Ghost Orchid |KilluGon|

chapter 24

The next morning, Mito was up early in the dark of the morning, jamming out to some soft music trying to enjoy as she feared might be the last time she cook breakfast for her nephew who had become the son she was never able to create herself. The fear had been lurking in the bottom of her warm heart, slowly scratching at the surface and she could feel it. 

Despite how she felt, the still swayed to the music, cracking eggs into a bowl, one by one, until she got to the last egg she needed. The egg plopped into the bowl with the others and then she poured in the milk and beat it with a fork until the mix was all the same color of warm yellow.

Then she tipped the bowl over a sizzling pan with some bacon in it and watched the eggs splatter into the pan and start cooking. The smell of bacon took over the small kitchen and warmed the atmosphere of the dark home in which all of the other lights were off to allow the two sleeping beauties up the stairs to keep sleeping a bit longer.

A couple of dirty pans in the sink later, there were plates of pancakes, omelets, scrambled eggs, and crunchy bacon on plates laid out on the table for three. Then she walked up the stairs to the room where the boys were sleeping together. Gon was on the bed, and Killua was sleeping in a pull out that Mito had gotten so they wouldn't sleep on the floor together like they used to back when Gon was less fragile. 

She stood in the door frame for a little while, noticing how much weight Gon had lost. The skin on his body clung more tightly to the structure of his bones than it used to. Most of the muscle he'd had before wasn't there anymore, making him look very delicate. His sleeping face allowed her to see that his eyes were a little more sunken in and his cheek bones were much more noticeable. The only things about his appearance that hadn't changed were his amber colored eyes, still as bright as they used to be, and his green air that was only a little longer than before from not being cut.

Then after admiring Gon, she walked over closer to where both boys were resting and tapped each of them on the shoulders which was enough to get Killua to stir and eventually his eyelids fluttered. Then Aunt Mito walked out of the room and down to the kitchen where she knew she wouldn't have to wait long. 

Sure enough, a minute later, a very groggy pair of boys walked down the stairs and their eyes lit up upon seeing the food. It was silent at first when they started eating since Killua and Gon, Gon especially, weren't even half awake when they had first come down, but the delicious smell flowing off of the food in front of them was enough to wake them both up pretty quickly.

"Soo is it good?" Aunt Mito asked, for lack of a better question. 

Killua was the first to respond. "This bacon is sooo crunchy. I love crunchy bacon. I've been making us breakfast for a while now but I've never been able to make it like this before. What's your secret. If you trust me with it that is," the white haired boy stated with a chuckle.

"Mmm yeah this bacon is really good" Gon mumbled, eye lids still drooped from when he had been sleeping. Killua had gotten used to shorter sentences from the green haired boy who used to spit out entire essays worth of sentences in one breath. It was saddening to see but everyone knew that Gon was trying his best to be the person he used to be despite not having even half the energy he used to. 

Aunt Mito smiled happily knowing that her bacon had been a hit. It was one of the only memories she had of her own mother, cooking breakfast together when she was a little girl. However she barely knew her mother now, as the women had left Mito's family for another man and the rumor was that she had a different family. It was all in the past now anyway.

Aunt Mito got up from her seat to grab a piece of notebook paper that she ripped out of one of Gon's old high school spirals that he never used. She scribbled down the secrets to make the holy grail of bacon and slipped it across the table so Killua could see. He opened it up and read all of the notes before looking up. "Damn that is genius. You're brilliant I must say. I'm trying this tomorrow."

Gon looked up, which Killua took as a sign of interest. "Here look," Killua said, showing the paper to Gon. "Wow. No wonder your bacon is always so good" Gon smiled with his eyes, and a faint curve of his lips traced his face as childhood memories of really good bacon before school flooded into his mind. 

They all had a good laugh about and it and then normal conversation started, with Killua and Aunt Mito mostly carrying the conversation, earning a couple of sentences and phrases from Gon every now and then since the green haired boy was focusing more on eating his food than anything else. After they were almost all done with breakfast, Killua's phone started ringing. "Hello?" He asked and then a look of realization took over his face, "Oh yeah, we're at Aunt Mito's place but I think we can make it home in a couple hours if that's ok?........ Yeah alright... sure.... ok thanks... bye" Then he put the phone down and looked at Gon.

"So I forgot about weekly checkup but Leorio just wanted to know where we are because he wanted to make sure you're still doing ok" Gon gave a slight nod at the words. He had seemed a little quieter than yesterday but it was still morning so Killua didn't give it any thought. "Sorry Aunt Mito. I think we should get going."

"Yes I understand, don't worry. Can I drive you guys? It's a little colder at the moment and I don't want Gon to catch anything" Killua nodded and Gon looked up and then gave a slight nod as well. 

The drive to the train station wasn't far and within ten minutes they were parked outside the station. Now all there was to do was get on the train back home. Everyone got out of the car and Aunt Mito hugged both Gon and Killua. The warmth of Aunt Mito embraced Gon's body as he was already shivering. "I'm going to miss you" she whispered into his ear. It seemed like such a normal thing to say but something told her she might never see him again.

"I love you Aunt Mito. Thanks for raising me" the green haired boy whispered back. The same feeling she had felt was swirling around inside of him. It wouldn't be long now.

Then the pair walked off, leaving Aunt Mito to drive back home. In her car, a single tear dropped from her left eye once she sat down. 

By the time the train ride was over, and Gon had fallen asleep once more, leaning on Killua's shoulder, breathing very lightly, Killua shook Gon gently to wake him up, but the boy didn't move. "Oy Gon we have to get off, you can sleep at home" He shook Gon again. Nothing. "Gon?" Panic took over Killua's voice.

He carried Gon off the train bridal style and then laid him down on a bench. Gon was still breathing but it seemed labored and irradic. Killua layed his head on the green haired boy's chest and heard a faint heartbeat which was somewhat reassuring. 

He scrambled to pick up his phone and dialed 911. "Hi. I need an ambulance quickly. I think my husband is dying"