Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“I don’t see why Killua has to leave, father.”

“Illumi, calm down. You and your mother are exactly the same, Killua can’t stay here forever! He needs to leave home and learn a trade. We’ve taught him all there is to know from our perspective, so he should be well enough prepared.” Silva reasoned.

“He has much to learn, and I could be the one to teach him. He barely has learned any dark spells yet-“

“But what he has learned is extremely powerful. As the next heir to this clan, you should have more faith in him. He can’t stay here like you and Milluki, he needs to make acquaintances with others so he has connections later in life.” Silva interrupted.

“I leave home only for missions and I have plenty of ‘acquaintances’ as you put it.” Illumi said.

“That clown doesn’t count. Killua needs to make bonds with people, he needs to get out there.”

“Speaking of Killua being ‘out there’, where is he now?” Illumi asked, ignoring what his father had said about Hisoka.

Silva stiffened as he realized he had no idea where Killua was at the moment.

*

It was warm and the sun was a little too bright for Killua’s liking, but he still managed to relax partly in the shade on the flowery hill. A cool wind caused the long grass to wave and ripple softly, lightly tickling at the inside of Killua’s arms which rested underneath his head.

“ …There will be a full moon tonight, so if you have something special planned, tonight might just be the night. The weather will be clear with lows in the 60’s, so it will be a warm summer night, perfect for any outing you may have planned. The weather for next Monday will be clea- “

Killua snapped the portable radio he had with him off, sighing heavily before sitting up. A strong breeze ruffled his white hair, tossing his fluffy locks in several directions as he looked over the view he had from Kukuroo Mountain.

‘Tonight would be the perfect night to leave…Good thing I know where I want to go already.’ Killua thought as he hoisted himself to his feet. He picked up the radio and began to jog down the hill, heading towards home.

As he began to run past trees, he saw a large figure lying down on the ground near the back of his house.

“Hi, Mike!” Killua called as he darted past the large sentry dog who merely raised his head in greeting.

Killua slid under the broken fence leading to his house, and tried his best to avoid trampling the flowers that his mother insisted be planted everywhere in sight for her potions. If he wasn’t careful, many of the flowers could poison him or even kill him. He made a slight noise of apprehension as a butterfly nearly fluttered into his face, going cross eyed for a moment before ducking out of its way. He ran up the stone path leading to their front door, and all but vaulted up the steps before he burst inside the house.

“Hey mother, the radio said there’s gonna be a full moon tonight!” Killua called out, slowing down while looking around the house for Kikyou.

“Did you take your father’s radio again? And so what about the full moon, it happens every month, Kil.” She called back to him, leading to him standing in the doorway of her work area. Herbs and bottles littered the counters, half finished potions perched precariously near the edge that Killua pushed back as he made his way towards her.

“Yeah, I did. He doesn’t care though, he never has. And tonight’s full moon is important because I’m leaving!” Killua said, unable to contain the excitement in his voice.

Kikyou crushed the bottle she had previously been using to pour another potion into, while the other potion in her left hand turned black and emitted smoke and a foul odor.

“ What .”

Killua turned around before he grinned, knowing that was what her reaction was going to be.

“I’m gonna go pack right now. Tell me when Dad is back from talking to Illumi, alright?” Killua shouted as he bolted up the stairs towards his room.

He made his way down the hallway, glancing back to make sure his mother wasn’t following him before he made a sharp turn and opened the stairs to the attic. A huge metal container sat in the center of the room, a passcode box sitting on the wall right outside of the door built into it.

Killua quietly approached the box and knocked lightly, reverberations spreading throughout it.

“Ah! Wait-“ A voice called out to him, only to have a strange sort of noise similar to that of an explosion sound off.

“Alluka?!” Killua whispered worriedly, quickly typing in the code to open the door.

“Alluka, did you finish that spell you said you foun-“ Killua coughed, smoke pouring from the room in thick waves. He used his hand to try and wave it out of his face, but trudged through it anyways.

“Alluka? Are you alright?” Killua raised his voice, attempting to find her among the mess of smoke. Something akin to a vacuum seemed to suck all the smoke back into one compressed ball all of a sudden, surprising Killua into jumping back as the suction pulled at his clothes lightly.

The black ball of smoke began to shine brightly, causing Killua to shield his eyes with his arm. The light died down, giving Killua the chance to peek over his arm to see what was going on.

A small black cat sat in the middle of where the smoke ball was previously, looking more smug than any cat had the right to be.

“It worked…” Killua breathed out, a wide smile taking over his face. He immediately approached the cat who jumped in his arms, purring loudly.

“Alluka, you did it! And just in time, too! We’re leaving tonight at midnight, does that sound good?” Killua asked, sounding even more excited than before.

“Yes!” The cat chirped, surprising Killua.

“You can talk, too! Great job Alluka!” Killua praised her, petting her ears softly. “Okay, now I just need to hide you until tonight. Hmmm…I’ll just sneak you into my room for now, so try to stay hidden.” Killua said, placing Alluka on his shoulder.

Alluka curled her tail around Killua’s neck, nestling into his soft hair as he quickly shut the door to her room and snuck out of the attic. He made his way to his room and nearly had a heart attack as he saw Illumi standing in the middle. He felt Alluka dig her claws into his shoulder as Illumi looked at her, but he said nothing.

“Mother said you were going to be in your room packing, so I came up to help. Where were you Kil?” Illumi asked, taking a few steps closer.

Killua fought the urge to turn tail and run, but instead slipped around Illumi while saying, “I was looking for a bag I could pack my things into. And I don’t need your help, thanks.”

Illumi turned and regarded him blankly, once again locking eyes with Alluka.

“And I don’t suppose that instead of a bag, you found a cat to help you pack for tonight?” He asked, reaching out to Alluka. Alluka let out a hiss and seemingly tried to bury herself in Killua’s hair in an attempt to get away from Illumi. She swatted at his hand as he got close enough to touch her, but Killua pulled her off of his shoulder and into his arms, glaring at Illumi.

“Stop harassing her!” He hissed out, much like Alluka had earlier.

Illumi raised an eyebrow, giving Killua and Alluka a weird look. “’She’ doesn’t seem to like me very much.”

“Yeah, well, cats can sense evil when they’re near it, so…” Killua trailed off, not missing the irritated look he got from Illumi.

Illumi said nothing but stood tersely for a few minutes in the middle of Killua’s room before he heaved a sigh and turned to leave.

“Pack quickly. Father wants to see you soon.” He said without turning around.

Killua waited until he could no longer sense that Illumi was nearby before he placed Alluka on his bed and closed his door. He packed what was needed for the trip, a few changes of clothes, a toothbrush and toothpaste, some money, a large spells and potion book, and a few toiletries and towels all into one bright blue bag. After rushing and shoving everything in as best as he could, he had Alluka stay in his room while he rushed to go see his father.

*

Killua walked into his father’s work area, casting looks about trying to find his father in the poorly lit room.

“Killua, over here.” A voice called from his left. Killua turned to see his father sitting with one of their dogs, the black lights in the room making his silvery hair stand out even more.

Killua liked his father’s room the most out of all of them. It held an aura of ancient magic that even his mother’s didn’t hold, although she created the most potions out of all of them. It was lit with black lights, casting eerie shadows in the already dark room. His father practiced black magic more often than not, but his mother was better at creating spells and potions that were lethal.

Silva smiled at Killua, patting the seat beside him. In the dark of the room, Killua would compare his father to that of the Cheshire cat, only his hair, his eyes and his teeth shone in the dark bluish-light, and what little alabaster skin did show also gleamed.

Killua took his seat next to his father and remained stoic until his father grinned even wider.

“So, tonight’s the night, huh?” He said, giddiness creeping into his own tone.

Killua was nearly vibrating in excitement and began telling his father all of his plans.

*

“The ocean? I’ve been to areas near the ocean for jobs before, it’s great! Good choice.” Silva said with a smile, patting Killua on the back.

“But Killua, no matter if you change your plans or decide you want to go somewhere else, promise me something. Promise me that any friends you make will not be betrayed by you, promise me that you won’t use your magic on them. Just focus on making it on your own out there, but accept help when it comes in the form of friendship and kindness, alright?” Silva said seriously, holding eye contact with Killua.

Killua nodded and a smile broke out on to his face.

“I promise, dad.” Killua said, mimicking his father when Silva brought his thumb to his mouth and nipped it hard causing blood to well up. Both Zoldyck’s pressed their thumbs together, mixing blood to complete the pact.

“A blood promise is one that can’t be taken lightly, so remember that Killua.” Silva said while rising to his feet. Killua nodded and stood with him, only stopping for a brief moment as Silva grabbed something and then followed after his father as they both exited the room.

Killua blinked several times after emerging from the dark and mysterious room, but continued to follow Silva up the stairs until they stood in front of his room. Killua felt a flash of panic, realizing that Alluka was still in there, but his face and posture gave nothing away to Silva.

Killua opened his door for his father, stepping inside while Silva followed. He saw Alluka on his bed, and felt his pulse skyrocket in fear of his father finding her there. Her fur bristled as she saw Killua wasn’t alone and quickly jumped on the bookshelf near Killua’s bed to hide.

Killua did his best to not glance at the shelf, lest he give away where she was hiding, but he had a sinking feeling Silva already knew she was there. He said nothing of it, however, and continued towards Killua’s bed, dropping what he had stopped to grab before he left his work area.

Killua saw black and blue against his pale grey covers before Silva picked one of the pieces of cloth up.

“Get dressed in these.”

*

“Dark blue? Really dad? Any other shade would look better on me…” Killua mumbled as he turned side to side facing the mirror to see how the cloak fit him.

“Killua, dark blue has been the color wizards like us have worn for years. It’s a symbolic and mysterious color. If you had been born a girl, you’d be wearing your mother’s old violet dress, so you take your pick of the two options you have.” Silva said, kneeling on the ground to sew the slightly frayed hem of his old cloak. It fell just above Killua’s ankles, and when he pulled the hood up over his head, he found it lay low enough to almost cover his eyes.

“Nah, I’m good with this.” Killua sighed as he stopped moving for long enough so Silva could finish sewing it roughly.

“I figured as much.” Silva laughed heartily, not taking his eyes off of the uneven hem in front of him. “I would have had your mother sew this instead of me, but I figured you didn’t want that.” Silva chuckled while he stood up, turning Killua to face him so he could finish buttoning up the cloak.

Killua grunted in agreement, glad that his father understood his disdain of his mother.

“You don’t seem surprised that I’m leaving tonight.” Killua slowly brought the subject up as nonchalantly as he could manage.

“I had a bit of a hunch.” Silva said cryptically with a small smile. “You act just like I did as a child, so your spontaneity isn’t as unpredictable as one may think. There, what do you think?” Silva asked, once again spinning Killua around to look in the mirror.

Killua gave himself a once over, starting from his feet up. Besides the cloak, his father had forced him into a pair of black pants and a black shirt, along with boots with more than enough straps and silver buckles to last him a life time. Killua fought off the urge to cringe, thinking ‘For one thing, this isn’t even my style, and for another thing…I look like the damn crypt keeper .’

Killua mentally shook his thoughts away before he took in the cloak his father had finished sewing. It had jagged ends, but they looked deliberately asymmetrical. He had to wonder just how bad his father was at sewing, but shrugged it off and turned to his dad.

“Thanks. It means a lot that you’d let me leave so readily when no one else wants me to go.” Killua said, surprising even himself with how heartfelt his words towards his father were.

“If you’re anything like me, you would have simply ran away the soonest chance you got if we had told you no.” Silva laughed before he ruffled Killua’s hair.

“I’m going to help your mother make calls, so you finish up packing…And Killua? Can you promise me one more thing?” Silva said, stopping in the doorway.

Killua nodded for his father to continue, but visibly paled at his words.

“Take good care of Alluka. I don’t want anything to happen to him.” Silva said, tilting his head towards where she had attempted to hide on the shelf near Killua’s bed.

“Alright…” Killua said weakly as his father closed the door behind him.

Chapter Text

“So you’re gonna find a city by the ocean?” Milluki asked Killua skeptically.

“I’m gonna try, that’s for sure!” Killua said, shifting the bag that rested on his shoulder gently so as to not jostle Alluka around too much while she hid inside.

“Pfft, okay. Have fun, I’ll stay here. Feel free to message me if you want to quit at any time.” Milluki snorted out a harsh laugh, side eyeing Killua disdainfully.

Killua felt himself bristle at Milluki’s tone, but decided against provoking him…Mostly.

“Alright, Piggy. You stay here and rot in your little dungeon with Mother and Father, while I go around and be free. Sounds like a plan, yeah?” Killua sneered, not missing how Milluki looked close to throwing a punch.

“Kil, come here!” Kikyou called, not sounding happy in the slightest.

Killua teasingly waved at Milluki-who was clenching his fist so hard his knuckles were white-before leaving.

“Yes?” Killua asked as he approached his mother.

“Kil, I wanted to ask if you’re sure you want to leave? The world out there isn’t as accepting of witches and wizards as they used to be, you could be slandered, beaten or even killed and-“

“I’ll be fine. I want to leave, more than anything else.” Killua interrupted his mother, knowing that she would go on a tirade until she annoyed him enough to stay.

“You want to leave? After everything we’ve done for you!? Do you hate us that much that you’d abandon us and never come bac-“

“Yes.” Killua once again cut her off, his tone growing even colder.

“…How awful. You hate us that much? Enough to leave forever and not send us any letters telling us how you are, I bet…” If Killua had the ability to see his mother’s eyes, he was sure he’d see false tears glistening in them.

“I’m proud of you, keep pushing people away like this Kil. You don’t need anyone but us, you don’t need friends, only acquaintances.” Kikyou said in a rush, reaching forward to try and pull Killua into a hug. He ducked out of her grasp and began jogging at a brisk pace towards his father, who stood quietly away from the admittedly small and unenthusiastic celebration.

“Was she telling you to stay?” Silva asked as Killua stopped in front of him.

Killua gave a disgruntled nod and looked at Silva questioningly.

“When can I leave?”

“As soon as Zeno arrives. He sure is taking his sweet time though…” Silva said, glancing over Killua’s head to see if Zeno had arrived yet.

“Are you looking for someone, Silva?” A tired voice called out behind them. Killua peered around Silva only to see Zeno standing with a large broom in his hand.

“Grandpa Zeno!” Killua smiled as he darted around Silva to approach Zeno. Zeno held out a single arm to Killua, who willingly stepping into his grandfather’s embrace for a brief moment.

“It’s time for me to leave, right?!” Killua asked, his excitement at the prospect of leaving once again returning.

“Yes, yes. Go get ready and say your goodbyes.” Zeno said, ushering Killua away.

It only took a few minutes for Killua to rush over and say his goodbyes, and within the next minute he was facing his parents, readying himself for more of his mother’s fake waterworks.

“Kil…” She began, her voice sounding watery.

“Killua, your grandfather and I have some things to give you.” Silva interrupted Kikyou this time, motioning for Zeno to step forward. Zeno nodded his thanks to Silva and walked in front of Killua before handing him the broom he was carrying when he arrived.

“This was my father’s broom when he was young, my broom when I was young, and your father’s broom when he was young. Now, it’s your turn to take this broom while you are young, and have it take you wherever you want-no, need to go. Let it take you far away from your troubles for as long as you wish.” Zeno finished, ignoring the mollified look on Kikyou’s face and her horrified whisper of “Father! Take that back!”

Killua smiled and quietly thanked Zeno as he stepped forward to take the broom from his hand. No sooner had his fingers brushed the ancient wood did he feel a surge of power go through him, and it was at that moment he knew with more surety than anything else that he was destined to leave.

Silva nodded at Zeno and took his place in front of Killua, handing him several boxes of varying sizes and weights. Killua let out a grunt as a heavier box was placed into his arms. Killua gave his dad a questioning look, the unasked question on the tip of his tongue.

“It’s a box full of different ingredients. They won’t last forever, but I’ve put a spell on them to preserve them for as long as possible. The heavier of the boxes contains stones, just in case you want to practice varying types of magic. Be sure to find a good trade to follow, one that won’t strain you. You have the ability to become a Death Bringer like us, or you can choose your own path.” Silva finished, ignoring the scathing looks he was getting from Kikyou and Illumi.

Killua thanked his father earnestly before placing the boxes gingerly in his bag, making sure not to crush Alluka by mistake. After that, he turned on his heel and took his position on the broom, swinging one leg over it. Killua felt himself flush as he realized that he had close to no idea what to do in order to get the broom in the air, but after a moment of intense concentration he felt that familiar surge of power flood out of him. What little family that had shown up took a few steps back as dust and wind shot out from underneath Killua as his feet slowly eased off of the ground, the broom taking him higher.

Killua barely noticed, focusing on keeping himself afloat. His hair was brushing against his cheeks and forehead as a small breeze blew around only him, and when he finally felt as though he wasn’t going to fall if he let his concentration slip, he looked down to see his family far beneath him.

“Killua,” Silva called out to him. “remember your promises to me! Both of them!”

“I will!” Killua called back, and as he shot off into the night sky much like an arrow he felt the freedom he had only been dreaming of for years encompass him.

*

Even though the weather was warm, the wind whipping around him made him all the more glad for the thick cloak he had been given, which he pulled closer to his lithe frame to try and preserve more heat.

“Alluka.” Killua called out. “Alluka, are you alright?”

“Yes! I’m fine, it’s just a bit…Cold. And the tiniest bit cramped in here.” She called out from his bag, her voice slightly shaky.

“You can come out now. Climb into the hood of my cloak if you want to.” He said, lifting the flap of his bag. Alluka climbed out and quickly scaled his sleeve, her small claws digging into his arm every now and then.

“Wow…” She said in awe after she had finally settled in his hood.

“Nice view, right?” Killua said with a smile. More than his own freedom, he had wanted Alluka to live like she was normal as well.

Besides Silva and Kikyou ignoring Alluka’s choice to identify as a girl, they had locked her away (more so under Kikyou’s command rather than Silva’s) because she was more powerful on an unpredictable level. Her spells, if done incorrectly, could wreck havoc and turn into curses. Kikyou was more than pleased when she found out Alluka had that ability, but was almost devastated when she found that she couldn’t control when a spell would turn into a curse. If Kikyou found she had no control over something, she would lock it away so she never had to deal with it again.

And that’s exactly what she did with Alluka, her own child.

Killua never placed exactly why he felt it was wrong that he needed to be supervised when playing with Alluka, and why after a few years he needed to play with Alluka through iron bars. His father had used the term “Possessed” one time, but Killua never really understood what he had meant until he saw Alluka change first hand.

‘Nanika’. That was the name he gave to the possessed part of Alluka. Silva said she must have been possessed when practicing black magic one time, but no matter what they did to try and rid Alluka of Nanika, she wouldn’t leave. She was just as kind as Alluka, but had cruel streaks where she would injure or even maim people. She always felt bad afterwards, but the only one who could console her was Killua

The more Killua thought about Alluka’s past, the more he began to realize that he had been seeing less and less of Nanika throughout the years.

“…other. Brother!” Alluka called into his ear.

“Ah! Sorry Alluka, I was thinking…” He said with a sheepish grin as he rubbed the back of his head.

“I asked if we could listen to some music, please!” Alluka said cheerfully as she burrowed deeper into Killua’s hood.

“Sure.” Killua said with a soft smile. He flicked on the radio and put on a cheery, upbeat song for Alluka, but nearly began laughing aloud when he realized the song was about flying.

Killua heard Alluka purring next to his ear as he gently rested the side of his face against her silky fur. Alluka stopped purring for a moment as she leaned forward, seemingly looking into the black night for something.

“Killua, what’s that?” She asked after a moment. Killua squinted in the direction her head had been cocked, trying to see what she had been looking at. A figure dressed in a blue so dark it could have been mistaken for black was nearly blended into the sky, and Killua felt a smile grow on his face.

“I think it’s another witch!” Killua said as he sped up towards the person. The closer he got, the more he could make out the figure.

A smaller boy sat on the broom, a black cat perched in his lap, curled up comfortably. He had his hood pulled mostly over his face, but Killua could see that he had longer pitch black hair. His cloak covered his lower face, and his eyes were currently trained on Killua as he approached.

“Ah, um, I’m Killua.” Killua nearly cursed aloud as he got no reaction from the other boy, but he continued anyways. “I’m a new witch in training, are you new too?”

“…No. I’m returning home tonight. Would you mind turning that off? I like flying in silence.” He said, glancing at Killua before looking directly ahead of him.

“Sure…” Killua said as he reached forward to flick the off switch. After he settled back into place, he remained looking at the other male.

“…I’m Feitan. This is my familiar, Chrollo.” He said after a few moments of silence, gesturing to his cat. The cat raised it’s head and blinked slowly at Killua before it laid down, seemingly going to sleep once again.

“Oh! Right, this is Alluka, she’s my…” Killua stumbled, not sure if he should say his sister or his familiar to this stranger.

“I’m his familiar, nice to meet you!” Alluka said, her forepaws a light pressure against Killua’s shoulder. Feitan looked at her in mild amusement before he turned his gaze once again frontwards.

“This is my stop…Down there.” Feitan tilted his head, showing Killua the gleaming city full of lights beneath them.

“If you ever want your fortune told, or even the weather…Feel free to stop by sometime. Good luck. You might want to stop for the night…A storm is coming.” Feitan said before nearly dropping directly downwards. Killua heard a hiss from Chrollo and an apology from Feitan before he could no longer see the young wizard.

“…That was awkward.” Alluka said, looking after Feitan’s rapidly disappearing form.

“No kidding. Ah, shit! I forgot to ask him if finding a place to live and work is hard!” Killua cursed, wondering if he would run into another witch or wizard that night.

“Alluka? What was that last thing he said? That a storm was coming? He’s crazy, there isn’t a cloud in-“ Killua suddenly cut himself off, a raindrop hitting him dead center on his forehead.

“Oh dear…” Alluka sighed before ducking deep within Killua’s hood.

“Shit! Alluka, where should we go?!” Killua said as more fat droplets of water began pelting his arms and face.

“There’s a train down below I think!” She said, hissing every time a drop of water hit her.

“I’m going for it!” Killua called out as a warning before he dove directly downwards. He flew beside the rapidly moving train, his eyes catching sight of a door that was still open enough for them to squeeze into.

“Alluka, hold on!” Killua shouted to be heard over the torrential downpour. The rain felt like needles of ice pricking into his flesh, the sudden deluge soaking his cloak and shirt. A sudden flash of lightning elicited a cry from both Alluka and him, and it was that moment that Killua decided to take the plunge and flew straight for the door.

“Hold on!” Killua shouted again, getting close enough to the door to let go of the broom. He and Alluka flew inside rapidly, Killua hitting the opposing wall with force enough to take away his breath.

“Are you alright?” He wheezed, trying to catch his breath enough to stand.

“Yeah, I’m fine…” Alluka said weakly as Killua pulled her soaking body from his hood. He pulled a dry towel from his bag and wrapped Alluka in it before he shakily stood and used his remaining strength to close the metal door all the way.

Alluka ducked as the door made an awful screeching noise in protest, but Killua pressed on until no more water could enter through the crack.

“Looks like we’re resting here tonight…” Killua said tiredly as he flopped ungracefully on the ground near Alluka, taking off his heavy cloak and shirt and laying them out to dry. He pulled another towel from the bag and tried to dry his hair as best as he could before wrapping it around his shoulders and laying down, resting his head on his bag. Alluka was still looking at him with her big blue eyes, and Killua felt a flash of guilt.

“Sorry. I didn’t want your first experience of the outside world in so long to be this bad…”

“I’m fine. You didn’t do anything wrong, brother! Thank you for getting me out of that house, it means a lot to me.”

“…Thanks, Alluka. G’night.”

“Good night, Killua. I love you…” Alluka trailed off tiredly, falling asleep within moments. Killua felt his heart leap into his throat at her words, but did not return them. Soon enough, after listening to her steady breathing and barely audible purrs for a while, he fell asleep as well-not noticing the other person watching the both of them from the other side of the metal boxcar.

Chapter Text

“…Hey. Kid. Hey!” Killua awoke with a jolt, grabbing someone’s wrist to stop them from shaking him.

“Ouch! Do you mind?!” The person grumbled irritably.

Killua let go of their wrist and quickly scrubbed at his eyes before looking over to make sure Alluka was still there. Killua nearly snorted at the sight of her still sound asleep and bundled up in the towel he has wrapped her in last night.

‘ Trust Alluka to sleep like the dead… ’ Killua thought fondly while watching, before turning his attention back to the person who had awoken him.

“Man, you’ve got some grip there, kid…” Grumbled the man who was holding his wrist tenderly. “Although, I need to thank you. I couldn’t close that door last night, but you blasted in here like a bat outta hell and slammed that door shut like it was nothing!”

Killua gave the man a weird look before slowly nodding.

“I’m…Sorry?” He offered. He glanced the man over and took note of how shabbily dressed the man was.

‘ Is he…Homeless, perhaps? ’ Killua thought. He suddenly was glad that Alluka’s spell hadn’t worn off yet, not quite sure what the man would have done if he found a pretty girl in the metal cart with him.

“So, you’re a wizard? I haven’t met any other wizards in a long time, it’s a dying trade.” The man said, adjusting the shoddy cap that rested on his head.

“Any other wizards? Are you a wizard?” Killua asked incredulously. ‘There’s no way a hobo like him can be a wizard!’

“Yep. The name’s Ging. Ging Freecs. I’ve been wandering around for a while now, but I was thinking about heading back to the coast to see my son and my ‘sister’, Mito.” Ging explained.

‘ I’ve heard of the name Ging before, he was a famous wizard at one point! Then he basically went off of the radar and no one’s seen or heard about him for years…He must have washed up, he looks awful.’ Killua thought awkwardly, not quite sure if he wanted to believe the man.

“I’m a witch in training, and this” Killua gestured to a still sleeping Alluka. “is my familiar, Alluka.”

“Witch…? And a familiar? Are you sure about that? …He looks like he has one hell of a curse on him.” Ging mumbled the first part, eyeing Alluka warily.

“ She , and what do you mean a curse?” Killua asked, slightly irritated at Ging being so blunt about Alluka.

“Well, either you’re playing dumb and you can’t tell that that cat is a wizard-“

“Witch.” Killua corrected

“ Witch , s’cuse me, and that answers my question. You are aware that that cat was at some point in a human body, but now they aren’t. Sounds like transfiguration gone wrong, or one hell of a curse.” Ging said.

Killua gave a heavy sigh. “Yeah, okay you got me. This is my sister Alluka, and the only way I could get her out of our home was to disguise her as something else. But she isn’t cursed!” Killua argued.

“Then something must have happened to cause her to stay in this form. If she wasn’t cursed, a transfiguration spell would wear off within a few hours. I’d keep an eye on her if I were you.” Ging said seriously.

Killua nodded before he turned and tested the dryness of his clothes that he had left out to air last night. He scowled as he felt his shirt was still slightly damp, but pulled it on anyways before he gently placed his hand on Alluka’s side.

“Alluka…Hey, Alluka. Time to wake up.” He murmured, smiling as she curled into herself in her sleep. Alluka opened her eyes slowly before she sat up and stretched while yawning, her teeth incredibly sharp and small, glistening in the morning light.

“You’d better get going, kid. This train is next to the ocean now, and I’m getting off at its next stop.” Ging said, packing up the small amount of belongings Killua hadn’t noticed he had earlier.

Alluka finished stretching and lazily climbed on top of Killua’s shoulders before perching there.

“Don’t forget your cloak, brother…” She said, still sounding tired. Killua felt his heart swell at how cute she was when she first woke up, still immensely glad that he had brought her along. He coaxed her on to the top of his head while he pulled on his still wet cloak with another scowl, but managed to convince her to stay inside of his hood.

He opened the metal door, once again wincing as it screeched in protest at being moved, but positioned himself on to his broom.

“Alluka…”Killua started nervously, watching how the scenery was whipping past them at a breakneck pace. “Do you just want to wait until the train stops?”

“Killua, you don’t know when this train will stop! And look, there’s a city that looks like it’s resting on the ocean! We should check that place out to see if there are any witches or wizards there yet!” Alluka said, excitement bubbling in her tone.

Killua felt a smile break out on to his face, his nervousness at jumping from a speeding train slowing ebbing away.

“Alright, let’s do it! Hang on!” Killua shouted as he all but faith-jumped from the train. His broom shifted in protest at the high speeds, but he gained control over it in a matter of seconds.

“Good luck with your training!” Killua heard Ging yell from the train. He looked back to see Ging waving before he disappeared behind the doors for good.

“Are you okay Alluka?” Killua asked, brushing some hair from his eyes as the wind blew it there.

“I’m fine! That was so fun, we should do it again some time!” She cheered.

Killua grimaced before laughing loudly, not noticing that he had caught the attention of some sailors below them.

“Hey you up there!!” A few men shouted at Killua in amazement, waving at him. Killua waved back before once again speeding up towards the town.

*

“Run.”

“What? Alluka, what are you talking about-”

“Run! The police are coming!”

“Oh, shit!” Killua began running once again, cursing the moment he had nearly hit the police car that came speeding from around a corner without the lights or sirens on. Ever since then, the two policemen inside of the car had been chasing him and Alluka around the town for something that wasn’t even their fault.

“...Already don’t like this place...Stupid police…” Killua kept grumbling under his breath, quietly enough that Alluka could just barely hear him.

“Well, to be fair this is a city! We shouldn’t have been flying around like that to start with.”

“Yeah, but Alluka they were speeding and had no reason to be, then decided to blame us because they almost started an accident!” Killua shot back, glancing behind him only to see that the young blond police officer was beginning to catch up to them.

“Hey you! Stop right there! Franklin, go around the corner to catch them!” He shouted, pointing at a rounded corner of buildings for the other (admittedly extremely huge) man that was with him.

The taller of the two rolled his eyes but began moving anyways. “That wasn't even their fault, you were the one that was speeding, Phinks!”

‘Franklin? Phinks? Well these two sure are comfortable with each other. And at least the bigger of the two is aware that the other is an idiot!’ Killua growled and began trying to run faster, turning a corner only to be pulled back by the hood of his cloak. A hand was clapped firmly over his mouth, muffling any noises he made as he tried to get a look at his assailant.

“Be as quiet as you can, or we’ll get caught!” A voice whispered in his ear. Alluka hadn’t made a single noise throughout the entire encounter, and it was only after Killua calmed down enough to no longer hear his heart beating in his ears did he hear another rhythmic noise.

“Franklin, did you catch him? I lost sight of the kid when he turned the corner…” The fair haired man ran a little past the alley, seemingly not noticing it at all.

“No, I lost the kid too.” The man known as Franklin stepped in front of the alley, effectively blocking his partner’s view.

“Damn! And just when things were starting to get interesting…”

“He’s a kid,  not a criminal. You’re too reckless, let’s head back to the station.” Franklin rumbled, ushering Phinks away from them. As Phinks sulked back past the alley, Franklin cast a look inside at them and nodded his head.

“Thanks, Franklin!” The person who held Killua’s mouth shut whispered gratefully. A grunt was the only response they got as he trudged after Phinks.

Killua ripped the hand that was covering his mouth off, before he turned around, ready to chew out whoever it was that grabbed him so suddenly. As he began to open his mouth and verbally assault the other kid, the words died in his throat.

The boy looking back at him seemed to be around his age, but despite the serious situation they had just narrowly avoided he had a million-watt smile on his face.

“So who are you, and are you a wizard?” The boy asked, holding his hand out to Killua. Killua glanced at his hand and took it cautiously.

“Killua. Killua Zoldyck. And yeah, I’m a witch in training. You are…?”

“Oh! I never introduced myself, now did I? I’m Gon! Nice to meet you, Killua!” Boisterous laughter echoed off of the dingy walls of the alley after the introduction.

“So, I saw you flying earlier! Killua’s really good at flying, aren’t you? Could you teach me how to fly?”

“I-wait, I just met you, and-”

“Sure he could teach you how to fly!” Alluka chose this moment to pop out of Killua’s hood, climbing on top of his head to greet Gon.

“I’m Alluka, and this is my big br-I mean, my master. I’m his familiar!”

Gon looked awed at the sight of her and let out another laugh before waving.

“So Killua would really teach me? Really?” Gon looked so excited that Killua actually had to look away from him so he wouldn’t cave immediately.

“I mean sure, why not. B-but not now! I’m a witch in training after all, and I need to find a trade. I’m sure we’ll meet again, so I really need to go now. Thank you very much for your help, but I’ll be seeing you!” Killua ran off without a seconds notice, shifting on to his broom and launching himself into the air.

Alluka dug her claws into his shoulder and let out a shriek of joy before tapering off with giggles.

“Hey, Killua? Why did you leave so suddenly like that? It seemed like you liked that boy, and he was very nice.” She asked after her giggles subsided.

Killua shifted uncomfortably before sighing heavily and answering her.

“Alluka, I didn’t come here to make nice-nice with every person in town. Yes he was nice, but I have to take my role seriously and find a job or it’s game over and we go back home. And I felt, I don’t know...Strange around him?” Killua offered, not quite sure how to word it.

“Ohhh~Do you like him, brother? Like the strange, was it ‘butterflies in your tummy’ kind of strange?” Alluka teased, eliciting a strangled indignant cry from Killua as he swerved on his broom.

“Alluka be serious! And no, it was more of a...Dangerous vibe? I felt like he was hiding something.”

“I don’t know, he seemed like a pretty honest guy to me. And besides, I don’t think he was a killer or anything like that. All he had with him was that bicycle...and a fishing rod. Not really killer material, if you ask me.” Alluka added the last part airily, and Killua lightly flicked at her ear in response to her sass.

Chapter Text

“Hey, Mel! Meleoron! You left your package here! Heeeyyyy!!” A woman was shouting below where Alluka and Killua were flying, leaning heavily over the railing to catch someone’s attention from above.

Killua eased the broom down and landed beside the woman, who appeared to be heavily pregnant. The sudden feeling of a breezing lifting at the hem of her lilac dress caught her attention and she faced Killua fully.

“Oh, are you another customer? I’ll be with you in a moment if you don’t mind, my friend down their left his...package with me, and I need to get it to him as soon as possible.” The woman seemed weary and it didn’t go unnoticed by Killua how she kept shifting on her feet as though her ankles were bothering her.

“Hey, which one is he? The one you want to give the package to.” Killua asked. The woman looked over him carefully for a moment before turning and pointing at a man wearing a tan jumpsuit who was walking aimlessly in the downtown market.

“Okay, no problem. I can get it to him in a second, here.” Killua took the package from the woman’s hands and used his free hand to hoist himself on top of the railing.

“You ready Alluka?” Killua asked, lightly rubbing his face against Alluka’s soft fur.

“Yup! Let’s go!!” She purred excitedly.

“Hey kid, wait a second, what are you-ohmygod don’t jump, you’ll die! Hey wait-!” The woman reached for him second after he jumped, her fingertips just lightly brushing his cloak before he began to plummet.

She watched in wonder as he began to rise with the wind, his broom taking him towards Meleoron. Killua dropped to the ground only a few feet in front of the man and held out the package.

“The lady up there said you left this at her shop and that you needed it, so I figured I’d bring it to you.” He explained as the man took it out of his hands. The man himself looked a little abnormal, his eyes were bulging a little too much to be normal, and he appeared to have incredibly dry skin-so dry it looked like scales.

‘Maybe he has Grave’s disease? Maybe the package was a medicine after all…’

“Oh man! Thanks, you saved my skin here! I bet you’re wondering what’s in the package, aren’t you?”

“Uh, no not really-”

“I get it, you’re actually super curious! It’s a transfiguration potion, because you see…” Meleoron glanced around to see if anyone else was listening in on them, even though the area was mostly clear. “...I’m not actually a human. Don’t tell anyone though! Although, judging by the way you flew over here, you’re no average human as well!”

“Uh, yeah, I’m a witch in training actually.”

“Oh man, in training? I remember when Peggy was in training…-Oh wait! Peggy was like my dad, y’know? And-”

“I actually really have to get going now…” Killua winced as he interrupted the man, who seemed like he would go on forever.

“Oops sorry, I’m not normally like this! Being chatty, I mean, it’s just that-Wait, nevermind, you go on ahead. And tell Palm that I said thanks and that I owe her big time!” Meleoron waved cheerfully at Killua as he took off, heading back towards the woman in the purple dress.

“Y’know a little warning that you were a wizard would have been nice!” The woman stormed up to him and grabbed him by the ear. “I thought you were going to kill yourself! Ugh, if my child ends up being that reckless I might die prematurely!”

“Hey! Hey, I delivered that package for you, didn’t I?” Killua grumbled, not quite sure of what to make of this forceful woman. “And that man, Meleoron, right? He wanted me to tell you thanks, and that he owed you big time. Can you let go of me, uhm, Ms. Palm?” Killua faltered on her name, but figured that trying to address her properly might win him some points.

“Hm? Oh!” Palm let go of his smarting ear, allowing Killua to rub tenderly at it. “Sorry, you just had me worried! It’s not often that we get wizards and witches in this town, so I thought you were some crazy kid about to jump to his death!” She said apologetically.

“If I weren’t so pregnant, I would have ran down and gave it to him myself and had my husband watch the store for me, but then you came along and literally saved me! Sorry I just punished you like that for helping me out. Can I make it up to you by offering you a drink?” Palm asked, already ushering Killua inside of the store while he introduced himself.

“Honey! I’m bringing someone out back, his name is Killua, so be nice!”

“Okay.” The man who called back was slight in frame and looked to be almost sickly pale.

“That’s my husband, Knov.” Palm explained as they continued walking. She led Killua to a small room in the back of the store where some water was already beginning to boil.

“Do you like hot chocolate? Or would you prefer tea?” Palm asked as she grabbed two cups.

“Killua is obsessed with chocolate!” Alluka finally took this moment to pop out of the back of Killua’s hood once again.

“It’s not an obsession! And nice to see you speaking again, you didn’t say anything at all to that Meleoron guy.” Killua said, pulling her from his hood to seat her on the table.

“Hot chocolate it is! And I take it she’s your familiar? It’s not often one sees a talking cat, even with a witch or wizard.” Palm asked as she placed a small bowl of cold milk on the table for Alluka, stirring some more into Killua’s cup.

“Yeah, this is Alluka. I’m a witch in training, and I was wondering if this town has any wizards or witches living here yet.” Killua answered, taking the steaming cup from Palm with a nod of thanks.

Palm seats herself as she answers Killua’s question with a “Nope. Not in years.”

“Sweet! Looks like we’ll be staying here, huh Killua?” Alluka says as she sprawls across the table. Palm laughs and reaches forward to scratch at Alluka’s tummy, who purrs in response.

“So where are you staying, anyways? There aren’t too many apartments that will let someone as young as you live in.” Palm asked while idly stirring her drink.

“We don’t really have a place to stay right now, to be honest…” Killua grumbled quietly. They had been in the process of looking for a place to stay before they were interrupted by the wonderful Franklin/Phinks duo.

“Oh? Well why didn’t you say anything! Knov and I have a spare room that we don’t use that’s attached to the store, so you can stay there until you get on your feet if you’d like!” Palm smiles warmly at Killua as she offers him.

“Would you really not mind?” Killua asked slowly, making sure that it was really okay.

“Of course not, I wouldn’t have offered if I did mind! Now come, bring your drink with you and I’ll show you the room!”

*

“It’s so big~!” Alluka cheered as she jumped out of Killua’s arms and darted to the bed that resided in the back of the room.

Killua turned to Palm. “Is this really okay?”

“Of course! But, in exchange will you help out around the store? A wizard like you should have some experience with potion ingredients.”

“Potion ingredients?” Killua asked with interest.

“Did Meleoron tell you nothing about what you gave him? That’s unusual, he can go on for days about things people don’t ask him about. We sell potions and potion ingredients here! Usually medicines and salves are the main sellers, but sometimes people like Meleoron come in and ask for transfiguration potions to hide their identities or else it will spell trouble for them...No pun intended.” Palm finished explaining with a wink as she handed Killua the sheets she had brought with her.

“Alright. I can definitely do that. I’m good at sorting ingredients and making basic potions, but I don’t know about medicines...I didn’t come from a family that is well known for their healing abilities.” Killua finished lamely, not quite sure how else to put it.

“What is it that you said your last name was again?” Palm asked as she forced open the small window in the room to let in some air.

“Zoldyck.”

Palm froze for a second before turning to him. “That’s quite a name you bear. I see what you mean by not coming from a healing family, but whether or not your family is that of Hearth people of Death Bringers means nothing here. You are just Killua to us, remember that.” Palm said softly.

Killua refused to look at her and opted for only nodding.

“Well, it’s been a long day for you, kiddo! You go and get some rest, I’ll bring you some food in a bit if you’d like. I’ll get you in the morning to show you your way around the shop, and maybe even teach you the way to make a few basic salves.”

“Alright...And Palm?” Killua called as the woman was about to leave the room.

“Hm? What’s up?”

“Thanks.” Killua said softly.

“No problem! Rest up, because I’m gonna make you work your fair share tomorrow!” Palm said as she waved and closed the door to his room.

Chapter Text

“Killua! Wake up! Look at the sunrise with me!” Alluka pounced on him repetitively until he finally groaned and playfully swatted her away from him.

“Alright, alright! I’m up!” He laughed, throwing the sheets off of himself animatedly.

“Ugh, Allukaaaaa!” Killua whined as he looked out of the small window in their room. “It’s too early! The sun hasn’t even come up yet.”

“Yeah, but Killua! Look at the ocean! Isn’t it so pretty?” Alluka had perched herself on the windowsill overhanging the stairwell to their room.

“Mmm. You’re right, it is. Hey, Alluka? Can you see that?” Killua asked, pointing towards a small figure walking on the beach.

“Who walks on the beach when it’s still this dark…?” Alluka asked curiously.

“I don’t really know, but do you wanna check it out?” Killua asked, a mischievous glint in his eye.

*

“It is too early. To be. This. Cold.” Killua deadpanned. He and Alluka made a ‘crash-landing’ of sorts into the ocean, effectively soaking them to the bone.

“Ah! Are you alright? I heard someone call my name loudly, then I see you on your broom swerving out of control and hit the water, that must have hurt!” Gon winced as he imagined the pain of hitting the water face first.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Alluka bailed at the last second, so she’s not wet, and perfectly happy.” Killua cast a mock glare at Alluka, who had jumped from his hood as he headed straight for the water.

“How was I supposed to know that you would veer when I called out to Gon?” She asked innocently, blinking her large, blue eyes.

“It was really quiet, in Killua’s defense! I would be surprised if someone shouted near me when it was still early in the morning too.” Gon said with a grin, extending his hand to Killua who still sat in the water.

“Thanks.” He said, grabbing Gon’s hand firmly and hauled himself out of the water. That gnawing feeling was back that something was off about Gon, but Killua decided to ignore the warning bells that were going off for seemingly no reason in his head.

“So what are you doing out here so early?” Killua asked as he struggled out of his cloak.

“I was going to go fishing! I go fishing just about every morning, but I think Killua might have scared all of the fish away!” Gon laughed as Killua shot him a dirty look.

“I know you’re probably soaking wet and want to change, but do you want to stay and watch the sunrise with me?” Gon asked as he shouldered his fishing rod.

After glancing at Alluka (whose eyes clearly were begging him to say yes), Killua nodded then shoved some wet hair out of his eyes.

“Can I go change first? I’ll come back.” Killua said. Gon nodded vigorously in agreement before speaking again.

“I’ll go set up a little area not too far from here! I’m sure Killua’ll see me!” Gon ran off with a wave, and before Killua could stop her, Alluka ran off after him.

“Consider me staying with him leverage to make sure you come back!” Alluka laughed as she trotted beside Gon.

Killua fondly smiled as he watched her follow after Gon, but shook himself out of his reverie before he took to home to quickly change.

*

“Killua, Killua! You’re going to miss the sunrise if you take much longer!” Gon was waving him forward from where he and Alluka sat in the sand, the sky substantially lighter than before.

“What the hell, I was gone for like 5 minutes!” Killua said as he dropped off of his broom, jogging over to where the other two were sitting.

They sat in silence for a while, watching the sky change from a pinkish-gray to a vivid red-orange in a matter of minutes. Soon, all of them were squinting at the sunlight, bright and borderline harsh on their eyes.

“It’s too bad there might be a storm later…” Gon said suddenly, breaking the silence.

“Ha? What do you mean?” Killua asked, stretching his back until it popped.

“Haven’t you heard the saying? “Red in the morning, that’s a warning; Red at night, sailor’s delight”?” Gon asked as he stood up. Killua stood with him while shaking his head.

“I never really paid much mind to the sky before.” He admitted.

Gon looked appalled. “You mean, you spend all that time flying around in the sky, but you never paid any attention to it? All I ever do is look at the sky!”

“It just never crossed my mind, I guess.”

“Killua, don’t take for granted the fact that you can fly!” Gon tried to say sternly, but a grin broke out on his face.

“Yes, mother…” Killua rolled his eyes. A sudden surge of dizziness overtook him for a moment, a voice asking a question inside of his head.

‘Would you give up everything?’

“What the hell?” Killua asked, swaying slightly while pressing a hand to his forehead. Gon placed his hands on Killua’s shoulders to stabilize him.

“Are you alright Killua?” At Gon’s probing, Killua nodded.

“I’m fine. Oh shit, Alluka! Palm might have already come to wake us up, and we aren’t there! Sorry Gon, but we need to go!”

“Killua, wait! When will I get to see you again?” Gon asked before Killua could get too far away.

“That’s right, I told you I’d teach you how to fly! Hmm, I live at the Siberia Shop at the top of the hill, and I might be working, so stop by some time and we’ll figure it out!” Killua answered before taking off. Gon watched in awe at the skill Killua had at his disposal before taking off himself.

*

“Late? You aren’t late!” Palm laughed loudly at how flustered Killua looked. “Killua, it’s about 7 in the morning, you’re fine! I do have a job for you already though, if you think you’ll be up for it later.” Palm said with a grin.

“Already? Sure, I’m down for that.” Killua said.

“I made a potion for a good friend of mine, but I think Knov’s friend Morel will be stopping by at around 9 or 10 to drop off a package that goes with the potion. Do you think you could fly them to where they need to go?” Palm asked with a hopeful glint in her eye.

“Yeah, sure. Sounds easy enough.” Killua agreed. Time passed as Palm showed him the different ingredients they had while they waited for Morel to arrive.

“Guess who’s here!” A loud voice boomed into the empty store, startling Killua. A man who was fairly tall walked through the door with pure white hair that fell down to his shoulders.

“Hey Alluka, is that guy wearing…” Killua whispered, but Alluka finished for him. “ Mini coke bottle shades!”

“Ah, Morel! Perfect timing! Killua, come here. Morel, this is Killua, my new ‘slave’.” Palm joked as she gestured towards Killua.

“Nice to meetcha kid! I have a package for you to deliver to a little girl who lives with a friend of mine. It’s her birthday, so I wanted to get it to her before the end of the day, do ya think you can do it?” Morel asked.

“Sure, no problem.” Killua nodded, taking the ‘package’ from the man. The package ended looking more like a square wire cage with a stuffed mouse in it, but Killua didn’t really care.

“I wrote out directions to the place on that little card hanging on the top,” Morel pointed at said card. “I hope you won’t get lost, but go ahead and take the scenic route if you do! Life’s always better with a bit of excitement, after all. Palm, I’d love to stay and chat with you and your new kid here, but I need to talk with Knov for a bit if you don’t mind.”

“He’s out back in the workshop, go ahead and let yourself in.” Palm said, gesturing to the side door of the building. Morel nodded to both Palm and Killua before leaving the room.

“Let me get you the potion I made, and then you can be off!” Palm said before busting around the counter to grab the small brown bag that contained the item. Killua took it and began heading to the front door with a wave of his hand at Palm.

“I’ll be back!”

*

It didn’t take Killua long to reach high into the sky. Alluka had already requested that the radio be turned on, so soft music filtered through the air with them.

“Killua, look at how huge that forest is! Can we fly over it?” Alluka asked excitedly.

“I’m on it!” Killua said before dropping down suddenly and drifting over the forest. Alluka laughed in excitement during the fall, but grew quiet as she peacefully took in her surroundings above and below them.

“Wow, Alluka look!” Killua gestured to the forest below them. A clearing sat surrounded by thick trees, but in the middle was a small cottage that had a garden overflowing with flowers.

“It’s so cute! I had no idea you liked cute little cottages in the woods, Killua!” Alluka laughed.

“But look at the flowers! Alluka do you recognize those flowers?” Excitement bubbled in Killua’s voice as he pointed them out.

“There are Datura Inoxia, Datura Metel, and even Datura Stramonium! Those are all night flowers, and even more so-they’re all toxic to some degree! The person who lives there is no average gardener. The hag has these flowers in our yard as well, which dad packed me a few in those boxes. I mentioned them to Palm, and it turns out that if you use them correctly, the poison can be extracted and they can be used as a medicine. Isn’t that so cool!?” Killua was positively glowing with excitement at the discovery of such a garden in an area near where they lived.

“Maybe if we hurry and finish the job, we’ll have enough time to stop by that house and ask a few questions?” Alluka offered.

“Are you really okay with that? Alright, let’s do it!” Killua sped off in the direction that their client was waiting, more than ready to get the job over with.

*

“Are you…Kite?” Killua asked, looking at the name next to the scribbled directions. The young girl in front of him nodded hesitantly, and Killua vaguely noticed a man exit from the house while they were talking.

“I’m here to deliver a present to you!” Killua said with a smile.

“Oh, a present? From whom?” The young girl asked, tucking a few strands of her long red hair behind her ear.

“Let’s see…” Said the man with slicked back hair. He had a beak-like nose, and it was Killua’s best guess to say that he was the young girl’s guardian. He gingerly grabbed the cage from Killua and opened it enough to grab the card that was leaning against the mouse-like toy.

“It’s from Uncle Morel. He wishes you a happy birthday.” The man said, handing the young girl back the cage.

“Thank you for the present, mister.” Kite said, bowing lowly before she looked up at the man next to her.

“Go ahead and play with your new toy, just be sure to call Morel and thank him later, alright?”

“I will. Thank you.” Kite took off to head inside and Killua nearly sighed in relief, knowing that his first official job was done and over with.

“Thank you so much for delivering the present to us. My name is Colt.” Colt held out his hand and Killua took it, shaking it firmly before letting his hand return to his side.

“I also have a package from Palm to give to…” Killua hesitated as he read the tag on the parcel. “You? Mr. Colt?” Killua asked as he handed the package over.

“You’re quite the delivery person, now aren’t you? Give Morel and Palm my regards if you see them later, alright? Thanks again.” Colt turned and head back inside, and Killua had never been so glad to have a conversation that short.

The moment the door closed and both Colt and Kite were inside, Killua mounted his broom once again.

“Let’s go Alluka! Back to the forest!”

“Alright!”                                                      

*

Killua flew back at top speeds, laughing as the wind tousled his hair and blew Alluka’s fur in every direction as she sat on his shoulder.

“It’s such a nice day! I’m so glad we have a chance to stop by the woods today, it’s perfect for this weather!” Alluka purred, flexing her claws into Killua’s shoulder slightly.

“True, but I hope the person who owns that cottage isn’t the type to shoot someone on sight!” Killua laughed some more as he and Alluka continued to chat until the cottage was back in sight.

“Incoming!” Killua and Alluka both shouted with smiles as they dove straight down into the clearing. Birds scattered at their volume, but the forest was still lively with other animals. Killua had a feeling that he and Alluka looked more windblown than presentable, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care much as he walked to the door of the house and knocked.

“Coming~♥!” A male called from inside. Heavy footsteps and a loud crash were heard, along with a muffled ‘Oh no’ from the person coming to the door. After a few minutes of hearing shuffles and clatters as whatever had fallen was being righted, a man with a shock of red hair answered the door.

“Hello, hello ♦! It isn’t often I get visitors, is there something I can do for you?” He asked. Killua noted that he had a paintbrush tucked behind one ear and many smears of paint along his cheeks. Alluka couldn’t help but to laugh at the man before Killua had a chance to say anything.

“Mr, you have paint all over your face! Some of it looks like a star on one cheek, and a teardrop on another!” She giggled, jumping off of Killua’s shoulder and on to the man’s.

“Oh? And who is this cute little kitten?” He asked, scratching under Alluka’s chin while she purred happily.

“My name is Alluka, and this is my br-master, Killua!” She chirped before licking at the man’s fingers. She made slight noise in the back of her throat before sticking her tongue back out.

“You had paint on your fingers!” She sounded accusing, but amused as the man apologized with a laugh.

“My name is Hisoka ♣. I am but a humble magician-turned-painter that lives in these lonely woods.” He answered dramatically, placing his hands on his hips.

“Hi there, Mr. Hisoka. We were just wondering if we could look at the flowers you have here around your house. They caught my interest as I was flying by before, and I wanted a closer look.” Killua asked, fighting the urge to cringe away from the gaudy male.

“Oh, go right ahead! I wasn’t actually the person who planted these flowers, but I am the one who takes care of them! I would be careful if I were you though-there are some dangerous flowers out there that could kill you ♠.” Hisoka warned, taking Alluka off of his shoulder before handing her back to Killua.

“Alluka, you caught that, right? Go ahead and wander around, but be careful!” Killua said sternly, clearly in big brother mode, before he placed her on the ground and let her run free.

He watched her run up to a few different flowers for a moment before Hisoka spoke to him.

“Are you a wizard, perhaps?”

“A witch in training. My family grows flowers like these at their house, and they’re great for making potions with.” Killua explained.

“Ah, the same goes for my old friend who planted these! His family was notorious for killing people, and he was given the seeds of a few different flowers to grow and cultivate on his own if he so chose, but he just planted them, let them sprout a bit, and then left. Not a very sociable fellow, but pretty interesting. You seem just as interesting as he was though, all shrouded in dark blue and mystery. You would make a great subject for art.” Hisoka jumped from one topic to another like it was part of a circus act, but he left his unasked question hanging in the air for Killua to answer if he chose to.

“If I were a subject in a piece of art, what would I get from it?” Killua asked with a smirk.

“I would pay you for your time, or if you’d like, you could take some of these flowers to use in making potions.” Hisoka offered.

At the prospect of collecting more useful ingredients, Killua perked up. “I’ll think about it. May I go look around?” Killua asked finally.

“Sure thing~♦ Make sure to keep in touch with me about being my subject sometime, I really meant it.” Hisoka said before gesturing to the garden. He leaned heavily against the wooden doorframe as Killua left, his arms crossed-leaving even more paint smears on his biceps than before.

*

The garden was massive, chock full of dangerous plants. Some flora was less dangerous than others, and some wasn’t toxic in the slightest. Killua surprised himself when he found out that his favorite flower wasn’t any of the ones he was familiar with, but the Morning Glory-like vines that snaked around the sides of the house and ground.

“They’re called Moon Flowers.” Hisoka told Killua without looking up from his sketchbook. He had disappeared for some time inside of his house before he re-emerged with the well worn book.

“Why are they called that?” Killua asked, glancing down when he felt something twining around his ankle. Alluka looked up at him and purred softly, digging her claws into his pants in order to climb up his body.

“They only bloom at night. Very pretty, if you ask me. They almost seem to glow if you look close enough…but maybe that’s just the artist in me speaking ♣.” Hisoka stretched languidly on the porch as he spoke, drawing attention to his movements.

“If you stay much longer, you might just see them bloom.”

Killua’s head shot up at his words, looking to the sky to see if what he said rang true. The sun was already starting to set, casting a magnificent collage of colors throughout the sky.

“Shit! Alluka, we need to go! The port city isn’t too far away, but I bet Palm is pissed that we took so long! Oh man…” Killua hurriedly grabbed his broom from where he left it earlier, and mounted it quickly.

“Thank you Mr. Hisoka!” Both kids called out as they began rising towards the sky.

“No problem! Come back any time, now~♥!” Hisoka waved as they rose higher and higher, not stopping until they were well out of sight.

*

It was pitch black by the time Alluka and Killua were remotely close to their new home, but Killua continued to fly without hesitation.

“Are you hungry?” He suddenly asked Alluka, who was yawning.

“Not s’much hungry, but I’m really tired…” She said.

“Mmm…Same. Let’s hit the hay as soon as we get home, alright?” He said. Alluka was already starting to nod off in his lap, prompting Killua to chuckle.

“Oh! That weird painter guy who had all those toxic flowers? He said he wants to do a painting with me in it sometime.” Killua told Alluka.

“Oh? It wouldn’t happen to be an inappropriate painting, would it?” Alluka said sleepily, still managing to tease Killua.

“Alluka! Of course not, I would never agree to something like that!” Killua sounded actually offended, but that was only because he could see someone as creepy as Hisoka actually asking him for something like that.

Alluka only giggled in response, and they spent the rest of the ride in silence until they made it back to the store. Killua landed near the door, but he quickly saw the sign that now hung outside of the shop depicting him and Alluka in his hood while he was riding on his broom.

Killua immediately ran inside with a smile seeing Palm sitting behind the counter.

“What’s up with the sign?” Killua asked, trying to downplay how excited he was about it.

“Knov and Morel made it for you! It’s supposed to help get your business out there.” Palm explained with a smile. Knov walked out of the back room looking sheepish, and Killua couldn’t help breaking out into a smile and running up to him to hug him quickly.

“Thank you Knov! It’s great!” He cheered, still holding tight to the clearly flustered man while Palm laughed behind them.

‘Looks like things are working out for you, aren’t they big brother?’ Alluka thought fondly as she watched the scene unfold from where she was perched on the counter.

Chapter Text

Killua found himself being violently awoken, as though someone had dumped a bucket of ice water on him.

“What the hell?!? What’s going on??!” Killua shouted, sitting up straight. “Where the hell am I…?”

Killua felt as though all the air had been forced from his lungs as he looked at his surroundings. He was sitting in the middle of a field covered in flowers, the night sky burning with bright stars. Killua rubbed at his eyes, wiping the sleep from them, but nothing changed around him when he blinked.

“Holy shit…” His words carried across the mostly empty field with ease, despite the fact that he had been whispering.

A noise, quieter than a gentle exhale of breathe sounded off above him, prompting Killua to lean back on his arms to see above him. A black mass cancelled out the lights from above, swooping in as though it were a bird. Killua jumped on to his feet the moment he realized the creature was aiming towards him, but held his arms in front of him as a defensive measure.

The moment the creature was supposed to hit him, Killua felt as though he has fallen into a lake and was slowly sinking down. The deeper into the ‘lake’ he went, the less he began to struggle, accepting his fate-whatever it may be. Suddenly a voice, quieter and clearer than crystal, whispered in his ear-

“Would you give up everything?”

*

Killua jolted awake, this time in his actual bed. Alluka sleepily picked her head up to look at him, but after assessing that they weren’t in any danger, fell back asleep.

Killua dragged his hand down his face, letting it drop into his lap as he breathed heavily. He felt vaguely nauseous, and actually quite concerned about the question.

“Would you give up everything?”

“Hell no, why should I?” Killua grumbled softly, rolling over and taking some of the comforter with him. He curled back up to sleep, but the pounding in his head kept him from sleeping restfully.

*

“Killua! Alluka! It’s time to wake up! I have a few more jobs for you two today!” Palm shouted from the bottom of the stairwell. “Also, Killua! A boy named Gon came by earlier asking for you, I told him to come back later, so be ready for that!”

Killua groaned and pulled the blanket over his eyes, trying his best to ignore Alluka who was sitting on his chest and yawning.

“Hey, we should go now…” She spoke, still sounding tired.

Killua sighed and let the blanket fall, pushing his way up until he was sitting. He languidly stretched and got dressed slowly, still not feeling rested for all the sleep he got last night.

“What jobs am I doing, Palm?” Killua asked as he entered the main room of the store, shoving his hands in his pockets before leaning heavily on the doorway. Palm gave him a once over before raising a brow.

“Didn’t sleep? Or did this rebellious teen throw a rager of a party last night? You look like shit, no offence.”

Killua snorted. “None taken, and I’ve been hearing this weird voice. It keeps asking me questions, but it’s only happened twice so I’m not worried.”

“Hm, well if it continues, let me know?” It wasn’t really a question, but more of Palm telling Killua to talk to her about it.

“Yes, mother…” Killua cracked a tired grin before stepping behind the counter. Palm handed him two small lists and pointed towards the ingredients.

“Someone ordered a potion of luck, and another ordered a talisman of love. Grab the ingredients from the store and work on them for me, will you? I have to finish this potion of divine protection that someone ordered, and it’s no walk in the park.” Palm said as she turned back to the mortar and pestle she was using to grind stones to a fine powder with.

Killua glanced over the lists and decided to work on the potion of luck first, grabbing ingredients from the shelves.

“Let’s see…I need yellow daisy petals, finely ground, and a small piece of yellow quartz, in the shape of a star…Alluka, can you grab the yellow quartz? I’ll go grab the lemon juice, sugar, yellow daisy petals, and deactivated Dragon’s Blood.” Killua asked before heading off in the direction of his ingredients. Alluka happily went to go find the yellow quartz and grabbed a small piece in her mouth, carrying it back over to where Killua had sat down to begin working. She dropped it on the small desk and sat, watching Killua crush the petals into a paste. After time, the paste began to turn crumbly, and clumped together in small bunches.

“I’m going to leave this in the sun for a bit to dry some more.” Killua announced as he stood up, cracking his back before he picked up the daisy paste and placed it in the sunlight that filtered in from the windows.

After coming back, Killua grabbed a small potion bottle and placed the quartz in the bottom. He used his hands to crush the Dragon’s Blood into a fine powder, sprinkling it over the quartz. He filled half the bottle with lemon juice and added two spoonfuls of sugar while grimacing.

“Alluka, I feel bad for anyone who needs a potion of luck, they’re always so…”

“Sour? Gross?” Alluka offered while also making a face.

“Yeah, both of those words.” Killua laughed before he lightly patted Alluka’s head and scratched behind her ear. She purred happily even after he stopped.

Killua finished the rest of the potion and finished grinding the petals into powder before adding them as well. He placed a cork in the top of the bottle and lightly waved his hand over it, a blue crackle of magic covering the bottle temporarily as he placed it in the sun.

“Now we wait for about an hour and let it soak up natural sunshine to strengthen the effects. Next we work on the love talisman-“

The door to the shop opened with a soft chime, a cool breeze coming in with the person who had just entered.

“Mrs. Palm! Is Killua up yet?” A familiar voice filtered through the aisles as Killua listened. There was no noise other than footsteps after that, so Killua was assuming that Palm has merely pointed in his direction before going back to work.

“Ah! Killua, I found you!” Gon said before he jogged over to where Killua was sitting. Alluka immediately jumped on to Gon’s shoulder and nuzzled into his neck as a greeting.

“Hi Alluka! It’s good to see you again!” Gon giggled as Alluka’s whiskers tickled at his neck.

“Hi, Gon. Did you need us for something or it this just a spur of the moment visit?” Killua asked as he searched through the ingredients he needed for the talisman.

“I just wanted to see you again!” Gon said with a grin. Killua felt heat creeping up his neck at his words.

‘How can he say something like that without any shame?’

“T-that’s cool, but I’m actually working right now. I gotta make this talisman of love before…” Killua glanced at the scribbled time before wincing. “Before a half an hour has passed. ‘Scuse me!” Killua darted past Gon to grab the ingredients he needed.

“Let’s see, let’s see…! Rose petals-dried and slightly crushed, rose dew-5 drops, rose quartz-heart shaped with 48 facets, sandalwood chips, beads-made of gold and synthetic rubies—Damn this is one expensive talisman!” Killua hissed as he struggled to hold all of the ingredients. Gon and Alluka watched as Killua all but flew by them, placing ingredients all over the table.

“Alluka, can you grab me some red wire? I have the pouch, but I want to put wire on it in case the person who ordered this doesn’t have pockets.” Killua asked without looking up. Alluka nodded before jumping off of Gon’s shoulder to grab the wire that sat near Palm.

“Do you need any help?” Gon asked hopefully.

“No, it’s fine. Thanks though.” Killua said as he slid the rose quartz into the cloth bag before he placed the sandalwood and lightly crushed rose petals in as well. He grabbed a dropper from the drawer of the desk and placed 5 small drops of the dew inside of the bag, closing it and nearly tying it before cursing.

“I nearly forgot the beads…!” Killua frantically shoved the beads into the bag, officially tying it closed just as Alluka came back with the wire in her mouth.

“Thanks Alluka, and just in-” Another chime of the door, and another customer hand entered.

“I’m here to pick up a talisman?” They asked, and Palm’s voice could be heard answering them.

“My assistant should be doing the finishing touches on it right now. He’s over there if you’d like to watch.”

Killua didn’t seem to hear Palm or the customer approaching his workspace as he tied the cloth with the wire Alluka had brought him. His hands audibly crackled with the amount of magic he was imbuing the talisman with, once again an electric shade of blue covering his creation.

The man who had ordered the talisman watched in awe as the wildly dancing magic cast moving shadows across his face. Palm looked impressed with his abilities, while Gon was almost bouncing with excitement.

“Amazing…” The client breathed out as the last of Killua’s magic fizzled away. The talisman was completed, and Killua handed it over to the man with a single nod. The man thanked him, seemingly still awed at the demonstration of magic that he had just witnessed. Palm escorted the man to the store’s door and stood by the entrance until he left, waving politely as he walked away.

“Killua is amazing!” Gon cheered, sitting on the desk that Killua had just been working on. Killua cracked a grin, feeling less tired than before.

“Thanks, Gon. So was there something you wanted?”

“Ah, about that-”

“Killua, you’ve done enough work today, I’d say.” Gon and Killua both turned to Palm as she spoke while walking back over to them, resting her hand on her round stomach.

“Why don’t you two boys go and play? I can stay here with Alluka to guard the shop.” Palm offered, casting a smile and a wink at Alluka. Alluka purred and jumped up on Palm’s shoulder while agreeing.

“Yeah, I can stay and help Palm out while you and Gon go and play! I had a chance to talk with Gon yesterday morning, now it’s your turn!”

Both boys looked at each other before grinning and nodding.

“Hey Gon, do you want me to take you flying today? I know a great place we can go!” Killua asked as he picked up a few things on his work desk, straightening it out a bit.

“Really?! Alright!! Let’s go anywhere, Killua!” Gon cheered. He raced over to the door before shouting back at Killua. “I’ll be waiting outside!”

“Kay!” Killua called as he rushed to his room. Palm watched the two running about wildly with a grin, idly stroking Alluka’s head.

“I’m proud of Big Brother, he used to be kinda afraid of Gon!” Alluka said after the door to the shop swung shut and her and Palm were left alone.

Palm stopped petting Alluka and peered at her curiously.

“What do you mean?”

“Brother said that Gon ‘gave him dangerous vibes’ or something like that. He just seems like a really happy, nice kid.” Alluka clarified.

“Dangerous vibes, huh? That’s…Not unusual.” Palm answered cryptically.

“Huh?” Alluka made a soft noise as she looked at Palm. “What do you mean, Palm?”

Palm laughed and resumed petting Alluka, settling at her desk. “I’ll tell you when the time comes, don’t think too much about it.”

Chapter Text

Gon was waiting out front of the shop, bouncing on the balls of his toes while he was waiting for Killua to come to him. His eyes were trained on the front door of the shop, expecting Killua to exit from there-broom in hand.

Instead, Gon felt a cool breeze from above and found himself squinting as he looked up towards the sun. Killua landed next to him on the ground and grinned boyishly.

“You act like you’ve never seen a witch before, Gon.” Killua teased.

“I haven’t!” Gon answered with a laugh. Killua shifted on his broom until there was enough room for Gon to climb on behind him, which Gon did so immediately.

“So do I wrap my arms around Killua?” Gon asked as he settled behind him. Killua nodded in response.

“I’ve never ridden with another person on my broom before, so definitely hold on tight. It could be a really rocky ride.”

Gon did as he was told, squeezing Killua tightly around the middle. Killua found he needed to kick off the ground a little in order to take off like he normally did, but took it in strides. Gon’s arms tightened to the point where Killua found it difficult to breathe, and Killua couldn’t tell if it was due to the excitement or terror of being in the air for the first time.

“Killua…” Gon’s voice was muffled as he pressed his face into Killua’s shoulder.

“Killua can I open my eyes?” Killua laughed at the question.

“Idiot! You could have kept your eyes open the entire time!”

“Mean! I was too excited to keep my eyes open!” Gon laughed with him.

“So where are we going?” Gon asked, firmly keeping his eyes on the ground below which was rapidly getting smaller.

“I saw a lake when I was on a job earlier, and I figured that’d be a great place to go.” Killua answered without looking back. Concentration was important, as Killua just realized that it was a great deal harder to ride a broom with the extra weight of an entire other person.

“Hmm…”Gon hummed in agreement. Killua jerked the broom slightly as he felt Gon’s arms leaving his waist.

“Um? Gon? Could you maybe not?” Killua asked, not quite elaborating as he temporarily lost focus.

“I want to feel the wind all around me, Killua!” Gon kept his hands on Killua’s waist as he spoke, not quite going against what Killua had asked of him.

“You can do that on another ride, maybe when we’re going home-Duck!” Killua shouted. Gon cringed and ducked his head with his eyes squeezed shut, but cracked an eye open after hearing Killua cackle.

“There was a flock of ducks, I didn’t actually want you to duck!” Killua laughed loudly as Gon mock pouted behind him.

“Hey Killua? How much longer until we get there?” Gon asked after Killua’s laughter had subsided.

*

“Only another couple of minutes, Gon.” Killua sighed. Gon had started playing the “are we there yet?” game, and Killua had been entertaining him for the past half hour.

“You said that a couple of minutes ago! Killuaaaaaa… ” Gon groaned with a grin. It was silent for a bit, sitting on the borderline of tranquil-until a gunshot sounded off and narrowly missed them.

“Holy shit! What the hell?! Gon I’m diving down, a hunter must have mistaken us as a large bird or something. Hold on tight!” Killua dove almost immediately, the forest below them rapidly getting closer.

“Ah-Killua, there! That’s the lake, right?” Gon shouted over the sound of the wind rushing in their ears.

“Good eye, I’m on it!” Killua pulled up before they hit the tree line and flew for a few minutes before reaching the lake.

“ Um .”

“What is it Killua?” Gon asked, peering over his shoulder to get a good look on his face.

“I can’t stop!” Killua tried getting the broom to stop, but the amount of force needed to stop a broom with two people on it was more than he had anticipated. The lake was coming into view and an idea popped into Killua head.

“Hey Gon? Do you like to swim?” Killua didn’t wait for an answer as they both hit the mirror-like surface of the lake with force enough to knock the wind out of them.

*

“Gon?” Killua popped his head out of the water, shaking his head like a dog to rid it of some of its extra weight. “Gon, are you alright?”

“I’m fine, Killua! Are you okay?” Killua turned to see Gon treading water towards him, his hair matted to his head. Killua fought back a laugh as he nodded at him, finding it amusing how different Gon looked with his hair down.

Both boys began wading through the water until they reached the shore, climbing on to the grassy lakeside like shipwreck survivors.

“Did you need to crash land, Killua?” Gon huffed out a laugh before continuing with a sterner disposition. “What if you had gotten hurt, or what if you had broken your broom?!”

Killua looked at the broom he had dragged behind him and shrugged.

“I could make another one, I guess.”

“But don’t witches pass down their brooms to their children?” Gon asked curiously.

“They do…I think. At least my grandfather passed this broom down to me, but it was my father’s before it was mine. It seems like my dad gave it back when he was done, so I don’t think there’s anything too important about it.” Killua rubbed at the back of his head as he thought about it. “I don’t know about any other families though, I haven’t met many other witches or wizards.”

“Hmm…Well, maybe after some time you’ll meet more and can find out?” Gon pondered aloud. “Tell me when you meet another witch who answers your question, okay?”

Killua laughed and leaned forward to splash Gon with a handful of water.

“Idiot! You’re assuming I’ll stay here long enough to meet another witch!” Killua laughed as Gon spluttered from the shock of being splashed so suddenly.

“You mean you’re gonna leave?!? Killuaaaaa ! You can’t leave so soon!” Gon pouted. Gon went quiet and Killua felt a brief moment of panic where he thought Gon was actually devastated by the news Killua wouldn’t be staying for very long. Gon glanced up at Killua after a pause, grinning mischievously.

“Hey Killua. I have a deal for you, are you up for it?”

“A deal?” Killua asked, knowing this was going to be good. “Sure, I guess I’m game. What’s going on?”

“I challenge you to a water fight, and if I win-you need to stay longer!”

“Haahhh? I need to stay longer? What if I win, what do I get then?” Killua asked, already knowing he was going to agree.

“Um…”

“Idiot, you didn’t think that far ahead, now did you?!” Killua laughed as he splashed Gon a bit more.

“You can get whatever you want! I’ll do anything you ask me to do-redeemable at any time, even if it’s years from now-is that fair??” Gon asked, wiping his face with the back of his arm.

Killua mockingly stroked his chin as though he were thinking. “Hmmm…Sounds fair, I guess. But remember-you said anything . I’ll hold you to that.”

Gon grinned widely. “So you mean it’s a deal?”

“Yup. Let’s get going—but first let me take of my cloak and shoes, I don’t want to be squelching when I get home.” Killua said, already struggling to remove his cloak. Gon nodded in agreement and removed his shirt and shoes as well, tossing them into a crumpled heap by the water’s edge before jumping in.

“Killua, are you coming? Hurry up, hurry up!” Gon laughed, splashing around in the water in excitement.

“Yeah, yeah I’m coming! I actually want my clothes to dry some, so I’m laying them out flat.” Killua explained before he took off one of his shoes and dumped the pooling water that was inside out of it.

Gon pulled a face and Killua laughed, giving his other shoe the same treatment before jumping in the water as well.

“Okay, on the count of three then!” Gon started. “One…”

“Two…”

“Three!” They both shouted together as the fight began.

*

The sun was already starting to set by the time their fight had finished, both boys panting with exhaustion as they lay on the grassy waterside.

“So, who won?” Killua asked after a few minutes. Gon groaned and rolled on his side to face him.

“Can it be a tie?”

“A tie? Why a tie, I totally kicked your ass!” Killua said indignantly with a grin.

“No you didn’t! If anyone was kicking ass, it was me!” Gon said before rolling once again on to his back.

“…Fine. A tie it is.” Killua relented, watching the clouds sleepily roll by in the darkening sky above them.

“Hey, do you mind waiting a bit longer before we head back? There are some herbs here I want to check out.”

“Sure, no problem! I wanted to look at the rocks in the bottom of the lake anyways, so go right ahead.” Gon said as he heaved himself into a sitting position. Both boys were down to their shorts in an attempt to dry their clothes before they departed, but Killua had a sinking feeling that his clothes were still going to be soaked.

‘Today was so fun…Maybe Gon and I could actually stay friends?’

*

What wistful thinking, Killua would soon realize.

“Killua! Check out this stone I found in the lake!” Gon called to Killua, excitement lacing his tone.

Killua sat up from his work, placing the few herbs he had collected into the deep pockets of his cloak. Gon splashed his way over to where Killua was sitting-getting Killua wet in the process-and handed Killua the perfectly rounded stone that was smooth due to years, possibly centuries, in the water.

“Oh, wow,” Killua breathed, shocked at Gon’s find. “Gon, this is a Hag stone. Most are eroded almost completely, but this one is perfect.” Killua turned the stone over in his hand, reveling in the texture and in the size of the hole in the center.

“What’s a Hag stone, Killua?” Gon asked, holding his hand out so he could inspect the stone further as well.

“It’s also known as a Fairy stone, it gives the wearer protection…And the gift of second sight.”

“Second sight?” Gon asked, looking at the stone with wonder and excitement clear in his eyes. “Is that, like, the ability to see demons and gnomes?!?”

Killua stifled a laugh at Gon’s words, but cleared his throat to cover it up. “I mean, yes and no. There are supernatural beings out there, such as yours truly,” Killua gestured to himself with a smirk. “but I have yet to see a gnome. There are no demons, but there are cursed beings. Some of them are so disfigured by the curse that regular humans like yourself view them as demons.”

“Second sight is when you can see what is right in front of you .” Gon gave him a confused look and handed Killua the stone once again. “Looking through the hole in the stone will remove glamours cast by magic. Do it like so,” Killua raised the stone to his eye and peered at Gon through the hole, intending at first to only show Gon what to do.

What stared back at him through the Hag stone was not Gon at all.

Killua had to look up…and up and up. There was no end to the beast in front of him, and what appeared to be hair stood far into the sky, bleeding into the darkness above. Killua looked at what seemed to be a face, a jagged mouth that looked like the face had been ripped open at some point, and the eyes a pure white with no definite shape or pupil.

‘It’s…A demon …? But I thought-no, this isn’t right! This is Gon…Isn’t it?’ Killua felt a surge of panic which doubled by tenfold when the creature reached out to him. A cold sweat broke out over Killua’s entire body, his mind running a mile a minute trying to figure out what to do.

“…Would you give up everything?” Killua pressed a hand to his forehead, still looking with wide eyes as the creature looked back at him, for once the voice but a distant thought in the back of his head.

“Killua? Killua, what’s wrong?” Gon’s voice sounded like he was speaking under water, and Killua felt like reality was warped as Gon’s voice came from the beast’s mouth.

A firm, warm hand gripped his wrist, forcing Killua to drop the stone into his lap. Gon, the regular, human Gon from before was casting him a wary and worried look.

“Did you see anything? Killua? What were you looking at?” Gon reached forward to brush the hair that had fallen into Killua’s eyes during his initial panic, and he found himself flinching away from Gon’s touch.

“Killua…?”

“…It was nothing. I thought I saw something for a second, but there’s no way. It’s impossible.” Killua lied with a grim smile on his face. He hoped Gon wouldn’t push the issue any more than he already had.

“…Want to help me find some bioluminescent astringent pannus?” Killua asked knowing full well Gon would flip his shit when he saw it for the first time.

Gon nodded vigorously, but clenched the Hag stone tightly in his hand-not wanting Killua to know he had picked it up.

What wistful thinking indeed.

Chapter Text

The ride home was silent, the lack of conversation more stifling than anything Killua had ever felt. When he had shown Gon the bioluminescent mushrooms, Gon had been excited-just not as excited as Killua had thought he would be. He seemed subdued, as if he were afraid to get too loud or energetic.

Killua had tried to convince himself that Gon was just worn out from their water fight, but he knew that wasn’t true. Killua glanced around the lakeside before they left, trying to find the Hag stone he had been looking through. When it wasn’t found, Killua assumed that Gon had picked it up without his noticing-and Killua found himself scared of what Gon would do with it. Would he look into a mirror through it to see what Killua had seen? Did he already know about the creature that he was?

Those were the types of thoughts he had as he was taking them both home, and the more he thought back on it the higher he felt the creeping heat of shame and guilt rising on his neck and cheeks.

Killua momentarily took his hands off of his broomstick…and promptly used both hands to smack himself in the face. Gon made a slight noise of apprehension, and Killua glanced over his shoulder at him before turning around again.

Gon didn’t ask, but Killua answered anyways. “I’m fine. Do you want me to drop you off at your house?”

“No. The beach is fine, and I need to grab my fishing rod anyways.” Gon spoke curtly and yawned after finishing his sentence, rolling his shoulders with an audible pop.

“Okay.”

Neither one spoke until they got to the beach, the atmosphere surrounding them heavy and unpleasant.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to take you home?” Killua asked quietly, his voice still carrying easily enough so Gon could hear him.

“Yeah. I’m fine. G’night Killua!” Gon picked up his rod from where he left it, turning around to flash Killua an obviously forced smile.

They both left the beach feeling as though things should have been talked about

*

Alluka was already curled up asleep on Killua’s pillow when he walked into his room as quietly as he could. At the sound of the door clicking shut, Alluka’s ears perked up as she began to stir awake.

“Big brother?” She murmured sleepily as she languidly stretched along his pillow. Killua walked over to the table in the center of their room and dropped his broom on it with a clatter.

“Sorry Alluka, I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

“It’s fine, I was waiting for you. How was your trip with G-Ah!” She cut herself off and looked disgruntled as she realized one of her claws had gotten hooked in the fabric of the pillow. Killua gave a small, weak smile at her situation and went over to help her.

“You’re acting more and more like a cat each day, Alluka.” He chastised her playfully as he gently unhooked her claw from the pillow case. Suddenly he stopped moving, an old conversation playing in his head.

“You are aware that that cat was at some point in a human body, but now they aren’t. Sounds like transfiguration gone wrong, or one hell of a curse.”

“Shit.”

“Big brother? What’s wrong?”

“Alluka, wait a second, I’m trying to remember…”

“If she wasn’t cursed, a transfiguration spell would wear off within a few hours. I’d keep an eye on her if I were you.”

“Alluka, how long have we been here? A few days? A week?” Killua asked, beginning to feel the panic seeping in.

“Less than a week, I think? Why? What’s wrong br-“

“Alluka, why haven’t you changed back?!” Killua cut her off, almost shouting. He didn’t realize he was still holding her paw until she struggled the get away from him. He let go with a surprised look on his face, watching as she back away from him until she was nearly falling off the bed.

“Killua, what are you talking about? What…What do you mean?”

“I mean, why haven’t you changed back? Ging said-Ging said that a transfiguration spell should only last a few hours. You’ve been like this for a few days! What happened?! What did you do wrong in the spell?” Killua asked, leaning heavily on the bed. Alluka nearly fell into the dip that Killua had created, and let out an animalistic shriek as she got closer to him. Her fur was standing, and she felt unnerved to be on the receiving end on Killua’s harsh gaze.

“Killua, I didn’t-I didn’t do anything-“

“Well something went wrong! I wasn’t the one who cast the spell, I wasn’t-“ It nearly hit him like a train when he realized that he was. He was the one to blame for this.

‘If I hadn’t forced her to come with me, if I hadn’t pressured her into this…If I hadn’t distracted her when she was in the middle of casting that spell, this wouldn’t have happened.’

Killua paled and felt a surge of fear course through him. Of course, this was his fault! He’s her older brother, of course he should protect her. Looking at her now, Killua felt shame at the way she shook while looking at him, the way she held fear in her eyes because of him.

“Stay here. I’m…I’m leaving for a bit. Don’t bother coming after me.” Killua felt more self-hatred at that moment than he ever had before as he turned and walked right back out of the door he had just entered. He paused in the doorway as she answered meekly from behind him.

“’Kay…”

Killua felt his heart break at the half spoken word, and felt tears of frustration well up in his eyes.

He made his way to the roof without turning back or saying anything, closing the door to their room with a little more force than needed.

*

‘I am an irredeemable piece of shit, I don’t deserve to have Alluka as my sister.’ This thought had been on repeat in his mind as he sat watching the sun rise. He had gotten home at around 1 in the morning and hadn’t slept a wink at all last night because of what he had said to Alluka.

It was now bordering on 7 in the morning, and Killua couldn’t have felt like more of a coward because he couldn’t bring himself to face his kitten sister who could have easily sat in the palm of his hand, but he knew he needed to see Palm relatively soon. He heaved a sigh and sat up heavily, grimacing as he realized that he was still in the clothes he had worn last night. They felt crusty and still somewhat heavy with water after his fall-in with the lake while Gon was with him.

Gon.

Gon had been completely forgotten while he moped in his own self-pity, but after remembering last night Killua couldn’t help but to think of the monster he had seen. His gut clenched in apprehension at the thought of seeing Gon so soon, not sure he could trust himself with having an appropriate reaction-especially considering that he had no sleep at all.

He heard a door close and soft humming as, who he presumed was Palm, came to wake him up.

“Coming down!” Killua called as he slid off of the roof, landing right in front of Palm. Palm jumped a little as she gasped, then shot him a dirty look.

“If you keep startling me like that, I might end up having this baby way too early!” She scolded him, resting a hand on her swollen belly.

Killua appraised her stomach for a moment before shrugging.

“To be completely honest, I keep forgetting that you’re actually pregnant. You just look f-“ Killua cut himself off as Palm reached forward and grabbed him by the ear.

“If you finish that sentence you will regret it.” She said with a pleasant smile. He could tell even without looking that her eyes spelt death if he continued.

“Alright, alright! I’m sorry! Let me go, now will you?” Killua asked, feeling a strong surge of déjà vu. Well, at least this time he deserved it.

“I have a few jobs for you, I need you to take a bag of ingredients to a friend of mine named Bisky, make a salve for a woman named Melody, and deliver a potion to a couple of boys named…” Palm took a moment to look at the paper Killua hadn’t realized was in her hand earlier. “Leorio Paladiknight and Kurapika Kurta. Can you do all that today?” She asked while glancing at him over the paper.

“Yeah, sure. Just gimme some addresses.”

Palm handed over the paper and gave him a once over before wrinkling her nose. “You look like death again, what the hell kid? I might set you a bed time if this keeps up.” Palm said teasingly, but Killua could see the worry in her eyes.

“I have a spare set of clothes for you to wear today, so wash those ones alright? You smell like a wet dog…And have you been hearing that voice still?” Palm tacked on the last question as he was turning around.

“I…” Killua felt himself deflate. “Yeah, I heard it again. I’m still not that worried though, it’s just kinda annoying.” Palm nodded but chewed her lip worriedly.

“Talk to me about it later tonight, alright? If you can’t finish all of those jobs today, that’s fine. Let me know if you need help, okay?” Killua nodded in response as she finally left him alone so she could grab him the spare set of clothes.

*

Killua changed in silence near the door of his room, not wanting to wake Alluka up. She hadn’t moved from the bed since he first walked in-still curled up in a little ball on the pillow. Killua cringed as he remembered how harsh with her he had been, still immensely regretting his actions.

Killua put his hand on the doorknob and turned back to call out to Alluka, but found he couldn’t.

‘Idiot!’ Killua mentally berated himself. ‘She probably doesn’t want to talk to me…’

*

Killua made his way to the front of the store, collecting the ingredients he needed for the salve he was making.

“Let’s see, I need…Rose dew, dried comfrey, dried calendula, activated Dragon’s Blood…” Killua rose a brow at the word activated. “Hey, Palm! Question, why activated Dragon’s Blood? Isn’t this a basic healing salve?”

Palm answered him without moving from her spot behind the desk. “Not really, Melody has a curse on her, so the salve needs to be strong.”

“But activated Dragon’s Blood? How strong is this curse?” Killua asked, reaching for a small dried pellet of the offending ingredient.

“Strong enough that it almost killed her.”

“Shit, well then.” Killua scanned the rest of the ingredients over, reading the instructions as he was going. “Damn it…Palm, this salve needs a glass bottle filled with lavender and coconut oil to be soaked in moonlight overnight.”

“Already done, the bottle is on your desk.”

“Cool.” Killua gathered up the rest of the ingredients as he passed along the shelves, humming a nameless tune as he went. The more work he had to do, the less he had to think about what was going on between him and Alluka…and Gon.

Who was sitting at his desk, playing with the leftover beads from yesterday.

“Ah! Killua, I wanted to talk-“

“I’m busy. Sorry Gon, but could you move?” Killua brushed past him, not missing the hurt look that crossed the other’s face.

“That’s…Yeah, that’s fine. Sorry for bothering you. Maybe later then, yeah?” Gon said, not expecting an answer for his question. He left quietly, waving goodbye to Palm as he passed.

After hearing the door chime again as it was closed, Palm leaned over her desk with a quirked brow.

“Trouble in paradise?” She asked.

Killua snorted and flipped her off, dropping all of the collected items on to the desk. He pulled the filled bottle towards him, popping off the lid, the scents of lilac and coconut assaulting his nose.

After inhaling the calming scent for a while, Killua let out a deep sigh and began going to work, mixing and crushing herbs that were intended to soothe others-but he knew this work was mainly to soothe himself.

*

Killua shifted impatiently from foot to foot, repressing the urge to ring the doorbell several more times. The delivery of the salve to Melody was more pleasant than he had expected, her tone soothing and inviting. She had offered for him to stay and have some tea (which Killua wasn’t extremely fond of), but her disposition had been so kind Killua couldn’t bring himself to say no.

This Bisky person was the exact opposite of Melody, who had immediately opened the door after less than half a minute. He had been hearing calls of “I’m coming, dammit!” for the past 4 minutes, yet no one came to the door.

“Do you want me to leave the package here?” Killua called out, growing even more impatient as time passed without him receiving an answer.

Finally, after a tedious ten minutes of waiting, the door was wrenched open by a woman much taller than Killua.

Instead of looking up at her, he rolled his eyes and shoved the package forward that contained the ingredients.

“Here, they’re from Palm.” Killua said curtly.

The muscular woman snorted at his attitude and took the package from him with a scrutinizing gaze.

“You’re the brat Palm took in? To be completely honest you don’t look like much.” Her voice was a tad deeper than Killua had thought it was going to be, but it didn’t deter him from telling her off.

“What the hell does that mean?! To be completely honest, I was expecting a younger woman, not a hag like you.” Killua shot back. He turned as if to leave before he was forcible yanked back by this hood.

“I’m sorry, I must have misheard what you said-care to tell me again?” Her brown eyes twinkled as if daring him to repeat himself, but Killua had a bit more self-preservation than that.

“I’m not really in the mood to play games with old ladies, now if you’ll excuse me-“ Killua ducked out of her grasp, wrenching his hood from her hands. He once again didn’t make it too far before he was caught once again, this time a muscular arm wrapped around his middle-effectively stopping him and rendering him useless as he was effortlessly picked up.

“Palm said you were a bit of a firecracker. Come, you’re helping me.” Bisky said as she turned around and walked back into her house with him under her arm. Killua grumbled, resigned to his fate-yet infinitely glad to have the distraction.

*

“You made it sound like I had a choice to come with you or not earlier.” Killua said as he continued to string beads onto a fine golden thread. He paused every now and then to knot the beads tightly in place like Bisky instructed him to do so, while he listened to her talk.

“Would you have entered my house if I had given you a choice? No. I already knew the answer, so I took matters into my own hand.” She said, idly stirring the bubbling brew before her. She had used the ingredients he brought her in the brew she was concocting, and Killua was just about dying to ask what it was.

“So…” Killua drawled after a few minutes. “Care to tell me what it is that’s in your witches brew there?”

“Witches brew my ass, you know I’m not a witch. I’m a Hearth Woman, a holy healer if you will. I don’t rely on magic to make medicine and potions-I rely on my own energy. And what I’m making is strictly for my knowledge.” She answered.

Killua scowled as he continued to string beads in silence, glancing at the clock that hung on the far wall every few minutes.

“When can I leave?” He asked, all but slamming the beads down on the table.

“When are you going to be done?” Bisky didn’t even flinch at the loud clatter of stones hitting the solid oak table.

“Never! I’m never going to be done because you never told me where I needed to stop!” Killua growled as he cast a hard glare at the offending beads.

“Then you are done. The only time you are done is when you are done. Let me see what you’ve accomplished.” Bisky snatched the long string of beads from his hands and looked over them.

“These knots are actually pretty good. A bit sloppy at the beginning, but you got better after some time. And you didn’t mess up on the stone pattern either-better than Wing did when he was my student.” Bisky spoke to herself, mumbling a bit.

“So…?” Killua prompted, already reaching for his bag.

“Fine, you can leave. But you have to come back later this week after your daily duties for Palm. We’ve already talked about it.” Killua nearly got whiplash when he turned back to her.

“You mean I have to come back?! Multiple times??”

“Yes, yes that’s right-now go! Don’t you have another delivery to finish?”

“Oh shit-“ Killua felt a headache coming on as he ran out the door, nearly tripping over the steps that lead down to the pathway.

“Well wasn’t she a ‘peach’, huh Alluka?” Killua asked as he took off. It was only after he didn’t get a response that he remembered that Alluka wasn’t with him.

His broom plummeted with his heart, but at the feeling of the immanent fall his stomach rose into his throat. He quickly began focusing on his power, a flickering warmth in the center of his chest, and brought his broom back up into the air.

‘That was weird, I thought I was doing fine when it came to flying…’ Killua flew in an uncomfortable silence which he never knew could happen when there was only one person present.