I CAN ONLY HOPE THIS IS WORTH THE WAIT. That's all. xD And join me in my chant:
Tooogashiii... UPDATE! You jerk.
Haha
Disclaimer: I wish I own Hunter x Hunter.
…
CHAPTER 24: Walking x Connected x Reunited
Gon gingerly peeked through the small opening of the door. Killua was on the bed with his eyes closed and was breathing evenly. She had in her hand drinks for everyone and quietly walked in to the table. Mito and Illumi (she was relieved they didn't do PDA in front of her) decided it was time for her check-up. Kurapika, on the other hand, took Alluka to the canteen for breakfast. Gon mused it was probably to give her and Killua some time alone.
Gon minced across the room, but noticed Killua's eyes opening slowly. "You were awake?"
"I slept for how long again?" he asked sardonically. "I don't think I'll sleep decently for a while."
She chuckled before sitting on the stool beside his bed. He was still bedridden and her hands moved my themselves to touch his wound lightly enough so he could feel it without experiencing the sting. "May I?" She asked and he blushed, but nodded anyway.
She carefully unbuttoned his pajama-like hospital ensemble and she looked down to stare at his injuries; her soft gaze making him blush everywhere, and he found that he couldn't take his eyes off her as she did so. She didn't seem to notice, however. She was just as entranced with assessing his wound as he was with her.
"I can heal you, you know."
Killua's eyes widened and he flinched. He winced at the sudden jolt of pain from his reflexive movement but Gon's hand pressed his shoulder down so he wouldn't move. Her warm hands against his bare skin sent a wave of calm through him and he steeled, as requested by the touch.
"How much do you desire to be healed?" She asked and his eyebrows furrowed at the fact that her tone made the question sound like... it was some sort of prerequisite for something bigger. But Killua, only thinking of how much he wanted to embrace her, answered 'very much' and just like that—he was surrounded by beautiful sensational light.
He was paralyzed, but it was a wonderful feeling—like stepping on a hot spring after days in the snow—so he didn't really care to move. That was until he saw her. Her skin increasingly getting pale, she was sweating buckets, and she was biting her lips until it was bleeding.
Killua knew that look: Gon was in excruciating pain.
But even his mouth couldn't move, it could barely open. But he couldn't keep her at that state, and he pulled all the strength he had left. "STOP!" He yelled albeit it came out more too shrill. But thankfully the light stopped and Gon's eyes widened, staring at her arms, as if she wasn't expecting the light to go off…, like it wasn't in her control.
He sat up, ignoring the jolt of pain that followed, and she wiped the blood off her nose. "What the hell Gon?" He asked, but he knew what it was. She really did heal him, to a good degree, and he stopped it before it was completed.
"I told you I'd heal you."
"This is a powerful technique Gon." He said, direly. "What's the catch?"
"I didn't want to put on so much burden on Alluka." She said looking at the wall behind him. "Did you know? She's been sleeping in a lot lately." She went on before he could interrupt. "I think we should limit using her abilities until we're sure." "Nature doesn't allow anyone to control it so easily with so few repercussions, after all."
"You didn't answer the question, Gon." He said, pulling her closer to him by holding her hands tightly. "Tell me."
"It's not much you have to worry about." She said with a weak smile. Her face was regaining color but the wound on her lips would be there. "I just experienced the pain at that exact moment I heal them. But that's it, my body won't be damaged." She said with the most encouraging tone. Still, Killua didn't buy it.
"But the memory of the pain is still there, right?"
"Yes." She said. "But that hardly matters."
"Oh?"He narrowed his eyes. "Then you won't mind telling me what else you're keeping from me."
She stared at him for a while, pouting, and if he wasn't gripping both her hands she'd be fiddling with her hair out of nervousness. "I… I experience it at least thrice as painful." She said and he saw her face—hopeful. Probably that he didn't ask anymore question. And he did just that. "There's something else."
"Mou."
"Just tell me!" At that point, he didn't care if he raised his voice. "And what do you mean by at least thrice?"
"I…" "It could go up to ten folds. D-Depending how the person desires to be healed."
How ironic, his want to embrace her ended up hurting her. He realized that was also the reason why the aura stopped when he said so. "You shouldn't have chosen this."
Her face suddenly showed anger in response, and he tried to hold her cheek but she turned the other way. "I decided on this power for you," she tells him without looking, and forcefully taking her hands off his. "You're not respecting my wishes."
His shoulder slumped. "There's a limit to martyrdom."
"Says the boy who got stabbed in the lungs for me." I can do it countless more times if I had to, he countered but didn't say so out loud. Then it was clearer she had no doubt willing to do the same. He felt a little bit of remorse at disrespecting that.
A little.
"Let me finish healing you already." She said, touching his bare chest, and his back strengthened at the sensation it caused. Quickly, he shook his head.
"No need." He said and patted his thigh to make his point. "I can sit up now, see?" "You already helped me enough." "Let's just wait for your lips to heal or something." And then he looked at her when his gut told him something. "You can heal your own wounds, right?"
She did not nod in affirmation, and it made him frown deeply. But instead of nagging her he only sighed, gently touching her shoulder to slowly pull her towards him. "You're not supposed to be this selfless." He said, placing a soft kiss on her lips, afraid of stinging it too much. "You're supposed to be selfish, and I'm the one who'll be guarding your back."
She didn't answer verbally, but she kissed him back. It wasn't gentle and he worried she was hurting herself. Her returns felt restricted though, so he stopped, and looked at her in the eyes. "What's wrong?" He asked as he gently pushed her away, but she was close enough they could feel each other's breath.
"I'm not blind. You've sacrificed too much already, Killua."
"It's not sacrifice, it's investment." He corrected. "You do realize I chose to do so because I'll be the one benefiting in the end, right?" But Gon, being Gon, only stared... genuinely thinking deeply of how he meant, and likely to arrive at the answer the next day. He sighed, but his chest felt light-hearted.
"In case you still don't realize, my idiotic Gon, I'm happiest when I'm with you."
She rolled her eyes, but her chuckle gave her mood away. Killua smirked and pulled her in again, burying his face on her shoulders and relishing his senses on her warmth, and the gentle sound of her heartbeat.
But the door opened, and he wasn't fast enough to even curse the god of privacy (the useless bastard).
"Brother! We're baack~" Alluka announced but not loud enough to disturb anyone sleeping, in case there was one. Once again, she swore those two were in very different positions a millisecond prior, but she shrugged in the end. She brightened at the realization that her brother is then sitting on the side of the bed, his face red from a major fever seemed minor compared to that.
"You can sit up now!" she yelled and ran to hug Killua. Kurapika, who was behind Alluka and arrived a couple of seconds after she did, found himself scanning the room and found Gon, who was then stiffly by the window. Kurapika stared at her for a while, gave a half-hearted greeting when she welcomed them back, and he realized just how flushed her face was. Even her lips swollen.
He knew what was happening before they entered, and even though he vowed to move on… it still stung.
A lot.
And then he accidentally caught the slight widening of her eyes, making him wince. Did she see? Did she see his expression?
He cleared his throat as soon as he was coherent. "I think it's safe for me to go back to the mansion now." He said, even mentioning Illumi was no longer a threat. If ever (he added internally), the man would, surprisingly, even protect them.
There was an awkward silence that followed. Gon turned to him. "I'll see you off."
...
They walked to the curbside in partial silence. The atmosphere was filled with tension, and he felt sad it had to be like this. Romance complicated invaluable friendships too much. She stayed with him until his limousine arrived, and when it did he saw her looking at him deeply, probably trying to read him.
"I'm fine, Gon." He said with a knowing smile. "It's just not easy, but I'll do it." He raised his hand, gently caressing the side of her face. She was so warm, and she didn't seem to mind the feel of his hand on her face, which suited him just fine.
"Be careful." She said, and he pulled her in for a platonic hug. He vowed it would only be a few seconds, any longer would be inappropriate considering their current situation, and he ended it with a familial kiss on the side of her head.
He smiled at her. "Have fun."
…
Kurapika stared out the window, watching the trees go by because he couldn't allow his head to float as they gravitate towards the people in the hospital. Then, in different branches along the forests' shadows, he saw a being jumping from tree to tree.
It was human, and it was heading towards the hospital. His eyes widened immediately. "STOP!"
"Sir?"
"Go back to the hospital, now."
…
He arrived just in time to feel a dark aura coming out of the room. It was Killua's, and judging by the fact that Illumi wasn't in the room, whoever was on the defensive was not a threat. "You're up already? I was told you should still be in a coma…" The girl said, and judging by her attitude she was probably the infamous Nerys Bloodsworth.
"What are you doing here?"
"Really, I was your fiance, I only came here to check up on you." "You must be Gon."
He stood between them and she turned slightly to his direction, as if just sensing him there. "Relax. I'm not stupid enough to wage a fight I cannot win." "I just also wanted to see the girl you're willing to die for with my own eyes." "It's not like I could even take a hair out of her pretty little head."
Kurapika had seen enough liars to know when someone's lying.
"Do not threaten me." Killua said and a burts of aura surrounded him. It was easy to revert back when people he associated with it were in the premises.
"I am not threatening you." She said. "Is it so hard to believe I just came to visit?"
"After sending four injuus to kill us?"
"Just her." She said, her referring to Gon, hubris getting the best of her again.
She got a burst of aura from Killua as a response. She was half-expecting the blonde to do the same but he was calm, and Nerys had the distinct feeling she was being watched. No, observed.
Why was she here again? She didn't remember. What could she be thinking putting herself into this situation? Oh right, she wasn't thinking. Her mind went blank the moment she heard what happened to Killua.
Killua. The boy who was currently plotting how to get rid of her.
"You will go," he told her with confidence. "Now."
What really hurt Nerys though was he still refused to acknowledge her, even as a woman. What she would do to get him to call her name. And when she saw Gon's eyes widen slightly, Nerys cursed her face. She must've made an embarrassing face.
"Killua—" She said firmly holding his shoulder. "Calm down."
Nerys knew she let out a pained expression, seeing him go so soft so easily at a mere touch. But she hardened herself. And she let out a seemingly nonchalant sigh. Compartmentalize, she told herself. Do not make a fool of yourself even more than you already have.
"Whatever," she said, turning around. "I guess I'm glad you're not dead. The world's boring without you."
...
Kurapika bid his goodbye to Gon, Killua, and Alluka, partly pondering where the other couple (namely, Mito and Illumi) was all through the bursts of aura. Eventually he reached his car and it was opened. But before he stepped in, he paused, feeling a presence not too far behind.
"Hey." He only stared at her in response. "How do you do it?"
"Do what?"
"Stomach seeing those two being so nauseating."
"I truly love Gon. I want her to be happy." Kurapika saw her expressions—through Gon's—and he understood. He saw himself in her.
"He killed my brother."
"Self-defense."
"I tried to kill her you know." She said a little shakily, as if trying to provoke him but was failing miserably. He was mad at her for a few seconds, the reddening of his eyes were proof of that, but when he saw her stance in front of Killua—he understood.
"And you got what you deserved did you not?" he said with his trademark tone of voice. "You received Killua's unending hate."
Her voice was lost at that moment.
"You're no different than I am." She stated. She was desperate. She needed someone to go down to her level because she felt like she's in hell.
"If you're looking for someone to be in your side, I am not that person Nerys."
And he walked away, like he hadn't been provoking him for a death match at all. And yet... Nerys could only hear her name being called out, ringing in her ears.
…
Milluki lumbered on the stone corridor illuminated only by dim lamps placed a meter apart, because he was checking out his phone as he walked.
Illumi allowed a fly to follow them around. Milluki, despite popular perception, was curious at the progress of the red-head woman's pregnancy. Who knows, right? Maybe having a Zoldyck child gives mother very interesting things to observe, unusual enough even for pregnant women.
A couple of minutes later, the redhead stopped her tracks and whipped her head towards a direction. "What was that?"
"Gon." His brother replied immediately with that monotone of his. "And the darker one just now was just Killua. They'll handle themselves fine," he told her, then paused, and Milluki could swear the older Zoldyck's eyebrows rose a little. "You felt that?"
"Everyone shivered," was all she said. But then she differentiated the hostile aura from the defensive one. Mito could suddenly use Nen, eh? Milluki thought with a smirk, Interesting.
"What is it, Milluki?" Silva asked as he stared at his second-born, eyes on the phone, standing in front of him.
"Looks like you'll be a grandfather of a pretty interesting kid."
…
Back at the hospital, Gon and Killua moseyed along the complex, really just to blow off some steam. It was Gon's idea, and it was her idea to heal him enough to walk. It was painful but nothing near as painful as the first, because Killua absolutely did not want her to do it. All she had was his affirmation and, even if it is nowhere near as effective as it was if he wanted the healing, it was enough.
They passed a calendar and Killua is reminded she was to go, but delayed seeing her birthmother for him. "You didn't have to do sacrifice like that."
"It's not sacrifice." She grinned. "It's investment."
Killua blinked at her echo before sending a grin himself. Comfortable silence passed by them as they continued their stroll, Killua habitually raising his hand so his palm rested at the back of his head as he walked. "Now..., how do we get to the Dark Continent without having to take a year?" he asked, almost out—of-nowhere, although Killua wouldn't really mind if they took that long.
"Any suggestions?" she asked him and he gave a wilful shrug. "Well, we can wish? We all know your iron will's the strongest in the world." He joked and he got a pointed look in response.
"I know I can't conquer everything with willpower alone," she said, almost pouting, getting Killua to wonder what happened in the Dark Continent to make her wake up to that. The Gon he knew was optimistic to the point of naivety. In any case, the change only made him want to see more of the continent.
"Do you have a photo of Ging?" He asked and she shook her head. With that, they did not even mention Alluka, who would've needed a photo of their target location. They didn't want to put her through that anyway. So they were back to square one.
And then she recalled the very first time they were so close to Ging. "I got it!" "What about the cards!" The cards they left in that abandoned building when they were pulled apart. Quickly, they pushed away the then-minor jolts of pain and fear and thought of it more objectively.
Their shoulders slumped immediately when they did so. "We already took it out. It's way past a minute." Killua said, patting his head in disappointment. "It's probably no longer there anymore…"
"Plan B?"
"Hmn…" they mumble simultaneously, and their faces brighten a second later, at the same time. "AH!
"Elena-san!"
.
.
END OF CHAPTER 24
Coming Soon:
CHAPTER 25: Switch x Parallel x Offers
The hunt for the dark continent continues!
And they meet old friends. ;D
REPLIES TO ANGELS
Darlingfedz – haha yay! Glad you liked it. This is a much happier chapter, so I hope you like this even more. xD Super happy to know we actually are showing character development! *dance* And thank you for reviewing~ :DD
YamiKeitsuki822 – Awww, I'm flattered. I hope you feel that way til' the end (which isn't really that far away) xD Thanks for reviewing, btw!
Ael fyragh – I know, I know. I wanted to expand but the interest in the fandom is waning, so I had to rush forward. xD Anyway, glad you enjoyed it anyway and thx for reviewing! ;D
Pri-Chan 1410 – Yep! Yinyang pair moments finally here! Hueheuheue. I hope they're worth the wait..., and thank you for reviewing~! :D
Chicchick404 – Whoa. Thank you for saying this is an amazing story. I'll try to keep that opinion the same lol. Thank you for reviewing, btw! :D
Pitou77 – Haha indeed! And soo glad you think I'm doing well. I hope like hell I can keep it up and, of course, thank you for the review!
Digilover23 – Yinyang pair here~! Haha. I wish it's worth the wait, and glad you like the story so far! Thank you for reviewing, btw. ;D
Reallyoverweightbarista – I will never forget to update! The problem is when I have nothing to put up as updates lol. Anyway, sorry I took so long! Hope you like it. xD
Cyannel – You reread?! Oh my~ I'm so happy. xDD I'm glad you think the story's awesome and yes! I'll do my best to keep it up. :D Thx for the review!
VChan – Thank you for reviewing! xD Glad you loved the chapter, and I hope you like this one even better. ;DD
Isa – Sisaunt. LOL. Totally a new category now. xD Hope you like the GonxKillua fluff here, too! I certainly enjoyed writing it. haha. Thx for reviewing btw~
Jonica77 – Yay, indeed! Hope it is at least as nice as you expected. xD Thank you for the comment, by the way~ ;D
Grapes – Everything in the chapter is great? I'm glad to know that, and thank you for telling me! xD
LittleChomper – Ah, Pariston~ I miss him too! I wish the manga would update already. Hahaha. Btw, no worries you're late (I'm later) and I hope this chap is worth the wait. Thx for the review!
Sweetlove081 – IKR. One of the classic shoujo manga moves that I love. Hahah. Anwyay, glad you like the chapter~! And thank you for saying so~
Phoenix-Thunder – hahah indeed! Fluff in this chapter it is. Lololol. Hope it was worth the wait, as usual, and so happy you think I'm doing good. xD Thanks for reviewing btw!
Delongbi - I'm so glad you think I improved a lot, and that the story has a nice plot. I do hope to keep it up, and thank you for reviewing!
Reah-Kitsune – Whoa. It's awesome that I somewhat helped in making your day! I'm very happy to know I'm one of your faves, and I'll do my best to stay there haha. I won't stop updating! I'm just taking longer is all. And finally, thank you for reviewing! :D
Guest [mar 9 2015] – Here it is! Sooo sorry I took so long. I hope the fluff and stuff is a bit worth the wait! (Tell me if it isn't) and thank you for reviewing~
Egichuu – Thank you for reviewing! xDD I am very glad to know you love the story. I shall try my hardest to keep doing that til the end. ;)
Animagirl – Yes indeed! Hope the GonKillua fluff here is enjoyable. Haha. Tell me if it isn't! xD And thanks for reviewing!
Fingersofbone – Lol for a moment there I was scared. Turns out it was a fabulous compliment! Hahaha. Thank you for reviewing! And I am so very happy to know I've made you emotional (in a good way haha). Thx again!
JezForLifez – I'm sorry! I was just waiting for a couple of people to read. But yeah, it's great I still have new readers like you! Thank you for the comment. :D
...
Sorry I took so long, but I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
I know by now most of you know my biggest motivators,
so please don't hesitate to write down your thoughts!
(Writing chapters that can compel everyone to comment is one of my biggest wishes)