Gon couldn't believe it! He'd actually won the first Event!

Well… technically he'd tied with Killua for first, but he was still in first! It was incredible! He was one step closer to his goal! Hearing those thousands of Chimeras cheering for him… truly cheering for him, encouraging him and praising him for his victory, that had been one of the most incredible experiences of Gon's entire life.

Nine-hundred and eighty-three Champions had made it through the Event, with one-hundred and forty-two having died in their attempt to pass. That was way more than Sir Youpi had predicted! Gon was so proud of them! Of all of the humans competing this year, as well as his Wingmates! Every single one of them had passed, and none of Gon's new friends had died!

At the moment, the entire Southern Thirteenth Wing was partying late into the night. They had an entire week to themselves before the next tournament, and Ikalgo had declared it was time to celebrate their first successful Event!

"Give it up for GON!" Ikalgo screamed, swinging his mug of ale around in the air as he hung from the chandelier over the largest of the living areas.

All twenty five men roared in celebration, slamming their goblets together and jostling Gon about like he was in a mosh pit. The raven haired male screamed along with them, jumping up and down in a giant circle of bodies as Abengane, Zepile, and Montreux played upbeat music on fiddles, hand drums, and lyres.

"YOU WON THE FREAKING EVENT!" Jispa screamed in Gon's ear, arm slung across the younger males shoulders as he spun the two of them around in circles.

"I KNOW! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!" Gon screamed back over the deafening cries of the other Wingmates.

"Give it up for KILLUA!" Ikalgo screamed next. Usually the mention of the Zoldyck's name would send a chilled hush over all of them, but now that everyone was hyped up and half drunk the entire crowd cheered just as loud as they had for Gon.

"MY FRIEND'S A BADASS!" Killua's pompadoured friend - Gon now knew him to be called Knuckle - screamed shrilly, hoisting the slender male onto his shoulder and prancing around the crowd in circles. Shoot skipped along with them, buzzed by alcohol enough to finally loosen that constant frown off his face.

"Give it up for EVERYBODY!" Ikalgo screamed, and the entire group got even louder, shaking the crystals of the chandelier and making Gon's eardrums ache and buzz.

But he couldn't have cared less! It was a party! They'd all lived! The Tournament of Decision had officially begun!

The music picked up speed, and everyone jumped around like mad. Furniture was bumped around, ale was spilt all over the place, and Gon was right in the center of it all! He jumped and screamed like a fool, slamming his mug against anyone else's he could reach.

Wingmates jostled Gon's shoulders, slapped him across the back, and even kissed him flat on the cheek, in Uvogin's drunken case. Gon loved parties! They were always so fun! The festivals on Whale Island were always his favorite time of year! They always coincided with Merua, a Chimera Holiday dedicated to Hive celebration and fasting.

The humans were always left alone on that day, so they celebrated Merua with just as much fervor! Whale Island would throw a feast, and bust out all the booze they'd been storing up all year long! Gon would always gorge himself on food, dance until he was nauseous, and drink himself silly.

Mito only ever let him drink on Merua, so he had always made the best of it! Only once he'd started training with Bisky she'd turned it into a training regimen to make sure he could keep his alcohol down… well, at least that meant Gon always won at drinking games!

All in all, Gon loved parties, and this one had to be close to the top of his list of favorites! It was so fun! Gon hadn't expected there to be so much comradery between the Champions! He was so glad that the Wings were divided the way that they were! It let him make a ton of friends and have a ton of fun!

Even Killua wasn't being a total buzzkill! He was riding along Knuckle's shoulders, basking in the praise of the other males as he was paraded around like a king. Come to think of it… that was probably why he was actually having fun… because of the superiority…

Gon shook his head, he wasn't going to let Killua piss him off and ruin his fun! Yeah! He was partying with Jispa and he was going to have the TIME of his life!

If there was one thing that Killua enjoyed over all else, it was praise. He loved to be complemented and told how great he was. Because that's just what he was! Great! He was better than everyone else in this room, and the feeling he got when these lowly dogs wriggled around at his ankles was borderline ecstasy.

Now that the actual Tournament had started up, it was clear that violence would be permitted in upcoming Events. Killing would likely be a requirement for passing Events later on down the road. With this being the case, all eyes were on Killua.

As usual, and as they should be.

It was common knowledge that Killua was one of the most violent Champions in this year's Tournament. The Zoldyck name was stained and sparkling with a sheen of blood, and Killua took no greater pride than he did in having the duty of living up to that name. The Zoldycks were the cream of the crop, the best that the human species had to offer. Killua would slaughter any of these fools without hesitation.

Event Knuckle, if the situation permitted.

And everyone knew that fact.

Which was why the more cowardly of their Wingmates were currently flocking to Killua. As the party raged on around them, Killua sat in the corner. Sheathed in shadow and set into an orange glow by the heat of the fireplace. He sat perched in his armchair like it was a throne, with Knuckle and Shoot standing at either arm.

He had a crowd of eight-odd other Wingmates around him, all of them vying for his attention.

They were trying to get on his good side.

Trying to win his favor, so he would be less likely to kill them later on in the Tournament.

They were practically begging on their knees, whimpering at Killua's feet for him to spare their lives.

Nothing irritated Killua more than someone begging for their life. Whenever someone threw themselves on the ground at his feet, it always made him want to kill them all the more. He hated watching people beg for him not to kill them, he wanted to watch them run. He wanted to watch them squirm and fight with all their might, all the while Killua was a looming force behind them. Greater by all means, and powerful enough to put all their scrambling to waste with a simple flick of his hand.

Normally, having a crowd of worms wriggling about before him would have made Killua irrationally upset, driving him to kill any and everyone in sight.

However, there was something to be gained from the antics of the weak.

It wasn't like he was on the job right this second. And it wasn't like he was fighting in an Event, either. These people weren't outright begging for their lives, even though they were literally on their knees before him.

No, this was different.

They didn't gaze up at him like he was the face of death, far from it. They looked up to Killua like he was a king. They were afraid of him, but they addressed their fear with dignity. This was why Killua preferred to be in the presence of Champions rather than the filth that was the rest of humanity apart from the Zoldycks.

These men were cunning, and clearly had ulterior motives. They simply wanted to use Killua as a shield. If they were close to him, they'd be safe from his wrath as well as protected from anyone foolish enough to kill someone in a Zoldyck's inner circle.

They were trying to get an in, attain the same status as Knuckle and Shoot.

And that's why they amused Killua.

Because they could never even dream of being placed in such high standards, not by someone such as Killua. Watching them praise him, hang over his every word, it was just like watching a target run for their life. They were scrambling to survive, trying their absolute hardest to keep their heads above water.

All the while Killua reigned supreme over the lot of them.

They were so stupid! Did they really think this would accomplish anything at all? Were they truly so egotistical to think that they could possibly rise ranks in Killua's eyes? It was hilarious!

Killua played their little game, he listened to their words and basked in their praise. He let down a few of his denser walls for these men, all to see that glimmer of hope in the depths of their eyes. They truly believed this was working. They seriously believed that Killua was letting them into his inner circle, and not just toying with them!

They were fools, the whole lot of them.

Killua humored them, he humored them well. The knowledge that his killing them would completely catch them off guard was sending a delicious tingle up Killua's spine. It made him sit up straighter, made him hold his chin higher. It widened his smile, and set his eyes sparkling with mirth.

The praise was another perk.

These men were little more than dogs to Killua, pets for him to play with and see just how far he could manipulate them. And as dogs, they gazed up at Killua with loyalty. They did everything in their power to make him happy, to possibly make him accept them a little more.

They'd compliment his strength, rant about how Killua was so much stronger than they were. How they'd never be able to attain his level of expertise! He knew it was all no more than frilly words to try and butter him up. But Killua couldn't deny that it was working.

He loved the praise, fed off it.

Killua loved having subordinates to walk all over, and now that these fools had witnessed his power for themselves and willingly thrown themselves beneath his boots, he had himself his own personal zoo.

"It was obvious that they knew they were outmatched," Killua continued, nose turned up as he recounted his most impressive missions to his new pets. "Yet they were still foolish enough to resist me. Their sense of pride was their downfall, they never stood a chance! It took under a second to eliminate their generals, and I had the priest reduced to a sack of bloodied flesh without even breaking a sweat."

"That's incredible, Sir Zoldyck!"

"They never stood a chance!"

"Your prowess never ceases to amaze me!"

Killua was all but purring, he grinned as his zoo animals showered him with praise. They begged for more stories, scooting closer like a crowd of pathetic little ducklings. Killua indulged them, he needed to keep his pets fed if he wanted to keep them happy and fat. The more dogs tagging along at his ankles the better!

"Do you not know how to dance, Jispa?" Gon giggled, watching as his friend stumbled to keep up with him.

"Uh, not really, I guess," he admitted with a laugh. The two of them were in the center of the dance floor, surrounded by other celebratory Wingmates. Upbeat music set Gon's heart racing, his feet begged to sway to the beat of the drums!

Once all the hyper jumping and ale chugging had settled down into more casual dancing and pockets of storytelling and snacking, Gon had taken Jispa by the hands and tugged him to the center of the dancing ring.

"We dance all the time on Whale Island!" Gon chirped. "Our harvest festivals are the best in the entire world! But my favorite is the fishing season festival! We stay up all night dancing on the beach and paying tribute to the Gods of the sea! That one's my favorite cause it has my favorite dance number! Jispa, can I show you?!"

The taller male laughed light heartedly as Gon hopped up and down. His eyes were glimmering like a little kid's. It was insane to think that he was tied with Killua Zoldyck for current best Champion of the Tournament.

"I guess so, is it hard?" the blonde asked tentatively. He seriously wasn't a good dancer, he didn't wanna mess up Gon's Reservation's ceremonial tribute dance…

"No, it's not hard at all! Just follow my lead!" Gon declared, buzzing with excitement. They usually didn't have time for dancing on Whale Island, and while they'd have gatherings in the town square every other week to practice their dance numbers, those gatherings were often canceled because of Chimera interference or a need for overtime in the fields.

He was so happy to be able to teach his favorite dance to someone!

"You just step in a figure eight pattern!" Gon explained with a grin, tugging Jispa along in a series of swaying steps that moved to the beat of the drums and the song of the fiddle. "And every second pass, you spin your partner like this!" Jispa squeaked in surprise as Gon slung him around in a circle.

"Isn't it so fun?" Gon gushed, tugging Jispa along to the beat of the music.

"Yeah, it is kinda fun, actually," the older teen admitted with a grin.

"At the fishing season festival we have a whole bunch of drums and tambourines, the dance leader wears them on their ankles and wrists, and makes singnals for special moves in the dance with them! It's really fun, and super fast paced! It's a competition to see who can keep up with the dance leader for the longest time! Whoever does get good luck on their fishing trips that year, as well as a promise of fertility in the coming winter!"

"Fertility, huh?" Jispa asked, "What, it is a couple's dance or something?"

"Kind of!" Gon answered, twirling Jispa around again. "Like, if you're married or in a courtship then you dance with that person, but if not you just dance with whoever's closest to you! It's super fun! I've won the dance every year since I could walk! I won so often that they just made me the dance master so other people would finally be given a chance," Gon admitted with a snort.

Jispa barked a laugh, "Figures!"

Gon giggled, tugging his friend along through a few more intricate moves. He loved sharing Whale Island's traditions with other people! It was really such a fun and loving place to be!

…And that's exactly why Gon had to fight so hard to protect it.

It's why Gon couldn't let Killua intimidate him, and he had to stand his ground no matter what.

As he danced, he felt those burning eyes glaring into his back. Killua had been glaring at him a whole lot since they'd tied for first. He was trying to make Gon uncomfortable, trying to get in his head. But Gon wouldn't give him the satisfaction!

A window opened in the crowd of dancers, and Gon was given a glimpse to the corner of the room. Where Killua was perched like some petty little princess and surrounded by a group of groveling Champions. He was talking to his group, but he was also watching Gon. Glaring at him. Daring him to stay in his way.

Well, Gon glared right back at him! He stuck his tongue out at Killua from across the room, right before the crowd swallowed him back up.

Jispa sighed and shook his head, not having missed Gon's little exchange.

Killua had been entertained by his pets for the better part of two hours, but pretty soon he started to lose interest. He loved watching them bow before him and grovel like the dogs that they were, believe him.

But the longer the night dragged on, the stronger the itch in the back of his mind grew.

This was how people were supposed to behave in accordance to him. They were supposed to bow down and submit! Killua was the strong one around here, and clearly everyone else in the room knew it. The presence of these cowards showed it, as well as the way the others refused to meet Killua's eye.

They were scared of him.

They knew that sucking up to him was the only surefire way to get on his good side, but they were too proud to do so. It drove them mad, seeing others just submit and do what they so wished to do, but were too stubborn.

Killua respected that. How could he not? They were determined to fight Killua at full strength, not to submit till the bitter end. Not that it mattered, at all. They knew they would be marching straight into their deaths, the knowledge burned in their eyes when Killua would glance over at them.

He had every single Champion in this room tied around his finger.

Except for one person.

Gon Freecss.

Who also happened to be strong enough to keep up with Killua.

Gods, that pissed him off. He hated that! How the hell was this backlander strong enough to keep up with him?! He was the only one who didn't treat Killua with the respect he commanded. And it was driving Killua up a wall. Gon wasn't afraid of Killua, and he wasn't afraid to show it.

Entertaining his zoo sent Killua buzzing with glee, but when the initial glow faded, all it managed to do was remind Killua of the one person that was acting out of turn. There was this awful itch in the back of Killua's mind, an itch that existed because of Gon Freecss.

He refused to submit to Killua! And it was making the silver haired male so inexplicably angry! Killua didn't want these men before him, no. He wanted to see Gon knelt at his feet like this, whining beneath him and telling Killua how much better he was than him.

Killua couldn't beat Gon in in combat, and it was making him so fucking mad.

He refused to accept that Gon was better than him! Yeah! Gon wasn't fucking better than him! And Killua wanted to see him say it! He wanted to see him bend and break, he wanted Gon rolling around with these dogs.

The only way to prove himself better than Gon Freecss was to have him as a pet.

Killua just had to fucking show this asshole who was boss! Yeah! Gon wasn't better than him, and Killua would prove it to him! He just had to fucking put him in his place. Show him why Killua was the strong one.

Gon really should have expected that the party would turn into another fight with Killua Zoldyck.

Everything had been fine for the first couple of hours. There had been jumping around like psycho paths for half the time, and then energetic dancing. Half the Wingmates were wildly drunk about then, so things were really starting to get interesting.

Gon had steered clear of Killua, and Killua had steered clear of him.

Gon had danced like crazy with Jispa, Uvogin, and Nickes, and Abengane had even given him a turn on the fiddle at one point! That had been so fun! Gon loved playing, and he'd been so excited to show off his skills!

Him and Jispa had been clapping to the beat of Abengane's solo, cheering him on and making sure that everyone knew that he was their friend! Ikalgo had blown out half the candles, and it felt like a crazy dancing club right in their living room!

When Abengane had finished his song, everyone had completely freaked out! It had been so awesome! But then it had gotten even more awesome, cause Abengane had then beckoned Gon to come up to the center circle!

They'd been talking about how the both of them could play the fiddle when they'd first met, and Abengane had remembered! He'd passed the instrument off to Gon, and Gon giddily took the spotlight! He'd played a couple of the songs Ging had taught him back on Whale Island, all the while dancing around the circle and getting everyone to cheer and scream like crazy!

Once he'd finished everybody had picked Gon up and passed him around the room like a trophy! It had been so awesome!

Abengane had taken the fiddle back, and the dancing music had started back up again. However, there was one downside to being passed around in the crowd… Killua was a part of that crowd.

"You're a little badass, ya know that?!" Uvo boomed as he passed Gon off to the next set of hands before taking Shalnark by the hands and twirling off into the dance circle. Gon giggled, feeling light as a feather from all the fun and the praise. He'd been passed to the edge of the crowd, and he was getting ready to get down and weasel his way back to the center when–

"Yes, such a badass," a familiar voice purred into his ear. Gon squeaked as a new pair of arms took up his weight, but rather than passing him along like a wave on the ocean, this person took Gon in their arms and held him against their chest like a baby. It was Killua.

"You play it just the mountain hicks father sent me to assassinate three seasons ago," the Zoldyck snorted condescendingly, pulling Gon close and digging his fingers painfully into the shorter male's legs.

Gon frowned, and squirmed his way out of Killua's arms. His feet hit the ground, and he tried to back away, he wasn't sure what Killua wanted but ever since they'd tied at the Event he'd been looking at him all funny–

"Where are you going?" the Zoldyck asked, a wicking smirk crawling onto his face. "It's rude to deny someone a dance."

Gon cried out in pain as Killua interlaced their fingers and squeezed hard on the pressure point between the thumb and index finger. The silver haired boy yanked him close, gripping Gon's hand in that awful hold and hooking his other thumb through the belt loop of Gon's shorts.

Killua aggressively tugged Gon onto the dance floor. Gon glared up at him. What was Killua doing? He'd been a jerk to him all day today, why did he suddenly want to dance?

"What do you want, Killua?" Gon asked angrily. This was supposed to be a fun party! Now Killua was ruining it by tugging him around and– OW! He was pinching that pressure point again–

"Where do you get off, huh?" the taller male growled, leaning down and getting in Gon's face. His grip was like iron, he tugged Gon around like he was some sort of rag doll. There was no room to run away, Gon was trapped following Killua's lead.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Gon complained, trying and failing to pull out of Killua's grip.

"Don't you have any idea who I am?" Killua snarled, whipping Gon around in a circle. His grip on Gon's hand was iron clad, and the raven had to stumble after him as Killua pulled him around by his belt loop.

Gon rolled his eyes, "You're Killua Zoldyck, I'm not stupid."

"Really?" Killua's voice was like death. He leaned in close, looming over Gon and forcing him to back away to keep their noses from touching. "Do you really? Who do you think you are, humiliating me like that?"

Gon could feel Killua's breath against his lips, he didn't like it. Killua was too close, and it was making his stomach feel all weird. His eyes were really blue, Gon hadn't noticed how vibrant they were until he'd been this close up.

"I really don't understand what your problem is with me," Gon snapped, "You've been harassing me since I got here! And how did I humiliate you? We just tied for first, why is that such a big deal?"

Killua's eyebrow twitched, and then he chuckled low in his throat. "You're not scared of me?" His eyes had this dangerous light in them that made the space between Gon's shoulder blades prickle. That look was murder. He tugged Gon closer, stepping in quick rhythm with the music, spinning every several steps.
Gon blinked, confused. "No? Why should I be? You're no better than any of us! You're a Champion just like we all are!"

Killua leaned in close growling directly into Gon's ear, "No, you've got it wrong. I'm different from the rest of you filth. You don't seem to understand my role here. But you will. I'll make sure of it," Killua spat.

Gon's nose wrinkled when Killua's spit sprayed his ear. The taller male twirled him one last time, and then shoved him away. Gon stumbled backwards, glaring at Killua's stupid smirking face as the silver haired male vanished in the crowd.

"Gon!" cried Jispa, appearing at his side at an instant, steadying his shoulder so he didn't fall. "Why were you dancing with Killua?!"

Gon just kept glaring off in Killua's direction, to where he knew the taller male was back to his chair with Knuckle, Shoot, and all those other guys who were sucking up to him.

That dance Killua had led him in… it had been the one Gon had taught Jispa.

But why…?

"I wasn't dancing with Killua," Gon sighed, shaking his head and forcing himself to stop thinking about that stupid jerk. "Killua was dancing with me, or rather, trying to threaten me again."

Jispa blinked in confusion, "Really? It looked like the two of you were doing the dance from the fishing season festival, so I just assumed…"

"We were," Gon mused, shoulders stiffening when he felt the return of Killua's steely glare against the nape of his neck. "I don't know why he did that. I think he was trying to show me that he's better than me? I'm not sure. Come on, I wanna drink some more!"

Gon tugged Jispa over to Ikalgo was with the keg. He was sick of Killua spoiling his fun! If he got buzzed enough, then he wouldn't be able to feel those burning eyes anymore.