DISCLAIMER : Following the word itself "fanfiction", I do not own anything in this fiction and credits belong to the rightful creators of the manga: TOGASHI YOSHIHIRO, the publisher, the broadcasting companies of the anime both 1999 original version and 2011 remake - Nippon Animation and Madhouse, respectively and etc.

REPLIES TO COMMENTS

Infinityworlds : Do you really think Killua did the right thing? XDDD We'll find that out in the sequel ( ôuô)

Guest #2 : D'awww ( -u-) Thanks! I'm glad you liked the story and finished reading it up to the latest chapter despite I update pretty long... ( ^^) Dont forget to read the next chapters ^^

Tiashe42 : I'm glad you appreciated the efforts ( ^u^) I was very disappointed about how the mangaka Togashi did not put enough details as to why Illumi is treating Killua that way so I had to use my imagination and the little details given in the series about the Zoldyck family. The Zoldyck family is a very interesting part of the series so I had to write something about them... And true! People only write about shippings so its good to fine something new... Thanks for the continued patronage! I'll keep on writing until the sequel so please stay tuned!

Guest #1 : Let's see which of your predictions will happen... It could also be that none of your predictions happened xDDD ( ~uô) Just keep on reading till Chapter 29 to find it out!

SakuraPetal91 : * catches you * xDDD Bruhh dont faint! The next chap is here xDDD Im glad you love it xD I hope I wont fail your expectations xD We only had 5 chapters more till the ending so keep reading!

Milye6 : Not really 'unsolved' but more like 'not directly explained'. ^^ The story will end up in a way everything is up to your perception as to how things have ended up. Like for example, in this story, it will never be mentioned why did Illumi kill the babysitter. If you have read it carefully, you will come up to a conclusion or hypothesis by the given clues within the story. It will be directly explained by Silva though in the sequel ^^

Thanks for reading up to here guys!

We only have at least 5 more Chapters to read until the ENDIIINNNNGG!

* dun dun dun dunnnnn *

I'm rushing this fic up so we can finally get to the sequel so Imma be posting the next Chapter maybe 3 days from now...

AND THAT'S A PROMISE!

CHAPTER 24

- HOLES -

Okay, I'm stumped.

The time is already up, and I've been walking around still looking for him...

"BOCCHAMAAAA!"

He's taking it pretty seriously, huh? Making sure he really won... geez.

I had no choice but to use En I guess...

Hold on.

I think I just had to ask around first before wasting Nen on it. I see some gardeners doing their daily task of watering the plants and maintaining the beauty of the garden right here...

"Excuse me...?" I called one guy out. The one trimming the hedges.

"Yes?" The guy asked without looking back at me, humming while doing his thing.

"Have you seen the Young Master?"

Right the moment I mentioned the word Young Master the guy's expression suddenly changed like he remembered something very important.

"Umm... actually..." He stuttered.

"He was here a while ago." Some other guy interrupted. I looked behind me to find the said guy covering up a hole in the ground nearby the bushes, shovelling back some soil in it.

"Like literally IN HERE." He added, pointing down to the hole he was filling in.

Say what?! Did he just bury himself again down under just to hide from me? HAHAHAHA! Very clever! I honestly forgot this off-the-wall antic of him...! How could I?!

"Are you new here?" Another one asked raising a brow on me.

"Yeah.. and?" I asked sarcastically as he seemed to be condescending about the fact that I just let that brat roam around like that.

"You should get to know him better you know? He has this bad habit of digging holes around when he's hiding from his caretakers... He's giving us a hard time so if you'd do your job better, we wouldn't need to do extra tasks of filling in the holes he dug..."

Is that even my business?! How dare this punk talk like that before me?! Oh yes, I'm currently the servant here by the way... BUT HEY! It's also a hard job to stop myself from slitting the throats of know-it-alls like this one... pffft!

"Can you just tell me instead where did he go?" I asked impatiently.

The guy narrowed his eyes at me for a few seconds before finally speaking out... "He went that way..." He pointed towards the stairs.

"A deal is a deal, so you got one ride for now..." I spoke sternly. "You'll get the other one downwards later... BUT! THAT DOESNT MEAN I'm JUST gonna let this one slide..."

My reprimanding voice echoed around the bathroom.

I sat behind him in the bathtub filled with bubble bath, massaging his hair vigorously with shampoo creating loads of lather that fell down to his tiny bare shoulders. "SEE THAT! IT'S NOTHING DIFFERENT FROM WASHING OFF HARD-ASS CLAY! This is basically just like when you stick clay on your hair and had to painstakingly take them all off!"

He remained quiet despite I have been clawing his head pretty hard, pulling his hair every now and then, desperately getting rid of the mud in between the strands of his hair.

"Not only your hair, BUT YOUR CLOTHES! EVEN YOUR NAILS HAD MUD STUCK IN IT! Do you realize the trouble you're dragging me into?! I got my hair and clothes soiled too you know?!"

I had no choice but to get myself a bath with him as well. Carrying a mudbaby around my back just got me muddy as well! I had to change clothes and to wash myself! And to multitask, I still had to do it with this little spawn of hell as no matter how much I complain, he was STILL my responsibility.

"LEARNED YOUR LESSON?" I yelled at him.

"Can you just tell me instead where did he go?" I asked impatiently.

The guy narrowed his eyes at me for a few seconds before finally speaking out... "He went that way..." He pointed towards the stairs.

"See those trails of mud over there?" He asked further. "He did that..."

There were splodges of mud all over the stairs creating a trail. Again, WHY DO THEY LOVE SHARING NONESENSE TO ME LIKE TO HELL DO I EVEN CARE? It's none of my business! It's their obligation to maintain the area! NOT MINE!

"You might as well be interested to hear that your beloved Young Master got accidentally 'hosed' before he realized he needed to get the hell out of his new cozy little lounge that was actually right below the hedges... so there... We didn't know he was in it..." The guy shrugged.

"I never expected them to hose me!" He yelled back. "I only dig on crunchy soil not on the wet and soft ones! This was the first!"

"I DONT CARE! DON'T DO THAT AGAIN! GOT IT?!"

He did not respond further and just frowned instead, obviously annoyed at me bossing him around.

"Don't you frown on me you little shit! I'm trying to make some sense in here!" I pointed a finger at him, threatening him. "If you ever do that again, I'm gonna shave your head till it's shiny! Wanna look like a fucking humanoid alien?"

He looked at me blankly for some moment, still with a hint of annoyance and frustration in his eyes before finally speaking up.

"You're just that one..." He uttered lowly. "...that one guy who'd yell disrespectfully at me like that. No one has ever yelled at me like that, not even mom, not even dad, not even gramps..."

"Well..." I smugly shrugged. "You have me now! I beg to differ. I'm not the type who consent people close to me to do the wrong continously. If I catch you again covered in shit, YOU'LL SEE REAL SHIT... TRY ME!" I poked his forehead.

Oops... did I just say 'close to me'...?

"So is this the closest I could get to having a big brother..." He continued.

Confused, I lifted a brow at him still slightly upset about how I had to deal with his mess...

"How does it feel like having a big brother?"

"Well... it's nothing special... I don't get along well with him so..." I shrugged. "It's just like having someone following you everytime, watching every mistake you do and stop you from having every sort of fun. He's a killjoy..."

"You said, having a big brother is like having someone follow you around, watch every mistake you do and stop you from having every sort of fun..."

WHAAT? Did he just call me a killjoy right now? Any sane guy would go nuts if he sees his brother covered in mud ya know? I'd do the same even if it's Alluka, and yell the shit out of her so she won't do it again! And now he's telling me that I'm stopping him from having fun? Really now?! What the hell!

"And what do you just... mean by that?" I tried to keep calm, taking a deep breath through my nose, pursing my lips close.

"Can I call you Aniki?"

I was dumbfounded by what he just said right now. I did not know how to take it. Is he trying to imply that I am a killjoy and a big brother is supposed to be someone who stops their younger siblings from getting joy? Did I just tell him a rather negative impression on how older brothers ARE supposed to be for their younger siblings? Or did he just wanted to have me as his older brother to be his role model and an example... I honestly thouht that he unbelievably longs for that kind of feeling of having someone to look up to. But no, that's impossible. He doesn't admire anyone. He didn't use to. He doesn't feel emotions. He is insensitive. On the other side, I have partly concluded that this kid... is a different person. And has a different soul.

Maybe to some extent, I had inadvertently treated him like my own younger brother after all.

"Dunno..." I shrugged, averting my eyes from him. "Whatever. If you wanted to..."

However though, it was still somehow part of the plan... I had to at least. I had to show him and start a change...

A moment of awkward silence ensued. I just continued massaging his hair before proceeding to scrubbing away the excess dirt on him all over...

"Ah... I just remembered!" I broke the silence. "You can't...! I refuse!"

"Ehh...?" He blurted out.

"Listen up..." I held his shoulders and faced him towards me. "If your parents figure it out, I'm dead. I dont want that to happen okay? Geez..." I scratched my head still feeling rather awkward about the situation...

"They wouldn't know if I won't call you right in front of them..."

"NO!" I insisted.

"It's an order then!" He gave me a stern, determined glare.

We went on a staring game for some seconds before I let out a deep sigh finally giving up...

"ALRIGHT ALRIGHT! FINE! As long as you're not gonna get met caught!"

"Deal!" He affirmed.

"Sooo... Enough with THAT and let's GET TO BUSINESS!"

SPLAAASSHH!

I plunged his head under the water without warning. "You gotta rinse your hair you know? HAHAHAHAHA!"

"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY!"

END OF CHAPTER 24