Chapter Text
⟢⤞Ⅱ⤝⟣
Some of the scientists loved to compare staring into Experiment #405’s eyes to staring at the Devil. They were cold, empty, and devoid of anything— the lack of life would send chills through their bodies.
But Killua never saw that.
All he could see was the way his warm brown eyes stared into his own cold blue ones. They were scared, fearful that this would be their end. And there wasn’t anything Killua could say or do to deny that fact.
After all, the liquid filling up their chambers said it all.
They would be locked in slumber for an indefinite amount of time and it made Killua’s heart ache. He didn’t want it to end here. He wanted—
He wanted to spend his days with—
⟢⤞Ⅱ⤝⟣
SEVERAL YEARS LATER…
⟢⤞Ⅱ⤝⟣
Biscuit’s heels clicked and clacked in rapid succession as she raced down the hallway. Stupid stupid stupid, she thought furiously, having half a mind to not crush the Manila folder in her hands.
Taking a sharp right, then a left, Biscuit burst through a door labeled: Chairman Isaac Netero.
“Mr. Chairman!” she bellowed, stomping up to his desk. The old man had the audacity to turn around in his chair and look up at her with an amused grin.
“Ah, good afternoon, Ms. Biscuit. Looking lovely today.”
She gritted her teeth and slammed the folder onto his desk. “Chairman, with all due respect, are you fucking insane?! Renewing the project after what happened last time?! I don’t know if you recall, but they almost wiped out the entire Association!”
Netero continued to stare at her as he rubbed his beard. After a tense moment of her glaring at him and him grinning, he spun around in the chair.
“I do recall what happened last time.” He stood up and walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window. “Our warehouses are being raided and destroyed left and right and, simply put, they are the only ones capable of putting an end to the theft.”
Biscuit gaped at the older man before letting out a near-hysterical laugh. “Sir, these two care about nobody but each other. They are not going to willingly help us! Not after everything they’ve been through together.”
“That’s why I’m having their memories blocked and their powers limited,” Netero said, suddenly directing all of his attention toward her. “It’ll be easier to manage them without them tearing everything apart… again.” He waved his hand around. “Their chips are also still intact, with a few modifications to #099’s, of course. Since you are going to be their mentor, I expect you to make sure their relationship stays strictly professional this time.”
“Netero, they’re teenagers—“
Netero held up a hand. “Ah, that’s where you’re wrong. They’re extremely dangerous experiments and capable of extreme destruction. Remember that.”
Biscuit let the comment ring in the air before a troubled frown rested on her face. There was a click of a tongue.
“Ms. Biscuit, I know you’ve worked with these two and bonded with them on a personal level—“
“Which is why I’m telling you this is a bad idea,” she snapped. “Sure, you can have their memories blocked or whatever you’re planning, but once they realize how well they work together, I can’t guarantee there won’t be any fatal consequences.”
Netero moved back to his desk and sat down with a tired sigh. “If this project fails again, the Association will be forced to discontinue.” He leveled his gaze with Biscuit, who took a startled step back. “I’m sure you realize just how high the stakes are.”
She opened her mouth to protest, but the Chairman’s eyes narrowing made her shut her mouth with a click. Knowing that he wouldn’t get any pushback, he leaned forward to prop his chin on his interlocked fingers and continued.
“This missing experiment of ours is trying to put an end to our livelihoods. Make sure those two put an end to his.”
⟢⤞Ⅱ⤝⟣
Consciousness was a jarring thing. It came with a sharp gasp of air and a coughing fit as the cold air became exposed to him. His mind forced himself into the darkness behind his eyelids, but the brightness around him was determined to bring him to the light. He could hear the last of the liquid draining from under him, then gravity hit him like a truck. He stumbled forward and caught himself on the glass in front of him.
"Experiment #099: Killua Zoldyck, you have been withdrawn from cryosleep."
Killua slowly blinked his eyes, cringing away from the lights around him as his eyes adjusted. The glass was cold when he pressed his forehead against it. Other than the shakiness in his legs and the ringing in his ears, he felt nice, calm even. He knew the only reason why he felt this way was because of the light purple liquid that dripped off of him. It was a thick, viscous thing; the only thing providing him peace before his hell broke through.
"Number 99, please step out of the chamber."
There was a whooshing sound as the door started to move toward the ceiling. Stumbling back, he looked at the scene in front of him.
Guards in thick layers of protective gear waited apprehensively for him to step out. If Killua lived miles under the sea of denial, he would've considered they didn't see him as a threat. And not just any type of threat, no, a threat to everyone in the room and everyone peacefully living their lives outside of it.
Killua's foot touched the tile floor on the outside of the chamber. He wiggled his toes, feeling the way the liquid slid across the skin there. The moment his eyes flickered up toward the guards, they all instinctively flinched and readied themselves. Even though his strength wasn't at its peak, he could still snap each of their necks within the blink of an eye.
Swallowing their fear, a guard stepped forward, weapon in hand. "Zoldyck, you are to follow us to remove the remaining cryo-serum. From there, you will get a change of clothes and transportation to your next location. Your presence has been requested by the Association." Their voice was stern as they tried to assert their dominance over him. It was a truly pitiful thing. They were lucky that a shower was the one thing Killua wanted.
He stared at the guard for a moment; empty eyes piercing into the ones of the guard. The moment was as tense as Killua knew it would be.
"So," Killua started off hoarsely, "are you going to take me or stand there until you piss your pants?"
⤟Ⅱ⤠
Hot water rushed out of the showerhead and washed away the purple serum from Killua’s skin. He leaned his head forward to rest it on the wall under the shower-head, ignoring how unsanitary it was, and let out a relieved sigh. The shower would eventually come to an end but he would revel in this ignorant bliss for as long as he could.
His eyes slowly opened as he raised one of his arms to observe the burn scar he caught sight of when he entered the shower room. He slowly turned over his wrist, watching how the scar encased it as if something had been wrapped around it. Was he cuffed and branded at some point?
He raised his other arm and stared at the matching scar. While he would like to say he was just cuffed and burned, the scars appeared as if someone had grabbed and burned him...
… with their hands.
“I don’t think this is a good idea. I mean, what if another one of them gets out,” one of the guards tried and failed to whisper. They stood by the only exit in the shower room, which was an obnoxiously large metal door. There was a deep sigh.
“It’s not our job to think, just to follow orders,” the other answered, not bothering to whisper at all which made Killua’s irritation flare up.
“I guess so. But I have a wife and kid, and I don’t want them ending up as some casualty because of this project,” the first guard whisper-shouted. “Especially after the incident.”
“Enough. I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”
Killua decided to emphasize the end of the conversation by turning the water off with an obnoxious squeak from the knob. The moment of ignorant bliss was already ruined, so there was no point in staying in the shower. He ripped the curtain open and reached for his towel that was on a nearby bench.
He would be lying if he said that the guards’ conversation didn’t pique his interest. Though, it raised more questions than answers. Hell, it actually didn’t answer any questions at all.
Now, Killua wasn’t stupid. He had done something. Something that made people narrow their eyes at him and whisper as he passed. Then there was this project that was mentioned every three seconds, yet Killua had no idea what they were talking about.
Also,
He could recognize when he was suffering from major gaps in his memory. And when he said major gaps, he meant he didn’t remember a damn thing. He had the basics down: name and experiment number…
… no, there was something else. Something important. It was on the tip of his tongue. He huffed and shook his head, dismissing the thought. Forget it.
Other than the basics, it was just… blank. Nothing was more frustrating than knowing you were forgetting something, and you didn’t know what.
He put on his shirt, which was a long sleeve that hugged his body (and covered the scars), and a matching pair of form-fitting sweats. The socks and shoes were nothing special, but as he slipped them on, he remembered what he was forgetting. The epiphany came with a sudden jolt.
The electricity.
The hair on his body stood on its ends before relaxing in its normal position. Killua opened his hand and observed the way the electricity jumped between his fingers in quick zaps . The energy flowing through his body was a familiar feeling— a rush if you will— welcomed, but certainly not wanted. It was something he couldn’t believe he had forgotten. His power came with the experiment number.
He clenched his fist and rose to his feet, turning to look at the guards.
“Okay, show’s over, perverts,” he snarked. He was met with two irritated scoffs before one of the guards was walking over to put him in restraints, as if he couldn’t be out of them before they could even realize what had happened.
Before he knew it, he was being escorted into a sleek, unmarked black van behind the building. He was put in the back and before the doors were shut in his face, he was being handed a folder.
“The Association wants you to be up to speed on the necessary information,” the woman said, pulling her hand away from the folder. Killua didn’t bat an eye when she slammed the doors. He dragged a hand over the folder that said CONFIDENTIAL in big bold letters.
The van started with a slight roar of the engine, then Killua could feel himself being rocked as it began to move. He peeked at the tiny window that allowed him to see the driver and passenger then back to the folder.
He opened the cover and was immediately greeted with his own face frowning at whatever camera that took the photo. His eyes scanned the information on the page:
EXPERIMENT #099: KILLUA ZOLDYCK
AGE: 14 (photo) 17 (end of cryo-slumber)
STATUS: Alive
SOURCE: ELECTRICITY
Killua’s brow twitched. Seventeen? His eyes blinked rapidly before looking at the page again. It said he was seventeen. He couldn’t have been— no? No. He wasn’t seventeen. The last time he checked he was…
He brought a hand up to his head, ignoring the slight shock he got. How old was he? He peeked back at the page and skimmed through the basic information like his height and weight. Though, those seemed to have changed as well. As if he grew.
Truly, the page didn’t provide a lot of information. It felt like they were simply tossing him the scraps of the complete story.
When he reached the bottom of the page, a name was mentioned. It made him pause.
Pairing(s): EXPERIMENT #405: GON FREECSS; EXP—MENT # — KUR—
The rest of the second name was scribbled out, along with their number. Killua would ignore it for now, because #405’s name was bringing up emotions he hadn’t felt in a while.
Relief and grief.
The juxtaposition of the two emotions made his heart want to crawl out of his chest. He shut the folder quickly as he tried to will his heart to slow down.
He didn’t know who this person was, but his soul apparently did. And all that did was add another question to the list; a question he didn’t know if he wanted the answer to.
⤟Ⅱ⤠
The van eventually rolled to a stop with a jerk, and within seconds, the van doors were being flung open. Two guards— no, three— stood before him. He let their heavily padded gloves grip onto his wrists and pull him up and out of the van.
They didn’t even let his eyes adjust to the light before they were leading him up a flight of stairs. Granted, he didn’t let that stop him from observing his surroundings.
They had taken him deeper into the city, one filled with buildings that towered above him and forced him to bend his neck back to even see the top.
Now, they were leading him into one of those ridiculously sized buildings. One with a sign that had a large symbol on it: two X’s with a red diamond in the middle. Interesting, he thought with complete sarcasm.
When they reached the top of the stairs, a tiny woman was waiting for them. She stood with her arms crossed, though they unfolded when she caught sight of him, and steady expression. Her appearance was the definition of business: a tight bun, a pencil skirt, and high heels. Though, her dusty pink button-up blouse didn’t quite fit the all-business attitude she was giving off.
Killua came to a sudden stop when the guards paused to acknowledge her.
“The building has gone through a lot of remodeling since I’ve been here last. You guys have a lot less windows,” one said beside him. The woman gave a tired sigh and shook her head, swinging her bangs around.
“Yes, it was the Chairman’s decision so we don’t have a repeat of last time.” She gestured to Killua with her eyes. Something he didn’t quite appreciate. “Small talk aside, you all may leave me with #099. We have business to attend to.”
There was a chorus of yes, ma’ams before Killua was being released. They stood in silence, waiting for their footsteps to disappear. The sounds of the city couldn’t quite drown out the stomps and scrambling of the guards’ boots.
“Killua Zoldyck, pleasure to be doing business with you,” the woman suddenly spoke. He looked down at her with a glint of amusement in his eyes. She was so tiny; she barely reached his shoulder. Just who the hell was she?
She continued, “I’m Biscuit Krueger, but you can call me Bisky. I’ll be your handler from here on out. I would shake your hand, but we both know why I won’t be doing that. I just did my hair.” She gently caressed the low bun that rested on the back of her neck. When she opened her mouth to continue, Killua cut in.
“You’re short.”
Bisky shut her mouth and Killua could’ve sworn he saw her eye twitch before she schooled her face into a neutral expression. “As someone who’s lived for more than three times your age, I know,” she said through gritted teeth. “Anyway, follow me.”
She turned around and started walking toward the front doors. Her confidence in him following her made him hesitate. There was practically nothing stopping him from escaping at this very moment. His foot slowly shifted—
“You can either follow me or I can drag your ass inside. It won’t make a difference, so come on.” Bisky’s voice rang like a bell in his ears and Killua clicked his tongue.
They entered the building shortly after, the doors whooshing to a close behind them, and walked down a long corridor. Bisky’s heels continued to click and clack after each step and it was a surprise that the noise didn’t drive Killua insane.
“Your partner is actually already here. You see, he was stored here because of his father, but that’s not really relevant. You, on the other hand, had to be moved to another facility because of some money issues… but that’s not really relevant either.”
Killua didn’t say anything, although the mention of a partner did pique his interest, and took in the area. They had passed by several vents, windows, and other potential escape routes. Just in case, obviously.
“The windows are practically impenetrable and the important doors are sealed whenever someone enters or exits. There are six emergency exits and three main entrances and exits. The ventilation is too small for anyone to climb through, and everything is monitored 24/7, 365 days a year. It’s practically a fortress.” Bisky’s words were casual, yet intentional, if the look she threw over her shoulder was anything to go off of.
Killua rolled his eyes, not liking the fact that she read him so easily. They took a right turn down another hallway.
She let out a wistful laugh. “While the building has changed significantly since you saw it last, you surely have not.”
“Since I saw it last?”
Bisky looked like she wanted to take back her words, but refused to backtrack. “Yes, since you saw it last. Not that you’d remember,” she answered with a tight smile. How the hell did she know that? While his suspicions were confirmed, it only raised more questions. Did the Association take his memories? Why?
She stopped in front of a door and put her hand on the knob. “Behave yourself,” was the only warning she gave before opening the door.
The small office was revealed to him with its antique bookshelves and a matching desk that appeared to have had better days. Nonetheless, the office was nowhere near the aesthetic he saw Bisky being okay with.
Stupid office aside, the most important thing in that room was sitting in a chair in front of— what Killua was assuming— Bisky’s desk. A boy around his age. He was staring at the two of them with wide brown doe eyes and his hair was jet black and spiked up. A name danced on the tip of Killua’s tongue.
The boy in question stood up and gave Killua a small smile. “Hi, I’m Gon. Nice to meet you.”
Ah, the Gon Freecss. His body reacted before he could get a word out.
Killua gaped and openly stared at the boy as his heart ran a marathon in his chest. His hands were clammy and he could feel the heat rushing to his face. He was nervous. Killua didn’t get nervous. He made other people nervous, that was the way it was supposed to be.
But right now? He didn’t understand why his mind and body were responding to Gon’s presence like this, like this was something that was supposed to happen. At least, he felt that way until Gon stuck his hand out for a handshake.
Because, obviously, Gon was a dumbass or he simply didn’t know any better. Killua stared blankly at Gon’s hand before flicking his gaze back up to meet his eyes, then let out a breath. Who was he to stop Gon from learning things the hard way?
“Killua,” he stated before grabbing onto Gon’s hand.
Two things happened at once.
First, Gon’s eyebrows shot up and he gasped as he got an unpleasant shock. Then, Killua nearly yanked his hand back when he realized just how fucking hot Gon’s hand was. The heat wasn’t enough to burn, but it was teetering towards feverishly hot.
The two of them blinked at each other in surprise, questions ready to leap from their tongues. Before they could say anything, Bisky cleared her throat.
“Well, if you’re done greeting each other, you should sit down,” Bisky said as she walked over to her desk. She motioned toward the seats in front of her desk and they both sat down. When she pulled out a thick folder, Killua spared Gon a glance and was surprised to find the other already staring at him. They both looked away.
Strange.
Bisky narrowed her eyes at the two of them before opening the folder. “Experiment #405: Gon Freecss and Experiment #099: Killua Zoldyck, you two have been selected to participate in project: Dynamic Duo under Chairman Netero’s orders. As the Association's strongest and, frankly, most dangerous experiments, we’ve finally decided to put you two to use.”
Most dangerous? Killua raised an eyebrow and peeked at Gon, who was staring intently at Bisky. Gon’s features were soft and he had freckles on his tanned cheeks, nothing about him screamed dangerous. Except for his eyes. They had a muted horror in them that was covered by the front he put on.
Killua retracted his previous doubts; he knew better than to judge skills based on appearances.
Bisky slid two pieces of paper between them; they were their files. One page was already in the folder he received, but the other had Gon’s face on it, most likely being his file. Bisky had slid Gon’s paper toward Killua and vice versa, so he picked it up to read.
Gon’s younger face smiled at the camera— a stark contrast between Killua’s own photo. He read on:
EXPERIMENT #405: GON FREECSS
AGE: 14 (photo) 17 (end of cryo-slumber)
STATUS: Alive
Killua stopped, then frowned at the next words.
SOURCE: G-TYPE MAIN-SEQUENCE STAR (THE SUN)
What the fuck? No, no, no— who the fuck would embed a literal star into a child? He knew the Association went low, but he didn’t think they went that fucking low. No wonder Gon was walking around like a goddamn furnace—
“Project: Dynamic Duo will require you two to work together as one. The missions assigned to you aren’t simple reconnaissance assignments, no, you two can’t be trusted with that and, frankly, it’s well below your skill level. Instead, you’ll be infiltrating and solving one of the biggest problems the Association is dealing with.” Bisky plopped down a folder titled: CHIMERAS .
She flipped open the folder and pointed at one of the printed photos. “The Chimeras are unauthorized experiments that have been running rampant for the past couple of years. We have no idea who runs the operation, but we do know that they keep raiding our warehouses for more of the serum.”
“The serum?” Gon asked. His body was leaned in close.
Bisky gave a curt nod. “The serum used to create experiments, such as yourselves. Though, as you can see,” she tapped on the photo, “they’re not doing it right.”
Killua finally turned his attention to the photo and caught a glimpse of someone with cat ears and a tail. Though the picture overall was blurred, he could see the mutation clearly. When Bisky revealed the next photo of a person in a cloak, she placed a finger on it.
“They will eventually be one of your targets. That is all you need to know for right now, because your first assignment has nothing to do with him.” She closed the folder and slid it toward herself.
“What was the point in telling us that, then?” Killua asked as he leaned onto his hand.
She let out a scoff. “So you can know, Number 99.”
“It’s Killua.”
Ignoring him, she let out a heavy sigh and leaned over the desk. “If you both fail, every last experiment will be returned to cryosleep, indefinitely.”
That made him frown and he could see Gon lean back in surprise. “That’s not fair,” Gon protested. “Why punish us for something that you can’t even solve yourselves?”
“Because,” Bisky growled, “you’re simply supposed to follow orders and if you can’t do that, then you’re of no use to the Association.” Her words echoed into the small office as she glared at her desk. If she had said those words while looking at them, Killua might’ve been more offended. Yet, he couldn’t tell where or whom she was directing her words to.
Gon obviously didn’t come to that same conclusion because he crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at the wall. The room seemed to rise in temperature at his attitude.
“Your first mission is tomorrow night. And for future reference, your powers have been reduced significantly so they’re nowhere near their full capabilities. We don’t want you hurting unnecessary people or each other.”
Killua didn’t miss the way her eyes flickered over his covered up scars. It made him subconsciously rub at them— hang on. How the hell did she know about the scars?
“Now if you follow me, I’ll show you to your quarters,” she said walking toward the door. Gon let out a defeated sigh, but Killua wasn’t quite done with her.
“Who says ‘quarters’ nowadays?” he snarked.
“Another word out of you and I’ll put you down myself.”
⤟Ⅱ⤠
Their bedrooms ended up being on the third floor for no reason other than the fact that Bisky didn’t want to stay in the basement with them.
“My room has to be somewhere near yours, so no, I wasn’t going to allow them to put us down there,” she had remarked.
His and Gon’s doors faced each other in the hall while Bisky’s was straight ahead. She had sent them to their rooms to put on a new pair of clothes. They were nearly identical to the clothes he’d already been wearing, except for the Association’s mark embroidered into the shirt and pants.
When they both stepped out of their room, he could see that Gon’s clothes were identical to his. Bisky was waiting for them at the end of the hall in a matching pair of clothes, except for the fact that her shirt was short-sleeved.
She ushered them to follow her as she led them to the ground floor. Gon was silent the entire time, keeping his eyes on the smaller woman in front of them and sometimes on Killua. Killua couldn’t bring himself to tell Gon to keep his eyes to himself because— well, he was doing the same thing.
It allowed him to learn a thing or two, so he had valid reasoning. The most important thing that caught his eye was the Association’s mark tattooed behind Gon’s ear. The two x’s and diamond made him wonder if he had the exact same mark.
He dragged two fingers on the side of his head and could feel the ridges of a marking there. His hand fell back to his side and he let out a breath. He had been claimed. That’s all it stood for.
Bisky eventually stopped when she threw open two double doors. Inside, there were various exercising equipment, a large mat, amongst other things. It appeared to be a personal gym but much, much larger and insufferably plain.
“As your handler, it is my job to make sure you two are well trained and since it’s your first day, I won’t kill you. Tomorrow, who knows?” She said as she walked over to the mat. “We’ll start with a warmup, then I’ll see what you’re capable of.”
She let the silence stretch for a second before shooting the two of them a glare. “Well? Let’s get started! Chop chop, boys! Show me those stretches!”
Killua let himself be directed through leg and arm stretches, it was much needed to be honest. All of his pent up energy ran wild and he felt ready for anything.
That didn’t include the fucking warm-up.
“It’s only been three hours, boys! Keep up the pace!” Bisky yelled over her shoulder as the teens behind her struggled to catch their breaths. She jogged at an even pace, not a sweat drop in sight. The same couldn’t be said for the ones behind her, however.
Killua’s hair stuck to his forehead and he was sure that his face was an uncomfortable red. His legs felt like jelly and he hadn’t made a cohesive thought since the first hour. Gon, on the other hand, was in the same boat. His breathing was heavy and he was barely keeping pace with Killua.
After a few more laps, they both collapsed into a heap of sweat and possible tears. Killua had to force himself to scoot himself away from Gon, since he was emitting heat like nobody’s business.
Bisky clicked her tongue and put a hand on her hip. “Cryosleep really did a number on those bodies of yours, huh?” She let out a nostalgic sigh. “I haven’t seen you two like this in… a long time,” she said in a low voice. Whatever had her down, she immediately tossed to the side because a smile spread across her face. “That concludes our warm-up then! Five minute water break and we’ll start our next task. Got it?”
The groans that came from Killua and Gon were the only response they could make.
She rolled over two water bottles that stopped beside Killua. “Good! Meet me over at the mat when you’re done.”
Killua grabbed a water bottle with a shaky hand and barely managed to give it to Gon. Then, he twisted open his own bottle and inhaled the water inside.
“I can’t believe she hasn’t even broken a sweat,” Gon croaked out. Killua slowly rolled his head over to Gon, who was also laying on his back. He could see the sheen on Gon’s skin along with the faint redness in his cheeks.
“She’s insane,” Killua said once he finally caught his breath. Gon let out a breathless laugh before slowly sitting up. He wiped off his forehead with his black sleeve, then looked over his shoulder to look at Killua.
“Let’s hope she doesn’t kill us with this next one, yeah?” And with that, Gon rose to his feet. Then he stuck out his hand, offering to help Killua up.
Killua let out a sigh. Gon just didn’t learn, did he? “People usually learn after the first shock that I shouldn’t be touched,” he said, sitting up.
Gon’s hand stayed out. “Well, as your partner, that’s a lesson I don’t plan on learning. So let me help you up.”
Killua’s eyebrows raised. Partners. Right, that’s what they were. He stared into Gon’s eyes and could only see how genuine he was— that faint sparkle in his eyes was hard to miss. To Killua at least.
Killua reached his hand up and hesitated when the electricity jumped from his fingertips to Gon’s, giving the latter a slight shock. Gon then took the lead and leaned forward and grabbed onto his hand. The moment their hands clasped together, Killua knew he was in for a ride on the rollercoaster that was Gon Freecss.
Gon led him to his feet and they stared at each other for a moment before Bisky whistled. They both turned to look at her.
“Today, please!” she ushered.
Killua released Gon’s hand and the two of them jogged over to the edge of the mat she was standing on.
“Remove your shoes and socks. Then, come over here.”
Their socks and shoes were slipped off with practiced ease. When they stepped onto the mat, Bisky gave them a sly grin.
“You two are going to spar. No powers, all hands and feet. Whoever steps off of the mat first is the loser,” was all she said before she took three large steps to get off of the mat. “You may begin.”
Killua and Gon stared at each other with slight confusion before getting into their proper stances. Killua cracked his neck while Gon cracked his knuckles. Killua let him shake out his hands before shifting into focus.
Then it began.
Gon was on the offensive with a right hook, which Killua redirected easily and returned the attack with a kick to the ribs. Gon was out of the way and attempting to knock Killua off of his feet in a matter of seconds. When Killua jumped back, Gon leapt into his space with a flurry of punches to Killua’s defenses.
But it seemed as if Killua’s body knew which attack would come next. Third punch, left flank open, his mind predicted.
One, two, then three punches later, the opening was there. Before he could even attempt to strike, Gon was out of the way. As if he knew what was coming as well.
Killua clicked his tongue as Gon let out a breathy chuckle. Suddenly, it was no longer a battle to see who was the loser. No, it was a battle to see who would take advantage of the first mistake. Killua would be damned if he lost.
This time, Killua was the one rushing in and striking every bit of Gon he could see. Jab, jab, kick, left hook— but Gon would not drop his guard. He took each hit as if he were waiting for something. But what?
Killua hit him again and again, then Gon suddenly ducked. Killua’s stomach dropped. Shit, shit, shit, he’s gonna— he couldn’t finish his thought before Gon wrapped his arms around Killua’s torso and tackled him to the floor.
When Killua’s back hit the mat, he could see the realization dawn on Gon’s face as he recognized his mistake. And oh how he’d regret that mistake. If he had slammed into Killua just slightly harder, Killua would’ve ended up off of the mat. But he didn’t .
Killua swiftly let Gon know the consequence of messing up by bringing his legs up, shifting his body weight, and kicking Gon up and over onto the floor. Gon landed on his back with an oof! and Bisky let out a loud cackle.
She clapped her hands together. “We have our first loser! Drop down— er— get up, then drop down and give me 500 push-ups!”
“Aw, come on! Can’t we go again?” Gon protested as he sat up to rub the back of his head.
“Nope! Another complaint and I’ll make it 700!”
Killua rose to his feet and walked over to Gon with a small grin on his face. “I’ll admit, you almost had me. But that’s the closest you’ll ever get to beating me ever again,” he declared. Gon looked up at him, pouting.
“Is that a challenge?”
Killua laughed. “No,” he said and stuck out his hand, “it’s a promise.” Gon took his hand and gave Killua a blindingly white smile.
“Freecss! I want my push-ups!” Bisky interjected. The smile dropped and was replaced with a defeated sigh.
“Yes, ma’am.”
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Killua stared up at the ceiling with his hand hovering above his face. He watched as the electricity bounced between his fingers and listened to the crackling that came from them. The room was dark, but the light emitting from his hands lit it up.
Furrowing his brows, he tried to concentrate on pushing more and more electricity to his hands but to no avail. He could feel the physical and mental block on his powers— it frustrated him to no end.
He dropped his hand and rolled onto his side, moving that hand to rub at the mark behind his ear. The familiar ridges of it made something clench in his chest.
The Association owned him, put him to sleep for god knows how long, limited his powers, and stole his memories. He didn’t know what he did to make them do any of that, but he could feel himself giving up hope on ever leaving. The Association made their stance clear.
There wasn’t a point in trying to have a normal life outside of this. Especially with Bisky being their handler. Not their boss— a handler. As if they were animals needing to be trained.
Perhaps that’s all they were— all he was. A dangerous, unpredictable animal that needed to be trained.
Killua shifted and let out a heavy breath. At least it wouldn’t be all bad. After all, he had a partner .
He let his mind leave off on that note and shut his eyes. Sleep would come naturally and swiftly as he mind wandered through every event that had occurred that day. He’d kept track of the clues and things he’d learned and tried to connect the dots to his lost memories, powers, and—
Killua’s eyes opened in a flash as he sat up. His heart started to beat louder and louder until he could hear it in his ears.
He brought his wrists up to his face and squinted at the scars. They were a glimpse into a past he couldn’t remember, but from the things that came to his attention today, he was able to answer one of the biggest questions he had.
The conclusion made him itch for his lost memories back because…
…why would Gon burn him?
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