"Master Killua! It's good to see you!"
The Valkyrie shot a glance out the corner of his eye at Zebro, gaze narrowed. The elderly man grinned up at him as he descended the stairs with Gon at his tail. The table in the common area had been set for four, with a light breakfast of hot grits and black coffee awaiting them. A bowl of dried pheasant was placed in the center of the table, along with a pitiful daisy placed in a glass of water. Its petals were drooping, its stalk dull as it slowly died in captivity. Killua wrinkled his nose.
"I take it that you slept well?" Zebro asked, clasping his hands before him. He was wearing a ratty apron in pale blue gingham. The pots he'd used to cook still steaming on the stove in the back corner.
"As good as one would expect from a cot," Killua replied, making sure that his voice was snappy and ungrateful. He forced a thin layer of his aura out across the room, watching as Sequant and Zebro stiffened ever so slightly. Gon's step faltered inaudibly against the stairs, but he kept his aura shut off completely just as Killua had instructed.
"Splendid to hear, Master Killua!" Zebro cheered, soldiering on even as Killua glared down his nose at the man. The Valkyrie Prince was stopped at the base of the stairs, his beeline for the door interrupted by Zebro stepping into his path. Gon sauntered up to Killua's shoulder as they stopped, giving Zebro an obvious look up and down.
He was filling his role perfectly.
"It brings me such joy to have you back with us!" Zebro sighed, grinning softly. Killua felt bad for acting like such a jerk… he was just an old man after all. But still.
"Can't say the same," Killua drawled. He cocked a leg, making his impatience clear.
"I've prepared breakfast for yourself and your companion!" Zebro declared, clearly beside himself to eat across from Killua and the hybrid at his side. "Wouldn't want to return on an empty stomach!" He gestured to the table, where steam rose from plates and mugs.
Gon rose to the tip of his toes to peek over Killua's shoulder, taking in the meal that Zebro had prepared. "Oo!" he hummed. "That looks nice!"
"We don't have time to sit around and chat over coffee," Killua snapped. He shouldered past Zebro and headed for the door. "You trying to give my parents time to prepare, old man?"
The elderly Valkyrie frowned, but didn't respond.
I assumed as much. As kind as he is, that doesn't change the fact that he's in my parents' pocket.
Killua tossed his chin in Gon's direction as he grabbed the doorknob. "Come on. We're leaving."
"Aw," Gon blew out his lips. "No breakfast?" he complained, acting indignant.
"No, you can handle a little starvation," Killua ordered. "Come on Freecss, don't make me late."
Gon rolled his eyes and followed Killua out the door, hand on the strap of his pack and the blade of his scythe flashing as the light from the lamps hit it. "See ya," he snorted to Sequant and Zebro, giving a lazy salute with his fingers as he ducked out the door and slammed it behind them.
The two guards watched on with furrowed brows.
Master Killua was back, and he was just as unagreeable as they'd remembered.
…
Gon giggled into his hand as he and Killua left the guardhouse behind them. Mike tagged along at their heels, growing back to his colossal size as he walked.
"Sorry," Gon laughed. "It's hard to keep a straight face!"
Killua smiled, sadly though genuinely. "I know, it feels weird treating you like a stranger."
"We sure fooled them!" Gon chirped. He was in a much better mood. Either he'd accepted their circumstances or shoved his discontent inside to reassure Killua. Killua didn't particularly enjoy either of those alternatives. But no matter, as he's been reassuring himself for the past two hours.
It'll only last a couple of days. Then he and Gon could leave this shit behind them and live happily ever after.
Killua sighed, his breath fogging the air. Once the guardhouse was swallowed by the trees and frigid snow, he came to a stop and held his arms out. Gon grinned and hopped into them without hesitation, sitting bridal style in his grip. The hybrid looped his arms around Killua's neck, grinning up at him with reassuring eyes.
"You ready?" Killua asked reluctantly.
"Yup!" Gon agreed.
"Good. We'll be there in two seconds."
Gon nodded, and Killua cracked a vial of blood in his fist. Godspeed engulfed his and Gon's bodies, sending Killua's hair on end with jagged sparks of electricity. Mike's tail wagged as he watched.
"Goodbye, Mike," Killua called up to the enormous Hound. The creature wagged its tail, ears drooping sadly. Mike and the other Hell Hounds had been placed under a contract that allowed them to walk the forest, but nothing else. Unfortunately that meant that Killua couldn't bring him along for morale support.
The Hound whined his goodbye, reluctant to see Killua go.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of him!" Gon told the Hound.
Killua chuckled as Mike's tail gave a wag. He tightened his grip on Gon and gave Mike once last fond grin.
Before schooling his features into a grim mask. Empty and cold, just as Illumi had drilled into him.
"Lightning Speed!" he called, and he and Gon disappeared in a rain of blue sparks.
The journey to the Testing Gate took a mere two seconds, just as Killua had promised. He carried Gon through the remainder of the forest, and all the way up the unguarded stairs that reached up to brush the top of Kukuroo Mountain.
He sparked into existence before the enormous set of Gates, setting Gon down on his feet and deactivating Godspeed.
Gon craned his neck, holding his hand up to block the light of the sun cutting through the cloud cover as he struggled to see the top. The Gates were enormous, carved from a brittle stone and engraved with enormous numerical symbols displaying one through seven. At the very top of the gate stood two winding Dragons, carved into the stone and growling into oblivion. One either side of the gate stretched the wall, extending out as far as the eye could see to encircle the entirety of the Gates of Hell.
"So this is your front door?" Gon joked.
"Yeah," Killua admitted. "A tad overkill, don't you think?"
The hybrid cracked a laugh. "I guess so!"
"You ready to do this?" Killua asked one last time. "Once we step inside those Gates there's no turning back. We'll have entered the citadel."
Gon nodded with a decisive hum. "Yes! Let's rescue Alluka and kick your Clans' sorry asses."
Killua chuckled. "Let's try not to kick too many asses. I'd rather not see you incarcerated the second you walk inside."
Gon grinned and tightened his fists. Bandaged fingers peeked through his fingerless gloves. If the miasma poisoning had spread then he wasn't showing it. "Let's open this thing," he declared, marching right up to the Testing Gate and placing a hand on each door.
Killua shook his head and followed him. "I'm coming, don't get ahead of yourself. How far do you want to open it? We don't have to waste all our energy on the damn thing if you don't–"
"Raaahhhhh!" Gon yelled as he threw all his strength into the Gate. Killua blinked, coming to a stop behind him as Gon shoved the Gates open all on his own. Well. I guess that's that.
Killua quickly folded his arms across his chest, making it appear as if he'd ordered his ally to open the doors for him. A good call on Gon's end, that way he not only appeared to be Killua's subordinate, but proved his strength all on his own. It made a statement of the respect Gon commanded as well as said that Killua wouldn't lower himself to the level of a common intruder by putting his hands on the Testing Gate.
A genius move. Although… Killua had to wonder if Gon had actually had all that in mind, or if he just wanted to release his frustration by shoving the shit out of a set of really heavy doors…
Killua suspected the latter.
Gon screamed at the top of his lungs as he threw everything he had into the damn gate. If the Valkyries on the other side hadn't known that they had arrived then they were definitely aware of it now.
Steam rose from Gon's body as he exerted all of his strength, and Killua shivered pleasantly as a wicked aura began to pour from his body. Gon stomped forward with all the stubborn force contained in that lithe body of his, shoving his way forward as if the Gates offered not a single ounce of resistance.
Killua gawked as Gon shoved every single Gate wide open. The enormous doors shrieked on ancient hinges, the largest of the doors hadn't budged in decades. Centuries even. Killua had to bite his tongue to remind himself to school his features, his jaw having dropped comically wide as he watched Gon absolutely destroy the test of strength.
With one last scream of exertion, Gon stomped over the border into Kukuroo Mountain, the gargantuan doors slamming violently into the walls and sending clouds of dust billowing into the sky.
Oh how Killua wished he could have seen the expression on Gon's face when he marched through the front door of the Dragonite Valkyrie Clan. He walked calmly after Gon, greatly disappointed that he hadn't been able to see the stunt from the inside.
But he knew what the Clan had seen. He knew it with every bone in his body.
With only a guttural cry as warning, the Testing Gates had flung open at a neck breaking pace, revealing a single man. Short in stature with eyes of blazing orange and teeth grinding in a wicked grin. A cloud of dust would erupt from the earth, soft after decades upon decades of sitting untouched by the bases of the Gates.
Then, as the dust cleared, the man marched forward. Features fixed in a glare as he walked in like he owned the place, every single Testing Gate spread wide and defeated before him.
Seeing that scene first hand would have been incredible, but Killua was just as glad to enter at Gon's heels. Following him into the heart of the Clan with a smirk on his face.
You see that, Mother? Father? Gotoh?
He's a force to be reckoned with. You'll come to regret pissing him off.
Killua stepped up to Gon's side, and the two of them stood with their arms crossed before the open Gates. Waiting for the dust to settle so they could gaze upon the astonished faces of Gotoh and the rest of the convoy that inevitably stood with their jaws in the dirt.
I would have preferred to bust in without warning… but I have to admit that I like putting on a show like this. If they think they can keep controlling me then they've got another thing coming.
The dust slowly faded away, and Killua waited with Gon as the curtains drew open on their next adventure together: a battle of smarts against Kukuroo Mountain and the Clan of Dragonite Valkyries. Killua hadn't stepped foot on Kukuroo Mountain in three years. The citadel was just as cold and unforgiving as he remembered.
Bordered by the enormous wall and Kukuroo Mountain itself, the citadel lay nestled at the very top of the Gates of Hell's highest peak. The ground was constructed of a muted gray cobblestone, worn down by centuries of marching boots and violent battles at the front gates. Wars that ended the moment the enemy stepped foot within.
As the dust clouds settled, Gon was given his first glimpse of Killua's homeland. The Valkyrie monitored the hybrid out the corner of his eye, watching as he glanced about with curious glances.
The citadel was a moderately sized civilization. The entirety of the Dragonite Clan resided within this city-state on the top of Kukuroo Mountain. The streets were orderly and stiff, the buildings tall and spindly. The stone that made up the citadel had once been the deep black of the mountains themselves, but after centuries of heavy wind and snow the surface had been stained a pale gray, blending with the snow and ice and draining the landscape of all color.
Leafless trees hunched over the streets, their limbs stretching out like claws and sending shadows across the surrounding infrastructure like webs of shattered glass. The elevation increased closer to the center of the citadel, where the palace sat atop an enormous fortress built up in a mountain of its own.
Cutting across the dead center of the citadel like a knife was a gargantuan bridge, connecting the palace directly to the wall that encapsulated the Gates of Hell. Razor sharp spires clawed at the sky, with buildings constructed without stairs or ladders to be found. Valkyries flew between buildings, milling about the streets dripping with weapons and dragonskin armor. Inky tails and wings flashed in the gray light that cut through the clouds above, and snow coated the land in a thin white sheet.
The wind cut like a knife, and soft flurries stirred Killua's silvery bangs. It was dead silent, as if the world had taken pause. Killua frowned. He had a bad feeling all of a sudden…
A low growl rose up in Gon's throat. He'd noticed it too.
Killua held out his hand, warning Gon to remain still.
Something was off…
Finally, the dust dropped down to the cobbled ground once again. And what it revealed… Killua never could have prepared for even if he tried.
Surrounding himself and Gon in a wide arc, was an army of Dragonite soldiers.
The moment the dust cleared, Killua understood. Time seemed to slow. Killua's eyes hardened, and he threw out an enormous ocean of aura that splashed across an entire fourth of the citadel.
His power was met with resistance
A sign clear as day.
Not a split second after Killua drowned the army in his commanding aura, the army leapt forward with a collective battlecry.
"Fuck!" Killua barked through gritted teeth. He extended his claws, throwing his glamour down in an instant.
Gon stiffened in response, quickly readjusting to the spike in Killua's aura level as he ripped his scythe off his back and threw out an aura of his own. The army engaged, and Gon and Killua immediately jumped into the fray.
Dragonite warriors slammed into Killua without hesitation, slashing at him with claws and swinging with various weapons. He was swamped within seconds, the area before the Gate was completely flooded.
They had been waiting for him.
What the hell was this?!
Killua snarled as he ripped into the soldiers. Fangs flashed at him and wings hackled. Killua's claws scraped across plates of dragonskin armor, and before he knew it he was coating his hands in Ren just to put a dent in the stuff.
He punched chest plates with all of his might, shattering the armor and sending soldiers careening backwards. He swept legs and snapped knees backwards with viscous kicks. He went for the eyes, fingers stabbing into one skull after another. He slashed leathery wing tissue open with his tail, grimacing at the shrieks of pain as he inflicted the most excruciating torture imaginable.
Killua retracted his own wings out of necessity, there were too many blows to the back to be able to make it with them out for display. Gasps rang out in his general vicinity. The Prince had sealed his wings?! Unheard of! He could practically smell the horror and disgust wafting off them, but it only served to tick Killua off.
He leapt into the air and spun around in a circle, decapitating six warriors with a Ko enforced tail. Heads flew and blood sprayed. Fallen warriors were replaced as soon as they fell. Killua killed without hesitation, leaning heavier onto his assassination skills than he had in a long time.
Gon was in the midst of a fight of his own a couple feet away from Killua. Usually they'd fight back to back, and Killua felt strange without Gon right there… However, it was for the best that he kept his distance. Once again, Killua was (un)pleasantly surprised at how easily Gon took up their assumed roles while in the citadel.
If Killua had been worried about how Gon would fare up against Valkyrie warriors, he was soon reassured. If the dying screams and occasional flashes of an enormous scythe were any indication, Gon was doing just fine.
Killua flipped backwards to avoid several poisoned shots from a crossbow, and then blocked a stray sword with a Ren enforced forearm the second he straightened. The battle was utter chaos, but the silver haired prince was fairly certain that he and Gon would come out on top… eventually, anyway.
I can end this fight in a matter of seconds if I activate Godspeed. Gon could end this fight in a matter of seconds if he transformed… but I don't think he's going to do that. He doesn't like shifting Fae…
Killua slipped a vial of his own blood from one of the loops on his belt, fully prepared to end the battle with a crack of lightning.
He flipped the bottle in his fingers (a little cocky, he must admit), but before the vial could be crushed in his fist a needle sized projectile whizzed by and skewered the vial against the forehead of a nearby soldier. The soldier dropped dead - their neck snapping due to the impact - and Killua's blood splattered across their face. The prince choked on his own breath.
What the fuck–
Before Killua could even think to check his surroundings, an uncomfortable sensation ran up the back of his neck. He threw up a block with his forearm on a whim, and his entire body shook with the force that it took to stop a powerful blow that struck him out of nowhere.
"Damn," a raspy voice cursed.
Killua narrowed his eyes, and glanced to his left, where he was barely managing to hold off a new attacker. Already on edge enough as it was, Killua felt the dense layer of Ren on his forearm begin to crack. His stomach flipped with a sudden spike of fear, who the hell was strong enough to crack his Ren?!
Indigo eyes blew wide when they fell upon a gaunt face. Striking pink eyes bored holes into Killua's own, glowing sharply from beneath the shadow of a low hood. A face as delicate as a doll and as pale as a corpse sat mere inches away from Killua's own, an almost perfect mirror image of his own visage.
Killua was so shocked that his mask slipped up. His eyes flashed with utter shock, and his mouth cracked open in a silent gasp.
Pink eyes narrowed in aggravation, and Killua found himself gritting his teeth when a strong kick came to swipe his legs. He held his ground when the kick connected - though barely - and threw a viscous punch directly for that delicate face.
His enemy vanished in a flash of dark armor, and reappeared at Killua's back.
Choking back a curse, Killua whipped around and swung a kick for their skull. His enemy ducked the blow and immediately swiped for his unarmored gut with an object that whistled against the frigid mountain air.
Killua knocked the weapon off course with his tail, and had to bite his tongue so hard it bled to suppress his shock when his tail collided with a paper fan as hard as steel. The thing skittered off, embedding itself in the solid ground beneath their feet.
His enemy clicked their tongue, and Killua threw himself to the ground to avoid a lightning fast swipe of their tail.
Snarling as his face bit the cobblestone, Killua jumped into a backhandspring and flung himself to his feet. His escaping form evaded a brutal kick by the skin of his teeth, and Killua reached for his meteor hammer the second he was on his feet. His breath left him in a short gasp when he found the hook on his hip empty.
Killua snapped his head up, and found his enemy - smirking - with the weapon dangling from their fingers.
Killua glared.
His enemy carelessly tossed the meteor hammer behind them, and darted forward too fast for Killua's eyes to follow.
A startled noise on his lips, Killua doubled over when a clawed hand stabbed directly into the center of his gut. He winced, the area still weak from the blow he'd taken on Marathon. His enemy had known exactly where to hit him to make it hurt.
Blood bubbled past Killua's lips, and he used the careless injury to activate Lightning Palm. Quick as a viper, Killua slammed his hand open palmed into his opponent's ribs. They pinwheeled backwards with a strangled noise, body lighting up with electricity and sending stray bolts into the surrounding soldiers.
Killua huffed a humorless laugh as he watched them crash into the ground several feet away, a trail of blood smearing across the stones as they rolled.
Then the silver haired prince stumbled. Shit. He caught himself quickly, a hand flying to the gaping wound in his stomach. Blood splattered across the stones.
Across the battlefield, a raven haired head snapped upwards at the scent of a familiar blood. "Killua!" Gon yelled, unable to prevent the worried shout from forcing its way past his lips.
The silver haired prince startled, and snapped his head in Gon's direction just in time to watch the raven - distracted by Killua's careless injury - be tackled to the ground. The hybrid gasped as he slammed into the stones, his scythe clattering as he fell.
Dread crashed over Killua's shoulders in an icey downpour, and he was unable to keep the fear out of his eyes even as he bit back a shout and forced himself to stay where he stood.
"Well, well."
Killua snapped his head back forward. He braced himself for an attack, keeping one hand over his stomach to stifle the bleeding and extending his claws on the other.
The soldiers gathered around Killua and his opponent, creating a ring in the middle of the front entrance to the citadel. Gon squirmed and thrashed where he was held on the ground. A soldier kept him face down, twisting one arm behind his back and hovering over him to keep him still.
"Isn't this something," drawled Killua's opponent. Their voice was a raspy monotone. It was similar to Illumi's in a way that made Killua's skin crawl. The silver haired prince frowned, and held his ground.
Gon snarled from where he was held, copping Killua's reaction. He attempted to buck the soldier off his back, but only served to have his hold tightened. Killua stifled a wince as Gon's arm was twisted further backwards, a threat to break it.
"On the ground!" the soldier commanded, grabbing Gon by the hair and slamming his face into the cobblestone. "You will bow in the presence of the young master."
Killua forced himself to tune out the situation with Gon. He turned all his attention on his opponent: a graceful figure in a dark cloak and armor. Inky bangs drifted across their brow, and pink eyes flashed at Killua in contempt.
He's a hell of a lot taller than I remembered.
"Kalluto," Killua said curtly.
The Fourth Prince of the Dragonite Clan stiffened as his name fell from his older brother's lips. Kalluto's mouth turned up in a scoff. His face was sewn with rage as he drew two more paper fans.
"This is quite the welcoming party, I must admit," Killua called across the square.
Kalluto didn't respond. He merely tightened his wings against his back and widened his stance.
"Where's Gotoh?" Killua demanded. He kept his face cold, and his voice colder. He pretended that he didn't notice Gon's shocked expression at the tone he used with his younger brother… "Where is our father?" Killua asked sharply. He made sure to dismiss Kalluto's presence, as well as the attack from the army, as if it were nothing but a waste of time.
Kalluto picked up on this immediately, and a low growl rose up in his throat. His tail began to thrash hostilely back and forth where it pooled at his ankles. "You have a lot of nerve, showing up like this," he barked.
"I don't have time for your games, brother," Killua snapped. "Call for Tsubone, I'm certain she'll bring me to Mother and Father."
Kalluto bared his teeth. "Didn't you hear? Gotoh is dead. Tsubone alongside him."
Killua felt as if a rug had been ripped out from under him.
Kalluto sneered, though it was a mere shell of any namable emotion. "Oh that's right," he said sarcastically. "You've been gone all this time, haven't you? I must assume you never received the invitation to the funeral."
"What are you talking about," Killua said darkly. Gotoh… is dead? And Tsubone too? What the hell happened–
"Gotoh and Tsubone proved their incompetence," Kalluto stated without a single ounce of emotion. "They died for it."
Killua winced. I… This is inconceivable.
This stupid fucking Clan. Just look at my foolish younger brother, spitting upon the memory of the butlers who oversaw him since he was an infant.
"What happened," Killua asked, his voice an empty void.
Kalluto narrowed his eyes. A stray breeze played in his hair, sheets of inky strands that cradled his face and fell to his shoulders like gossamer curtains. "Don't act as if it's any of your business," the younger prince snapped. He snapped his fans open and fell into a fighting stance. "You made a mistake, coming back here after all that you did three years ago."
Killua bit back a snide remark. All I did was cut my puppet strings, it's not as if I staged an insurrection, he thought grumpily. They always blow everything way out of proportion. I didn't stab Milluki that deep…
"I'll kill you, and present your severed head before our parents," Kalluto snarled.
Killua rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, brother," he deadpanned.
Kalluto hissed, and leapt forward.
The silver haired prince narrowed his eyes. He tightened his arm around his midsection and braced for a tough battle. Kalluto was a hell of a lot stronger than he'd been three years ago. He was also bigger, faster, and had mastered the use of those paper weapons he'd adored so much. It had been a long time since Killua had been so evenly matched in a fight… he'd forgotten what it was like to hold death matches against fellow Valkyries every other day.
Can I win?
Killua shoved all his troublesome thoughts and emotions into an iron box, and swiftly threw away the key. His eyes turned blank, and he fell back into battle with a cold and hard exterior. Kalluto braced his fans to slit his brother's throat and Killua prepared to slip past Kalluto's defenses and burrow his finger into his brother's temple.
The two princes charged each other, braced to tear each other limb from limb.
The surrounding army held their breath, and Gon watched on in horror as Killua moved to murder his own little brother.
Not a split second before the two princes clashed, a figure crashed down from above and landed between them.
"Stop it!" screamed a commanding voice. The ground bucked and cracked as a crater formed in the center of the ring. A lithe figure rose to full height, and an elegant pair of wings snapped open in full span. Framed in a halo of braids with a face set in determination, the butler Canary stretched her arms out wide. She held a palm up before each brother, planting herself between them with a resolve that shivered visibly in the air.
Killua gasped, and quickly skidded to a halt. Kalluto did the same, stumbling over his heels as he struggled to stop before colliding with Canary.
The two of them stopped mere inches from the woman's outstretched palms, their eyes wide in surprise as they gaped at the Valkyrie who had the guts to get between not one but two Princes and their respective quarry.
Canary glared from Killua to Kalluto and back again. Her stance was rigid and firm, her wings spread wide and stubborn. Holy fuck did she have balls. Killua gawked at the butler who he'd only previously known as Gotoh's timid apprentice. Yet here she was now, dripping with authority and standing up to the Zoldyck family.
The entire citadel seemed to still, the surrounding soldiers completely freezing up alongside their princes. The frigid breeze stirred Canary's braids and made the tip of Killua's nose burn. The only sound was Killua's blood steadily dripping between his fingers to form a puddle on the cobblestone.
"Wait! Canary! You can't just–"
The tension was thankfully broken by the voice of a woman echoing from the back of the crowd. She muttered apologies as she shoved her way through the dense crowd of soldiers, boots echoing against the cobblestone as she scrambled to reach the center of the ring. The woman finally stumbled into the center, squeezing between two soldiers to finally catch up with Canary.
"Gods," she groused, "Don't just say crazy shit and run off like that! Canary, you can't be seri–"
The woman froze, silvery blue eyes blowing wide in shock. She quickly straightened, tresses of midnight hair swishing about her shoulders as she snapped her wings to her back and wound her tail around her leg.
"M-Master Killua!" she gasped.
The man in question blinked. Is that… Amane?
Kalluto blinked himself out of his stupor, snarling as he straightened himself out. He jerkily ripped the hood off his head, flipping his clock back from his shoulders as he stumbled backwards on five-inch heels.
Killua blinked again. Oh. So that's why he's so tall.
"Canary!" Kalluto snapped, sounding particularly disgruntled… almost as if this happened often. "What are you doing? Get out of my way!"
The dark skinned woman sighed, lowering her arms and refolding her wings. Amane tentatively picked her way to Canary's side, all but hiding behind her as she slunk under the gaze of the two princes.
"Master Kalluto," Canary said smoothly, "I ask that you properly think through this decision before settling on a course of action."
The prince in question growled, fists clenching almost petulantly at his sides. His cheeks burned pink in a mixture of rage and embarrassment. "Canary!" he hissed. "Move! I have intruders to dispatch of!"
Canary did no such thing. Killua struggled not to show his reaction.
"It was the Chief and Chieftess' order to inform them immediately if Master Killua were to return home," Canary explained, perfectly calm and collected in the face of Kalluto's rage. "I would advise against attempting to kill him at the gate against your parents wishes."
Kalluto opened his mouth to retort, but no words came out.
Killua blinked once again. Wait… Do Mother and Father not know that I'm here? So, the plan isn't completely ruined?!
Canary turned her attention on Killua, and the silver haired prince quickly straightened.
"Master Killua," she greeted with a neat bow. "It is an honor to have you back."
The silver haired boy nodded in response. "It's… great to be home."
Canary straightened, a toothless smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye. Her smile was almost… apologetic?
"Escort Master Killua and his companion to the palace," Canary ordered the surrounding soldiers.
Killua opened his mouth to protest, but soldiers flooded the ring and within moments he was surrounded. Before he could even think to react, chains were placed around Killua's wrists and his hands were cuffed before him.
"Hey– What the hell!" he yelled, immediately beginning to thrash against the bondage.
Canary melted from the crowd to stand before Killua, Amane still standing at her shoulder with an expression of alarm on her face. "My apologies, Master Killua. We can't take any risks… you understand?" Canary explained softly.
Killua swallowed a hiss.
Canary's eyes flashed with empathy, but the expression was gone before anyone but Killua could take notice. She turned on her heel and quickly took charge of Kalluto's troops. "Assume formation!" she commanded. "Form an escort procession! We will escort our runaway Prince and the outsider to the palace and bring them before the Chief and Chieftess!"
The soldiers gave a collective shout of acknowledgement, and Killua whipped his head back and forth as they milled about him in a storm of thundering boots and clinking weapons. The bodies were dragged away and Killua was pushed to the front of the crowd. He stumbled as he was jabbed between the shoulder blades with the butt of a sword. He shot the offending soldier a murderous glare.
"Unchain me right now!" Killua yelled. "I am your Prince! Do you dare defy the Zoldyck name?!" The threat felt sour on Killua's tongue, but what else was he to do? The situation was already tumbling so far out of control, and he and Gon hadn't even been in the citadel for ten minutes!
"Settle down, Master Killua," Canary said firmly. She frowned over her shoulder at Killua. She stood at the very head of the procession, Amane at one shoulder and Kalluto at the other. The enormous crowd of soldiers spread out in a snake-like formation behind them. Killua felt the eyes of hundreds of Dragonite warriors boring into his back. This was it… he'd fucked up. He'd fucked up bad.
And that's the thing, I don't even know where I went wrong! One second everything was fine, then Gon and I were being attacked and then Kalluto showed up and now this?!
Killua glared at his boots. His own blood was dribbling down and splattering across them. He had to think of something… he had to.
"Get off me, dammit! I know how to fucking walk, gods."
Killua perked up, and relief hit him like a ton of bricks when Gon was shoved to the front of the crowd to stand at Killua's side. He was bound up in chains just like Killua was, his scythe confiscated and being lugged along by a soldier not far back.
Amber eyes turned upon Killua, and the two of them shared a glance.
They had to keep their facade up, but for just a moment a spark of reassurance flashed in Gon's eyes.
Killua sighed, and felt himself begin to relax. It'll be alright. I'll… figure something out. It's just my parents, right? I'll tell them what they want to hear, and then they'll get this whole mess straightened out. Perks of being the favorite child, I suppose, Killua thought grimly.
Gon's lips turned up in a smile, and he bumped shoulders with Killua. "The fuck is this, Zoldyck?"
Killua made a show of sighing dramatically through his nose. "I don't fucking know. Chill the hell out, Freecss. They'll regret tying me up, just watch."
Gon rolled his eyes, though mirth sparkled in their amber depths. "Whatever," he muttered, upholding his role with ease.
At Canary's command, the procession marched forward. Killua and Gon would be paraded through the streets of Kukuroo Mountain, before being dragged into the palace and before the Chief and Chiftess: Killua's Mother and Father. He wasn't looking forward to the confrontation in the slightest. Kalluto had really gone and fucked everything up.
Killua flicked his eyes in Gon's direction. I'm sorry. Shit hit the fan, none of this is going according to plan.
Gon shuffled the chains around his wrists. It's fine, we didn't expect this to be easy, did we? This is nothing we can't handle.
Killua closed his eyes and bit back a smile.