quirked a brow.

He suddenly shifted his gaze, looking straight at the chairman. "I give up."

The room became silent.

"Eh?!" It was Gon.

"You're looking for something, right?"

She slowly nodded.

"Go find it." He grinned. "Don't worry about me. I still have two more chances." The assassin flashed a peace sign with a smirk before leaving her to stand alone in the center of the floor.

The realization hit her.

She was a Hunter.

A Hunter.

In the middle of that floor, she cheered and jumped around with her fellow Hunters and the Hunters-to-be.

They were just glad their Gon was finally back.

十四番

The next round should have been Leorio vs. Bodoro.

However, due to the injuries he received from none other than the Hunter Hisoka, Leorio requested that their fight be postponed. In this case, Killua would go on to fight Gittarakur. He agreed.

Thus, the next match began.

The small boy took his stance, and Gon could see the muscles in his hand tighten, prepared to morph at any given moment. There was that look in his eyes, the same one he had before tearing Johness' heart out in the Trick Tower.

Level. Calm. But as slick and deadly as black ice.

He took a step -

"Killu."

- and froze.

The lanky man spoke robotically, carefully twisting and pulling thick needles out of his face. With a sound like grinding bones, his facial muscles contorted into a gruesome mixture until finally relaxing into the face of a young man.

Gon and Killua both stepped back at once.

"A... Ani..."

"You." Gon clenched her teeth.

The man's dark eyes didn't leave Killua's face. "How have you been... little brother?"

Excellent job, my dear little brother.

No no no no no no

Kurapika tore her eyes from the scene, choosing to focus on Gon instead. She was shaking. Her eyes were blank.

She couldn't take it anymore.

"Gon." Kurapika placed her hands firmly on Gon's shoulders. "What is going on?"

Gon didn't respond, just opened her mouth a little, like she was thinking but didn't know how to put her thoughts into words.

"Gon!"

Kurapika's forceful voice caught Killua's attention, and he was forced to look between his opponent and friend, both of whom greatly concerned him at the moment.

He almost said her name.

"Killu." The man said again, and the little white-haired boy whipped his head back to his alleged brother. The man tilted his head. "You seem distracted. What's going on?"

"N- nothing..."

His eyes traveled to Gon's, and the man followed his gaze.

It's that girl...

He eyed his little brother with an emotionless expression, curious. "Did you say you were friends?"

No one but the man noticed Killua's hazy blue eyes widen for just a short moment. The boy tried to answer, but like Gon, he couldn't seem to figure out how to make the words come out.

The long-haired man answered for him in the form of a question. "Do you remember what dad and I always taught you?"

It was obvious Killua knew.

"You don't need friends. You don't have time for friends because of your training. In fact, you'd just kill your friends. They're your playthings." He glanced at Gon, who stared at the ground with clenched fists. "At the moment, you're excited because this is something new to you. But once your battery is drained, she'll become nothing but a toy, a doll, and you'll kill her." His cold eyes were grating. "Because it's in your nature as an assassin."

"That's..." Killua's voice was less than a whisper. "...not true."

"It is."

He shut his eyes. "It's not."

The older brother pursed his pale lips, never once removing his singular gaze from the trembling little boy. "What is it you hope to gain from friendship?" His curious stare was blank. "Was there something wrong with the way dad and I have raised you?"

"I don't..."

The man perked up slightly, giving ear to the unintelligible mumble. "What?"

Seconds passed.

"I..."

Everyone waited for Killua's answer.

"I'm done... With this... With being an assassin."

...

The man raised his chin, the small and simple act coming off as a menacing threat. "And why is that?"

Gon was all ears.

A minute passed, and Killua still hadn't looked up or answered.

Having gotten past the initial shock of the reveal, Gon's mind was racing. She needed this match to be over. She had so many questions running through her mind - questions about the man claiming to be Killua's brother, questions about Killua's uncharacteristic fear, questions about why that man had confronted her in the forest, questions about that night -

"I just... Want to become friends with Gon."

Th-thump.

Did she hear that right?

"I thought so..." The man murmured thoughtfully. "And even after I warned her..."

Killua's head whipped up, snowy hair fluttering around his head.

That's right... Gon mused. I never had the chance to tell him.

The man's lips stayed straight, but Gon could see in his eyes that he was amused. This was a game to him. A sick, twisted game purely for his own sadistic enjoyment. She remembered how Hisoka called the man his 'comrade'; now she could see why.

"Killu."

Killua pursed his lips.

"How about I conduct a little test?" He raised his hand a little. "If you pass, I'll let you become a Hunter. But if you fail..."

The man's glinting eyes made it clear: failing wouldn't be the ideal option.

Killua lowered his chin slightly, eyes dark. "Alright."

His brother smiled. "Good. I'll give you a few questions, and you just have to answer. Depending on your sincerity, we'll see if you pass. Ready?"

Everyone held their breath.

"Ready."

"How much does your relationship with Gon mean to you?"

The people on the sidelines glanced at each other, confused. What kind of question was that? And why did the man care so much...?

Kurapika watched in silence. It was just like the two-question quiz, back before they even got to the exams. There was no right answer, but in this case, there was no wrong answer. If Killua's passing was based on the man's opinion of sincerity...

"You have three seconds to answer." The raven-haired man held up three fingers. "Three. Two. One- "

"It's important to me!" The young teen cried. With eyes closed and fists clenched so tightly that they shook, he went on to explain. "I've never had a friend before, Aniki. I've never had someone I could be honest with." A pink hue adorned his pale cheeks as he continued. "When I'm around her... I feel like a normal kid. No, I feel like a different person. I said I was sick of killing, and now I'm sure that I don't want to continue being an assassin... Because of her."

Gon watched with her mouth slightly open. She'd never known any of that. Actually, she didn't know Killua's dark feelings at all - the true ones, at least.

She felt a little guilty for never feeling the same way back.

She didn't come to the Hunter's Exam to make a friend or be a normal kid. His reason was so pure... Nothing like hers.

"Is that all?"

Killua nodded.

Was that all the test was? Was he sincere enough? Did he pass? All those questions ran through everyone's minds, and they found themselves silently rooting for the small white-haired boy.

"Ja, now for the next question. What would you do if I killed Gon?"

十四番

It all happened in a heartbeat.

"Killua!"

Gon sat up in bed, struggling past the clean white sheets tangled around her legs. The skin on her face stung a little as she looked around.

"Where am I?" She wondered aloud.

"Good evening."

In an armchair in the corner of the small room sat Satotz. He closed the book he was reading and stood, dragging his chair closer to her bed.

Gon tried to connect the dots. The room, Satotz, morning, Killua...

She leaned forward, fingers curling into the folds of the blanket. "Satotz-san, where's Killua? What happened? What day is it- "

"Gon." The examiner said calmly. "I will explain. But please, settle down."

After she settled back against the headboard, he asked what the last thing she remembered was.

"It was... Eto... The man asked Killua a question."

If Satotz had a mouth, it would be grimacing. "So you really don't know why you're here..." He clasped his hands together in his lap, and Gon could already tell she wasn't going to like this story. "Illumi, Killua's brother, asked a terrible question..."

十四番

"What would you do if I killed Gon?"

There was a collective gasp, and all eyes darted to the small girl in horror. Of all the people in the room, only a few were unaffected by the question. One of them was Gon.

Leorio stood in front of the girl. "Why, you..." He stabbed his finger in Illumi's direction as if hoping it would jam into his eye and blind the man. "If you lay one finger on Gon, I'll kill you myself."

Illumi didn't even bother looking at the aspiring doctor, casually responding, "I wouldn't even need to touch her to kill her."

Leorio, yelling curses, had to be restrained.

"Now, Killu." He said. "What is your answer?"

The boy's skin was as white as his hair, ice cold sweat dotting his skin. He knew his answer could mean Gon's life. He hated to admit it, but he honestly didn't know what to say.

Kill Illumi? Not possible. Cry about it? Never. Kill himself? Out of the question.

He wracked his mind for an answer, anything, but Illumi was already speaking. "If I do it, will you be able to answer then?"

"No!" He wanted to shout it,, but it came out as a raspy croak. Some friend he was. Slowly, he reached out to grab his brother's wrist as he turned towards Gon-

"Don't. If you touch me, the fight will begin. If I kill Gon..." He narrowed his eyes. "The fight will end."

"You can't!" Killua managed. What am I saying?

But Illumi faced him anyway. "I can't?"

"If... If you kill Gon, you'll be disqualified."

The man finally caught on, dropping a fist into his other hand in understanding. "Oh, that's right. I can't kill Gon because I need this license for a job..."

Everyone relaxed, just a bit. Their Gon was safe.

"Alright then. I'll pass the test, then kill Gon."

DUN.

"Aniki, please." Killua didn't know where the courage was coming from, but he was glad. For now. Anything to keep Gon alive. "If it's a license you want, you can have it."

"Killu, I don't think you understand. You're very important to me. I just want you to grow up the right way."

"The right way!?" Leorio shrieked. "So that means having no frien - mmphh!" The guards covered his mouth.

"That means having no weakness. Now, are you ready to answer my question? Or do you need help answering?" He held up a few thick needles, the same kind Gon saw kill a man in the forest.

After a few seconds of edgy silence, Illumi raised the hand holding the dangerous pins.

"I'll hate you!"

It was the only thought crowding his blank mind. Memories of all the times Illumi tortured him, all the times Illumi messed with his emotions, all the times Illumi forced him to kill.

His life wasn't his own. That's why he left, wasn't it? And here, when he thought he'd finally made a choice of his own, was on a path he set for himself... His family was there to take it all away.

He hated it. He hated them.

He hated himself.

Illumi lowered his needle-filled hand. "You'll hate me?"

"I will."

He seemed to think for a moment. "Does that mean you won't willingly become the heir to the family?"

Killua grit his teeth so hard, he was sure they would crack. I never wanted to anyway. "Yes."

Finally, Illumi seemed to be the one at a crossroads. Slowly, enunciating every syllable, he asked, "So you won't come home?"

"I'll never go back to that place." He spat out.

Surprised by Killua's sudden change in demeanor, Illumi sighed. "It seems no matter what I do, you won't return home."

Gon watched Killua in silence. What must he be thinking, to have that look in his eyes? It was pure hatred, a look she never knew until she saw Kurapika's eyes glisten scarlet just days earlier. She didn't like that look.

And that aura... She could see it faintly around Killua's brother. It was evil. It shifted and curled around like a snake, a menacing purple color. She felt the urge to use ko.

And to her horror, she saw it creep towards her.

"Then... I guess it doesn't matter."

The needles flew through the air at the speed of sound, penetrating her thin layer of protection.

All Gon could do was shriek and claw at her face until the pain overwhelmed her mind and the world turned black.

十四番

Lightly, Gon touched her cheek. It still felt constricted. She wondered what those needles had done to her face and why she didn't remember it.

Satotz leaned back in the chair, a casual move, but his aura didn't imply 'casual' at all.

"After that, Killua went berserk. Bodoro tried to stop him, but he ended up getting killed. Killua might have attempted to kill everyone in that room if the chairman hadn't stepped in and knocked him out." He lowered his chin. "Unfortunately, Killua broke the rules when he killed Bodoro, another candidate, so he was disqualified. Illumi claimed his attack was not deadly, and since you are still alive, he is now a Hunter. I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "It's alright. I saw it coming anyway."

Being an assassin, killing was in the snowy-haired boy's nature. But still, Gon couldn't picture the awful scene Satotz had painted for her. "Where's Killua now?"

"They left him in his room. He should be awake by now..."

Gon was out of bed in a second. "Thank you so much, Satotz-san."

She was already to the door when he called after her, "Don't you want your Hunter's license?"

"I'll get it later!" And with that, Gon was out the door.

She was elated. Killua was still here. He didn't go home. She had so much to tell him, so much to ask him.

Gon didn't care about all the bad things he said he'd done - her past was just as dark. All she wanted was some peace, and Killua filled that craving. Finally, she could have a friend as messed up as her to adventure with. And maybe, just maybe, he could help her figure out her past.

She finally reached his room, and, not wanting to waste a single second more, she flung open the door.

What she saw made her scream.

十四番

Next time, on 14:

"G- Gon! What are you- "

"Remember when I told you I was pretending to be male?"

"She fingered the blood red crystal, and somehow, it didn't seem as beautiful anymore..."

Pfft, and it only took me 5 weeks to write. Whoo-hoo XD New record.

Congratulate me. щ('益'щ)

Maybe next time it'll only take four weeks! heheh...