TRIGGER WARNING FOR: Needles, blood and gore, mentions of past torture.

Hisoka had always been fairly simple-minded when it came to other people. It was a well-known fact that he wanted to fight any and every human stronger than or equal in strength to him. If said human was attractive, he'd probably fuck them before fighting them. He could care less whether they were male or female. So long as they were strong, they fell under his scrutiny. If he deemed them worthy of his time, he'd find a way to ensure he fought with them at some point. Occasionally, if the person in question was super naïve, he'd toy with them a bit first, making them think that they were somehow special to him, that he didn't want to fight them despite his reputation for such violence.

In all honesty, he wasn't sure why he did it, other than the fact it amused him. Hisoka was notorious for seeking out naught but his own entertainment and pleasure, and that made him very dangerous both physically and emotionally to other people. Other people were nothing but toys to him, things he could use and throw away as he pleased. To be frank, he didn't care that what he was doing tended to psychologically damage his victims, especially the attractive, naïve ones that legitimately thought he cared about them.

When Hisoka met Illumi, this cycle of using people to satiate his bloodlust and sexual desire hadn't changed. He was still the same slippery, coy magician he had always been.

At first, Hisoka had admittedly been torn between his two extremes: killing Illumi straight away, or having his way with him physically and then killing him. After all, Illumi was quite beautiful to look at, with a perfect figure composed of soft curves, lean muscle, and porcelain-pale skin. But he was also immensely strong. Fighting him would be a treat, so much so that it might outweigh what he could give Hisoka in other aspects. So, Hisoka didn't know what he wanted to do with this raven-haired assassin right away.

The more Hisoka thought about it as time went by, the more he came to realize that simply everything about Illumi was appealing. His Nen needles, his insane ability to bend his body into virtually any shape without breaking, his incredible pain tolerance and general numbness to the world around him. He was shrouded in dark rumors and mystery, much like the other members of his family were. There was so much about him that was enigmatic and so very strange.

Hisoka eventually reached the conclusion that, no matter what he did to Illumi, he'd most likely enjoy it immensely. Illumi had everything Hisoka could possibly need in both an opponent and a physical partner. Sadly, the feeling was not mutual. Illumi treated the magician with the same cold contempt he did everyone else. But... that could be fixed.

Hisoka knew that, no matter what, he absolutely had to have this raven-haired prize, one way or another. But he was also curious. He wanted to know exactly what made Illumi tick, wanted to understand how he had grown to be so strong and yet so socially inept that, the more Hisoka spoke to him, the less human he seemed.

As more time passed and Hisoka found himself uncovering little bits and pieces of what used to be a charming, quirky personality beneath Illumi's cold, unfeeling exterior, the magician came to realize that he didn't just want to use Illumi's body as he saw fit, didn't just want to see that gorgeous, paper-pale skin ripped to shreds and stained with thick crimson fluid. Hisoka also wanted to be gentle. He wanted all the little things he'd never had before, like holding someone's hand, kissing them, telling them just how special they were to him and actually meaning it. Domestic things usually disgusted Hisoka because they seemed so trivial and boring, but... when it came to Illumi, Hisoka just wanted absolutely all of it.

It was so strange, the way two highly dangerous people managed to fall into each other's gravity like that. And now, neither of them could escape. Illumi was torn between his loyalty to his parents and his rapidly growing loyalty to Hisoka, and Hisoka just wanted absolutely everything from the young assassin though he wasn't sure why.

The kiss they shared that quiet evening, surrounded by shards of broken glass from what used to be a full-length mirror, only sealed both their fates. There was no turning back from there.

Hisoka knew for sure, once he got a taste of those delightfully soft, pink lips of Illumi's that he couldn't find it in himself to kill the young Zoldyck anymore. Although Hisoka would love to, he knew he wouldn't be able to do it. He was certain he could easily overpower and completely crush Illumi, but... his life would feel so empty without this interesting, beautiful creature that preferred sleeping in towel closets over beds.

But he also knew that just one little taste would not be enough. It wouldn't be anywhere near enough. He didn't want to stop there. He wanted to explore everything Illumi had to offer. Everything.

Maybe that's what drove him to take one of Illum's torn, bleeding hands, cupping it between his own and raising it to his lips. He intended to just press a firm, gentle kiss to the back of it, but... when the sharp, metallic scent of blood reached his nose, his eyes narrowed ever so slightly. He had always been excited by the sight and smell of blood. He loved the coppery taste especially. Maybe that's what prompted him to lick a streak of fresh crimson staining the back of Illumi's hand.

Illumi was still completely frozen up, reeling from the shock of being kissed for the first time. He felt something warm and wet come into contact with his skin, but he didn't register what it was until after it had vanished entirely. He tensed, a soft gasp escaping his throat, as Hisoka began trailing kisses up the back of his hand to his wrist, then further up to his forearm.

"W-Wait... Hisoka..." Illumi stammered out, turning his head to one side and making a feeble attempt to pull his hand away. He felt completely helpless.

The feeling of Hisoka's warm lips pressing against his skin was so foreign and yet so gentle that it both calmed Illumi's nerves and stirred up his anxiety all at once. He wasn't used to gentle touches. In fact, he wasn't sure pleasant physical contact even existed. But now... he couldn't believe what his body was telling him. It's pleasant. Warm. Soft. It feels nice. I think I like it.

"If you want me to stop, now's your chance to tell me." Hisoka hummed, eyes briefly leaving Illumi's mangled hands to meet those large, abysmal black irises set into Illumi's pale face.

"I... don't know." suddenly at a loss for words, Illumi grimaced and turned his gaze to the floor, completely and utterly embarrassed.

Hisoka chuckled, lightly nosing at the underside of the other's wrist and pressing three feather-light kisses to the bloodstained skin there. "You're cute."

Illumi's knees went weak. He suddenly felt extremely lightheaded, almost as if he were melting at the feeling of Hisoka's lips dancing across his skin. He was completely and utterly immune to pain, almost as if he were made of iron. But because he'd never been touched affectionately before, he was alarmingly sensitive to gentle physical contact. The knowledge that something so small could cause him to come undone was alarming. He didn't like that.

Hisoka was completely entranced by the soft lavender scent of Illumi's skin, which had been almost entirely drowned out by the lingering smell of blood. Each time the magician's lips pressed into thin, paper-pale skin, he was pleasantly surprised by how soft and smooth it was, like the finest silk ever created. It was almost intoxicating, the way Illumi's muscles tensed and twitched beneath Hisoka's firm, purposeful kisses, which never trailed any higher than his forearm.

"Illu," Hisoka rumbled, releasing the assassin's wrist so his hands could slide down to rest on Illumi's slender hips, even as he leaned in to claim those rosy lips again. "I don't think I'm content with just being business partners anymore."

There was something about the weight of those words and the confidence with which they were spoken that immediately sliced right through the dazed, petrified sort of trance Illumi had been trapped in ever since Hisoka kissed him mere moments ago.

"No, stop it. Get away from me." Illumi shoved Hisoka away from him as hard as he possibly could (which was, in essence, enough strength to send an ordinary human flying through the air.)

Hisoka wasn't expecting the sudden movement, so it caused him to stumble back a couple steps, instantly putting a safe amount of space between him and the quivering assassin. "What the hell-… Illumi, what was that? Why'd you do that?"

"You've no right to touch me like that. I never should've allowed you to come so close to begin with." Illumi hissed, producing three long, dangerously sharp needles with glittering golden balls on the blunt end of them from his vest. He stabbed the first one straight into his forehead without hesitation, driving the thin point deep into his skull. "I'm going out for a few minutes. I'll be back later."

Hisoka gaped at the young Zoldyck for a second. It was both amazing and extremely frustrating how quickly Illumi's behavior could change from docile to cold, hardened steel. The magician certainly wasn't very happy that such a perfect, beautiful moment between the two of them had been spoiled again, but at the same time, he knew better than to try and stop Illumi from leaving.

Maybe what I said was more possessive than he was ready for.

"Are you sure you'll be okay out there, all by yourself?" Hisoka asked, the corner of his mouth twitching with displeasure. What he really wanted to say was don't go, I don't trust you'll come back if I let you leave.

Illumi frowned, pushing a second needle into his temple. Already, his facial features had contorted, hardening and becoming more sharply defined and angular. Just based off the purplish sheen his skin had adopted, Hisoka guessed he was slipping into one of his favorite and most disturbing aliases: Gittarackur.

"Yes, I'll be fine. My father shouldn't be here for the next couple days at least, so a short walk won't pose any sort of danger."

"And... what about your hands? You're still dripping blood all over the place." Hisoka tried, gesturing loosely to the deep lacerations slashed across Illumi's the back of Illumi's hands, including his knuckles and his fingers. "I don't know that it's wise to leave before treating those."

"I'll seal them off with my needles until I get back." was the ravenet's terse response.

He started for the door, still working on pushing needles into various locations on his face, turning himself into the absolutely terrifying figure that was Gittarackur. It was almost as if he was trying to make himself as absolutely unattractive as possible. Hisoka recognized it as Illumi's way of acknowledging how uncomfortable he felt in his own skin at the moment. Apparently using his needles to slip into a different skin was something Illumi felt the need to do when such feelings arose.

"What time will you be back, do you know?" Hisoka asked, hurrying after the assassin even as a familiar ticking sound began in the living room.

Illumi, now fully transformed into Gittarackur, was checking Saki's food and water dishes to make sure she had everything she needed. Satisfied that she did, he stood up straight and dusted himself off.

"I'm not sure. Sometime tomorrow, most likely." Gittarackur said, the muscles in his neck twitching almost uncontrollably from the pressure of all those lovely golden needles pushed into his skin from his collarbone to the top of his head. Each time he twitched, the rounded heads of the needles protruding from his body would knock against each other, producing a ticking sound. "You'll look after Saki until Illumi gets back, yes?"

Hisoka was always thrown off by how good at staying in character Illumi was. When in disguise, he'd act like an entirely different person, referring to himself as the name he had given the disguise until he took the needles out and returned to normal.

"Of course, Gitta." Hisoka smiled and nodded, using his favorite nickname for the somewhat grotesque alias. "If I need to go anywhere, I'll make sure to put her in the guest bedroom after I've cleaned up all the glass our dearest Illumi got all over the floor. She won't be able to destroy anything in there."

"Ah. Okay." without another word, Gittarackur made his way to the front door and jerked it open, disappearing outside before Hisoka could say anything else.

The magician sighed heavily. If Illumi hadn't slipped into his disguise so quickly, Hisoka would've tried to stop him from leaving. After all, it had grown dark outside, and it was the middle of winter so the temperatures would be frigid. Those were much less than favorable conditions, and Hisoka knew chasing after Illumi right away was a terrible idea. So... he had no choice but to be patient.

All of a sudden, Hisoka's phone buzzed in his pocket. Frowning curiously, he reached into his pocket and pulled the small device out, pressing the home button to see the notification. He was pleasantly surprised to find that it was a text from Chrollo.

I made it into town about half an hour ago, and I'm already lost. When would be a good time to meet?

Hisoka grinned from ear to ear. He'd almost completely forgotten that Chrollo was coming into town in search of a book that he wanted, one that could only be found in the archives hidden deep within the hellish maze that was the nameless city.

He glanced down to make sure Saki hadn't wandered into the guest bedroom of her own accord. Satisfied that she was still napping on the couch, he returned his attention to his phone and quickly thumbed out a response.

How fast can you make it to the entrance of Heaven's Arena?

Chrollo's reply read, quite simply, If you give me a couple hours to find a place to stay and all that, I'll be over later tonight.

Hisoka's smile only broadened. He could use helping Chrollo locate the archives as an excuse to look for Illumi at the same time. The magician had absolutely no concept of personal space, and he honestly didn't think it was safe for the young Zoldyck to be wandering around alone, especially not with the state of mind he'd been in lately.

Good, Hisoka typed out a single word before pausing, tapping his dangerously sharp fingernails against his phone screen thoughtfully. A moment passed before he added, There's a little something you can help me with as well while we're out and about.

Naturally, this statement immediately aroused Chrollo's suspicion. There was a very brief but noticeable moment between the time he read Hisoka's message, and the time the little typing icon appeared on the bottom right of Hisoka's screen.

What is it? What did you do?

Oh, nothing too terrible, I promise. I just seem to have misplaced my Zoldyck.

Again?! Oh, good grief. Fine, give me an hour and I'll be right over.

Lovely. I look forward to seeing you again.

With that, Hisoka set his phone down on the coffee table before wandering into the guest bedroom to clean up the glass and dried blood staining the wooden floor.

Just outside the front door, Illumi was sitting with his back against the wall, focusing on pulling all the thick, golden-headed needles out of his skin. Bit by bit, his appearance began returning to normal. The sickly purplish color his skin had become seemed to bleed out of him, drowned out by his natural porcelain complexion. His abnormally sharp, squarish facial features became smaller, thinner, more elegant. He couldn't help but let out a relieved sigh as the last needle slid free of his skin, producing a stinging, tugging sensation that lingered for a few seconds after it was out.

He had created Gittarackur specifically for situations like this. Each of Illumi's aliases had different personality traits that distinguished them from each other and ensured that none of them could be traced back to or recognized as their creator. Gittarackur was strong, confident, cheerful. He was capable of expressing certainty in everything he did, capable of radiating a sort of headstrong confidence that Illumi himself did not have. As such, Gittarackur was a mask Illumi created for the sole purpose of hiding behind. But that didn't mean Illumi liked it. He had grown to hate his various aliases over the years, even though he knew they were necessary. Disguising himself as something he wasn't, pretending to have a unique personality, acting like a normal human being... it was all so tiring. He always felt drained, like a small part of him had died, when he removed his needle disguises.

Illumi gathered up the needles he'd placed in his lap after removing them, returning them to their various hiding places on his person. A few of them protruded directly from his heavy leather vest, just barely piercing his flesh through the material, whereas the others went in their own hidden pockets in his clothes. Satisfied that he looked like himself again, he slowly rose to his feet and made his way down several flights of stairs to the bottom floor of the massive skyscraper.

He wasn't really sure what to make of everything that had just happened to him. He hated that he could still feel the warmth of Hisoka's lips against his, and he hated even more that he actually missed the feeling and longed to experience it again.

Tch. Some Zoldyck I am. He internally scoffed, feeling a wave of disgust roll through him. I failed. If Father knew what I had just allowed that freak to do... oh god, he would never let me see the light of day again. Kalluto's right, I can't go home. I can never go home. Not now, not after everything that's come to pass.

Although Illumi knew without a doubt in his mind that he'd sealed his own fate and ensured he'd never be safe from his family again, he couldn't help feeling lost. He didn't know what to do, where to go, how to handle it all. He just wanted to dig himself a hole in the ground, bury himself alive, and stay there until he figured out how to make it better.

I can't fix this. What I've allowed to happen is irreversible. Hisoka and I have crossed the line from business partners to something much more intimate, and I don't think there's any way to undo that. I've allowed myself to become trapped in something I do not want. There's no escaping from this.

Illumi knew he was being dishonest with himself. Somewhere deep down, he did want to be something more than business partners with Hisoka. Why? Because Hisoka was special. He actually cared enough to put time and effort into helping Illumi figure things out with his family, rough and entangled though the situation was. Hisoka was different in the sense that he was actually drawn to the dark rumors and horror stories surrounding the infamous Illumi Zoldyck, rather than feeling repulsed and intimidated by him. Maybe that's why Illumi found it so hard, too hard to escape from the strange desire he felt whenever he was near the magician.

Illumi pushed a heavy glass door open, and was instantly blasted in the face with icy cold air the moment he stepped foot outside Heaven's Arena. He glanced around the nameless city, black eyes scanning impassively over the countless shoddy white buildings spread out before him. He wasn't sure where he was supposed to go, or if he even wanted to try and find a stable place to spend the night. Wandering around in the frigid night air with no protection from the biting wind save for his thin lavender top beneath his vest and his baggy black pants honestly appealed to him more than trying to find somewhere warm to stay until morning.

He wrapped his arms around his lithe body and started out into the city, intending to try and intentionally get himself lost. All of a sudden, he heard a familiar voice in the distance. A voice that he wasn't sure he'd ever hear again. He froze.

"C'mon, baka, you're so slow!"

Kil.

What the hell is Kil doing here?

Thinking quickly, Illumi pivoted sharply and ducked around the corner of a small building placed alongside the massive skyscraper that was Heaven's Arena. He didn't want to be seen, because he knew his presence would most likely scare his little brother away.

And not a moment too soon, because Killua Zoldyck could be seen rounding the nearest street corner and heading toward Heaven's Arena a split second later. He was grinning from ear to ear, his familiar sapphire blue eyes sparkling with youthful energy. Gon Freecss appeared a moment later, trotting along behind Killua, obviously trying extremely hard to keep up with him.

"I'm not slow!" the tan boy was protesting loudly, rolling his eyes dramatically. "You always walk like you're in a huge hurry to be somewhere important! It's so annoying!"

"Baaaaaaka!" Killua drawled in response, jamming his hands into the front pockets of his pants and glancing over his shoulder for the sole purpose of sticking his tongue out at Gon.

Illumi felt a slight pang of remorse in his chest. He knew Killua hated him. Probably would spend the rest of his life hating him. All because Illumi's parents forced him to put Killua through the same torture training he himself had gone through. Illumi remembered how much he had protested the very idea of hurting his precious little brother at first, but... Silva had threatened to do something far worse to Killua than just torture training if Illumi continued to refuse to cooperate. So, at the end of the day, in order to save Killua from absolutely excruciating agony, Illumi agreed to do whatever his parents asked. Killua didn't see it the same way. Ever since then, he'd absolutely hated his older brother with a burning passion.

They'd never have the same close relationship they did when they were both little. Illumi missed it so much, but he knew this was all his fault and there was nothing he could do to fix it.

Gon's voice jolted the ravenet back to the present. "So, what are we doing here, anyway? Didn't we come through here two years ago, when we were twelve? Right after I rescued you from your family, I think."

Killua let out an indignant squawk and turned around to swat the ebony-haired boy over the head. "You did not rescue me! I convinced my father to let me go willingly and gladly, thank you very much! When I came out, I found you playing games with my butlers. Some rescue team you are."

"Hmph. You're just jealous because I figured out Gotoh's coin trick." Gon scoffed, reaching over and mussing Killua's fluffy, curly white hair. "And besides, I did rescue you, in a way. If you hadn't known I was harassing the gatekeeper guy until he allowed me to go in, you never would've come out of there."

Illumi couldn't help but cringe a bit at that. He still hated himself for trying so hard to control Killua for the sake of keeping him safe. Being with Hisoka had taught Illumi that control was a terrible thing. He didn't want to continue to treat his precious little brother like that, though he knew without a doubt that it was too late. The damage had already been done. But at least Killua was happy and free with Gon, right?

"Well, anyway, I just wanted to come by and see if anything's changed since we've last showed up. I don't want to go in, though. I guarantee you that creepy clown is lurking somewhere up there, waiting to jump out from behind a trashcan and blast us off the face of the earth with his Bungee Gum or something." Killua stated, swatting Gon's hand away with a little hissing sound.

"He's a magician. And besides, he wouldn't do that anyway. We're... eh... unripe fruit." was Gon's even response.

"Bleh. Gross. Don't remind me."

"Sorry, sorry..."

The two boys continued to stand there for a moment longer, simply admiring the view they had of the positively massive skyscraper looming over them. They both looked extremely fascinated by the structure of the building itself, each of them trying to figure out in their own minds how such a tall object could manage to stand upright without tipping over, crumbling beneath its own weight, or appearing lopsided.

Illumi briefly wondered if he should say something. He would honestly love to try and talk to Killua again, it had been a long time since they'd last seen each other and Illumi was clinging to the faint hope that maybe their broken relationship was salvageable. But he knew that if he revealed himself, Killua would run away and never come back. Illumi didn't want that at all. He liked seeing his precious little brother so happy, even if it was because he was with Gon.

Choosing to swallow his longing to talk with Killua again, Illumi turned and walked away, intending to get as far away as possible so he wouldn't accidentally run into the two boys again.

But at the exact moment Illumi stepped out from behind his cover, Killua turned and looked right at him. His back was turned, so he didn't realize he'd been seen until he heard the shock in Killua's voice.

"A-Aniki?! Oh, you've got to be kidding me, I-…"

Illumi wasn't there long enough to hear the rest of that sentence. The moment he heard Killua's old nickname for him, he bolted. To anyone who had seen him, he appeared to just blip out of existence, almost as if he'd never been there in the first place.

"What's wrong, Killua?" Gon asked, having not seen the tall, shadowy figure with long hair walking away from them.

Killua was silent for a moment, every muscle in his body tensed and ready to run. He didn't trust that his brother was really and truly gone. He was fully expecting Illumi to reappear somewhere close by with the intent of trying to force him to come home.

Hesitantly, the snowy-haired Zoldyck peeled his eyes away from the spot he'd seen his brother to make eye contact with Gon. "I... I just saw my brother. I'm not sure how or why, but Illumi's here, too. What I want to know is why he didn't confront me right away like he's done in the past. It's... odd."

Gon's eyes went wide and he clapped one hand over his forehead. "Illumi's the tall, scary guy with the needles, right?"

Killua rolled his eyes. "Yes, Gon. He's the tall, scary guy with the needles. That's probably the most accurate description you could possibly give him, actually."

"Oh shit."

"Yep. We should leave."

"Awww, but you only just got here!" a third voice joined theirs, coming from directly behind the two of them. "Surely you'd want to stay a little longer than five minutes, right? Say, I couldn't help but overhear you talking about how you saw your brother. Care to tell me where he went? I may or may not have lost track of him about half an hour ago."

Killua was silent for a moment, feeling an icy cold hand of disgust mixed with fear closing around his heart. "You've gotta be fucking kidding me." he said, simply.

"Oh, hi, Hisoka!" Gon greeted cheerfully, smiling broadly as if there was absolutely nothing wrong with the world at this moment.

"Good to see you again, my sweet, precious little fruit. You look a good deal stronger than the last time I saw you. How delightful." a lustful edge crept into Hisoka's voice as he eyed Gon up and down, taking in every inch of lean muscle.

"Okay, that's enough of that." Killua didn't hesitate to jump in front of his friend, spreading his arms protectively and glaring up at the magician with as much venom as he could possibly muster up. "What do you want, creep?"

"Oh, hey, brat." Hisoka gave the young Zoldyck an amused grin. "I was just wondering if you saw which way Illu-chan went. I seem to have misplaced him, and I'd very much like to find him again because he's not exactly in a good state of mind right now. He shouldn't be wandering around on his own like that, I'm a bit worried about him."

"You're lying. He's probably just trying to get as far away from you as possible. I can't say I blame him, knowing you." Killua growled in response, ignoring the way Gon was glaring at his back, obviously willing him to move out of the way.

"Ne, Killua? Could you stop standing in front of me like that? Please?"

Killua completely ignored him, eyes never leaving Hisoka's.

The redhead licked his lips suggestively and shrugged. "No, I'm being serious. It's not something I did, though I doubt my actions helped the situation any. You know how I am. I just don't think he should be on his own right now." he said, tilting his head to one side and regarding Killua with an almost predatory look in those shimmering amber eyes of his.

"As if I'm supposed to care. My brother's about as emotional as a pebble buried in the sand. I have a hard time believing he's in such a terrible state that he can't handle himself for whatever reason. Gon, we should just go." Killua turned around sharply and took hold of his best friend's arm, trying to drag the bronze-skinned boy away from Hisoka as quickly as possible. He just didn't want to have to spend any more time with the magician, seeing as Hisoka was known to stalk people and freak them out with his creepy behavior.

But Gon... refused to budge, unsurprisingly. "I don't think we should go just yet, Killua." he stated, as he tried to tug his arm out of Killua's vice-like grip.

"E-Eh? Why not? Do you have brain damage or something? This is Hisoka and Illumi we're talking about here, two of the most dangerous people on the planet! And they both just so happen to be hellbent on fucking our lives up!" Killua exclaimed, eyes widening with genuine shock. He had no idea how Gon managed to stick around such obviously bad people without a care in the world. If it were entirely up to Killua, the two of them would already be a thousand miles away from this cursed city. "Please, give me one good reason why we should stick around."

"I would feel bad if we just left without helping Hisoka out. There's a chance something's really wrong with your brother because Hisoka's acting a lot more serious than usual. Trust me, I can tell." Gon reasoned, spreading his free hand in a helpless gesture.

Killua couldn't help but gape at his friend for a moment. There were times in which Gon was so very naïve that it was painful.

"But they're evil! And terrifying! And everything else bad that we want to avoid!" Killua protested, once he managed to find his voice again.

"Oh, good grief, Killua, let's just hear Hisoka out and see what he has to say about the whole situation. If it sounds legitimate enough, we'll help him. If it's clearly bullshit, we can just turn around and leave anytime we want." Gon said, finally managing to yank his arm free of Killua's bruising grip. "I personally don't want to leave without making an effort to help them out, so if you really wanna go, you can. I'll catch up later."

"You're such an idiot! Why would you want to help people like this? They've both got it out for us, Gon!"

"Well, now, that's just hurtful." Hisoka remarked. He was leafing through a deck of cards with a bemused expression on his face, obviously losing interest in the little argument the two boys were having right in front of him.

Naturally, the two youngsters completely ignored him, too engrossed in their argument to pay much attention to anything else.

"Like I said, you're more than welcome to just leave. I can figure things out on my own." Gon said flatly, folding his arms across his chest and giving the other boy the most stubborn glare he'd ever seen in his life.

"I hate you sometimes." Killua sighed, deciding it would be best to give up. He knew he wouldn't win this argument anytime soon. Slowly but surely, he turned to face Hisoka with a resigned expression. "Alright, creep, care to explain what's going on here?"

"Yes, please. I'm both confused and concerned at the moment, and I'd very much like to know what's happened in my absence." yet another familiar voice joined the mix.

Hisoka glanced up from his cards, suddenly grinning from ear to ear. "Ah! Chrollo, my dear! I was wondering when you'd finally show up! Fortunately, my little fruits here were kind enough to keep me company for the last few minutes, so I wasn't all that lonely."

Gon looked blatantly shocked by this sudden intrusion, whereas Killua just looked like he wanted the earth to open up beneath his feet and swallow him whole. He kept opening and closing his mouth, gaping at Chrollo with wide eyes.

Chrollo wasn't the most intimidating person on the planet. He was a couple inches shorter than Hisoka, with slick black hair, soft brown eyes, and an ever-present, gentle smile on his face. He always managed to look strangely contended, as if absolutely nothing could get him down. He was also extremely polite and gentle in terms of personality, gaining himself a reputation as the most well-mannered criminal on the planet. It was hard to believe he was responsible for the death of countless innocent people and for the theft of millions of dollars' worth in precious items.

That didn't mean Killua was relieved to see him, though. In fact, he couldn't be more mortified than he was in that moment.

"Yeah, no." he finally said, once he managed to find his voice. "I'm out of here. Just two of you scary people in the same city is bad enough, but three of you? I'm good. I want no part of this." he turned and started walking away. Unsurprisingly, Gon didn't let him get very far.

"Chrollo doesn't have it out for us, Killua, so he doesn't count." Gon said, sternly.

Killua froze mid-step, one foot raised in the air. He was silent for a moment, thinking it over. "I hate it when you're right." he grumbled, huffing angrily and returning his attention to the two adults. "But let me make one thing absolutely clear. I'm not staying because I want to help you. I'm staying because Gon thinks I should and that's good enough for me. Got that?"

"Fair enough. I have no idea why you're so hostile toward everyone stronger than you, but that's fine by me." Chrollo said, straightening out his heavy, fur-lined coat.

"I have very good reason to be." Killua replied, bluntly. He shot Hisoka a strange look that clearly implied he'd rather be anywhere else in the world than where he was right now. "What's the deal with my brother, then? Are you ever going to explain, or are you just going to stand there all night?"

To be continued...

A/N: OOF. I feel like I threw a whole bunch of new people into the mix this chapter, jesus christ. Now, we've got all three members of the Adultrio in one place, as well as Gon and Killua, the wholesome fluffy children. Things are definitely starting to get interesting up in here, so y'all better hold on to your socks. And just for the record, I acknowledge fully that this chapter is pretty sloppy. It's not nearly as good as I would've liked it to be. I still hope you enjoyed it regardless!

Thanks so much for reading! Any comments/kudos would be very much appreciated. Take care!

-UltimatexAdmin