Title: The Distance Between You and Me
Theme: Sasuke gets beat down by Killua.
Rating: PG cuz there's a tiny bit of violence
Pairing: None, really.
Word Count: 2,610
Time: Er…lost count. But no edits again.
Summary: HxH/Naruto X-Over: the fight everyone's been waiting for… Hunters versus Ninjas?
Dedication: Ann, cuz she specifically requested it. I'm no good with these type things so hopefully she doesn't hate it.
A/N: This was very, very difficult to write. And regardless of what this might say, I still like Sasuke. ;; And yeah, this one really is a grammatical nightmare, but I gave up trying to be eloquent after it started hurting my head. Blah.

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It was a little late in the battle when Killua realized that maybe this Sasuke guy was actually being serious. The young hunter blinked at the glowering ninja, who hadn't moved from his spot since Killua had landed the first punch (and sent Uchiha through the trunks of a couple of trees). His eyes were a weird shade of red and he was just standing there, staring at Killua, not even blinking.

The reformed assassin tilted his head sideways a bit and smiled, marginally interested by how annoyed this guy was. Sure, they had conflicting assignments or whatever, but he didn't really think it was a big enough deal to fight seriously over. Maybe if Sasuke had been more civil on the onset, Killua would have had Gon give the ninjas the scroll they'd been sent to find and they could have all sat down and had a nice lunch together in the shade.

Sure, the scroll was nice. It had bright colors and beautiful calligraphy, but at this point it was pretty useless to the hunters.

Killua had already opened it after they'd gotten it the other day, and he and Gon had both already memorized everything it said.

So the techniques in it weren't a problem, really. If Sasuke had just asked nicely, Killua and Gon would've gladly given it to him. It wasn't like they needed the scroll anymore, and they weren't the types who really liked to hoard stuff they didn't need in the first place anyway.

The white-haired boy smiled, laughed a little bit to himself. This was all so silly…

"Are you playing with me!" Sasuke demanded on Killua's laughter, finally moving. His face contorted to show a kind of rage that Killua had seen on his brother's face too many times growing up- anger bred of impotence, of insecurity and mistrust. Sasuke wasn't half as fat as his brother though, so Killua concluded that it was a mental rather than physical handicap which triggered the ninja's anger.

He was kind of curious to find out what it was, exactly.

"Of course I'm not playing with you, I can't if you're just going to stand there," Killua intoned back lightly, sticking his hands in his pockets and smiling disarmingly.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "This isn't a game," he growled. "Just hand over the scroll or we'll take it by force."

Killua took one hand out to scratch at the back of his head. "Eh…you don't look like someone who knows how to play a game in the first place," he stated, looking disappointed. He definitely didn't like how serious this Sasuke was, all frowns and glowers and demands that he probably didn't have any place making in the first place.

He was definitely the kind of guy that put a dampener on people's good moods. In fact, if it wasn't for that Naruto guy, Killua and Gon probably wouldn't have even gotten anyone's names before Sasuke attacked them.

"Ne, Sasuke-kun…" Killua started, "I don't actually have the scroll." Which was true since he'd given it to Gon to put in his bag this morning.

"Your lies are useless," Sasuke shot back, unpacking several kunai and adopting the same fighting stance he had used when he'd first challenged the other boy.

Killua glanced over to the line of trees that had shinobi-shaped holes in their trunks and clucked disapprovingly. "Ne…shouldn't you try something different?" he suggested helpfully. "That didn't work the first time."

"Don't underestimate me!" Sasuke snarled, charging forward and rapidly closing the distance between them. He released the kunai before moving to articulate the hand seals required to make them multiply- from four to forty mid-flight.

Killua blinked as the several kunai suddenly increased tenfold. That was new. And kind of cool. He shut his eyes and concentrated on the sounds of the approaching weapons, moving his body hairs' width distances left and right, up and down so that the blades all slid past him, sometimes close enough to crease his clothing with their sides but not close enough to do any sort of harm.

A fraction of a second later, at the apex of the shinobi's charge, Killua jumped to avoid the sweeping kick Sasuke had aimed at his feet. He let his left foot touch down lightly on his attacker's black-clad shoulder, using it to push off of before he directed his jump to swing around the Uchiha's back mid-air. Planting a hand on the top of the ninja's head to bring him back around full circle, he landed in the exact place he'd been standing before the attack had begun. His feet touched the ground just as Sasuke was spinning out of his kick and turning to face the white haired boy again.

For all intents and purposes, it appeared as if Killua hadn't moved once.

Sasuke, bewildered, jumped backwards quickly, to avoid any counter that the assassin might have attempted during the split second his failed attack had left him open.

Instead, the other boy stood at his same spot, grinning. He put his hands back in his pockets and stared at Sasuke appraisingly. "Eh? You're pretty fast," Killua acknowledged, interest finally beginning to be piqued by the fight.

Sasuke said nothing in return, which was boring, but at least Killua knew he could let himself go and have some fun while Gon was gone. He hadn't been this entertained by an opponent since he'd fought Bomber's man back on Greed Island.

Granted in that fight, he'd mostly been entertained because his opponent was stupid…

Eyes sharp, he looked straight into the red of Sasuke's sharingans. "Alright then. Attack me some more. But faster this time, okay?"

Snarling, Sasuke did just that, enraged and embarrassed by this child's easy confidence.

Punch for punch, kick for kick, Killua moved with a foresight Sasuke thought only those with Sharingan possessed. It was as if he was reading every twitch of the ninja's muscles, anticipating with those sharp eyes, the directions of Sasuke's attacks. His movements were minimal, but every punch or kick Sasuke launched seemed to simply brush past the other boy, much like the kunai had. Sometimes the shinobi felt the tickle of the assassin's shirt or a slide of skin when his punches touched, but there was no solid contact, no sound of flesh pounding flesh.

Sasuke felt as if he were fighting air.

Teeth gritted, he doubled his efforts, eyes widening, mind chanting the entire time, the distance can't be this far…we can't be this far apart… he and I… I'm not weak. I'm not weak. I'M NOT WEAK…

Killua frowned when he noticed his opponent's eyes had seemed to go blank, as if some lowly animal rage had taken over his body and stalled his better reason. Despite the complete lack of distance between them, Sasuke couldn't hope to even spit on Killua if his mind was not completely focused on his technique. Disappointed, the shorter boy, hands still in pockets, spun in place, foot extending to catch Uchiha in the stomach just as the ninja extended his body for another series of attacks. Upon contact, Killua's foot speed doubled and he pushed forward, sending Sasuke flying backwards, though not hard enough to go through any trees this time.

If the other boy was going to half-ass it, Killua didn't think the trees really deserved to be bothered any more for it.

"Mmm, you're not concentrating," the shorter boy announced across the clearing. "Even if you're strong, you can't win if you don't pay attention."

Finding the strength to push himself back to his feet, Sasuke staggered upright, glowering. His eyes were still wild, but for all their anger, Killua detected something akin to fear in their depths. It made him frown, because Killua didn't personally think he was someone who was very scary. Especially when he was trying so hard to be nice to the other boy.

There was something else there then. Killua narrowed his gaze, studied Sasuke's form, his face, looked deeper into his eyes. There he thought he found an overpowering fear of death. Those were eyes that had seen death at its worst, undoubtedly, and it seemed that Sasuke's was a mind that dealt poorly with what he had seen.

Killua might have sympathized, having been a child with eyes constantly on death as well, but despite those similarities, the fact that Sasuke let himself be ruled by these images in the heat of battle instead of overcoming them made him weak. The fact that Sasuke was also unpleasant might have added points against him.

Killua could, for the most part, tolerate weakness. Because most of the time, those that were weak had no other choice but to be weak by the circumstances of their lives. So it was okay if you couldn't help it.

Sasuke could be strong. Killua could see that in how he fought and moved. He could be strong, if he chose to. If he didn't let the fear he'd learned when looking into the eyes of death rule him. That in itself was intolerable. To be able to be strong but to choose weakness was intolerable.

To add to Sasuke's choice of weakness over strength was the choice of being generally unpleasant as a person. You could be simultaneously weak and kind, or strong and kind, but to choose to be both weak and cruel made Killua lose any sympathy he might have harbored for the ninja whose eyes held so much fear.

Those eyes had seen death. Killua knew that he and Sasuke were similar in that way, but Killua chose not to be ruled by that, had let Gon show him that the past was only significant in that it made you better, that it taught you how to be in the present.

Killua had decided that the death he had seen was horrible. And that he would be stronger than it.

Sasuke on the other hand…

Well, Killua could see that Sasuke was weak and unpleasant. And that he was both by choice.

Perhaps it was because Sasuke didn't have the benefit of having a Gon, but Naruto had seemed nice enough. Even the girl that talked too much had seemed nice, if a bit tiresome.

There simply were no excuses for this Sasuke's behavior.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Sasuke demanded suddenly, stirring Killua from his thoughts.

"Like what?"

"Like I'm weak!" the ninja shouted, spitting the last word venomously.

"Maybe you are," Killua responded easily, shrugging one shoulder. "You could be better, but you're not."

Something in Sasuke seemed to split at his last comment and Killua was suddenly faced with a cloud of dark, angry…well, nen, but at the same time, not nen, he couldn't quite place it. Blinking, the assassin took a precautionary step backwards, hand clamping around one of the yo-yos in his pockets.

This cinched it. Sasuke definitely could have been strong.

If he'd chosen to be.

Electricity crackled in the air around Sasuke suddenly as the not-quite-nen began to swirl, manifesting itself in the shinobi's hand, his eyes red and angry. "Take it back!" he screamed, the angry blue electricity coming to life in his hands. "Take it back!"

Killua blinked. He had to admit that yeah, the electricity and the presence and the glowing was a little bit cool. But still…

Sasuke charged then, flew forward faster than Killua would have thought possible given his rage, his hand alight with its dangerously crackling aura.

The hunter didn't have time to dodge from the line of fire, not with Sasuke flying towards him at that speed, but he managed to release a small nen shield and withdraw one of his yo-yos just as the force of Sasuke's lightning Chidori slammed into his chest.

There was an explosive pain that launched him back several feet and to the ground as he felt the material of his outer shirt disintegrate around him, a burning shock striking up and down the veins of his arms and legs.

Moments later the ominous chirping of the lighting died down as Sasuke released his hand's control of the chakra, slumping backwards from exertion and regarding the fallen hunter warily. "I told you not to undere…"

"Kaa… that was pretty cool!" Killua exclaimed, hoisting himself back to his feet gamely, not letting Sasuke finish whatever inanity he'd had to say.

Sasuke's eyes widened. "How…"

Killua smiled his best assassin's smile and snapped the fingers of his free hand, revealing a spark of purple-gray electricity- his own special attack. "My electric abilities aren't as strong as yours," he admitted, laughing a bit sheepishly. "But I suddenly feel stronger."

"Impossible…" Sasuke breathed, realizing too late that perhaps his attack had given strength to his opponent's chakra rather than damaged it. "You…"

"This is neat," Killua giggled, watching as the electricity he summoned between his fingers tinted blue the more he drew it out. It was like his had sapped Sasuke's energy and made it his own. "Thanks."

"You…you… I'll kill you!" Sasuke threatened, eyes blazing to life as he moved to attack again.

"Che, you could at least say 'you're welcome'," Killua chastised, moving to reveal the yo-yo that was still clasped in his idle hand. Flicking his wrist, he let the toy swing out towards his opponent, only to have the ninja dodge around it, continuing his mad charge.

"Your toys won't…"

Not allowing Sasuke to finish his rather passé dialogue for the second time, Killua twisted his arm so that the yo-yo doubled back and struck the young ninja sharply at the base of the skull, causing him to crumple to the ground with a garbled moan.

"My toys are pretty cool too," Killua stated conversationally, walking up to the unconscious ninja and crouching over him. "Oi… are you dead?"

"Sasuke! Oi…Sasuke! I got the scroll! Gon said we could have it!"

Killua looked up at the sound of Naruto's voice, seeing that the orange-clad ninja, accompanied by Gon and the girl who talked too much, had finally arrived.

"Aaaah, Sasuke-kun!" the girl shrieked, running up to her teammate's body upon seeing it. "What happened?"

Killua rubbed at the back of his head. "Ah…nothing much…" he laughed, slightly sheepish.

Gon frowned, studying the burn patterns that marred the front of Killua's inside shirt. "Killua, did you…"

"Maybe a little," the other hunter responded, shrugging helplessly.

Gon sighed, looking slightly troubled. "You could have just told him he could have the scroll you know."

"Well, he didn't ask," Killua returned reasonably.

Naruto frowned. "He's not dead right?"

Killua shook his head "No."

The blonde crossed his arms and looked thoughtful. "You beat him up, huh?"

The white-haired boy nodded. "Yup."

Naruto pursed his lips. "Uh… and he'll be okay?"

"Yeah."

Naruto continued to think for a little bit. Then his face split into a huge grin. "Hahahahaha! You totally beat up that arrogant bastard, ne? You gotta tell me what happened!"

"Naruto!" Sakura chastised, glaring heatedly at Killua.

Killua ignored her. "You're not angry?" he asked the other ninja.

Naruto's grin widened, if at all possible. "Naaaah… Gon said that Killua isn't a bad person," the blonde revealed. Then, "And I think it's better if he gets beat up once in a while," he added in a whisper that everyone present could hear anyway.

Killua allowed himself a grin that rivaled Naruto's. "Say…want some lunch?"

"Sure!" Naruto agreed quickly, ignoring Sakura's squawking protests and heaving Sasuke's slack form up over his shoulder in one easy movement. "Let's eat!"

Killua laughed and followed Naruto alongside Gon back towards camp. Now this guy he liked.

END