Chapter: 36

"Day of Reckoning."

I was frozen in the knowledge that I was standing face-to-face with Gon's dad. I was taking all of him in at once, and not catching a single detail at the same time— messy, unkempt hair that looked like it hadn't seen a comb in years, a haphazard attire that gave the air of someone who didn't like to be in a single place for too long, and those characteristic hazel eyes that he had passed on to his son.

It was impossible to have seen Gon and then lay eyes on him and not know there was some connection there. In that moment I could see this very scene from the boys' eyes— a chase that had gone on for the better part of a decade now, and here laid its end. What was he doing here? How was he connected to my brother?

"Claire, this is my master," Luca introduced the very next second as if he'd heard the echoes of the questions that claimed my mind.

The man in question just tipped his face up, a strange look of annoyance crossing his face. I was guessing he didn't like the idea of visitors.

"You're Gon's father," I proclaimed in a shaky voice, not being able to focus on anything else.

His eyes widened at my announcement; there was caution there. "You know my son?"

"He's my friend." My voice had some degree of surety to it now, I was understanding how crucial my role could be to get the message across right. "He's been looking for you, for years."

I don't know what I was expecting from him, but I realized then that I did expect something. That was why I felt so bothered by the twitch in his jaw and the solitary grunt that followed my words.

It was so strange to come to terms with the fact that I had a perception and a series of assumptions about this man that wasn't really connected to me at all. When Gon told me about his quest to find his father, I had been surprised. My first instinct had been to wonder what kind of father would do something like this.

But as time went on and I saw the determination in Gon's eyes, somewhere, my thoughts started to shift. I assumed that maybe his father would be waiting for him, eager to see him at the end of a thrilling chase. Then, I thought that maybe, in some unexplained circumstance, he was looking for Gon just like he had been looking for him, and they kept missing each other.

I was now at a very different realization. Even though he hadn't given any indication of a real answer yet, I could tell there was very little hope of something positive coming out of this man's mouth on the information I had just provided him. Still, I was left in shock at the words that followed.

"I don't really care to see him right now," he stated indifferently, which infuriated me beyond belief.

Here came a very unexpected insight: Gon's dad was an asshole. There was no concerned, anxiously awaiting father at the end of their pursuit. Just this washed-up asshole that looked like he couldn't be bothered. It was taking a special kind of restraint to keep myself from lunging at him.

In that state of absolute rage and exhaustion, I somehow managed to still give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe, just maybe, he didn't know how passionately Gon was looking for him. Yes, that must be it.

"I mean, that's all he's doing— looking for you, for the past six years," I clarified, making sure I communicated the urgency and seriousness of the matter.

The enigma that was Ging Freecss didn't even bother looking up this time. "Yeah, like I said, not a good time for me right now." His tone had the thick implication that he assumed he was talking to an idiot. Like, I should have gotten it the first time around that he wasn't interested in seeing his only son. Dumb little me.

"It's not a good time for you to see your son? Who's been looking for you for years?" I demanded, making sure he could hear how ridiculous and obnoxious he sounded before I unleashed the other side of me.

Luca was standing in the middle of this interaction, looking very confused. He looked back and forth between us, probably to determine who to ask about this first.

Ging just glared back at me and I was pretty sure he didn't have any intentions of verbalizing a decent answer for me.

"I can't believe this," I said, exasperated, "do you have any idea what to what lengths that boy has gone to look for you?"

"Listen, missy," he interrupted bitterly, "I don't need the play-by-play. I told you, I'll see Gon when I'll see him. I'm in a bit of a mess, right now is not the time."

"Oh, I don't care if you're knee-deep in three feet of shit, sir," I informed him, feeling any and all composure melt away in the wake of absolute fury, "if you can't see him right now, then at least have the decency to give him a call and tell him that!"

He looked shocked at my outburst. "This is your sister?" He confirmed with Luca, who just stood there perplexed like he had misplaced his tongue.

"Uh-huh, yeah pal, I'm the sister. Sorry to disappoint if you were expecting another kiss-ass," I responded, daring them with my eyes to say something more about it. "And you're not going anywhere until you get in touch with Gon and put an end to this wild goose chase."

"Claire," Luca mediated, looking hesitant, "can we table this for now? You know why we're here, isn't that more important right now?"

"Nothing is more important than this," I declared loud and clear, meaning every word of it. In that moment I didn't care who was after me. I didn't care what dangers were closing in on me. All I could see in front of my eyes were Killua and Gon, their unending drive, and the years they had invested in this.

"It's Ingrid that's after you," Luca injected quickly, trying to lure me into the hold that our past had on us.

I would be lying if I said that had no effect on me. It did. But it was still nowhere near meaning more to me than the boys. I shook my head, at a loss for words. I was sure my strange little audience was confused at my fluctuating reactions.

"You need to know why, that's why I called Ging here, it's all connected."

"I don't care, Luca," I refuted immediately, "I don't care who's after me, I don't care about any of it. All I care about right now is that that man contacts his son." I was pointing accusingly at the subject. "He gives him the time of day, he sits down with him, talks to him like he deserves after all the time he's put into looking for him. I want for him to have the decency to do that, I want—" and I was crying. For the love of God, even though this was the last scenario where this would have done me any good, there I was crying.

I was so tired, scared, and confused. Gon was the nicest person I knew, I couldn't believe- I refused to believe that this was the outcome for his unabashed optimism and persistent vision.

"Do you even know what kind of person he is?" I demanded as tears streaked down my face. "Do you even care to know? He's the nicest guy in the world! You're the idiot if you refuse to meet him because that would be a privilege to you!"

Ging and Luca both looked bewildered. The former looking almost flustered.

"Calm down, Claire," Luca reasoned, putting his hands on my shoulders.

"No, tell him, Luca," I whined like I was telling on some bully to my big brother. He turned to him with evident questions in his eyes. It was clear Luca knew nothing about this. I wondered how that felt to him, to find out he didn't know vital pieces of information about someone he looked up to this much.

"I'm sorry," Ging cut through suddenly, getting on his feet, "I can't get in contact with Gon right now. Although, I'm glad he has a friend like you."

I wasn't sure if he expected me to take that as a win. I can't meet my son but here's a compliment, enjoy. "You're… you're impossible."

He was staring up at the ceiling now, like looking at me was causing him some sort of pain.

"I'll tell him everything, I'll tell him where you are," I told him, feeling so helpless like I was trying to keep water from slipping through my fingers.

"Won't matter, I'll be gone by then." My empty threat didn't worry him the least. I already knew if finding this man was such an impossibility for people like Killua and Gon, I had no doubt in my mind that this guy could disappear in a second.

Saying what he said, he quietly walked out of the apartment and shut the door behind him.

I was left there standing with Luca's arms around me. I couldn't speak for a very long time.

"Claire, can you please hear him out? It wasn't easy getting him to go through with this," he pleaded, looking cornered, "You're not safe and it just adds to the danger if you're clueless on top of it all too. Also, you'd understand why he's so adamant about not being able to meet his son if you found out the whole story."

"I don't care Luca. I just— don't care."

"How do even know his son?" He diverted, trying to get to the bottom of some of it, seeing as I wasn't going to budge.

"He's Killua's best friend, I live with them," I summarized, not sure how I could capture it right. "And I'm done hiding things from the both of them. I don't care if he leaves or stays, I'll tell everything to the boys as soon as they're back." My resolution was a long time coming, this was just the final straw that made me realize how bad I had let things get.

I was set on this right then and there. I would find out nothing about my past, nothing about its claws on my present until I was able to come clean to the boys and have Gon meet his dad.

"Get your master to agree to meet Gon, that's the only way I'll hear everything out. Or you can just go on knowing that there's some god-awful thing chasing after me that somehow even got into my room, and according to you is Ingrid or is sent by Ingrid or whatever," I blabbered, suddenly feeling like I'd pass out on the floor.

"You're- you're putting me in an impossible situation, Claire."

I decided to use the card I knew would get the most out of him. "You owe it to me, Luca. You owe it to me and Katie now."

His breath caught in his throat at my implication.

"Gon will meet his dad," I declared with a surety that surprised me too. I knew in my heart that I had to get this one thing right. I just had to.

But for the moment, I had no leads and no answers, so I just headed home. Being back in the apartment wasn't any less unnerving. I also knew that Luca was literally just a call away and that Killua would be back soon enough. But it was still impossible to shake off the uneasiness of last night's events.

I sat down on the cross-sectional sofa in the middle of the living room to try and make sense of everything that was going on. One thing was still sure in my mind— I had to tell Killua everything. In order to do that I had to sort it all out in my mind.

I went through all the things that I kept from him; I decided to put them in order of least to most grave lies— or omissions, they could be considered omissions.

The first and most harmless among them was my convenient failure to mention that Caden was in my classes at college, and in the same college to begin with. That could be considered small.

The next was that I had lied to Killua when he asked me about Luca after our encounter with him at the auction house. I also, again conveniently, forgot to tell him that my brother had reconnected with me and we met frequently now. That was a bit bigger.

These were the two major secrets I was carrying around for the past few months until, in the course of one night, I had doubled the size of my secret stash. I pictured I how would tell Killua of these:

"So, Killua, funny story. I felt someone follow me to the apartment the day I got back. Oh, and they also broke into the apartment and were in my room. Oh, and I could possibly be in danger now, which was specifically what you told me to avoid when we got here. Oh, and it could possibly be my stepmother that I've never told you about." That one was flat-out big and also flowed straight into the fact that I had kept everything about my past from him.

It also led into the last and biggest thing of all, which was that I'd met Gon's dad. I entertained my explanation of that in my mind too. "Oh, I met Gon's father, by the way, turns out he's my brother's mentor. Remember the brother I never told you about, even when you asked? Yeah, that one."

Why was it just sinking in that Killua would kill me once I told him everything? Why was I panicking now? Where was this sense of self-preservation when I was making the conscious decision to keep these things from him?

I had no idea when exactly in the middle of that contemplation, I fell asleep. I only woke up to the sight of my brother sitting casually on the sofa I was passed out on.

"What is with everyone startling me!" I groaned drowsily, rubbing my eyes. "What are you doing here? What time is it?"

"Which one do I answer first?" He continued immediately on seeing the force of my glare. "I had to keep an eye on you, and also, I genuinely thought you'd been strangled on that sofa, you literally sleep like you're dead Claire. It's four in the afternoon," he added with a teasing smile.

I hoisted myself up on my arms. "I have a class in the evening," I recalled, feeling very disoriented. "And Luca, don't feel free to hop in and out of here whenever you please, Killua can spot when dust specks are out of place and Gon has a dog's nose."

"Hah, and they still haven't seen through you and your secrets," he joked, sounding more good-natured than he should be on a peculiar day like this one.

"Funny," I retorted with a deadpan expression. "I was referring to the nem thing."

"It's nen, Claire," he corrected looking at the verge of a laugh.

"Whatever," I grunted, throwing a sofa pillow in his direction that he avoided quite gracefully.

"I can't believe you're in the middle of all this and you have absolutely no idea about any of it. Doesn't your boyfriend tell you anything?" He probed, genuinely sounding surprised.

So, I figured, what the hell, I'll be honest with him. "No, he doesn't tell me stuff because I haven't told him anything. He's a score keeper."

He chuckled at that. "He sounds like an interesting character."

"Oh, you have no idea," I mused, suddenly feeling lighter now that I was sitting in front of someone I wasn't keeping anything from for the first time in forever maybe. "Did you talk to your master?" I asked, heavy air quotations implied at the last word. I had a choice word of my own that I wasn't sure he was ready to hear yet.

"Uh… he's not coming around right now, but I'll keep trying. Guess that just means I'll be the one stuck in the cross fire of it all." He shrugged like this was what a casual Monday looked like for him.

"Guess so. I have to leave," I told him, getting up from the couch.

"I'll be close, but call me if you need me." I nodded, trying not to show how touched I was by his protectiveness.

One of those strange trapdoors of his was at his feet, but he turned around suddenly. "Claire? I'll do anything for your forgiveness. I want nothing more than to tell you everything when you're ready to hear it."

I silently nodded again, just watching him as he left. I was wondering why it already felt like I had forgiven him.

The little bit of sleep I had accidentally gotten had helped me get through two hours of class. I did manage to stay awake during the whole thing, the fact that my mind was entertaining completely different thoughts was another matter.

I got the most intense pang of hunger as soon as I walked out. You knew things were bad with me when I forgot to eat or couldn't even recall the last time I put something in my mouth.

I headed to one of the dining halls on campus and grabbed the first thing I saw on the menu. I decided to address the chicken wrap in my hands in one of the sitting areas just outside the building. I cannot emphasize this enough, but if I knew what fate awaited me, I would have turned around and run away.

Still, as oblivious as I was then, I sat down on a seat and bit into the thing. It was good, but maybe it was the hunger making me feel that way. I was so invested I didn't even notice Caden looming over my seat. "Wow, you're passionate about that thing."

I swallowed quickly, feeling a blush creep over me. "Hi, Caden." The last time I had even bothered to talk to him was when I was on my hunt to uncover the secrets of that USB. I should be feeling some fraction of embarrassment over using him for that and then bolting out, but I was too far deep into my strange world to even bother. "Long time no see."

"Oh, I see you," he informed, sitting down on the chair next to mine. "You're always in such a hurry, I swear it's a miracle you're on campus for as long as you are right now."

"Uh, I've just been very busy."

"With what?" I had to give him points for single-handedly carrying most of our conversations.

"Well… work," I attempted, trying to jog my brain, "Oh, and I was home this weekend."

"Ah, your mom okay?"

"Yeah, so's your uncle by the way," I put out there as polite filler conversation.

"You sound like you had a good time," he noted with a grin. I noticed how beautiful he looked, it had been a while since I'd noticed that. I imagined I looked a bit dazzled.

At that exact moment, an ill-fated breeze chose to pass through my hair. A fact that Caden not only registered, but also decided to rectify (with no encouragement whatsoever) by tucking a stray lock of my hair back behind my ear.

I was about to scoot away from him and mumble a thank you, so he'd put some distance between us, when— the scene changed completely. I can only describe it this way: I felt a sinister presence in my vicinity. It was like something had come closer in radius to me and suddenly every nerve in my body registered the sheer peril that was at bay.

I was trembling in fear before I even had the time to look around and see what was causing this reaction in me. But I didn't need to look, not really. Somehow, I already knew. That was why when I turned my head to glance over my shoulder, Killua's ominous figure wasn't as much of a shock as it should have been.

My breath got stuck in my throat. I imagined this scene from the eyes of an onlooker, and then if that onlooker was Killua of all people. How long had he been there? Probably long enough. How was he here? Why was I asking myself these unfruitful questions?

"Are you okay?" Caden asked, oblivious to what had just transpired.

"I—" I took a moment to peer at the subject of my thoughts again before I could really say something, but to my surprise, the spot he stood in was empty. I quickly craned my neck in every other direction, but there was no indication he had ever been there. Had I imagined it? No, of course not. I knew because I felt it. I was in big, big trouble.

"I have to go." Was all I could manage before leaving the scene. I looked around for any signs of him or his car as I made my way home. The pit in my stomach was heavy, I had no idea what I was going to do about any of this. I had no idea how I was going to even explain hiding something so epically stupid. Not to mention the bombardment of other revelations I had up my sleeve.

Outside the apartment door, I took a deep calming breath. Maybe I could handle this well. When I let myself inside, I was enveloped by a bear hug from Gon. "Were you surprised?" The glee in his voice made me want to kill myself.

"Hi, Gon," I choked out, hugging him back.

His huge smile faltered on registering my expression. "Where's Killua?"

"I'm not sure."

"He wanted to surprise you after class, we got an early flight out," Gon explained, looking confused. "You didn't see him?"

"Uh, we must have missed each other," I covered, not sure how I could get into all of this with him right now.

"It's Killua we're talking about," he emphasized, Killua didn't miss things and Gon knew Killua better than anyone. "But I'm sure he'll turn up." He shrugged, but I could tell he knew that something was amiss. The thing about Gon was that he saw everything, he just very rarely chose to comment on it. Gon was a very wise man, I realized.

"I'll call him," I announced, doing just that, but it came as no surprise that it went unanswered. The more time stretched on, the sicker I felt.

"Did you eat?" I asked Gon when it became evident my attempts to get in contact with Killua would remain unrequited.

"Yeah, we brought food." He was now observing me with those insightful eyes of his and I was pretty sure I'd break a sweat eventually.

"How was everything?" I asked before I'd start screaming. The pressure of it all, Killua's looming reaction to what he had witnessed, the brief encounter with Gon's father, the stack of lies I'd swept under the rug, it was all too much.

"It was great. We actually managed to—" he was just about to get into it when the click of the front door opening announced a dreaded arrival.

We both turned to see Killua walking in, coat on his arm, and an impassive expression on his face.

I had a lot to say, I just didn't know how to say it. So, I stood there like a mute idiot.

"Where were you?" Gon wasted no time asking.

"I just went to grab cigarettes," Killua informed, holding out the packet for display.

I was confused on multiple levels, speech still failed me. "Claire was trying to reach you," Gon mediated again.

That was when Killua moved his gaze to look into my eyes. I knew then. Things weren't as bad as I thought they'd be— they were much, much worse. "Well, here I am, Claire," he announced, sounding so cold and looking so awfully terrifying. Or maybe he just looked that way to me?

The thing of note about Killua, among countless other things, was that the scariest occurrence wasn't when he was screaming at you. He usually did that in good humor. It was when he looked terribly calm and went awfully silent that you knew trouble had a secure grip around your throat.

That would explain why I was suddenly gripping my neck. "I didn't know you guys were back," I attempted. I wasn't sure what kind of treatment I was in for yet.

"Now you know," he said in that chilling voice. With that, he held his coat with one finger above his back and headed to his room. The door closed in an unwelcome indication.

Gon was looking at me and I turned to look back. "Do I go after him?"

Gon's eyes widened at the thought. "Best to let him have some time to himself. He'll let you know when he wants to talk."

I nodded, grateful for the wisdom his astute perception and years of experience with Killua had generated. I was also grateful that he didn't ask me a single question as to what was going on. If this didn't put across what kind of guy he was, I wasn't sure what did.

Each of us retired to our rooms too. Killua didn't sulk a lot, but I knew by now when he did, it was best to retain a mourning-like atmosphere in the apartment.

I had no idea what version of him would come out of that room, whenever it did. I was surprised at the twisted fate of it all. Just when I had resolved to lay everything in front of him, he had shut me out completely.

Out of all the things that he could've found out or walked in on, he caught the one omission that was the most harmless of them all. Oh, the irony. This further prompted me to wonder, if things were on their way to get really bad with just this one little lie, what would happen when he found out everything else?

I woke up in the morning from the sound of the front door being shut and rain pattering against the windows. I assumed it was Killua, disappearing from view for the entire day to God knows where. I realized it was Gon, who had headed out when I saw Killua sitting by the kitchen island with a cup of coffee and a newspaper.

The scene looked so normal I was tempted to question whether yesterday had even happened. It was a first for Killua to emerge from one of his moods this quickly and without any casualties. Regardless, I decided not to stir the pot and moved to quietly close my door again, so he wouldn't detect my presence.

It was crazy to assume that anything passed by unnoticed to him. "Could you come in here when you have a minute?" He said, not looking away from his paper.

I knew there wasn't anyone in the whole apartment but the two of us, I still looked around for any sign of life. I was that deep in disbelief. "Uh… sure."

I quickly brushed my teeth and made myself presentable before going outside. For a minute or two, it was really awkward because I had no idea where to sit. Next to him? Too close. On the couch? Probably too far away. On the floor?

He gestured to the bar stool next to him, ending my silent inner plight.

"Sit," he ordered, still not looking up from his paper. The tone wasn't harsh, it was merely matter-of-fact, and it sent chills down my spine. I obeyed, my hands trembling slightly as I lowered myself onto the stool.

He didn't look at me, but I could feel his gaze on me, piercing through me. I was a deer caught in headlights, my mind racing, trying to figure out what was coming next. The silence stretched on, and it felt like an eternity. The sound of the rain was the only backdrop to the scene.

Even though Gon clearly told me that the rule was to let Killua navigate the conversation, I broke it by deciding to get my point across. "Killua, I'm not sure what you saw but… I hope you know that nothing of the sort happened. Caden ending up in my classes was the mother of coincidences, I mean I didn't even know he had applied to that same university. I swear I just kept it from you because I didn't want it to upset you."

While saying all this, clear and honest as it was, I wondered: was it so hard? Was saying this so hard that I couldn't have done it in the first place? Because I knew now that no amount of honesty or detail could make this better.

He didn't look at me still, even when my heartfelt rant ended. "Rest assured Claire, I don't think you've got anything going with that asshole." His cold eyes now ran the parameter of my face. Despite his words, things did not feel like they were improving.

"No, that's not my problem. Not at all," he clarified, sounding pensive. "My problem is…" I waited with bated breath for his clarification, "...that you made me feel stupid."

I blinked at his unexpected words.

"And I don't like feeling stupid, Claire." The feeling that I got yesterday on campus, when he was close by, returned. My body was reacting in fear, even though his words didn't sound harsh at all.

I knew no further explanations would do me any good. "I'm sorry. You have to know that was never my intention."

The coffee mug in his hand suddenly cracked into two, leaving me startled. Deep black liquid seethed between his fingers, the steam giving me enough of a clue as to how hot the beverage was.

I gasped at the sight, involuntarily reaching for him to see the damage. He pulled his hand away faster than I could imagine. He got up from the stool and walked to the kitchen basin, calmly washing his hands as if the matter was of no notice. "I wasn't done speaking."

I swallowed. He disposed off the ruined mug in the bin and pulled out some paper towels from the dispenser to clear the counter. "The thing is, Claire, I knew you kept things from me. I just thought I was clear about what I wanted going forward, and when you agreed, I assumed we were on the same page. I trusted you."

I swear the most frightening clap of thunder sounded just then, shaking me to the core.

"I thought if I gave you space with reasonable boundaries, you'd come to me eventually. I was very sure that was the direction we were heading in." At this point, it pretty much sounded like he was talking to himself. I wanted to disappear into thin air.

"Imagine my surprise when I realized I had it all wrong," he continued, making the walk to the bin again to throw away the used paper towels. "Makes one feel awfully stupid."

"I made a mistake, Killua."

"Yes," he agreed in the most venomous voice. "I can agree with that. But I also know that the only reason you're here admitting this to me is because you were caught. You had months to come clean."

"That's— not true." I paused, even though I was telling the truth, I knew it sounded wrong, even to my own ears. "I wanted to tell you, just as you got back."

"Now, that's just awfully convenient now, isn't it?"

"You have to believe me," I pleaded, feeling lost as to how I was going get out of this mess.

"That's just the thing though, I don't," he confessed loud and clear. "I don't believe you, Claire, not one bit. You broke my trust."

My lip started trembling. I couldn't help but ask the one thing I wanted to know ever since I saw him staring at me from a distance. "What happens now?"

"I'm glad you asked because that's what I wanted to discuss," he approved, sitting down on the stool next to me again.

"What happens now is actually up to you," he declared, astonishing me. Until the next words out of his mouth left me feeling like I'd been rattled. "I'm going to be putting the breaks on us."

"What?"

He held a hand up in warning. "Listen carefully. In all the ways it counts, I don't want anything between us."

"Killua, it was one small mistake!" I reasoned, exasperated.

Killua punched the kitchen island so hard that a gigantic spiderweb formed from the impact of it. "Here's how it's up to you," he continued like I had never spoken, "I don't want anyone up in my business. If you bring anyone, and I mean anyone, in the middle of this. If you tell anyone what's going on between us, if there's even the hint that someone outside the two of us knows anything, we're done. We are over."

I stared at him frozen, knowing that he meant every single word. He sounded so manic and dysfunctional in that moment, it scared me.

"If you're okay with being patient, letting me process this at my own pace, in my own way, then we might have something here. If not," he contemplated with a shrug, "I don't think there needs to be any further discussion between us."

I was absolutely speechless. I couldn't believe we had reverted to this. It was like somebody had turned a dial and we were back to all those months ago. That back and forth, that insanity, that unending chase. I hated it, I hated every part of it. Which was why I was surprised not only at the words that came out of my mouth but also the speed with which they arrived. "I'll wait."

"That's what I thought," he corroborated, sounding like the biggest asshole in the history of time. I would've let him have it, the only problem was, I was in love with this asshole.

While his reaction was way beyond what was called for in this situation, what kept me subdued was the knowledge that I was still keeping so much from him. How would I get him to hear all of that out? A little frightened voice in my head told me, "One thing at a time." I did realize this one thing right now would already be hard, if not impossible, to get out of.

"Oh, and one more thing," he added, turning his body to put the full force of his eyes on me. "If that bastard what's-his-face ever brings those hands near you again, I'll break his fingers and enjoy every moment of it."

I swallowed before nodding like a loser. I couldn't get over how Killua looked like… an assassin.

"Glad we cleared that up," he said before getting up and walking away.

I realized in the wake of his leave that this was the Day of Reckoning for me. Killua was the devil and he'd come to collect— and collect he would.