Disclaimer: Hello, I do not own hunterxhunter, I am simply an obsessed, I mean, enthusiast fan who loves the series. HunterXHunter belongs to the manga artist Togashi Yoshihiro. Please support the official release (despite it being on constant hiatus... T.T ) Several characters that appear in my fanfiction rightfully belong to said mangaartist, but my OC's rightfully belong to me.

The story takes place in the fictional land of "Kukan'yu." It is labeled on the HunterXHunter map. Next to the Kukan'yu Kingdom is a small chain of islands. The islands were never labeled, and I don't even think the main characters have been to Kukan'yu before. So I decided to name them the "Kukan'yu Islands," and made up their history and culture too. Killua is much older in my fanfic, way past the events that are happening in the current phase of the manga, so I'm making up his future.

The timing in the beginning part of the story will stay consecutive, but then the time/years will jump around a lot later on.

Please enjoy my fanfic :D

Hair was sticking to his forehead.

Killua Zoldyck was currently lying down in a small, cramped motel room that absolutely had no ventilation what so ever. There is no air conditioner. There are no air vents, but there is a window. He wearily glanced at the window, only to frown in dismay. Directly across from their room was a 'public waste department,' but in layman's terms, a garbage dump. The air inside, no matter how suffocating, was cleaner than the outside. The air was hot and humid, taking in one breath was a labor in itself.

To make matters worse, he had to share a room with two other strangers that he absolutely couldn't stand. Both were hunters, of course, they didn't exactly give off an air of sophistication. One stereotype about the world of hunters, is that they are the epitome of intelligence and elegance, the best of society. They go on adventures, discover cures for deadly diseases, they are the cream of the crop of society. The bravest of all that are attracted to the allure of adventure, hear the call to challenge and they wholeheartedly march straight towards it.

That's according to the outside world, to normal civilians.

The two men that Killua had to room with were qualified for the mission to say the least. If anything at all. The only kind word that he could think of. He got reprimanded by his superior for complaining about them, suggesting for a room change. He was told off, saying to simply deal with it, and this trip was no vacation, and it was a dangerous mission. He had to get used to it.

So he did the only thing he could do, stump off angrily and curse under his breathe. Later, he indiscreetly threw a bag full of rotten gunk graciously supplied by the 'public waste department' into his boss's room, via the open window. His room was located on the other side of the building, away from the dump. Killua hated him even more.

He looked back to his roommates, one was ironing his socks over and over again. They were almost to the point of going up in combustion. He could see fragments of vapor rising and then dissipating in the air. Another reason for the unbearable humidity in the room. While the other kept going to the bathroom only to flush the toilet 10 times. One thing the Hunter Association purposely neglects to inform anyone is that some hunters are just plain weird. The man came out of the bathroom, finished flushing.

"Question, does that just make you feel good or does it stem from a deep inferiority complex?" Killua said while rolling the wrist of his free hand. The man nervously mumbled, and fidgeted in place, trying to utter a sound as a response to the impudent young man, only to wallow in defeat by going back to the bathroom. No doubt to flush the toilet 10 times.

Flush

Killua's eyebrow twitched, positive that an artery just burst in his brain.

There were times like these that he wished he could be with his friends, rather than these dolts. He fondly remembered the time him, Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio…..and Tonpa…. were confined in a room for a grueling amount of time that almost cost them the hunter exam in trick tower. Honestly, it was fun. That's when he taught Gon how to skateboard and Gon taught him how to cast out a line on a fishing rod. He was able to catch a fairly used pair of pants, still occupied by the owner. Leorio wasn't impressed with Killua's new found skill.

He laid up in bed, crisscrossing his legs into a pretzel. He stretched his arms up in the air and yawned out loud. The sock ironer turned towards him and glared, "do you mind?"

He needs to talk to someone fast, someone he can actually stand. Someone whose neck he doesn't want to ring. He forced out a diplomatic response, "Sorry," then added, "thought maybe you needed a hand?"

The man just stared back at him.

"Never mind."

When the man finally walked out of the bathroom, Killua immediately grabbed his laptop out of his backpack. He rushed in there, opened the door and locked it behind him. He put the toilet seat down and sat on it, opening his laptop. He hoped a connection would be able to go through. The Wi-Fi sucks here. He clicked on the chat App and scrolled down the list of users that were online. The green indicated those online, while red indicated that they were offline.

The one he was looking for, beamed bright green.

"Thank God."

He clicked on the user and the screen blew it up to the other users. The screen was slightly blurry, but he could visibly see that their smiles were plastered on the screen. He couldn't help smiling back. "Oni-chan!" one shouted, "Killua!" said the other.

Killua plugged in his earbuds into the laptop, so no one else could listen to their conversation.

"Gon, Alluka, you don't know how happy I am to see you guys, hurry, talk about something, I don't care, anything, I can't take much more of this," he grumbled and rubbed his forehead.

"oh oh oh! Look, I got a new pair of socks, aren't they cool?!" Gon pulled up his knees to reveal hunter style socks with giant X's on them. Gon was oozing with excitement, while Killua's eyelids twitched. He was tempted to flush his sanity down the toilet.

Gon, not seeing the same excitement reflected in his friend from his marvelous treasure, asked, "Did you have a bad day or something?"

"Remember about those baboons I told you about earlier?"

Gon started laughing.

"Ugh, it's getting more unbearable, I can't much more of this. Why did I sign on for this job?"

"Because you're broke," said Gon.

"And the Chairman recruited you for it," chimed Alluka.

"Not helping," said Killua. "I can't help that I'm amazing. Tell me more about your exciting job, you guys are living it up. I even saw the broadcast on the news, congratulations. And yes, there is television here." Killua said, looking more miserable than happy. The broadcast that Killua is referring to, is the discovery and official unveiling of the Cayenne ruins. Gon is at the head of the project, along with Alluka. Gon was interviewed on national television, he tensed up during all of the questions. It was adorable how Alluka had to step in and answer the questions along with Gon. They stood so close together, their hands were brushing against each other. He calmed down after that.

"By the way Gon, you made a stunning impression of a stone statue."

"I wasn't that bad," Gon said while nervousness trickled down his forehead.

"You were great," Alluka nudged Gon's shoulder.

The two, according to Killua, have a fling.

Gon and Alluka are both archeological hunters, while Killua, at the age of 21, is a contact hunter. Performing miscellaneous tasks whenever.

"When you're finished with your job, visit us, it's really a site to witness," said Gon. The cayenne ruins were made thousands of years ago, despite the age, the buildings were definitely made with tools other than sledges and hammers that were currently used at the time. Other than the architecture, there are hieroglyphs within the temples. There is evidence to suggest that from these symbols, the cayennes came from the Dark Continent, and left detailed descriptions on how to safely navigate through that deadly world. These 'messages' are still being analyzed and studied by paleograph hunters.

Alluka turned the screen towards her, "Is everything okay where you are Killua? Here in Saherta, we receive news everyday about the problems in Kukan'yu. It's getting more dangerous day by day. You should leave." She looked very concerned for her brother, and she has the right to be. Kukan'yu kingdom has been going through violent uprisings by rebel groups. It was even worse in the Kukan'yu Islands, located directly east of the kingdom. Only recently were they allowed to join the mainland, together as one nation.

Killua scowled, he knew the real reason for the conglomerate of the two lands. One of the big wig politicians used a finely crafted speech made by his board of advisors to ruse the public, to aide our allies to better humanity and to make a safer world. That was one crafted line he remembered from that overly practiced speech. The real reason, mostly, is that the Islands have a high concentration of unrefined petroleum oil. It would be easier to get rid of the rebel groups in order to set up petroleum plants and successfully obtain the oil. Building the plants are expensive, and even more so to repair.

"So far so good," he said. The job that Killua, his roommates and the motel full of hunters was to guide refugees to the mainland. The circumstances and daily life of the civilians were in constant jeopardy. That's what Killua has been doing for the past couple of months since he's been stationed here in the Islands, it was to save lives. Something that at the tender age of 12, finely trained in the craft of assassination, never imaged that he would be doing for a living. The rebel groups were indiscreet and attacked at erratic times. Killua was the head of his group, him and the other hunters bring in row boats to the harbors at night. Only a few at a time, to remain unnoticed.

"I mean, I'd complain, but no one will listen," he teased. He was dedicated to his job, but there was something else in him that felt empty, and it annoyed him that he couldn't pinpoint what it was. That or it could have been the yellow mold slowly creeping its way up the bathroom sink. Killua frowned again. Gon panicked.

"Here! Look at my socks again," Gon brought up his knees to the screen, hoping to ease the tension.

"He doesn't want to see those. Oni-chan, take a look at this," Alluka said excitedly.

Killua blew a long whistle in response to seeing Alluka showing off her silver ring studded with rainbow crystals, on her left hand.

Killua leaned in closer to the screen, pretending to be a connoisseur and inspecting the ring in front of him. He also dramatically curved his pretend mustache.

"Oi, Gon, I don't see an 8 carat diamond, don't go cheap on my sister."

Gon blushed, "Alluka and I picked it out together, I think it looks great on her, but we can always pick out something else," he turned to Alluka.

"BLEH! Gon, don't listen to him, I think it's wonderful." She leaned into him and kissed him on the cheek.

There was a knock on the door, "Hurry up in there." Even a turn of the knob.

"Go away," Killua retorted.

"But I have to go now."

Killua sucked in a forced breath. "Give me five minutes, FIVE MINUTES."

"Fine, but I got to go."

Killua turned back to the screen, "There is a possibility that I'll be having one less roommate by tomorrow morning. Any ideas how to prevent me from doing that?"

"You're almost done with your job, be a big boy and wait it out," Gon smiled.

"Alluka, how are you feeling, has Nanika come out lately?" asked Killua.

"No, she hasn't."

Killua nodded. As much as he wanted his roommate to magically disappear, he was constantly concerned for Alluka. Nanika hasn't woken in years. She hasn't made any outrageous requests either. He didn't understand why, but it left Alluka alone from the ruthless eyes of the rest of the Zoldycks. He loved both entities of his sister, but he was relieved at the same time. She was safe.

Gon had his arm around Alluka.

"Well, goodnight, I'll just leave you two alone to do" he whirled his hand in circles towards them, "whatever that is."

"You've got a whole night ahead of you, good luck," said Alluka, with worried eyes.

Seeing the distress in his sister's face made him feel uneasy. He'd hate making her worry. He straightened his back and smirked, "just another road trip, it's nothing to worry about. Goodnight."

Alluka and Gon waved goodbye as he clicked off and exited the chat.

He closed his laptop, rolled up his earbuds and stuffed them in his pocket. He unlocked the bathroom door, as he walked out, holding his laptop in one hand, his roommate bumped into his shoulder on the way in.

"Your welcome," mumbled Killua.

The man turned around and said, "Does it make you feel good or does it stem from an inferiority complex?" Then he slammed the door shut. Killua shrugged off the somewhat of a comeback, and walked back to his bed.

The sock ironer turned to him and said, "You're not used to making friends are you?"

"I'm a social butterfly."

"Right."

Killua flopped down on his bed, staring up at the ceiling, no longer wanting to talk.

"Give the guy a break, it's going to be another grueling night tonight."

He wasn't the only one that Killua wanted to break.

He put down his ironer and looked at the clock. "It's almost time to go." His hands were slightly trembling, Killua noticed for a slight second, until the man went back to clutching the ironer.

Killua glanced at the clock.

"So it is."

He swung his legs out of bed and prepared for what Alluka had said was a 'whole night' ahead of him. But it was always more than that.

…..

The boat tussled in the waves, heaving back and forth. Waves crashed against the sides of the boat, coated with barnacles and chipping paint, from living in the water for too long.

Killua stood up at the helm of the boat, undisturbed by the rocking of the waves. He looked down towards the water. It was gray, devoid of color.

As each stroke was made by the oars, clumps of water weeds grabbed on to them. Clenched on, swept away from their watery home. The men were annoyed by this inconvenience, some rolled their eyes and others grunted.

Killua turned a dark glare at them. He preferred if they internally grimaced, as long as they were quiet about it. He could care less.

They turned silent.

Killua was good at controlling, I mean, maintaining order in his group.

The men flicked off the lumps of weeds. The marine life in the Islands was abundant. Even their chief export, that's helped them economically prosper, was seafood. All the fishermen on the Islands were experts in their craft. They always seemed to know where the fish were. Somedays, they'd walk to the harbors, and stood there listening, then leave. Others asked why they left and didn't try fishing at all. In response, they said the fish weren't out that day. Those who had disbelief in their hearts, spent all day in their rickety boats, from morning to night, catching colds and empty nets. But when they DID go fishing, they'd come back with huge bounties, ready for a hundred kings dinners.

The row boat could hold at most twenty people. If he and his group were lucky tonight, they would be able to get half that number on their boat.

Killua had a wireless micro receiver in his ear, which he used to communicate with other hunters, in his region of the West Kukan'yu Islands.

Killua's hair was windblown, making it more untidy than usual. His white strands of silver threads were at shoulders length, but it didn't bother him.

It was 1:00 AM.

He looked at his comrades rowing the boat. The rough sounds from motored boats would only give away their location. Row boats were the best to use in the dead of night. He looked around his perimeter, and saw the thick, dense fog enveloping them.

Good, he thought.

It was a decent cover up. It seemed like tonight would actually be fruitful. They would be able to guide refugees to the mainland. Once they had enough people on their boats, they would row them to an even bigger ship that marks the border between the mainland and the islands. From there, all the refugees from that night are taken to the mainland. The mainland may not completely be a safe place either, but it is a haven compared what they had to deal with here every day. Constant explosions, threats, rebel soldiers showing up at door steps and destroying families.

Killua glared. He remembered the catastrophizes caused by the chimera ants, monsters. Then compared it to the downward spiral of events here, all human caused.

Killua received a comm in his earpiece, telling him to wait until the signal was given to proceed. They had to be as quiet as possible, if they showed any noticeable sign of sound, any rustle or thud or a small crash, they have to abandon the night. Killua had been doing this jobs for 3 months so far. Others around him, have been here longer.

His roommates have been here longer than he has too. He was starting to understand why they had their strange nuances of daily routines.

He noticed a faint light go off the shore. It flickered once, then paused, then flickered twice.

His group proceeded to the shore.

Thank you for reading the first chapter!

I definitely know the ending of the story ( which is safely tucked in my head) and hopefully I can finish the story this summer and not chicken out on it XD Reviews are appreciated XD

Thanks for reading!