Keys dropped into a small dish loudly causing a stir in the small house hidden on a hilltop. "Big Brother, you're back!" Called an increasingly deeper little voice from the front room, seated on the couch, braiding long black hair.
Walking through the door in partially tattered clothing was a lanky white haired boy with sapphire eyes that seemed to never leave a downward gaze. He didn't say a word, just stood in the doorway, pulling a large wad of cash out of his pocket, and shoving it into a drawer by the front door.
"Are you home for a while this time?" the small voice asked from the living room, lifting herself up off the couch, and walking over to the boy by the door. "It's - been a long time since you've been home." She continued, bringing her finger below his chin to raise his gaze to meet her eyes. "Big Brother?" she asked.
Killua sighed. "I'm home, Alluka. I don't think i'll be called for anything for a while."
The young girl smiled up at her older brother, grabbing him around the chest tightly, and hugging him close. "Good! I've been wanting to show you what I've made! It's really quite incredible." The young woman said. She looked up into his eyes again, and saw just how sullen he was. "Big Brother?" She spoke interrogatively again. "What's the matter, big brother?" she asked.
The young man's eyes flashed once, and turned away from his sister's gaze. "It's nothing, I'm sorry to worry you." He said, using everything in him to force a smile on his face. "I'm going to take a shower, and then i'd love to see what you've made." He said, easing away from the hug.
The young woman pulled away, and smiled with a small chuckle, before folding her hands together behind her, and swaying on her heels. "I'll get it ready for you."
Kicking off his shoes, Killua made his way down the hallway, and pushed open the bathroom door. Alluka always had a real incredible talent of changing the atmosphere for her brother. It was difficult to find anything to be excited about these days. Hiding away from most of his family made working challenging. Assassin work, hunter work, whatever brought money in, even if it meant petty competitions. He was thankful for the nearby market that provided what the two of them needed in life. Alluka had even gotten used to making trips there on her own, purchasing what she needed to make meals for herself, and keep herself entertained while he was off on long jobs. The charm continued in the bathroom, a neatly cleaned fluffy towel laid gentle on the counter top, lined with an assortment of chiseled shaped soap bars. Killua's face lifted on one side, as he closed the door behind him, and peeled off his frayed shirt.
He hadn't really experienced many problems with the electricity and his clothing before, but lately, and possibly in response to strengthening his skills, his clothing started to fray and tatter gently more and more every time he used his Nen. Killua kicked off his shorts, and peeled off his socks, and walked over to the shower, squeaking it on, and putting a hand under the warm running water. God there was nothing like this sensation. Warm water running through his finger tips, causing his pale skin to lift a colony of goosebumps. Once it reached the desired temperature, the young man stepped under the falling water, and instantly a sigh released from his tired body. His muscles released overdue tension, causing him to slump over and stretch out his back. He brought himself back up slowly vertebrae by vertebrae, until he twisted at his hips causing his back to crack a little. "MMMmmmmmm" He moaned, his white long hair folding over his face, pooling water over his pale cheeks.
Once the boy had cleaned and scrubbed through every callassed part of his body, he stopped the water, and shook out his long hair. Surely, over the years, it was likely time for him to think about changing his looks. It had been several years growing out the long platinum blond that had started to grow out in a similar style to his oldest brother, one Killua despised with everything in him. His boyish long hair had sort of matured as time went on. As did his body, and his muscular shape. Killua stepped out of the shower, and grabbed a towel from the stack on the counter top, rubbing it over his head to fully dry off his hair, before wrapping the towel around his waist.
Killua observed his reflection in the mirror, looking at his hair longer than anything else. It needed to change. The young man reached into the hidden cabinet behind the mirror, for a pair of scissors, and a buzzer, and made a quick decision. It was time for things to change.
THE KITCHEN illuminated brilliantly as a golden pie was pulled from the oven by the young woman who'd slaved over making it. Not knowing when her brother would return from his trips made her days long, and a guess of when to celebrate, so baking had become something she did frequently. Coming home to freshly baked goods was one of his favorite things, and because of that, Alluka made it her mission to bake as often as she could, in order to have the chance of surprising her older brother with something brilliant. Alluka closed the cookbook on the counter, and slid it beside the others on her shelf, before placing the pie in the center of the small dining table in their kitchen, noticing that the flowers in the vase were beginning to wilt. "Oh-" She choked, pulling the vase into her hands, and pruning back some of the wilting leaves. She brought the vase to the counter top, and from a small jar in the windowsill, she poured a small dose of a sugarlike serum into the vase, and gave a small giggle. She placed the vase back down on the table top, placing her hands out before her as if to steady it all. "Perfect." she whispered to herself.
Alluka rustled through the cabinets to pull out a couple of plates, and some forks, and brought down two glasses, walking over to the ice box, and pulling from it some fresh moo milk, and serving a small glass for both herself and her brother. She put every article away as she went, and walked over to the table, sitting in her seat, and awaited her brother's return with patience.
A large sum of white hair filled the sink and his palms. Was this - alright? Killua looked up in the mirror, keeping a familiar length up at the top of his hair, but going much shorter than ever had at the sides, and around his head. He'd never done anything like this before. He emptied his hands of the hair completely into the sink, and then ran a fresh towel over his new cut, cleaning off any long missed loose hair. This was going to have to work. Doing everything he could to clean the long hair out of the sink, Killua placed it all into the dryer towel, and closed it together like a bindle. TIghtening the hold on his towel around his waist, Killua scooped up the old clothing off the ground, and walked out of the bathroom, across the hallway and into the shared bedroom between him and his sister, it too, an immaculate work of art. The bed they shared was made, sheets pressed and the quilt folded gently at the top. The pillows looked freshly plump, and it was inviting to the tired young man.
Killua threw his old clothing into a pile on the floor next to their closet, and pulled down a black t-shirt from his side of the closet, pulling it over his torso. His towel dropped from his waste as he walked to the other side of the room, reaching into the drawers for some shorts, pulling them over his legs, and tying them at his waste. He brought the towel with his loose hair back into his arms, as he walked out of the bedroom, and back into the living room, noticing Alluka peering out the window at the dining table, but once she heard his footsteps, meeting his gaze.
Her eyes widened, and she rose from the table. "Big Brother!" she spoke running to him as quickly as she could. "You cut your hair! It looks amazing!" she said, reaching up to touch the new length, feeling the gentle brush under her hand where he'd cut it short. "Why did you cut your hair?" she wondered, reaching to the towel in his hands.
Forcefully, he swung it out of her direction. "Just - was growing too long." Killua admitted. The look in his eyes were - empty. There wasn't any excitement, assurement, anything.
Alluka reached again for the towel he'd jerked away from her. "Big Brother, please, let me take that." She said calmly. She could see the emptiness in his eyes. The pain he'd likely held even from himself. Something had grown over him lately, something she could sense, even only been reunited with him for a couple short years. "Come with me." she said, turning over her shoulder, having successfully grabbed the towel away from Killua.
It took the young man a moment to move, but when he did he could see just what was in store for him. There was something about sugar that made Killua feel a wave of joy. A small smile rose on his lips as he watched his sister disappear around the corner for a moment, into their laundry room, and then peek right back out to say "Surprise," with a giggle. With giddy she padded back to the table, and sat down once again, putting an arm out for her brother to join her. "I made apple cinnamon pie, it's from the cookbook you got from Gon."
Killua froze. His name. He hadn't heard it in so long. His chest felt tight for a moment, and he staggered a breath in.
Alluka watched his struggle for a moment. "I've admittedly had it once before when you weren't here, it's very good. I think you'll really like it." She stood from her seat, reaching out for her brother's hand.
There was an emptiness in his life now. He pushed the hands of his sister away from him as he strayed to the table, and sat down across from her, staring down at the perfectly sliced pie on the plate. His elbow slammed down on the table to catch his head. "Gon." He whispered. His best friend. His light. An image of the boy who'd changed his life flashed before him for a long moment, and soon tears trailed down his cheeks.
The days had come and gone, and she could tell her brother was feeling things heavier and heavier. The day they left Gon to his own adventure seemingly killed him further than he could ever express. The way he'd spend time on his own, asking for space, looking at himself in reflections in water, mirrors, anything, just - unsure of who he was. She knew it all to be his own personal hell. "Big brother, i'm sorry, I didn't know this-"
"No." Killua said, eyes shut, rubbing his face on his shirt before lifting it to face her again. "I'm really happy you made this." he said, forcing another partial smile. "Thank you, Alluka." he said, reaching for his fork, and scooping up a bite, bringing it into his mouth. His eyes melted, closing again as he sighed out with pleasure. "MMmmmmmm, thif if amafim." he said through the bite, watching a bright smile lift on Alluka's face. Killua brought the rest of the pie slice into his mouth, bite by bite, and finally leaning back when he finished, bringing his glass of milk into his hands and slouching in his chair. "You've really become an incredible baker." he offered another smile.
Alluka's face lit up with a bright smile, as she started to indulge in her own piece of pie. She couldn't keep her eyes off of him, and his new look. He had made himself surprisingly clean looking, a fresh cut always seemed to do that. She couldn't tell if it made him happier at all. Any ounce of happiness always seemed so much brighter in him these days. "Where did work take you this time?" Alluka asked, leaning over the table. "Any stories?"
Killua smiled, sipping his milk and leaning in too. "I got to patrol the festival of majesty. It was just as amazing as you'd ever imagine." the young woman's eyes lit as Killua began to explain just how incredible his latest adventure was. Talking about the dining, the festivities, and of course, his capture, his mission. She was intrigued as ever, leaning in and fawning over the incredible story telling. "I will take you next time." Killua finished. "We'll see it all together."
And the words he spoke suddenly brought Alluka back. He'd made that promise before. He'd told her that they'd do everything together from here on out, but it didn't feel that way not now, not ever. Not since when they first ran away together. Alluka sunk back in her seat, her smile fading into a small one, as she sat back and enjoyed more pie. "I hope so." She spoke, a giggle leaving her lips as she took a small sip of her milk.
Killua could sense her uneasiness, and he could tell where it came from, but instead of addressing it, he uncomfortably shifted in his seat. Clearing his throat he took another sip of milk. "So uhm, did anything exciting happen here?" he asked nervously.
Alluka pushed some pie around her plate a little. "There was a new vendor in town last week. He was selling some interesting fruits. I was able to sample some of them, but they were more expensive than I was willing to spend on it." She explained.
"We have plenty of money." Killua reminded her.
"I know, but, I just thought if you couldn't have any, it wouldn't be worth the money."
"Alluka, if you ever want anything, ever, at any time, no matter what it costs, you can buy it."
Alluka nodded. "I know." she said. "I just didn't want to have it, if I couldn't have it with you." She said, smiling shyly.
A long moment passed, and neither Killua nor Alluka spoke another word. After a moment of thought, Killua put his glass down and reached over for her hand. "Would you like to see if they're still in town? We can go to the market right now and see." He said, another half smile sneaking up on his face.
Alluka's shrunken chest straightened and a brilliant smile returned to her face. "You mean it?" she asked. "Take me, Big Brother!" she asked.
Killua smiled, "Of course, Alluka." Killua pushed himself up from his seat, and started to walk over to the room again. Meanwhile Alluka took the plates off the table, returned her unfinished pie to the counter, and placed Killua's plate into the sink, running water over it, and washing away the pie remains. She quickly washed and dried all the dishes that needed it and promptly put them away.
Soon enough Killua returned with a hooded jacket pulled over him, and a pair of shoes on his feet, and in his hand a long hooded coat for Alluka to wear. "Here wear this." He said, handing it to her. Alluka finished drying her hands off on a towel, and reached out for the coat, pulling it over her arms, and pulling the hood over her head. As she finished getting ready, she looked over at her brother with a large smile.
Together, the siblings climbed up a ladder out of their hidden house and Killua locked the latch behind him, the two of them started down the hill side, traveling through a dark tunnel with a dirt path through it, silent as always, and made their way to the market. Alluka put her hands out beside her, buzzing around and whizzing around like a plane, looking back at her brother with his pockets filled with his hands, as he walked slowly behind her, watching her with no expression. "Big Brother, Carry me!" she said, walking over to him and leaping onto his back.
Killua smiled, and caught her as she landed in place. "Of course, Alluka." She nuzzled into the back of his hood, wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He picked up his pace a little, lifting Alluka higher up his back. The walk was a lengthy one, but it never felt long compared to the journeys the two had been on. But the moment Killua was able to see the marketplace, something stopped him in his tracks.
He noticed them outside of everyone in the whole marketplace first, as if their resemblance was different than any other company he'd ever met. "What is going on here." Killua dropped his arms, and Alluka dropped down to her feet.
Alluka came around her brother and looked up at him. ""Is- something wrong big brother?" she asked, reaching for his arm.
Killua froze in his place for a moment, swallowing hard before continuing forward. "Yes." He spoke. Alluka reached for her brother's hand and closed her around it, getting very close behind him and walking slowly.
A pair of eyes locked on Killua as he approached, causing him to quietly choke back a sound.
"Killua Zoldyck." The man said, looking down on him and Alluka behind him.
Killua rose his head, meeting the man's gaze, putting a hand in his pocket. "Who led you here?" He said through gritted teeth.
"Your assistance has been requested for a CA level threat, your departure is requested immediately." he reached an arm out, passing a rolled up message to the young man.
Killua released his grip on a yoyo in his pocket, and took hold of the paper. CA level threat? How could this be. The last time anything of this calibur happened, there were an alarming level of casualties of some of the strongest hunters around the world.
"Details are inscribed in the letter."
Killua took a tighter hold on Alluka's hand as he held the parchment close to his chest. The man said no more words, and simply walked away.
"Big Brother, who was that?" she asked.
Killua came back, looking over at his sister. "I- don't know." he answered, taking his first step forward in a while toward the marketplace.