Façade

Calm before the Storm II

Normal POV
She stood there staring back and forth between the two dark faces in front of her. It was dark all around her, and her eyes felt like they were on fire. Every part of her body hurt and the dark figures came closer. She didn't know who they were but all she knew was that she was terrified of these people. Her instincts were screaming at her to run and hide but her mind knew that it was no use at all. She sank down to the floor as pain won over her will. The dark figures surrounded her and suffocating her. She felt something cold press into the palm of her skin. She looked down and saw that it was a gun. She looked at it and the dark figures and then without even the least bit of thought, she aimed at the head of the figure and fired, closing her eyes and mentally making her forget that sound as it was ringing in her ears. She opened her eyes and stared into the expressionless voids of a carbon copy of herself. Only this girl had black hair and eyes. Her eyes widened as she realized what she had done. She screamed, digging her hands into her scalp, going mad with emotions she couldn't describe. The girl let out a bitter laugh even though she was supposed to be dead. "Just how many times are you going to kill me?" She asked with the most gentlest expression on her face with an underlining contempt that was masked so perfectly that even She herself would've missed it. The girl in front of her continued to laugh as blood poured from the wound in her head.

Lynn sat up in bed panting, clenching the white sheets around her. She took a deep breath and calmed herself, looking all over the room. Killua emerged from the bathroom, frantic eyes taking in the condition of her panting mess on the bed. She stared at him fear in her eyes, clenching the sheets, gulping down saliva and clinging on to the air entering her system in such a greedy way but it was never enough. Even through the blurred vision and the fear she could make out his rigged muscles and clenching fists as he stood rooted to the spot, watching, the blue of his eyes dancing with suffering in a well choreographed routine. Even though she didn't say anything he knew what she wanted from him. Even through the fear and the anxiety that's hitting her, her eyes seemed to say 'I don't want you to save me. I want you to stand by me and let me save myself' He relaxed him muscles and took a deep breath, the suffering gone from his eyes, replaced by a newfound brightness that managed to pull her down to reality. She took a deep breath and calmed her nerves. She looked up at him, with a new found gratefulness. He  took a step forward when her muscles relaxed and she got off the bed, eyes tired. He held her in his arms kissing her shoulder, dragging his lips to her cheek, to her forehead and finally captured her lips. They both knew that no matter what they did for each other, the only way they could overcome their own demons was on their own. She held on to Killua, her nails digging into his skin as frustration took over for a second, but was quietly undone when strong fingers threaded through her strands. She pulled away, breathless and looked into his eyes loving every moment of this endless space that was somehow created only by the two of them. Time seemed almost endless. He threw a lazy glance at the clock behind her shoulder and sighed. A shuddering breath that wrecked his body as if each muscle were suffering. She smiled and kissed his forehead, pulling away before their resolve died away.

They left their room and stood outside the hotel, Killua with his shirt back on and Lynn wearing his leather jacket. They stared at each other hoping to make this moment last forever.
She was the first to turn away. For them both. Because she knew he wouldn't be able to do it first. Not again. He watched her back as the snow seemed to hug her all the way through.
XXX
Gon felt stiff all over as he slowly got up from the position on the table. He rotated his slowly and his eyes widened when he saw Jienna sprawled out on the floor, sleeping like a baby. He smiled to himself and got out eggs and a pan to make breakfast.
She woke up when the aroma hit her senses, her stomach growling and mouth watering. "Finally woke up huh?" She rubbed her eyes and stared at him, chuckling to herself when she saw the pan in front of him. "An ideal husband" she said and collapsed into fits of laughter. "Where the hell did that come from?"
"Well girls always like their guys to cook breakfast for them and serve it in bed. Well at least your doing me the honor of serving me breakfast on the floor"
"Didn't think you'll like guys like that"
"Well every girl likes to be pampered"
"Well your not really like a girl you know"
They're friendly bickering was interrupted by the doorbell ringing. Jienna opened the door to find Lynn, standing in front of her with the same dress she wore yesterday and a leather jacket on top of it. "Come in my great friend. How was the rendezvous?" Lynn punched Jienna in the shoulder playfully and came into the room, sighing with relief as the heat of the room embraced her. "Well we cleared up all misunderstandings. And he's openly going against his family this time. So he'll be helping us with the case. The only reason they haven't kicked him out yet was because they wanted to use him, take all the info they can out of him, but he's staying for the same purpose, to take whatever info he can regarding the case" Gon had the most proudest smile plastered on his face as he continued to make his eggs. Jienna smiled and closed her eyes, a sense of calm coming over everybody in the room. Their friend is still out there, fighting. Jienna grabbed Lynn's hand and dragged her inside the room. "First change out of your clothes and that wig. I want the old Lynn back"
XXX
"So? Did anyone tear these pages?"
Kurapika sat across Leorio and Sienna next to him. They looked at the diary with scrutinizing eyes. "No we didn't. None of us saw the diary before Lynn mentioned it"
"Why did this person tear out only those pages? Obviously the diary itself has a lot of things in it. Why did this person leave this diary for everyone to know the truth?" Asked Sienna
"Not the whole truth. But still" said Leorio.
"Maybe this person did that on purpose?" Everyone turned to Biscuit who was staring at the diary with a newfound softness. "Why? Why would this person want Lynn to know the secret of Ryo and Lauren?"
"Well if it's the enemies who used all their resources to make sure Scarlet doesn't get back on its feet, don't you think this is like a cookie trail that they want you to follow? They want you to shut down the activities of the Scarlets cause of the illegal practices"
"But that would've been much easier if Lynn hadn't read it first. She could've always kept it with her. She just chose to reveal all this to the police. It's like she was given a choice by this person. The decision was not forced on her"
"So I guess the important question is.. Whether this person is our friend or foe?"
"I don't know. But this person probably tore the pages cause he/she didn't want Lynn nor the police to read it"
"How is all this narrowing anything down?" Said Kurapika, infuriating Biscuit and Leorio in their back and forth speculations. "I don't know. But it's better to put all your cards on the table" said Leorio, taking a sip of his coffee.
XXX
"Okay!! Since all of us are very jobless lets do something" said Gon with a gigantic smile on his face. Everyone's mood had elevated when they heard about Killua. Especially Gon who never showed that he was worried, but he was the most worried about him. "Ok.. What do you have in mind?" Gon shrugged and flopped on the sofa in between us. "It snowed yesterday didn't it?" Lynn said, her tone dreamy. "Ya. It was snowing. What about it?" Gon asked while taking all of their plates to the sink. "Lynn you're brilliant!! Let's go play in the snow!!" Jienna exclaimed with a newfound excitement. "Do you even have winter clothes?" Gon asked shaking his head with a small smile on his face. "Of course I have. I packed some before I came here you know. What about you Lynn?"
"Of course I have winter clothes. What kind of a question is that?"
"All right. Then it's settled. Let's go play in the snow!!"
XXX
Ging looked down below at the clouds, the sun shinning brightly above it, emitting such a bright light that he was forced to close the window in the aero plane. He leaned back and allowed his tense muscles to slowly relax, taking deep breaths one at a time to calm the frantic beating of his heart against his ribcage. He licked his lips and drowned the liquor as soon it was given to him. But the liquor didn't make a difference at all. He was still incredibly restless and frustrated. The airport came into view and immediately he felt like jumping out of the aero plane. He didn't like leaving this place. It always made him so insecure and unsure of himself. But there was one thing that he really didn't like when it came to this city. It was the constant change of scenery.
XXX
They padded across the snow, excitement flowing through their views as the cold air greeted them with open arms. Lynn stared at the snow and tried to feel it through the thickness of her gloves. "First time seeing snow?" Jienna asked, crouching down to her level. "I've seen it a lot of times. But never really had the time to go and enjoy it you know?"
"Well don't you worry. Me and Gon are gonna give you the whole snow experience!!"
She caught hold of Lynn's hand and dragged her to where Gon was busy crouching. "What are you doin-" Jienna was cut off when a small ball of snow hit her in the face, Gon laughing uncontrollably. "Ok. That's it" Lynn backed away from Jienna as she collected snow vigorously with both her hands, Gon fleeing. Jienna ran after him, jumping on top of his when she seemed she was close enough and the snow was dense enough. They landed on the floor with a thud, Jienna on top of Gon. She threw snow on his face while Gon desperately tried to defend himself by raising hands and covering his face, not able to control his laughter. Jienna pried his hands away from his face and the laughter quietened down. They stared at each other, possessed by the silence that enveloped them. They didn't say anything nor was anything going on their mind. Just a blank.
"Hey lovebirds!!" They turned their heads to the sound of Lynn's voice and were graced with another ball of white snow in their faces. Jienna got off Gon and ran towards Lynn to bombard her with snowballs. Gon watched with a slightly dazed expression, the smiles on both the girls faces whom he had once known as the broken one and the empty one. They really had pretty smiles. In this background of whiteness all around him, the sound of their laughter like music in his ears, he was able to appreciate snow at its finest. He dodged the two snowballs that came towards him and stood up facing Lynn and Jienna. "You're not supposed to drop your focus my friend. You might just end up dying" Jienna said, ending it with a sort of evil laugh. "Ya right" Gon picked up a snowball and started his counter attack, happier than ever.
XXX
The three of them lay sprawled on the snow, staring up at the grayish sky, snow slowly descending from the heavens in its purest and most fascinating form. It was cold and they were tired as hell. Jienna breathed out through her mouth, creating a puff of white air while the other two silently laughed as she attempted to make shapes with the air. Lynn shook her head and got up saying she was going to make some hot chocolate. Silence descended upon them, their silent pants the only source of sound. She turned and faced Gon with an unreadable expression, her auburn hair  covered with snow, white puffs of air blown between the space between them. He met her gaze dead on and there was a visible softness in his eyes. A sort of understanding that transcended words. She no longer was empty. She had love. A love for the things around her. She saw things with a clear view, the fog lifted and her vision sharp. It was colorful.
He didn't know the thoughts that were shifting through her head, but he knew, with the way her eyebrows came together and then almost immediately relaxed, the most serene expression taking over her face. Her lips trembled, he could tell it's not because of the cold. Then she sighed a small smile dancing on her lips. "Is this it?" He mirrored her smile and suddenly thought of the broken girl who sat on his bed with bleeding hands, empty. He touched her cold face with the pad of his glove clad thumb. "Yeah" this is love.
XXX
"You aren't going out? You don't have restrictions anymore"
Kalluto sat at her desk, legs swinging back and forth, a book in front of her. She saw her brother sitting on the bed staring out of the window with a small smile on his face. It lifted her mood instantly. "Well.. Don't want to take too much advantage. Beside I don't want you to be alone all the time"
Kalluto shrugged and turned to her books. "Well. Instead of sitting and staring out of the window you can do something useful"
"Hm? Like what?"
"You want father and Illumi's weak points. They have one. A person who might just give you some important info"
"Who are you talking about?"
"Mom"
XXX
"Hey. Long time"
"I know"
"I still don't know why you insist to see my all the time. You killing your time as well as mine"
"How are you feeling?"
"Don't change the subject"
"You've asked this question many times and I always give you the same answer. What makes you think this time is any different?"
"I guess. I just hate your presence here"
"I know"
"I wish you'd just die"
"I know"
"I just wish I'd die"
"...I know that too"
"STOP SAYING THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER!! YOU DON'T FUCKING KNOW ME!!"
"I might not know the complete you yet.. But I know a part of you"
"That part is long dead"
"That's where you're wrong"
"I know better that you"
"Wrong again. Right now you really don't know yourself. You're counting on me to understand you"
"Tch. Ya right. I hate depending on anyone. Especially an asshole like you who used me"
".........I know that. I hate me too. But it's ok. I'm only living because of my promise"
"Fuck your promises" But the voice that said it was quiet and indifferent detached from the world around.
XXX
Lynn clenched her heads around the cup of hot chocolate and leaned against the counter, small smile on her lips as she saw Gon and Jienna sprawled out in the snow. She really didn't want to intrude so she quietly slipped away. She walked around the house and noticed that one door was ajar. It was Ging's room. Curiosity got the better of her as she opened the door and stepped into the clean pristine room. Her eyes snapped to the picture on the nightstand and she crouched to get a better look at it. It was Ging, her father and mother in their earlier days. With a smile on her face she lifted the picture frame. She wiped the frame, clearing it of dust. The picture slid out and landed on her lap. She picked it up and turned it over where with neat handwriting someone had written 'I'll forever keep our promise' and a tinny and almost unnoticeable 'Sorry'
She frowned and put the picture back in its original place before leaving the room.
XXX
"Gillian?"
"Jienna?" Came the shocked voice from the other end of the call. Jienna hummed in agreement. "Wha..." She knew Gillian was speechless. Actually she didn't know what she was doing either. It was like the feelings that she had earlier were taking command of her body making her do crazy things. But now when she thought of Gillian or Jack or the father she never met, she wasn't fillies with hate or anger. She just felt a strange peace instead of all those negative emotions. She didn't know about forgiveness. But she had simply accepted whatever happened and come to peace with it. And herself. And the people in her life. She didn't think putting everyone else in hell fixed anything. She didn't know what to speak. She just breathed and stared at a point, her body now warm as she came back inside. Gon and Lynn were talking about something in hushed tones in the living room. "What is it?" Gillian finally decided to break the silence and stopped her train of thought. "I.." She struggled with the words like a child not knowing how to speak. "I'm well. I'm staying in my friend's place. His name is Gon. You should meet him sometime. He's an amazing guy. And Lynn? You've got all wrong. She's my bestest friend. Before I called you we were actually playing in the snow!! It was really fun.." She knew she was rambling about random things but Gillian never stopped to ask her questions nor did she break Jienna's random babbling. She talked about everything from the weather to life in general. It was as if there was never any awkwardness between them in the first place. And just like that Gillian understood. This was her daughters way of saying let's start over. It brought a lightness to her heart and tears I her eyes. The regret that she'd been drowning in for the past couple of weeks finally lifted off of her shoulders and she felt calm again. When Jienna was done rambling, she ended it with a nervous laugh. Gillian was quiet for a while and Jienna thought she had hung up on her. Then, quietly and voice free and light she said "Thank you" her voice was trembling and Jienna smiled to herself. "Hm. Wait for me Gilian. After I return the favor to my friends... Lets... Start over.."
"Hm.." She said not trusting her voice to speak.

Hey guys!!
Managed to update!!
But I might be late for a while cause I've got my semester exams right around the corner but I'll try my best to update. Don't forget to vot, comment and follow for more chapters on facade! (Open to criticism)
Love you all❤️
Until next time