Chapter Text
The baby blue curtains fluttered in the breeze, sending a broken mosaic of light across the sterile room.
Gon was slow to wake up, lazily stretching his arms above his head before his eyes finally opened. He jolted up in bed when he realized where he was- somewhere that appeared to be a hospital room? Wait what?
"OW!" He cried out as flashes of pain assaulted his senses. He looked down on himself, finding bandages wrapped all over his body. He pressed into one on his chest, where it was the most painful, and his hand came away bloody. His arm trembled.
"So, you're finally awake now, huh?" Gon turned his head to the source of the unfamiliar voice- a silver-haired boy with strikingly pale skin and piercing blue eyes. He looked to be somewhere around his age, though looking at the injuries- big and small- scattered around his body... Gon suddenly felt better about his own predicament.
"The doctors had almost given up all hope of you waking up. Stupid, huh? I kept telling them that your body would stabilize over time- I mean look at you."
Gon frowned. Maybe it was due to the unrelenting headache he had, but he couldn't understand a word the boy was casually putting out. "Are you okay?" He decided to go with the first thing that came to mind. "You look really hurt."
Unexpectedly, the boy began laughing out loud- a full-on stomach-clutching bursts amusement. "That's what you first decide to ask? You're weird, you know that?"
"But are you really okay?" Gon asked innocently.
The boy looked at him straight in the eye. "Of course, I'm okay. Never been better!" His gaze flitted away at the last moment as he sat up in his bed to match Gon's energy. "What about you?"
Gon prodded at a loose edge of the bandage on his arm. "To be honest, I don't know." Abruptly, he could feel tears pressing at the back of his eyes. "I don't remember how I got here or even how I ended up this injured."
"Hmm... I don't think it's something to worry about." The boy shrugged. "It's normal to forget some stuff after hitting your head like that. Your memories will probably come back in a bit. You do remember your name though, don't you?"
"Oh yeah! I'm sorry I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Gon!"
"Yeah? And my name's Killua. How old are you again?"
"Eight years old."
Killua's brows rose up. "Glad to see someone my age around."
"Me too." A small smile came over Gon's face. "I don't think I've ever met someone my age..."
"Seriously?" Killua crossed his legs, turning to sit facing him. "Where are you from anyway?"
"Whale Island. It's a small island usually used as a half-way stop for sailors- I doubt you've really heard of it."
"Yep. Never heard of it."
Gon nodded as he felt a bead of sweat travel down his spine. He shuddered despite the sun shining bright outside. He carefully settled back down, pulling the sheets tight over himself. He squeezed his eyes shut, attempting to block out the growing headache.
Killua watched him curiously for a bit, before lying back down himself with a disappointed hum. "So, what do you plan to do now, Gon?"
"I want to go home..."
"Really? I would never."
"Why's that?"
Killua frowned up at the ceiling. "I don't think you would get it."
"I would get it."
"I just said I don't think you would."
"But I would." Gon insisted.
"You don't even know what I'll be saying- How can you say you'll understand?"
"Well, you don't even know me that well yet, and here you are, already making assumptions about me."
Killua suppressed a chuckle. "Yeah, whatever."
"So?"
"So what?" Killua rolled his eyes, amused. He had never quite met someone as vibrant as him. He was one hell of a stubborn kid too.
"Tell me, Killua."
"Don't wanna."
"..."
"What are you gonna do about it anyway?"
"If you really don't wanna go back to your place... you can come over to mine-"
"What?"
"I mean..." Gon turned around on his side to face him. A beat later, Killua copied his move. "There aren't a lot of people at Whale Island who actually live there, you know. So there's lots of space for new people. I'm sure Gran wouldn't mind... though Aunt Mito might just start nagging. You could always help her out a bit though- that always puts her in a good mood. She's a real nice person so I'm sure she would come around."
Killua's heart throbbed. Was it excitement? Fear? Sorrow? Agony? He couldn't tell. All he knew was that it hurt. For some reason, deep inside of him was a chasm of pain, growing and growing until one day it would be large enough to swallow him whole.
"Hey." Gon's steady voice brought him back to awareness. "Don't worry about it. I'm very good at convincing her- except uh... when it comes to the hunter exam. No matter how much I talk to her about it, it's always a firm 'no'."
"Heh. You wanna be a hunter? What for?"
"Mhm. I sure do- I always have. It's because my dad is a hunter and he left me when I was little to be able to do that. I just want to know why he did that, you know?"
Killua sighed. "You don't need to be a hunter to find out. I could tell you all about it right here and right now, and I'm not a hunter either."
Gon's eyes lit up. "Really? You would do that?"
"Uh huh. Your dad left you because..."
"Because?"
"Because he's an asshole."
Gon blinked, the light flickering off in his eyes. "Come on... That's not true. He had to leave me to become the best hunter in the world. That's why I want to be a hunter too, to experience how wonderful it must be."
"Is he the best hunter in the world?"
"Well I don't know that yet. But once I'm a hunter, I'll come to learn everything and then- and then I'd understand why he left to be a hunter."
Killua stifled his next sigh. He did not expect someone like him to be this delusional. Being optimistic had its cons too, huh... "I would never wanna turn out anything like my dad."
"Is your dad a hunter too?"
Killua snorted. "What? No. He's some big-shot assassin."
"Assassin?" Gon's eyes widened. "Is your mom an assassin too?"
Killua paused for a moment, before he burst out laughing once more. "Heeeeeh? That's what you ask first? You really think I'm serious."
Gon frowned. "Aren't you?"
"Well yes but- most people would think I'm making it all up."
"But you're not."
"But I'm not, indeed." A smile came over Killua's face as he closed his eyes.