Vastorie is forced to bring the boys up to speed, as Eifion goes to the hospital to check on Luca.

Killua burst through the door of the hospital like a bat out of hell, screaming for assistance. Doctors and nurses scrambled to help, getting the man on a gurney before willing him away.

As Killua panted after running twenty plus kilometres, he was just relaxing, getting ready to make the trip back when he was approached by a man in a black suit. His eyes flicked up, surprised by who was standing in front of him, "K-Knov?"

The man hummed in acknowledgement before directing his gaze towards the man being wheeled away, "Who is he?"

"Luca Rathenau, a teacher at Xavier's school of the gifted."

Know scribble on a notepad, "How did he get hurt?"

"Attacked by a monster by the name of…" He paused, stopping himself from saying Victor's name, "He was attacked by someone who wasn't meant to be on the school grounds. The man was pushing his partner out of harm's way."

"Does the partner have a name?"

"Eifion Mattocks…"

"The deacon…?" The man raised an eyebrow, "Anything else you can tell me?"

"No, besides I had to perform temporary surgery. I closed his wounds… to stop him from bleeding out. But I'm not exactly sure if one, it was the right thing to do… or two, how deep the wound is. I'm just glad I was able to get him here while he was still breathing."

The man gave a nod, "I'll get the surgeon to take a better look." He scribbled some more notes before closing the book, "I'll prob Vastorie for the rest of the information. How are you… Alluka and Daniel?"

"We're fine, actually… for the moment. Don't know how long that will last though."

Knov crossed his arms, a single eyebrow raised, "I'm assuming this incident involves the three of you then…" he adjusted his sunglasses, "including, an outside interference."

"You'd be correct, but I have to get back. Given our circumstances, I don't see it panning out too well… at least for Daniel."

Knov frowned. So, Daniel is the key factor in this dilemma… Vastorie's son "Then I suggest that you be careful on your way back."

Killua gave a nod before disappearing, a flash of electricity scorching the floor as the boy left. Knov pondered the situation further, wondering how things are going to pan out. A voice pulled him out of his train of thoughts, "Knov, you're here for a… Luca Rathenau."

"Before you say anything, you need to get the surgeon to take a better look at his neck."

"~"

The boy returned to the school, finding Daniel seated in a chair, alone, Eifion and Vastorie nowhere in sight. He approached his partner, placing a hand on the boy to let him know he was back, not that their connection wouldn't do that for him.

Daniel hugged his partner before bawling his eyes out, letting him know what Vastorie had planned for them. It took a bit of coaxing, but between his fingers digging into the boy's shirt and the disgusting news about putting them in a situation where they will be evicted without a chance to defend themselves, he struggled to keep his sanity…

To stop himself from finding Vastorie and socking him in the face till he was bruised and bloody. But then Daniel reminded them of the situation, of what will happen when they fall asleep… they'll forget everything that transpired with Victor.

Alluka will remember… but they will forget. Even if they were to leave themselves notes, the moment they look back on it, it'll be like reading scribblings of a madman. Sure, Alluka could vouch for the information… but they'll never be able to recover the moments that had transpired…

Especially Daniel, considering he has three instances of memories he's dealt with the man to lose. The only reason he hadn't lost the memories the first time, was because Zaikaria's ability interfered with the men. It collected within her little box of closed-off memories. So, when she opened those memories, he was able to recover everything… but that's now gone. He has no way to recover those memories.

Pulling his partner close to his chest, he spoke calmly, "Then I'll stay up… relay those memories to you when you wake up. Then when I wake up, you tell me what I told you…"

Daniel shook his head, "It's not that I won't believe you… or won't trust you… it's that I don't think we'll be able to stay up. He may have a mechanism in place to stop that from happening…"

Killua stroked his partner's hair, "I promise to stay up… for our safety."

The boy wanted to believe his partner, but something told him the opposite. He needed to believe his boyfriend… not because he wants to, but because their safety depended on them retaining those memories. He gave a nod, letting the boy know he's going to trust him.

"Now…" Killua brought his hand to the boy's cheek, stroking it gently, "What's this about revealing our true names?"

"~"

Eifion stumbled through the hospital doors, looking stressed and dishevelled. His hands found the receptionist's desk, startling the poor nurse in the seat in the process, "I'm sorry, but you have a man by the name of Luca Rathenau here, is he okay?"

"Sir…" The woman raised her hands, trying to calm the man down, "I need you to relax and tell me who you are."

"I'm the deacon of the school he works at… well, his partner… boyfriend, Eifion Mattocks." He quickly shook his head, slamming his hands against the table. None of this was important, what he needed, was to know Luca was okay "No, none of that's important! I need to see him… to know he's okay…"

"I-" She picked up the receiver, getting ready to call security on the man, but another in a black suit pushed the phone back down.

He adjusted his glasses, looking down at the receptionist with a calming smile, "It's okay. He's with me. I'll take over…"

His gaze meets the Deacon's, a hand being offered to the man, "I'm in charge for the moment. Vastorie and I pulled a few strings to get this to work out."

"Is he okay…?"

The man gave a nod, before shifting his feet walking in the direction of the room Luca was staying in, "Just come with me, I'll bring you to him. He got out of surgery about an hour ago. So, he might not wake up for a while…"

Eifion breathed out a sigh of relief, "So he'll be fine after some rest…?"

Knov had to stop, turning on his heels to look in the man's eyes, "He won't be recovering completely."

The man froze to the spot, hands reaching out to tug at the man's suit, "what do you MEAN he won't recover completely…?"

Knov pulled the man's hands away, taking a step back before heading towards the room once more, "He suffered serious damage to his vocal cords. He won't be speaking for the rest of his life."

"He…" Eifion's expression fell, his body collapsing to the floor as tears welled up. If he acted sooner, none of this would've happened. He would've made a full recovery.

Sensing the man's internal struggle, he addressed the situation, the man's predictable internal thoughts "Even if you acted sooner, this would've happened."

"You don't know-" Eifion fumbled with the man's suit, barely hanging onto the material, "Killua-"

"Killua did relatively fine with the situation. The doctor's remarked that he did a clean job of closing the wounds, but even he, couldn't have predicted the wound being that deep. He'll recover, it's just he'll most likely never be able to speak again. Do you know who did it?"

Eifion shook his head, "After Vastorie made me send the kids back to their dorms, alert teachers will be having a meeting at the end of the month and then… handed over the reins of the school to him, the fucker knocked me out. I…" He sucked in a breath. Regardless of why Vastorie did that to him, it was a dick move. Sure, Vastorie informed him of Luca being here, and the sleep did help him recover some of his lost strength in the end… but couldn't he have waited until AFTER he had gone to the hospital, not before?

Knov crossed his arms, "He knocked you out…? Why?"

"I… I believe he knocked me out so I'd wake after the surgery… or possibly because I looked like shit. I haven't been able to relax, given all the plans that lead to today."

"What exactly was planned for today?"

"We were making some renovations on the school, changing mechanisms of the-" He stopped, "I just want to see Luca… I'll tell you everything later."

"This is important information. You will see Luca, I promise to lead you to him… but I need to know everything, you know."

Eifion let out a sigh, "Alright, we were making changes so that the eviction inscription extended its reach to outside of the school; apparently, there was a very evil man we needed to protect the school from. however, Vastorie refused to say any more on that matter… I'm here to make sure Luca is safe. Vastorie is back at the school, you can probe him for the rest."

Knov raised a curious eyebrow, "That's disturbing news…" The man refuses to tell the man involved in the matter about what had transpired. He might not even tell me about the situation, ever…

"It's not disturbing, considering all the things he's been hiding from his kids…"

"Such as…?"

"Why he refuses to talk to his kids. Daniel has… voiced his opinions on the matter. At one point, I even tried to tell the man to say something to the boy, but he won't even humour the idea…"

Knov ran a thumb over his chin, looking over the hospital scenery before speaking, "Once Luca is settled, I'll be visiting Vastorie. Cheadle asked me to… she has a sneaking suspicion it involves a very dangerous man, Victor Tempest. Have you heard of him…?"

Eifion shook his head, "Name doesn't ring any bells… you think he could be involved in the recent attack?"

"It's possible…" The man stopped at a door, holding out his hand, he let the other's eyes linger on the door, "He's in there. A nurse will be making their rounds soon, at least to check that everything is going well. Again, don't expect him to wake any time soon…"

Eifion gave a nod, "Thank you…" He pushed the door open, allowing himself in. Besides the beeping of the machines, letting others know his pulse was in stable condition, Luca remained unmoving. The tears began to fall as the man rounded the bed, dropping to his knees beside the person who has loved him, no matter his flaws.

Luca had been at his side for most of his life, he should've protected him… not fight, against, whoever he was fighting. He should've acted as a blockade while Killua ran for assistance. Instead, now Luca was in a coma, a temporary one, hopefully…

Reaching out, he touched the man's hand, letting their fingers interlock "I'm so sorry… I should've protected you. I…" He tried to recall what happened, but all he could remember was a blur. The whole fight had been struck from his memories… I should've protected you… then maybe, you wouldn't have been in this mess… I'd… I'd still be able to hear your voice. I…" The man sobbed uncontrollably, "I- I failed you. I want to do better, but I don't know if it'll be enough to make up for my prior mistakes."

"You must hate me…" He argued against his own, mental image of Luca, but he soon found himself shaking his head at that thought. The man would never hate him, he'd hate to see him like this, beating himself over his mistakes. However, Eifion couldn't help those thoughts… he hated how hopeless he felt in this situation.

He wanted to hear Luca's voice, to know that everything would be okay… but it's not okay. His partner will never be able to say those words or any words for that matter. The last words, besides his name, that he'll ever hear his best friend utter were: Okay… that means a lot to me, that you care about me.

He cared… but his latest actions hadn't portrayed that.

He was a failure as a deacon…

A teacher…

A best friend…

A partner…

He just wanted to know that everything will be alright… to hear Luca utter that 'everything will be alright.' But he was robbed of that chance. He hoped he could apologise properly… that he'll be allowed to apologise, to redeem himself for his mistake. But the longer he looked at Luca, the harder it was to rationalise his redemption, at least from his perspective.

He had no doubt Luca could forgive him…

But could he forgive himself…?

Standing up, he leaned over the man, placing a kiss on his partner's forehead. It was the first time he performed such an action, so when he leaned back to look at the unconscious man, he had perplexed feelings. On one hand, the action felt alien to him…

But on the other hand, it felt right. Luca would've appreciated the action. The fact the man would've appreciated it must've meant, it would have been a good move. Bringing up his hand to touch his partner's hair, he stroked a few strands as he smiled, "I'm sorry I can't stay… but I'll be back. I-"

His phone alerted him of a text. He checked his recent messages, only to find Vastorie had invaded his private life.

Stay there and make sure your hubby is okay.

Eifion's eyebrows furrowed, annoyed at the man. He sent a text back.

What makes you believe that?

Not even a second later, he receives a picture of Luca kissing him, with the following message.

Pictures don't lie, mate.

That was a huge breach of privacy. Why was he joking with him at a time like this, when he was destroyed by the fact, that Luca was unconscious in a hospital. Did he have no shame? Was the man's son right, by arguing that he can an emotionless prick at times.

The meeting where he'd have to explain something he has no idea about certainly proves the case. Hell, the man was assuming Luca would not only be awake, but he'll also be able to move around with no issues by then. He's good at predicting shit, he'll give him that…

But when it comes to his private life, about what they agree and disagree with, this was one of those topics. He looked over Luca's body before lashing out at the older man.

Kindly, fuck off… Muting his phone, he returned to the man's side, worried more about him recovering, than the man who'd just pried into their lives.

"~"

Impatiently tapping at the table, Vastorie worried about striking a nerve. Eifion hadn't said anything after his last text. It seems he had hit a very soft spot. He was happy for someone breaking through that man's walls. For too long, Eifion had he been trying to replicate his mannerism, that he was worried he'll have another emotionless him walking around.

Eifion had to lighten up, and by just that video alone, it looked as though he was, until, Victor had to show up and ruin it, just like he had done his whole life. Another problem was Daniel and Killua were also there that day, meaning their memories of the fight would've been wiped too.

There was a reason he wanted the two of them to remain in their room, it was so this exact moment didn't happen. He wanted them to retain their memories of what Victor was like, so they could continue to avoid him.

Now that those memories are gone, he's going to have to bring them up to speed, just so that getting kicked out of the school, wouldn't be counted as a kick to the teeth. He was just so frustrated at how everything had gone wrong in a single afternoon.

If he hadn't been put to sleep, none of this would've had to happen.

If he had found a way to kill his father, without endangering hundreds of thousands of lives, none of this would've had to happen.

The boys and Alluka could've continued to remain on the school grounds, until, they were ready to move on and leave. Now, none of that would be the case…

At least with Annex's program, he could continue to keep eyes on his father, until he finds a way to dispose of him.

Leaving those thoughts to the side, he picked up the stack of information he had collected on Victor, heading for the one person he'd rather never see for the rest of his life, as long as Victor was alive… his son.

The boy's safety was now in his hands, and he never wanted that to be the case.

Closing the deacon's door, he headed towards the boy's location, walking with the intent to delay the meeting as long as possible.

Once Eifion returns at the end of the month, whether it's with his lover or not, the discussion will end with Daniel, Killua and Alluka being kicked from the schools. The teachers will be afraid of Victor returning, even though he made sure if the man was within the same country as his son, he'll destroy all, of his contact's lives, one… by one.

But that's information they weren't going to find out.

Eifion also needs to watch the footage, to be able to understand where he went wrong, by the end of the month, whether he likes it or not. That man could stop his son from being kicked out, regardless of the teachers finding out Killua is a Zoldyck or Daniel's presence will continue to draw the man who'll kill everyone in his path to capture his grandson.

Till then… he'll have to, unfortunately, update his son and his partner about what is going to happen.

"~"

Daniel was talking to Killua when he opened his door. When he turned to greet the person, he found the one person he really, didn't want to talk to right now. When he attempted to close the door, his father stopped it, his strength being no match for his Nen-less strength.

Vastorie frowned, "That's no way to treat your father…"

"It is when he ghosts him for almost a whole year, only to glare at him the moment he sees him."

"My apologies…" He did not sound sincere within the moment, opting to push his son away when he opened the door, "I'm not here for pleasantries. I'm here because you had a… unfortunate meeting with someone who would've wiped your memory… because you refused to stay here, in your room… instead of out there, in front of a man that was threatening to kill you!"

Killua came around the corner, after hearing the commotion. He found Vastorie at the door, not only insulting his son but his partner's motives. It may have to do with a chunk of his memories missing from that afternoon, but that still doesn't excuse the man for suddenly showing up with no warning, to further insult them on mistakes they may have made.

If he wanted to make sure none of them was in danger, she should've gotten off his high horse and helped them from the beginning. Pressing a finger into Vastorie's gut, he spoke coldly to the man threatening his boyfriend's sanity "Get the fuck out! You've been making Daniel's existence miserable for the past several months. Rather than saying we fucked up, you should've been there to help us! Besides, we all know what you plan to do… your motives are fucked, just as much as your personality. We won't listen to whatever you plan to say because it's useless to us…"

"Oh…" Vastorie leaned forward so he was face to face with the boy, "So you know about Victor Tempest?"

Killua was taken aback. He had never heard that name, was the person the reason why none of them could remember what happened to them that afternoon? "Who… who the fuck is that?!"

The man let out a click of his tongue, annoyed at the situation. If Killua had remained awake, he could've told Daniel and then none of them would have to be in this situation. He shoved the boy to the side, walking towards the dining table.

Dropping the documents on the table, he turned to the boys "Read it… commit it to memory, and stay the fuck away from that man." He left without another word, shutting the door as he left the two to deal with a thick stack of information to cover.

"~"

Daniel walked over to the information, turning to the first page. It had a list of basic information, including a picture of a man he hadn't seen. He had white hair with fiery-red tips, like his sister's hair colour. He also looked younger, younger than his father right now.

When he looked at the name, he came to realise something, it's the same name on his list, "Killua…"

"Yeah…?" He looked over the picture, the details were given about the man.

"It's the same name on the list…"

When Killua's gaze turned to the piece of paper his partner was holding, he saw the name right at the bottom. Victor Tempest… "Why would Nathanial write the same name, as someone who Vastorie has threaten us to stay away from?"

He returned his gaze to the next page, flipping the page over. Killua's eyes widened, taking a step back. It was a collage of photos, showing the man in the background, while they were in the foreground, "Whoever he is, he's been watching us for a while…"

"What does this mean for us…?"

"Not good news if Vastorie gets his way, and we're kicked out of this school. HE'S BEEN WATCHING US… not just your father, but Victor too. I promised I would protect you and Alluka, but out there… if this man can get so close to us, without us noticing him, we'll be like sitting ducks out there."