Chapter Text
Night had fallen upon Whale Island. On a hillside, a small cottage stood bathed in the moonlight.
Gon sat on his bed, his eyes opening from meditation. Something was lurking in the dark corner of the room. It didn't emit even a shred of bloodlust, yet instinctively, he sensed danger. If he used "Gyo," or the "En" he'd learned during his fight with Knuckle two years ago—though its range was still limited—it would be enough to sense what was happening in the room. Sadly, he knew how, but he couldn't. In the fight against Pitou, he'd staked his Nen ability to win, and though Killua had saved his life, he couldn't use Nen anymore.
The room was silent, so silent it felt like nothing was there. Still, Gon detected a faint, somewhat familiar presence. No, seemingly familiar, but actually very strange.
Was it Zetsu?
Movement in the darkest corner. A flash of white. Gon shot to his feet, kicking off the blanket, his reflexes propelling him to the opposite corner with astonishing speed, narrowly avoiding the attack, but not entirely. In that instant, he saw the white flash—a pale hand, slender and long like Killua's, only more delicate and refined. Its sharp fingertips had ripped through his blanket with a hiss, slicing through the fabric of Gon's tank top, barely grazing his skin. A faint thin red line bloomed on his chest.
"The assassination, it seems, has failed." A voice spoke. Its tone resembled Killua's, but with a hint of hoarseness, and an icy, indifferent air.
A small figure emerged into the moonlight before the bed, facing Gon in the corner. The eyes, like peach blossom petals, were also very similar to Killua's. But the hair was black, framing a delicate porcelain doll's face made mischievous by a small mole above the lip. This playfulness, however, was erased by the tightly closed lips, leaving only coldness and a murderous aura.
A bob haircut, a silk robe, white socks, and wooden Japanese sandals. A folding fan was unfolded, its most fragile paper edge gleaming a most dangerous and sharp light.
"I remember you...you're…Killua's younger brother. Kalluto, right?"
"What an honor. You remember me."
"You're here to kill me?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Brother Killua."
"Killua and I are best friends."
"Brother ran away from home for you. Mother was sad. When Mother is sad, I am in the shadows. Last time Brother came home, Mother was overjoyed. But then, he left again. For you. I'm going somewhere soon. They say it's a suicide mission. If I don't come back, bringing Brother back home, back to Mother, is the last thing I must do. If you're dead, Brother will have no reason to wander. Mother... Will she miss me so dearly..."
"That's not true. Killua left home because he has things he wants to do. Killing me won't change that."
"Whether it does or not…I won't know until I try."
If I die, Killua will be devastated. Gon thought, but swallowed the words, realizing the sentiment might be lost on his opponent. Instead, he asked, "Just me?"
"Yes, only you. I won't touch the old woman or the aunt. The assassination failed, so now we fight. I hear you're strong. I've become quite strong myself. If we fight, they might interfere. I can't make any promises then."
"Can we do this somewhere else?" At least Aunt Mito and Grandma would be safe. Gon breathed a small sigh of relief and looked straight into the other boy's eyes.
Kalluto gazed into those amber eyes, seemingly the purest, most innocent things in the world. What a pity. He nodded.
Gon put on his shoes and held the wind chimes by the window, muffling their tinkling. He gently pushed the window open, propped himself on the sill, and hopped out, landing softly. Bathed in moonlight, he ran toward the depths of the forest. Kalluto followed behind at a leisurely pace, his wooden sandals surprisingly silent against the grass.
The lush canopy fragmented the moonlight, scattering it in a mosaic of light and shadow that retreated before the boys' swift steps. Avoiding the foxbears' territory, Gon arrived at a clearing and stopped.
The rustling of leaves was joined by a faint whooshing sound. He didn't need to turn to know Kalluto had raised his fan.
Gon spun around, stirring the fallen leaves into a swirling arc. In the moonlight, he saw a blizzard of paper petals, beautiful yet laced with deadly intent, fluttering down toward him.
It was more relentless than the Nen-infused spinning tops he'd faced in Heavens Arena. Softer, lighter, yet with a far greater sense of lethality.
Strange, Gon thought. Kalluto was definitely emanating killing intent. I could feel the pressure of the aura, but it didn't pierce me with the bone-chilling cold I'd felt stepping into Hisoka's bloodlust Nen for the first time. That's right… Ging had said that when he saw me at the World Tree, he could clearly see the Nen surrounding me! Maybe that's why, as an ordinary person now, I'm not collapsing under the weight of someone's aura. I…could still fight!
But, I couldn't win. I'd just be buying time. My current body is no match for a Nen user. My attacks and endurance are on completely different levels. I'm essentially defenseless. And even... as much as I don't want to fight Killua's family... my attacks probably wouldn't work on Kalluto anyway...
Even so, I will fight! I have to! Because I don't want to die, especially not at the hands of Killua's family!
It's just like tapping back into a state of Zetsu, like when I was sensing Gido's spinning tops. It is just… a lot more "tops" this time. But I'm way faster now than I was back then. Plus, those paper things were tiny; getting clipped by one or two shouldn't be the end of me. I just have to avoid the vital points, dodge as much as possible, and find a way to stop him…
As the wave of paper petals surged toward him, Gon swiftly tilted his head back, sinking his weight into his legs, his waist bending. The flurry of blades grazed his chest as he slipped through the attack. He didn't even bother focusing on the attack with his eyes. Instead, he amplified all his other senses, feeling for the danger that permeated the air with every fiber of his being. His movements were controlled to the extreme, each step precisely calculated to evade the deadly snowstorm, reacting with honed reflexes to dodge each attack. Then, with a burst of speed, he propelled himself towards Kalluto.
Dodging wasn't really Gon's style, but his only goal right now was to survive. To survive long enough to figure out a solution. This dance with death ignited a strange excitement within him, taking him back to the Hunter Exam, when he was playing ball with Chairman Netero. Knowing he was hopelessly outmatched somehow cleared his mind, leaving only focus.
So fast! In the moonlight, Kalluto watched as Gon's figure vibrated with an almost imperceptible tremor. It looked like twitching, but with incredibly precise control, he was dodging every single one of his paper snowflakes, eliminating any unnecessary movement or wasted energy. The figure was rapidly closing the distance between them. Despite the flurry of deadly snowflakes, Kalluto could still see those bright, star-like eyes. Those eyes held no resentment, only understanding, excitement, and a stubborn will to survive.
So this was the Enhancer who defeated a Chimera Ant Royal Guard, the one his brother acknowledged...Kalluto couldn't forget how much Feitan had struggled in Meteor City against that self-proclaimed Queen, a creature whose strength was barely above a Squadron Leader... Such freaks. All of them, monsters!
The folding fan rose once more. Dance of the Serpent's Bite! Not daring to underestimate his opponent, Kalluto unleashed his ultimate attack. The paper blizzard swirled into a single, massive vortex, a gaping maw of wind and blades rushing at Gon.
Whoooosh!
The white tornado roared past, but once again found nothing. As a Manipulator, Kalluto could feel whether his paper had found its mark. He knew he'd missed. But he had no time to dwell on it. A leg shot out from behind the dissipating vortex, a lightning-fast kick aimed at his fan-wielding wrist. Even with Kalluto's assassin training, the attack was too fast to block completely. Kalluto barely managed to channel Nen to his wrist in time, but it wasn't enough. The fan flew from his grasp, sent spiraling through the air.
He used my Serpent's Bite as cover! The moment I launched the attack, he must have charged straight into the whirlwind. That's the only way he could have gotten this close without me seeing him! And he timed it perfectly so he could slip past the attack at the last second and attack me...
I let my guard down! But charging into that vortex, is he insane? My Serpent's Bite is no slouch in terms of speed. The timing and precision needed to dodge and attack at that angle...what kind of physical control does that require…? Is this the power of an Enhancer?
No, something's not right. That kick...I didn't fully reinforce my defense with Nen. But my wrist...
Before he could react, a second blow was upon him. This time, the target was his other wrist forcing Kalluto to raise his arm to block, but Gon's foot slammed into his forearm with bone-jarring force. The impact reverberated through his bones. Then, he saw Gon flip through the air, a fist co*cked back. The punch landed squarely on the wrist Gon had already struck.
The pain was intense. The bones were definitely broken. His left wrist wasn't feeling too good either... but this level of pain was nothing compared to the Zoldyck training. This is the full force of an Enhancer? My wrist was hit twice, and it's just fractured? You've got to be kidding me!
Don't tell me...he's not even using Nen in this fight? Does he think so little of me?
Kalluto's eyes darkened. He stamped his foot and flew back, , putting distance between them. "You didn't use Nen in those attacks, did you? Am I… not even worthy of your full strength?"
His voice dripped with ice cold menace.
- tbc -
