orphans | Mafia AU

Preserved (Intro 2/3)

As stated before, it was only the start to a series of tragic events.

With great power came great enemies.

As the Zoldycks already knew.

They'd lost four children, already. Killua was the last of them. He was so terrified of conflict after his siblings were killed, he grew up very sheltered. The Zoldyck and Jisanhito clans treated him as a treasured gem. The youngest of both clans, the sole heir to both dynasties.

When the school shooting took place, Killua knew. He knew they were there for him. And they'd kill everyone in their path to get to him.

Flashes of his siblings' dead bodies came to mind. Painful reminders brought forth only to break him. He couldn't breathe, as he hid under his desk. No, he could breathe, but yet it felt like every breath he had to chase after. He clung to each breath desperately. He was going to die. He'd be killed, just as his siblings were. If he didn't suffocate first.

His heart pounded in his ears, he felt it in his skull. His head was going to explode. He'd be captured, tortured, ransomed and killed. Or he'd suffocate. Or his skull would cave in, his brain would leak out his ears.

"Are you alright?"

When Killua had heard Gon's voice, it distracted him from those horrendous memories, for just a moment. Meeting Gon's eyes with his own, Killua really did stop breathing, for just a moment.

"It'll be okay."

Killua nodded, but the other boy had already turned away once again. He took deep breaths. Would it be okay? The chances were slim. Killua knew. His panic had not subsided. But the momentary distraction from his trauma gave him a small amount of relief. Enough to help him try to calm down.

He focused on his breathing, taking deep breaths. The incessant banging on the classroom door did nothing to help Killua's attempts.

Killua didn't even notice when the banding had stopped.

It was silent for a moment.

Until it wasn't.

When Killua opened his eyes-- he didn't know when he closed them, to start with-- there was a gun barrel at his head.

Ah.

He was right.

He'd die.

The body of his would-be-murderer hit the ground. Drops of blood splattered onto Killua's face and clothes. He thought it was his own. Until he looked up, and saw Gon standing over it body. A baseball bat covered in blood was gripped firmly in his grasp.

Killua's heart started pounding again as Gon stood over him. He thought time had stopped. His chest hurt. Was he shot afterall? No, no he wasn't.

Before Killua knew it, they were running. Out the back door. Outside.

The PEA arrived. Killua was familiar with them. They acted in place of the law enforcement that this country was lacking, only better and more efficient. They were privately owned by The Zodiacs, an organized group of criminals with their own sense of justice and law. They'd all but replaced the government in regards to dealing with citizens.

The Zodiacs managed the court system and the PEA. Their allies, the Zoldyck clan in fact, managed the prisons and disciplinary facilities. The Jisanhito clan managed hospitals and correctional facilities. (Clans/Mafias and their particular roles in the world will be explained).

The PEA immediately recognized Killua and took care of him. The alliance between the Zodiacs and the Jisanhitos/Zoldycks was highly important and fragile. The Zodiacs, after failing to save Killua's other siblings in the past, swore on their alliance that they'd protect Killua.