Chapter 34 and 35 uploaded on the same day! Woohoo!

***Even though they're uploaded I'm still editing both chapters. I sometimes go through and edit the past chapters if I feel the dialogue is a little too awkward or misleading. I'll give a heads up if I do

Chapter 34

Midnight Conversations

Killua sat disheveled next to a motionless hospital bed as the lulling beep of the patient's heart monitor moved along rhythmically. The rest of the room swam in and out of focus as he focused on its sound. It seemed to be the only thing keeping him

He knew Canary's heartbeat like it was the back of his hand. Always there and familiar. It was back in Odakayana that he finally memorized it. All those weeks trapped in ice and snow, and the only thing to keep him sane was her heartbeat. She always had trouble sleeping, and as she stayed up with him on those stormy nights, he found he could fully indulge in her features under the dim firelight. Her fierce eyes were finally able to soften and her posture relaxed. The gentle sound of humming stemmed from her lips… He felt like he was finally given the time to see her so serenely; he was finally able to see what was taken from him so many years ago.

Canary. The caged bird that just wanted to sing. Why did any of this have to happen to her…

"How are her vitals?"

"Blood pressure is still extremely low, 90 over 60, but remaining steady. Her body is maintaining a temperature of 94 degrees Fahrenheit and her pulse-"

Killua felt his consciousness float in and out of his mind space as he overheard the doctor's conversation with Canary's nurse. He didn't need anyone to tell him just how bad this was. He knew it just as he saw Gon's withering body laying in such a familiar bed. Canary was in a coma and it would take a lot to wake her up again.

Eighteen hours had passed since they arrived in Sierra with no contact from Canary. Her cloak disappeared just as the team arrived to the jungle's thick brush where an underground hospital was very carefully hidden. He contacted their team in York New City that there was a slight delay and their tickets were switched.

He gripped onto Canary's hand as Alluka slept at the foot of the bed and the rest of the team packed themselves into the small private room. They made sure to include only certain hospitals used by Hunters in their layover locations for situations such as this as Killua maintained Lightning Cage throughout the small area. They had planned the hospitals for all sorts of situations, however, no one expected it to be Canary to be the one to use them.

Killua watched as her eyelids moved rapidly as if she were awake, yet he knew she was in a deep slumber that even Nanika couldn't wake her from. He brushed his thumb slowly along her hand and wondered tirelessly of what she could possibly be dreaming of… Just when the doctor entered the room.

"I'm sure I don't have to tell you the news." The red octopus spoke as his thick brows bunched together. "It's not looking so good for our friend, Canary. It seems her own aura is placing her into a deep coma which we have no clue when she will awake from. The limitations must be pretty strict because even our Specialists can't decipher what she's even thinking about, nonetheless why she would do this to herself. I'm sorry, kid. It seems like just another freak accident."

Killua clenched his jaw as he refused to make eye contact with his friend. Maybe if he didn't acknowledge him, then it wouldn't be real anymore. Maybe Canary would wake up from all of this and it would be a bad dream for all of them.

"Ikalgo –" he spoke as he raised his eyes only to look once more upon Canary's face. "Thank you."

Ikalgo nodded sharply. Since coming to terms with his past life as a doctor, he's decided to take back his position full time, though this time as a Chimera Ant.

He's seen many patients in this lifetime and the one beforehand, though this particular case surely took the cake for oddest scenarios.

Ikalgo was certain she didn't do it to herself knowingly – but even he had to say it was scary to find a Nen type that turned against it's own wielder…

Scary.

The last time he'd seen Killua this scared was during the mission to destroy Mereum. Now, in this room surrounded by friends, he wore that same expression again.

Ikalgo supposed he was only better at hiding it now that everyone in the room was supposedly sleeping… He also knew Killua would never leave her side, so if he needed to say something, now was the time.

"Killua," Ikalgo mentioned as he stood up straight on his stool. Getting around was much easier nowadays, especially since the hospital was so generous as to give him a scooter to ride along on. Now he could remain eye level with Killua as he slumped over the side of the bed in silent defeat.
The newly nineteen year old looked like he hadn't slept in weeks, though Ikalgo knew that couldn't be true. There had to have been good moments, moments that allowed the two youngsters to fall in love and become comfortable with each other. It was only now that his eyes reflected on all of those past moments as lost to him that it made him seem this way.

"Killua, I will only say this once so as not to disrespect you, your lady, or your time, but you must listen closely; Canary is not dead. Judging from her Nen, she seems like an experienced fighter, and though I don't know why this would happen to her, I do know one thing - she is not weak. If I'm judging her correctly, Canary is a tough person who would never back down from a fight, let alone abandon her mission or her friends. She'd rather die than to let that happen. So now, tell me Killua, if Canary were awake right now, would she want you mourning over her as if she were actually dead? Just go on and answer me. Just tell me how long you're going to continue disrespecting her so I can let her know in the morning when she wakes up that you gave her up for dead so easily."

Killua's eyes finally found Ikalgo's which were burning with the inner strength he knew his friend always had. Killua knew he was right. Besides, it was this friend that taught Killua the most important lesson of all, never underestimate a person's true strength.

Killua felt the static gathering through him as he felt himself grin. "No. You won't have to tell her that, Ikalgo. I know for a fact that she will wake up soon and I'll be here waiting for her."

Ikalgo nodded his head softly with a satisfied smile. "Good. I won't have to tell her anything then, just that she's had a great team behind her this entire time... G'night, Kid."

"Goodnight… Ikalgo."

"Will you come home now? I've even prepared your favorite stuffed animal – Callie."

Canary eyed the stuffed yellow duck which came from the darkened hand of one very elderly woman. Her eyes were covered with shades and her bodice and head were wrapped in fine white cloth. The room they were standing in was stark white and Canary couldn't remember how she got here, let alone what she was doing beforehand as she eyed the stuffed animal.

"It has been so long since you've held your Callie Quack, my dearie. Here, take her." She urged as she held the duck out for her.

Sensing no ill will, Canary took the doll in her hands. She somehow felt a certain nostalgia move about her as she rubbed the duck's soft fur, though she was certain she had never seen this doll before in her life… Canary just as quickly handed the duck back to the mysterious woman.

"Who are you? What is this place and how long have I been here?"

The woman simply chuckled deeply in the back of her throat. "My dearie, you are simply Forgetting. It is what happens before you Awaken. It will all come back to you in little pieces."

"And if it doesn't?"

"Oh, it will, but first you must promise me that you'll come home."

"Home?" Canary immediately thought of Meteor City, of Kukuroo Mountain, of Ki-

"That's enough." The elderly woman said sternly. "If you don't wish to cooperate, then I will have to use force instead…" She spoke before lightly touching the gemstone between Canary's chest. The rich jade glowed and the light spread throughout the gem like tiny veins before floating perfectly parallel with the floor.

"Come home immediately and I will explain everything to you. However, if you fail, I will have to use more drastic measures."

Suddenly, Canary's eyelids shot open. She bolted upright and quickly noticed she was sitting in a hospital bed. She pulled the intravenous fluid from her right arm and eyed the clock above her which was blaring 2:22 AM. She grabbed at her vital's monitor screen desperately before noticing the floating, glowing gem dangling from her neck. She snatched it between her palms before noticing a well known sensation crawl up her spine. Her head flew to her left and discovered a pair of eyes set on her.

Killua's eyes were trained on Canary with such intense curiosity, like a cat focused on a string. He felt the pent up energy shoot around his veins as he tried to conceal his immense excitement and slid his fingers across his jawline. "And what are you doing up so early?" He asked easily as her eyes remained on his.

He wanted to reach out and hug her. He wanted to grab Canary by the shoulders and let her know just how worried he was about her. But seeing her as she was now, breathing heavily and wound up tighter than a yo-yo, he knew she just needed some space.

Canary's vision shifted to Alluka sleeping at the edge of her bed while the others piled onto a small couch shoved into the other side of the room. She noticed Tadaki had made himself comfortable in the center of the floor as his chest rose and fell softly.

"Don't worry about them." Killua mentioned easily as he removed his hand from his chin and slid his gaze towards the rag tag crew. "They've been asleep since we've gotten here."

His eyes turned to her from beneath his lashes as they eyed the beams of light emitting from her enclosed palms, burning to ask her a question. "Is there anything you want to talk about?"

At that moment, Canary's head was pulled forward as the gem began to move. It fully pulled her out of bed and onto her feet before straining itself towards the closed door. Canary tried to remove the gem from her neck, yet it was futile as she braced her foot against the wall to prevent it from smashing through the thick frame.

Killua suddenly appeared before her and handed her her clothing with his lightning quick reflexes. A grin began to stretch across his features. "Well, let's see where this thing goes."

The couple walked through the thick jungle as the moon hung like a hook above them. Little was said between the two, as Canary held her throat and waded through the tall leaves and grass. Killua eyed her expectantly the entire time while trying to keep his curiosity thoroughly shut tight as they followed the stone.

They followed the gem for an hour into a rather dense part of the jungle before it began tapering off to reveal a small clearing with a brick layered doorway. A half wall of stone stretched from either side of the doorway which was draped in red flowers. The opening of the door flickered with a dim yellow light that could only be seen with Ryu.

Killua turned his gaze towards Canary and noticed her aura was shining just as pure white as the gemstone leading her towards the Nen barrier. Her eyes burned with the light and her feet shuffled forward.

'Home. Home. Come home.' Canary heard the gemstone call to her as it led her towards the portal. Her feet shuffled forward as her eyes focused intensely on the glowing stone.

"Canary." Killua called, which instantly shocked her back to reality. The gemstone fell, the portal closed, and she turned towards him frantically.

"Are you okay?" He finally asked as he approached her warily.

Canary's eyes bleared as she blinked back her eyelids. Somehow, she was still finding it hard to talk. She nodded her head robotically as her fingers grasped her throat.

Killua was pensive as he looked about the small clearing before finally taking in the portal once more. The aura it was emitting from earlier was gone, as well as Canary's. He looked at Canary with a raised brow before speaking again. "Are you sure there's nothing you want to talk about?"

Canary's hand suddenly fell to her side as she eyed him teasingly. "You're doing such a fantastic job with your subtlety, I will say that much."

A smirk spread across his face as his eyes twinkled earnestly. "I'm just worried about you, that's all." He continued as he began inching closer. "A lot has changed just within the past twenty four hours…"

Canary then recalled their conversation right before Kurapika's emergency transmission and she quickly changed the subject as he stood directly before her with a smug, knowing grin. She had to turn away as she eyed the no longer working portal instead.

Killua chuckled as he caressed the smooth skin of Canary's cheek. "I would give anything to read into that mind of yours..."

A tickling sensation then began itching at her throat and Canary pressed her fingers into the base of her neck once more. The words of the mysterious women from before then began echoing through her mind. 'However, if you fail, I will have to use more drastic measures - more drastic measures – more drastic measure-'

"Killua, there's something important I have to tell you…" Canary rushed as he grew serious once more. "When I was asleep, this older woman came to me. She told me she knew me from when I was younger, before Meteor City. She said she wants me to come home and that she'll even use force if she has to."

Killua's chest rose dramatically as he took in a deep, calming breath. He shrugged his shoulders before depositing his hands into his front pockets.

"Do you really think this woman knows who I used to be?" Canary continued through the prolonged silence.

"The only Canary that matters to me is the one here and now… But if this mystery woman is talking about being a part of your past, I'd be glad to help you find it. However, the part about using force is what bothers me…" He lingered off as he glanced towards the portal once more. "Sometimes it's good for the past to just remain in the past…"

Canary watched the empty doorway with the same amount of anticipation as the woman's words continued to echo throughout her skull.

Just then, the duo noticed a familiar aura approach the seaside city of Sierra as it lingered on the outskirts of the city lights, completely unafraid with their aura completely unfurled. Killua then sensed his sister moving out of his Lightning Cage as they began following the odd display from beyond the underground hospital.

"Looks like whatever spell you cast on them is over with now, Sleeping Beauty. Let's move." Killua called out as he scooped Canary into his arms like before and lightning charged in the appropriate direction.