WOOOOOOW IT'S BEEN AWHILE…..
Good news, though: I AM FREE FROM THE GRATING SHACKLES THAT ARE HIGH SCHOOL. A.k.a I graduated a month ago. I was about to say that I suddenly have a lot more free time so I should be able to post more… but then I remembered that I'm working full time so we'll see how that goes.
I was skimming over the past chapters, and lemme tell ya, I cringed. CRINGED. Holy frittata, I was such a weeb! (not that weeaboos are bad, it's just, me personally, I cringe at myself, I just, sigh…) It makes me want to delete the story bahaha but I know you guys won't allow that so I guess my toxic writing will stay on the internet forever *shrugs* P.S. I still cringe, even as I write this new chapter. In fact, this new chapter is on par with the rest of this story, a.k.a. belongs in the trash.
Also… I seemed to have forgotten that Gon had a broken arm… well, let's just say that it healed sometime while they were traveling to Meteor City. Problem solved. *thumbs up*
Oh, aaaand I forgot about Gon's birthday present. Well, whatever. It was a new jacket. Wow how did I mess up this badly. There are so many things that I said earlier in the story that I completely changed later on because I forgot everything I wrote. That's what happens when there's four months in between chapters I guess…
Shoutout to the friends who stayed even though I'm the worst ever! ೕ(˃̵ᴗ˂̵ ๑)
Disclaimer: Ya know, my Togashi senses have been tingling lately… me thinks a manga return is at bay…
Chapter 25: No x Kissing x Allowed
十四
In a dark, isolated room, Chrollo Lucilfer sat upon a throne of rubble.
He leaned forward, elbows on his knees and hands clasped together, hiding a faint smile from the boy standing in front of him.
The Zoldyck boy. The heir to the notorious family business. The little rebel.
Chrollo withdrew his hands from in front of his face, the smile having faded a bit. "Go on," he said coolly.
Killua tightened his fists at the sight, ever so slightly. "I know what you want from me." He scowled. "But I won't be a pawn in your game."
"No one's a pawn," Chrollo said. "The Spider works together to achieve its goals."
"Under your command. You're the head."
"True," Chrollo admitted. "But everyone has input, and I do listen to their ideas. So, entertain me."
Killua took a step forward. "You know enough about my family, likely through working with my br—Illumi." He ignored the aching pain in his head. "You know what I'm capable of, and you were going to exploit that and use me to help fulfill your goals, because of my connection to Gon." He narrowed his sharp eyes. "You knew I wouldn't be able to refuse if it came to helping her."
Chrollo rested his cheek in his palm. "It's true, though, isn't it? That if Gon is going to participate in this job, then so are you."
Killua stayed silent.
Chrollo let his lip curve in amusement. "I'll give you a choice, on how you'd like to play your part in the auction. But this will be a two-way deal." He sat forward, locking eyes with Killua. "Whatever you decide you'll do, you will do it. That's how the Spider works."
Killua understood perfectly. As an assassin, there was no such thing as failing a job. If you were to come home empty handed, it was better to never come home at all.
"I only have one condition," Killua said. "I won't kill for pleasure or reward, not under any circumstances."
Quite the rebel, Chrollo thought. That he left a life of continual murder and was able to reach thisis remarkable. "Are there any circumstances in which you are willing to take a life?"
The ex-assassin didn't even hesitate. "To protect—myself and my friends."
"Am I your friend?"
"It wouldn't matter," Killua shrugged. "Because anybody I could kill would be no more than an ant to you."
Chrollo's face remained straight, but inside, he laughed heartily. He stood, hands in his pockets. "You have a deal, Killua. I want to trust you." He came to stand next to the teenage boy. "But can you trust me?"
Again, Killua responded immediately, with a nod.
"Then I guess a nen promise won't be necessary," Chrollo said, leaving the room. Before he walked through the doorway, he stopped and turned, speaking to Killua's back. "I hope you know Gon will be a big part of this auction. After all, it's her first major job, and you know how she is with new experiences."
Killua smiled a little at that and was grateful Chrollo couldn't see it.
十四
It seemed Chrollo would not get any peace and quiet that afternoon.
He was sitting on the ledge of a broken window, letting the slight breeze ruffle his loose hair. With what Killua had said and the promise they made, Chrollo would have to tweak their plans for the auction just a bit. He supposed he would have to hire Illumi to kill the Ten Dons after all.
His train of thought was shattered when Gon burst through the door, but Chrollo wasn't mad. Hardly anything made him mad, and Gon especially couldn't. In fact, she always had the opposite effect on him, brightening his days and permitting those genuine smiles to slip through his normally apathetic barrier.
"Chrollo-san!" she sang, dancing and spinning to where her father figure sat. "I haven't see you for hours."
He chuckled. "I've been thinking."
Gon surveyed his thinking space. "You should try the roof. It's much better than some damp smelly room for clearing your mind."
Chrollo shifted back a little, making room for Gon to sit across from him. Sure enough, as if he'd read her mind, she squeezed into the space by his feet and tucked her knees under her chin.
They watched the sparkling mountains in the distance, piles of scrap metal and junk that when illuminated by the sun turned into diamonds from far off. Sights like this was one of the many reasons Chrollo always made his way back to Meteor City.
"Chrollo-san," Gon said. "Why did somebody want my mom dead?"
He wondered when this question would come up.
"They didn't," he said.
Gon lifted her chin. "What do you mean?"
Chrollo kept his gaze on the distant diamonds. "Your father turned out to be an astonishing man. He's a phenomenal hunter, Gon. Probably worth three stars by now." He frowned. "But people like that inevitably have enemies."
Gon's gaze prompted Chrollo to go on—to tell her the whole story.
"A few months before the assassins hit their target, your mother returned to the Spider. She called us all together, and we assembled for the first time in years. She was angry at your father, but she wouldn't tell us why for a while. She wanted to do something dangerous—so we pulled off our biggest stunt up to that point."
"18 crowns in 13 nations," Gon said. "That was basically my bedtime story for years."
Chrollo smiled. "Well, now you know whose idea it really was. After that, your mother opened up to us about why she returned. Her husband was being hunted by multiple assassins."
"But if my dad was so great," Gon said, "then why would assassins be any trouble for him?"
"Not for him," Chrollo said. "But for Kaia—your mother."
It was the first time Gon had heard her mother's name. Kaia. She liked the sound of it.
"Of course, assassins wouldn't have been a match for Kaia," Chrollo added. "But Ging didn't want to take any chances. He feared that they would use her against him instead of directly trying to kill him—her life for his, in basic terms. So he made her leave, in order to protect her. The farther she was from him, the better.
"She wasn't ready to give up yet. She decided she would go after the assassins. And it worked at first, but whoever it was that wanted revenge on Ging just kept hiring more and more hitmen. And she found, after months of this, that it was no use. So giving up, she decided to visit you on Whale Island."
Gon figured she knew the rest of the story. But as she thought about it, she realized the pieces didn't fit together. Ging hadn't been there. So why were assassins on Whale Island?
Chrollo stared out the window. He seemed somewhat reluctant to continue the story. But after a long moment, he told Gon the end.
"Two days into her visit on Whale Island, Ging contacted her and told her to get off the island, to hide. He'd found out that he was no longer the assassin's direct target. Instead, they were targeting his wife and little girl. Kaia immediately called me, but before she could even hang up, they'd arrived."
Gon tried not to picture the faces of "they." She pointed out, "I thought you said assassins were no match for my mom."
He nodded. "They wouldn't have been—if she was alone. My guess is that she was trying to protect you, and in the process, she exposed herself and made herself an easy target.
"Luckily, Nobunaga and Machi had accompanied Kaia to Whale Island, and they rushed to the scene as soon as they felt her aura flaring. But it was too late for her. At least, they saved you." Chrollo smiled; Gon found she couldn't muster up a cheerful face herself.
Her mother and aunt had died protecting her—that much was obvious. If Gon hadn't been there, her mother would have lived. If her aunt hadn't run with her, she would've lived as well. Gon knew Chrollo's intentions weren't to make her feel guilty. He was just stating the truth.
And she already knew what anyone would say if she admitted her guilt.
They were happy to lay down their lives if it meant protecting you.
Still.
"So that's the truth of it all." Chrollo stood. "I want to ask you something, though."
Gon uncurled her legs from her encircling arms. "What is it?"
His hands were still deep in his pockets. "When you left, you told us it was because you wanted revenge. Have you gotten it?"
Gon shook her head.
"Why not?" Chrollo's eyes bore into her mind. She wouldn't have lied anyway, but that look could have spilled the truth out of even the most tight-lipped of people.
"I met someone at the Hunter's exam," she said. "She was bent on revenge, and I saw how it destroyed her. I didn't want to go down that path. Plus," she added with a grin, "How could I ever hate that fluffy-haired guy?"
Chrollo looked amused for a moment before he turned to the window. The sun had started to go down; it bathed him in golden light. "Revenge is an ugly thing, Gon. Yet we do it anyway."
"Why?" she asked.
"To honor the memory of the ones we're avenging. "
"But what if…" Gon struggled to find the words. "What if that isn't what the dead want?"
Chrollo nodded. "If it isn't what they'd want, then it isn't vengeance at all; it's pure, hate-filled revenge. But if it is what they would've wanted…" He looked at her face, and Gon felt the truth of his words.
"Then it's unavoidable."
十四
Leaving the hideout in secret was already difficult—but leaving the hideout in secret to go on a date was near impossible.
Killua paced outside. Even with the anxiety he felt, he didn't make a single sound on the gravel. His training was far too ingrained in him to be unsettled by stupid teenage hormones.
He frowned, realizing what he must look like, pacing back and forth like an idiot. He drew in a deep breath and settled back against the wall on the exhale. Somehow, hiding his hands in his pockets helped calm the jitters down.
But then they flared up again in his mind when he saw her slip around the corner of the building. His death was inevitable, drawing ever closer with each step she took.
"Hi," she whispered, not as quiet as she should've been with only two feet of concrete between them and thirteen overprotective nen masters. "We should hurry," she said. "Just in case someone notices."
He nodded. They ran off into the night, as quickly and silently as possible.
"So where are we going?" Gon asked, once they were out of en-shot of the hideout. They'd stopped running as well.
Killua couldn't look at her. He was burning up. Sheepishly, he pointed to a building they were approaching. It was just as rustic and tilted as the rest of them in the area, but this one had the extra perk of being the tallest in the vicinity.
Gon beamed. "How romantic."
"That's not funny," Killua said, his cheeks glaring like a traffic light.
But she was doubled over in laughter. "You—your face—even in the dark—"
Since the cover of the night was of no use to him at all, Killua decided to take control of the situation and took her hand. Gon didn't even react to his cold fingers clasping hers; she just slapped her knee and wiped a tear from her eye before standing up.
"I love it though," she said, after calming down.
Killua hadn't looked Gon in the eyes the entire "date," and yet still, his eyes refused to travel farther than the stars behind her head. It was humiliating. He wished he could go back in time and warn his past self not to make a move—ever.
He was suddenly yanked forward; Gon was running inside the building, dragging him in tow.
"Hold on!" His voice reverberated off every surface inside the decrepit structure. He adopted a hushed tone. "You don't even know where to go."
Gon grinned slyly. "Roof."
"No," Killua said, though the shame of it all colored his voice. He hung his head. "Yes…"
"I know you so well."
Killua rolled his eyes and took the lead. At points, the rickety stairwell was missing steps. Killua did the gentlemanly thing and helped her hop over them. Thankfully, she played along.
When they finally reached the roof, warm wind enveloped their bodies. The sky was cloudless, the stars glittering like grains of glass. Basically, the night was perfect for what Killua had planned to do.
"Stargazing?" Gon mused, seeing the ragged blanket laid out in the middle of the flat roof.
He led her over to the blanket, letting her sit before joining on her right side. They stared at the lights in the sky for a minute. Maybe Gon was focused on their beauties above, but Killua could hardly think of more than what existed next to him—or who, for that matter.
The odds were improbable, yet somehow the gods above had granted Killua some kind of miracle. Of all the people who could've made it to the Hunter's exam that year, one of them just so happened to be her. And despite the fact that there were 404 participants besides himself, he just so happened to become acquainted with her. And even though they were so different from each other, and they fought half the time, and they were still so young… he just so happened to fall for her.
He wanted to tell all that to her. But his throat was dry.
Thankfully, Gon spoke up. "I used to stargaze every night. Nobu-nii taught me all the constellations, all the stories behind them. He said that only the greatest people get to be in the skies after they die." She chuckled. "From then on, I wanted to be great. It was my goal to get to be part of the sky. But now I'm sure it's impossible for someone like me."
She laid back on the blanket, parallel to the sky. Killua followed suit, though his voice traveled perpendicular. "It'd be a crime not to put someone like you up there."
"A thief?" she said. "A murderer?"
"Stop," he said gently. "What got you thinking like that?"
She shook her head. "I don't know, maybe just being back here in Meteor City. I feel so at home in a place like this. That says something, doesn't it?"
Killua turned on his side, elbow propped next to him. "Are you comparing yourself to trash?"
"Hah. I'm better than trash, at least," she said, rolling her eyes with a lopsided smile. "I should stop being a party pooper."
"No, no, by all means, please."
Gon laughed, a piercing sound in the silent night. Suddenly, she turned on her side, face to face with him.
"Killua, I hope…" She fell silent after that, her eyes tracing the contour of his face. Killua wondered if he should prompt the rest of her sentence, but then she said, in a quiet voice, "I hope we can be together forever. Even if we're just friends." She shifted closer so that shadows didn't hide her moonlit face. "You're really important to me and I don't want to lose you."
He swallowed a lump in his scorching throat, unable to answer her back. Of course he felt the same way, but how could he word his feelings for her? She said, "friends." He didn't want to spend the rest of his life just calling her "friend."
But he nodded, welcoming the red hue that spread across his cheeks. He choked out a few simple words. "Me too."
Gon stared at him for a long moment. Killua occupied himself with looking for shooting stars, knowing it was a wasted effort and none would ever appear, because he didn't deserve any more fortune than he already had.
Gon finally settled back on her back. She smiled. "Does this bring back any memories?"
It did. Back at the Heaven's Arena—the balcony, the stars, the closeness—it was why he chose such a mundane activity in the first place. But he decided to lie. "None at all." He smirked, completely casual. "Why? Are you thinking of anything?"
She turned her head; so did he. Killua started to sweat; the heat from her closeness reached a thousand degrees.
And then she looked back at the sky, grinning. "Nope. Guess I was thinking of something else."
Killua cursed his stupidity and kept his gaze focused on outer space.
十四
Neither kept time that night, but they guessed about an hour passed since they left. Killua knew they couldn't take any chances—an hour was more than enough time for Machi to notice their absence and come looking for them, with her nen needles, no doubt.
Leaving the blanket behind (in case a part two of their stargazing adventures were to ever come about) they crept down the stairs, even more wary of making sounds in the night. As soon as they reached the bottom flight, they both stopped.
Killua wouldn't let the courage flee; quickly, he said, "I'm really glad you said yes."
She smiled. "I'm really glad I did, too."
"I have to admit something…"
She raised a brow, still smiling. "Go on."
Killua shuffled around in the dust; he wouldn't look at her. "I've never… been on a date before," he mumbled in complete humiliation. "I wasn't sure if I was doing things right, or just being stupid and weird, and… and well, I don't know how to wrap things up, how—how to say thanks or goodnight, or… or—"
"Killua," she said, in a tone that got him to look up immediately, his heart racing faster than he could run. She seemed to have gotten a mile closer as she said, "Neither do I."
And it happened—or at least, it would've if they hadn't been incredibly shaky and immensely idiotic.
Their noses crashed together painfully; Killua bit his tongue and Gon held her throbbing eye.
"Idiot!" Killua said, wincing at the stinging pain in his mouth.
Gon rubbed what likely would be swollen the next day, shooting back, "Me an idiot?"
"Yeah! What were you thinking?"
"I was just saying thank you!"
"That's my job!"
"I didn't think you were going to kiss me!"
"Why wouldn't I kiss you?!"
A light brighter than the blazing sun at midday suddenly blinded the two. Hesitantly and with the pits of their stomachs dropping to the center of the earth, they shrunk away from the Spiders who'd trapped them in their web.
Nobunaga held the flashlight; Machi may as well have been holding their headstones.
"Busted," Feitan rasped.
Gon and Killua exchanged a look and silently agreed never to go on a date again.
十四
"There are three rules that we, as a team, have decided upon," Machi said, gesturing to the rest of the group (which included all but Chrollo). With a long stick, Machi slapped the poster Uvogin held.
"Number one: there will be no physical contact between the two of you. That includes training."
Gon's mouth dropped.
"Number two," Machi hissed. "Neither of you will ever be alone, especially not alone together."
Killua crossed his arms, sending Uvogin a poisonous look. Uvo shrugged, grinning.
"And the last rule, the most important rule…" Machi practically stabbed a hole through the poster. "No kissing allowed."
Killua couldn't take it anymore. "Isn't that rule made extremely clear in rule #1?"
"Yeah," Gon said. "Why is it separate?"
Machi looked ready to kill. "It's that important. No kissing, no blowing kisses across the room, no—" she snapped the stick in half, "—thinking about kissing. Paku will be able to tell."
Paku looked bored.
Meanwhile, Gon and Killua were sickened by the idea of being that mushy anyway.
"Are the rules understood?" Machi growled. "Because now is the time to clarify anything, because if any of these rules are broken, Killua dies."
"Hey," Killua said. "What if I'm not the one who facilitates it? What if Gon does?"
"Your head will be detached from your body in a matter of seconds."
Killua eyed Gon. He had to look past three Spiders in order to see her. She made the "ok" sign with her fingers.
"No questions?" Machi said. "Good. Now, I've assigned guards to each of you; they'll rotate every three hours. Starting today—"
A chuckling rang out from the doorway of the hideout, one that chilled Killua to the bone and brought back horrible memories of water glasses and playing cards.
He willed himself not to turn to face the evil entering the building, but the goosebumps and fight-or-flight response pulling at his nerves forced Killua to whip around and face his greatest disturbance in life.
Hisoka.
"The thing about fruit," the clown said, stepping forward, "is that it won't ripen if you hide it in a drawer." Hisoka looked at Killua, then Gon, and licked his slimy lips. "It's best to let it blossom in the open. ✧"
Killua retched.
"Hisoka," Machi glowered. "I thought you weren't coming until right before the auction."
"I wasn't," he said, examining his nails. "Until I heard a little rumor that Gon-chan was already here. ❤ "
Gon stuck her tongue out at him.
"I swear," Machi hissed, "if you get anywhere near Gon—"
Hisoka let loose one of his horribly terrifying grins. "I suppose the rules apply to me as well?"
"Of course they do!" Nobunaga said. His previous boredom was replaced with a fiercely guarded expression. "So watch yourself. The rest of us here stand by those rules."
The rest of the group agreed, even the ones who'd been snoring through Machi's lecture. It didn't surprise Killua how much the Troupe hated the magician, even without Gon there. For one, he'd killed one of their previous family members. For another… Hisoka was a creep.
"If you want me to make a promise, I'll do it," Hisoka said, strolling into the room, a hand on his chest. "I'm here to help out in the auction, just like the rest of you. Although, I can't promise I won't tease you a bit. I am a magician, after all. ^w^"
"Just stay away from Gon," Machi said. "If you want a buddy, take—" She froze, mechanically turning to stare at Killua.
Killua bristled like a frightened cat.
If anyone in the world could manage to perfect an evil grin, Machi would take first place by a landslide in that moment. She pointed a sharp finger at Killua. "There's your plaything for the next few weeks."
Hisoka surveyed him. "My, my, Killua-kun. You've grown. ❤"
"Who can kill me the fastest?" Killua said. "The messier the better."
Both Uvo and Shalnark shot their hands in the air, shouting, "Ooh, me! Pick me!"
Machi stepped in front of Killua, thwacking her hand with the broken stick she was holding. "I'll make you a deal, devil child. If you keep Hisoka away from Gon, I'll let you get within five feet of her for half an hour a day."
"Gee, that's fair," Killua muttered.
She huffed. "How about I let you train together? Ten minutes a day. Under supervision, of course," she added.
Killua crossed his arms. "Fifteen."
Machi shot imaginary lasers out of her eyes. The already broken stick was pulverized in her fist. "Fine," she growled. "But if Hisoka even talks to Gon—"
"Yada, yada," Killua yawned, barely able to pretend he wasn't ecstatic inside. "Are we gonna shake on it, or not?"
They shook hands, both gripping tight enough to shatter an ordinary person's finger bones. When they finally released, Killua marched over to Hisoka, grabbed his arm, and dragged him outside.
"We need to talk," Killua mumbled, glad Hisoka wasn't fighting him.
"Whatever you say, Killua-kun. ❤" Hisoka waved to the other Spiders.
Killua smacked himself in the face, already very worn out from babysitting the stupid clown.
十四
Next time, on 14:
"Set our course for Yorknew city."
*literally can't think of anything else to put because I haven't planned the rest of the story*
Here, I'll promise: "[insert Spider antics here]"
Does that work?
So… kind of an abrupt ending to a chapter, but I didn't know how else to end it… Ya gotta love those cliffhangers tho, amirite? Well, maybe that's not a cliffhanger. What's the actual definition of a cliffhanger?
Urban dictionary says: Noun; The annoying last part of a dump that just won't let go. – Blessure grave.
…Pretty sure that's what we're going for here.
Hey do you want to know what I remembered a few days ago? The fact that I started a How to Train Your Dragon fic last summer. It has one whole chapter. Maybe I should change that. Maybe there'll be two whole chapters soon. *inconspicuous WINK*
Replies to my beauuuutiful friends, even the ones who allow PMs but I'm going to reply to you here anyway because I haven't thanked you in four months plus I might have forgotten to PM you in the first place so there's that:
Guest (2/20): Fortunately for everyone here, I won't be delving into Greed Island. I shudder to think how I'd handle Bisky. ( ˃﹏˂̵ ) Thanks for the review!
Pri-Chan 1410: It always bothered me that we never got to know anything about Gon's mom. That's one reason I'm focusing more on her than Ging cuz who cares about that trashbag? (actually, I do... he's one of my favorite characters...) Thanks for your support and review as usual! ෆ⃛(ˇᵋ ˇෆೄ
LostSilva: Oh snap there's no mind implosions in this chapter hahah I hope you laughed at other things at least hehe. ∗˚(* ˃̤൬˂̤ *)˚∗ Thanks for reviewing!
Nosferatusophie: D'aww thanks, that means a lot! I love how fanfic can fulfill your fangirl needs like that, glad to be of assistance! Oh, and... I won't make any promises about Uvogin's death. Just a heads up xDXD (ಡ艸ಡ)
Guest (S.D. Ocelot): NO NO YOU CAN'T SAY THAT... I have to convince you that this is garbage, that reading the filth I write is slowly poisoning your soul. (in all seriousness, thank you thank you! You made me grin like a buffoon ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ)
VitameatavegaminGirl: I'm so so SO glad you're still sticking with story! You're amazing I love you! HUGS ༼ つ ◕͙_̙◕͖ ༽つ
Guest (Spider Forever): You've got some fantastic ideas there, dude! Unfortunately, Uvo's gotta go. (whoops I did not just say that) (．＿．) Thanks for the review!
winddemon199: *too lazy to fix* Sorry for the mistake there, fren, ๑•́ㅿ•̀๑) ᔆᵒʳʳᵞ my HxH knowledge is slowly fading away, along with my hopes and dreams. (thanks for taking the time to review though!)
Guest (Taiga): haha yep it's a little strange for me as well, and I'm the author! Hopefully as you continue, it won't be so weird? Maybe? ˘\_( õ ‹3 ó)_/˘Thanks for reviewing!