"Onii-chan, Onii-chan! Gon-nii-chan came today and made a wish!"

"W-what? Gon did? Why the heck did he do that?"

"He really, really wanted me to remember his message to you, so he wished I would!"

"A wish, huh… Crap! I can't even remember what the last one was! Alluka, what did you ask him to do?"

"A kiss on the cheek, a kiss on the forehead, and a kiss on the lips."

"Alluka! How many times do I have to tell you that Gon's kisses are mine?"

"But Gon-nii-chan is so cool. I love him."

"I hope you mean you love him like a brother."

"No! I'm going to marry him!"

"Hey, wait a sec! That's my line!"

"Onii-chan, I need to give you his message before we argue."

"…Agh, fine. Why did he not just give it to me himself?"

"He said… um… oh yeah! Nanika says he said that the Chimera Ants are mad."

"Hah? But we've been at peace with them for almost five years now. Why are they so mad?"

"No, no! Not those ones! The ones on the Dark Continent!"

"The Dark Continent? Where Ging is?"

"Un! They wanted the queen they sent to take over the world, and they're mad that we killed her and the new king."

"They sent her? In that case, we should be the ones who are mad."

"But now they want to start a war and take over once and for all."

"A… war?!"

"Un! Gon-nii-chan said Kaito-nee-chan is the only one they'll talk to, so she's going to make a… a treat… treat…"

"Treaty?"

"Un! But if that doesn't work, there's going to be a war. And a really, really big amount of Hunters are going to be in it!"

"Crap… but wait, why did Gon not tell me this himself?"

"Gon-nii-chan told me not to tell you until later, but he didn't say that in his wish so I told you now."

"Not until… don't tell me…"

"Gon-nii-chan is getting ready to fight, and he thinks you have to protect me so he didn't want to tell you."

"That idiot!"

"Un! Nanika and I think so too! We don't want Gon-nii-chan getting hurt, so we wanted to tell you now. We'll be okay!"

"Dammit, Gon… Okay, Alluka. I'll leave you with Aunt Mito and Grandma, is that okay? Just don't ask them for anything."

"Yay! They always give me and Nanika lots of cookies and treats!"

"Of course they do. They're excited that you'll be a part of their family in a few years."

"I can't wait to marry Gon-nii-chan!"

"How many times do I have to tell you I'll be the one marrying him? Hah, whatever. Just be safe there, okay?"

"'Kay. Onii-chan?"

"Yeah?"

"If you're in really, really big trouble, Nanika will help."

"No, you'll stay there!"

"You don't understand now, Onii-chan, but you'll see. Nanika knows a special trick."

"Well, you two can do whatever tricks you want, just don't put yourselves in danger."

"'Kay."

Killua's eyes flickered open and he sat up slowly, gingerly pressing a hand against his head. The light seemed too bright and the world was spinning. He closed his eyes, wincing, then the nausea overtook him and vomit rose in his throat. He would've vomited into his own lap, but suddenly a bowl was pressed into his hands and he threw up into it, coughing violently. A warm hand rubbed gentle circles on his back, and a quiet, kind voice whispered encouragement into his ear.

"It's okay, it's okay. You should feel better soon, I gave you some herbs to help. You have a pretty severe concussion. You're lucky to be alive."

Killua looked up blearily, his first impression of the girl blurred. He reached up and rubbed his eyes, her form becoming clearer and clearer. She smiled at him, withdrawing her hand and folding it daintily in her lap. His first impression was that she looked pathetic. She was small and rather sickly, with thin trickles of clear fluid coming from each nostril. Her eyes were closed, and her head was tilted slightly, thick white hair falling messily over her shoulders.

"I'm Komugi. I found you near the river. It looks like you fell from the top of the gorge."

Killua blinked, rubbing his head again. A gorge? He looked around. It seemed they were in a small hut, with only one bed and a few shelves of herbs in the room he was in. A mesh curtain divided it from the rest of the hut, and he sat up a little more, eyes taking in the whole thing. There was a small fire pit near a hole in the ceiling, where a merry little fire sat under a happily bubbling pot. There were a couple of baskets holding what he assumed were clothes, and in the corner there was a Gungi board with two worn pillows on either side of it.

"I'm Killua... Where am I?"

Komugi smiled, gently removing the bowl from his lap and setting it aside as she picked up another one filled with water. She leaned forward and gingerly began dabbing the side of his head with a cloth she'd taken out of it. He let her, watching for any signs of threatening or malice. But there were none.

"The middle of nowhere, really. I live near a village where I get all of my supplies, but I like living out here rather than there more. I had this hut built because the village was overwhelming, especially with my not being able to see."

She was blind? Her fingers moved with a surety, and as she moved around to dispose of his vomit, it seemed like she could see exactly what she was doing. He wanted to ask her more about herself, but there was a more pressing question on his mind.

"Um… this may be a little strange, but do you know what happened? Or… or who I am?"

She paused, her head turning in his direction.

"Well, if I had to guess, I'd say you were a soldier. But other than that… I don't know. I don't think your head was damaged enough to suffer from permanent memory loss, so I'm sure it'll all come back. Oh… there is one thing I can tell you. You kept saying something in your sleep. It sounded like you kept saying something about gone… like maybe someone was gone or something was gone. Does it ring a bell?"

Killua's eyes rolled up thoughtfully. Gone? Now that he thought about it, he felt like something was missing. His memories, obviously, but it felt like something more fundamental was missing. A something or a someone. Wait… definitely a someone. He strained his mind to remember, but a flash of staggering pain quickly put the idea of trying to figure it out to an end. He let out a low groan, pressing his hand over one eye. It seemed his name was about the only thing he could remember.

"Don't strain yourself, I'm sure everything will be fine. You can stay here as long as you like."

She worked with a quiet efficiency, moving around and getting things ready as if her blindness was a joke. Killua wondered why she was being so nice to him. Was she some kind of idiot? Who trusted someone and brought them into their home so quickly? The question earned him another flash of pain. So. Pain meant something was related to the someone.

"Who's this?"

The voice made his insides freeze. He didn't know why, but he'd felt like he'd heard it before and it meant death. His body moved immediately into a defensive crouch, one hand up to defend and the other behind him to swing quickly in offense. The man who had just entered simply looked at him, and in that look he saw the futility of what he was doing. Nothing he could do would prove useful against this man… no, this… this… monster.

"Meruem! You're home early! I found this boy on the riverbank and I couldn't let him die."

Just like that, the handsome man's violet eyes changed from cold to gentle and warm. Komugi walked up to him and slid her hands over his face, her thumbs brushing across his cheeks as she leaned forward and planted a gentle kiss on his mouth. The way they held each other, the way they looked at each other, despite the fact that Komugi couldn't even see him… Killua felt a flash of pain not only in his head, but in his heart. As if he recognized what they felt, and he was missing it.

"I've told you to be careful, Komugi. And yet here you go again bringing wounded people home. Your entire existence is a constant worry to me."

His voice was chastising but gentle, as he cradled the girl to his chest like she was the most precious thing he'd ever laid his hands on. She smiled happily, standing on her toes to plant a chaste kiss on his cheek before turning back to Killua.

"This is my fiancée. He can be intimidating, but don't mind him. A man who can't beat me in Gungi is hardly anyone to worry about."

Meruem shook his head with a sigh, glancing at Killua, who had slowly relaxed into a sitting posture. It felt really strange, to see the man acting so tenderly towards someone. Killua didn't know why, but he could barely believe his eyes.

"If Komugi wishes it, you can stay. I can't argue with this woman."

And that was it. Komugi had spoken, and Meruem had obliged with an ease no one could've foreseen. Killua nodded and settled back down, watching as the two filled each other in on their days and prepared the meal with an odd but strangely relaxing dynamic. Interestingly enough, not once had they stopped touching each other since Meruem had walked through the door. Most of the time, they had their fingers linked absentmindedly, and when they didn't, Meruem had a gentle hand on Komugi's back. It didn't seem like they did it to help guide her around, though. If Killua had to guess, he'd say it had started like that, but now it was simply routine. It made him feel strangely empty again. Gone… Who was gone?

"Killua, was it? Do you know how to play Gungi?"

Meruem's intense eyes watched Killua, but he didn't feel nearly the same pressure he'd felt before. Komugi beckoned him over to the table, and he obeyed, crawling across the dusty ground to sit at a small, homey table he hadn't previously noticed. Meruem ladled out the soup Killua had seen boiling as he waited patiently for an answer.

"No. Well… I'm not sure. I don't have my memories, but I feel like I wouldn't know even if I did."

Meruem and Komugi linked fingers loosely as they ate. Meruem's first bite was too hot, and it had him frantically waving one hand by his mouth while Komugi laughed softly and stood up to grab some herbs, pressing them into Meruem's mouth as if this happened a lot. Meruem let out a warm breath before answering Killua again, his voice slightly muffled.

"Hm. It's quite the game. Komugi got me into it and we've playing it ever since. It feels like we've played it forever, and we'll continue forever. With me never beating her, of course."

Killua listened and laughed at the end, especially at Komugi's serious nod. The soup was warm and tasty, and he finally really relaxed as Komugi and Meruem explained to him the rules of Gungi as if it were the most important thing in the world. The way they kept finishing each other's sentences, laughing, and teasing each other throughout. Killua didn't need memories to know that this warm, poor little hut was full of love. He wondered if he'd ever seen a happier couple in his entire life. Probably not. They seemed like they simply couldn't get enough of each other, like they were each other's whole world. It was one of those truly beautiful, once-in-a-lifetime loves.

"If you'd like to watch, we're going to start our first round of Gungi. Though I'm afraid it might keep you up, because we tend to lose track of time and play all night. When you're tired, feel free to use the bed. Nine times out of ten we sleep at the board anyway."

Killua wondered if Komugi was lying to make him feel comfortable about taking the only bed, but when she entered a game of Gungi with Meruem, he instantly knew she hadn't been lying. If anything, she'd been toning down the truth, because her eyes opened and she became a completely different, beautiful, and intense woman, and it seemed to Killua she'd never stop playing. Meruem became different too, intense but almost giddy with happiness.

Killua watched a couple of games, shocked at the level they played at. They'd explained the basic rules, but what they were doing was so complex and far over his head that he had no idea what was going on. He'd thought Meruem was about to win, when suddenly Meruem had dropped his pieces with a small chuckle and announced that Komugi had won. Just how many moves ahead were they seeing? But every move spoke volumes of love, respect, and trust. It was strange. He'd never thought something like a game could be used to express love, but it was happening right before his eyes. He quickly grew tired though, and he crawled into bed and fell asleep, not even sure if Meruem or Komugi noticed his absence.

He woke the next day to a gentle hand shaking his shoulder. He bolted up, and Komugi shushed him gently.

"Good morning, Killua. I know Meruem won't ask, but I'm sure he'd be grateful if you helped him with the farming. We get out food through it, and we sell what we don't eat to buy things we need. You don't have to, I'm not saying this to pressure you or anything, but I just thought you might be bored hanging around a blind girl all day."

Killua stretched, feeling much better than he had the previous day. For some reason, his body was itching to go and work out. Farm work sounded fine to him right about then.

"Of course I'll help out. But don't call yourself boring, idiot."

He hadn't meant to add the idiot, but it just sort of slipped out, along with another sharp pain in his head.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to call you an idiot."

Komugi had looked surprised for a second, but she laughed lightly, earning a confused look from Killua.

"It's just… the way you said idiot really did sound affectionate. I wonder if the person you call an idiot loves you as much as I love Meruem."

That gave him a pause. Was he in love with the someone he kept thinking about? The resounding yes came from his heart rather than from his head. Hm. Did she love him back? But the thought felt sort of… wrong, somehow. As if something in his line of thinking was off. He shook his head in exasperation; the more he felt, the more confused he was. A hard day of working the farm should help clear his mind. He got up, neatly folding the bed sheets, and went outside to find Meruem, who seemed as if he was waiting.

"I hope you're ready, this isn't an easy task for someone who's soft."

"No need to worry, I'm plenty of things but soft isn't one of them."

The days passed like that, peaceful and calming. It was… nice. Work the farm with Meruem all day, come home to supper from Komugi, watch them play a couple of games of Gungi, then go to sleep. Rinse and repeat. He'd borrowed some of Meruem's clothes, handmade by Komugi, and now he really felt like a farmhand. But it didn't make him feel lower than he was or less than a soldier. To be honest, he could get used to the life. He felt like this kind of 'normal' hadn't been a part of his life before. Meruem even offered to build him a small hut so he could have his own place to stay permanently, so he could work with them. His initial worries about the intense man had evaporated after days of quiet, hard work; Meruem was more gentle than he seemed, probably thanks in large part to Komugi.

The only thing that kept him from agreeing to the proposal was… something was missing. Someone who was very, very important to him was missing. Gone. He would've been content to do with no memories, but his heart kept insisting that he needed to get it together and try to find out how to get back to where he'd come from. But how was he supposed to go back when he couldn't for the life of him remember even a single thing? His only clue about his past popped out of his mouth one day when he was watching Meruem and Komugi move about the kitchen in the loving way they had.

"How do you know when to tell someone you love them?"

It had flew past his lips randomly, but now he realized he desperately needed to know. That was it. That was this nagging feeling—he still hadn't told this very important person that he loved them. He didn't know why, but he knew it was vital that he did.

Meruem and Komugi exchanged glances before Meruem nodded at her. Surprising; Komugi was usually the one to speak the most.

"I used to be a prince, the youngest son of many brothers, before I met Komugi. We were taught to be ruthless, cold blooded, and ambitious. I wanted to be the best, because our father had decided the next ruler wasn't decided by birthright… He was decided by how much he accomplished. My brothers and I competed, and I was winning by a landslide, when I decided to conquer all of the games in the world. I was well on my way when I met Komugi."

He squeezed her hand affectionately and she gave a squeeze back, nodding encouragement.

"I played her for a long time, trying to beat her at her own game. But I never could. The more we played, the more I learned about her, and the more I grew to respect her. I don't know when that respect turned into love. It could've been love the whole time. But as I played, and as I hid my feelings, I began to realize something… I could never win by playing flawless moves straight from the book. By only doing the basics and never taking any chances, I was effectively losing to myself. So I decided to take chances, even if it meant I might have to sacrifice pieces."

"How did that turn out?"

Komugi laughed at Killua's question as Meruem stroked her hair thoughtfully.

"Well, I certainly didn't beat her in Gungi. I can play at a much higher level now, though there's still no way to beat her. But… now I'm truly playing against her, rather than myself. And though I never won in Gungi, in one sense I did win. I took a chance, fully prepared to make a sacrifice, and asked her for her hand. Seeing as how she's my fiancée and I've given up being a cold-hearted prince, I'm sure you can imagine the outcome."

Meruem pressed a small kiss into the soft white hair.

"I thought she'd never agree because I wasn't someone who could be loved. Even so, it wasn't fair for me to assume she thought so cruelly of me, as I've been informed many times since. If you're rejected, I'm sure it's a different story, but in this case, my only regret is not telling her sooner."

It was a beautiful story. The kind of fairy tale romance that everyone wanted. But… confessing to someone was horribly nerve wracking. What if it was someone you were close to, and their rejection ruined the entire bond? Although… Meruem was right. It wasn't fair to assume the person being confessed to would want to cut off all ties simply because of a confession. Killua opened his mouth to respond, but a hesitant voice stopped him.

"Hello?"

It was tiny and sad, the kind of mournful voice a child who'd lost their parents had. It shouldn't sound like that. It should sound bright, cheerful and excited.

"I'm… um… well, my friend fell into the gorge and I heard the river flows this way. The people in town say you've got a new farmhand so I just thought maybe—"

No one had any time to react as Killua launched himself through the entrance, tackling the person speaking. The earthy smell, the voice, the smooth skin, the sharp intake of breath…

"GON!"

Killua wrapped his arms around the shocked boy and squeezed with enough force to break ribs, one hand clutching the back of Gon's neck and pulling him closer as he buried his face in Gon's shoulder. Sobs of happiness were wracking his body before his mind had even caught up to tell him his memories were back, and words were flowing from his mouth that barely even made sense.

"I missed you, I missed you so much, I can't believe you're here, I should've found you, I lost my memories and I was working for Meruem and Komugi but I wanted to see you and I'm so sorry I forgot to keep our promise and—"

His breath was lost as Gon squeezed him back with equal force, heavy wails filling the air as Gon shook like a leaf in his arms.

"Killuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! I thought you were deeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaad! I snuck out two weeks ago to come find you b-because everyone s-said you were dead but I d-didn't believe them so I k-kept looking s-so much."

Killua shook his head, too choked up to say anything else as he clutched Gon to him as if Gon were life itself. This was what he'd been missing. How had he ever forgotten something this important? How could he have ever treated Gon so coldly before the accident? He lifted Gon up, spinning dizzily, light with happiness. Gon's soldier's cap flew off and they both tumbled down, Gon landing on top of him and clinging to him like a baby koala.

"I'm never e-ever ever e-ever ever ever l-letting go!"

Gon wails were muffled in Killua's shirt, and then Killua grabbed his face, tilting it up. No more assuming, no more playing by the rules. Gon's face was full of snot and tears, but he ignored them and pressed his lips against Gon's, trying to convey in that one kiss how much he'd missed the crazy kid, how much he loved him. Gon pulled back, tears running down his cheeks.

"K-Killua, your m-memories must be f-funny. We weren't… we w-weren't like that. You must be r-remembering when I w-was going to a-ask 'Do you w-want to kiss m-me?'"

Oh. Then…? Kiss…? Gon had wanted…? Killua started laughing through his tears, leaning forward and pressing kisses all over Gon's face as he spoke.

"Idiot… I thought you… didn't like me… like that… so I… tried to make… my feelings go away… but… how stupid… were we anyway… to think… we both wanted… the same thing…"

Between every couple of words, he was kissing Gon and his hands were tracing the shape of the tanned face almost as familiar as his own, memorizing every line, every contour. Gon blinked tearfully at him, still not completely understanding. Killua caught a glimpse of Meruem and Komugi, both of them smiling widely, and he remembered what Komugi had said. She'd been right, as usual.

"I'm saying I love you, you idiot."

There was an audible pause, then Gon's eyes widened a fraction. Tears gathered in them and he began to bawl again. Killua didn't know whether he should be concerned or not.

"What's wrong?"

"I've been looking for you for so long… and now I've found you… and you're s-saying those k-kinds of things… a-and I c-can't help but t-think I m-must be dreaming b-because I r-really, really, really love you t-too."

Killua laughed delightedly, grabbing the back of Gon's head and pulling him in for a real kiss, long and deep, until Gon was panting and blushing and looking a complete mess.

"Did that feel like a dream?"

Gon shook his head reverently, burying his face in Killua's neck like a kitten to hide his blush, his arms never unwrapping themselves from Killua's. Killua clutched him close too, finally realizing that he completely understood how Meruem and Komugi had felt. He wanted to keep touching Gon, his hands, his face, his back, everywhere, forever. He wanted to know every part of the sobbing boy's body, know his every thought, all of his quirks and pet peeves and what made him blush or get angry or get scared. He hadn't even realized he'd wanted half of these things until he'd finally let out the feelings he'd bottled up for so long.

"Killua, if this is a dream, I never want to wake up."

"What are you talking about? If this is just a dream, waking up will be a million times better, since I'm obviously not going to leave your side, even when we wake up."

Gon let out a breathy half-laugh, half-sob.

"Never break your promise again."

"Idiot. You don't need to say something like that! …I won't."

A/N: Whew, can't believe I managed to get that done. No, that isn't the ending, there's still kind of a whole war going on, shockingly, plus I wanted to write about what their relationship is like as they complete their training and get to ending that war. Also, Nanika/Alluka wants to play ;) But I think that's a much better place for it to be while my updates slow down, at least.