Chapter Thirty-Six
Convergence
"Let's get him out of this dungeon." Zeno steps back to let his grandchildren handle this. Alluka and Killua support their bloodstained brother as he shuffles towards the door, and though he's lost his faith in own son, Zeno couldn't be prouder of his family.
Gon pokes his head in the doorway. "Canary has the car ready."
Illumi turns green. He doesn't want Gon knowing, either. But Gon, that idiot, looks at him same as always, and in some ways, Illumi is relieved. Maybe Gon's too simple to care. Or maybe Gon's too wise to care. He's not sure which.
"Where is everyone else?" Alluka asks.
"Last we heard, Kalluto and Hisoka were heading for a confrontation with Mother." Killua grimaces. If Hisoka knows what Mother did to Illumi, he doesn't trust the clown – his brother-in-law, he reminds himself – to spare her.
"With Amane," Canary adds. Worry tinges her voice.
"You have to come with us," Gon says.
Canary hesitates. "My job…"
"It's okay, Canary. I think it's best if you, Amane, and Tsubone all leave with my grandchildren." Zeno sighs. "If you ever return, I suggest marrying Amane first to circumvent our rules."
Canary flushes. "How long have you known?"
"She's been sending you googly eyes since Killua escaped with – with my granddaughter." Zeno snorts.
He doesn't know what to make of Alluka. He never has. But at this point, what's the harm in calling her her?
A throat clears behind him.
"Oh hey, Granddad." Zeno nods to Maha. The old man glides down the hall, with his clothing torn from whatever battle he just escaped. "Let us old ones deal with your parents. You ought to go."
Illumi flinches again, because of course Maha knows too. Now more people know what happened, more people have seen him cry, more people see him unable to walk –
Maha reaches up to place a hand on Illumi's forehead, silencing Illumi's inner critic. A sad smile adorns his aged face. The man who rarely speaks finally opens his mouth. "Go, Illumi."
Illumi's throat constricts. His great-great grandfather doesn't judge him. His grandfather doesn't, and neither do his siblings. Only his parents.
Maybe it's okay to be gay. Maybe it's okay to have been raped. Maybe neither of those indicates anything wrong with him.
Kikyo raises her visor. Her eyes, black like Illumi's, bore into Hisoka. "You – you're to blame for all of this – nothing from Meteor City is good – nothing!"
"My friends are!" Kalluto pipes up. "Hisoka and the Phantom Troupe!"
"Silence, Kalluto," Kikyo snaps, and the child's mouth closes.
He looks terrified. Hisoka can only imagine that Kalluto has endured her cruelty all his short life.
"Was your mother a prostitute? She probably only had you because the customers wanted to fuck a pregnant woman." Kikyo knows what she's echoing, but no, no, there's no way. That's too much a coincidence. This flamboyant, murderous queer cannot be her friend's – her acquaintance's – adorable two-year-old.
"Oh, I know my mother didn't want me. On the bright side, that also means she never chained me up for falling in love," Hisoka replies with a bitter smirk. "Frankly, between Illumi and myself, I think I got the better end of the deal."
Kikyo hisses. "Scum."
"You're from Meteor City yourself," Tsubone finally retorts.
Hisoka freezes as Kikyo's eyes gleam. "What do you know?"
"A lot," she says sweetly.
"Don't fall for it. She's manipulating you," Kalluto says sharply.
"I don't think she is. I think she wants us to think she is, so she can manipulate us later. Quite a web, mmm?" Hisoka forces himself to laugh like he doesn't care.
He wants to shout at her. To ask her if she knows what it's like to have your body stolen from you, and your dreams on the most random of nights, and sometimes afternoons you see someone who looks like Him. But Hisoka will not let her know his secret. Only Illumi.
"Oh, I see, you're smart despite your appearance," Kikyo says. "Oh, and don't act superior to me, Tsubone. You let your granddaughter stay in this life, after all."
"Amane made her own choice," Tsubone says firmly.
Amane hesitates. She didn't have much of one. Of course she chose to stay with the only life she knew; her only regret was recently, when she realize she could never marry Canary.
But at least she's never been tortured like the Zoldyck children. Her life hasn't been so terrible.
"Everyone stop!" Killua races into the room, panting.
Hisoka sees no new terror on Killua's face. He must have Illumi.
Kikyo's face alights. "Kil!"
Kalluto looks crushed at his mother's clear favoritism. Hisoka seethes.
"Grandfather and Maha are about to 'beat Father's ass.' Their words, not mine," Killua announces. "You might want to get in on that, Mother. Seeing as you were the cause of all of this."
He points to his mother. His voice shakes. "I know what you did. To Illumi and Milluki! I'll never forgive you!"
Elation explodes inside Kikyo. She claps her hands against her cheeks, but her gasp is one of joy instead of pain. She never set anything up, and it wasn't even her idea.
But if her son believes so, she's honored. With this rage, he will be harder to break. "You're grown more cold, Kil!"
Killua's mouth falls open.
"Now I know where Illumi got his issues from," Hisoka quips, though his stomach turns.
This bitch – this crazy, crazy, bitch –
"I don't say that because I don't want to. I want to forgive you, but I don't think I can, and it hurts." Killua lets his tears fall. He won't give his mother any satisfaction anymore. Even if that means showing more generosity than he feels.
"We're leaving," Killua announces. "All of us – you too, Amane and Tsubone. On Grandpa's orders Kalluto, let's go."
But Kalluto stares at his mother. Hisoka, too, remains where he stands.
They've hurt Illumi and his second brother. They've abused Alluka and Nanika, and neglected Kalluto. In fact, if the Spiders weren't so kind, Kalluto, now, he could have turned out like Hisoka.
Despite what Killua states, to Hisoka, that is unforgiveable.
"Not yet." Hisoka prepares to choke Kikyo with bungee gum. At this point, he is unwilling to leave Kikyo without at least decapitating her.
"Don't do it, Hisoka. Don't give her what she wants," Killua begs. "Illumi's waiting for you!"
Illumi… Hisoka wants to see him. But he also needs vengeance for Illumi. As substitute for the vengeance Hisoka will never have for himself.
"Why?" Kalluto interrupts everyone's thoughts, a waver in his shriek. His shriek that sounds quite like his mother's. "I…why was I not good enough, Mother? Mommy?"
Killua grabs at Kalluto, but his brother throws paper towards him. He doubles over and screams. "Why?!"
Hisoka glances towards Illumi's brother, to the impulsive brat he's grown somewhat fond of.
Illumi's waiting for you…no, for us.
Kalluto hurls more paper towards Hisoka as he grabs him, but bungee gum stops all the pieces.
The paper has no effect, just like his life. Kalluto sobs. He'd thought he was recovering, he's thought he was past jealousy – and then Mother was in front of him and he realized everything still hurt.
Hisoka's hands wrap around Kalluto's waist. He hoists his little brother-in-law high in his arms, and Kalluto loses the desire to fight to stay.
"Let's go see Illumi, kid." Hisoka backs out the door, but not before handing Kikyo one last glare.
Killua grabs Amane and Tsubone. With his speed lightning, Kikyo is soon left on her own.
But that's okay. Because, with the immediate threat gone, Kikyo finally lowers her powers of denial.
She knows where Hisoka comes from. Those cheekbones are undeniable. Those cheekbones are why Illuna was moved from assassination to prostitution in the first place.
And, as she recalls, so long as she knows where her enemy comes from, she can tell where he is going.
Now, Zeno and Maha are the only obstacles in their way.
Hisoka shoves Kalluto into the back of the car, then squeezes himself inside. The old lady and her granddaughter pile behind him, while Killua and Gon climb in the front.
His heart – his dumb, poetic heart – skips a beat.
Illumi, bruised and bloodied and alive, sit there, with Alluka's arms wrapped around him. Alluka gasps at the Kalluto's tear-streaked face and tackles him in a bear hug.
Illumi straightens. His eyes don't leave Hisoka's. His lips part.
Hisoka tries to talk, but as Canary presses down on the gas pedal and they speed towards the base of Kukuroo Mountain, he finds himself at a loss for words. The skin on Illumi's arms is half-peeled, and he's missing all his fingernails.
Hisoka's seen Feitan torture before, but Illumi looks worse than all of Feitan's victims combined.
"I didn't tell them where you were," Illumi finally whispers.
How very like his husband. Dutiful. Hisoka coughs to hide his trembling chin. "You mean you're not planning on fulfilling our contract after all?"
"I gave that up a while ago." Illumi shivers.
He can tell – maybe through nen, maybe through observation and deduction – that everyone here, save his two youngest siblings, knows.
But his siblings love him. They don't despise him for what was done to him.
And Hisoka knows, and Hisoka is right here, and relieved to see him.
Illumi holds out his hand, and Hisoka wastes no time snatching it. He presses his mouth against Illumi's fingernail-less fingers.
Hisoka clamors through the crowded car to hold Illumi, to press him against his chest like he's the treasure he never knew he wanted.
Hisoka, of all people, is crying and gasping for breath, cradling his husband in his arms. Snot and ears dribble down his cheeks, and his hair sags from its gelled perfection. And he wouldn't want this any other way.
He presses his salted lips to Illumi's bruised, bloody ones.
Tsubone's sobs nearly drown out the rest of theirs, but then Killua breaks the mood.
"Don't do it in the car!" Killua squawks from the front.
Canary screeches to a halt at the edge of the testing gate. Zebro steps outside his home to point across the street. A single nod is all he needs to communicate his support.
A larger limousine pulls up across the street, and Ikalgo sticks his head out of the driver's side. "Get in, folks. We're escaping in style!"
Meleoron jerks open the limo's doors. "We've got to ditch your car. I'm sure there's a tracking device somewhere."
"Did you steal it?" Gon asks suspiciously.
"Borrowed, thank you very much." Ikalgo sniffs.
Amane shrieks as soon as she climbs inside to see not just the chameleon, but Milluki sitting next to a woman with one eye covered by her hand, a large bearded man, and a small girl identical to Alluka.
Well, no – her eyes and mouth are all black.
"They're twins now," Illumi says woozily. He offers Alluka his fondest smile.
Tsubone chokes, but Canary laughs.
"I love it!"
"We do, too," Alluka says. She reaches out to pat Nanika's head. "She's really tired after transporting half of us to Meteor City."
"Oh…after Lucilfer?" Tsubone raises her eyebrows.
"He's our friend, too." Gon crosses his arms.
"And your friend's boyfriend," Hisoka can't resist adding.
"We need to help them," Palm says, squinting her one open eye. "They're not flying into Meteor City. It looks like they're expecting his friends. Meleoron has already contacted Morel, but I'm waiting on Kurapika to reply. They haven't met up yet, either."
Milluki looks from Palm to Alluka and Nanika, and back again.
"Hi," Alluka says finally.
"It's nice to meet both twins," Milluki says awkwardly.
"You never really feared us, did you?" Alluka smiles at him. Nanika nods drowsily.
Milluki shakes his head. More his parents than Alluka. Always his parents. Because he's a coward.
Still, despite his self-loathing, a grin spreads across his face as both girls embrace him.
He can't recall the last time he's been hugged. Maybe this trip outside won't be awful after all.
"Hand…hand…" Nanika stands as the limo takes off. She gestures towards Illumi.
"You're not rested," Beyond says.
"Illumi is sick," Nanika says obstinately. She grabs her brother's hands before he can protest, and squeezes.
The entire car chills with the power filling it.
"Yay," says Nanika, stumbling back.
Illumi's hand flies out to catch her as she sways again. "Nanika, thank you."
As he lays his sister on the seat besides him, and gives Kalluto a much-needed hug, Tsubone takes back every criticism she's ever thought about Master Illumi.
He's changed.
"I cannot believe. We are back on a ship," Hisoka moans that night. He stands at the porthole, peering out into the darkness.
"One you're not captain of, even," Illumi remarks, sitting nervously on their bed.
Of course, the ship is not bound for Meteor City – if any ships are, they wouldn't advertise it. But it is heading in the correct direction, and shorter distance will take some of the burden off Nanika once she recovers tonight.
"I miss being captain. Did you know, both me and the First Mate were fakes?" Hisoka cackles.
"You're kidding." Illumi scoffs.
"Mercyn's true name was Pariston Hill. He's not as skilled at disguise as you or I. Or half as smart as he thinks he is." Hisoka snorts. "But I'm sure he'll be able to guide them back."
"I mean if you managed the maiden voyage while being hunted, I'm sure the former Chairman of the Hunter Association can manage the return voyage," Illumi says sarcastically.
"I love hearing you pretend to joke," Hisoka says. He leaps onto the bed to sit besides Illumi.
Hisoka rubs Illumi's shoulders. "I'm glad Nanika healed you."
"I don't really deserve it." Illumi half-smiles. "I've hurt my family in more ways than I've helped. Through my efforts to help."
"And yet, they love you." Hisoka swallows. "I envy you that."
"Oh?" Illumi turns to his husband. "I think Killua and the others are quite fond of you."
"I'm glad. Strangely enough." Hisoka leans forward to kiss Illumi. Gently, without his usual ferocity. "Because I love you."
He lets the words simmer as he deepens their kiss. He once swore he'd never say them again, not after Gyro. Now he's relieved to say them to someone who cares for him.
"You didn't need to say it. I already knew." Illumi kisses the teardrop on under Hisoka's left eye, and then the star below his right.
"You love that I said it," Hisoka protests, rolling Illumi back onto their bed.
He entwines his hands with Illumi's and grins down at him. "Unless you'd rather I make it than say it?"
"That's a false dichotomy," Illumi mutters.
"So is that a yes?"
Warmth floods Illumi from his hips to his heart. "Yes."
"You?" Ging Freecs hates visiting Meteor City – he has since taking Gon from here nearly a decade and a half ago. The last thing he needed was a phone call from Pariston Hill.
"I'm on my voyage back," sings the man's slippery voice.
"That's nice."
"Found what you're looking for?"
"Never have and never will." Though it's best if Pariston thinks he's here for the same old reason.
"Well, rumor has it your son, the Spiders, and the Zoldycks are all about to converge on Meteor City." Pariston laughs heartily. "I wouldn't wish that disaster on anyone."
Ging guffaws. Frankly, the more experienced Nen users here, the better. The only wrench he can see is his son, though hopefully Gon knows not to interfere by now. "It's not a disaster. It's an opportunity."
