Chapter Text
The last thing Killua remembered was the weird light he had been struck by. Alluka had been screaming his name and had tried to reach for his hand. Then everything had disappeared in front of his eyes and fallen into complete darkness.
His head still hurt a little and he was too tired to open his eyes. But he was gaining back consciousness. He tried to move and judging by the rustles of fabrics underneath his head, he was tucked in a bed. Maybe Alluka had brought him somewhere safe after what had happened. Wherever he was, he betted that his sister had brought him here and was waiting for him to wake up already.
He and Alluka had been travelling around for a while now. But the memories were too foggy and his headache struck him again. He pulled the blanket over his head and groaned. Broken bones were no big deal. He had always considered head injuries to be the most painful ones.
Killua tried to relax to ease the pain. It took him a while, but soon he was able to rest easy again. He tried to pay attention to the sounds of his surroundings. He hoped to hear his sister’s voice somewhere from another room.
But there was nothing. He heard the ticking of an alarm clock somewhere next to him. Birds singing outside and traffic in the distance, which was odd already. They had been in the wilds, in the middle of nowhere. But then again he had no idea how much time had passed since the incident.
Killua tried to remember what exactly had happened. But as soon as he tried to remember, the pain struck him again and he decided to leave it for now. The memories would come back at some point. At the latest when Alluka would tell him about it. She would probably come to check on him sooner or later.
The clock kept ticking, the time passed and Killua eventually drifted back into sleep.
------------
He had been dead asleep, when he was woken up by an all too well-known, shrieking voice that echoed through the hall outside his room. Shivers ran down Killua’s spine.
He now opened his eyes, staring at the yellow painted wall of the room.
“There’s no way…”
It was completely impossible. He had left home long, to leave the horrible family of his behind. But he heard his mother yelling again. He wasn't able to make out what she wanted. But it sounded like she was calling for him – and she was getting impatient.
Killua slowly sat up in his bed, looking around. This had to be a nightmare, he was almost sure of it.
The room he was in looked nothing like his back home – it looked way too… normal.
“I must have suffered a heavy concussion, this can’t be real.” He rubbed his neck, examining the room closely. Magazines on the floor, posters on the wall, a desk covered with stuff. And colourful cartoony cover sheets? But what caught his attention was the huge window which filled the room with light. A look outside would tell him where he was and whether this was a dream or not. If there was an army of talking Chocobots outside, he could be sure this was just a weird dream.
Reality was surprising. What Killua saw, was a street what he would consider a normal neighbourhood. One of those from the movies where normal people lived with their happy family. Where people raised their kids and grew old with their partner. Nothing like a mountain estate of professional killers.
There was a group of kids about his age walking by and an old lady with a wheeler walker taking out her dog. She looked up and waved at him with a smile when their eyes met. Killua just awkwardly waved back. This was slowly becoming really bizarre.
Suddenly the door was thrown open. Someone barged into the room with such a speed, Killua couldn’t identify who it was. He was hugged tightly, almost squeezed, and a cheery voice chirped “Good morning, big bro!”
Killua stared at the figure in front of him. “Alluka?”
It was clearly his sister in front of him, who had appeared out of nowhere. She smiled at him brightly.
“Mother called for you three times already. You have to hurry if you want to get some food or Milluki will eat everything.”
Killua had no idea what was going on, but began to feel as if this was no dream at all.
“What?”
“Don’t you want to breakfast before school?” Alluka asked, giving him a questioning look.
“Hold on a second, what do you mean with school?” Killua was getting confused.
“You’re being silly again, big bro. Come on or you’ll be late. Mother is already stressed out; we don’t want her to snap.” Alluka grabbed his wrists and pulled a confused Killua out of his bed.
As they walked down the stairs he still felt as if none of this was actually happening. The house he apparently lived in was a lot smaller than the Zoldyck estate he knew. That was still overstated, but it was nice. It almost felt like home - a real home, although Killua still wasn’t sure what to think of it.
He took a look at the large mirror on the wall. Why someone had decided that the wall next to the stairs was the perfect place for a mirror, was a mystery for him too. But what he found more surprising was the fact, that he looked a lot younger.
Maybe it was just wishful thinking.
Alluka led him to a kitchen where his entire family way already assembled.
Milluki was busy eating. Although Killua was sure that eating was still a too healthy sounding description. Meanwhile Kikyo was scolding him for eating too much and that being the reason of his overweight. That didn’t keep his brother from eating, though Killua could tell he was annoyed.
Illumi was scrolling around on his phone. Kalluto was picking at his food, staring at the wall with an absent-minded look.
When Killua entered, he was ignored completely, since Kikyo still wasn’t done with Milluki.
Illumi looked up from his phone, as Killua sat down next to him. “Morning. Exited already?” he asked and Killua almost jumped off his chair when his brother turned to him.
He raised an eyebrow and gave Killua a suspicious look. “Are you okay?” he asked, mild concern in his voice.
Killua rubbed his neck and nodded. He still was not sure what his oldest brother was talking about. “Uhm… what should I be excited about?”
Illumi just shook his head, as if he had just said something utterly stupid. “It’s the only thing you have been talking about for weeks, don’t tell me you forgot.”
Apparently something big was happening soon and Killua had no idea what it was. Maybe someone’s birthday was coming up; he had no idea what day it was after all.
Alluka grinned at him and jumped up from her chair. “It’s the last day of school before the summer holidays! How could you forget about that, big bro?”
Killua quietly took a sip from his cup of tea and shrugged. He honestly had no idea how else he was supposed to play it off. He was still too confused, yet fascinated by what his imagination was capable off.
But he decided to play along from now on. This family seemed a lot more acceptable than his real one. Joining the game wouldn’t hurt. Besides, this looked like it could be fun.
“I thought it was one more day to go.” He replied trying to keep his cool, whereat Alluka just giggled.
“You’re being silly again.”
Kikyo was finally done with her lecture and let out a deep dramatic sigh. She leaned back at the kitchen counter to take a sip from her tea. She wasn’t wearing her visor. And for the first time in forever Killua saw his mother’s eyes. They were huge and black like ink, just like Illumi’s. She was wearing a flared skirt with a simple blouse. Something Killua would describe as a typical mom-look. Although he had to admit it looked a bit odd on his mother.
When she noticed Killua looking at her, she smiled at him. But she quickly turned to Illumi who was texting again.
“Is Father taking Mike for a walk?”
His brother just nodded.
Kikyo let her hand run through her hair, trying to put it back into place and took another sip from her cup. She continued “So how long will it take, until you can move back to your apartment?”
Illumi didn’t look up from the screen. “Are you trying to throw me out?”
Kikyo gave a ringing laugh. “Not at all. I’m happy my little boy is home for a while. It was merely a question.”
Killua saw how his brother rolled his eyes at the words ‘little boy’. That was somewhat understandable.
He finally put his phone down and replied “See, we’ll have to pay the repair costs first. Then it will probably take two months, one if we’re lucky.”
Kikyo sighed and shook her head. “How come you let your silly friend fix the heating boiler by himself? He probably can’t even fold his own underwear.”
“He is not silly, and he is very capable of folding his underwear, believe me. But he was sure that it would be less expensive to do it himself than hiring a plumber. “Illumi sighed, subtle but loud enough for Killua to hear it. He still had no idea who or what his brother was talking about.
Their mother laughed again, handing Kalluto who was about to leave his breakfast. “Well, the next time you should let a professional do it. By the way, where is that Haruka now?”
“His name is Hisoka, mother.”
Killua almost choked on his drink when he heard that name. It seemed like he wasn’t even save from that pervert in his dreams.
After giving Killua a concerned glance, Kikyo turned back to her oldest son. “Fine, whatever his name is, where is he? You know I don’t like it when guests lurk around my house by themselves.”
The thought of Hisoka creeping around in here somewhere was too much to bear for Killua right now and he quickly shook it off.
“He wasn’t in my room this morning, maybe he’s in the garage or the van. He certainly is not in here, after how welcoming you were to him just yesterday.”
Kikyo shrugged slightly and ignored the last comment, which seemed to annoy his brother.
He sighed. “I don’t know where he is, it’s not like I’m his babysitter.” And with that he got up to clear the table.
Killua quietly watched the scene, while Alluka was busy eating her waffles. A caring mother who didn’t wear fancy dresses. Illumi who actually showed some emotion. And his family accepting his sister for who she was. He would gladly trade his real family for this one.
After Illumi was done, he turned around to Killua and Alluka. “Want me to drop you off at school?”
Alluka smiled “Yes, gladly!” while Killua just nodded. It wasn’t like he had any idea how else he would get there. Alluka probably knew the way, but this was the more comfortable option.
His mother gently placed a hand on his shoulder. “Before you leave, you might consider getting dressed first, Killua.”
Killua looked down and realized he was still wearing pyjamas. He got up quickly to get dressed. On his way up the stairs he thought about how this dream was becoming suspiciously realistic.
----
15 minutes later Killua found himself sitting in the backseat of a van with Alluka next to him, while Illumi started the car.
Killua gazed out of the window. He wondered when he would wake up and leave this almost too perfect world.
His headache was already much better, but still, he couldn’t remember what had happened. He just hoped the real Alluka was alright, wherever she was. His sister had gotten much stronger. But the world was still a dangerous place, and he worried about her. But it seemed there was nothing he could do for now. He had to believe in Alluka and her abilities to defend herself.
But the Alluka who was sitting next to him brought him back to reality – more or less.
“What’s wrong, big bro?” she asked carefully, and her big puppy eyes made Killua’s heart melt.
“It’s nothing, I’m just tired.” He answered, and that wasn’t even made up.
“Don’t fall asleep again.” Alluka said and grinned.
Killua smiled. “I’ll try.”
They drove for a while, no one saying a word since all three of them were still tired - Alluka more or less. Suddenly Killua heard something rustling behind his seat in the car trunk. He felt something poking his cheek.
“Hey there, little fruit.” An all-too familiar voice purred.
Killua’s first instinct was to open the door and jump out of the car instantly. But he tried to resist that urge. “Hisoka!” he almost screamed and he slapped the man’s hand away.
He stared at Hisoka. The man was beyond recognition without the makeup. His messy hair and the large dark circles under his eyes were an addition.
He chuckled and grinned at him sleepily. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Killua frowned and tried to shove him back to where he came from. “You didn’t scare me.” That was a lie, but even if in this place everyone was different, it was still Hisoka.
Alluka looked at Killua and giggled, while Killua awkwardly smiled back at her. He could imagine what she was thinking now. He probably was acting a little silly, but one could never be too careful.
Illumi had been busy with paying attention to the traffic. He took a look in the driving mirror. “Don’t tell me you slept there.” He said, which was clearly directed a Hisoka.
Hisoka shrugged and climbed on the seat between Killua and Alluka. “Your mother made it clear that she doesn’t want me in the house. There was nowhere else I could have stayed the night.”
He leaned over to Alluka and whispered “She really doesn’t like me.” whereat she giggled and replied quietly “She hates you.”
Hisoka sighed, overly dramatic. “She hates me for a good reason. A beautiful, dangerous man like me coming along and stealing her son away. I’d hate that person too, if I had such a pretty son.” He smirked at Illumi in the driving mirror.
Killua saw his brother rolling his eyes in the mirror.
“You didn’t ‘steal’ me away; I had to move out at some point and sharing an apartment is cheaper. Also my mother doesn’t hate you.”
Hisoka laughed, although Killua could tell the man was not exactly amused. “Whatever you want to call it, my friend. That aside, your beloved mother called me a criminal. She hurt my feelings there. I’m not going to stay in the same house as such a rude person.” He threw his head back dramatically.
Illumi shook his head and sighed. “Both of you are acting ridiculous. It’s not like she would have thrown you out of the house. You could have slept in my bed instead of sleeping in a darn car trunk, but have it your way.”
Killua was still trying to figure out what kind of relationship his brother and the apparently not so perverted man had. Hisoka was a flirty person. But one could never tell when he was being serious – at least Killua couldn’t.
After a while he asked “Are you two…uhm…” not sure how to finish the sentence.
“We live together, if that’s what you mean.” Hisoka replied, without even letting Killua finish, and smirked at him.
Killua was still not sure how to process that information. But he didn’t want to know that much about their relationship anyway.
Hisoka was already paying attention to something else. He climbed into the front seat.
“Is there still some Bungee Gum left?” he asked, searching in storage compartments.
Illumi furrowed and pinched him. “I don’t know and I don’t care. What if someone from the police sees you climbing around in the car?” he said and turned around to Killua and Alluka. “Don’t try that.”
From the window Killua saw a huge building complex, presumably the school he was going to. His assumption was confirmed when his brother stopped the van and Alluka hopped out.
Killua got ready to leave as well when Illumi turned around one last time.
“I’ve got work to do, so you and Gon have to walk back home. Don’t forget to pick up something for tonight. Unless you want some of Mother’s ‘healthy’ snacks.” He said. It sounded as if he wasn't too fond of whatever their mother had come up with.
Hisoka, who had found his beloved gum by now, blew a bubble and let it pop right in Illumi’s face.
“What’s up with that?” he asked, ignoring the annoyed look he received from his friend.
“She wants Milluki to lose weight, but I honestly doubt solely vegetables will do. Anyway, see you later you two.” Illumi said and started the van while Hisoka waved while they left.
“Bye, little fruits~”
Killua sighed and looked up, wondering how long all this would probably last. More importantly if he would last long enough. It wasn’t a bad reality, dream or whatever it was. But it was odd.
Besides he had never been to a school and had no idea what would be expected of him. But didn’t his ‘other’ siblings here talk about how it was the last day of school?
He would probably survive that. Apart from this, Illumi had mentioned Gon earlier. This meant he was here somewhere and they would probably be reunited again soon. And that was enough to motivate Killua. It had been a long time since he had seen him after all.
----
Killua began to observe the place closely. Three huge buildings, a big yard with a horde of kids and teenagers hanging around. Apparently the complex consisted of not just a secondary school but college just as well.
“Now I just need to find out where my classroom is…” he mumbled to himself. He would have asked Alluka for help, but his sister had already run off to her friends. At least that was what he assumed.
He didn’t even have to look around, since suddenly he heard a familiar voice yell his name. A moment later he was thrown to the ground and almost hugged to death.
“Killua, I’m so happy you’re here!”
Killua couldn’t believe it, but this was really Gon looking at him with a bright grin.
“Gon, I can’t breathe!” he gasped and finally was released.
His friend laughed, and stuck out his tongue. “Sorry.”
Behind them now Leorio and Kurapika appeared. Both stuck in a deep conversation. Although Kurapika seemed slightly annoyed. Meanwhile Leorio had a goofy grin on his face.
Kurapika sighed and turned around to face the taller one directly. “See, I get your point. But you can't compare ducks with penguins.”
Leorio mumbled something under his breath. He was just about to reply when the blonde one walked over to Gon and Killua.
“Hey, how are you?” he asked.
“Good.” Killua answered, trying to sound casual. Still confused though, he thought to himself.
Gon smiled brightly and began jumping up and down.
“Aren’t you excited for the holidays? The week at your beach house is going to be amazing!”
Killua tilted his head to the side. “Beach house?” he asked.
Kurapika nodded. “Yes, you invited us to stay in your family’s beach house for one week. “
“Did I…” Killua mumbled under his breath.
“I’m sure it will be fun. But there is a small problem.” Kurapika said.
Gon laughed awkwardly. “Actually it’s a big problem.”
“What is it?” Killua asked.
Kurapika gave Leorio a soft punch on his arm whose expression darkened immediately.
“Someone didn’t pass his driving test. We have no one to drive us there and a cab would be too expensive.” He replied.
Leorio growled “It was bad luck, okay? I was just missing three points.”
“Failed is failed.” Kurapika said flatly whereas the taller one pouted and looked away.
Killua rubbed his neck. “Well, then I guess we need to find another way to get there.”
Suddenly Gon’s eyes lit up. “Your brother can drive, right? And he’s got a car, too!”
Killua raised his hands. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I mean, this is really not a good idea at all. You know my brother, don’t you?”
If he got to spend an entire week at the beach with Gon and his friends, he wouldn’t let Illumi ruin it. He wasn’t sure how his brother would do it, but he would definitely find a way. It was Illumi after all, no matter how nice he had been this morning.
Gon seemed to reflect about his suggestion. He started to wander around, lost in his thoughts. “Your brother doesn’t seem that bad. But the car belongs to his friend, right?”
Hisoka was not going to come along with them, and if Killua had to chain himself to the car tyres.
Kurapika furrowed. “Are you talking about Hisoka? That guy is shady. I doubt Killua’s mother would approve of him coming along. Let alone him running around in her beach house.”
Gon smiled. “Come on, he’s not that bad. He’s funny… I guess?”
Leorio stopped ignoring Kurapika since it didn’t seem to matter to the blonde one. He finally joined their conversation.
“Do I know that guy?”
Kurapika sighed and shook his head. “No and you should be glad. There are a lot of rumours that he broke the law more than just once. Your brother shouldn’t hang out with weird people like him.”
“I don’t know. My brother isn’t a saint either...” Killua mumbled without much thinking about his words. He had no idea who exactly Illumi in this world was. But it felt like a natural thing to say based on how his brother had acted until now. But he was really getting curious about Hisoka. What was up with everyone talking about him as if he was a delinquent? What if he really had been a member of a gang here, too? But then why would his brother even hang around with him? This Illumi didn’t seem like the kind of person to befriend someone with a criminal background. Sooner or later he would find out anyway, at least that was what he assumed.
Gon gave Killua a pat on the back “Well, you should still ask him if he can drive us there. See you guys later, we can call you after we’ve asked.” and with that he pulled Killua into the building.
----
After a day of school, Killua had come to the conclusion that it was the most boring thing ever. Just sitting around, listening and possibly even taking notes. For him there was just no point in it. But the bright side was that he got to spend the whole time sitting next to Gon. And that was what had made the whole morning fun. They had been doodling on each other’s notepads, passing notes to each other. Then they had held a pen-clicking competition which had ended when the teacher had confiscated their pens.
Now they were on the way back to the Zoldycks’ house, though Killua still had no clue how to get there. But apparently Gon knew the way.
His friend was skipping next to him cheerfully, singing “candy” over and over again. Killua was unsure how he had ended up here or how he would get back. If he would even get the chance to go back. But he wanted to spend some more time here if that meant he and Gon got to have fun together.
After a while they stopped in front of a supermarket. Gon turned around to him.
“Let’s get some candy! Also maybe we can say hello to my auntie.”
Killua nodded. “Sure.” Candy was always a good option.
-----
They trotted through aisles and finally made it to the candy section. There he and Gon pushed everything within reach into their basket. Once it was filled, Gon lead him to the dairy case where Aunt Mito was filling a list. But her face lit up when she saw Killua and Gon and she waved at them smiling brightly.
She came towards them and gave Gon a hug.
“Hey, there you are. How was school? Did you have fun?” she asked, looking at Killua as well.
Gon grinned “Yeah, but only because Killua was there.”
Killua could feel his cheeks turning red. There was the Gon he knew, being completely upfront with the ability fluster him in no time.
Mito laughed. “You two are so adorable. Well, have fun tonight, but don’t stay up too long. Sleep is important for children in growth.”
Gon nodded. “Understood!”
They said goodbye to Aunt Mito and went to the checkout.
----
At home they had spent the rest of the afternoon playing around in the garden. It was nothing compared to a whole mountain, but it was still pretty huge. Killua couldn’t help but wonder what his father did for a living to afford such a house. He just couldn’t imagine his father doing something else but killing people.
Kalluto and Alluka had joined them for a bit. But after a while they had gotten bored and left them again.
It was already getting dark outside, when Illumi came out to look for them.
Gon and Killua had been busy building a tree-fort. At least they had tried, but the thing just kept falling apart.
Gon sighed “This is not going to work and I’m hungry.”
Killua yawned. “I guess you’re right. Let’s leave it for now.” He said and began to climb down to the lawn, where his brother was already waiting for them.
“Father just came home and everything is prepared for dinner.” He said and gave Killua and Gon an examining look. They hadn’t paid much attention to their surroundings and were covered in dirt. The grass stains on their clothes did little help.
“Maybe you should get changed first, you know Mother.” Illumi said. His expression told Killua that this was not a suggestion but a command. But he could live with that.
“Fine.” He mumbled and motioned Gon to follow him into the house.
When they came back downstairs and entered the dining room, everyone was already waiting.
His father, still in his working suit which couldn’t hide his muscles, sat at the end of the table. He was observing Hisoka closely, who was sitting there almost awkwardly.
Hisoka looked a lot different from this morning. His hair gelled back and make up hiding the dark circles from earlier. But he seemed uncomfortable under Silva’s piercing glance.
But who wouldn’t? His father was intimidating after all.
Next to him sat Illumi, who probably had dragged Hisoka into this ‘family’ dinner. He was currently showing Kalluto something on his phone. His youngest brother tried to pay attention to Illumi and Alluka at the same time. His sister was busy telling him something from the other side of the table. She probably didn't even notice how Kalluto was struggling.
She was wearing a frilly dress and a huge pink bow. Next to her sat Milluki who looked almost depressed. He stared at his empty plate in front of him and Killua almost felt sorry for him.
His Grandfather was seated at the other end of the table and watched the scene in front of him. He nodded at Killua and Gon, as they took a seat as well next to Alluka.
Killua heard his mother warbling away in the kitchen. An appetizing smell filled the room. Never had he expected his mother to cook for the entire family. But it was something he could get used to.
Finally his mother came into the dining room. She was carrying a huge baking dish, which she placed in the middle of the table.
After bringing in the rest of the dishes, she sat down next to Kalluto and let out a dramatic sigh.
Killua could tell what was going to happen now, and his father’s expression told him that he was absolutely right.
Kikyo sighed again and began to speak. “I hope all of you know that this will be our last dinner together as a family for a long time.” She made a pause and Killua swore he heard a sniffle coming from his mother.
She dramatically wiped a tear from her eye and continued “I will miss you all terribly.”
Before his wife could add another sour taste to the evening, Silva stepped in.
“Kikyo calm down. Don’t forget you’re the one who wants to send Milluki into that camp.”
Killua heard Milluki gulp. With things falling into place he finally understood why his brother was in such a bad mood. He wouldn’t spend his vacations with playing video games and watching his anime. But he would spend them with running around to lose weight instead. His mother was sending him to a fat camp!
He had to pull himself together not to snort with laughter. But the image of Milluki running around on a cinder pinch was too funny.
Kikyo let out a sorrowful sigh. “But my little Kalluto and Alluka are leaving too. What will I do without my two little angels?”
Killua felt his father getting tired of convincing her, and didn’t reply again.
Kalluto, who had stayed quiet until now, finally said something too. “Don’t be sad Mother. We will only be gone for a two weeks.”
Alluka nodded, quickly swallowing the food in her mouth. “At least you can take a break while we’re with grandma.” She grinned at Kikyo, who gave her a nod and a quiet smile, but she still seemed unhappy.
After a while Silva took a sip from his glass and broke the silence.
“Why don’t you go with Kalluto and Alluka? It’s been a while since you have seen your parents. Also Illumi stays here until the damages in the apartment are remedied. I’m sure he doesn’t mind looking after Killua while Father and I are at work. Besides, the boy is old enough to look after himself.”
Illumi nodded in agreement. “Sure. I don’t have that much to do anyway.”
Kikyo seemed to consider her husband’s proposal. She looked at Killua with concern before she briefly inspected Hisoka. She was already unhappy with him being in her house. She was probably conflicted that he would stay here with Illumi while she was gone.
But apparently she had made her decision. She looked up and let out another sigh.
“Fine, I will come with my two little angels. Illumi, promise me you will look after Killua.” He said and mumbled under her breath “And after that weird friend of yours.” But no one except Kalluto, who pursed his lips to a small smile, and Killua seemed to hear it.
Anyhow, Killua felt relieved. And he probably wasn’t the only one at the table who was happy his mother had calmed down.
Gon who had stayed quiet the whole time gave him a soft poke in the ribs and grinned at him. “Looks like you’ve got a free house for two weeks. That begs for a party.” He whispered.
Killua stuck out his tongue and laughed quietly. “A party with two or even four people isn’t really a party.” He replied.
Gon shrugged. “But still, think of all the things we can do.”
Killua grinned at him. “We could decorate Milluki’s room with toilet paper while he’s gone.”
Milluki who was at his fifth serving by now, looked up and shot a deadly glare at the two of them.
“If you touch my figures or even go into my room, I’ll kill you.” He hissed.
“You won’t catch us and even then you could only crush us to death.” Killua replied whereas Silva snorted while trying to hide his smile.
Kikyo furrowed at Killua. “Killua! That isn’t funny. Apologize to your brother.” and she gave her husband an admonishing look as well. Silva quickly reattached his poker face and continued to eat.
After everyone had finished, Kikyo brought in the desserts. No one said a word, but suddenly his mother turned her attention to Hisoka.
“So, Hisoka, are you still in the weapon- and drug selling business?” she asked.
Hisoka, who was more surprised than Killua had expected of him, almost choked on his piece of cake. Illumi gave his mother a piercing look, a hint for her to stop asking uncomfortable questions.
Kalluto looked down to hide his amused smile, while Silva cleared his throat. “Well, we should go for a walk at the harbour to end this evening, what do you think.”
Alluka nodded excited. “Yes, they just opened a new shopping centre with an amazing candy shop!”
Illumi leaned back and gave his mother an annoyed look. “Yes, you should. Maybe you can clear your head a little, mother.”
Kikyo took a sip from her glass and wrinkled her nose. “A walk at the harbour sounds charming.” She said, ignoring Illumi’s statement once again.
Killua sighed. “Do we have to tag along? There is an unfinished tree fort in the garden waiting for us.”
Silva shook his head. “No, you can stay here, but don’t stay outside for too long.” He replied and got up to clear the table. “Anyhow, I don’t mind. Illumi, are you coming with us?” he asked his oldest son.
Illumi got up. “I’m afraid, no. Hisoka’s got work to do and I’m not in the mood for a walk.”
Kikyo raised her eyebrow at Hisoka. “Ah, work. Don’t sell drugs to minors or kill someone, yes?”
Killua didn’t even have to look at the man to tell that he was gritting his teeth. But Hisoka kept up his manners.
“Goodbye, Mrs. Zoldyck. It has been a lovely evening.” He said and cracked a smile.
Illumi sighed and dragged him out. “See you later.”
Killua was sure those two would have a talk later. His mother really hated Hisoka, for whatever reason. There was no proof he had ever done something illegal – at least not yet. Based on how he had behaved today this Hisoka almost seemed like a perfect angel compared to the pervert Killua knew.
He was pulled out of his thoughts by Gon, who was already in his jacket and motioned him to go outside again.
----
It was half an hour before midnight when Killua and Gon went back into the house. They had worked on their tree fort, but had given up when Mike had started barking at the tree, demanding their attention. He was a lot smaller than the guard dog of Kukuroo Mountain and a lot friendlier. After a long session of fetch, Mike had lost interest and gone back into his dog house.
Killua and Gon were sitting on his bed playing a video game on one of Milluki’s consoles. They had ‘borrowed’ it from his room while he had been gone with the rest of his family. And he hadn’t noticed since they were back.
After losing another round to Gon, Killua pushed him off the bed and pouted.
“No fair. You’re cheating.”
Gon laughed and climbed back onto the bed. “How would I do that? You were not paying attention!”
Killua stuck out his tongue and Gon stuck out his in return and both started laughing.
The evening had been amazing. Killua began to enjoy this life without having to fight and especially living with this laid-back family.
Suddenly Gon’s eyes lit up and he jumped from the bed.
“We forgot to ask your brother about the trip to the beach house!” he shouted, ruffling through his hair. “How could we forget about that?”
It was true, Killua hadn’t thought about the whole thing since this morning. But it probably wasn’t too late to ask.
“Then we should ask him now.” Killua declared. “Let’s hope Hisoka isn’t back yet.”
The thought Hisoka and Illumi sharing a bed and doing things people do who shared a bed send shivers down his spine. Although he still wasn’t sure what exactly their relationship was. But it was a possibility.
As expected, Illumi was sleeping in his bed – alone, much to Killua’s relief. While Gon waited outside, Killua snuck into the room. While entering, he immediately stubbed his toe on the edge of his brother’s wardrobe.
He could have cursed, but he didn’t want to wake Illumi yet. Usually Killua could see perfectly in the dark due to years of training. But for some reason he couldn’t make use of any of his abilities in this place.
He gritted his teeth in pain and exhaled sharply. But apparently that was already enough to wake his brother who seemed to have almost superhuman hearing.
“Killua, are you alright?” he asked, now sitting up straight in his bed.
“Yes.” Killua hissed, still angry that he hadn’t been more careful. After the pain had decreased he sat down next to his brother, feeling a little awkward.
This was almost a completely new situation. Just talking to his brother asking him for normal things… But if he had to answer in honesty, Killua liked this Illumi.
His brother tilted his head and asked “Is there anything you want from me?”
Killua nodded, not sure if his brother could see it in the dark.
Illumi covered his mouth and yawned. “I hope this is nothing serious.”
“It’s not, I was just thinking about something. I think I already told you about the trip to the beach house?” Killua asked.
“The trip with Gon and your friends?”
“Yes that one. There is a small problem.”
“Let me guess, you don’t have anyone to drive you there?” Illumi said and Killua could have sworn he saw a smirk cross his brother’s face.
“How did you know?” Killua asked.
“Why else would you sneak into my room in the middle of the night and ask me about it?” Illumi replied.
Thinking about it, Killua came to the conclusion that figured pretty well. It seemed his brother still had his high intelligence, which usually was a disadvantage.
He cleared his throat. “So, what do you think?”
Illumi sighed and let himself fall back onto his mattress. “You want me to go through a 3 hour drive in a car that’s not mine. Hisoka in the front seat annoying me and you with your friends in the back? I hope you do realize that once Hisoka enters that house, he’s not going to leave until you guys do. I can’t just drive back home once I drop you off.”
“We could chain Hisoka to his seat.” Killua grinned.
Illumi blew out some air which Killua took as a form of laughing.
“I’ll drive you there, if you can live with the consequences.” He said after a while.
“Thank you.” Killua didn’t think about it and found himself hugging Illumi. His brother pushed him away soon afterwards.
“You’re welcome. Can I get back to sleep now?” he asked whereas Killua just nodded and wished him goodnight.
-----
As Killua left the room, Gon had left already. He had no clue where his friend had gone, but he heard voices coming from Alluka’s room.
He peeked through the door. Gon and Alluka were chattering on her bed while toying around with some of her dolls.
Killua cleared his throat. “Excuse me? Gon, why did you run away? Also, Alluka shouldn’t you be sleeping by now?” He was her older brother after all.
Alluka pouted and crossed her arms in pretend. “I’m a big girl already. I can decide when I want to sleep.” But she couldn’t hide her smile and threw a teddy bear at Killua. “Shouldn’t you two be sleeping as well? Don’t let mother or father hear you.” She said.
Gon stretched and almost slipped from the mattress while doing so. But he quickly caught himself before it was too late.
“Sorry, Killua, I was getting bored.” He said and grinned sheepishly.
Killua sighed and pulled Gon from his sister’s bed. “Whatever, Illumi is driving us to the beach house. We should call Kurapika and Leorio tomorrow morning…”
Leorio had probably spent the evening studying and thus was asleep on his desk by now. Kurapika presumably had gone to bed long ago. It would be rude to call them this late. Thinking about it, it also hadn’t been too nice of him to ask his brother at this hour. But if Hisoka was back by tomorrow, the timing would be even worse.
He was cut out of his thoughts when he was hit by another plush animal coming from his sister. Alluka grinned at him. “Aren’t you going to wish me a good night and wish me fun at grandma’s? You know we’re leaving super early tomorrow and I doubt you and Gon will be awake then.”
A confident smile crossed Killua’s face. “Don’t underestimate me. I’ll be up even before mother, you have my word.” He declared.
Alluka laughed. “Just like this morning? Please, you’ll oversleep as usual and we’ll be gone already.” She replied in a cheerful tone, although she seemed a little sad.
“Then you have to wake me up, just to be sure.” Killua suggested.
“Deal!” Alluka accepted happily.
They made a pinkie promise after which Killua gave his sister a hug. He wished her goodnight and went back to his room with Gon, who had gotten tired by now.
After Killua had finally made himself comfortable in his bed, he looked down to the floor. Gon was sleeping on his mattress peacefully.
“Are you still awake?” he whispered.
There was no response. After a while he heard a soft snoring noise and laughed quietly. He shifted around in his blanket, trying to find a comfortable position. He could talk to Gon tomorrow.
He felt his eyes getting heavier. As he drifted into sleep, he had no idea he was already forgetting that this wasn’t the world where he belonged.