More Than a Killer

-PART TWO-

Chapter 20

Merry Christmas

"Gon?" Killua asked tentatively. His voice was horse, choking on the breath he wasn't able to take.

For a moment, those brilliant brown orbs merely stared back at him, shining with a vitality that Killua never thought he would see again. Killua's heart pounded against his chest, one slow heavy beat after another. He didn't dare let himself breathe. He didn't dare let himself speak. He didn't dare let himself think.

Gon blinked. His pupils were slowly coming into focus as he took in the image of Killua hovering above him. After a brief period of disorientation, something absolutely magical happened.

Gon's mouth split into a broad smile, stretching easily from cheek to cheek.

"Killua?" He said. His voice was muffled and hoarse, filled with weariness and pain, but at that moment, Gon had never seemed more alive. "Killua, is that really you?"

That was when Killua lost it. Fresh, raw tears welled up around Killua's eyes and then streamed down his cheeks. He shook his head in an overwhelmed disbelief. But nothing could stop him from grinning like mad.

He hadn't truly let himself believe it. He never actually thought this moment would come. He had been trained all his life to focus on reality, not possibility. He dealt in hard facts, not wild hopes or dreams. He never allowed himself to hope. But now there was no question. There was no mistaking this.

Gon… Gon, his best friend, was back.

"Yeah, it's me." Killua forced the words out in a whisper.

Gon's smile didn't relent- if anything it only grew bigger. Killua didn't know what else to say. It was like he was living a dream. He was terrified that if he spoke, if he moved, if he did anything more than breathe, he might wake up and return to reality.

Still gripping onto Killua's wrist for support, Gon pulled himself up into a sitting position. It was painful to watch. The hunter winced in pain as he contracted his abdominal muscles to sit upright. But he made it. Gon always did. Still watching in awe, Killua watched as his friend got off of the table, placing his bare feet into the icy tile floor. He staggered as he forced himself to stand. He nearly fell, but Killua was there to catch him, placing Gon's arm over his shoulders for support. Gon leaned against his best friend for support, breathing heavily.

"I'm sorry, Killua." Gon said, looking at the floor, chest heaving. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen… I never wanted…"

Seemingly, for the first time, Gon was lost for words. Tears were starting to fall from his eyes. Raw emotion coursing through his blood, Killua clasped a hand onto Gon's shoulder and pulled him into a tight embrace. One that was long overdue.

"What the hell are you apologizing for?" Killua said. His voice was firm, allowing for no further debate or apologies. "You're my best friend. And you're alive. That was all I ever needed."

When they pulled apart, Gon kept a hand on Killua's shoulder to steady himself. His skin was beginning to feel warm again. Gon smiled and looked Killua straight in the eye. Sparkling pools of brown met bold orbs of blue. It was a surreal moment. One that brought so many memories flooding into Killua's mind. All of the adventures, all of the challenges, all of the battles, all of the laughter, all of the tears, everything they had been through together- it all had led up to this moment. The moment that Killua knew without a shadow of a doubt that their story wasn't over yet. It was just getting started.

Gon blinked once, revealing a shade of darkness that wasn't there before.

"I don't know how many times I died down here. But I always knew you'd find me."

"Sorry it took so long." Killua said, not commenting on his friend's unusual choice of words. I don't know how many times I died down here.

And just like that the darkness was gone, leaving a giddy teen beaming in its place.

"What the hell are you apologizing for?" Gon said with a laugh so light it didn't belong in the cold laboratory room. "You saved my ass again. Thank you."

Killua huffed and turned his head to the side. "I haven't saved you yet. We still have to get out of this place."

"Where exactly is here?" Gon asked. His eyes were beginning to droop with exhaustion. He was so weak.

"I'll explain later. For now we need to check on-"

Gon's eyes flew open wide when the door opened once more with a jolt.

"Ging." Gon said in shock. Killua turned to look as well. The Double Star Hunter froze, seeing his son again after so long. He was alive.

"Well, I'll be damned." Ging said with his signature sideways grin. Gon blinked in awe.

"Ging. You're here too."

"Thought I'd come find you for a change." He replied with a wink.

"GON!" A loud roar burst through the air. Pushing Ging aside, Leorio scrambled into the room, breathing heavily with cuts and scrapes all over his body. He met eyes with Gon and burst into a euphoric grin. He sprinted across the room towards is young friend.

"Killua, you bastard! How dare you leave Kurapika and I to deal with the corpses while you're reuniting with Gon!"

"Leorio!" Gon chimed with laughter upon seeing another friend.

Leorio was on top of Gon in an instant, picking up the teen in a hug and swinging him around like a rag doll. Gon winced slightly in pain, but overall he didn't seem to mind.

"Careful, Leorio. He's not at 100%." Kurapika said, striding over to the reunion party. He was much more controlled in his movements, but his face was lit up in the warmest sort of joy. "Gon." He said, stretching out a hand for Gon to shake. "It's good to see you again."

"Kurapika." Gon wasn't about to let his blonde friend get off that easy. Moving from Leorio to Kurapika, he enveloped the blonde in a tight hug. Kurapika returned the gesture with zero complaints.

"I- I can't thank all of you enough." Gon said, looking from face to face. "I didn't know how long I'd be down here. I didn't know if I'd ever make it out. There… there is a lot I have to tell you. A lot I have to explain… and even more that I don't know how to explain…"

"You don't have to worry about any of that now." Killua said, feeling stronger and steadier than he had in a while. "All we need to focus on is getting out of here."

"How are we going to do that?" Gon asked.

Ging laughed. "Between the five of us, I'd say we have four of the most powerful hunters of our generation in here. I think we can manage."

"Four?" Leorio growled, raising a combative fist at the older man.

"Save it." Kurapika said, holding a hand up at Leorio to prevent him from going to crazy.

Gon and Killua shared a glance, both rumbling with laughter. Killua had forgotten how good it felt to laugh with his best friend. He thought with glee about all the time they still had in the future to share laughter. And perhaps… someone else would be there to laugh with them.

"Come on." Killua said, gesturing the group forward. "Oh, and Gon, there is someone that I want you to meet."

XXX

Hannah was sitting at her desk, hands shoved into the pockets of her cheap, dark gray sweatpants. The hood of her sweatshirt was pulled low over her forehead. Strands of slightly greasy hair poked out the front of the hoodie, framing her gaunt face in wavy strands of a dull honey brown.

There were bags under her eyes. She didn't sleep at all last night. She tried to, of course. But no matter how hard she tried to close her eyes, they would pop back open to stare blankly at the ceiling.

Bright winter light was streaming in through her window. Everything was completely covered in snow- cars, trees, houses, everything. All the white made the morning light seem even brighter.

Eventually, she went downstairs to make an appearance for her parents. She forced a smile on her face and told them that she was okay.

"Are you sure, honey?" Her mom said, brow furrowed deep with worry.

"If you still have any questions, we are more than willing to answer them." Her father said. He held the Sunday paper in his grip, but he hadn't even made it past the front page.

"Yes, I'm sure. And no, I don't. But if I do, I know I can ask." Hannah replied, quickly reassuring her parents, not wanting to linger on the subject. She squinted to read the date off her father's newspaper, but couldn't since she wasn't wearing her contacts. "What's today again?"

"Hannah… don't you know? It's Christmas Eve."

She sat down on the couch in the living room and watched TV with her parents for a while. After a few hours of pretending to laugh at some overrated sitcom, she excused herself to go back upstairs. She steadied herself with deep breaths. It still felt tense and awkward to be around her parents, but that was only to be expected. The tension would ease with time. That wasn't what she was worried about. Strangely, the fact that she found out she was adopted was the least of her problems.

She went over to stand by the window once more, looking out onto the pure white streets below. She couldn't believe that she had forgotten that it was Christmas Eve. It just went to show the different dimension her mind was currently occupying.

Inevitably the face of the man she had met on Whale Island drifted back into her mind. He had tanned skin and had a half-hazardly wrapped turbine around his head. He looked lazy and incompetent. He had barely spoke two words to her. He acted like she meant nothing to him. Was that man really her father?

She shook her head, willing herself to stop thinking about it before she knew for sure. She needed Killua to come back as soon as possible. She needed answers from him. And this time there weren't going to be any secrets left between them. He had held the truth back from her long enough.

The hours passed by slowly. Hannah tried to occupy herself with her drawing, with a book, and with her laptop, but nothing seemed to work. All she could do was wait. All she could do was let the rings grow darker around her eyes.

Night fell on the wintery scene outside, casting Hannah's room in darkness. She turned on her bedside lamp. She wondered if she should try falling asleep or not. It probably wouldn't do her any good. As tired as she was, she knew sleep wouldn't come.

The moon climbed higher in the sky. Without a cloudless night and a glimmering half-moon, the snowy ground shimmered silver in the night. Hannah grabbed her phone and checked the time. 12:03 AM. It was Christmas.

It sure didn't feel like Christmas.

Hannah didn't know what happened to her life for it to come down to this. In the past she could blame it all on meeting Killua. It all started to happen after than late night in the library they shared together. Since that night, she had been shot at, come close to death, found out the guy she liked was an assassin, fell hard for said assassin, found out she was adopted, and realized that there was a good chance she had a father who didn't acknowledge her and a brother who may or may not be dead according to the previously mentioned assassin.

Her life was now something out of a trashy movie script. None of it felt real. But at the same time it all felt more real than the idea that thousands of kids around the world would be waking up in a matter of hours to open their presents without a care in the world.

The only thing she wanted for Christmas was for Killua to get home safe. She needed him right now. If he didn't come back…

Her phone vibrated. Vaguely wondering who would be texting her at this hour, she picked it up. Her heart skipped a beat upon seeing the name that appeared on her screen.

Killua

But that wasn't possible. He was away on a mission. He said he couldn't bring his phone with him because that meant he would be too easy to track. Unless that meant…

Come outside.

Unless that meant he was back. Hannah dropped her phone to the floor and rushed over to her window to look outside. Illuminated in the lonely light of a streetlamp, stood a familiar figure. His hair perfectly matched the silvery sheen of snow.

Heart thundering in her chest, she flung on the first pair of shoes she could get her hands on, hurried quietly down the stairs and rushed out the front door of her house.

There he was. Standing casually with his hands hidden in the pockets of darkly colored pants, Killua was on the street outside her house. In that moment she saw him so clearly. The messy hair that she loved. The endless blue of his eyes. The sharp angles of his face. Black collar popped against the winter winds; Killua's face broke into a smile upon seeing her. And it was the widest, happiest, most genuine smile she had ever seen him wear. Seeing that smile… it made all of her worries float away lighter than a breeze.

Not wanting to waste any more time, Hannah dashed over to him. Her steps her clumsy and uneven in the snow, but she didn't care. She just wanted to close the distance between them as quickly as possible. As stubborn as always, Killua made her do all the work. He didn't move a muscle except to open his arms up as she threw herself into him.

Feeling more than one kind of warmth, Hannah buried her head into the crook between Killua's shoulder and neck. She felt his body shake with a gleeful laughter.

"I take it you missed me?" His voice was warm and silky, but still had that insufferable arrogance she had grown to know.

She pulled away just enough so that she could tilt her head up and look at his face. His arms didn't loosen around her waist.

"I am so angry with you." Those were the words she said, but her heart wasn't really in them. She was breathless and jittery with a relief too great to be put down by the interrogation she was determined to put Killua through later.

His eyes softened at her words, understanding resonating beneath their surface. "What else is new?"

"Everything." She said. "Everything but…" Her eyes drifted from his eyes down to his lips. Suddenly, her words slipped away from her. It was as if she only just realized where she was standing. Only a couple inches away from Killua Zoldyck. In the moonlight. Early Christmas morning. Seeing each other for the first time since…

The teenage girl inside her was back. Her initial relief at his return and his aliveness was over and now she was completely unsure of how to handle herself. She wanted to kiss him, but she wasn't sure if they were in the kissing stage of their relationship yet. Wait, why was she even thinking about this right now? It was really not the time.. And now there was a long silence. She never finished her sentence. She needed to say something-

"I mean- uh- everything but-"

And then Killua kissed her, strong and slow. It was every bit as good as the first time. Maybe even better.

When he pulled away, he was still wearing that impenetrable smile. "Everything but us." He finished her sentence for her. "Sorry, but I thought you needed a little help getting there. As much as I love listening to you babble, I don't have all night."

Hannah's cheeks flushed a spectacular scarlet red. "You don't?" Disappointment poked at her heart. Killua smirked at her.

"Hannah Hazel, I have someone I want you to meet." He said. And then he looked away somewhere else. Hannah followed his gaze.

"Who-" She started to ask, but then she immediately halted. There was someone else on that lonely snowy street. A figure was emerging slowly from the shadows. As he stepped into the soft glow of the street lamp light, Hannah's mouth dropped open.

It was a boy. A young man, rather, who seemed to be around her age. He was taller than average and had bright brown eyes beneath a crown of spiky black hair. He was quite thin, to the point of appearing malnourished. His skin was pale and the bags beneath his eyes were far darker than her own. But that didn't stop him from glowing brighter than the stars above.

They met eyes for a moment. Then the unfamiliar boy immediately broke into a smile stretching broadly from ear to ear. He held up his hand in hello.

Hannah looked in sheet disbelief at Killua.

"Is that…"

"Hazel, I'd like you to meet my best friend, Gon Freecs."

XXX

Killua got some pretty good kicks watching Hannah's face as she saw Gon for the first time. At first her wide hazel eyes held nothing but confusion, but then they bulged open even wider in shock as she realized just who she was seeing. Killua didn't blame her. It truly was a sight to behold.

Gon standing. Gon breathing. Gon being alive. The whole trip back to York New, Killua had been waiting to wake up from what had to be a dream. He knew what his life was like. He had lived his life for nineteen years. This sort of this didn't happen to him. But there Gon was… happening.

"Yo." Gon said, smile still blazing on his face. You'd never tell from his expression, but he was nervous to meet his sister for the first time. Killua remembered fondly the conversation they had just hours earlier on the Airship ride back towards the city.

"I have a sister?!" Gon exclaimed in shock. His brown orbs were ripe with disbelief. He hurriedly swung his head back and forth between Killua and Ging, looking for either of them to explain further. Killua just grinned at his friend's classic reaction and allowed Ging to do the heavy lifting as far as explanations went.

Ging grinded his teeth in bitter reluctance. "Yep. True story."

Gon leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling, trying to comprehend what he was hearing.

"I always wanted a sister." He said.

"A sister?" Leorio asked out of curiosity. He was sitting in the seat across from Gon, next to Ging. "Why not a brother?"

Gong smiled and looked at Killua. "I already have a brother."

It had only been around half a day since they rescued Gon from the Man in the Metal Mask's mansion, but Gon was already looking slightly better. His skin was warmer and some color had returned to his cheeks, despite the cold.

However, Killua knew his friend well. No matter what sort of a show Gon was putting up on the outside, he was still in a lot of pain on the inside. Whatever hell he had been through down in that laboratory, it was certainly still affecting him now. He just wanted to put on a brave face for his friend and sister. Gon was undoubtedly facing a long road to recovery, but at the moment, all that mattered was his long overdue reunion with the twin sister he never knew.

"You… you're…" Hannah stammered. Killua looked at her fondly. He liked it whenever she stuttered. The girl in question however, looked extremely flustered. "You… Hi. I'm Hannah."

Gon walked up to her. He was shaking with excitement himself.

"It's nice to meet you, Hannah! Killua's already told me a lot about you. I don't think I've ever heard him talk so much about a single person." Gon held out a hand towards her. She took it and shook.

"I would like to say the same thing," Hannah said, regaining her use of words. "But Killua has always been pretty secretive where you're concerned. Although when he does mention you… he speaks very highly of you."

"He better!" Gon agreed.

As much as Killua enjoyed seeing the pair already getting along, there was something that needed to be addressed.

"Hazel." Killua said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Judging by what you said about being angry with me, I assume you spoke with your parents?"

The smile on her face faded. She tilted her chin down in a soft nod.

"Yes." She said, looking back and forth between Gon and Killua. She spoke quietly. "I know I'm adopted. And Gon… Gon is my brother isn't he? And Ging is my father."

Killua looked at her with a sad smile. She didn't miss a beat, no matter how much he wanted her to sometimes.

"Yes." He told her.

Suddenly tears started to well up in Hannah's eyes. She sniffed and tried to wipe them away.

"Sorry." She whimpered. She looked from Gon, to Killua and back at Gon. "It's just… well, it's been a long day and seeing both of you here, I'm just really happy." Still wiping away the tears, she now looked only at Gon, taking in his new face as much as she could. Somehow even though she just met him, it felt warm and familiar. Like home. "And Gon… I'm so happy you're alive. Not just for Killua, but for me too. I'm happy to know that you're my brother."

And then to both of their surprise, Gon's eyes began to tear up as well.

"I've been trapped for a long time. All I wanted was to get out and see Killua again for the longest time. But to find out that I get to meet my sister too? That's just the icing on the cake."

And then the brother and the sister hugged. It filled Killua's heart with such joy to see them together.

"I'm sorry for crying." Hannah said. "Not the best first impression."

"It's alright! Killua cries all the time!" Gon responded without missing a beat.

"Idiot!" Killua protested. "You're the one that's crying right now!"

"You're just jealous that Hannah already likes me better." Gon said, sticking his tongue out at his best friend.

"Remind me again why I went through all that trouble to get you back."

"I don't need to." Gon said, releasing his sister from the hug. He raised a thumbs up. "Right?"

"Hey guys?" Hannah said suddenly, her voice full of giggles.

"Yeah?" They said simultaneously.

"Merry Christmas." She said, even more tears of joy running down her cheeks.

Killua smiled and then bent down to kiss her on the cheek.

"Merry Christmas." He said to her softly, close enough so that his breath warmed her skin.

"Whoa, man, get off my sister!" Gon said. "We are going to have to have a long talk about this relationship of yours!"

Killua smiled that crooked grin of his as he wrapped one arm around Hannah's shoulder and used the other to affectionately punch Gon in the chest.

"I'm looking forward to it."

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Aaaaaand that concludes Part Two of the story! This chapter just makes my heart so happy- I hope it brought a smile to your face as well. For me, the Gon reunion was a long time coming so I'm happy you guys get to share in my excitement.

There's going to be a bit of a break in between this chapter and the start of Part Three because I want to get further ahead in my writing before I start posting more chapters. Don't worry, it won't be too long of a break! You'll start getting new chapters again in about a month, I'd say (maybe less). I have huge plans for the finale so I swear the wait will be worth it!

In the mean time, please leave me a review/ PM if you have any questions or comments or jokes you want to test out before you deliver the punchline in the real world. I'd love to hear from you (:

Have a very merry Christmas/ Winter Holidays/ New Year!

You guys are the best,

Ellie

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Hunter x Hunter