RAISED BY HISOKA {HXH}

+ T H E B O Y S +

{ START }

     "Hisoka?" Gon had started, trailing off. He was squishing a hotel pillow in his lap, showing rare signs of being nervous. Though this reaction may have a shred of similarity to how Gon behaved before fighting his first match, it didn't take a genius to see he was more nervous this time rather than excited.

     "Yes, Gon?" Hisoka answered, humming as he turned away from something he was looking at on his side of the bed. They were sharing separate hotel rooms as of then, due to Gon's floor level not being high enough to authorize a room. Currently, Gon was in Hisoka's assigned room. Gon jumped off their bed in a 'plop' and had started walking around the room.

     "You said there wouldn't be anyone my age here, but did you see the white haired boy?" Gon started, Hisoka humming along to the enthusiasm growing in the boy. "He was so cool! Way better than me.. Did you see how he took down his biiig scary opponent?" Now, Gon held both of his hands up. "He went like this: Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!" To show his point, Gon started leaping around in a circle, punching and kicking at the imaginary man inside.

    "He looked sooo cool! He didn't even allow his opponent time to breathe, he was that fast!" Now, Gon was talking at a fast pace, overwhelmed by this excitement he felt. Hisoka chuckled at the young boys actions, not showing that he was actually deep in thought. It was indeed strange that a child similar in age to Gon was there.

     And that silver hair and those blue eyes... Surely it couldn't have just been a big coincidence? Those traits are known to appear in certain males in the zoldyck family. Hisoka had never actually met a Zoldyck yet, due to the invisibility of the family. He planned to accidentally run in to one of them sometime soon, so meeting a possible Zoldyck so soon seemed to have been good luck.

     Seeing as the young boy, Killua was young, looking to be around the age of six, Hisoka wondered if perhaps an older member of the family were supervising him. It wouldn't be that odd, as according to those features of the six year old, he was to be the heir. Surely the Zoldycks would hold some shred of care for their next successor...

     Humming, Hisoka decided right then and there that he would try and scout for this elder Zoldyck. Gon was still ranting on about his new possible friend candidate, not knowing Hisoka's mind had long moved on from the topic. Till the point where Gon tugged on Hisoka's sleeve to inquire if he could befriend the silver haired boy, Hisoka paid no mind to Gon.

     Looking down, Hisoka used his signature hum that was used to show he was paying attention, and answered Gon's inquiring question. "Hmm.. perhaps, perhaps not.. his family is known to be quite lone-wolfish, Gon." Ignoring the last few words from his guardians mouth, Gon focused on the first words. "Wooah! You know his family? Tell me, tell me! I wanna know aallll about them, papa!"

{ WHOOSH }

     "Killua, I do not want you engaging with that green haired boy. You are a Zoldyck, and Zoldycks don't associate with the term friends." Currently, Illumi had paid a quick visit to Killua after noting his little wave to a kid called Gon. Illumi wanted to reinforce the idea of no friends, just acquaintances to Killua. It would be a trait Killua would need to rely on in his later years of life, after taking over the business.

     "But Illumi.." Killua sighed, looking down. He didn't have the courage to continue the sentence after seeing the scary look on Illumi's face. Surely, since Killua never had any friends before, it'd be easy to ignore the boy called Gon. But for some reason, he just couldn't shake the boy's friendly smile and wave of hand at him. Having a friend was such a strange idea, a foreign substance in Killua's mind.

    "Killua." Illumi said sharply, placing his delicate thin fingers on Killua's chin, pushing up to force Killua's eyes to meet his own. "Friends are a foolish idea. They will only betray you in the end; it is an unnecessary risk you don't need to take." Killua's eyes met the ground instantly. "Look at me, Killua." to which the boy instantly obeyed. "Not a single Zoldyck has ever relied or toyed with the idea of friends, at least not a sensible Zoldyck has."

     Killua, being a six year old child who was more perceptive to the emotions of others due to his young age, noted the old shimmer in Illumi's cold eyes. "Illumi.." Killua hummed, gaining the courage to ask a small question. Illumi's blank eyes darted to meet Killuas. "What is it, Killua?" Illumi asked, not expecting the following question. "Have you ever.. have you ever had a friend before, Illumi?"

     There was a noticeable pause in the room, as the air became more tight and unbearable. The truth was that Illumi, had indeed, had a friend before. It was a polite girl who went by the name of Sally. She had a sensible head on her shoulders, and wasn't afraid of Illumi, even after learning the history of his bloodline.

     The two had met during one of Illumis missions, when Illumi was only 9. The girl, Sally was 11 and yet showed strange signs of maturity. Those signs attracted Illumi's curiosity, as a young boy. Funny, when the two met Illumi was covered in blood, his fist jammed straight through an older man's heart. Instead of cowering or showing signs of fear, she had met his gaze strongly.

     Later on, Sally in fact ended up tending to any of the small wounds Illumi had gained, always wiping away the blood. She could go on long tangents about his carelessness, but always managed to show she cared for his well-being. Mysteriously, she had disappeared several years ago, Illumi never seeing her again. He considered this a major act of betrayal, and closed off all walls to his heart.

     He would never tell Killua though, replying with a little "No, Killua. As I said, only foolish Zoldycks toy with the idea of friends. I am no foolish person, as I suspect you may be." Killua 'oohed' at Illumi's reply, somehow noticing the menacing glare that appeared only briefly on the Zoldyck's features. "Just for you gaining these stupid ideas in your head, you will sentence twenty slashes when we arrive home."

     Now, Illumi's hand had released Killua's chin, no longer forcing their eyes to meet. Showing a rare sign of bravery to his older brother, Killua's gaze never dropped. Instead he kept his gaze on his elder brother. Something was definitely up with Illumi's answer, and Killua was determined to find out why. It could be ten years from then, and Killua would still hunt for the answer.

     Even though the feeling was so foreign and strange, Killua had decided right then and there. If his brother wanted to keep secrets of his past friendships, then why shouldn't Killua keep his own current friendship a secret as well? He wasn't doing anything bad, after all. He was just following the brilliant example Illumi had set for him as the eldest brother.

{ END }