Hi everyone! This is my first HxH fic. I just finished the show last week and am so sad it's over, so I immediately plotted out this incredibly self-indulgent fic (& series). There will be at least two more "arcs" in the series after this one, all centered around the main character Aki.
I'm still practicing writing for HxH & the characters, so I'd love to know what you think - character voices & the details about nen are kinda difficult! I don't own anything HxH related.
POTENTIAL TW: Aki is about six in this, and she goes through some things that are fairly canon typical violence. But I wanted to give a heads up if that is triggering for anybody. Also, this isn't omegaverse - there's no graphic mpreg in (or romance even, even though Gon & Killua are together and raising Aki) - but Aki may or may not have come from one of the Greed Island #7 stone cards. (It's not super plot relevant, but it is briefly touched on if you are not interested in that sort of thing).
Italics represent thoughts.
Hope you all enjoy!
EDIT: 5/12/21 - I made some major edits to this story. You may want to reread before checking out the sequels. :)
Aki waits thirty minutes after her bedtime before she pulls out her book and flashlight.
Burrowing deeper under her sheets, she holds the light up over the pages. The book came from Aunt Mito from her birthday a couple months ago, but she's only just now getting around to reading it.
She doesn't know why she's really put it off. After all, Papa and Aunt Mito taught her to read last year when she turned five. It doesn't matter. She's reading it now, right?
It's a book about all the countries on the planet! Her parents travel all the time for their jobs. They said she can go with them once she gets older, but until then she has to stay home. She tried to make them take her with them when she turned six, but Papa just laughed and said not yet.
Aunt Mito saw how upset she was, so she got her this book, saying that she can read all about the places they go!
She flips to the next chapter, which is on the Republic of Padokea. Funny, she doesn't think her parents have ever been there. But it sounds really cool! There's a big fighting ring there, called Heaven's Arena, with over two-hundred floors. And there's some famous assassin family rumored to live there. The book says their home is on the top of Kukuroo Mountain. Apparently, it's surrounded by a huge gate, and anyone who goes inside is never seen again.
Aki shivers. It's kind of scary.
She reads further. They let tourists visit. Same with Heaven's Arena - you don't have to fight to go watch the matches.
This country sounds awesome! She wonders for a moment if she can convince her parents to go. Dad would probably be all over it, going on a family vacation. And she bets that's if her parents aren't travelling for a job, they'd be more likely to take her with them.
She smushes her grin into the book. First thing, she'll ask if they can plan a trip. She'll even promise to do extra chores to go. Maybe she can convince Aunt Mito or Auntie Alluka to help make an itinerary.
The knock on her door nearly makes her jump out of her bed, and she clambers to turn off the flashlight.
"Time for bed, Aki," Papa says.
Aki pokes her head out from under the covers. Papa's standing in the doorway, one eyebrow raised at her.
"Okay," Aki sighs. She tosses the book onto the floor, but she leaves the flashlight under her pillow.
Papa smirks at the baleful look she gives him. He comes forward and picks up the book, looking at the cover. "Geography?" he asks, looking unimpressed.
"Aunt Mito gave it to me," Aki says.
Papa snorts, thumping the book in his hands. "Who knew my kid would be such a nerd?"
Aki scowls, and Papa comes over to ruffle her hair.
"Bedtime," he says. "Don't make me take the flashlight."
"Night, Papa."
Papa leaves, shutting the door on his way out. Aki shifts down into her blankets, trying to get comfortable.
First thing tomorrow, she'll ask about the trip. She closes her eyes and dreams that she's sitting in between her parents at the Heaven's Arena, watching some faceless competitors fight.
The next morning, she wakes up as the sun is rising and scampers downstairs. Both of her parents are already sitting at the kitchen table.
Dad grins at her. "You're up early! Want some breakfast?"
"Yeah!" Aki says. Dad goes to grab the cereal and milk while she climbs into the chair across from Papa.
Papa takes another swig of his coffee and pulls the book out of his lap, sliding it across the table.
Aki grabs it, smiling at him sheepishly, and pulls it in front of her. Dad pushes the book out of the way to set down her bowl.
"Did you wake up early to read?" Dad asks, rounding back to his seat next to Papa.
"No, but I do have a proposition for you." Aki shoves a spoonful of cereal in her mouth.
"A proposition?" Papa repeats. He and Dad exchange amused glances.
Aki nods vigorously. "I want to go on a trip."
"Okay," Dad says readily. "Where to?" Even Papa looks interested.
Aki beams. She knew Dad would be easy to convince! She flips to the chapter she was reading last night and turns the book so it's facing them.
"To the Republic of Padokea!"
The look on Papa's face instantly drops. Dad gives Papa a concerned look before turning back to Aki. The smile that was on his face doesn't look nearly as excited or real as it was before.
"Sorry, Aki. We're not going there."
"But I haven't even told you why I wanna go there!" Aki wasn't expecting this. "See, there's a fighting tower that I think would be fun to go to. You can watch people fight. And there's also a famous assassin family that lives there, on a dormant volcano! They have tourist buses that go right up to the gates of the house, but you can't go any further past that."
At the mention of the assassin family, Papa flinches. Slowly, Aki trails off.
"Papa?" she asks softly.
Dad places a hand on Papa's shoulder and turns back to her, a firmer expression on his face. "No to Padokea. Sorry, Aki. We can go on a trip, but pick somewhere else."
"But-"
"No," Dad repeats.
It's this harsher tone that seems to jerk Papa back into the conversation. He blinks and turns to look at her.
"It's dangerous," Papa says. "You don't want to go anywhere near the Zoldycks. They're dangerous."
"Have you met them before?" Aki asks. She hadn't said their family name, but somehow they'd known who she was talking about. Maybe they'd interacted with them on a job!
"You could say that." Papa still looks a little on edge.
Aki chews on her lower lip, watching the look her parents give each other. Obviously some unspoken message passes between them. It frustrates her, because whatever it is, they're obviously not going to tell her.
"What if we went to Yorknew City?" Dad says suddenly, a smile back on his face. "Is that in your book?"
Aki pulls the book back towards her, down into her lap. "I dunno." She takes another spoonful of cereal, but she doesn't feel hungry anymore. Instead, she slides from the kitchen table.
"Wait, don't you want to finish eating?" Dad says.
"I'm not hungry anymore." She hugs the book to her chest. "I'm gonna go read some more."
Her parents exchange another look but don't stop her as she runs up the stairs. It's not fair; she thinks Padokea would be awesome. But she also thinks about that sad look on Papa's face and feels guilty, though she doesn't understand why.
The rest of the day passes slowly. She reads up on Yorknew City, which sounds interesting, but not as cool as Padokea.
That night, she creeps downstairs to go get a glass of water. Her parents' door is cracked, and she sneaks closer, curious. They're not arguing, but Dad doesn't sound happy, even though she's only catching every couple of words.
"- Tell her ... Don't you think she needs to know?"
"She just turned six," Papa says.
"You obviously knew at six. You were already working then."
"I was at the Arena when I was six. She doesn't need to know about that."
"She'll need to know at some point! She's a smart kid. I think she'll understand."
"I want to let her be a kid."
She leans in closer as Dad's voice drops to a whisper, and the plank under her feet creaks loudly. Both of her parents stop talking, and she freezes in place.
Papa comes to close the door and makes eye contact with her. Aki just knows she's going to get in trouble, especially because Papa narrows his eyes at her. Instead, he just shuts the door.
Aki can't get out of there fast enough. She books it back up the stairs, water forgotten, and into her room. She buries herself under all of the blankets and clenches her eyes shut tight. Her belly feels weird, like she's going to be sick.
She doesn't know how long she sits like that, but eventually she hears the creaking of the stairs. She curls up into an even tighter ball and slows her breathing, hoping whoever it is will think she's just asleep.
Footsteps approach and then stop. Someone sits down on the side of her bed, making her slide down a little into their legs.
"Aki?" Papa says softly.
She continues her breathing, slow and even, and prays he'll go away.
Papa sighs. "I know you're not asleep."
Her eyes are getting hot, and she scrubs at them. Slowly, she pulls the blankets down just enough so she can peek out. Papa's eyes gleam in the dark, watching her.
"Do you hate me?" Aki asks. "Are you angry? I didn't know you and Dad wouldn't like The Republic of Padokea. I'm really sorry for bringing it up."
Whatever Papa was going to say obviously leaves his mind, because he blinks, surprised, though his forehead is still all wrinkly. "What? Of course I don't hate you." He takes a deep breath. "I'm not angry, either."
Aki can't help it - she suddenly bursts into tears and flings herself into Papa's arms. Papa reaches up and pats the back of her head, and Aki buries her face into his shoulder.
"I thought you'd hate me now," she cries.
"No, Aki." Papa puts his other hand on her back, rubbing small circles on her shoulder.
Aki slowly stops crying. When she leans back, Papa's shoulder is wet from tears and covered in snot, though he doesn't seem to care.
She sniffles and looks back up at her father. If anything, Papa looks torn now.
"I just wanted some water," she says.
Papa smirks. "Oh, so you weren't eavesdropping? Could've fooled me." His smirk fades to an expression that's a little more nervous. "Did you hear a lot?"
"Not really. I didn't understand."
Papa seems to relax, just a little bit. He lets out a breath. "Tomorrow once you finish your schoolwork, you and I can look at potential places for a trip. Okay?"
Aki nods and leans in close to Papa again. Papa's hair tickles her nose. She wrinkles it and turns her head away.
Killua knows exactly what Gon's going to say. He doesn't really want to hear it, either.
He waits until Aki falls asleep then heads back to the bedroom. Gon's waiting for him, eyes turned on him expectantly when he comes inside.
"Well?"
Killua sighs. He pulls off his shirt, now unfortunately covered in snot, and throws it into the hamper. He flops down onto his side of the bed, avoiding Gon's gaze.
"She cried. She thought I hated her because she brought it up."
"So... you didn't tell her?"
Killua scoffs. "No, I didn't."
Gon shrugs. "It's your secret to tell. I just think you'll regret not doing it."
Killua turns his face away. "Whatever. When she's older."
Gon shrugs again. He reaches over Killua to turn the light off. Almost immediately, he's snoring, half sprawled on top of him.
It's not as easy for Killua to sleep. Am I making the right choice?
Aki likes the outdoors. Not as much as Dad does, but it's nice to sit outside and read or just walk around. Unfortunately, Dad thinks that she needs to spend hours out in the woods behind their house, learning what plants are edible or not, how to navigate herself out of the woods without tools, how to recognize the different animal tracks.
Today is one of the navigation days. Early in the morning, even before the sun rises, Dad wakes her up. They eat breakfast, then Dad ties a blindfold around her eyes and takes her out to the woods, leaving her with a flip phone for emergencies and a bottle of water. Then he leaves, and it's up to her to find her way back. At first, Dad used to do it with her, showing her the clues on the trees and on the ground to use. Then he left her alone, and the first few times were really scary. Now it's not really scary, because she knows what to expect.
"Papa said he'd cook tonight!" Dad had chirped. "So you want to be back before then." Then he handed her a water and a granola bar before vanishing.
Aki's not really sure how long she's been out here this time. The sun is directly overhead, so it's been a few hours, and she feels gross and sweaty. Half of her water is gone. She thinks she's getting close to home, but she's not really sure.
She's tired though. And annoyed. She kicks at a pile of dirt on the ground.
The pile makes a noise and she stops in her tracks. Leaning closer, she taps it again.
Without warning, the ground underneath her feet starts to rise, and she falls back onto her butt, scrambling to get away.
A man rises out of the dirt. Aki sits, frozen, as the man blinks once, twice, then turns to look at her straight on. He brushes dirt out of his hair, which is long, dark and waist length. His eyes are wide and almost entirely black.
The man doesn't look surprised to see her. In fact, he doesn't show any emotion at all. "Hello," is all he says.
"Hi," Aki squeaks back.
The man tilts his face up to the sky for a moment before looking right back at her. "What's your name?"
"Aki."
"I am Illumi Zoldyck."
"You're a Zoldyck?" Aki squeaks again.
The man tilts his head to the side. "You have heard of the Zoldycks?"
"My parents wouldn't let me go to the Republic of Padokea because of your family." Feeling bold, she asks, "Is it true that you're assassins, and that you live on a volcano?"
"Yes." The man steps out of the hole.
"Are you lost?"
"Why do you think I'm lost?"
"You came out of a hole in the ground." Aki finally stands up, brushing off her backside. "Why are you on Whale Island?"
"Your father," Illumi says instead, still looking at her with that blank stare, "what is his name?"
Aki frowns. "I have two dads."
Illumi sighs. "One of your fathers is my brother."
"... What?"
"Killua Zoldyck. Look." Illumi reaches around and pulls out a folded photograph from his pocket. He holds it out, and cautiously, Aki comes forward to take it.
It's a very old picture, faded with a crease down the center. Illumi is in it, with much shorter hair, along with a handful of other children. Next to a crouching woman, a child she recognizes as her father stands, looking directly into the camera.
"It is Papa," Aki says, surprised. "Papa is an assassin?"
"Yes."
Aki looks at the picture again. "You're my uncle? Who are the others in this picture?"
Illumi holds out his hand, pointing. "Kalluto and Milluki. Your grandmother."
"Is that Aunt Alluka?" Illumi nods. Aki feels betrayed, somehow, and a little angry. "Why didn't they tell me I had more family?"
"Your father has kept you from us because of Gon."
"Dad?" Aki says, uncertain. He scowls. "I don't believe you."
As soon as he scowls, Illumi's eyes gleam. He says, "I can see Killua in you... but too much of the other as well." Illumi turns his head. "Much time has passed. Are you trying to go home?"
"I'm supposed to find my way back before dinner."
"If you continue to head straight for another thirty-five minutes, you will make it back to your house."
She follows the direction of Illumi's pointed finger. "Will you still be here tomorrow? Can I come back and talk to you?"
"Yes."
Aki offers the photograph back, but Illumi tells her she can keep it. She shoves it deep in her pockets to make sure it won't fall out.
"Until tomorrow, Aki Freecs," Illumi says.
Aki waves and takes off running. Before she ducks past another tree, she stops and looks back. Illumi is still standing, watching her go. Aki waves again and heads off towards home.
When she makes it back, Dad is sitting on the steps waiting for her. He stands when Aki comes out of the woods, panting from her run.
"Look at you," Dad says, grinning at her. "You made good time."
"Can I do that again tomorrow?" Aki asks.
Dad blinks, surprised, and then his smile grows. "Yeah! Are you starting to like being out there?"
"Yeah," Aki lies. Dad looks pleased about that and herds her inside to go wash up.
At dinner, Aki watches her parents subtly. She thinks about how Illumi told her that Dad is keeping her and Papa away from their family.
Dad is saying something that's making Papa laugh.
Aki frowns a little. It doesn't look like he's being mean, or forcing him to be here at all.
"Papa," she says suddenly, and both of her parents turn to look at her. "Do you have any other siblings? Besides Auntie Alluka."
Papa's smile fades. Even Dad looks a little confused. "No," he says slowly. "Why are you asking?"
"I was just thinking. I know Dad doesn't have any siblings. And I was thinking I wanted a brother now, too."
Dad starts to laugh, but one look from Papa makes him struggle to contain it.
Aki makes her eyes a little wider, going for a look that says 'innocent snooping' rather than 'nosy prodding for questions that she knows the answer to.'
To change the subject, she tells her parents about some of the places in Yorknew City she wants to visit, all from reading her book. Dad looks excited for the trip, and even Papa talks about some restaurant where he wants to go, though his brow is still a little wrinkled.
Why did he lie?
The next morning, Dad takes her back to the woods and drops her off. She wanders around for a while, but she can tell by the plants around her this time that she's on the opposite side of the woods, closer to Aunt Mito's house than her own.
She gnaws on her lower lip, a little worried she's not going to be able to find Illumi and talk to him some more today.
Luckily, Illumi finds her today, peering at her from behind a bush.
"Hello!" Aki chirps.
"Hello, Aki," Illumi says. This time, he comes to take a seat on the ground, and Aki scampers to sit near him.
"I asked Papa last night if he had any other siblings. Besides Auntie Alluka."
"Oh?"
"He said no. I didn't show him the picture. But I don't understand why he'd lie about it."
"Your other father is keeping him away."
"But why?"
Illumi gives a vague roll of his shoulders.
Aki looks down at the ground, picking at the tufts of grass.
Then Illumi asks him several questions, all about herself, her parents, their jobs. Aki answers them dutifully, hoping to make Illumi realize that Papa has been doing good.
Finally, Illumi tells her, "I was thinking - now that you know about the rest of your family, would you like to visit?"
Aki perks up. "You mean they want to see me?"
Illumi's eyes gleam, though the rest of his face remains impassive. "Of course," he says. "My parents especially are very interested in meeting you. You're the first grandchild, after all."
Aki doesn't know why, but she starts to get a funny feeling deep in her stomach. Instead, she looks back down to her lap, threading her fingers into the dirt. "Okay, maybe," she says.
"I still want to go to Padokea," Aki says stubbornly that night.
Dad sighs, casting a glance over to Papa. Papa just looks frustrated, the neutral expression he was wearing as they ate slipping away.
"What's up with this?" Dad says. "I thought we'd decided on Yorknew City."
"No," Aki says stubbornly. "That's not where I want to go."
"I already said no." Papa rubs a hand over his eyes, jaw clenched.
"You'd let me go there if you weren't trying to hide something."
For a moment, Papa's eyes get wide, and then his face is carefully blank.
"Why do you say that?" Dad says slowly.
Aki slips her hand into her pocket, gently touching the photograph of Papa and his siblings. She doesn't want to snitch on Illumi, not to ruin his efforts to see Papa again.
She notices Papa's eyes flicker down to her pockets, but she's a moment too late. Faster than she's ever seen him move, Papa is behind her, scooping her up. It's not fun or playful, and he holds Aki to the side easily as he pulls out the photograph.
She can feel Papa's entire body tense and squirms to get put down.
Dad gets up from his seat at the table and comes to look at the photograph now in Papa's grip.
"Where did you get this?" Papa growls, tightening his grip. "Who gave this to you?!"
Aki squeaks. "You're hurting me!"
Papa drops her, and Aki scrambles back. She touches a hand to her arm, and it comes back shaky with blood. She lifts her sleeve, seeing five small cuts where Papa's nails dug into her arm.
Papa looks stricken.
Dad looks shocked, coming over to look at Aki's arm. "Killua," he hisses.
"Aki," Papa says, voice pitched low. "Where did you get this picture?"
"Tell him," Dad says. He doesn't look happy at all.
"No," Aki spits out. Her arm doesn't really hurt, but the shock of Papa accidentally scratching her makes her stomach feel weird. "Are you just going to hurt me again?"
Papa looks like he's been slapped. He crumples the photograph in his hand, letting it fall to the floor. Aki lets out a cry.
"Go to your room," Papa says, unreadable.
"Killua, wait. I think-"
"Aki, go!" Papa spits.
She doesn't wait for Papa to say it again. She rips her arm out of Dad's loose grip and races up the stairs. When she gets to her room, she slams the door.
She's crying. She doesn't know when she started. She crawls under her bed and curls up in a ball. One hand gently touches the cuts on her arm. She doesn't know why Papa reacted that way - shouldn't he be happy his family wants to see him again?
Dad comes up to talk to her and bandages up her arm, but Aki refuses to tell him where she got the photo from. Eventually, he leaves, telling her to get some sleep and that they'd talk more in the morning.
Aki crawls into bed and slowly drifts off to sleep.
There's something tapping on her window. Aki stirs and rolls over, irritated. She looks directly into the wide eyes of Illumi, peering right at her.
She lets out a little yelp and throws the sheets over her head. She freezes, worried her parents will hear, but nothing moves downstairs.
Carefully, she gets out of bed and tiptoes to the window, opening it up. Illumi slinks over the windowsill, standing right inside.
His eyes trail to the bandages on her arm. "What happened?"
Aki shifts. "It was an accident - I showed Papa the picture."
Illumi bends over to look at it. "You'll live," he says.
Aki giggles nervously, but it doesn't look like Illumi meant it as a joke.
"I came to visit because I am going back home."
"But you can't!" Aki cries. "You haven't been able to see Papa yet. Are you going to come back?"
Illumi stills. "Unlikely."
Aki lets out a small cry. "Can you take me with you!"
Illumi pauses for a moment, eyes gleaming. "Yes, I will." He pulls out a needle and turns to her, holding it up. "Hold still."
Aki tries to back away, but Illumi is too quick and pricks her. Almost immediately, Aki gets a little dizzy. She falls back onto the bed. Right before she falls asleep again, she can feel Illumi shifting her around to pick her up. Then it all goes dark.
Downstairs, Killua jerks awake with the eerie feeling that something is wrong. Gon's snoring beside him, and he quickly elbows him awake.
"Wha-?"
"Listen," Killua hisses, already throwing his feet over the side of the bed.
Gon cocks his head, blinking himself awake. "I don't hear anything."
Killua closes his eyes and senses. His blood runs cold. "Someone was here. Illumi."
"What?!" Gon hisses, shooting up. "Where's Aki?"
Killua curses and follows Gon up the stairs. The window is open in Aki's room, but she's nowhere in sight.
This time, it's Gon that curses, and Killua slams a fist into the doorframe, causing the wood to splinter.
This is my fault, he thinks.
"Come on," Gon says, voice deathly quiet. "Let's go."
When Aki wakes up, she's in a bed in an unfamiliar room. She sits up and her head spins, making her dizzy.
She looks around. Nobody else is in the room with her. There are toys on the ground, and what looks to be a bathroom attached in the room next door. She climbs out of bed, rubbing her eyes. There's another door to her left. It's unlocked when she tries it.
She pokes her head out. Nobody is in the hallway, either. She hesitates for a moment and then decides to leave.
"Hello?" she calls out. No response.
She pads along down the hallway, fingers brushing the wall. She calls out again, but still nobody responds.
When she rounds the corner, a very large man is coming out of another room, shutting the door behind him.
"Hello," Aki says, uncertain.
The man turns to look at her. Aki recognizes him as one of the other kids in the picture, but she doesn't remember his name.
The man snorts. "Illumi!" he yells. "The brat's awake!" He turns and stomps the other way down the hallway, laptop clutched in the crook of his elbow.
Aki slowly follows him, and the man turns around to glare.
"Milluki!" Aki smiles at him, excited to remember his name.
Milluki doesn't look like he cares. "Don't follow me around. I'm not your babysitter." Under his breath, he mutters, "Where's the damn servants when you need them?"
She doesn't know what else to do. "Where am I?" Aki asks again anyway, following.
Milluki spits something under his breath and yells for Illumi again. When nobody comes again, he stomps on. "Where do you think you are? Kukaroo Mountain."
Another figure suddenly appears, and Aki steps back.
Milluki doesn't look surprised. If anything, he looks pleased. "Take the kid, Kalluto. Where's Illumi?"
"Illumi went out on a job," Kalluto says. He turns to look at Aki with obvious interest.
Milluki groans. "It's not my job to babysit." He stomps off, leaving Aki alone with Kalluto.
"You're Kalluto?" Aki asks. She recognizes him - he was also in Illumi's picture, the smallest one in the corner.
Kalluto nods, looks at her for a moment more, and tells her to follow. She trots behind her uncle, sneaking glances at him every now and then. His hair is cropped to his shoulders, but it's just as dark as Auntie Alluka's. Aki thinks he looks more like Papa than Milluki or Illumi does.
Kalluto leads her to the kitchen, which is bustling with men and women dressed in suits.
"You," Kalluto says, and one man instantly drops what he's doing to come to them. He inclines his head, obviously waiting for instructions. "Tell him what you want to eat."
"Um..." With another quick glance at Kalluto, Aki turns to the servant. "Do you have cereal?"
The man pales. "I don't believe we have cereal, Master..."
"My name is Aki," she says. "And that's okay! Do you have eggs?"
The man relaxes. "Of course. They'll be coming right up."
"Get some cereal by tomorrow," Kalluto says, and the man bows his head once more, murmuring apologies. He disappears almost instantly, on his way to carry out the request. "Come on."
Aki follows Kalluto to an enormous dining hall. She sits, and Kalluto sits across from her.
It's only a couple of minutes of awkward silence until a different servant comes forward, setting the plate in front of her.
"Thank you," she says, and the girl gives him a weak smile.
They're not as good as Dad's eggs, because they don't have hot sauce in them. She makes a face but takes another bite anyway. "What time is it?"
"It's almost nine in the morning. You're on Kukuroo Mountain."
"At the Zoldyck Estate?"
"Yes. Do you know what that means?"
"IIllumi told me you're Papa's brothers."
Kalluto's face draws up strangely at his mention of Papa, but he nods anyway.
"Where is she?" A female voice rings out through the air. Aki tenses as a woman comes rushing in. Their eyes lock, and she comes flying at her.
Aki flinches, but the woman just throws her arms around her. She tilts up to look at her. She's wearing a visor over her eyes, the same as in Illumi's photograph.
"Are you my grandmother?" she asks.
She pulls back. "I am," she coos at her, "and you may call me Grandma, but only if Killua is your father. So your mother - who is she? Did you come from Alluka? Someone else?"
Aki frowns. "I don't have a mom."
Her grandmother sighs and waves a hand. "Yes, yes, I know Killua and Gon are raising you. But your biological parents - who are they?"
"Dad and Papa are," she says, confused.
"How old are you?" Grandma asks.
"I just turned six last month!"
"Then you should be old enough to realize that two men can't have a child," Grandma says, a harsh note in her voice. "Were you the result of a wish from Nanika? Do you have the same powers as Alluka?"
She draws back a little bit. She spares a glance at Kalluto, who just sits there, impassive.
"Papa and Dad are my parents," she repeats, feeling a little like she's going to cry.
"She looks more like Gon," Kalluto finally says.
Grandma makes a noise. "What about the white sections of her hair? And one of her eyes is blue. That's just not natural, so Alluka must be the 'mother.'" She turns away, flouncing over towards Kalluto. Aki stays absolutely still, slumped in the chair, so hopefully they leave her alone. "And she won't be a transmuter, so not an heir."
"You can at least use her to get Killua to return," Kalluto says.
Aki stares, uncomprehending.
"Take her back to Killua's room," Grandma says. "We can figure out what to do with her later."
Kalluto stands. Aki shrinks back, but he just beckons for her to follow. She tries to grab the empty plate, but Kalluto stops her. "Servants will get it."
She follows, not wanting to be left behind with her grandmother.
Kalluto walks quickly, so much so that Aki trips over herself trying to keep up. More footsteps approach, and Aki looks up from the floor.
"Kalluto," the man approaching says. Instantly, Kalluto stills, and Aki scrambles up to her feet. Even standing, she has to crane her head back to look at the man's face.
He looks like Papa, Aki thinks to herself. Papa's hair isn't as long as his, and he's not nearly as big. His arms look wider than Aki is tall, which makes her a little nervous.
"I'll take her from here."
"Mom wants her sent back to her room."
The man extends a hand. "I'll handle this."
Kalluto steps to the side. The man turns and beckons for Aki to follow. She does, but not before turning back to look at Kalluto. He watches them go, unreadable.
The man leads her down several hallways she hasn't been down yet and finally into a dark room with a couch. A giant animal sits a few meters away, beady black eyes trained on her. "She's not a threat," the man tells it, and the animal settles back down. The man then sits and motions for Aki to sit next to him.
Aki does as he asks, watching him - and the dog - quietly.
"Do you know who I am?" The man asks.
"You look like Papa," Aki whispers. "My grandfather?"
"Yes, my name is Silva Zoldyck. You may call me Grandpa. I am the head of the Zoldyck family."
"You're assassins."
"Yes."
"But Papa isn't?"
"He used to be."
"Illumi said Dad kept Papa away from you."
"In a sense." Aki briefly makes eye contact and then immediately ducks her head again. "This must be very strange to you."
Aki nods. "I don't think the others like me very much," she whispers.
Silva - Grandpa - doesn't deny it. Instead, he just asks how old she is.
"I turned six last month."
"You live on Whale Island?"
"I have since I was born. Dad and Papa travel a lot."
"They don't take you with them?"
"Not really." She kicks her feet against the base of the sofa. "We're supposed to be going to Yorknew City sometime soon for a trip. I wanted to come here, but Papa said no."
"Killua did not leave on the best of terms." A small pause. "Do you know what Nen is?"
"Nen?" Aki nods. "My parents have it."
"Can you use it?"
"No. One day, Dad said he'd teach me! He said he hopes I'm going to be an enhancer, like him!"
"Killua is a transmuter, as am I." He asks a few more basic questions, and Aki answers these dutifully, too. Finally, he brings up the same topic his grandmother had. "Your mother - who is she?"
"I don't have a mom."
"I know you are being raised by Gon and Killua, but your biological mother. Was it a wish from Alluka?"
"No, Dad and Papa are my parents."
Grandpa sighs. "I don't think you understand what I'm asking."
"I don't think you understand! I tried to tell Grandma, but she didn't believe me. I was born from a stone."
Whatever Grandpa was expecting, it was not that. "What?"
"On Greed Island. They used a card. Dad said he had to carry around a seven pound rock for a month, but they got me nine months later."
He studies Aki for a few moments, eyes narrowed. "You're saying Killua is also your father? You have no direct relation to Nanika?"
Aki nods, relieved that somebody's finally got it.
"I see." Grandpa's face changes. "In that case, once Illumi returns, I think you and I will speak again." He stands, and Aki follows. "Come, I will take you back to your room."
Aki doesn't really know what Illumi has to do with anything, but she follows her grandfather out.
"Aki."
Aki looks up from the book she's reading. Illumi is standing in the doorway.
She jumps up. "You're back!"
"Come get something to eat."
Aki follows Illumi to the same dining hall she had breakfast in. This time, several of the others are in there. All turn to look at them when they enter.
Illumi just continues forward to sit next to his mother. There's an empty seat at the head of the table - likely where her grandfather sits. There's also an empty seat next to Kalluto, at the end of the table near the head. She slides into this seat.
Once she sits, servants come forward, filling up her glass and setting down platters. She watches what the others do, letting someone put a piece of chicken on her plate.
Her grandmother waves a hand, and instantly the servants scatter. Nobody else speaks, so she doesn't either. It's quiet and boring.
She misses Dad and Papa. It's never this quiet at dinner at home. Normally Aki and Dad work together to make Papa laugh. It hits her then - she's homesick. She wants to go home.
She sniffs quietly. Beneath the table, Kalluto nudges her and gives her a warning look, eyes flicking between her and Grandma.
Aki thinks she understands, so she ducks his head, staring at the potatoes on her plate until her vision is no longer blurry with tears.
After dinner, Illumi tells her to follow. He leads her down to a dim-lit hallway on one of the low floors. It gets colder and colder as they go down the stairs. She fights a shiver.
Illumi opens a door at the end of the hallway, watching her with those blank eyes. Aki peeks inside the room - it's empty, covered in stone, with cuffs hanging on the walls.
Behind her sound more footsteps, and she turns to see Grandpa approaching.
"Go ahead and enter," Illumi says. Aki enters, and the others follow. Grandpa closes the door behind him.
The nervous, gnawing feeling grows in Aki's stomach, and she backs up until she hits the wall. One of the cuffs clatter as she accidentally knocks into it. She flinches.
"Would you like to do this, or should I?" Illumi asks, turning to look at Grandpa.
"Go ahead."
"This may be unpleasant," Illumi says, looking at Aki again. He holds out his hand in front of her and narrows his eyes, concentrating.
Aki looks at her grandfather, silently begging him for help, but he doesn't move, only watches, expressionless.
Something invisible hits Aki. She screams - whatever it is is attacking every inch of her body. Her body feels like it's on fire. She cries out for her parents, but nobody comes to stop them.
Aki lays awake, hidden under her sheets. Her body aches, and though she feels exhausted, she can't go to sleep. She can't stop shaking, her mind buzzing. It feels like every pore of hers is activated, making her all tingly. Whenever someone walks by her room she can feel them, energy radiating that's scary and intimidating.
Illumi explained what he'd done, how he opened her aura nodes. He didn't seem to care that Aki was crying, that her body felt so different now, that it had hurt her.
"Why are you doing this to me?" Aki had cried. Nobody had given her an answer. When Illumi was finished, she was left alone to find her room by herself. He limped through the halls until she ran into a servant, who was nice enough to guide her back to her room.
"Get some sleep, Master Aki," she had whispered. "Your training will continue tomorrow."
She misses her parents. She'd made Papa angry when they'd last spoken. Would they even come for her? Maybe they're glad to get rid of her now, maybe they'll think they'll be better off without her.
One lone tear slides down her cheek. She wants to go home.
The next morning, she still feels exhausted. Illumi comes to take her somewhere again and merely says, "Ah, that was too much." He explains once again that he performed a Nen Baptism in order to awaken her ability, but he used too much energy - she'll be leaking aura for days, which means she'll continue to feel exhausted.
It doesn't matter, because instead, Illumi takes her to the dining room, though nobody receives them this time. One glass sits alone on the table, a leaf floating inside. Illumi tells her that he is going to teach her the basics of nen, and then they are going to practice water divination.
Illumi goes over the basic tenets of Nen, including the four exercises. Aki's head spins. There's so much to learn, and it's complicated, too! She doesn't know how she'll ever remember all of this. And even though she's exhausted, she does her best to sit and listen, just so Illumi doesn't get mad at her.
Illumi finally finishes explaining the basic principles and places the glass in front of her. Aki places her hands around the sides and focuses on Ren.
She struggles. She doesn't know if she's doing it right. Illumi seems to get more and more irritated the longer he sits there. He's stressing her out, and in one final, desperate push, she concentrates. The water in the glass ripples and the leaf moves. She looks up in surprise at Illumi.
"Manipulator," Illumi says, looking mildly disappointed. "I was hoping you were going to surprise us all and be a transmuter. You do have some white in your hair, after all."
Aki really doesn't understand this, or why it's wrong that she's not a transmuter. Illumi tells her he is also a manipulator, so maybe it's not all bad? She really perks up when Illumi waves a hand, and as if by magic, a servant carrying a platter of food comes rushing in.
"Eat," Illumi says. "You will need your strength for the coming training."
Aki doesn't have to be told twice.
Halfway through the meal, her stomach twinges painfully. She pauses for a moment and puts her fork down. It's sudden, but she doesn't feel very well anymore. She pushes the plate away from her.
She stands, worried and wanting to run. She opens his mouth to ask for a bathroom and promptly throws up all over the table. She freezes and covers her mouth, scared of Illumi's reaction even though her stomach is still rolling. She throws up again.
"Too high of a dosage?" Illumi murmurs, watching her as she steps backwards and drops on all fours onto the floor.
"What?" she croaks.
"Resistance training. You are several years behind. We are having to make up for lost time, though I think this was slightly too high a dose."
"Of what?"
"Various poisons. Some snake venom, I believe."
Aki starts shaking. This is wrong - really wrong. She heaves again and sits back. She wipes a shaky hand across her forehead, sweaty. Her stomach is still cramping, but she doesn't think she's going to hurl again.
Even though she asks to go back to her room, Illumi doesn't let her. Instead they leave the mess and go to what looks to be a home gym.
Illumi sits across from her on the mats and describes the Four Exercises once more, what she should do, and what they're going to practice.
But Aki feels terrible. She was still exhausted from the night before, she's nauseous, and her stomach still really hurts. She tries anyway, scared of what Illumi will do if she doesn't, but she keeps messing up.
Illumi looks calm enough, but there is something that's just not right. The more she fails, the more she shrinks back because the energy coming from him just feels dangerous.
She doesn't know how long they sit there, but eventually Illumi just gets up and walks out.
Aki sits, frozen. Is she allowed to leave? Is she expected to keep trying? She waits for what feels like a really long time and slowly gets to her feet.
The door creaks as soon as she stands, and she whips around, terrified.
It's not Illumi, but Kalluto. "Come on," he says. "I'll take you back to your room."
Is it a trap? Aki eyes him nervously, wondering if he's just going to take her somewhere else for more training.
Kalluto lets out a breath, as if he can read Aki's mind. "I don't have nen. I am not going to train you. Now come on."
Aki hesitates for a moment more and decides to follow him. As she gets close, Kalluto wrinkles his nose, casting an eye over her clothes.
"Did the servants bring you any more clothes?"
Aki looks down at herself, covered in puke and sweat. "I don't know."
"Anything in your room is yours to use."
Aki nods and looks down at her feet. She wants to know why Kalluto doesn't have nen, but she doesn't want to ask and get in trouble.
"Your father - Killua," Kalluto says suddenly. "Is he…"
Aki looks up at him. "What?"
"Nothing." Kalluto opens the door to her room. "Clean up."
Aki goes inside. She still feels gross, so she takes a bath and then puts on some clean clothes. It's an outfit she recognizes from the few pictures her family has of Dad and Papa from when they were kids. Grandpa did say something about this being Papa's old room and she pokes around, looking for anything that could be his.
Getting clean makes her feel better, but she's still tired and crawls into bed, hoping for a quick nap. She falls asleep instantly.
That evening, she joins dinner with the rest of the family. Thinking it would be safe to eat, she works her way about halfway through the plate before getting sick again.
Milluki sneers at her as she pushes her plate away, nauseous and sweaty all over again.
"Stupid kid," he says. "Can't even handle this small of a dosage. What's Killua been doing with her?"
"Nothing," Illumi says at the other end of the table. "No training whatsoever."
"Sounds like Kil's dropped the ball on this one."
Her grandmother tuts. "It's a good thing we got her when we did. It's all that wretched Gon's fault."
Aki wants to tell them not to talk about Dad that way, but she's afraid she'll throw up if she opens her mouth. She rests her forehead against the cool wood of the table and tries to ignore them.
For Gon and Killua, it's been an urgent few days. The ship off of the island was delayed in its arrival, and then they had to fly commercial to the Republic of Padokea. It was free to enter the country, and they took the earliest flight they could, but both were on edge the entire trip.
"Front gates," Killua had snapped on the flight. "They're going to know we're here. There's no way you'd be able to sneak in."
So now they sit on a tourist bus in silence, riding up the mountain. The guide is all smiles and cheer, but after the first time she approaches them and Killua nearly bites her head off, she keeps her distance. There's only a handful of other people on the bus, one family and another couple.
Killua and Gon sit in the far back, hats pulled down over their eyes.
"They have to know we'll be on our way. Why not give them another element of surprise?"
"Exactly. They know that we're coming, so you won't be able to sneak in. And Mike would kill you."
"What if we talked to the guard?"
"Is that what you did last time you were here?"
Gon nods and Killua snorts.
"We got you back last time."
"Huh. Oh, that's right. I forgot Leorio and Kurapika came with you."
"Maybe the door will be easier to open this time," Gon says with a flash of a smile.
Killua is too on edge to smile back.
"Do you think they're going to kill her?"
For once in this whole situation, Killua feels a little bit of relief. "No. Zoldycks don't kill family." That feeling evaporates nearly immediately. "But that doesn't mean they won't hurt her."
"They don't consider Alluka to be family," Gon says.
Killua glares at him. Whose side are you on? "She isn't considered family through her," he snaps. "It's through me."
Once they arrive to the top of the mountain, the bus rattles to a stop, and the guide takes a couple of minutes to talk about the Zoldycks. As soon as people start getting off the bus, Killua and Gon book it towards the gate.
"Gentlemen!" she says. "Don't get too close. But feel free to simply look closer at the gate. They're remarkably heavy and tall. Each door is said to be twice the weight of the previous."
Killua ignores her. Instead, he rolls up his sleeves and pushes. The ground ripples beneath him, and six of the doors swing open. Gon watches, impressed at the ease with which he did it, especially considering he, Leorio, and Kurapika took weeks to train and barely opened the first door.
The other tourists watch on, agape. Killua's hat blows off from the gust of wind, and the others start whispering. Both Gon and Killua ignore the whispers and slip through, letting the doors close behind them.
Inside, Mike approaches, nose twitching. Gon stiffens next to him, making eye contact with the animal, but Killua doesn't even slow, just stomps on by. The path up to the front of the mansion is long, and once they're past Mike, who leaves them alone, they both start running.
It's not long until they get to their first obstacle. A lone woman stands in the middle of the path. Her eyes widen when she sees who they are.
"Canary," Gon says.
"Out of the way," Killua snarls.
She looks torn. "I can let you through," she says to Killua, "but not him."
"Sorry, but I'm getting through this time," Gon says, unleashing his aura, showing her just how prepared he is to fight.
"If you don't let him through of your own accord, I will kill you now." Killua's eyes glow as he follows Gon's lead, blue electricity sparking up his form.
Her eyes flick between the two of them, hesitant. "Is it true your child is inside?"
Gon shifts from foot to foot, impatience clearly written across his face. "We don't have time for this."
She eyes him cautiously, hands twitching on her staff, and Killua puts a hand on his arm.
"Yes," Killua says finally. "We're going to get her back."
After another long moment, she takes a step to the side. Gon doesn't wait for her to change her mind, immediately taking off again.
"Thank you," Killua says. She nods, and he runs after Gon, prepared for the battle ahead.
Instead of going back to her room after dinner, Grandma and Kalluto lead her to the family room. This time, Grandpa joins them, and Aki watches him nervously, remembering the cold expression he wore with Illumi last night. The family room is spacious, with plenty of seats, and she slips to a spot on the opposite side of the room.
There's a dart board on the wall. She eyes it before sitting down quietly on one of the mats.
"Do you play?"
She turns to look at her grandfather. "Papa and I play sometimes."
Grandpa inclines his head towards it in silent invitation.
Stomach rolling, she goes over and picks up the darts. She's not very good, definitely not as good as Papa, but she at least knows the rules. She stands back and aims. It's not a bad shot, landing in one of the double rings.
She casts a nervous glance in the direction of her grandparents, but both are just watching impassively. She continues, nervous but trying not to show it. She feels gross still, and wishes she wasn't sick so she could show them her best.
When she finishes, she gathers up the darts and carefully lines them up.
"Just like Killua," Grandma says, hands clutched against her chest. Her grandfather says she has potential there.
Aki smiles weakly, some of her nervousness evaporating, and sets up for another game.
During the next game, a servant rushes into the room. "Excuse me," she says, bowing her head and avoiding eye contact. "Master Silva, we have two intruders fast approaching."
Aki watches, curious.
Grandpa merely turns his head. "Is it Killua?"
Papa! And Dad! They're coming for me.
The servant ducks her head even further. "Per Canary's report."
Without another word, Grandpa stands and leaves. Grandma stands to follow, turning to Kalluto. "Watch the child. And call Illumi."
Kalluto calls Illumi as he leads them deeper into the home. In what looks like another family sitting room, Illumi is waiting for them.
"Aki," Illumi says, stepping up close to her. "Hold still." He presses a hand on Aki's forehead. Startled, she stills. Illumi's hand swipes through her hair and then presses down on her forehead. It stings for a moment, and she bites her lip to avoid saying anything. But as soon as the pain started, it's over.
Illumi pats her on the head. "Kalluto will watch out for you while the intruders are in. Don't trust them, Aki. They will be coming for you."
A chill runs down her spine. She feels funny now. She was excited for Papa and Dad to come get her, but now… she doesn't know if she wants them near her anymore. But why? When she tries to think about that, all she can hear is Illumi's voice saying not to trust anyone. It's all fuzzy.
Illumi disappears. Kalluto sits with her, eyes trained on the doors.
"Where's Aki?" Killua storms into his father's room, Gon at his heels. At their abrupt entrance, one of his father's dogs raises its head, growling. "Down," Killua snaps, and it does what he says, though its eyes follow him as he stomps up close to the chair.
"Killua," Dad says mildly.
"Where is she, Dad? I know she's here."
"You must be Gon." Dad's gaze slides past Killua onto Gon. Gon stands at Killua's side, hands clenched in fists at his side.
"I can't say it's a pleasure," Gon says, a dark look on his face. Already the energy from Jajanken is building in his fists. "Where's Aki?"
His father doesn't look impressed. "She's here, alive and unharmed." In fact, he merely moves over on the couch. "Killua, I would like to talk to you. Alone."
Gon moves forward, and Killua grabs him to stop. "Listen, go find Aki. I'll handle this."
Gon's gaze slides between him and his father, and then he turns and runs out of the room. Killua moves to sit next to him.
"It's been a long time, Killua," Dad says. "How are you and Alluka doing?"
"Enough," Killua snaps. "I've known all along that you were aware we're on Whale Island. I've never tried to hide it. Why come for us now?"
"You proved me wrong over the years. When we made our deal, I assumed you would betray your friend, or kill him, and then return to take your rightful place."
Killua remains silent.
"Imagine my surprise when this has never happened. You have always been ideologically different from the others, but you have also shown the most potential. And so for years, your grandfather and I waited for the right moment to bring you back. I don't know if you knew this, but he wanted to see you fulfill your potential, up until the very end.
Killua frowns. Grandpa. He hadn't known he'd died, and he shakes his head, putting this thought aside. "You know I'm not staying, Dad."
His father angles his head, appraising him coolly. "We wanted you to come back on your own accord."
Yeah, after I killed Gon. Killua grits his teeth. "So you kidnap my daughter?"
"Illumi insisted we try his method."
"And you let him!?"
"You know when your brother wants something, he won't be convinced otherwise." Dad turns and looks him directly in the eyes. "This cat and mouse game has gone on long enough."
"For once, I agree with you."
He's growing impatient. Taking this as the most permission he'll ever receive to go get Aki, Killua stands up and moves to leave the room.
"Killua." Dad stops him before he leaves the room, eyes steely. "I have given you chance after chance to return home - to your real home. I have given you the freedom that every father should give a child who wishes to leave, who wishes to see the world. But I've reached my limit." He pauses for a moment, allowing this to sink in. "I am giving you a choice now. If you decide to stay, we will allow Gon and Aki to leave, unharmed, and we will not lay a hand on either of them again. The next time we come for you will be the final time… and I can't promise those that you hold dear will be safe. If you will not return willingly, perhaps your child will. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
For a moment, Killua hesitates. For years, all he wanted was to be out of their control. But the last thing he wants is for Aki to be punished because of his choices. On one hand, if he stays, Gon and Aki will be free. On the other, he can't imagine himself ever doing this again, having the rest of his life mapped out for him, and leaving them behind.
"This is goodbye." He's not sure if this is the right choice, but he knows he can't leave them. And he knows that Gon will support this decision and help him deal with the consequences once they arise. It's not the first time they've done that together. The thought makes him a smile a little, and he looks back. "And thank you."
His father raises an eyebrow. "For what?"
"Not killing Gon, when he first came here." Killua looks away from his father, for possibly the last time. "I will always be grateful for that." He doesn't stop for what he says next, merely turns his head to face the door. "And one more thing, Dad. Next time, I'll be ready." With that, he leaves, prepared to go find Aki.
Gon runs through the hallway. He's not sure where the hell he's going, but he can trace Aki's scent, though it's faint. He rounds the corner and immediately skids to a stop.
A familiar woman stands, only a few meters away from him. Her eyes are covered by a visor. Gon recognizes her from the last time he was at the Zoldyck Estate.
"You!" she snarls.
Gon instantly raises his defenses, fists clenched at his sides. Kikyo.
"You're the one who's stolen my darling Killua, time and time again!"
"Killua was never yours," he retorts, allowing the energy in his fists to build up, "and neither is Aki." The hair on the back of his neck prickles, and he slides into a crouch, preparing to call out his attack.
Something still isn't right.
Something pricks his neck. He knows instantly what it is - Killua had told him enough about it over the years - and strikes his would-be-assailant with Jajanken. Illumi goes flying, colliding into the hallway ceiling before crashing down onto the ground. In a blink of an eye, he's back on his feet, as if he wasn't struck at all. With a flick of his hand, he brandishes an array of needles.
Gon shifts to face Illumi, but a screech rings out behind him. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Kikyo lunge towards him, hands outstretched. Illumi sees this too and charges, mother and son coordinated in one fatal strike.
Gon knows he has only seconds to think. Thinking in the heat of battle has never been his strong suit - that's always been much more Killua. But what Gon does know is how to trust his instincts. If he blocked one attack, he only invited the other. At the last moment, before either Zoldyck could get to him, he leaps up towards the ceiling.
Kikyo lets out a blood curdling yell as half a dozen needles stab her, and she and Illumi crash into each other. He uses the wall to propel him several meters away and lands, watching her stay immobile on the floor.
"Bingo." His fist still contains the pent up energy of Jajanken. Illumi sees it too, and for a split second, Gon swears he sees unease in his eyes.
"Aki!"
Aki turns, and is almost immediately swept up by a worried-looking Papa. She stiffens in the hug, something off about this. Is he really here? Is this really him?
"Are you hurt?" Papa scans her rapidly. He glares at Kalluto, watching them from the corner. "Did they hurt you?"
"No," Aki says softly.
Papa sighs, obviously relieved. He grips Aki's wrist and tugs. "Come on, we're getting out of here now."
"I don't wanna go."
Papa stills. "What?"
"I don't want to go." Aki looks up at him. Part of her is screaming at her to go back with him, to see Dad and get to go home, but Illumi's voice is in her head, telling her not to trust them. Something's wrong - the closer she gets to Papa the louder Illumi's voice gets. She shakes her head. "I want to stay here. You… I don't…"
Papa stares at her for a moment, then lifts both hands and presses them against her temples. Aki flinches, trying to scoot back, but Papa traps her. Papa closes his eyes, and Aki can feel his aura change, reach out and envelop her, even though it isn't threatening.
She whimpers and struggles even harder to get away. "Papa, no," she says.
Papa doesn't listen to her. Brow furrowed, one of his hands trails from her temple to the center of her forehead. Aki cries out as a sharp pain stings her, in the same place it had hurt earlier.
Suddenly. Papa sits back with a gasp. In his hand is a thin needle, covered in blood.
Aki blinks and touches her forehead. Her fingers come back red, but her mind feels clearer now. "Papa?" she says, uncertain.
"Aki, we have to get out of here," Papa says. His eyes flick to Kalluto. "I promise we can talk more, but we have to get out of here first."
"Where's Dad?"
"Somewhere around here." Papa pulls Aki close to his side, finally turning to face Kalluto. "Am I going to have to get past you, too?"
Kalluto shakes his head. "No."
Papa narrows his eyes. "You mean to tell me you're just going to let us walk out of here?" He scoffs. "What would Dad say to that? Don't tell me you have one of Illumi's needles, either." He pauses for a minute. "I heard about what Kurapika did to you. Didn't you know it was stupid to join the Phantom Troupe?"
Aki knows Kurapika, but not anything about this troupe Papa's talking about. Kalluto narrows his eyes.
"I did what I did for the good of the family."
"How did that work out for you?" Papa scoffs again. Aki tugs on his shirt, not wanting him to make Kalluto mad.
"Bringing you back was for the good of the family," Kalluto says coolly. "And you're here now. I could at least do this right."
Aki glances between Papa and Kalluto. Papa is studying him, an unexplainable look on his face. Kalluto looks like he's a little sad.
"What does he mean?" Aki whispers. Papa waves a hand to hush her.
"I meant I joined the Troupe to find him," Kalluto says, looking at her, then he turns his attention back to Papa. "I had hoped they could make me stronger, and when you saw this strength, we…" Kalluto's voice trailed into silence. "I feel like an idiot, saying it all now. It doesn't matter anymore."
Papa tilts his head. He doesn't look sad, more like he pities him. "You didn't have to do any of that. And you don't have to do anything for this damn family if you don't want to. Me and Alluka, we fought it and won. You can too." There's a faint smile on his face. "I can help you."
Kalluto watches them, obviously torn. Aki smiles at him, hoping to convince him.
Kalluto starts to speak, then stops. "Go."
Papa cocks his head. "What?"
"I said go." Kalluto waves them off. "I'm glad you and Alluka can enjoy your life beyond these walls, but it's not that easy for the rest of us." He turns away from them, a bitter look on his face. "So stop rubbing it in my face and leave."
Aki doesn't really understand what they're talking about, but she has a funny feeling in her stomach telling her that Kalluto needs help, too. She opens his mouth to protest. "But-"
"Come on, Aki. Let's go." Papa scoops Aki up. Normally, she'd complain that this makes her feel like a baby, but she missed Papa. Papa's going to take her away from all of this. "Hold on."
Papa's aura starts crackling, and Aki looks up at his face, shocked, as his hair lifts and blue sparks trail over his arms. She looks over at Kalluto one last time, then Papa is off, and they're flying through the buildings.
It makes her dizzy to watch. She closes his eyes and turns her face into Papa's chest. She knows they're zipping around all over the home. The sounds of crashing echo and grow louder as they move towards it.
They enter the dining hall, flashes of light bursting from all directions, followed by a loud explosion and a yell from Dad. Two figures blur at each other. On the ground lies his grandmother, needles sticking out of the lower half of her face.
"Gon!" Papa yells out.
The fighting ceases for a moment, both figures surveying the newcomers. Dad and Illumi break apart, and Dad jumps to the opposite side of the room. Though Dad is panting, neither he or Illumi seems to be hurt.
"Killua!" Dad calls out, looking relieved. "Aki!"
"Get out of the way, Illumi," Papa growls. "We're leaving."
"You're not going anywhere, Kil," Illumi says. He flicks his wrist, and several pins poke out of his hand. "After all, you-"
Papa takes off again, not giving Aki a heads up, and Aki clings to his chest as he rockets to the other side of the room, grabs Dad, and then books it out of the hall. Aki turns her face into Papa's neck again, but she can hear whizzing of items near her head and the sounds of angry yelling and footsteps behind them.
Once they're outside, Papa slows for just a moment, long enough to let go of Dad. Then he takes off again.
Papa runs them past a descending tourist bus towards the bottom of the mountain. Aki risks a glance over Papa's shoulder to see if anybody's following. She doesn't know how anybody could follow, because they're going so fast everything is just a blur.
Papa finally comes to a stop at the bottom of the mountain. They're still in the woods, hidden away, but she can hear sounds from the road and city to their left. Papa's out of breath. He pauses for a minute, head cocked towards the mountain. After a moment, he lets Aki down, who stands on wobbly legs for a moment before falling back.
"Gon's going to meet us," Papa says.
"Killua!" Dad's voice calls out distantly. "Aki!" It takes a few moments, but Dad rushes out of the trees towards them. He falls onto his knees beside her, immediately throwing his arms around her.
Aki can't help it. Her lower lip starts to wobble, and she promptly bursts into tears. Throwing her arms around his neck, she buries her face into the crook and cries. Dad squeezes her back, harder.
Her parents speak in hushed tones over her.
"- get out of here, now-"
"- go back and really end this… make sure this never happens again-"
"No," Aki cries, "please don't leave me here."
"Aki," Papa says, crouching down next to her. Aki looks over Dad's shoulder at him, face still half-hidden. "We're not going to leave you. We need to get out of here. Are you hurt anywhere that we need to take care of now?"
She sniffs. "I don't think so."
Papa, without another word, tears a piece of fabric from his shirt, and Aki flinches back. Using the same speed as before, he rockets away for a moment and is back before she can barely blink, holding the now-dripping scrap.
He passes it to Dad. "Get her forehead. We need to at least blend in with the crowds."
Dad brings Aki away from him and pushes her hair back off her forehead. Seeing the dried blood that's still caked on there, his lips press into a thin line, and his eyes grow dark.
"Illumi?"
"The needle's gone," Papa says.
Dad wipes at her forehead, cleaning it off for the time being. He shoves the scrap into his pocket and stands up, bringing Aki with him.
"Let's go."
It's not until they get back on the blimp for home that Aki feels like this is actually happening. Dad and Papa got them on the first flight back home, and even somehow upgraded their seats to be reasonably private, in their own compartment. Aki clung to Dad in the airport, but she could overhear Papa arguing with the attendant.
Once they're in the air, Aki slowly begins to let go of Dad. She looks out the window as they ascend, though it's dark and all she can see are the lights from the mountain below. It's her first time on a blimp, and it almost distracts her enough from the exhaustion she still feels.
"Aki," Papa finally says.
Aki turns, though she still presses up close to Dad.
"Your aura is leaking. What did they do to you?"
"Illumi tried to awaken my nen. He called it a baptism, and said he wanted to start training me. He taught me the Four Exercises and some other stuff." She swallows. "It made me really tired. I think he said he used too much energy."
Dad looks angry. "Were they trying to make you an assassin?"
"I don't…" Aki looks back out the window. "I think they wanted to hurt me, at first. They thought I was only Dad's kid. But Grandpa asked me a lot of questions about you, both of you. I told them about the stone. And then they started to train me."
"Did they whip you?" Papa asks quietly. "Or use any sort of electricity?"
"No!"
Both Dad and Papa look relieved.
"Illumi was in the woods one day. He asked me about you, Papa. He told me you were brothers and showed me that picture."
Papa looks angry now. "No more being alone in the woods for a while," is all he says. His aura expands; it feels threatening and angry and scary, though it's not necessarily directed at her, and Aki shrinks back a little.
"Killua," Dad says, scowling. "Go away for a minute."
Papa does as he says.
"I didn't want to run away," Aki says, turning to Dad. "Dad, Illumi came to my room that night. I wasn't going to go anywhere."
"It's okay - we have you back now. We'll teach you how to control your aura so you don't feel so tired anymore."
Aki sniffs. "I was afraid you wouldn't come for me." Tears start welling up in her eyes again, and she blinks so she can see the frown on Dad's face.
"What? Why wouldn't we?" Dad says. "Of course we would've."
Papa comes back into their compartment, several wrapped sandwiches in his hands. He tosses one to Dad and holds the other out to Aki.
Aki takes it carefully. It's wrapped. Dad is already taking a bite out of his sandwich, so she knows it's probably safe. And Papa and Dad have never put anything bad in her food. But she thinks about how she threw up the last two meals because the Zoldycks put stuff in it.
Papa notices her hesitation. He looks a little sad. "You can eat it, Aki. It's okay."
Dad pauses, cheeks full. "What's wrong with the sandwich?"
"Nothing." Papa pulls the other half of the sandwich out of Dad's hands and takes a bite of his own. Aki follows his lead and takes a small bite.
She sits for a moment, waiting to see if she'll get nauseous. It doesn't come, and so she takes another bite. As soon as she finishes half of the sandwich, the exhaustion hits her again. She leans up against Dad's arm, eyes drooping.
"Get some sleep," Dad says.
She does.
Aki wakes up to Dad's snoring. She blinks, bleary-eyed. They're still on the blimp. She looks out the window; the sky is getting lighter, and underneath them is calm blue water.
"We still have another few hours until we land," Papa says. Aki turns to look at him. Papa is wide awake, watching her carefully. "Don't you want to get some more sleep?"
She shrugs. Then she slowly slips away from Dad and onto the seat next to Papa. She leans against his arm and looks out the window. They sit in silence for a few minutes.
"The food," Papa says suddenly, "did they poison it?"
Aki nods, a lump in her throat.
Papa lets out a long breath, and Aki turns to look up at him. "Zoldycks are trained from birth to be assassins. Training starts when you are very young, and they don't hold back in any measure."
"They did all of that to you?" she whispers.
"Some of it. Amidst other things."
"I'm sorry. I didn't know."
"That's my fault, Aki. Not yours. I wanted to prevent you from ever having to deal with them. That was stupid of me, though."
"So, you were an assassin? When did you leave?"
"I met Gon at the Hunter exam. I was only taking it because I was bored and had heard it was supposed to be difficult. I thought it would be fun. I knew at that point I didn't want to be an assassin anymore, but I didn't know what else I wanted to do with my life."
Aki looks over at Dad, who's still passed out on the other row. "Illumi said he kept you away from them."
Papa snorts. "He's never forced me to stay with him. I've chosen to follow him for years now. But Illumi and my father have been trying to convince me to come back for a long time."
Aki considers this for a moment. "You're never going to go back, right?"
"No." Papa puts a hand on her head and ruffles her hair. Aki leans into it. "And neither are you."
"But what about Kalluto? We left him behind."
Papa sighs. "That was his choice. Maybe one day he'll come to his senses, if he knows what's good for him."
"What about the others - they're not going to come back to Whale Island, are they?"
"Not for a long time," Papa says finally.
That makes her a little nervous, but Papa just ruffles her hair again. "Go back to sleep. I'll watch out for you."
Aki shuffles back down, leaning up against his arm. She watches as the sky continues to change colors, and somewhere along the way drifts back off to sleep. It's all going to be okay now that she's back - Papa is going to watch out for her.
"Okay, see if you can hold this form for another ten minutes."
"Ten more minutes?" Aki whines. She's been holding Ren for close to twenty minutes now, and she's all gross and sweaty.
It's been a couple of weeks since her parents brought her back to Whale Island. Her parents have been spending time beefing up security around their house: both have been doing daily patrols, Dad's been laying traps in the woods, and Papa has been teaching him more nen techniques.
It's not as tiring as it was initially. A couple of days after her nen ability was woken up, her nodes stopped leaking, especially once she started practicing keeping them closed. Now, it's just been kind of boring. Papa's been making her sit down outside with him and practice holding onto the forms for as long as she can. Sometimes Dad joins them.
Her hold sputters out around her, and she sticks out her lower lip, frustrated.
Papa sighs and stretches. Leaning back against the steps of the porch, he yawns. "Ten minute break. Then we're doing it again."
"Papa," Aki whines, "we've been doing this all morning. Can we practice something else now?"
"Like what?"
"The Rhythm Echo?" She gives Papa her best wide-eyed look, the one that always makes him sigh and pretend to be annoyed before giving in. Papa had promised her he would teach her other skills to break up the Nen training. This one is Aki's favorite, because it's definitely the coolest.
Papa doesn't think so. He makes a face but motions for her to stand anyway. Aki scampers up to her feet, bouncing on her heels.
"Show me what you got."
Aki closes her eyes and concentrates for a moment. This doesn't take as long to do. She's been secretly practicing at night once everyone else is asleep.
"Do you need me to show you again?"
Aki cracks open one eye. "No distractions," hse says, closing his eye immediately after.
Papa snorts but doesn't say anything else.
Taking a careful step forward, Aki does the echo. It only lasts for a handful of steps, and the after images are still pretty shaky. But it's still super cool! She comes to a stop and beams.
Papa nods. "Good. You're getting better. Make your steps more even, rhythm out your breathing. Watch." He demonstrates, encircling Aki with his shadows.
Once he sits back down, Aki tries it again. It's still shaky and short, but she's pleased anyway.
"It just takes some practice to hold it for longer," Papa says. Then he narrows his eyes at her. "Kinda like the nen exercises. So sit - we're running through them again."
Aki frowns but flops back down on the grass. "I don't think that was really a ten minute break," she tells him.
Papa rolls his eyes. "Just get ready."
Aki crosses her legs and focuses. She knows it's not right to complain - this is something she has to do. And she will… she's going to get stronger. She's not going to be powerless. She won't let the Zoldycks get her - or get close to Papa - ever again. She's going to become a hunter!
Fun fact - I picked Aki because when I looked up potential names it meant "bright" or "light" — and I thought that would be perfect.
I picture Aki as a pretty even blend of Gon and Killua. If you're familiar with BNHA, her hair is colored like Fuyumi's - black/green with white sections - though it's pretty unruly. She has one brown eye and one blue eye.
R&R!