8/21/16

I don't own HunterxHunter. My computer is freaking out so I wanted to get this out before it dies on me completely. Enjoy the chapter :)

-o0o-

Gon met Killua on the first day of June two summers ago, right before they entered high school.

They had both been entered into a three month summer camp. It was a kind of ninja warrior activity event intended to exhaust its participants so they would be too tired to move by the time they arrived home. It sounded great to Gon; he would make new friends and find all types of different ways to push himself!

He hadn't expected on Killua, though, and after him Gon's life was never the same again.

Gon remembers the first time he saw Killua, thinking for a brief moment that he was a moonbeam personified. He was the only other teen Gon's age, slim and lithe, luminescent skin to match silver hair and eyes crafted from midnight skies.

Gon quickly learned that unlike the moon, Killua was anything but soft. He was intuitively clever, a comeback always ready on the tip of his lips, and a trickster at heart. His reflexes were even better than Gon's, which was saying something. Killua missed nothing, his gaze as sharp as his tongue, and Gon knew from experience that Killua could cut a person down with words before they even knew they were being targeted.

At first the other participants underestimated Killua. But they quickly became wary and frightened after he effortlessly wiped out one of the instructors during a hand-to-hand combat lesson. The instructor was triple his age.

Gon, on the other hand, thought Killua was endlessly fascinating from the start; he had finally found someone who would match his every step! Killua challenged Gon effortlessly, sometimes exceeding him by the barest of margins. He went on every crazy adventure Gon came up with, even if he didn't want to. He took the time to explain things Gon didn't understand, like math- ugh- and the inner social workings of the world.

That was only the outside of Killua, though. Gon liked to see the other, softer side of him, when everyone else was gone for the day and it was just the two of them left to waste the night away.

It was in those moments Killua whispered secrets to Gon about his family, their business of murderous inventions, a dark childhood filled with poison where there should be hugs and torture chambers instead of toy rooms. He talked about freedom like he was a man starved. He told Gon that this camp was the only place he could escape his family and how at the end of the summer he would be forced back to that prison-

"Let's stay together then!" Gon said that time under the stars.

And so they did. The very next day they secretly enrolled Killua in Gon's high school. It was the best decision Gon's ever made.

They spent every day together after that, studying, laughing, playing games...anything that came to their minds, they did. Killua lived on the other side of town from Gon's house, which made it hard to spend time together during the weekends, but they both had bikes so they managed.

Gon didn't even know Killua had a sister until school started last year and he saw Killua guiding her down the locker-lined hallway, hand in hand.

"This is Alluka," Killua said when he introduced them. His face glowed with affection as he smiled down at the tiny girl with dark hair and large periwinkle eyes. "My little sister. Alluka, this is Gon- he's the friend I was telling you about, remember?"

"Best friend," Gon corrected and watched with a grin when Killua's eyes widened and his cheeks burned scarlet.

Killua rubbed the back of his neck, awkward even as a small smile graced his lips. "Yeah. Sorry, my bad. Gon's my best friend."

"And Killua is mine!" Gon chirped, beaming. Alluka had laughed. The sound reminded Gon of wind chimes and bells.

After Aunt Mito, Killua was the first person Gon thought of when the end of the world began. Alluka was the second.

But to the Zoldycks, Alluka was barely thought at all, Gon thinks with a frown as he sprinted down the street, right on Killua's heels. According to Killua, his relatives mostly ignore Alluka. In fact, they don't even consider her part of their family.

Gon bites down the boiling anger that threatens to overwhelm him. He focuses harder on the task in front of him:

Running past the zombie that is quickly coming up on their right.

Killua is a silver blur in front of him and Gon can barely keep up as it is. Killua is the fastest person he knows, and Gon could never win in a straight out sprint against him. But this time Gon is trying extra hard; they figured they would stand a better chance of avoiding the zombie's attention if they sprinted past it rather than sneak around.

Gon's sneakers pound on the cement, his heart matching the beat and thudding loudly in his chest, but Killua's steps are light and silent. Gon stares at the back of his friend's head and wonders if he's as terrified as Gon is in this moment.

They're coming up to the zombie now. Closer, closer, closer, level-

They fly down the road, past the zombie, and keep going even after its two blocks behind them. They don't stop till they reach a crossroad- nearly five miles from where Gon fell on the cinderblock mountain.

Killua slows to a trot and Gon trips over his own two feet trying to break his gallop. He manages to grab a stop sign last minute to keep him from falling face down on the ground.

"Holy shit," Killua moans from behind him.

Gon leans on his knees, panting. His legs are trembling from the strain of running and he doesn't have enough air in his lungs to respond.

"Thank god we ran cross country last year. Right, Gon?"

Gon nods, gasps, "Didn't we- ahh- quit though halfway through?"

"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. Why'd we do that, again?"

Gon laughs breathlessly. "You said it was boring."

"Riiiiiight, I remember now. You kept pulling me away on stupid adventures in the middle of the neighborhood runs."

Gon whirls around. "They weren't stupid! You liked them too!"

Killua's lips twitch. "Yeah, okay, they were pretty cool. Remember the time we found that bug jewel thing in Greed Island Park?"

Gon feels a swell of nostalgia at the memory; they'd skipped out of cross country practice to follow a treasure map they'd just found up in Gon's attic. Ging had left it for Gon as a challenge, so of course they had to use it.

Gon asks, "Didn't it start to rain right after we found the jewel too?"

"Yes!" Killua's eyes dance with mirth and Gon knows his face mirrors the same expression. "We were soaked through. Mito had to give me some of your clothes to wear home. My mom was so pissed."

"Really?" Gon hadn't known that. His stomach twists uncomfortably at the thought. If Killua's family wasn't happy with him there were usually consequences.

"Don't look so worried, Gon! Jeesh. She didn't do anything except lock me in my room all weekend so I wouldn't stay out so late again. But that was whatever. I snuck out whenever I wanted to anyway." He straightens up and turns around to look west. He points down another cracked road filled with empty, dark buildings. "My house is down that way."

Gon bites his cheek to stop himself from asking more questions, though he would like too. Killua probably wouldn't tell him anything else even if he did ask. So instead he says, "Will we have to pass more zombies?"

Killua makes a face. "Most likely."

Gon groans. "Do we have to?"

"Yes. Stop being such a baby. Are you scared or something?"

It's a joke. But Gon can't help but answer honestly, standing up and pushing himself into the other teen's personal space, "Of course I am! Aren't you?"

Killua looks startled at the question and his brows furrows. Then he sighs. "Yeah. But I'm not worried."

Surprise jolts through him. "Why not?"

Killua rolls his eyes. "Don't you remember what you said? As long as we're together, we can do anything. A couple zombies aren't gonna stop us."

Gon's chest feels tight with warmth. He smiles so wide his cheeks hurt and he says, "Yeah."

"C'mon, then. Let's get going." Killua heads off down the road and Gon quickly jogs over so they can walk side by side.

"I have a question," Gon begins to ask.

"Okay. Shoot."

"How do you know Alluka's still at your house? It's been a couple of days since the zombies took over."

Killua tucks his arms behind his head. "Well. There's this thing with my family when it comes to life or death kind of situations. As Zoldycks we're responsible for ourselves as soon as we come of age. Both of my parents have told me if something bad were to ever happen, it's my job to head to our vacation house safely. No one else is going to come search for me."

Gon frowns. He really doesn't understand Killua's family. Aunt Mito hadn't left his side the moment they knew something weird was going on. "I always thought family were supposed to look after each other."

Killua's face darkens. "My family isn't normal, Gon. It's more of a cult then anything." He bitterly kicks a piece of shattered glass. It makes a clinking sound as it hits against the sidewalk.

Gon's heart contracts painfully. "Killua…"

"Anyway," his friend says loudly, talking over Gon as he shoves his hands in his pockets. "The point is, even though I was out of my house when the apocalypse hit, my family knows that I would eventually get to our vacation house unscathed. And I could, if I wanted to."

"You don't though, right?" Gon asks, just to make sure.

Killua snorts. "No. 'Course not. Who do you take me for? Once I find Alluka we're going to get as far away from them as possible. This might be our only chance to escape."

Gon jumps over a fallen streetlight. "You know, Killua, you and Alluka are always welcome with me and Aunt Mito. You could be our family, instead. If you wanted."

"You've said that before," Killua huffs out as his cheeks begin to turn a light shade of pink.

"You never believe me, though!" Gon protests.

Killua looks away but Gon can still make out the edge of his smile. His friend says, "That's because you're always saying the weirdest stuff. I never know what to believe when it comes to you."

"I'm being serious, Killua." Gon grabs Killua's plaid sleeve and forces him to turn around so they're face to face. He ducks down so he can catch Killua's azure gaze. "I mean it! My home is your home. Do you really think I would joke about that?"

Killua bites his lip, flushing harder now. "No. You wouldn't- you wouldn't do something like that."

Gon brightens; he's glad Killua wasn't brushing him off. "Think about it, Killua! We wouldn't have to ride our bikes all over town on the weekends anymore. We would get to be together all the time and go on all kinds of adventures!" He gasps as a thought occurs to him and starts to shake Killua in his excitement. "Maybe- hey, Killua- do you think we could share a room, maybe?"

Killua lets out a laugh- it sounds a little broken and helpless, to Gon's ears, but it's still a laugh- and shakes his head. "How am I supposed to know? You would be making all the plans, me and Alluka would just be along for the ride. And we already go on adventures, stupid. You've dragged me all over this town more times than I can count."

Gon's answering grin is wide and sincere. "Yeah but whenever I'm with you it's an adventure, so if we lived together, then every day would be an adventure! Can you picture it, Killua? Every day!"

Bemusement colors Killua's voice, "Let's try to find Alluka first, and then we'll figure out what to do, okay?"

Gon nods enthusiastically. "Okay!"

They continue down the street, Killua walking smoothly in contrast to Gon's skip. At the end of the road, Gon wonders out loud, "How much longer, do you think till we reach your house?"

"An hour or two. Maybe more. It would be faster with bikes, but…"

"Yeah. No bikes in an apocalypse."

"Nope." Killua makes a popping sound with the 'p'.

"But you think Alluka will be there?" he asks, bringing them back to the original topic at hand.

Killua casts his eyes to the sky. He's quiet for a moment. Then says, "Alluka is different from the rest of us, you know. She hasn't gone through all the training stuff that my parents forced me and my other siblings through. She's- innocent, I guess. Though my parents would call her weak."

He scowls, disgust written on his face. "Their priorities are seriously messed up, even ignoring the training aspect. They don't consider Alluka family, Gon. My mom gave birth to Alluka but they treat her like she's a bomb about to go off."

Gon begins hesitantly, "So, when the zombies started to take over…"

Killua's expression turns hard with cold fury. Hatred rolls off him in waves. "They would have left her to fend for herself, knowing full well that there's no way she could survive."

Gon stares at Killua with horror. His heart stutters in his chest. Killua isn't lying, he could tell.

"Alluka is definitely at the house," Killua says. "The only question now is whether she's infected or dead."