Gon stood in the elevator of the Heavan's Arena, watching the sunset over the buildings. The last time he'd been in this elevator watching the sunset… Killua had been with him. They'd been so hopeful back then… everything had been so happy and light. Before they'd learned of Blood Magic. Before Killua had just… shut down.
Over the course of the past week… Gon had thought a lot. About a lot. A lot about Killua.
He remembered that empty look in his eyes… he remembered how Killua had just sat there, openly letting Gon beat the shit out of him. He hadn't cared… he'd wanted it, actually.
"Kill me."
He'd wanted Gon… to go so far as to end his life.
Gon clenched his fist.
He didn't want…
The elevator dinged, alerting him to his arrival at the very top floor. Gon shook the cobwebs from his mind, and walked forward. He immediately entered a dark hallway, constructed of black marble. There was a large door at the end. The walk took forever, but finally Gon crossed through the doors.
He was immediately drawn aback.
This place was incredible!
The final arena was sparkling, gorgeous. Glass, diamonds, crystals - it was like the gates to the Overworld!
Gon walked slowly into the room, gawking as he spun all around, drinking it all in.
"Welcome in, kid!" called a cheerful voice.
Gon turned to face his soon-to-be opponent. "Naga?"
"The one and only!" the dark haired man said with a grin, leaning sideways against his katana like a cane.
"Are you gonna be my opponent?" Gon asked, running up to his friend like a friendly puppy. It seemed that Nobunaga had a certain talent for showing up when Gon needed the distraction the most.
"Uh huh! But don't worry, it'll be a fun time! Don't sweat anything, you've already half won in my book!"
"Really?" Gon chirped, grinning as the older male ruffled his hair.
"Nepotism, we are natural cheats after all!" Uvogin called out, the only warning Gon received before the Titan dropped down next to him and crushed him against his chest in a suffocating hug. Gon giggled as the enormous man spun him around, and was dizzy on his feet once he was released.
"You wanna meet the others?" Nobunaga asked, clearly happy to see Gon.
"Sure!"
A part of Gon's mind was a little psyched out that he was about to meet the Phantom Troupe, but now that Kurapika had fully explained himself he understood how they truly were.
…
"Kurapika, I ran into a few of the Spiders," Gon had admitted slowly at the breakfast table. It had been a few days after Gon's match with Killua, and the subject had been eating at him ever since Kurapika had returned.
The Elf froze up.
"WHAT?!" Leorio snapped.
"Who… did you meet?" Kurapika asked, sounding nervous.
"Nobunaga, Uvogin, and Shalnark. Turns out, we had also ran into Phinks, Feitan, and Machi at the water park, though we didn't know they were Spider's at the time."
"We" meant "Gon and Killua," but Kurapika and Leorio didn't comment.
It was still a sore subject.
"What do all those names mean?!" Leorio exclaimed. "And what do you mean you met them?! Did they do anything to you?! Why the hell didn't you say something?!"
"Well… they were really nice. And they only told me they were Phantom Troupe members after a while. I met up with Naga, Uvo, and Shal the night I chased after Killua… they're the ones who helped me build up the courage to talk to him… even though it didn't turn out as we had planned in the slightest."
"Hold the phone!" Leorio ordered, slamming his hands dramatically on the table. "You're talking about these guys like they're completely decent dudes! They killed Kurapika's clan!"
Gon frowned. "And that's exactly why I'm asking this. According to them, you're good friends with Chrollo Lucilfer, the head of the Spider. Kurapika. You haven't been truthful with us."
The blonde hid his face beneath his bangs, and Leorio snapped his head back and forth between Gon and Kurapika. "I don't follow," the Goblin complained.
"Gon… is telling the truth. I haven't been entirely open about my… involvement… with the Spiders."
Leorio frowned, matching Gon's troubled expression. "Not to be rude or anything… but this kinda makes sense. You did leave us… after all. So in a way I'm not that surprised."
Kurapika winced. He really had ruined any and all trust in him from these two.
"Allow me to clarify to the best of my ability. It's… complicated, you see. I've been chasing the Spiders all seven years since my Clan was murdered. However, I have not only just located them. I actually caught up with them not long after the massacre itself. I've been in close contact with the Spiders… for this whole time. Over the years… I developed a… strange relationship with Chrollo - the leader of the Phantom Troupe, I mean."
Leorio leaned across the table, Gon along with him.
"He's not much older than I am. Only 24. And I am now 20. We're close in age… which utterly surprised me. And over the years of me constantly raging after them… trapping them, injuring them, never relenting, but always managing to escape death at their hands… Chrollo… he apologized. For everything. He had been right about to kill me, drop me off a cliff. But something changed in his eyes. He changed. He begged for my forgiveness, and declared that he wanted to help me. That he wanted to make amends."
"What?!" Leorio snapped. "That doesn't make any sense! He's the guy that did all this to your clan!"
"I know!" Kurapika cried out, eyes dancing with a battle of emotions. "I know, and I thought the same thing. I was horrified, disgusted! I refused to accept his apology, or any of his help. I refused to accept any information on the Scarlet Eyes if it came from his charity, from his pity."
"Hold on, you could have ended it all right there. But you were too damn stubborn to forgive him? You didn't have to forgive him! You could have just taken the information and ran!" Leorio complained. "That's so fucking stuborn! But also so fucking… you."
Kurapika pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yes. I am aware. It was a dumb move… but I cannot allow the honor of my clan to be trampled across. For the next couple of years, I continued chasing the Troupe as always… but the entire tone between us had changed. Chrollo refused to fight back, and since he is the leader, the others changed also. Our interactions got… casual over time. I started… warming up to Chrollo. To the Spiders."
Kurapika stopped talking and screamed dramatically into his hands.
Gon and Leorio blinked simultaneously, and then shared a confused glance.
"It's just hard!" Kurapika whined. "I've hated them all my life, or so I thought… and here they are, trying to make amends. Chrollo has been there for me for two entire years, the only reason I mastered my Hatsu so quickly was because of him! He's always there."
"What's this guy… like?" Leorio asked slowly. Gon gave him a sympathetic look. He understood. Leorio was getting a little jealous. Kurapika clearly felt something for Chrollo… that couldn't be easy to see for Leorio, considering how much he loved him.
Kurapiak snapped his head up, talking animatedly with his hands. His tone was angry, but his face was soft and even… affectionate? "He's a complete egotistical prick! He never listens to a damn thing I say, and he always just shows up out of nowhere and just helps me! Without asking for anything in return! He talks high and low about earning my forgiveness, and every time we share a mission he chatters constantly! He never shuts up, and he always has this stupid smile on his face!"
"He just 'helps' you?" Leorio asked, sounding amused. He was doing a great job of concealing his hurt, and Gon held his hand under the table. Just to show he was there. The Goblin squeezed Gon's palm so much that it hurt. Poor Leorio.
"Yes!" Kurapika complained. "Even when I fought my Floor Master Battle against him, when I finally got the chance to battle him again like he'd been refusing to do for years, he tried to just give me the win! Right then and there! And then he had the audacity to get himself mortally wounded, and what was I to do, just watch him bleed out?!"
Gon laughed nervously. Chrollo and Kurapika sounded like an old married couple.
"He told you the location of the scarlet eyes?" Leorio prompted.
"Yes. The Demon Lord Tserriednich holds them in his possession. He was the one who bought the job off of them… and Chrollo offered me a spot on the Phantom Troupe. He wants me to join… he offered his help, he begged me to let him help. I demanded to know what was in it for him, who goes up against a Demon Lord for a man who despises you with every fiber of his being?!"
"Why does he want to?" Gon asked quietly, the emotion in Kurapika's eyes touching his heart.
The Elf's face flushed, utterly surprising Gon, though it made him grin. "He… cares about me. Genuinely. He… loves me, and wants the best for me."
Leorio was speechless, so Gon stepped in for him.
"He seems really nice!"
Kurapika scoffed, "That prick is anything but nice! He's self absorbed! He only cares about his own wants and goals!"
"And what are his wants and goals?" Gon asked with a snicker.
Kurapika hunched over. "To help me revive my clan. To assure my comfort and happiness."
"From what I've just heard, and from my own experience, the Phantom Troupe seem to be decent people. Now, at least," Gon asserted.
"That's… true," Kurapika reluctantly admitted. "As much as I hate to say it. I fear that… Now that all is said and done, I will be left to accept the true nature of the ones I had thought were my enemies."
…
As Gon was surrounded by the infamous Phantom Troupe, he couldn't help but smile. After all the atrocities they had committed, they were the perfect example of owning up to one's past mistakes. They had converted from thieves to members in high society. The ran the Heavan's Arena, the lifeblood of Yorknew City.
They donated money, and joined in on social work projects. They may not have been able to save their homeland of Meteor City, or even Chrollo's clan of the Dark Angels, but they had committed to reforming this city. You could see it in the wealth that they spread, from the bottom up.
Chrollo Lucilfer truly was a good person, and as Gon came face to face with the Angel himself, he couldn't help but gawk. So this was the man Kurapika was always obsessing over?
He was tall, and strikingly handsome, just as Gon would expect from an angel. His wings were enormous and broad, his hair silky and framing his face elegantly. He struck his hand out for Gon to shake, giving him that grin Kurapika complained so much about.
"Gon, is it? It's wonderful to finally meet you," he spoke, his voice a lovely and rumbling baritone.
Shit. He was really freaking attractive.
Kurapika was lucky as hell.
"Yeah, nice to meet you too, Mr. Chrollo!" Gon chirped, maybe talking a little rushed, but he couldn't help it.
The Angel's smile widened. "Have you heard of me before? From Nobunaga, I presume?"
"From Kurapika, actually!"
A pair of dark eyes widened, recognition sparked in his eyes, and Gon felt a smirk crawl onto his face. "I'm really glad to meet you, Kurapika talks all about you."
"Is that so?" Chrollo's composure all went down the drain.
Uvogin laughed out loud, slapping Gon across the back. "See why I like him so much, boss? Isn't he great?!"
"Yes, his charm is undeniable," the raven haired man agreed with a sheepish smile.
Gon was introduced to the rest of the Phantom Troupe, and after a relaxed battle with Nobunaga (which was more of a friendly sparring match) Gon was being led out of the arena to meet Neon.
It felt like he was in the midst of a warm family, listening to the Troupe chatter around him. Phinks and Feitan's banter. Machi and Pakunoda's casual conversation. Chrollo discussing whatever book Shizuku was reading. Uvogin's booming laugh as he joked around with Shalnark and Bonolenov.
"You know kid, I think you should join us," Nobunaga suggested, walking lazily alongside Gon.
"Oh?" Gon asked, truly touched, even though he felt as though it was Kurapika's place to join, not his.
"Yeah! We have an empty slot right now, actually!"
"You do? Isn't this all of you?" Gon asked, confused.
"No, we usually have 13 members, including Chrollo. Now that Illumi took off we're in need of a replacement–"
Gon froze in his tracks.
Nobunaga stopped too, looking back at him in confusion. The rest of the Spiders slowly came to a stop as well, sensing the spike in Gon's aura.
"Gon?" Nobunaga asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"Did you just say Illumi?" Gon asked, voice emotionless.
"Yeah, he joined a few months ago," Phinks yawned, scratching the back of his head.
"He, is a, complete son, of a, bitch," Feitan complained, glaring.
"Yeah," Nobunaga continued. "He fought with some silver haired kid a couple hours ago. The guy lost, and Illumi just up and quit. Dragged him off with that clown guy Hisoka. Why, do you know him?"
Gon started breathing really really fast. His mind was running a million miles an hour.
Illumi?! Illumi was here?! Illumi was a member of the Phantom Troupe?!
Illumi fought Killua and ran off with him?!
With Hisoka?!
Wait, if Hisoka was involved then–
Shit.
Fuck.
Hisoka had been the one to lead Gon to that place and if he was working with Illumi–
Illumi who was Killua's brother–
Illumi who Killua was on the run from–
The one that liked to reset Killua's brain and control his every move–
Gon's face flushed as realization hit him like a freight train.
He'd fucked up.
He'd fucked up bad.
If Illumi had been here for months… and Killua had been acting strangely for months…
Gon was stupid.
Gon wasn't that fucking stupid.
Killua was in trouble! Big trouble! Illumi had him, right fucking now!
"Gon?" Nobunaga asked again, the Spiders beginning to stiffen.
"I have to go," Gon gasped out, having forgotten to breathe for the past couple of minutes. "I'll have to come back later!"
The Phantom Troupe watched on in confusion as Gon booked it back to the Arena. He busted through the window, and launched himself onto the roof.
Sure enough.
Sure e-fucking-nough.
Hisoka's scent. The magician had left it all over the damn roof, he'd practically rubbed himself along every surface. Gon snarled, and pinched his nose. He sucked down that whimsical smell, and then scented the air.
There.
Gon was gone in a flash, immediately breaking the sound barrier. He activated the biochemical so fast that a spurt of blood shot out of his nose.
Gon promised to keep Killua safe from Illumi.
He'd sworn.
Just because Killua wasn't his friend anymore didn't mean that he abandoned that promise.
Actually, Gon didn't want that. He didn't want Killua to stop being his best friend.
He wanted Killua back, had sense the second he'd driven him off.
If Illumi had been here, then Illumi was definitely the reason Killua had been acting like this.
Hell–
Fuck.
Gon tripped when he realized–
Killua was an assassin.
The kids had been killed.
That had been a fucking job.
But Killua had sworn off assassin work, he only would have taken it if–
If Illumi had threatened something. And the only thing there was to threaten… the only people there were to threaten were Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio.
Fuck.
Fuck!
No! All those things Gon had said–
All those things Gon had done! He'd pushed Killua away, refused to listen to him! And this whole time Illumi had been hovering over him! Gon choked on his sobs as he shot across the rooftops faster than the speed of sound. This was all his fault.
He had to make things right.
And he had to hurry.
He needed to save Killua, and he needed to do it now.
AN: Gon you dumb bitch. I'm glad you've finally pulled your head out of your ass, now HURRY THE FUCK UP AND GO SAVE YOUR BOYFRIEND
