8/17/2016

I don't own HunterxHunter. Thank you for all the favs, follows and reviews so far!

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"-no way, it's totally impossible!" Killua huffs.

Gon pouts while trying to step on top a large chuck of broken cement. "It's not!"

"Yeah, it is! Give it up, Gon. Loki has magic on his side. Magic! What can Captain America do against that with his dumb shield?"

"A lot of things! He can probably block Loki's magic-"

Killua clicks his tongue before Gon can finish. "No. The shield was made in the- what? Fifties?"

"It was during World War II, right? That's before the fifties." Gon's brow furrows. He thinks so, at least.

"Yeah, you're right. But that only proves my point more." Killua carefully climbs around a section of leftover debris that's jutting out at an odd angle. They're only about half way to the top of this broken cement mountain that had once been a tall building.

"How?" Gon asks and accepts Killua's offered hand.

"Because-" Killua grunts as he pulls Gon up. "-that was so long ago they weren't worried about magic aliens. They wouldn't have made the shield to protect against that kind of stuff. Besides, Loki's a god. Steve Rogers is just a normal guy."

"He's not a normal guy though. He's a superguy-" Gon begins to say, but then his sneaker slips on something and he's falling-

"Erk!"

Gon's drop stops short when two sweaty hands clench his in a steel-like grip. His shoulder pops painfully and he cries out.

"Gon!" Killua hisses from somewhere above him. Gon looks up to see Killua holding onto him, keeping him from tumbling all the way down the pile of shattered cinderblock. He would've fallen to his death without Killua's lightning-quick reflexes.

"K-Killua," he stutters and his friend's face twists with the effort of suspending Gon's dead weight.

"Gon, jesus, grab on to something! I can't hold you up for much longer." Sweat glistened on Killua's forehead and his hands were starting to slide on Gon's.

Fear sent a jolt of adrenaline pumping through Gon's veins. He scrambled to get a footing and made it to a secure landing just as Killua's grip weakened completely.

Together the pair breathed a sigh of relief.

"Don't ever," Killua pants. "Do that again. Got it?"

His face is as white as a sheet, paler then Gon's ever seen it. Killua had been really scared, he realizes, almost as scared as Gon himself. He'd been scared for Gon, scared to lose him. Gon swallows thickly. "Yeah…"

"What even happened?! We were just talking and then you suddenly dropped out of nowhere!"

"I don't know! The ground was slippery." Gon twists around to look below. On the cinderblock where he had just been standing, was a sheen coat of glimmering scarlet.

"Blood. Fresh blood," Killua says in a hoarse tone as Gon's mouth goes dry. Slowly, he turns to look at Killua. Their eyes lock.

"Do you think?" Gon whispers, almost too scared to voice his fear.

Killua shakes his head. "Dunno. It doesn't matter though. We have to keep going, don't we?" He pushes himself back to a standing position. He shakes his hands, continuing to say, "We just have to keep quiet and move fast to get away from this location; something might be heading our way right now. Are you okay to keep going?"

Gon blinks. "Huh?"

Killua heaves a heavy sigh, a sound that Gon knew meant the silver haired teen was trying not to roll his eyes. "You screamed when you fell. Did you hurt yourself at all?"

"Oh. That." Gon rolls his shoulder, winces at the twinge of pain. It hurts but it's bearable. "I'll be fine. I think I just pulled it a little."

Killua purses his lips and Gon says quickly, "Don't feel bad! I would've died if you hadn't caught me."

His friend looks away. "Yeah...I guess. Let's just get going before something finds us."

They stay closer together after that, with one of them always above the other in case either of them falls again. They make it over the top of the cracked cement hill shortly and they stop to stare at the scene before them.

Buildings are destroyed with shattered windows and cracked wood doors. Cars are left open and abandoned. Smoke sprays from a revealed pipe several blocks down. And then there are the bodies; the bodies are everywhere, blood staining the street, grass and broken buildings a dull red. They're not even full bodies, just parts like a finger here or there, an arm or leg left hanging out of an empty truck. The smell of decay leaves a metal taste in Gon's mouth and his eyes fill with water.

There's no sight of any zombies, though. That was most important.

Gon coughs and covers his nose with a sleeve to block out the worst of the odor. "Where are we?"

"Hunter Street," Killua answers and Gon turns to gawk at him. Killua's gazing straight ahead, refusing to meet his eyes.

Gon lowers his arm. He says quietly, "This is where we first met."

Killua nods. "Yeah."

A pause. Then Gon says, "Nothing is ever going to be the same again, is it?"

"No," Killua says, emotionless to all except Gon, who knew him best. Gon alone could make out the barest flicker of anger-sadness-regret behind the Zoldyck's mask.

"At least we have each other," Gon says and reaches out to squeeze Killua's cold hand.

Killua tightens his fingers around Gon's rather than giving a verbal answer, but Gon is fine with that. They never needed words to communicate anyway.

They stand there, shoulder-to-shoulder, and share a quiet moment looking out at their old life in shambles.

There's a loud crash to their right. It shatters the peace, Killua's grip tightens enough to hurt and he gasps-

Gon follows Killua's wide eyed look, dread pooling in his gut, already knowing what he will find.

He makes out a distorted figure out in the distance; its arms and legs are bent at an awkward angle and it makes jerky, sluggish movements as the thing attempts to leave the building via window. It's over a block away from them but Gon can still hear the high pitched shrieks. The sound raises the hairs on Gon's arms and sends shivers down his spine.

He speaks in a hushed murmur, "Is that-?"

"Yes," Killua answers, just as quiet.

"And your house is on the other side of town, right?"

"Right."

Which meant they had to use this road- and pass that thing- if they were going to get to Alluka.

Gon's throat closes up, making it hard to speak. He knew they would have to come in contact with zombies eventually, but seeing his first one was…unnerving. When he and Mito escaped, they had made it to the bunker with Kite. He had protected them, shielding the pair from the gore and violence. Gon remembered being frustrated at the time- he had wanted to fight! But now, he was grateful despite his lack of experience.

No one should live to see a corpse stumbling around with half its face missing.

"You know," Killua says out of nowhere, startling Gon out of his thoughts. "Alluka never liked Captain America either."

Gon's brow puckers. Why was Killua bringing this back up all of a sudden? He says, "I never said I didn't-"

Killua interrupts before he can finish. "But you don't, right?"

Gon doesn't fight the guilty smile, small though it is, that comes to his face. "No," he admits. Killua knew him too well.

"Thought so. You don't agree with his idea of justice." It wasn't a question.

Gon shrugs. Justice was a relative term, he always thought. Fighting for your country was a noble thing, sure. But if the nation's rules and regulations got in the way of protecting your friends or being there for them when they needed it the most, what was the point? Captain America never really got that.

But Killua did.

"Alluka likes Thor the most, actually," Killua continues. "Me, I think Thor is a golden retriever swinging a big hammer around. Kinda reminds me of you." He sends Gon a smirk and Gon scowls.

"But-" Killua's expression turns somber again. "I don't mind being whatever hero she wants me to be, as long as we can save her. It doesn't matter what obstacles I have to face; I'm going to find my sister."

Gon nods, feeling a rush of affection towards his best friend. Killua loved his sister so much that he was willing to risk his own life. It was only right that Gon be there by his side.

"With me," Gon adds. He gives their still linked hands another squeeze.

Killua's answering smile is twitch of his lips. "With you," he says softly and holds on tight.