Disclaimer: Hunter X Hunter is not mine. Never was, never will be. Ooohhhh……

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Pieces of the Past

-Chapter 2-

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Rain pelted down the empty streets of West Golto City. The lack of people was not a bizarre thing considering the lateness of the hour and the melancholic weather. Any sensible beings would be in their homes right now sleeping soundly in their bed or lazing around idly in their house.

But a single boy, of twelve years, trudged the empty streets alone and soaked to the skin. The boy's step was slow and at times it would stop as if there was no direction for him to go.

Killua huddled his arm around his tiny figure, in a futile hope to warm his shivering body, all the while forcing his brain to remember where his home was. He was sure that he had once belonged to a nice loving family with a nice home but no matter how hard he tried to remember where his home was, his memory would always came up empty. So was every time he tried to remember something from his past. It felt as if he was being blocked by an invisible barrier that he could not get through no matter how hard he try.

He felt so lonely…

He had woken up a day ago in a hospital with no recollection to his memories. But back then, he was with Gon, his friend. Gon was the one who told him who he was and a little bit about his past. But before he could learn much of himself or the reason why he had lost all his memories, he was visited by three mysterious people…

Suddenly the freezing night felt colder than before.

Those people… He didn't know who they were but their presence had summoned a terror so terrible inside of him. It felt, at that time, as if he would have died if he had stayed there any longer. So, he ran away… ran as fast as he could away from them.

Now… he gazed at the sorrowful night where the rain was still falling…

I don't like the rain…

An agonizing scream from the alley he was passing killed his steps in its track. For a moment, he strained his ear for more sound but all he could hear was the rain and his shuddery breath. He was just trying to convince himself that it had only been his imagination when the second and the third scream rose from darkness of the alleyway.

He knew that the smart thing was to keep on walking and don't turn back. But curiosity had taken control over him as he stepped off the street, leaving the safety of the dim street lamp.

A fourth cry rang through the night but this time, it was cut short by a gurgling noise and a 'thud' that oddly reminded him of a dead body hitting the ground. He strained his eyes to adjust them to the lack of light; a man shuffling a deck of cards stood surrounded by a gang armed with baseball bats and pocket knives. He could also just make out the form of several bodies lying on the ground. He watched, transfixed with fear, as the man with the cards slaughtered the group with ease.

He felt sick, as he clamped his hands over his mouth to stop himself from vomiting and from the scream that was stuck in his throat. He has to get out of here or he would be the next victim of the man.

He was inching toward the main road, praying that he hadn't been noticed when the man turned his gaze to him with an ominous smile. He felt as if death himself had descended upon him as the man started toward him.

"Killua, it's been a long time, hasn't it?"

He didn't response, he didn't know how to. Fear had crept up his spine and numbed the use of his brain. He could only stare at the man, hoping he wouldn't be hurt or…

The smile on the man's face grew bigger. "Don't look so afraid. I won't hurt you… yet."

What the man said did not relieve him from fear. But whoever the man was, he obviously knew him from his past, which he couldn't remember.

"Wh-Who a-are you!" he stammered.

The man's happy face immediately turned into a frown. "What?"

"Wh-Who are you?" Killua repeated nervously.

The man looked at him suspiciously as if expecting the question to be a joke. "I'm Hisoka. Remember?"

He shook his head slowly.

"You don't remember me?"

Killua shook his head again. "I-I got amnesia…"

There was a long pause as Hisoka waited for the knowledge to sink slowly inside of him – very, very slowly. And when it did, it hit him hard. "Your nen! You still know how to use them, don't you!"

"Nen?" He had heard the name before, it sounded very familiar. "What is that?"

"THIS IS NEN!" The man shouted and as he did Killua could sense something terrifying – so terrifying that it freeze the blood in his veins. He was so shocked and scared at the changes of the man that he accidentally stumbled backward and started to cry.

Hisoka stared dumbfounded at the crying boy in front of him. This was a sight he thought he would never see; Killua, an ex-assassin, wailing like a kid… but then again, the boy was just only a twelve year old kid after all… He swore at his mind for making him even more confused.

"Shut up!"

Maybe it was half expected to him that when he uttered the two words Killua only increased the volume of his wailing. He sighed, calmed himself down, smiled his friendliest smile and said nicely, "Please, stop crying. I'll buy you some candy if you do."

The trick worked though the reaction was slow, but Killua finally subsided his wailing to a sob and nodded his head softly.

Hisoka offered his handkerchief which the boy accepted and wiped his face, not that it really matters since it was still raining. Then, the two went to a 24-hour store and the magician, who never had to buy anything for anyone but for himself, bought two large chocolate bar and a huge lollipop for a delighted Killua.

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"Where are you taking me?" Killua asked as he licked the lollipop.

"Where are you staying?"Hisoka asked, slightly annoyed for being out in the rain again because the stupid store didn't sell any umbrella. No that it matter much if we got an umbrella or not, he thought irritably. We are thoroughly soaked anyway.

"I-I don't have a place to stay." Killua was slow to answer. "I-I ran away from the hospital."

"Why did you run away from the hospital?"

Killua didn't answer him but instead stared sadly at the lollipop. He didn't want to tell Hisoka about…

"Forget it." Hisoka said when he caught the expression on the boy's face. "You can stay at my place for awhile."

Killua looked up. "Really?"

"Yeah. But, let's go and get some dry clothes first." Hisoka said, wondered what was wrong with his head tonight; he was behaving very strangely.

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To Be Continue

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Author's Note:

Ahahahaha… I tried to improve my writing style in this chapter but somehow I don't think I done quite a good job but this is the best I can do right now with all my homework's unfinished and my examination only aweek to go and my limited time on the computer… I'm really sorry. But someday I will rewrite this whole chapter and the previous chapter and the chapter that haven't yet been out and make sure that I really, really improve it that time! But right now this is the best I can do… please be merciful. Onegai…