Side Three:
Why
Five years later
"Hey, they're gonna love you," Chrollo promises, kneeling before their two small boys, who cower before the gate that looms behind them.
He buttons the fluffy coat with Kurta embroidery across the larger boy's chests.
"Are you sure?" asks small, five-year-old Pairo, looking in Chrollo's general direction, but not at his Daddy. Pairo is blind, but oh so insightful.
"Very," Chrollo reassures them.
"Catch me, Daddy!" Uvo, Uvo is six, and he has Down's Syndrome. Chrollo and Kurapika came across him in an orphanage three years ago and couldn't not adopt another child.
"Oof!" Chrollo grabs Uvo, squeezes him tight, and sends him teleporting into Kurapika's arms.
"Hey, there." Kurapika kisses Uvo's cheek.
Their first child, of course, is Hina. The ant exorcist is now a full adult, despite being only as old as Uvo.
A full adult who just passed the Hunter Exam, Chrollo and Kurapika are proud to say. Although, to Kurapika's relief, Cheadle made the exam considerably less deadly during her tenure.
The gate to Kukuroo Mountain slides open. A giant dog hurries up, and Hina immediately throws her arms around it.
"Hello, Mike," Kurapika greets the dog, Uvo in hand.
Chrollo looks around. "We haven't been here since…"
Kurapika nods. "Since before we were married." When Chrollo was kidnapped, and Kurapika desperate to find him.
"Hello, Spider Men," says Canary, hurrying down the pass with her wife of exactly one year by her side. "Are those your two new kids? Oh my god, they're so cute!"
"I'm not cute; I'm handsome." Uvo sticks out his tongue, while Pairo shyly buries his face in Chrollo's neck.
"I beg your pardon, then, little man." Amane bows. "The Zoldycks are excited to see you."
"Are we the last?" Hina taps her foot.
"For today." Tomorrow, the Kakin royal family arrives, along with Raissa Valdrada and Gon's Aunt Mito. Now married to Raissa in a direct repudiation of her cousin Ging. Biscuit, Hanzo, and the rest of the Hunters will join, along with Meleoron, Ikalgo, and Beyond Netero. A reunion for what they survived five years ago.
"Hisoka beat us here?" teases Chrollo.
"Illumi is his husband. He has to be punctual now," Canary explains with a laugh.
"They're here!" Canary calls, waltzing into the Zoldyck garden.
"Kurapika!" Leorio dashes up to snatch his friend – and by default, Uvo – in a bear hug. His fiancé Cheadle rolls her eyes from where she has been sitting, conversing on medicine with Nanika.
Nanika excuses herself to join Alluka in rushing Hina. The three girls squeal with glee to see each other again.
"Hey, Danchou." Kalluto's voice is deeper, and he's taller, though still delicately slender.
His smile is just as tentative and sweet, though. "I'm finally taller than Machi!"
"That's amazing. Do you tease her? I can help with that," Chrollo says with a laugh.
"All the time," Kalluto assures him, to Chrollo's satisfaction.
"Hey, look who decided to show up. Late." Palm glides into the garden, husband Milluki by her side. Both carry plates of grilled fruit and exotic food.
"That smells good." Pairo, with his unusually sensitive nose, reaches a hand to snatch a peach off the plate.
Milluki freezes. "Are you kidding me?!"
"Pairo," Kurapika says disapprovingly.
"Sorry," says the child, popping the peach into his mouth. "I'm just trying to be a thief like Daddy."
Kurapika eyes Chrollo, who struggles to keep a straight face. "Daddy doesn't do that anymore, Pairo."
"Didn't you just engineer that raid on the mafia caravan? To get medicine to people?" asks Uvo.
"You were not awake while we argued that!" Kurapika exclaims.
"Clearly, they wereeeee," sings Kalluto.
"Hina, you said you put them to bed," Chrollo calls.
Hina glances over from her posse with Alluka and Nanika. She laughs merrily. "You should know as well as me they're uncontrollable, Dad."
Kurapika shakes his head, while Chrollo groans.
Leorio waves to their two best friends, and Kurapika brightens.
They hurries over, Gon sipping a milkshake while Killua sips wine. Each wears an engagement ring less than a month old, but they are no longer the most recent news.
Across the yard, Melody smiles at Shoot and Nobunaga. "Congratulations on your engagement. Between you two, and Gon and Killua, next summer will be quite eventful."
"But really, did you have to get engaged while we were eloping?" Shizuku pouts. "I wanted to see it."
"Serves you right for eloping!" Nobunaga flips her off with a laugh.
"Don't worry." Bonolenov waves his phone. "I've got pictures."
"You better show them all to me." Machi races by, dragged by an unstoppable four-year-old Pakunoda.
Paku waves so hard her entire body sways. "Uncle Chrollo! Uncle Kurapika!"
"Hello, Paku." Chrollo squats down. Uvo waves shyly, and Paku grins at him.
"Uvooooooo. I've missed you." Her hair, black with pink streaks, is done in pigtails, and she wears a scarf like her daddy.
"Hey, Danchou." Machi rolls her eyes good-naturedly. Behind her, Feitan, Phinks, and Oito approach.
Phinks gives a girl with lush black girls a piggy-back. She squeals as he pretends to drop her.
"Woble!" Paku claps her hands. Woble is her best friend, and the two girls always manage more mischief than the thirteen Spiders can handle.
"Shalkor's gotten huge." Kurapika gasps at the two-year-old resting on Oito's hip.
"She has indeed." Oito grins. "Must take after her Papa."
Hisoka sniggers, stepping out from behind a tree. He tiptoes behind Chrollo.
The kid's name gets to him. Shalkor, the kid named for the two members he killed.
It's okay. He's kind of glad, in a way, as if Shalnark and Kortopi have been resurrected by their names.
He taps a finger to his lips. Pakunoda and Woble give no indication that anyone is behind Chrollo.
But Phinks, that traitor, can't hide a smirk.
Chrollo's voice is flat. "He's behind me, isn't he."
"Phinks, you spoiler. No gum for you." Hisoka tosses sticks of gum towards his nieces and nephews.
"Uncle Hisoka, show us another magic trick," Pairo begs. Hisoka uses bungee gum so that Pairo can feel the tricks and experience them himself, instead of just hearing their descriptions.
"Oh, now, will I get a hug for that?" Hisoka tilts his head.
"You'll get a kiss from me." Illumi strolls into sight, holding a blue-haired child, whose face is painted just like Hisoka's. A dark-haired girl bobs beside her father.
"I love you!" The blue-haired mini-Hisoka leaps from Illumi's arms into Chrollo's.
"Ah!" Chrollo feigns a poor grip, but of course he would never drop Jack. He'll hold Pairo and Jack together, no problem.
"My favorite." Diamond, the girl, grabs Kurapika's robes.
"Am I?" Kurapika looks thrilled.
"You really named your kids after cards," Machi says dryly.
"Well, I couldn't very well name them Baha," Hisoka says, sticking his tongue out at Illumi.
"Daddy, I thought we weren't supposed to stick out tongues." Dia stomps her foot and sticks out her tongue at him.
"Hisoka," Illumi says in exasperation.
"Would you stick out your tongue at me, Dia?" Alluka asks.
"Never!" Dia launches herself into her aunt's arms as Alluka smirks at a helpless Illumi.
"You're undoing all of my parenting," Illumi complains.
"Some of that's a good thing," Hisoka pokes Illumi's side.
The assassin actually jumps. And then he laughs. He actually laughs.
Because here, back home, in the place in which he was forced to grow up too fast, Illumi feels reborn.
The dungeon has been demolished, the poisons stocked away – Illumi recognizes the value of immunity, after all. There are more dogs like Mike, and more servants interning in Milluki's burgeoning gaming business.
And no Silva. No Kikyo.
Not even Maha, who finally passed away two years after Silva. Now Zeno lives alone with the servants – though Hisoka now has suspicions about which room Tsubone sleeps in.
Zeno is still an assassin, finds himself taking less and less jobs these days. He spends his time with his grandchildren, when they visit. Between the five Zoldycks and the son of Kikyo, Kukuroo mountain is rarely short on young people.
Even Kikyo occasionally writes letters. Likely because she still derives a thrill from the Zoldyck seal Silva taught her to draw.
She's spent much time in Metoer City, teaching the abandoned, abused children self-defense skills. Illumi and Hisoka visit her often, as does Kalluto, usually with Feitan and Machi. Killua plans to soon, to tell her of his engagement.
Alluka isn't sure. Nanika would, but she feels like she'd rather wait for her twin Alluka. Eventually. They'll see her eventually, and they'll hug, even if they don't have a relationship.
Uvo wriggles out of Kurapika's hands, and promptly grasps Dia's. "You're so pretty."
Illumi whips his head around, and Hisoka's eyes nearly fall out.
Dia squeals with joy. "Daddy, he said I'm pretty!"
"Let's go eat." Paku points to the sweet-scented fruit Palm piles high on the table.
"Okay!" Woble nods, and Chrollo puts Pairo and Jack down.
"C'mon, Pairo. Wanna be my best friend?" Jack hops as he talks.
Chrollo watches them go with a soft smile. Someday their boys will learn the origin of their names. And Paku, too. Will they hate their fathers, their aunts and uncles? Or will they forgive?
They don't know. They can't decide that.
They can only act in a way that shows they've changed. That shows they love each other.
"Don't make me have to watch Illumi threaten your son," Hisoka says casually.
"You as protective of Dia as Illumi," Feitan says, striding over to Machi.
Hisoka shrugs. "Am I? Hopefully the world will never know."
"You saw how protective Chrollo is over the Spiders, and me over my tribe. Is that really a challenge you want to take up?" Kurapika retorts.
"No, I prefer to renew my suggestion from the eve of your wedding. Don't think I've forgotten." Hisoka snickers.
"I have," says Chrollo, at the same time Kurapika and Illumi blurt, "Oh no."
Hisoka seizes Illumi and mashes his mouth against his husband's.
Chrollo's eyes spark. He turns to Kurapika and lifts him off the ground, into his arms. His mouth covers Kurapika's.
And, despite himself, Kurapika gives into this petty fun.
"Hey, Fei? Feitan? We can't let them win." Machi pouts until Feitan begins kissing her, too.
"And here we have the triple contest. We have Hisoka and Illumi in the lead, wrapped in bungee gum," Phinks narrates. "No, wait, Chrollo and Kurapika are hovering! They are above gravity, floating! Can the sheer ferocity of Machi and Feitan overcome this?"
"Ew!" shriek the kids. In unison. Agreeing, for probably the only moment in their lives. Given their parents and all.
Killua sidles up to Gon. "Let's join, too!"
Illumi breaks away, horrified. "Not here!"
"You fool!" Hisoka cries as Killua guffaws. "You made us lose!"
"And there we have it, folks. The conclusion of our kissing contest: Hisoka and Illumi in third due to Illumi's over-protective attitude, Machi and Feitan in second due to a late start, and the airborne Chrollo and Kurapika in first!" Phinks roars.
Chrollo returns them to the earth, but their hearts remain soaring. No longer bound by ghosts or sins.
Kurapika smiles at his husband. Tears shine in his eyes, like diamonds amongst rubies.
"Why are you crying?" Chrollo asks, brushing a finger against his Scarlet eyes.
Why, indeed.
The man before him, the thief, the father, the husband. The friends and family who mill about, bound by less by blood than tragedy and trauma and fierce love. The children whose names set free their ghosts.
They're all why.
1. Jack is based on a drawing I saw on Twitter by adoniszaf. I can't find the link (but will keep searching), but it was a blue-haired Hisoillu child with Chrollo. Freaking adorable.
Also, the small fluffy coats idea is from Hamliet.
2. wow. Okay. That's it. It's over. I...love all of you who were so encouraging in your comments, and kudos, and reading this story in general. 3 Thank you *so* much for your support, and I am glad you enjoyed this. Also, the demands for this kissing contest were so high I just...had to include it.
On the bright side, I finished before the end of hiatus! Let's all scream over the next chapter together in a few days.
