The Dragonite Valkyrie Clan is astonishingly… welcoming.

It was quite the humbling experience, being paraded through a militaristic citadel in chains with an entire army marching at his back. If Gon had told his younger self that he'd meet his lover's family bound in chains and in military escort then he would have gotten laughed at.

Yet here he was, trudging through the halls of the biggest and blandest fucking palace he'd ever seen in his life.

Their parade was finally reaching the throne room after marching for an hour and a half. The butler named Canary had set an unrelenting pace, leaving no room for Killua to hide from the prying eyes of his Clan. It must have been humiliating. Killua was doing a flawless job of keeping up a mask of indifference, but Gon could sense the tension in his stride. He could feel the prince's embarrassment like a film in the air between them.

They could have made the march short and sweet, but no. The dramatic stunt had brought hundreds of Valkyries into the streets to watch their traitorous prince return home. The eyes of the Clan had been heavy, and Gon had been able to feel the judgment coiling in the air. They laughed at Killua behind those expressionless masks, mocked him. Anticipated his punishment.

And the butler at the head of the procession let them stare, making the spectacle as gruesome as possible.

Gon had decided, he hated Canary.

He would have glared at the space between her shoulder blades for the entire march to the palace, but Killua had stepped on his foot to make him stop… he'd had to step on Gon's foot all of six times before the stubborn hybrid finally got the message, but details were details.

Gon sighed dramatically as he followed Canary's lead deeper and deeper into the palace of Kukuroo Mountain. It felt like he was being led into the belly of an enormous beast, and it took a considerable effort to prevent himself from stepping closer to Killua's side.

The walls were blank and monotone. The ceilings were nauseatingly high. Arched windows lined the tops of the walls, casting a sterile and cloud-stained light across the pitch marble floors. They were slowly approaching an enormous set of doors that lurked at the end of the passage.

The doors were carved with Dragons and winged beings. The Dragons no more than defiled corpses while the ancient depictions of Valkyries danced over their death sites in practiced patterns.

It was unsettling to say the least.

Gon's eyes flicked to the young man marching along at Canary's side. His heels echoed with each step he took, all but driving the hybrid into a rage.

What is wrong with that guy? He's Killua's little brother. Shouldn't he be glad to see him return home after all this time? Why did he try to kill him?

Gon glanced to where Killua marched along beside him with his head held high.

And why was Killua so willing to return the sentiment?

The Zoldyck family was weird. And not in a good way.

After what had felt like an eternity, Canary finally brought the procession to a halt before the doors. Without needing an order, two soldiers hurried forth and dragged the enormous doors open. The going was slow, and heavy stone screeched against dark marble.

What lay within did not disappoint the precedent the rest of the ominous palace had set.

With a shuffle of her wings, Canary stepped forward and led the group into the throne room. Kalluto and Amane closed in at her shoulders, while Gon and Killua continued tagging along like obedient pets. The army at their backs did not follow, and the doors were very audibly closed behind them.

They were led directly forward, to where a set of metal thrones sat against the far wall. The throne room was just as lifeless and dead as the rest of the citadel, with more blank walls and ceilings that reminded Gon of a psych ward. The place was lit by blue flames that burned in enormous torches and fire pits. Two enormous HellHounds with icey white fur stood vigil on either side of the row of thrones, two times the size of even Mike. The pressure of their gazes made an ache flare between Gon's eyes, he was still overly sensitive to their miasma.

The hybrid kept his eyes trained on the ground, not yet having gathered the spine to gaze into the awaiting eyes of the Chief and Chieftess.

He could hardly focus on his surroundings through the raging aura that assaulted him from the row of thrones. Gon made sure not to shield himself, just as Killua had instructed. The pressure of the Zoldycks' aura was cold like ice, yet stuck to his skin like shed blood. It was toe curling. Gon could feel the disappointment seeping from the set of thrones in waves.

Worried over Killua's mental state, he flicked his eyes in the Valkyrie's direction.

Killua's expression hadn't changed, and his eyes gazed blankly ahead of him.

Gon didn't know if the lack of reaction from him was a good sign or a bad sign…

Like the snuff of a match, the heavy aura in the air vanished without a trace. Before Gon could think to catch his breath, Canary dropped to a knee in a bow, with Kalluto and Amane quick to follow. Killua mirrored the action, and Gon mimicked him on autopilot.

The silence could have been cut with a knife.

Gon stared down at the dark marble beneath his feet. He could see his reflection in the hard surface, as well as the puddle of Killua's blood that was spreading in every direction. His stomach turned with nerves, and he watched as a bead of sweat dropped from his forehead to slap against the marble.

A voice finally broke the silence, it was baritone and jagged like a serrated blade. "You may rise."

The group of five slowly rose to their feet in a practiced unison, Gon scrambling to match his movements with Killua's perfectly. Canary, Amane, and Kalluto stepped aside, leaving Gon and Killua at the mercy of the Valkyries who sat in the row of thrones.

"Well, would you look at this," the voice hummed. It was laced with satisfaction and underlined with a lurking bitterness. "What brings you back to the citadel, Killua?"

Gon stiffened, and finally broke through the nervous knot in his gut to look Killua's psychotic family in the face. He snapped his head up, and acidic orange eyes immediately honed in on the largest of the thrones, and the man that occupied it.

The man was large, skin ripped with muscle and littered with scars. He wore a suit of pitch black dragonskin armor that left his arms bare. He did not wear a crown, and he didn't need to. Gon could sense from his demeanor alone that this man was the Chief.

His eyes were cold and hard, cut like glass and colored like a frozen lake. An unruly mass of silvery-blonde hair tumbled down his back and into his eyes. His fringe was the same as Killua's, and his mouth drew down in the same hard frown. The bone structure of his face matched his son's, and the pallor of his skin was a flawless match.

"Father," Killua greeted stiffly. His voice was empty, void. But still. Gon could hear his hesitation. He knew Killua better than anyone, and he knew that this man scared the hell out of him.

Rage sparked in Gon's heart, and he glared the Chief of the Dragonite Clan directly in the face. Protectiveness raged within him. This was the man who had beaten Killua. Forced him to kill. Tried to turn him into a husk like that freak older brother of his.

Perhaps Kukuroo Mountain was getting to him, because Gon swore that he felt his veins turn to ice.

"I assume the travel was smooth?" Killua's father asked. Silva was his name, as Gon recalled.

The twitch in Killua's eyebrow did not go unnoticed. "Travel is dull," Killua replied. The void in his voice was slowly breaking Gon's heart into pieces. What had this damn Clan done with the Killua he knew and loved? The playful, sarcastic man with a smirk on his face and a twinkle in his eye?

"As I'd expect from you," Silva snorted. "You always preferred the kill over the preamble."

"I am your son, Father," Killua rasped.

Silva chuckled, and Gon's lips turned back in a snarl.

I want to rip him to shreds.

"Did your brother cause you too much trouble?" Silva asked, his eyes flicking to Kalluto.

The youngest prince hissed, glaring off in a huff and locking his arms across his chest.

Killua's blood very audibly dripped into the gathering puddle on the ground. "His kicks are sloppy," the silver haired prince said with disdain.

A bout of laughter burst from the throne at Silva's right hand. Gon startled, his eyes snapping to the owner. In the second largest throne sat a woman with a metal mask obscuring the upper half of her face. Was she blind?

"Oh Kill, how I've missed your sharp tongue!" she cooed. The woman was the first Valkyrie Gon had seen that wasn't dressed in armor. Instead she wore a voluminous dress, colored in the empty gray of the clouds overhead. Her barbed tail flicked from side to side where it pooled at her feet, and a large hat adorned her head.

"Mother," Killua replied, his voice notably softer than it had been when he'd addressed his father.

"So you're not dead," drawled a lazy voice a throne down from Killua's mother. There sat an overweight Valkyrie male with greasy hair and beady eyes. His armor was thin and left multiple vital points unguarded save for sheets of black fabric. His fingers were buried in a large bowl of sweet smelling fruit that balanced on the arm of his throne.

Gon's nose turned up in distaste.

"I see you haven't been slaughtered yet," Killua shot back, his voice lined with an obvious disgust. "Pig."

Gon choked down a bark of laughter.

"Now, now. Be kind to Milluki," came an exasperated scold from Silva's left hand. Gon turned his gaze upon an ancient Valkyrie with a drooping mustache and heavily wrinkled skin. He was hunched over in his throne, with icy white hair to match Killua's and a grumpy expression on his face. He was the first Valkyrie Gon had seen that had any actual emotion on his face…

"Grandpa," Killua nodded.

The Valkyrie flopped his hand in greeting, earning a stern frown from Silva.

Gon noticed, rather startled, that those were the only of Killua's family present. There were four empty thrones. One beside Killua's grandpa, one between Milluki and Kikyou, and two more on each end of the row of thrones.

The absence of one Zoldyck in particular turned Gon's stomach.

"You've had your fun," Silva spoke again, clearly taking a jab at the rest of the royals in the room. "Now tell me, Killua. Why have you stepped foot inside my citadel?" The mood in the room suddenly took a turn. Silva's eyes darkened, and Gon's sixth sense prickled with the warning of danger.

Gon held his breath.

"I missed home," Killua replied emotionlessly. "I wanted to return, so I did."

Silva blinked.

Kikyou glanced from Killua to Silva and back. Zeno stroked his beard, and Milluki rolled his eyes. Kalluto was standing stiff as a board.

"I see," Silva replied after several painful seconds. "Canary, unchain my son."

"What?!" Kalluto exclaimed, his reaction immediate. He watched in horror as Canary slid to Killua's side and removed the cuffs from his wrists. The chains twinkled as they were drawn away, and Killua made a show of glaring at Canary and rolling his shoulders.

"Welcome home, Killua," Silva said, his lips curling up in a smile.

"Are you kidding me?!" Kalluto demanded. "Father, you can't just–"

"-Hush, Kalluto," Silva snapped.

The youngest prince snarled, before turning on his heel and stomping out of the throne room in a fit of rage. He slammed the door loudly behind him, and Gon winced at the racket. The Zoldycks, however, didn't so much as blink.

"Thank you, Father," Killua muttered with a bow of his head.

"Of course," the Chief hummed. "How could I leave my son in chains in good conscience?"

"Oh, Kill!" Kikyou cooed. "It makes your mother so happy that you've finally returned home! Finally shaken off that rebellious phase of yours? The outside world is filthy, is it not?"

Gon frowned.

"Indeed," Killua agreed, wrinkling his nose.

Kikyou squealed and happily clapped her hands. "That's my boy! See? I told you, Sil! I knew he'd come to his senses once we let him get it out of his system."

Silva nodded along, clearly pleased with whatever outcome he saw in Killua's emotionless eyes. His gaze then dragged rather unappreciatively across Gon. "What is an outsider doing in my throne room, Killua?"

Gon growled, but Killua hushed him with a motion of his hand.

"This is Gon Freecss," the silver haired prince explained. "He's Unseelie. An asset in battle. He lives up to his value, so I keep him around."

Gon tried not to wince. That… hurt.

Silva quirked an eyebrow. "An alliance?"

Killua nodded. "The outside world is drab. It gets dull when I have to do everything myself."

Silva nodded, seemingly approving Killua's answer. "Your name is Freecss?" he addressed Gon. "I do not recognize that name. Which Unseelie House do you pledge to?"

"I am one of Her children," Gon answered, unable to keep the snappy tone out of his voice. Silva pissed him off. This entire situation pissed him off. Killua's family was putting him on edge, and he hated to see his lover put on such an act.

Silva's eyebrows raised, and he shared a glance with Kikyou.

"Impressive," he murmured.

"Remove his chains," Killua demanded, not giving his father time to spout more frilly bullshit. "Keeping an ally of his stature tied up is disgraceful."

Silva and Kikyou shared another glance, though this time their faces drew into frowns. Gon heard Killua draw a shaky breath. His stomach twisted with nerves on the Valkyrie's behalf. The hairs on the back of Gon's neck began to rise, and he braced for a worst case scenario… though he didn't want to consider what that would entail.

"Kill," Kikyou said in a coddling tone. "You know the rules."

Gon could sense Killua's stress building in live time. The silver haired prince quirked an eyebrow. "And?"

"The Fae is an outsider," Silva growled. "He intruded our citadel, and we must act accordingly." The Chief motioned with his hand, and five Dragonite mercenaries descended from the shadows lurking at the ceiling. They swooped to the floor, snapping their wings behind their backs as they surrounded Gon and grabbed him with rough hands.

Killua gasped, his eyes flashing for a split second in terror. "What are you doing?!" he demanded, his voice echoing harshly against the walls of the throne room.

"Hey!" Gon snapped, jerking in the iron-like grip of the soldiers. "Get your filthy hands off me!"

"It's the rules, Killua," Silva called over the chaos. "You know how we deal with outsiders."

Killua snarled, his eyes unable to settle between fretting over Gon and staying trained on his parents. "But he opened the Testing Gate! He proved himself, he has a chance!"

"He massacred our Border Guard," Kikyou pointed out almost regretfully.

"So?!" Killua yelled. "That was because fucking Kalluto led an attack on me! What did you expect him to do, turn belly up and drop dead?!"

Gon's heart was beating too fast in his chest. This entire situation was too much. Killua was yelling at his parents off to the side, and a growing crowd of soldiers were trying to drag Gon out of the throne room and to the gods only knew where. Killua was bleeding out all over the damn floor, and Gon was losing feeling in his hands.

His stomach roiled, his chest tightened. His mind felt scattered and tense.

He snarled and thrashed against the crowd of soldiers, "Back off!" he yelled. Gon then drew his knee up and kicked the shit out of one of the soldiers, his boot connecting with their stomach and sending them flying across the throne room with a crunch of broken ribs.

The soldiers surged, and Gon acted almost in a panic. He butted one in the skull with his horns, puncturing their skull and snapping their neck on impact. He stomped on the foot of another soldier, and rammed his shoulder into the chest of another. A pair of hands gripped onto his upper arms, and he responded by whipping around in their grip and sweeping their legs.

He quickly stomped their face in, and jumped into the air to kick the next soldier's knee backwards. Bones cracked and soldiers grunted. No aura was in use due to the presence of the Zoldycks, and Gon was a mere handful of seconds away from breaking out of his chains (did they really think that iron cuffs would be enough to hold him?) and using Scissors to slash his opponents into pieces.

Unfortunately, the scuffle didn't last long.

As Kikyou screamed in the background and Killua yelled his name in shock, Canary was the only one with the insight to move. She dove into the fray without hesitation, earning a startled squeak from Amane in the process.

She marched directly up to Gon with purpose, drew a metal cane from a holster concealed at her back, cranked back, and pounded the metal weapon directly into the side of Gon's skull.

Gon pinwheeled and crashed to the floor. Canary stomped forward and grabbed him by the hair, the crowd of soldiers drawing back and quickly giving her room. She hauled Gon to his feet, and had him in a tight hold with his arms twisted threateningly behind his back before he could even think to cry out in pain.

The look of horror on Killua's face was enough to shock Gon back to his senses, and a cold wave of regret crashed over his shoulders. Shit… I lost my temper.

"Oh my gods! Oh my gods!" Kikyou cried.

"Calm yourself," Silva drawled.

"Look what he did!" Kikyou shrieked. "He's killed even more of our own! He's dangerous!"

"Well what the fuck did you expect?!" Killua snapped, losing his cool. "You're treating him like some common dipshit that hiked into the foothills!"

Silva held up a hand. His wife and son quickly hushed up, Killua's face turning white as a sheet as he realized himself and Kikyou sniffling in overly dramatic tears.

"What the boy says is true," Zeno drawled. "Gon did, indeed, pass the Testing Gate. With flying colors, I might add."

"Dad, we cannot hand out free passes to outsiders," Silva complained. "We must make an example of him. The guillotine has been out of use for far too long."

"Father!" Killua gasped.

Gon's stomach soured. Canary noticed as he stiffened, and quickly tightened her hold on him.

"You can't just kill him!" Killua exclaimed.

"I can, and I will," Silva scolded. "This is the way of our people."

"Bullshit!" Killua snarled. "You're just being unaccommodating because Gon isn't Valkyrie!"

Silva frowned. "And what if I am? Did you consider appearances before allying with a Fae? The other Clans look up to us, you know. We hold our standing with great pride. If you crave an alliance so deeply, then travel to one of the other Clans and forge a connection with one of the other Crown Princes. I'm sure the other Clans would provide a more appropriate–"

"-No!" Killua snapped. "I'm not doing that shit, the other Clans can kiss my ass."

Kikyou gasped at her son's foul language.

Milluki snickered into his hand, while Zeno smirked in bemusement. Silva appeared to be holding back a smile of his own.

"I'm not wasting my time wooing some lazy gasbag from one of the other Clans," Killua continued, "Gon and I have fought and bled together, I won't squander our partnership because he's Fae. I trust him more than I trust some damn weakling coddled in a palace."

Silva snorted, amused with his son's dismissal of their fellow brethren. Killua played his rejection of the other Clans off as hubris, but Gon could easily sense the anti-Valkyrie sentiment behind his words…

He still hadn't quite gotten over his hatred of his own species, it seemed.

"You've certainly grown stubborn over your leave," Silva muttered.

Killua snapped his mouth shut, his hands clenched into fists as he reined control over his emotions once again.

"It seems that your time with the Fae hasn't been entirely worse for wear," the Chief thought out loud. Kikyou stared at him with pleading eyes, but Silva ignored her. "Fine. Since you're so adamant about Gon's trustworthiness, I'll offer you a compromise."

Killua breathed a small gasp of relief. "Spit it out," he snapped, though his voice lacked its edge.

Silva shifted on his throne, leaning his cheek on his fist as he smirked down at his favored son. "I can recognize Gon as an impromptu member of the Clan, but first he has to prove himself."

Killua ground his teeth, though his eyes flashed with hope. Gon gnawed on the inside of his cheek. "Hasn't he proved his strength well enough?" Killua argued. "What more could you possibly want from him?"

"A challenge," Silva explained with an air of amusement. "If Gon can complete a task of my choosing, then I'll welcome him into the Clan as a trusted ally."

Killua frowned, mulling over his father's offer. "I suppose that's fine…"

"So it's decided," Silva grinned. "Canary, take the Fae away. He cannot be trusted until he proves himself, and I have a decision to make about what challenge I am going to give him."

"Of course, your Majesty," Canary nodded. She tugged at Gon's arms and began hauling him backwards.

"Wait, hold on–" Gon sputtered. I never agreed to do anything for these assholes–

"What?!" Killua gasped. "Dad!"

"We have to be cautious," Zeno explained.

"Take those damn chains off, if you're so worried about him burning the fucking citadel to the ground then leave him to me! I brought him in here so I should be the one to babysit him!" Killua argued in desperation.

Gon dragged his heels against Canary's hold, his eyes locking with Silva's.

He saw the challenge in those icy eyes.

The mirth.

Gon took a deep breath, and relaxed, allowing himself to be led away. "It's fine," he called out to Killua.

The silver haired prince snapped around, panic and unimaginable guilt in his eyes as he watched Gon be hauled from the throne room.

"I've got this, Zoldyck," Gon drawled. "Don't get your panties in a wad."

Don't screw up your act. I know that I fucked up, but you can't follow my example.

I'm… not important right now.

What matters is saving Alluka. I'll deal with this shit, you worry about keeping at least some semblance of the plan cobbled together.

Killua's cheeks flushed red in frustration, and Gon gave him a confident smirk as the doors were slammed shut and they were dragged apart by the Clan's will.

…

"I'm sorry about this," Canary said, finally speaking up after hauling Gon halfway across the palace. She'd dragged him through a maze of long, boring hallways and steep flights of stairs. They'd passed patrol after patrol of guards, and Canary had shoved her way through countless mini Testing Gates as she'd lugged Gon through the palace.

They'd finally arrived at a rather drab set of wooden doors, which had opened to a spiral staircase of ancient cobblestone. The moment the wooden doors had closed behind Canary, she'd seemed to deflate.

"These stairs lead to the dungeon," the woman explained when Gon pointedly ignored her comment. "You'll be held here until the date of your challenge. There aren't any guards around this far into the palace, so you can relax."

Gon tensed up in her grip, trying to focus on taking the stairs at the brisk pace she'd set.

"Come now, don't be that way," Canary sighed. Her shadow danced across the curved walls as they passed torch after torch on their way down. It was getting colder the further they descended… they were likely going underground.

Gon flexed his fingers, noting their stiffness with a hint of concern. Killua had told him that warmth would be crucial to beating the miasma poisoning. At this rate it was doing nothing but getting worse. What if he fucking dropped dead before he even reached the challenge date? Or worse, what if he felt like shit by then and was unable to prove himself to the Clan?

They finally reached the bottom of the stairwell, and Canary led Gon through an empty hallway that forked several feet down. The walls and floors were made of stone, the ceiling from packed dirt. Gon's suspicions were confirmed, they were underground. Beneath the palace, likely.

The walls were linked in cells barred with metal. It stunk like mildew and stale wounds, and the air was cold yet uncomfortably moist. The majority of the cells were empty… save for the occasional barren pile of bones.

"As you can tell, we don't use the dungeon very often," Canary joked, attempting to lighten the mood. Gon eyed a skeleton that still gripped the bars of its cell. Criminals in the citadel clearly didn't fare well if the dungeon was in such a state of disuse…

Canary drew to a stop before an empty cell, and drew a ring of keys from somewhere on her person. She unlocked the door, sliding it open before walking Gon inside. She then unlocked his cuffs, and swiftly stepped out. Closing and locking the door behind him.

Gon stood with his back to Canary, rubbing his aching wrists and trying not to punch a wall.

"I'm sure this is difficult for the two of you," Canary murmured.

Gon frowned, and glanced in suspicion over his shoulder.

He was surprised to find warmth in Canary's eyes.

"You clearly mean a lot to Master Killua… and I hate to see you treated this way." Compassion sparked in her warm, carmel colored eyes. Gon couldn't help but notice that her stance had loosened. Her wings hung casually against her back, and her tail lay limp against the floor. It seemed that Killua was not the only Valkyrie in the Clan to wear a mask…

He felt the anger in his heart towards the woman begin to thaw out.

"I know what your challenge will be," Canary stated, drawing a breath.

"You… do?" Gon asked, his tone unsure.

Canary nodded. "If I know Silva, he'll give you the Dragonite Rite of Passage."

That sounds ominous. "Which is?"

"You'll be sent out into the Gates of Hell, on a hunt to slay a Dragon," Canary explained with a shadow across her eyes.

Gon gasped slightly, his eyes blowing wide. Kill a Dragon? That would be his challenge? "Are you… supposed to be telling me this?"

Canary snorted. "No, of course not. But I couldn't leave Master Killua's friend in the dark, now could I?" She winked at Gon, and then turned on her heel. Her boots echoed on the stone as she retreated down the hall of cells and ascended the stairs.

Gon watched her go with curious eyes, and stood with his eyes trained on the bottom of the stairwell for quite some time. Minutes dragged on, and he finally shook his head and stepped back from the bars.

He glanced around his cell, finding a single bucket, a sad pile of straw, and a considerably sized crack in the foundation.

Gon snorted. "Homey."

With a heavy sigh, he plopped down on the sheet of straw and dragged his hands across his face.

"Gods."

Gon had gotten into his fair share of trouble over the course of his lifetime, and he supposed that now he could mark "prison time" off his bucket list. Though he did so without much enthusiasm.

Kukuroo Mountain hadn't been at all what Gon was expecting…

He didn't know what exactly he'd been expecting, but it sure as hell hadn't been this. A sadistic, abusive family and a cold, dark prison cell with Killua nowhere to be found. Gon shivered in the cold, and leaned against the cell wall at his left. He rested his head against the frost coated stone, pretending for a couple of moments that he was leaning against Killua rather than a prison wall.

Gon laughed humorlessly to himself. "We've really fucked ourselves over this time, havn't we Lua?" It felt like they'd been on the Mountain for ages, and Gon hadn't had one thought cross his mind about Alluka. So much shit had already spiraled out of control, he couldn't even imagine staging a rescue mission at this point.

The hybrid rubbed his hands together and blew into his feelingless fingers.

I'm sorry, Killua. I said I'd help you save Alluka… but it looks like I left you all alone with your psychotic family.

Guilt flared in the pit of Gon's belly. Maybe if he'd acted differently… maybe if he hadn't been so confident walking in… maybe if he hadn't been so useless up against Mike and the HellHounds… maybe if he–

A pair of glowing red orbs caught Gon's attention.

He snapped his head up, and stared fearfully into the darkness of the cell across from his.

The pair of orbs vanished for several heartbeats, and then reappeared. Closer to him. Right outside the bars of his own cell. Gon's heart thumped painfully in his chest. Liquid fear raced in his veins.

His eyes bit across the darkness of the dungeon, and as he focused on the floating pair of red spheres they slowly morphed into eyes. Blood red eyes, with pitch black sclera.

Gon sucked in a gasp, and between one blink and the next the eyes turned from red to a startling green. Human eyes, with plain white sclera and pitch pupils that trained directly at Gon.

The eyes were set in a pale face framed by wisps of blonde hair, and Gon startled when he finally registered a young woman standing on the opposite side of his cell wall, wearing a frilly red dress adorned in black lace.

Gon stared at her, taking in her round ears and delicate frame.

A human?

The girl suddenly smiled, the expression wildly unsettling and sending Gon's nerves skittering in all directions. "Miasma poisoning," she mused, her voice raspy and soft. "Quite the dilemma you find yourself in."

Gon mind seared with the urge to look down at his wrists, and he scrambled to pull his sleeve up his elbow and inspect his skin. What he found was alarming to say the least…

The black stain had spread. It was beginning to crawl up his arm again… it was now edging at the pulse point of his wrist. His hands were completely pitch. Gon swallowed.

He glanced back up, and jerked in fear when he found that the woman was completely gone. His breathing sped up, he felt on edge. Gon scented the air, but came up with nothing. There was no one else down here but him…

"What the fuck?" he whispered to the darkness.

Only the skeletons heard him, watching him from the recesses of their cells with empty black sockets and frost riddled bones.