Five years later

Maybe if he closed his eyes and opened them up again, he would find out that it had all been nothing more than a nightmare, pretend images flickering through his mind that could never do either of them any harm.

He couldn't see the Zoldyck estate from the forest, fog and low-hanging branches obscuring his vision. But he knew that one day, one day very soon, he would need to face it again.

A piercing wind hit him, but he felt nothing. The warm presence that had been by his side for so long had been snatched from him and held captive.

With that thought numbing his mind, he took out his cell phone. He knew which name he would have dialed without question when he was younger – but he was better at making decisions now.

…

Kurapika's phone vibrated in his pocket just after he buckled his seatbelt, prepared to drive back to the palace. Caught up in his brooding once again, he had half a mind to ignore it. But, he reasoned with himself, it was possible that the queen had something important to tell him.

When he pulled out his phone, he paused in shock at the name flashing across his screen - Killua Zoldyck. When had been the last time they'd actually spoken? Four years ago?

Returning to his senses, he immediately picked up. "Killua? It's been a while. How's everything going?"

Before Kurapika had even finished his last breath, Killua had already begun speaking. "I'm coming to Kakin in a few days. Is it okay if I stay at your place? It's really important."

Kurapika stilled. Killua sounded so…different. It wasn't just that his voice had gotten a bit deeper over the years. No. It was the fact that he sounded like a lifeless corpse barely clinging to life. His words were slow and hollow, and Kurapika imagined blank blue eyes staring into an abyss. "Of course you can. But what's going on? Are you and Alluka okay – ?"

"I'll explain everything when I see you." Killua abruptly disconnected the call, leaving Kurapika stunned.

And now, he had no choice but to wait for Killua's arrival.

…..

The ring of the doorbell sounded throughout Kurapika's apartment. Kurapika, who had been waiting beside the door, opened it without any hesitation.

The afternoon sunlight washed over Killua, highlighting his features. His sapphire eyes glowed with a forced calm, reminding Kurapika of himself. The angles of his cheekbones were sharper than when he had been a child, and his form was taller and leaner now.

But some things never seemed to change, and Killua's sense of style was definitely one of them. Kurapika let slip a rare smile as he took in Killua's ever voluminous hair and the deep gray button-down that had been paired with crimson jeans.

But then he realized what was missing. "You didn't bring Alluka with you."

Killua placed his hands in his pockets, grimacing at the doorstep. "I have a lot to tell you."

…

Killua propped his elbow on the arm of Kurapika's black leather sofa, his fingers curving against his temple. Kurapika placed a steaming cup of tea on the small glass table before Killua, the scent of honey permeating the air. Killua watched as Kurapika took a seat next to him, a million questions written all over his face.

"You haven't changed much, even though you're an old man now," Killua said, looking Kurapika up and down. He still had the sort of elegant appearance that Killua would never be able to pull off even if he tried. His pointed chin and nose were balanced out by the blond locks that fell just above his shoulders, and his black suit and tie were crisp and perfectly tailored.

Kurapika's smoky gray eyes observed Killua with some amusement. "Twenty-three isn't that old. But eighteen certainly is when you compare it to thirteen."

Killua smiled for the first time in days. "If that was an attempt at a joke, it failed miserably."

Whispers of a tender smile played at the edges of Kurapika's lips. "So it seems." His smile loosened into a slight frown. "So. What's been going on, Killua?"

Killua reveled in how normal it felt to be by Kurapika's side again. There were no awkward silences, no hard feelings or moments of tension.

He had last seen Kurapika in person in Yorknew City five years ago. The last time he had spoken to him over the phone, Killua had been fourteen and Kurapika had been nineteen. Kurapika had called to ask if Killua knew anyone who would be interested in helping him with his mission on the voyage to the Dark Continent. He hadn't had time to discuss much else with Killua, but he had definitely seemed happy to hear from him during their short conversation.

After trying to call Kurapika a few times after that to no avail, he had given up on trying to contact him in that way. Instead, he had sent Kurapika an email shortly after their phone call, describing his adventures with Alluka and asking how the journey to the Dark Continent was going. He honestly hadn't expected to get a reply back.

But, six months later, Kurapika had replied. Killua had opened the message to find several long paragraphs addressing everything that Killua had mentioned in his email. And so Killua had sent another email, and Kurapika had sent another one back a year later. This had occurred twice more, with Kurapika sending emails on both Killua's seventeenth and eighteenth birthdays. He knew he was lucky to have gotten four messages out of Kurapika in four years, seeing as he certainly wasn't one to prioritize keeping in touch with his friends.

But Killua couldn't hold it against him like Leorio did. He understood that Kurapika had his fair share of burdens and needed more time to deal with them than the world could offer him.

And so, with no grudges interfering with his friendship, he explained why he was here.

…

"They took Alluka." Kurapika didn't need to ask who "they" were. It was obvious from the way that Killua trembled, biting his lip so hard that he drew blood. He ran his hands through his hair, mussing it up so that his tresses fell this way and that, looking completely lost.

Kurapika waited for him to continue speaking, knowing from past experience that Killua tended to need time to collect his thoughts when distressed.

"I made a deal to get Alluka back unharmed." Killua's shoulders slumped down, his neck following. "They want me to find a bride and become the heir."

And now Kurapika knew why Killua was in Kakin, so close to the palace that housed a selection of royal women to choose from.

Kurapika grasped Killua's arm, perhaps a bit too tightly. "There has to be a way out of this. I won't allow it to happen –"

"Look, I'm not risking Alluka's life right now. I'll just escape after the wedding. It won't be that hard." Kurapika's heart stung at the stone cold look in Killua's sapphire eyes and the harsh edges of his clenched jawline.

"What kind of friend would I be if I just stood by and watched this happen to you – ?"

He stopped mid-sentence when Killua let out a humorless laugh. "I know it's all messed up. Believe me, I know. But maybe something good can come from all of this if we don't interfere."

Before Kurapika could even begin to ponder that statement, his phone rang.

He answered it in a daze. "Queen Oito? Yes, I can still pick Woble up from school. I'll be there soon."

When he hung up, he turned to Killua. "I'm sorry that this is happening to you. I really am. We can talk more about it later." He paused, studying the forced calm in Killua's eyes again. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

…

While Kurapika was gone, Killua decided to, of course, snoop around the apartment.

He opened the fridge and found that it was reasonably stocked with healthy food – things like grapes and whole-wheat bread and low-fat milk. But it didn't make sense – Kurapika didn't look like he was eating much at all lately.

He wandered over to Kurapika's bedroom, noting that his bed was actually made. While that would be an accomplishment for Killua on any given day, it was simply characteristic of Kurapika to keep his environment tidy.

He looked around some more. The bookshelf didn't contain nearly enough books to keep your average bookworm satisfied. He opened the drawers at random, only finding items of clothing and work documents.

It wasn't until he'd made his way back to the living room that he finally realized what else was off about Kurapika's apartment. Where were the photos on the walls? Where were the decorations? These were small things, but Killua felt the impact of their absence.

Then, he heard a click coming from the front door and the sound of a child's sweet voice chattering away, Kurapika's soothing replies coaxing a giggle out of her.

The door opened. Kurapika entered, a four-year-old girl with blonde curls tugging at his sleeve. She looked over at Killua with ocean blue eyes, her tiny face alight with excitement. "Kurapika, Kurapika! Is that him?"

He gently eased her bright pink backpack off of her shoulders. "Yes, Woble. This is the friend I was telling you about," he said, exchanging amused glances with Killua.

"Okay."

It wasn't that difficult for a smile to rise to Killua's lips. "Hi, Woble. My name's Killua."

She took a few moments to study Killua, surprisingly deep in thought. "You're cute," she concluded after some time.

Killua blinked in surprise, and Kurapika's cough sounded suspiciously like a laugh. "Well, anyways, let's get you something to eat."

"Do you want some help?" Killua asked, noticing the sleepiness in Kurapika's eyes.

"Thank you, Killua, but this won't take long."

Woble ran to the couch and clambered onto it, fiddling with the remote until a popular children's show about talking animals came on.

Grinning, Killua entered the kitchen and saw Kurapika placing a straw in one of those tiny juice boxes that children often brought to school. He swiftly pulled bread, turkey, and cheese out of the fridge before speaking. "I still can't believe she said that." His eyes sparkled almost as much as they had when Killua had first met him.

Killua leaned against the counter, watching Kurapika assemble the sandwich. "I should have expected it," Killua said jokingly. "I don't know if I've ever mentioned it, but I've been popular with the ladies lately. Not that I can return their feelings or anything, but still."

Kurapika sliced the sandwich in half. "That's not too surprising to hear. You have a very striking appearance."

Killua stilled for a moment at how nonchalantly Kurapika had said it.

"You know, I remembered something while we were walking back here." Kurapika examined Killua closely. "You never mentioned Gon in any of your emails. Why is that?"

Killua immediately broke eye contact. "We don't talk anymore."

Kurapika looked at him expectantly, but Killua remained quiet, a secret on his lips.

…

A striking appearance. If anyone had a striking appearance, it was Kurapika, at least in Killua's opinion. He'd never really thought about it before, but Kurapika resembled one of those princes in the storybooks that Alluka used to read at Woble's age.

Speaking of Woble, she had fallen asleep on the sofa, and Kurapika had placed a blanket over her, tenderly brushing her wild curls out of her eyes as he had done so.

Killua and Kurapika sat side by side on a different couch, talking quietly. "Are you sure she's not . . . you know . . ." Killua said, trying to hide his grin and failing.

"What?"

"Let me put it this way. You've spent tons of time around Oito. And Woble's hair is the same shade as yours. I can put two and two together."

Kurapika's lips trembled as he held back a laugh. "You do realize that she was already born by the time I started working for Oito, right?"

Killua's grin turned into a faint smile. "In all seriousness, I don't think she could have asked for a better guard. You're great with kids."

"I've always done my best," Kurapika said, returning the smile. Killua's gaze lingered on his. And even after Kurapika looked away, he continued to stare, taking in the ethereal beauty that was ever present despite the tension that always resided in his delicate face.

And it was then that Killua decided to make a reckless decision.