Chrollo had been hanging around a whole lot more than Kurapika would have liked. Ever since he'd showed up out of nowhere a week ago, he'd just been there. He was constantly watching Kurapika train, chattering about what the other members of the Troupe were getting into, and - the most annoying of all - correcting Kurapika about everything under the sun.
It was always: "if you siphon your Magic like this then your En will reach a greater distance."
Or: "consider Ryu a form of Gyo, that will make it easier to focus."
And the ever-dreaded: "Don't you think that this would be a great idea for one of your five chain abilities?"
At the moment, Kurapika was practicing using the spell on his middle finger… on Chrollo.
Well, if he was gonna loiter around here all day, then he might as well make himself useful!
"Deactivate Chain Jail," Izunavi called out from his perch on one of the high up window sills. "Then cast it again, and add more of your Blood Energy this time! Just because you're using a blood that is not your own does not mean that you do not have to put in just as much effort."
With a roll of his eyes, Kurapika released the spell. The long chain extending from his middle finger and wrapping around Chrollo dissolved into thin air. He kept the Mother Spell, the set of chains around his hand, cast. He'd had it consistently cast for two straight days now. The goal was for him to be able to cast Heavenly Chains (the Mother Spell) almost in his sleep. His personalized Hatsu revolved around casting multiple spells at once, and if he couldn't keep the Mother Spell activated then it would be all for naught.
"Aw, I thought he had done well that time!" Chrollo called cheerily up to Izunavi. He said it as if Kurapika wasn't there, even though he was right fucking there. The Elf marched over to their crate of blood, and selected a new vial. He was training using Angel blood.
He wished it were for the purpose of disrespecting Chrollo, but no. It was because Chrollo - an Angel himself - had an uncombatted access to the Angel blood that was sold by his brethren. It was all Dark Angel blood, however, The tensions between the Dark and Light Clans were far too great for a "Fallen One" such as Chrollo to have such easy access to "Holy Blood."
"He may have done well," Izunavi responded, "But if he wants to be able to use that chain when you're actually trying not to get caught, then he's gotta add more power. Like I've been telling him, but he won't listen!"
"No need to be passive aggressive," Kurapika retorted.
Chrollo chuckled as Kurapika walked back up into their impromptu training arena.
"And shut up, you," he growled at the Spider. "I will not be laughed at."
"I meant no disrespect," the raven said in that stupid elegant voice of his.
"Whenever you laugh at me, you laugh at the lifeless corpses of the Kurta."
"A little dramatic, don't you think?"
"For one so enthralled with–"
"-Train now, flirt later," Izunavi drawled.
Kurapika whipped to face him, eyes burning scarlet and teeth bared. "That's not what this is! Do not disrespect me!"
"I apologize for my companion's confrontational nature," Chrollo said to Izunavi. "He gets like this when he's pressed for time." The human and the Angel shared knowing a look. And Kurapika sighed in frustration.
Damned Izunavi was a traitor.
He knew that Chrollo was the head of the Spider, and yet they were completely casual! Friends even! It was disgusting. The human had been standoffish at first, but that damned Angel had made it his personal goal to make friends with Kurapika's second stage master. Now they were conspirators in the blonde's suffering, and because of Chrollo's relationship with Izunavi there was no chasing him off.
That left Kurapika's only means of putting Chrollo in his place using him as a fighting dummy.
And, oh, did he enjoy that.
Damned Spider.
He deserved every bruise Kurapika laid on his body. Every lost feather, and every near-concussion.
"We have things to do, let's focus now, shall we?" Kurapika grumbled, holding out his newest vial of blood. Izunavi and Chrollo refocused themselves, the human activating Gyo to analyze Kurapika's Magic to an incredible degree, and the Angel standing loose limbed and still.
The Elf uncorked the bottle, and thickened the cloud of his Ren. He absorbed the blood into his Magic, and it swirled about. Kurapika pumped the blood with more Energy, and sent the now glowing ball of Power to meet with the Mother Spell.
Kurapika's Heavenly Chains spell set was a rather complicated feat. It utilized a Blood Magic technique known as Spell Layering. It allowed a Sorcerer to master multiple spells with less training and mental strain. Learning multiple spells was incredibly difficult, but if one Layered their spells then it became easier. Not too incredibly easy, but easy nonetheless.
In order to create a Layered Spell, a Mother Spell was required. Which all of the other spells would branch off of. It was like a tree. The branches were the spells, the actual Hatsu. However, the trunk - the Mother Spell - was necessary for the branches to grow and prosper.
Kurapika's Mother Spell was Heavenly Chains, the set of chains wrapped around his right wrist and hand. It was almost like the body of a Mr. Potato Head. It was the base for all of Kurapika's real spell casting. When Kurapika cast Heavenly Chains, he used his own blood as fuel to conjure an Undirected Spell. An Undirected Spell was an application of Hatsu that was useless on its own. It either required add ons or specific orders to initiate an actual result.
An example of an Undirected Spell was used by Gon's 300th floor opponent, Allun. The Elf had cast a spell called Slip Cannon Orbs, summoning a set of power-laden balls of energy over his head. They had been an Undirected Spell, however, because they were dormant until Allun gave them the order to shoot. Because it had been an Undirected Mother Spell, he was able to shoot bursts of energy in many different categories and power levels.
Kurapika added onto his Undirected Mother Spell when he cast his five different chains. The individual chain spells attached to Heavenly Chains, and once the Undirected Spell was attached, it could be used to direct Kurapika's individual chain spells. It was a complicated process, in reality all of his chains were Undirected unless they were combined together with the Mother Spell. It was only through the initial casting of Heavenly Chains that he was able to use his Hatsu in the first place. Heavenly Chains was the conduit, and it was crucial to keep it activated because if it deactivated then all of Kurapika's spells would vanish. It was easy to learn, but took a lot of commitment to control. Luckily for Kurapika, he was practically made of commitment to his goal.
As for his individual chain spells, he had five: Steal Chain on his index finger, Chain Jail on his middle finger, Dowsing Chain on his ring finger, Judgment Chain on his pinkie finger, and Holy Chain on his thumb.
Kurapika could use the Steal Chain to temporarily copy another Sorcerer's spells. The Chain Jail was for capturing opponents and shutting off their ability to use Blood Magic at all, not even the natural flow of Ten. The Dowsing Chain could be used for both dowsing itself and offensive attacks. The Judgment Chain could be used to place a powerful contract with conditions on another humanoid, the chain would wrap around their heart and force them to either obey Kurapika's rules or die. The final chain, the Holy Chain, could be used to heal any injuries, but only on Kurapika himself.
So far he had mastered the Dowsing Chain, the Judgment Chain (learning that one had certainly been interesting), and the Steal Chain. Chrollo had been the guinea pig for all of this chain training, and through the use of the Steal Chain Kurapika now knew of Chrollo's Hatsu abilities. It was only fair, after all. If Chrollo got to know all the ins and outs of Kurapika's Magic, then the favor needed to be returned.
Kurapika was almost finished learning Chain Jail, and then he'd just have to master the Holy Chain and clean up his use of all the spells. He was not looking forward to learning the Holy Chain. He'd have to allow Chrollo to injure him to various degrees. But at least for now he was able to torment the bastard using Chain Jail.
Kurapika activated Chain Jail, pumping a greater amount of Energy into it than before. He was panting by the time it was activated and floating around him in the air, his Magical Stamina was really being forced to its limits.
"Now conceal it using In!" Izunavi commanded.
Gritting his teeth, Kurapika concealed his chains. A flare of pain burst in his forehead, but he ignored it. If one was out of Magic Stamina, then blood and pain could be exchanged for a small amount of extra time. Izunavi didn't like Kurapika doing that, and would always call training off for the rest of the day once the blonde started bleeding from the nose.
So Kurapika didn't mention the pain. He'd train as much as he possibly could.
Nothing would stop him from mastering this by the end of the month.
…
Gon sat in the darkness of the living room. Leorio was still fast asleep in the other room, and the soft echoes of his snores could be heard through the hybrid's sensitive ears. He was hunched over the couch, encased by shadows. Gon's leg was bouncing up and down, and up and down. The buzz of the alcohol was starting to wear off, and he was starting to feel that bite of pain from using too much of his biochemical.
The horned boy knew that he needed to be extra quiet. He had his Zetsu activated, and was using it to manipulate his aura, making it seem like he was sleeping in his bedroom. If Killua arrived on the roof and sensed that Gon was awake, then he would definitely run off again to wait until Gon went back to sleep.
It really shouldn't be this big of a hassle… but Killua was a professional assassin who was skilled in the art of death but even more skilled in the art of suppressing his emotions and hiding his problems from others.
Namely Gon, apparently.
Gon had really thought that he was the one who was different… That Killua trusted him no matter what. He wasn't sure what he'd done, but something had changed that in Killua's mind. Gon was determined to win that trust back, and he'd do so no matter what. He'd help Killua, whether he liked it or not. And he'd earn that place back at Killua's side.
The hybrid took a deep breath and ran through what he was gonna say one more time. His lips moved as he mouthed the words that Nobunaga and Shalnark had helped him plan out (Uvogin had been pretty drunk by then and not very helpful).
Just when the clock struck 2 in the morning, Gon felt a familiar presence slide up against his sixth sense.
Killua.
His chest lurched and his stomach stirred with nerves.
This was it.
Gon felt a little guilty for staying up to catch Killua like this, but it was gonna be worth it.
He'd fix things, and he'd do it right now.
Gon closed his eyes and focused on his senses, feeling Killua land down on the balcony railing and then gracefully onto the–
Wait.
That wasn't Killua's usual grace.
He was… stumbling. He seemed off balance, almost like he was injured!
Gon's heart was suddenly beating a million miles an hour, something was up with Killua! Was he okay?!
He waited in painful stillness and silence for Killua to open the door and walk in. His steps were uneven and shaky, and he fumbled with the door knob when he made to close it. With one last deep breath, Gon stood up and turned around to Killua.
"Killua–"
Both the Valkyrie and the hybrid froze.
Killua in fear and surprise that Gon was there. His sapphire eyes were blown wide, and his mouth was hung open in a mixture of shock and horror. He was completely frozen, trembling in his indecision of what to do.
Gon was frozen because Killua was completely covered in blood!
The hybrid shook himself out of his stupor and rushed to Killua's side. He clumsily leapt over the back of the reclining chair, and was at Killua's side in an instant. "Oh my god, Killua! What happened, are you okay?!"
His voice was rushed and high pitched, and he felt Killua up and down, searching for whatever horrible injury had left him in this state!
The silver haired assassin winced and flinched back from Gon, his body was stiff and uncomfortable. His tail was rigid behind him, showing his hostility. Wait… but why was he hostile?
Gon placed his fingers on Killua's chin, turning his head back and forth to try to see what was wrong. He wasn't finding any injuries… in fact, Killua was covered in some sort of impenetrable armor…
The hybrid ended his search for harm, and met Killua's eyes. Amber orbs bore questingly into Killua's… Killua's eyes which were wide in terror and–
And…
Shit.
That look in Killua's eyes, it scared Gon so much.
His pupils were wide and dilated, and his eyes darted back and forth. The emotions in those orbs–
It was horrible.
It was as if Killua had just been tortured for weeks on end.
As if he had been forced to relive his own death against and again in vivid creativity and detail. And then there was the guilt. So much guilt. Also fear, and something that looked like anger? What the heck was going on?!
"Killua, what the heck happened to you?!" Gon demanded, voice shaky from that horrible onset of fear. "You're all covered in blood!" He didn't let go of Killua's hands, even when the Valkyrie tried to pull away.
Killua opened his mouth and closed it several times, tail twitching and eyes refusing to meet Gon's again.
He looked like a trapped and abused animal.
And Gon didn't like that at all.
It was just Gon! Gon was his best friend, why was he acting like this?
Gon was here to help, not to harm!
What the hell had he done wrong to make Killua react this way?!
"Killua!" Gon pleaded, knowing his tone was a little stressed and harsh, but this was just stressing him out so much.
"I– I, it's nothing." The assassin tried once again to pull away, but Gon kept his grip on Killua's hands tight. He wasn't letting go. Killua wasn't getting away this time. He was trapped.
"That's not true," Gon declared.
"Gon, I– Please, just let me go–"
"No!" Gon almost yelled, barely remembering to keep quiet for Leorio. "Tell me what happened! Who did this to you?!"
Killua winced, and an enormous flash of guilt darkened those sapphire depths.
What on earth?
"It's nothing," Killua said again, voice shaking. "Now let go."
"Not until you tell the truth!"
Killua pulled violently at Gon's grip, body shaking with the strain and chest rising and falling in quick succession. "Let me go! Gon, stop!"
"No!" Gon shot back, tugging Killua further forward.
The Valkyrie suddenly hissed, ducking away. The sound was threatening, and sent a wild chill up Gon's spine. That was the warning sound of an injured lion. "Let me go, Gon!" Killua ordered, voice loud and striking. The hybrid's eyes widened. Killua had never yelled at him like that before.
He let go, and the Valkyrie stumbled back, running into the door and barely catching himself. Gon gasped and tried to catch and steady him, only for Killua to slap his hands away and hiss again.
Gon stepped back, confused and hurt.
Killua and Gon looked at each other, Killua trembling and on the verge of a panic attack, and Gon looking frantic and hurt.
"Killua," Gon said softly, like he was approaching a dangerous beast. "Please. What's happened to you?"
The assassin choked back a sob, "I can't tell you that."
"Why?" Gon whispered, throat getting thick.
He hated seeing Killua cry.
"Because I just can't!" the silver haired boy snapped, lashing out again.
"But I just wanna help you!" Gon protested, voice getting louder and more aggressive like Killua's. "I can tell that you're suffering, that you're struggling! I can hear you coming inside and crying for hours every single night! You think I don't know when you're suffering?!"
Killua winced at Gon's words, knowing it was true.
"I want to be there for you. I just want to help!" Gon continued, speaking louder than he had intended, his kind and well thought out speech the last thing on his mind right now. "Please just let me in, I don't want to see you going through whatever this is alone!"
"Well maybe I don't want your help!" Killua snarled, tears in his eyes and threatening to spill forth.
Oh… those words stung worse than anything.
"I'm your best friend," Gon said with a shaky voice. "I'm supposed to be there for you. I want to be there for you."
"Well I don't need anything like that right now! Your meddling will just get in the way and make things worse!"
Gon frowned. "You think this is just 'meddling?' How is trying to help my friend meddling? This is so much more than that! What am I to you, just an annoying bystander?!"
"Maybe you are!"
Gon winced, stepping back. Killua blinked, expression wavering.
"I… I didn't mean that."
Gon's face didn't change.
"L… Listen. I don't want you to get…" Killua's voice cracked. "I've got it this time, okay? If you wanna help me then just… let me handle it on my own."
"But that's the opposite of what will help you," Gon murmured, trying not to cry.
A tear slipped down Killua's cheek, and he quickly brushed it away. Smearing the blood on his cheeks.
"No, it's just… I've gotta do this on my own. I understand where you're coming from, but I've got it, alright? So can we just… pretend this didn't happen?"
"Where I'm coming from?" I'm not some concerned neighbor, Killua.
You're my best friend and seeing you hurt makes me suffer inside.
Gon blinked a couple of times, choking down his retorts and argumentative words. "Are you sure?"
What the hell am I saying–
"Y-yeah."
I can't just back down like this!
He's clearly struggling, he clearly needs me–
"Killua…"
"I'm fine. I can handle it. Just… let's just be normal tomorrow, okay?"
"...Like this never happened?"
"Yeah."
The two boys stood looking at each other. The tension in the air was pregnant and awkward. The silence felt wrong, it itched at Gon's mind. This was not at all what was supposed to happen. Why the hell was he accepting this?! He knew this wasn't the way!
But…
He'd just had a fight with Killua, or well… it had been an almost-fight. He didn't… Gon didn't like that. He was so scared that Killua would leave like Kurapika had. And now that he knew about all this stuff Kurapika had been hiding the whole time… he was kind of terrified to learn that Killua was hiding something similar.
He was still hurting from the betrayal he'd just learned about from Kurapika… Gon didn't think he couldn't handle one from Killua.
But fuck, that was so selfish!
Gon opened his mouth to call Killua back, only to find him walking hurriedly to his room. The hybrid stood with his hand extended and jaw open as the assassin slipped into his bedroom and closed the door.
No. It was too late now.
Gon had failed again.
But… Killua had said that leaving him be and pretending this never happened would help him… right? That was… okay, wasn't it?
Gon's chest was burning with guilt, he knew that wasn't true.
But here he was. Accepting Killua's conditions and slinking off to his bedroom to try to sleep through Killua's tears… tears that were always audible through the walls.
The truth was… he wanted to ignore this just as much as Killua did.
He didn't want to accept that Killua was hiding a bunch of stuff like Kurapika had been.
Gon buried himself under his covers and smashed his pillow over his ears, trying to block out the sound of Killua's muffled sobs. Trying to ignore it only served to make Gon start sobbing himself, though.
This was so wrong.
But Gon was so trapped! He didn't know what to do.
"Aunt Mito," he whimpered. "I wish you were here. I wish you were here so bad. I don't know what to do."
AN:
Chrissy wake up! I don't like this, Chrissy wake up! Hey, hello? Time to wake up, time to wake up, can you hear me, wake up Chrissy? I don't like this, Chrissy wake up!
...I really don't like making Gon and Killua fight :')
