These chapters are getting longer. So I present "Killua's last stand"

He found him sitting on top of a boulder, holding a rod with a line going into the water. The older man was very still and silent, like a rock. The four year old sharpened his claws and stole another glance at his target. He's been waiting for this. Killua smirked confidently. He'll get him this time.

Like a skilled predator, he cut through the misty morning air, claws in front of him as he aimed for the neck of his target.

"Good morning to you too, brat," Ging said as he effortlessly bent his upper body forward. Killua gasped as he flew past him, flailing his little arms as he fell straight into the cold water. He could hear the old man's mocking laughter as he swam back to the surface, pouting as the man pelted him with stones the size of his fists, "How many does that make already?"

Killua narrowed his eyes as he swam back to the shore. Grumpily, he planted himself on the space beside the old man, crossing his arms with a huff, "Zero wins, 1398 loses," he grumbled, glaring at a spot in front of him.

Ging chuckled heartily, "Kakaka! And don't you forget it!" and flicked Killua on the forehead. Killua glared at him with all his might. This old man was truly getting on his nerves. They'd only been doing this kind of training for fifteen days. Again, he was forbidden from coming home until he landed a strike on the older man. His father is such a slave driver!

Killua's stomach growled. Ging chuckled again. "Haven't pilfered food from the butler's kitchens yet, have you?" he asked good-naturedly. Ging knew that's how Killua fed himself for the past year or so the kid had been forbidden from coming home. Killua was supposed to learn survival techniques in the forest on his own. But like the spoiled brat he is, he just stole food from the kitchens because it was easier.

Killua nodded, cheeks puffed. He had woken up after three hours of sleep, and had thought he'd try to ambush Ging in his sleep. It took him a few hours to find the man and another hour to stalk him from afar and decide to attack. And then he failed.

"Alright, just this once, breakfast is on me! Be thankful, brat!" Ging announced as he handed a wide-eyed Killua the fishing rod.

Killua blinked at Ging as he gripped the rod in his small hands. Ging just grinned widely at him, "Well, get in to it or you won't catch us anything!"

"But you just said-,"

"You better catch us some big ones, or else I won't share with you," Ging ruffled his hair before plopping down on his back, pulling his cloth hat over his face, "And also!" he raised an index finger, "Clean the fish, take out the guts, put it on a stick and roast it on a fire, alright? Wake me up once you're done,"

"Eh?!" Killua can't believe it. This dirty old man! This irresponsible, lazy, chocolate-stealing old man! "But!"

Ging raised a finger again, "Another word from you and I'll make sure you never eat another chocolate again!" and then he added in a menacing voice, "E-ver!"

Killua swallowed his protests, knowing that the older man could very well do that, as his only source of the delicious mouth-watering treats. With a scowl, Killua mimicked Ging's stance earlier while he was observing the old man fishing. He sat comfortably and stayed very still, controlling his breaths. After a few minutes, he saw a fish peeking near the surface, around his bait. Then it bit and Killua instantly pulled on the pole, but the fish got away. Baffled, but careful that he doesn't utter a single word, he flung the tackle back into the water and sat back to wait. This process repeated for over twenty times and the mist and the fog around the lake cleared up as the sun rose on the horizon.

It was almost time for breakfast and he was nowhere near catching a single fish. Killua rubbed his rumbling stomach. He ate little for dinner because everything in the pantry in the butler's mansion were foods he hated. There were only cabbages, beans, and tomatoes (Gotoh had switched out the foods in worry that his young ward was becoming nutritionally unbalanced since he was only stealing sweets-and even had the audacity to fake a note ordering them to 'stock up on chocolates-the robot ones', signed by 'your master, Dad').

Ging let out a snore from behind him. He knew it was useless to attack right now. Ging was never defenseless. Killua had attacked him in his apparent sleep for a total of 535 times, and in one of them, Ging 'dodged' him, 'accidentally' rolled over, and hugged him like a pillow all through the night, unable to move. Killua couldn't sleep that night because he was not used to sleeping in the arms of another person. Also, Ging stank like an old man and he snored loudly, sometimes laughing like a maniac in his sleep. But Killua did fall asleep eventually, and when he woke up, Ging was holding him up with one hand by the scruff of his neck, grinning at him and greeted him a 'good morning, little brat!' before throwing him down a cliff. He attacked him a record total of 267 times that day for that.

Killua sighed, focusing back on his task. It was already mid-morning when he failed his 25th try. The bites were becoming scarce as the sun rolled on and by lunch time, Ging had already 'rolled over' to the shade of a nearby tree and continued to sleep, ignoring the murderous glares of a four-year-old pissed-off starving assassin.

Sometimes he wasn't fast enough, sometimes he's too early, sometimes it seems the fish hadn't bitten the hook all that far, sometimes he couldn't avoid moving, like when his butt itched. By late afternoon, Ging had 'rolled back' beside him, laughing in his sleep every now and then. The little boy was hungry and tired, and he really wanted to hit the old man who was supposed to feed him for being such a meanie.

"You know, for a spoiled brat, you sure have a lot of patience," came Ging's voice from behind him, surprising the little boy. Oh crap! There's still no food!

"Fishing is not as easy as it looks like. First, you'd have to find your target's habit- you failed, the fish already moved over there to avoid the heat," he pointed to the opposite part of the lake, Killua frowned, "Second, you wait. You lure the fish into a fall sense of security. You're good at that, but you fail at the third, the attack. You're good at waiting, but you don't know when to strike, or when not to, and when you actually get it right, you play it safe too much," Ging told him, arms crossed, looking so serious that Killua can't help but hang on to his every word. Then something clicked in his mind. What Ging told him was pretty much like assassination! So the old man was finally getting serious at his training!

"I see," Killua bowed his head reverently, "I fail at assassination,"

"No, you suck at getting us breakfast," Ging corrected him, "From now on, your name shall be 'Suck-ua', wait that's ugly. You shall be 'Suck-a'. Good, just like the sucker you are. Now, go fetch us supper, Suck-a!"

And that was how Killua had awoken his bloodlust for the first time in his life.

Later that night, Silva opened his eyes lazily as Ging appeared before him holding up an angry little wild cat. Upon closer inspection, the thrashing, hissing, furious white-haired dirty little creature turned out to be his four-year old son. He raised an eyebrow at Ging, who had an irritated expression and was looking more disheveled than usual, with a long scratch mark across his left cheek.

"What happened?" Silva asked as he accepted his son, who instantly stopped thrashing and just glared evilly and gritted his teeth at the butler who was doing the same to him, "Why are you both so hungry?"

He woke up just before dawn, and try as he might to get back to sleep and not think about a certain apprentice butler waiting stupidly for him, he ended up glaring at the pipes on his ceiling for the better part of an hour. Gon would surely be at the flat rocks, like he said, and would be waiting, like he said, and would bring an extra pole for Killua, like he said.

"Stupid, stupid…he can wait for all I care! I already said I'm not going! He should learn who's boss!"

Twenty minutes later, he was dressed in a v-neck shirt over long sleeves and his baggy shorts, being handed a metallic fishing pole by a widely grinning apprentice butler. Killua was at the flat rocks, like he said he wouldn't, he had gone to meet Gon, like he said he wouldn't, and was currently holding the extra fishing pole, like he said he wouldn't. Again, just what is he thinking? Gon wasn't even surprised that he had shown up, had immediately greeted him a good morning and handed him a pole like it was the most natural thing in the world. It was like Gon never even considered the possibility that Killua would ditch him, which is kind of an annoying notion for Killua. He didn't enjoy being manipulated.

The lake was still misty, and he can't see anything past the rock he was sitting on and Gon standing on the ground below him. It was like they were the only two people in the world, and it unnerved Killua. Gon had an easy smile on his face, appearing like he was in the most comfortable place in the world. Killua found himself releasing a long-suffering sigh. No use complaining about it. He's the one putting himself in these kinds of situations, anyway. Now, if only he could find it in himself to keep away from the apprentice butler, that would be a great relief.

As an assassin, he has no experience in dealing with the relatives of people he had killed, unless he had to kill them too or they are coming to him for revenge. He does not even dare put a name on this strange relationship with Gon. Gon is a servant, Killua is a master, but Gon certainly isn't treating him like one. If anything, Killua is the one who always ends up following Gon's whims, no matter how reluctant he is to do so.

"Look, Killua! I caught a big one! Let's share this with everyone at the mansion!" Gon held up a fish the size of his leg, grinning proudly at the assassin.

He could feel Gon waiting in anticipation for him to say something but Killua just ignored him, not even sparing him glance. When Gon turned to cast his line again, Killua reverted back to observing him.

Gon shifted uncomfortably when he felt Killua's eyes on him again, which doesn't really bother him but makes him feel like Killua has something to say so he decided to call him out on it, "Killua, you've been staring at me the whole time," he said, looking up at the white-haired teen sitting on top of the rock, staring out into the lake stoically.

Killua, hiding his embarrassment at being caught, snorted in derision, "No, I'm not. Stop joking,"

The raven teen smiled apologetically, "Was there something you want to say, then?"

Killua nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders as he focused on the task in front of him, "No. It's none of your business,"

"I see," Gon said, his voice trailing off before he snapped his attention back to the assassin and hopped onto the rock, pole still in hand, to sit beside Killua, who was a bit startled at his sudden motion and was now staring at him with a puzzled expression, Gon's face was filled with new-found excitement, "Did you wanna do something else together?"

Together? A corner of Killua's left eye twitched at that word. Why does this guy have to insist on us doing things together? Actually, he wondered why this guy had been singling him out. "I've been meaning to ask you this, but why do I have to?" Killua asked earnestly. It's not like he was angry with Gon or hates him in particular. It's because, there are a lot of things in his mind he should be thinking about, a lot of things he had to consider, but when he is with Gon, he forgets all of them- something he should never ever be allowed to do.

It was Gon's turn to look at him with a puzzled expression, and by the jumbled sounds he was making, it seems like he was having trouble thinking. Killua finally took pity on him, and held up a hand, "I'm sorry. Please don't fry your brain out. I'd rephrase the question. Why do you insist on me?"

Gon blinked innocently at him before smiling at him as if the answer was glaringly obvious, "Because it can't be anyone else," he declared confidently, "It has to be Killua!"

The apprentice butler watched as Killua's eyes softened and his mouth curved into a small sincere smile. In his mind, Gon could only describe it as 'beautiful', but Killua would probably strangle him if he ever said that to his face. And as if he finally caught himself, Killua's cheeks flushed and he immediately turned away, "Don't say such embarrassing things, idiot!" he admonished, crossing his arms and letting out a huff in indignation.

Gon let out a snort before devolving into good-natured laughter. Killua has such cute reactions! Killua regarded him with a startled expression before deciding he didn't enjoy Gon laughing at his expense. So with a mischievous smirk, he snuck a hand behind Gon's back and pushed the laughing teen off the rock. As he grinned triumphantly as he watched Gon slip off the edge, Killua felt himself sliding from his seat and he immediately scrambled to hold onto something, with Gon grabbing onto his ankle. Too late.

Killua emerged with a menacing glare. Gon was laughing again, his normally upwards spiky hair parted to the sides. "You look like a cat thrown into water, Killua!"

The assassin held up his left thumb and index finger above the water, and Gon immediately ceased laughing and gulped nervously as a blue current passed between Killua's fingers, "Umm…Killua?"

Like a morning ritual, the butlers were having breakfast in the patio before they started their duties for the day. With the sun just peaking on the horizon, the air was chilly and the grounds were a bit dim. They had a nice view of the lake several kilometers down the slope of the forest and the mountain where their masters lived. Gotoh calmly sipped his tea as the others silently finished their meals, Canary and Amane chatting amicably in hushed tones on the other side of the table.

Hishita came out of the mansion carrying a pitcher of milk, "Did anyone see Gon?"

Canary perked up from her conversation with Amane, "Oh! He said he's going fishing with Killua-sama this morning,"

Gotoh, Amane and Tsubone turned to listen. Did they hear that right?

"With Killua-sama, huh?" Hishita said wistfully, "I wonder how they are doing now…" his voice trailed off as he finished his sentence.

Canary let out a nervous giggle, "I'm sure they're fine. This is Gon we're talking about. Killua-sama did like Ging-san a lot and Gon is a lot like Ging-san,"

Alll of a sudden, they heard a loud crackle before their surroundings were covered with blinding white light. They all closed their eyes on instinct. After a few seconds, when the crackling sounds were gone, they all opened their eyes with small smiles on their faces and went back to their breakfast.

"Damn it," Hishita muttered as he took his seat, "We're eating fish for a month again,"

Gon opened his eyes a little as he surveyed his surroundings. Killua was already on the shore, wringing the water out of his shirt. Gon let out a relieved sigh. He had activated his Ken at the last minute. He could endure electric shocks to a certain degree more than normal people could withstand (he had a bit of mandatory training with Hishita-san), but he doubted he would have survived that level of electrocution from Killua. With his Ken all over his body, all he felt was a tingling current passing through his body for a few moments. Which is amazing, since he had already perfected his Ken so Killua must have been really powerful. A few small fishes floated around him. He's glad he wasn't floating with them.

Gon froze. Fishes were floating around him. It shouldn't have surprised him. No living creature in the lake would have been able to withstand that amount of electricity. Then that means…

Killua was a bit miffed that Gon was perfectly unscathed. That was a technique he had coupled with his Enhancer abilities so it was really powerful. But then again, Gon is pretty strong in his own right. And Gon was not someone Killua should underestimate. If they were ever on the opposite sides of things, he was sure Gon was not an opponent he would run away from but he was not sure if it would be a clean-cut win for him. He could already see that Gon is even more stubborn than him. He's someone who would fight to the death, another aspect of Gon that unsettled Killua.

He snuck a glance at the apprentice butler who had just stepped out of the water and was stumped by the look on the other teens face, "W-why are you crying?!"

Gon's large doe eyes were replaced with the 'meanest' puppy-dog eyes Killua had ever seen. He actually felt some tugging at his heart at the sorry sight he projected. Gon's eyes were in a pout as tears streamed down his eyes in comical waves. The apprentice butler let out a sniffle. "What is wrong with you?!" Killua asked in a scandalized tone.

Gon sniffled again, "You killed Johnny," he said in a shaky voice.

Killua looked at him incredulously, "Johnny? Who's Johnny?!" He doesn't really give much of a damn if Johnny was a human, but still, Gon was upset so Killua finds himself caring…just a miniscule bit.

The apprentice butler returned his gaze with an indignant stare, "That big fish over there! I was fattening him up for Zebro-san's birthday next month!" It had been a promise, and he had been carefully feeding the fish so that it would grow fast. He had been looking forward to the feast with Zebro-san and Seaquant-san, and maybe, everyone at the butler's mansion might find time to attend. Zebro-san did mention that he was a childhood friend of Tsubone-baa.

And indeed, a fish the size of a small car was bobbing on its side near the center of the lake, surrounded by hundreds of dead fish. Killua felt a little sorry, but he wouldn't admit that, "Then just cut him up and chuck him in a freezer, what's the big deal?!"

"But freshly caught fish tastes the best!" Gon insisted. Living in Whale Island, he knows what he's talking about. He almost never have to eat frozen foods.

"Well, he probably can't eat that big fish by himself," Killua answered off-handedly. "A regular one should be fine." Seriously, how much fish could one guy eat?

It was Gon's turn to look at him incredulously, "We can't get a regular one, Killua. What will the guests eat?"

Killua raised a perfect eyebrow, arms crossed, "Guests? Why would there be guests on a birthday?"

If Gon was surprised by his question, he did not show it. Gon broke into a knowing smile, "To celebrate with you, of course! And then, you receive gifts from everybody, and you get to eat cake, lots of it!" That's how his birthdays had been, there were lots of people coming by their house to bless him. And when he celebrated his birthday last week, Zebro-san and Seaquant-san had given him a new fishing pole (which he let Killua borrow) and the people in the Butler's mansion prepared his favorite foods for supper.

Killua's eyes widened in curiosity. "Gifts?" he repeated, blue eyes gleaming in genuine interest. He knew what gifts are, but he had never received one in his life. Anything he wanted, he could get for himself or he'd just have to ask a servant. Well, what does he expect, who in their right mind would divest a present for a child assassin?

"Yeah, it could be anything! Toys, clothes, books, anything you can give, anything at all, as long as it comes from the heart, then the person you give it to will be very happy!" Gon beamed excitedly as he explained to Killua. Gon does not feel pity for Killua. He understood that every little thing about Killua's past made him who he is, and Gon likes Killua plenty enough already. Ging was there for him, how bad could it have been? Gotoh-san had said so.

"And you say there could be cake? Can it be chocolate?" the assassin inquired.

"Yes, anything you want! But Zebro-san seems to like coffee flavor so I guess the cake won't be chocolate. Sorry, Killua," Gon smiled sheepishly, scratching his cheek. "Maybe on your birthday, hehe."

Killua sighed and averted his gaze from the servant, "In my family, we don't celebrate birthdays. Actually, we don't celebrate anything at all," he said with a plaintive tone. He never had cause to wonder why his family was different from others before. They were not even close to each other. Everyone seems to treat each other professionally. And his mother smothers him all the time, it's annoying. Only Ging had been different.

If Gon could grin any wider, he would have done so. He already has the perfect gift in mind for someone like Killua, "Then on your birthday, I'd get you a big, big chocolate cake! And a really great gift, too!"

Killua stiffened for a second at what Gon said before he rolled his eyes haughtily, "Don't make such a fuss. It's just a birthday," Again, why does Gon choose go through so much trouble for someone like him? It's just like any normal day, only, he gets to add a year to his age. And when Gon answered him, in a voice with no hint of condescension or hidden agenda, the assassin was totally floored.

"Ehh~ But we should celebrate! I'm happy you were born into this world, Killua!" Gon declared with arms raised over his head as if he was making a grand statement, "I got to make you my friend!"

And in contrast to the cold morning, Killua felt so warm. Gon was smiling so sincerely at him that Killua had to close his eyes. There it was again, Gon's ability to blow his thoughts away. Killua heaved a deep sigh as he covered his face with a hand, cursing the fast that his skin is so pale he colored so easily. When will this guy ever listen to him? He just doesn't know how to handle such a stubborn guy, "You idiot. I told you not to say such embarrassing things."

Killua knew he had already lost the battle, and he was utterly and overwhelmingly defeated. He should have seen it coming. He was up against a simple-minded and determined guy, after all, a very bad combination against a scheming liar like him.

As he listened to Gon prattle on about how they'd divide the fish among the forest animals including Mike and bring the leftovers back to the mansion (he electrocuted the lake a little over eight months before because Ging was particularly irritatingly and that wasn't the first time he did so), Killua found that he didn't really mind losing at all. He laughed, and it almost felt like a foreign sound to him. He hadn't laughed like this in a long time, like nothing else matters. I lost. And it was such a great, liberating feeling.

He did not even notice when Gon looked at him with a thoughtful expression and stopped talking, in favor of listening to the most beautiful sound he had ever heard.

We're almost halfway over. but let's have a ton of Fluff first because I like embarassing young master Killua. ahehe :)