I did my best. So if it doesn't seem good enough, I apologize in advance. Thanks for reading, though! :) Just bear with this a little more and it will get better, i hope. ciao!

"Let's see…how do we go about this? Hmm…let's keep it simple. Let's play hide-and-seek. I'm gonna hide and you're gonna come find me. Understand, squirt? Alright, here I go,"

He was three years old and his father had taken him outside the house for the first time for a new kind of training. The black-haired man grinned widely at him, said those words and disappeared from his sight. His father then forbade him from coming back to the house until he had won the game. That was the first time he had met Ging Freecss. It took him a year and a half to see him again. That was when Killua mastered stealth.

"Man, took you long enough, you little brat! Hmm…here, tiny brats your age guzzle this stuff all the time, right?"

He was four years old and his eyes widened in childish amazement as he turned over the colorful box in his dirt covered hands. What is this?

The man crossed his arms and raised a brow. It's shaped like a robot. Some toy children play. But that's not what I'm talking about. Go ahead and pop it open from the top.

It took a little more coaxing from Ging before he did as he was told (he didn't want to ruin it) and out rolled a brown little ball into his pudgy little hand. He looked up again at the man, who was giving him an impatient look, Eat it, you little brat! Goddamn, so slow! I bet my son is smarter than you!

That was the first chocolate he ever ate. It was delicious and his cheeks warmed with innocent glee, tipping the box over his mouth that his cheeks puffed. He closed his eyes as he savored the sweet taste. And then he felt a fist drop on his head most painfully. I didn't tell you to eat all of it, brat! I'm just standing here empty handed and you don't even offer me one? How rude! Learn to share, you little asshole!

They fought over the last piece left, which Ging won when the older man bit his hand off the box. He grinned triumphantly as he chewed on the last chocolate, the four year old looking up at him with tears welling in his eyes and clutching his bitten hand. Nothing tastes better than the last bite! He exclaimed mockingly. The little kid glared, swearing the most painful revenge against the old man.

Ging knelt down to his level, gave him a small smile and ruffled his hair, Good job today, Killua. You can go home now. I'll see you tomorrow. Come find me anytime.

A few years later, he would look back at that one moment and recognize it as the first time he ever felt happiness.

And when he got to learn Nen, he realized that Ging had thrown that game.

Killua fixed his boots, dressed in his casual clothes again, consisting of a black tank top and baggy shorts, opting to leave his skateboard since he'd be walking through the forest. It was a normal excursion, he convinced himself. He's just going to take a walk in his house's backyard, so what if it happened to be a forest? It's pretty normal stuff. He's definitely not going to see that kid who looked like Ging. No, thank you. The kid was boring, he was nothing special and Killua was definitely not interested in him. No, sir, he's not going out just to see him at all.

"Kil, where are you going?!" his mother's annoying voice erupted from behind him. "You're still grounded!" Another reason why it's better outside. It seems taking jobs is not enough payment for attempting to run away twice.

Since he got home yesterday, it was back to the torture chamber with him. Milluki had come in to vent some stress by whipping him all though the night, though he did not remember much since he had slept through most of it. When he woke up, the pig was gone and his arms did not even get tired from being dangled all night. So he broke out of his chains, and decided that he could do so much better with his day than spend it with the pig.

He turned away from the door to shoot his mother an irritated glare, earning a satisfied smile from his mother and a glare back from Kalluto who disliked Killua being disrespectful to his beloved mother. "If you follow me, I'll kill you," he threatened in a cold voice before pushing the door open and disappearing.

"Ahh~ My Kil is so cruel~" Kikyo beamed as she went back into the house, "Let's have some snacks, Kalluto. Mother is happy today~"

Kalluto rolled his eyes, following his mother. That probably meant he'd have acid in his pies again, or more like pies in acid. Sometimes his mother doesn't even bother concealing them anymore.

When he was a kid, he used to run around the forest all day in order to escape his mother and the pig. It had been good training. It made him learn to mask his presence even before he learned Nen.

Killua walked at his own leisure, kicking a rock in front of him to occupy his time. Hands in his pocket, he glanced around the trees lining the beaten path inside the forest. Today was a bright sunny day. He actually liked taking a walk, and he certainly wasn't going out of his way to look for a certain apprentice butler. Besides, what are the chances that they'd meet at all? If he sees him, he'll just tell him off. Gon should be obligated to obey. Killua's his master, after all, and Gon is a mere servant.

"Gon-kun, take it easy today, will you?"

"Ehh~ It's just a scratch. And Tsubone-baa keeps on cooing over me in the sick-bay, I couldn't sleep a wink!"

A girly giggle, "That's just how she is when the servants are injured! I remember she lovingly spoon-fed Ging-san when he was accidentally poisoned,"

"I think I'm staying with Zebro-san and Seaquant-san for the time being,"

And he certainly did not just hide behind a tree when he heard a certain apprentice butler's voice. He did not realize he was already near Canary's post. And the boy was there, chatting with her like nothing's wrong with the world. His right arm was covered in bandages. God knows what the hell he got himself into in less than a day since he last saw him. He's an idiot anyway. Killua thought that he better casually walk out there and apologize to Canary for almost killing her some months ago. She'd always been nice to him. He should do that, but why the hell wouldn't he move out of his hiding spot?

He snuck a glance back at the two servants, but only found Canary standing there, very much alone, brows knitted in worry. Gon was nowhere in sight. He did not even realize that they'd stop talking. Deliberating what he should do next, Killua's eyes widened when he came face to face with the upside-down face of a widely grinning apprentice butler.

"Yo, Killua! Looking for me?" Gon greeted with a big bright smile. He was currently hanging upside-down from a low-hanging branch above Killua, legs wrapped around the thick branch, arms crossed in his chest. A fishing pole was strapped to his back.

"When did you get there?!" Killua was positively alarmed, pushing back further into the tree, but found that it does not afford him even a feet of space between his and the other teen's face. Their faces were too close for Killua to feel comfortable.

"Before you tried to sneak a glance at us? But I've known you were coming since a mile away," the servant answered with an innocent enough expression that Killua can't help but believe him. That's saying something because he's pathologically distrustful of others. "You smell," Gon added with a gesture to his nose.

Killua narrowed his eyes. He doesn't smell! He took a bath before he came here! He didn't even break a sweat despite walking out in the sun. He drew a deep breath to check. "I don't smell,"

Gon pouted, shaking his head, "You do!" he insisted, "You actually smell the sweetest out of all the people here! More so than the girls!"

Killua's cheeks reddened in indignation. Was he just told he smelled like a girl by such a naïve looking person? "Wha-," not the first time the other's actions had rendered him speechless, "I do not! What are you on about?!"

"Well, if you'd stop eating too much-," Gon suddenly grabbed Killua's collar and pulled him closer, Killua reacting very much like a cat whose tail got stepped on, "-chocolates, I think you wouldn't smell so sweet," he released him, Killua clutching his erratically beating heart as he slumped back against the tree, face flushed.

"You're weird! I'm leaving!" he pushed back Gon's face and walked away, going into the forest.

"Eh~ But didn't you come here to look for me?" Gon asked as he clutched his face. Killua had some pretty sharp nails.

Killua glared back, hands shoved in his pockets, "Don't be absurd! Why would I go out of my way to see a servant?! I don't have that much free time!"

"You're grounded. You do,"

"Tsk." Of course, the servants are informed about that. It wouldn't be the first time he had broken out of isolation and who else would be tasked to find him if not the servants. "The hell…" Killua suddenly got an idea.

The branch fell.

Gon's head hit a rock on his way down, and he sat up, rubbing the smarting bump, "That hurt, Killua." He whined. He sensed it, but he was too amazed that Killua could morph and whip his hand out so fast that he didn't get to react at all.

"Serves you right," Killua turned and left, sliding off a small cliff, despite Gon yelling for him to stop.

"Wait, Killua! Don't-!" Gon yelled, rushing off after the white haired teen, but the tell-tale crack and splat! had him taking slow backward steps, "-go there…because that."

"Gon, what happened-oh!" Canary gasped as she looked over the cliff. There was a large hole on the ground. Most likely a trap. It must have been so well made that even Killua who was very light on his feet fell.

A muddy hand, grabbed on the side of the large hole in the ground, pulling the equally mud-covered owner up, "Who. The. Hell. Put. A. Fucking. Hole. In. Here." Came a cold, sinister voice from Killua.

Canary gulped nervously as waves after waves of murderous aura were emitted into their general direction. Gon grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head, "I put that there as a trap for Mike so when he jumps over this cliff, he'd get his foot stuck there?"

Killua, wiping the mud off his face with the back of his hand, stalked dangerously towards the butler, "I'm gonna strangle-," the ground caved under him again, sending him down a 12-foot hole in the ground with a mud pit at the bottom. There was complete silence and the tension in the air was so thick, Canary felt like she could slice it with a knife.

"Gon-kun, how many did you make?" Canary asked nervously.

"About twenty. It's kind of a trial-and-error thing. I haven't really tested it out on Mike yet," although aware of the intensifying tension in the air, Gon had the audacity to be miffed, "Aww…I just dug those out yesterday,"

"Dead. So dead…" said an ominous voice from the bottom of the pit.

"Sorry, Killua. My bad," Gon smiled apologetically, "I did try to warn you, though, so let's just be thankful you didn't fall into the ones filled with Mike's poop, okay?"

In an instant, Killua had jumped out of the pit and landed a few feet in front of Gon, who immediately shut his mouth. The only thing recognizable from Killua was his blue eyes, filled with irritation. Gon put on his best poker face, holding up a hand, "Sorry, Killua, gotta get back to my job. Play with you tomorrow!"

Canary swore she only blinked and the two were already gone from her sight, a gust of air rustling her hair. She let out a sigh, relaxing her tensed form. She turned to the direction she was positive they had gone to. She sincerely hoped they could get along soon.

Gon ran as fast as he could into the forest. His eyes roamed his surroundings in full alert. Killua's smell was still strong, so the assassin is just on his tail. But for the life of him, he can't pinpoint the assassin's exact location, a first for Gon. He'd never had an opponent this good.

There's something coming from his back.

He jumped into the trunk of a large tree and kept his momentum as he ran upwards, catching a glimpse of Killua pausing below him with his hand morphed into a claw before disappearing again. The black haired teen landed on a tree branch, scanning the forest, the sounds and the colors.

Gon's attention snapped to his right before he jumped further into the end of the branch, an after image of Killua vanishing in a split second where he had come from. "Oop!" he staggered a bit as the branch was split right where it connected with the tree, and he found himself falling. He heard a crackling sound below him and his eyes widened when he saw Killua standing on the ground with his arms opened wide, spreading a large net of electricity over his head. Gon instantly whipped out his fishing pole and swung his trajectory to avoid the net and land on the forest floor a bit farther from Killua, hitting the ground running as fast as he can again.

Gon wiped his brow. Man, that was dangerous. He smirked. He clearly had no chance of beating Killua with speed. And Gon wouldn't be surprised if Killua had greater physical strength than he does. So if he can't prevent the inevitable, Gon would definitely go down fighting.

He swerved to his right, pushing his legs as fast as they can go. If he could just get to his destination in time, Gon might afford a slim chance of stopping the assassin.

"Caught you now," in an instance, Killua was in front of him, arm forward filled with an electric current just waiting for Gon to ram into, smirking confidently. Gon gritted his teeth and skidded on the ground, using his momentum to slide past Killua, avoiding the claw that struck on the ground where his head had just been.

"Not yet!" he said behind his back as he continued running, letting out a small laugh. He saw the familiar red line he drew on a tree trunk just 50 meters from him. He grinned, now the fun begins.

He stopped and stood on his guard, "Hey Killua!" he called, voice echoing in the forest. He did not expect a response, "Let's play a game!" again, there was no response, "Whoever reaches the flat rocks on the lake first, wins!" a hawk flew out of its nest overhead.

Gon grinned, "Ready, set, go!" and he sped off into the forest.

Killua followed him with a maniacal gleam in his eyes. He's so gonna strangle that idiot servant.

Gon had never laughed so hard in his life, his eyes welled with tears. He clutched his aching sides, his knees weakening and he fell on the wide flat rock, trying to stop himself from shaking. He knew he could keep his concentration better than Killua does at certain situations, mainly in the child's play category. He could hear the assassin panting some few feet away from him.

He had successfully baited Killua into the obstacle course he had designed a few weeks before. Gotoh-san had ordered him to build one in order to train the new trainees that are vying for the twenty or so vacancies Killua had opened during his latest attempt at running away. He was left to decide the difficulty and duration, so Gon did his best, setting up the traps he had learned while growing up in Whale Island. And Killua fell into most of them. Gon was amazed. Killua did fall into them, but he only set them off and rarely did he get caught. At one point, Gon came careening from the side to kick him into getting hit by a boulder. Though, that immediately backfired when Killua caught his leg just in time and they both smacked face first into the boulder, Gon more painfully so. He managed to run away though before Killua got out of his super pissed mode and moved.

Gon could have won while Killua was distracted but he stayed back and watched Killua get pass through every trap. And through the mud pits, flying arrows, wasp nests, swinging boulders, rotating logs, and extra hits, Gon saw it. And as he was jumping through the air as Killua expertly dodged the activated traps, the raven teen couldn't help but smile widely.

Gon took a deep breath as he laid out on the rock. It was really hot, it felt like his skin would singe if he stayed too long. But the noon sun felt so good on his skin and Gon basked in the warmth with a satisfied smile. Killua had won, but only for the fraction of a second. Still a win, though. Gon looked to his side and saw Killua sitting cross-legged, glaring at him. The mud on his clothes and hair was quickly drying by the heat, drawing cracks and chips on his form.

"Did you have fun, Killua?" Gon asked innocently, like he wasn't the cause of the assassin's misery.

Killua wondered how he got roped into this. He remembered raring to go ballistic on the apprentice butler and next thing he knew, he was dodging flying arrows and walking into boulders. Not to mention he was dirty. And the cause of it all was just laying on the ground looking at him with an irritatingly happy grin, asking if it was fun. It was confusing. This guy had seen him at his worse, could realize his malicious intent in a split second. Yet he chose to push such a dangerous person to the edge and expect to get away unscathed. Such a weird guy, this son of Ging. He was interesting, he'd give him that.

"Are you an idiot? How can you ask me that?" Killua averted his gaze, choosing to glare at a leaf that just fell from his hair.

"Yes, yes, I'm an idiot," Gon prattled, "So I'd ask anyway. Did you have fun, Killua?" he repeated, jumping back to his feet.

Someday, I'd like you to meet my son. I'm sure he'd be a lot like me. So be prepared, he sure as hell will be a lot cooler than a snotty brat like you!

Killua scowled. That Ging has always been such a big liar! "Like hell, I did!"

Gon grimaced as Killua vented out on him, hands held upfront in surrender. But I saw you smiling back there…

It was only later that Killua would learn that Gon really is a lot like Ging. Case in point- no matter what he says, Killua just can't seem to keep away.

"Screw this! I'm going home!"

"Wanna go fishing with me tomorrow morning? I'd bring an extra pole for you,"

"Tsk. Don't bother, I'm not going,"

"Alright. See you tomorrow, Killua! I'd be right here,"

"Wait for me all you want,"

Killua's eye ticked as he sat on the rock, hold a fishing pole steady. That was how he remembered that certain conversation went. So why is he outside at this ungodly hour in the morning, fishing at a foggy lake? There was a splash and a laugh from below him and he watched as Gon reeled in a fish as big as his leg.

"Look, Killua! I caught a big one! Let's share this with everyone at the mansion!"

His eye ticked again. Just how does this idiot do this to him?