Chapter Text
It all happened so fast. One moment, Killua was simply perusing the stalls of a festival in yorknew. Alluka had begged for him to buy her one of those special edition cat dolls a few nights before and the boy obliged, venturing out to the heart of the city for his little sister despite it being a full day’s travel. The next thing the ex-assassin knew, he was choking on viscous black liquid that materialized out of thin air. Killua had struggled and fought to forcibly expel the sludge from his lungs but it only expanded, enveloping his body entirely.
That was about two minutes ago, at the moment Killua was in a very dark container that might as well have been a coffin. The walls were claustrophobically tight, giving him just enough room to lay flat on his back with his arms laying at his sides. The fluid had vanished, thankfully. However that didn’t make the situation any less dire. Killua lay deathly still in that pitch black prison, listening carefully to the soft humming from below as his shoulder blades pressed uncomfortably against the cold steel beneath.
I seem to be in a vehicle, a large one.
The metal encasing his body rattled against the floorboards of said vehicle, creating an insufferable rattling noise that was starting to drive Killua insane after only a few minutes. If whoever kidnapped him didn’t kill him, that definitely would in due time. Using a small bubble of En the albino could sense the thick leather straps that kept his metal prison from sliding around haphazardly, strung taught from each of its four corners. But what really put Killua on edge, was what he couldn’t sense.
There were no Nen users.
The notion seemed impossible, he’d nearly choked to death whilst getting transported by that revolting teleportation hatsu. It had to have been created by an emitter, and a very skilled one at that. Using Nen to teleport wasn’t an easy feat, in fact it was incredibly difficult. Especially since the user had managed to hide their presence completely from him. Whoever just kidnapped me knows exactly who they’re dealing with.
That can’t be good.
Ordinarily, Killua would’ve waited to gather more information before making a move. However, this situation had far too many risks. They would only continue to multiply as time went on, the best way to ensure escape would be to do something unpredictable. He shut his eyes, instead focusing a small bubble of Nen directly below his head. The ex-assassin sucked in a deep breath before flexing his fingers, stimulating both the muscles and the aura in his digits until his nails had stretched several inches past his fingertips.
With a high pitched whine of protest the thick metal casing below him split open beneath his nails, no match for their sharpness. Combining that brutal technique with his Ko made a world of difference, capable of tearing even the strongest of metals apart. Killua had grown quite fond of using the two in tandem.
He slowly peeled the metal upwards along the deep gouge he’d made, keeping his movements slow in order to keep the sound of rending metal quieter than the hum of the large engine nearby. It wasn’t directly beneath him, so he should be able to cut easily through the hull of whatever vehicle he was inside without worry. If it did irreversible damage to its motor functions, he didn’t exactly care. In fact, he hoped it would be a pain in the ass to repair. This miscalculation of yours is about to be pretty damn expensive.
He tore the steel plates from the floor of the vehicle, sliding them into the corner of his steel box. Below that was the fiberglass, and underneath that was even more steel. This time it was a single smooth plate instead of several miniature ones, he’d reached the outer shell at last. As he worked at the layers, the rumbling of the asphalt beneath the tires grew louder. Killua was getting closer to freedom. With one last push, the tip of his nails broke through to open air.
The albino didn’t dare open his eyes just yet, sawing through the edges of the thick material until he’d created a hole wide enough for his shoulders. Sure, Killua could have slipped through a smaller one. But with how close the hole was to the road, it would be pretty dangerous to spend an extra few vital seconds extracting himself from the vehicle.
A crisp breeze of fresh air buffeted his face as more of the steel was chipped away. The boy slowly cracked open his eyes to view the hole below him, deactivating his Nen and allowing his claws to retract. The ground whisked by a mere meter and a half from his face. Judging from the light he could see, it seemed to be late in the afternoon. Wasn’t it early morning a few minutes ago? Killua thought, momentarily caught off guard by the discovery. The only reasonable explanation for it now being around four o’clock was that he was in an entirely different timezone. He must’ve been teleported pretty damn far. What region is this many hours ahead of Yorknew? I can’t remember…
Placing two firm hands on either side of the cavity Killua lowered his head far enough to peer out from underneath the vehicle he was being transported in. His body tensed immediately as soon as he gazed out to the public, momentarily stunned. Are those magical beasts? There were creatures roaming everywhere around him. On the bustling streets, inside storefronts, hell even behind the wheel in other cars on the road. Not only were they everywhere, but the humans around them didn’t even bat an eye at their existence.
A very bewildered Killua watched as a creature resembling an anthropomorphic alligator let out a hoot of laughter, smacking an older man on the shoulder with a clawed hand as if he was cracking a joke. The scene was gone almost as soon as he could comprehend it. The vehicle he was in continued to fly down the road ceaselessly, not halting for his discoveries. A place where magical beasts and humans live together? That sounds like a fairytale. Killua thought in awe, unable to take his eyes off the scene as it flashed by.
Killua quickly shook his head to clear it, returning his attention back to the task at hand. Upon closer inspection of the wheels and the inside of his makeshift prison the boy realized he was in a shipping container on a large truck. He’d never seen the specific design before, but it heavily resembled the kind that was used as a cover to transport illegal goods. Judging by how many wheels this thing has, I’m not it's only cargo. Killua realized, counting five pairs of wheels in total.
Just as he was preparing to make a landing, a flash of red in the albino’s peripherals caught his attention. Killua’s head tipped slightly to the side as his eyes landed on the strikingly red feather that had caught its stem in between a layer of fiberglass and steel. It was buffeted ever so slightly by the wind, hanging on to the crevice it was lodged into for dear life. It was so mundane that Killua didn’t deem it worth his attention, turning his focus back to the ten wheels of the truck he was on.
The ex-assassin was pretty pissed off that he’d been kidnapped, and he wasn’t leaving without taking something with him. With a flex of his fingers he muttered under his breath, “You’ll regret kidnapping me you bastard, I’m taking the rest of this cargo with me.” Killua dropped through the cavity in the truck, using the split second before he hit the ground to deliver a solid kick to the side of the nearest tire. The metal let out an agonizing screech as it snapped beneath the force, shooting away from the vehicle and just barely avoiding crashing into another.
Killua’s palms and knees hit the ground at relatively the same moment, skin tearing away as he skidded across the asphalt. He let out a sharp hiss of frustration as the material bit into his skin, leaving a red trail for a few inches before his body stopped sliding. It would’ve been optimal to avoid leaving any trace of his DNA behind, but such instances couldn’t always be avoided. The sting from his scraped knees and palms was a mere inconvenience.
Killua quickly bolted from where he was crouched on the ground, disappearing between the narrow gap between a boutique and a bookstore. As soon as he slipped between the two buildings, there was the shrieking of brakes failing to comply followed by a sickening crash as several tons of steel collided with something solid. The cacophony of screams and cries from horrified civilians slowly faded into the distance as he weaved through the tight-knit network of stores.
After a few dozen feet, the albino emerged on the other side in the middle of a shopping plaza. Now that he’d successfully evaded his kidnapper, Killua could relax for a moment and catch his breath. The boy leaned back up against the rough stone wall of an establishment, sliding downwards across the brick until he was seated on the floor. With a slightly irritated huff he tugged up the pant leg of his sweats and began to unwrap the bandages tied around his ankles. The boy had a habit of keeping his ankles wrapped just in case he needed the material.
Since Killua had decided to live with his little sister, most of the locals in the town he lived knew his identity and past job. Being a Zoldyck with a very large bounty on his head, he’d often be the target of hitmen or other assassins. As a result, the albino had taken to keeping several useful items on his person in case of emergency.
The bandages around his ankles, a small taser in his left coat pocket, a miniature flask in his right, and a small bag filled with various cosmetics. That last one was less for conflict and more for disguise. Killua had grown quite fond of the art of disguise. He’d used such techniques when he was younger, but far more infrequently and less elaborate.
Killua let out a string of curses under his breath as the blood from his wounds stained the coat he was wearing. Gentle, cream colored, beautiful, soft, and utterly ruined. Damn. He thought, with a slight scowl. That was one of my favorite coats. The bandages were pulled tight around his hands, layered several times in order to conceal the gashes he was dressing. Just as he was about to move on to his knees, Killua heard a pair of gentle footsteps approaching quietly.
The boy’s eyes snapped upwards, landing on the concerned face of a civilian. The woman appeared to be older, perhaps in her late 30s, and had a tangle of orange curls that was cut just below the shoulder. A concerned frown drew across her lips as she stared down at Killua, voice slightly raspy as she spoke. “Oh dear, what happened to you sweetie? Your hands and knees are all torn up.” She fretted.
Killua shot her a reassuring smile, not pausing as he tended to his wounds. “Oh yeah! I just fell down, that's all.” He chirruped, projecting as much childlike enthusiasm into his voice as possible. His entire demeanor shifted the instant the interaction had started, shifting into a much younger and approachable version of himself. He couldn’t change his appearance in any way, but mannerisms and body language could go a long way if utilized correctly.
A gentle hand was placed on his head, sinking into his soft white locks akin to how one would pet a dog. Killua found it incredibly patronizing, and fought not to slap her hand away. This would be a good time to figure out where I am. He thought, with one last knot to keep the bandages still. He tilted his head upwards in the woman’s direction, wide doe eyes shimmering with feigned innocence. “Ma’am, I got kinda lost, where am I?” His voice took on a slight whine, projecting as much adolescence into his character as possible.
As he predicted, the older woman slipped a hand into her pocket to fish out her phone, crouching down to Killua’s height. “Course I can help you hun, Do you know your mother’s phone number? Or what street you live on?” The boy shook his head, puffing out his cheeks slightly. “Can I see a map?” She’s so easy. Older women were generally pretty easy to manipulate, all you had to do was play into their motherly instinct.
Within moments the phone was in his hands, with a pinch of his fingers Killua zoomed outwards as far as he could with the map, hoping to locate which region he was in. Killua was about to celebrate his victory, knowing he was well on the way to getting back to yorknew. However, that moment of triumph didn’t last very long.
Wait a minute…
Killua stared down at the dimly lit phone screen in shock, unsure if his eyes were working. It should’ve been impossible, something must’ve been wrong. With a swipe of his thumb across the screen in a feeble attempt to brush away what he wish wasn’t true, the albino’s heart sank.
These continents, I don’t…recognize them.
His chest felt like it was being squeezed by the invisible force that was his horror, constricting around his body and making it nearly impossible to draw in a breath. The only landmass that looked even vaguely familiar was the large one in the bottom center of the map that closely resembled the one his family’s estate called home. It was as if he was looking at the map of a video game, covered in strange unintelligible symbols he couldn’t hope to comprehend. There was one thing however that Killua knew for absolute certain.
He was really far away from home…
Book cover because im really proud of it (might not work on mobile)
