The Cost of Vengeance

Chapter 23

The sun was setting when the group finally reached the entrance to the Zoldyck mansion.  Gon had felt a little bad about having to knock Canary out, but not enough to slow him down in the slightest.  The doorman/butler was adamant about them not surviving the beast within so Gon rolled his eyes with an angry huff and shoved the testing gates open within ten minutes.  

"C'mon that wasted too much time.  Who knows what those sick people are doing to him.  They just can't kill him, that doesn't exclude the torturous things they do to their own children."

Meanwhile the old man was sputtering something about master Zeno taking longer than that too open the gates.  The group set on their way to get Shalnark again and made it about halfway before Chrollo got a call.  They stopped long enough for him to have a quick conversation with the interruption.  Gon tapped his foot impatiently.  He wanted to get this done and get out, dealing with another one of Killua's best friend speeches was not something he felt like doing.  Chrollo put the phone back into his coat pocket and they continued on their way.  

"That was Franklin.  He and Kortopi made it to the second location.  Nobody was there, it was a trap that they would have been caught in had they not expected one."  

Gon nodded as he half listened to his boss, half listened to their surrounding, and spoke.    

"I figured it would be.  They would have expected me to come here since I'm familiar with the territory and they want me captured or saved or something dumb."

Although his words sounded frustrated, his voice sounded little more than annoyed.  They continued to trudge upwards to the Zoldyck mansion.  Surprisingly enough, they didn't stumble upon any traps.  Feitan had been unusually quiet too.  He would typically be quiet but he hadn't spoke at all.  Gon fell back a bit to speak with him.  

"What's wrong with you, you haven't spoke a word?"

"It's. my fault... that Shalnark. got captured."

"One, it's his own fault.  Two, there's nothing to do about it now."

Gon would've been more cheerful and inspiring but at that very moment he was fuming and doing his very best to keep that rage contained.  None of them had started inching away so he must be doing a decent job thus far.  He was too.  Up until they got to the mansion he was doing great.  The others didn't have much of a clue that he was irked.  As soon as he saw the doors and the servants in front of them he remembered.  He remember everything that he did for Killua, to get him back, to protect him, and to be his friend.  He remembered the training.  Remembered the hunter exam.  Remembered Greed Island.  Remembered the Heaven's arena fights and training.  Remembered his best friend leaving him.  

His emotions were finally taking over.  His bloodlust was oozing out of him.  The group collectively backed up as Gon glared ahead of them at the group of butlers.  

"Sorry kid, we feel bloodlust all the time so that little show doesn't scare us."

Gon almost smiled, that was almost amusing.  

"I guess it's a good thing I'm not acting then isn't it."

He moved quickly along with Feitan who took on the west wing of butlers.  They weren't even worth calling a challenge.  Gon didn't miss a beat, continuing forward into the mansion.  He got his bloodlust under somewhat control but the pure rage was still evident on his face.  Most would say he didn't have a right to be angry but it was ridiculous.  Killua had left him.  It was not the other way around.  Gon had only gone somewhere that he was wanted.  And then when those weren't people he approved of he can just come back.  IT WAS PAINFULLY OBVIOUS THAT HE WOULD JUST LEAVE ONCE GON WAS 'GOOD' AGAIN SO WHY SHOULD HE BE!  HE LIKED IT HERE, HE HAD FRIENDS!  FRIENDS THAT DIDN'T LEAVE HIM BECAUSE SOMEONE ELSE SAID THEY SHOULD!  

Gon was so angry it wouldn't even be an exaggeration to say he saw red.  Once the group roamed the house long enough to find a singular butler Gon asked in a sickly sweet voice, that didn't match his face whatsoever, where Shalnark was.  When he didn't get an answer from her he shoved her against the wall, pinning her there.  

"You can tell me or I can kill you."

"Normally.. I'd pick death but my orders are to send you to where they're keeping the prisoner... In the dungeons on the left, third cell."

Gon nodded slightly to his group and went down to the dungeons.  He found the dungeon and ripped the bars open for Shalnark to get through.  He bent them a little more than necessary so that his friend wouldn't get electrocuted too.  

"Gon, you all have to get out of here.  It's a trap."

Gon didn't even respond, instead turning and heading back upstairs.  He expected Killua and his friends or family to be awaiting them outside or near the door, not just out of the way of  the door.  It was even friends and family.  He really must be desperate to get his family involved.  

"Gon you have to come back.  This is where you belong, with Kurapika and Leorio.  We're your friends, not those criminals."

"Oh that is rich coming from a murderer.  You have no idea who my friends are.  You left remember."

"I had to, it wasn't -"

"IT WASN'T WHAT? YOUR FAULT! GUESS WHAT, IT WAS!  YOU DID NOT HAVE TO LEAVE BECAUSE BISCUIT TOLD YOU TO!  IT WAS YOUR CHOICE!  After everything I did for you, with you.  I fought your butlers and family to save who I thought was my best friend.  And what did you do?  You left.  You ran away.  You COWARD!" 

His bloodlust was now seeping out of him, making everyone step back just a little.  

Gon took a deep breath calming his voice before continuing.  

"And either way, you're just going to leave as soon as I return anyways so why should I?  I will only loose all of these people.  These are my friends, not you guys, who did nothing to stop him."

The calm anger in his voice as he finished and turned to leave the house is what alerted Chrollo to the aura emitting from him instead of the voice.  

"Gon!  If you're going to leave then you'll have to fight your way out."

"Okay."

Chrollo decided that now would be a great time to get everyone out of there.  Gon always argued against a fight.  When he didn't, it could only mean trouble.  He hadn't initiated a fight since Pitou.  He had not agreed with them silently but now he seemed content with the idea of it.  

A/N:  I'm back.  Yayyyyyy!  But still a little sad so a little bit of angst for Killua I guess.  Please give me criticism or requests for writing.  Thanks for reading and have a good day to all the ravishing peoples reading this.