Title: Heartbeat
Author: S.G.O.
Description: A Card Captor Sakura-Hunter X Hunter Crossover Fiction
Genre: Non-yaoi / Romance / Supernatural
Pairing: (main) Killua x Meilin
"In the coldness of the damned raging world
That is my life
A warm, tender wind prances by
Carrying with it a pacifying sound
A soft gentle heartbeat
Singing a song of change
And the rhythm of a strange feeling..."
P R O L O G U E
Blood. Fresh warm blood. The thick gush of blood streaming down the side of its body may have been the most repulsive sight this creature would ever see had it the ability to. The foul coppery monoxide smell of blood may have been the most disgorging aroma it would ever smell had it been spared a pair of nostrils. And fleeing from the gory scene may have been its best resort had it been given a pair of running legs. But this creature was made to be doomed forever in this place. Too heavy and too stocky to even carry itself, it always ended up being a captive audience to every play and fray that would happen to unfold in this park. And with its lower beak pulled down far enough to reach the ground, it could but barely make a noise, were it to be given a chance.
This was the well-known park-slide called Penguin King, celebrated and respected by the whole town of Tomoeda. Yet, on that certain night, it was but reduced to a status of disgrace.
A brown-headed teenage boy was sprawled face flat on the ground beside it, his hand grasped around the handle of a bloody sword. He seemed to have been in a kind of slaughter, perhaps involving the two girls lying in the puddles of their own blood a couple of inches away from him. Not sparing the two strange creatures--an overgrown dog with gaudy headgear and a silver-haired, winged being--lying not far away. A while ago, the night was filled with cries of pain and agony. But now, an eerie, almost chilling silence hung over the place.
A gush of wind blew through the park, compelling a hand to draw casually up and hold back a clump of dark-brown hair from covering a smooth angelic face. But, of course, looks can be deceiving (as what has often been proven). A cold-blooded devil can deftly hide his fatal fangs behind a harmless face.
The wind soon passed. Illumi crossed his arms over his chest and gazed at the spike-haired youth frowning at him from a distance of about twelve feet. He never thought he would hear those words come out from his brother's lips. Was the little twerp serious? Did he even know what he was saying? How long had he been in this town? One month? Was that enough to make this much change in his brother? Was the little black-haired vixen of that much influence to pacify the cold-blooded devil inside the Zoldick heir?
"That's the reason why I'm not coming home with you," Killua's voice was even and determined.
"I see," Illumi's was calm yet onerous. "But that doesn't mean I'm letting you decide for yourself."
The younger Zoldick clenched his fists angrily and snarled, "Why won't you just leave me alone?"
"I would if I had a choice," Illumi uttered in a tone both mocking and defiant as he began advancing toward his brother.
Killua caught his breath and gasped faintly. He was beginning to feel a kind of chill run down his spine, rousing a considerable number of goosebumps around his body. Strange, how his brother always managed to stir this despicable feeling in him. Cold sweat began to break on his forehead. He ground his teeth in an attempt to stop his bones from shaking.
Visibly enjoying the sorry sight of his brother writhing slightly from uncertainty and fear, Illumi deliberately slackened his pace, reducing his steps to mere minces as he spoke, "But the thing is, I am concerned for these people. Especially that girl." He jutted his chin out to the black-haired girl lying unconsciously on the ground behind Killua. "I'll never forgive myself if I leave you here and you end up killing her sooner or later-"
"That won't happen!" Killua snapped. "I've changed. Changed completely. I'm no longer the cold-blooded killer you and father have brought me up to be! I am a normal kid now and I feel good about it. I'm never gonna kill anyone ever again!"
Illumi paused in his tracks, a slightly aghast expression spreading through his usually expressionless face. Even though he heard it from those same pair of stubborn lips before, it somehow sounded different now. As though more coercion had been put into each word. More power and determination...
A light breeze blew through the gap between him and his brother, creating a small eddy of leaves and dust that vanished as soon as it appeared. After a while, Illumi's countenance relaxed, even allowing him to curve his lips into a smirk. "Normal," he muttered derisively. "I see. So another freak has fallen into your trap, eh? Just like that other friend of yours. What was his name again? Gon?"
At the sound of the name, Killua's body froze. His eyes began to zone out and his heartbeat became rugged, sending a bitter lump to his throat.
"I think I warned you about him, too," Illumi casually put a forefinger to his cheek and continued in a teasing voice. "Poor kid. From the very start I knew what was to be his fate. But the two of you were too stubborn to heed."
"I didn't kill him," Killua muttered under his breath. He was trying hard, though without much success, to fight off the bitterness that was threatening to tip him over.
"Of course, you didn't exactly kill him," Illumi resumed his approach. "But he died saving your life. What are the chances that that won't happen again, hm?" The oniisan turned his gaze meaningfully at the still unconscious lass as a taunting smile began to touch his lips. "By the way, may I ask what did you do while your friend was being killed?"
Killua's breath caught again and he gasped--louder this time--as his eyes began to moisten.
Illumi, who was now standing in front of his brother, gasped, "Don't tell me you just stood there and watched him die?! How cruel of you, Kil!" he exclaimed in mock disbelief, his as-big-as-saucer eyes bulging.
Killua bent his head low and closed his eyes tightly to keep the tears from arrantly gushing out. "I didn't..." His voice came out small and trembling. "I... didn't... mean..."
"And you call yourself normal," Illumi's taunting words rung in Killua's ears and deftly made their way to his heart, jabbing at it with fatal intensity. Up until now, he didn't know why he had let such a thing happen. The memory of Gon dying right before his very eyes was like a recurring nightmare. Vivid and taunting...
"Killua!" he thought he heard his friend's voice from that fateful night. And it added yet another husky lump on the gall that was already occupying his heart. Killua's eyes now looked void and empty. Illumi was right. What was he thinking? A Zoldick would never have a normal life. Never! He looked at the severely wounded bodies of his new friends. No. He couldn't let it happen again. He couldn't let them die because of him. He couldn't let them have the same fate as Gon's...
"Gon..." he muttered under his breath, his eyes fixed on a distant nothingness. Completely losing all sense of sensibility, he drew his right hand close to his chest and clawed five long wounds on it before sinking weakly to his knees, his head bent low.
"We were born to kill, Killua," the words sounded faint but distinct to his ears. "And we will forever live by it."
Killua closed his eyes tightly and for the first time in weeks let a gush of warm, bitter tears wet his face...
-----------0-----------
A/N: The proceeding chapters will flash us back to how this certain event came about. Please do read on... ^-^