Whispers of the past (Hunter x Hunter fanfiction)

Chapter 17

"That's not it! I want to become friends with Gon and Aiko..."

I felt really guilty now. Is it not clear that he's my friend? That I cared about him? Did I need to show him more attention? Was I focusing too much on the others and this exam that I forgot about my friend?

"I'm sick of killing people..." Killua continued. "I want to become friends with Gon and Aiko, and to live a normal life."

"Thats impossible." Illumi told him. Killua had a nervous look on his face. "You'll never be able to make friends. Your only concern when you meet someone is whether you should kill them. That's how you were trained. You just don't know how to classify Gon and Aiko, because they're too dazzling for your eyes. You don't actually want to become friends with them."

"You're wrong..." The younger assassin disagreed.

"If you stay with them, you'll end up wanting to kill them one day. You'll get the urge to see if you can kill them or not. Because you have the soul of a killer." Leorio couldn't stand this. He tried to get to Illumi, but the men stopped him.

"Killua! I don't give a damn if he's your brother. He's a worthless piece of crap! Don't listen to him! Just beat the crap out of him like usual and win! You want to become friends with Gon and Aiko? Are you daft? You already are friends! I'm sure that's how they feel! Right, Aiko?" Leorio shouted.

"Y-Yeah! Leorio's right! Killua, we care about you. Don't listen to your brother. I don't care if you don't see me that way, but you're definitely my friend. Don't listen to what your brother has to say! Just follow your heart!" I agreed with Leorio.

"Really?" Illumi asked.

"Hell, yeah, idiot!" Leorio answered loudly.

"Hmm... That's no good. They consider Kil a friend." He paused to think. "Okay, I'll kill Gon and Aiko."

I froze in my place, terrified of what Illumi just said. 'He can't kill me... right? Oh my god I wouldn't stand a chance against him. Is he telling the truth?'

"A killer doesn't need any friends. They'll only slow you down." He continued, then turned towards me.

"N-No. Illumi. Stay away from me. P-Please!" I whispered.

"It won't hurt. It'll be over in a second." He was definitely not helping.

"H-Hold on, sir! The match is still-" Illumi threw three needles at the man trying to stop him. 

"Move." He said coldly.

"Y-Yes." He managed to speak while moving aside. Illumi removed the needles. "Th-Thank you."

The needle man walked towards me. I shakily stepped backwards, but my back hit the wall behind me. Then, Kurapika and Leorio stood in front of me.

"This won't do. I need a Hunter License to do my job... But if I kill them, I'll fail, and Kil will pass automatically. Oh, darn. The same thing will happen if I kill Gon." Killua's brother realized. He put a finger on his head, then looked back up. "I know! I'll pass the exam before killing Gon and Aiko."

'This guy is crazy! Killing is a game for him. W-Will he really kill me? No, what about Gon? And what will he do to Killua?' Thinking of it made me start sweating.

"Bastard..." Leorio spoke. Then Illumi turned to the chairman. "If I wait until after passing the exam, I can kill everyone here and still keep my license, right?"

"Yes, according to the rules." Netero-san said. 'Is he... agreeing?'

"Did you hear that, Kil? You have to beat me if you want to save Gon and Aiko. Will you fight me for your friends' sake? You can't do it. Because you're more worried about whether or not you can defeat me. And you already have your answer: 'I'm not strong enough to beat my brother.'" The guy stretched out his hand. "'Never fight an enemy you can't beat.' I drilled that into you..." The ex-assassin took one step back. "Don't move! If you move an inch, I'll assume that the fight has begun. And if our bodies make contact, that'll also mean the fight has begun." He said as he started getting closer.

"There's only one way to stop me. You know what that is. But don't forget... If you don't fight me, your dear friends will die."

"Take him out, Killua!" Leorio shouted to the boy. "We won't let him kill you, Aiko, or Gon! We'll stop him, whatever it takes! Let him have it!"

"He can't." I whispered. "It's almost like he's under a spell. He can't do anything unless Illumi orders him to. He wants to act. He obviously wants to save Gon, but... he can't. If his brother told him to do something he'll eventually do it, all thanks to this 'spell' his brother put on him. Let me tell you, Leorio. This spell is called fear. Horror. You must know how it feels, right? Everyone felt it once before. His brother is possibly his greatest fear."

After his brother inching closer to him, almost touching him, Killua gave up. His brother admitted that he was lying about killing us. I started feeling dizzy now. Killua walked out the door. I walked behind him. He was walking too fast, so I had to run to catch up to him.

"Killua..." I said. 

No response.

"Killua!" I said, louder and clearer this time.

Still, no response.

"Killua? Are you okay?" I placed a hand on his shoulder, making him stop. His bangs were shadowing his eyes. he didn't seem to want anyone around right now.

"What do you want?" He asked coldly, giving me a death glare I couldn't see but rather knew was there.

"Are you... okay?" I repeated my question. 

Once again, no response.

"Killua, you can't trust anything your brother says. We're already friends. You're Gon's friend too. And Leorio and Kurapika." I said.

"Shut up." He said and continued to walk away. A few minutes later, Leorio's match started. I was keeping an eye on the door. I thought maybe Gittarackur did something to Killua, so I was just checking if he'd come here to... do his job. Unfortunately, I was correct...

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A/N: I feel like it's been a long time since I last updated. Honestly, I hated this chapter. Not because of anything in the anime, just because it took so long to write. It was very boring writing this but I did it for you guys! Anyways, thanks a lot for reading! Comment if you've got any suggestions or something you'd like to see in the next chapter! Love you!

Important Reminder: I do not own the masterpiece "Hunter x Hunter" or any of it's delightful characters :(