CHAPTER 21
Killua stared in shock at Hayuri, hoping for any sign that would prove everything that he assumed wrong. There was no way she would betray him like that. There was no way he could've been that deeply fooled. To his demise, Hayuri didn't even glance his way as she skillfully rearranged her hair and smirked at the blond man who had talked.
"Who do you think I am, Markus?"
"Well, I just thought you would've needed a hand. But I should've known you'd do it. You are, after all, one of my most trusted people." Markus smirked and turned to Killua. "Yo, brat. If you keep quiet and follow us, there won't be any need to beat you to a pulp."
Killua bowed his head low and closed his eyes in surrender. He was not stupid; even without nen there was no way that he could've won against them. If he wanted to escape, he would have to find an opportunity later on. The biggest man held Killua's arm and threw him over his shoulder. All of them sprinted away and they were out of the palace in a couple seconds.
Killua had considered calling up attention so that he would get help from the other royal guards. But these people knew his identity. Maybe they even knew about his mission. Therefore, in order to have a chance to come back and finish it, he had to keep his background a secret from the king.
Ten minutes later, the four of them stopped on an alleyway and he was allowed to stand again. The blond man, Markus, walked closer to him with a smirk.
"I'm sorry, Zoldyck-san, but I'll need you to take a short nap." He said and Killua closed his eyes in resignation as he was hit in the back of the head and darkness engulfed him.
- Time skip -
Killua woke up to a rhythmic movement and warmth; someone was giving him a piggyback ride. He immediately recognized that person as Hayuri; her scent and her presence too familiar to him. He remained with his eyes closed and pinpointed that the three other men were surrounding them. He still had no chance of escape. He opened his eyes to see that the sun was starting to rise, so he decided that he'd been out for 5,30 hours. A damn long time, that hit on his nape must've been pretty strong. On top of that, as Killua looked around he noticed that they were inside a forest, so he had no fucking idea where he was.
He must've made some sort of noise, since Hayuri slightly tilted her head sideways to take a good look at him. Killua looked at her face and felt anger build up in him when she looked back ahead without a word. He wondered if he could to yell some insults at her without risking his life, but Hayuri suddenly stopped running and turned to look at a redheaded man, who had stopped as well.
"Matt, your turn." She said as he was left on his feet and the said man moved to pick him up.
"I can run, you know?" Killua creased an eyebrow.
"What about it, leader?" The redhead talked to the blond one.
"We might as well try." He answered and turned to Killua with a dead serious face. "You will be running in the center and you won't do anything rash. If I as much as suspect anything, I'll break some of your bones and you'll be carried again."
"I know." Killua nodded and all of them took off once again.
They ran at full speed for two hours and until the sun had completely risen. Hayuri raised her hand and everyone stopped next to a river.
"We still have some hours to go, so I suggest that we eat something." She said pointing down at the water. Everyone nodded and, as both the redhead and the brunette hunters sat on each side of Killua, Hayuri and Markus caught some fish. When they finished, they quickly built a fire to cook them and everyone sat around it.
"So, Zoldyck brat. Do you know why you are here?" the redheaded spoke.
"Not really." Killua answered. "But I can guess someone holds a grudge against me."
"Hah, apparently you're smart enough to know that. And they want you delivered alive. Tough luck."
"He must think he's lucky though and that he'll get a chance to get away." The blonde smirked and everyone laughed at that.
Killua frowned and hoped that wherever they were taking him wouldn't have too much security. He was certain that he'd be able to break out from almost anywhere, but there were a couple exceptions. Killua kept quiet as everyone talked and joked about gossip and everyday stuff. Well, not everyone. Hayuri hadn't spoken one word since they'd stopped and she only nodded and smiled at their conversation. When the fish were ready, everyone stood up to get some.
"Hey, have some fish." The bulky man spoke and handed Killua one.
Killua silently took the fish and decided to eat it. First of all, he was immune to poison and, secondly, they would've killed him already if they wanted to. When they finished eating, they put the fire out and took off again. Killua looked towards Hayuri every couple minutes and, every time he did, he was blatantly ignored. He was angry, sad, and frustrated. He would've confronted her – or something – but there was no way he was going to say anything in front of anyone else.
At noon, they stopped in front of a hill and that had a thick steel door right next to some rocks. The blonde knocked on it a couple times and a small light was turned on.
"Horses run to the east when the sun is highest." He said and the light turned green. A high pitched ring preceded the opening of the door and Killua entered third.
They came into a small room made of steel and the five of them were thoroughly checked. After that, they all entered through another steel door and Killua found himself in a huge underground hangar. The place was filled with people and there even was some sort of store. Truly, the place was almost like a small village and it appeared to house up to five hundred people. All of them were hunter, though most of them were not too strong. There were only handful that were as strong as him. Killua assumed that probably the best ones had been sent after him. He didn't blame them; the Zoldyck name was feared by many and he probably could've won a fair fight against three of the other ones.
As soon as they entered, he was yanked by the handcuffs and he was escorted away by Markus – the blonde – and the redheaded man. They went down two levels through a steeled staircase and came to a room. There were two low range hunters sitting in front of the table and they greeted them.
"Zoldyck, huh?" he said as he wrote something down and put a code on a computer.
A thick steel door in the back of the room entered and Killua was led inside of it. He was led down a hallway filled with cells, which was much darker than then rest of the building; probably so that prisoners would be dazzled by the brightness is they managed to get out. When they reached the end of the hallway, another thick door opened up. They entered a small room that had a middle aged hunter sitting on a wooden chair. He nodded at them as a greeting and they walked a couple steps. They stopped in front of a cell that was not closed up by iron bars, but by some sort of translucentthick material. A door of the same material automatically opened up and he was thrown inside. Killua walked a couple steps in as the door closed behind him.
Killua looked around and noticed that the walls, the floor and the ceiling were made of thick steel. He turned around and saw that he had no privacy at all; everything could be seen from the outside. On the other hand, he could also see everything that happened out there.
"Spend your time as you wish, although I don't think there's much to do in there." Markus said laughing and both hunters turned around and left. Killua raised his eyebrows; how was it even possible that he could hear them out? He walked a couple steps to the translucent material and touched it lightly. He was surprised that it was hard as steel. He narrowed his eyes and noticed that there were almost imperceptibly little holes in there, which probably allowed sound to move freely both ways. The little holes seemingly provided him with oxygen, which meant that his cell had no ventilation systems at all. On one corner of the room there was a dry toilet, which meant there also were no water pipes in there. There were a couple bottles of water on the other corner.
Killua cursed and threw himself on the ground. He was fucked up. That was the most advanced and secure cell he had seen in his whole life. How was he even going to get out? On one hand, the successor of the king would be elected in 4 days. It had taken them over 12 hours to get there, so he had 3 days tops to get out of there. But it didn't seem plausible at all. There was no way he could get out of there without nen, and the damn handcuffs were still keeping him in Zetsu. Killua sighed and sat down; he would try to think of a way to break out.
Killua sat in that place for what he assumed was three hours. So it was probably around three in the afternoon. He had been thinking all along, but had not found any way to escape that place yet. There were virtually no vulnerabilities in their system. He had thought about it over and over again, and there was apparently no way to get out.
Suddenly Killua heard the door to the room on the other side of the translucent wall opened up. He turned his head and saw Hayuri entering with a box of polystyrene in her hands. When her eyes met the guards, her shoulders tensed and she growled.
"You of all people…" she mumbled and took a couple steps.
"Good to see you too, Hayuri." The man smirked.
Hayuri ignored him and walked to the translucent wall and stopped in front of the door. Her eyes met Killua's for a second and he felt his heart clench. She immediately looked away and opened a small compartment on the door and put the box inside. She stood there quietly for a couple seconds and then quietly spoke.
"There's no use trying to get out of there; the only way that'll happen is when we allow you to." She said and then added. "There's some food for you."
Killua didn't answer, ignoring her, and eyed her as she sighed and turned around to leave. However the guard sitting on the chair leaned forward with a smile.
"So, I heard you caught the Zoldyck brat on you own." He started as Hayuri stopped and raised an eyebrow at him. "I don't believe it."
"You can believe whatever you want. You're just angry that I'm your superior." She frowned.
"You must've used some dirty trick." His face contorted into a dirty smirk. "Did you poison him? Trap him? Did you fuck him?"
"I don't think I owe you any explanations, Owen." Hayuri said and moved to walk away.
"She did." Killua's voice sounded clearly from inside the cell. Hayuri stopped dead in her tracks and turned to look at Killua with wide eyes. His head was bowed down and his eyes were hidden, but he wore a smirk full of malice. "And she screamed like a slut."
Hayuri stared in shock at Killua and he locked eyes with her for a moment. He watched with a nonchalant expression when she opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted.
"Ohhhh! I knew it! I knew it!" the man leaned towards her. "Well, what can I say Hayuri. I admire your sense of duty. I wonder though, if the order came for me to fuck you, would you do it too?"
"Shut up, Owen!" Hayuri raised her voice as her eyes filled up with tears. She looked downwards and she loudly closed the door behind her. As soon as she was out of the room, the guard turned to look at Killua, who had already retrieved the box of food and was opening it up.
"Wow, that was hilarious, man." He laughed. "I've been trying to get into her pants for a long time. Tell me, how did you do it? How was she like? Damn, I've thought about her pussy for long."
Killua opened up his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He felt like trash. He knew Hayuri deserved it all after what she'd done to him. But, for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to speak about it. The words he had said earlier had left a sinking feeling in his chest. Besides, the man clearly didn't like Hayuri for real and probably just wanted to get into her pants to prove a point or something. Killua wouldn't feed him anything about her. He lowered his head again and kept quiet, ignoring the man as he insisted for details. He ate the contents of the box, half of it containing a dry stew and the other half a piece of cake. He widened his eyes and wondered if prisoners were usually fed sweets, but he didn't wonder too long and simply enjoyed it.
After a couple hours, the guard shift changed and in came another hunter. He sat down with a bored face and Killua wondered if any of them ever went to the bathroom. On one hand, he needed a chance to get out and, on the other hand, he needed to use the toilet urgently. The last time he had, had been before the ceremony last night. Almost 24 hours ago, so his bladder was about to explode. He was used to having some privacy on the matter, but he decided to let this one pass. He walked to the toilet and urinated with a sigh. When he was about to pull his pants back up something caught his eye. He looked down and noticed that there was blood inside his underwear. He furrowed his brow and checked if he had any injuries, but there were none. He stood there in wonder for a couple seconds and then his eyes slightly widened in comprehension.
- Time skip -
The door to the guard room in front of Killua's cell opened up again. He looked up and saw that Hayuri had come again. He wondered if she was doing it on purpose to rub it in his face.
"Oh, Hayuri-san." The guard spoke with a smile. "What brings you here?"
"I brought dinner." She said raising another box of food and the guard raised an eyebrow. "We were told to hand the prisoner in good condition, so we're not taking any chances."
"Oh, I see." He said and Hayuri gave him a look.
"Also, you should head to Finance's as soon as you can." She said bluntly.
"What?" his eyes widened. "No way, I can't believe there's a problem with my paycheck again. I promised my wife she would get the money this week."
"Well, they're closing up soon… so you may have to go tomorrow."
"Jeez." The guard rubbed his temples.
Hayuri walked to the cell and put the box in place. She looked at Killua and noticed that he was intently staring at her. She fidgeted a bit and walked a bit along the translucent wall. She stopped where Killua was sitting and locked eyes with him. She stood there for a while, but he didn't say anything.
"Is there something you need?" she spoke.
"I can't believe it. You would actually give your virginity away for some job?" Killua said with an ironic smile. "I can't believe I bought all that idealistic shit from you."
"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you." She said with a sad smile. "Things are not always what we think they are."
Killua looked at her with disbelief for a moment and then lowered his head. He tightened his fists and growled a bit. He looked at her with anger and spoke harshly.
"Clearly, because in the end you were just another bitch with no sense of ethic."
"That's a lot coming from you, isn't it?" Hayuri took a step closer and leaned her hand on the wall.
"I would've never done what you did! I never even thought anyone would go to that extent… All this time…" Killua had to stop talking and he took a deep breath in. "You were fooling me all along."
"I have to say though, that I never really expected you to be blind for so long. Your emotions really can get in the way of your clear thinking, huh?" she said she smiled with a hint of sadness.
Killua growled and looked down at the ground. He didn't have any words for her; he just wanted her to get out of his sight. Her mere presence was putting him on edge and making the weight on his chest get heavier. He heard Hayuri walk away from the cell and stop a couple steps away.
"Err… is everything all right?" the guard asked.
"Yeah, don't let his words get to you." She shrugged. "Hey, if you want to I can watch over the prisoner. You know, so that you can fix the problem with your salary."
"Really?" his eyes widened. "You know it's a long way to Finance's… it could take a while."
"I don't mind."
"I shouldn't really leave my post, but no one here really questions your authority... soo…"
"Go on." She waved him off.
"Thank you! I owe you!" he said as he turned around and walked out of the room.
When he closed the door the room Killua watched as Hayuri stood still for a couple seconds. She seemed to hesitate for a moment and then looked back at him. His icy blue eyes locked with her green ones and, for a moment, he felt as though nothing had changed between them. He felt as comfortable as ever and the ever present pull towards her. They stayed like that, looking at each other as the silence in the room made their heartbeats seem louder than they were. A couple seconds later, Hayuri turned to look back to the steel door and the moment was broken. Killua cursed his inability to keep his emotions in check and his mind for forgetting that everything had been a set up. He watched as her hand leaned on the steel door and it opened up.
"Goodbye, Killua." Hayuri said without looking back and left.
A/N: Well.. that was it. What do you think? Do you now hate Hayuri? Do you understand her actions? Will Killua manage to escape? Will Hayuri and he get back together? TAAN TAAN TAAAAAN.
Elisablackcat: Well, I had to make some drama out of this xD I'm glad you liked the lemon though.
Kpseipp: that would've been a good plot too, but I think this one is more dramatic xD
MadokaMagica1998: Wow, thank you for the compliment! I'm glad you like the story.
Hexel-JustAnotherReader: Wow! It's good to hear from you again. Thank you for reading!