Night hung over the deserted strip of beach like the humidity in the air hung over the city of Sael. They had agreed to meet in an hour at this spot, following Zoldyk protocol for business meetings. That's all he was to his brother, a part of his job that he had to tend to. Killua took a deep breath, slowly releasing it through his mouth. This was going to be one of the most awkward, uncomfortable conversations in the history of Killua's life, because he already knew what Illumi wanted to discuss with him so urgently.

"The Zoldyk name can not be disgraced."

That's what he'd been raised to follow, it had been engrained in his mind to never cause shame to the family, whether job related or not. Finding out the heir is gay, that had to be at the top of the 'what not to do to disgrace the family name' list. What was his punishment going to be? They could disown him, but then, that would be more of a reward than punishment.

"Killua."

Confidence filled Killua, as he had sensed his brother's presence even when it was evident Illumi had tried to mask it. The years they'd been apart had proved to help Killua advance his skills so that he was now much closer to that of his older brother's. It helped he'd also grown and was nearly the same height and was on the same level of strength as Illumi.

Turning to the blank face on left, Killua didn't bother to keep the pissed off expression from his face. "What is it, Illumi?" He asked.

"As you have probably assumed, I was sent here as a representative of the family," Illumi spoke, not bothering to step out of the shadows that hid him from the sight of any normal human. "This recent situation with the media had caused problems."

Killua shrugged nonchalantly. "And? How can you possibly salvage the Zoldyk name now that the cats out of the bag?"

"There's been many discussions held on the very subject, but father feels no need to interfere as he believes it's obvious you are no longer connected to the family," he spoke dispassionately in a monotone that really grated on Killua's nerves," He also does not believe the current ordeal should effect your position as heir."

So why was Illumi here? There was some catch.

"Unfortunately, mother and the rest of the family disagree with his decision."

There was the punch line that Killua had been waiting for. The mood changed instantly and his brother's aura turned from passive to deadly almost instantaneously.

"Father doesn't know I was sent to meet with you," Illumi said," But mother insisted I come and dispose of this problem immediately."

Killua had to dig his nails into the palm of his hands to stop them from shaking. When he said 'dispose of the problem' that could only mean one thing, and that one thing Killua wouldn't let his brother get close to as long as he was breathing. Words couldn't describe the hatred and anger towards his family that filled Killua's very being at that moment.

He took an intimidating step towards his brother. "You will not touch Gon," He ordered. His voice was low and flat, but his eyes reflected his true feelings as they took on the state normally reserved for when he was killing.

Illumi showed no signs of being affected by the threat. "If only mother could see you now, she would be proud," he commented absently," But no matter what you do, that boy will be taken care of."

The dark energy surging from Killua as he advanced another step towards his brother was enough to finally force a reaction from the man. Illumi involuntarily took a step back. Electricity sparked from the tip's of Killua's fingers.

"Illumi, I'll warn you once, if you try to harm Gon," He glared with the might only a Zoldyk could," I will kill you."

He was answered by silence, as Illumi seemed to evaporate into thin air. But with heightened senses, Killua could tell exactly where his brother was retreating to and it was not in the direction of the hotel. He took a moment to calm down, to stop the free flowing electricity that had appeared due to his rage, before hurriedly returning back to the room. He wouldn't feel at ease until he had his eyes on Gon and could see for himself that he was safe.

Soundlessly entering the room, Killua's attention instantly fell on the blanket engulfed bed where he'd left Gon. At first, he couldn't see the teen, but he was reassured by the warm and familiar aura that seemed to drift up from underneath all of the covers. Gon was sleeping peacefully. Assured of his safety, Killua sat down on the bed opposite the one his closest companion occupied. It worried him that he had been able to enter the room without Gon so much as stirring. He had recklessly left Gon alone when he was sick. If Illumi had wanted to trick him and get him away from the room so that Gon would have been alone and defenseless, Killua wouldn't have been able to do anything.

"Don't worry, Gon, I'll protect you," Killua softly said," I swear."

Silence. Gon was really out of it, Killua figured, so he settled in for a long night of surveillance to make sure no threat came the other teen's way. But to his surprise, a muffled voice came from the other bed.

"Ki – Killua?" Gon called loudly, wriggling around beneath all of the blankets.

Killua stepped to the bed's side. "Gon?" He asked uncertainly.

"Killua?" Gon had finally found his way to the surface. "Killua! Don't leave!"

It took a moment for Killua to realize that Gon wasn't awake. The country boy was yelling desperately, but his eyes weren't open and he wasn't reacting at all to Killua. Uncertain as to what to do, the pale teen reached out to take Gon's hand, hoping it would snap him out of whatever he was dreaming. He quickly recoiled, however, when his finger tips brushed against Gon's skin - it was burning hot. That's when Killua realized just how flushed the other hunter's face was and the abnormal amount of sweat he was drenched in. Killua placed his hand on Gon's forehead and couldn't help but wince.

He was definitely running a fever. Gon seemed to lean into Killua's cool touch, but he was delusional from the fever and didn't realize what was going on. Killua forced him to lie back down then rushed to get a wet towel to place on his forehead. How many times could a person screw up in one night? He must have been going for a record. Killua swore loudly as he hurried to help Gon however he could.

He was up into the wee hours stabilizing Gon's condition. It was stressful, as he had little experience when it came to treating people who were ill. It was virtually impossible for Killua to get sick and Gon very rarely caught anything worse than a small sniffle. A fever was much more severe.

It was nearly one in the afternoon before Gon came to with his senses about him. He sat up in bed and smacked his lips drowsily, feeling parched. Rubbing groggily at his eyes, he wondered absently why he was so sweaty. He really needed to take a shower …

"Gon?" A small voice called from his side.

Facing the direction of the voice, Gon was met with the image of a very pensive Killua. "Killua?' He asked, blinking in confusion.

Killua reached forward from where he was leaning on the bedside, placing a hand on Gon's forehead. "You're fever broke a couple of hours ago," He said," Do you feel better?"

Gon just blinked. "I had a fever?"

Letting out a small chuckle, Killua let his hand fall back to rest on the blankets. "Yeah, it was pretty high, too. I'm glad it didn't last very long," His voice rang with relief.

Whatever Gon was going to say in response was forgotten as the image of Killua slamming the door shut and leaving came back to him. His eyes fell down to his hands, folded in his lap. "Sorry to cause you trouble," Gon said softly.

Swallowed up with guilt inside, Killua reached forward and took Gon's hands into his own. "You never cause me any trouble," He stared into Gon's eyes to make sure his true feelings got across," Just forget everything I said last night, I was being a total asshole and none of it was true."

Gon knew how hard it was for Killua to express anything other than anger and hate, so to see him even try to be apologetic really touched him. "I'm sorry too," he said, leaning over so that he could pull the other teen into a hug.

"Why are you sorry?" Killua asked as he returned the hug, slightly confused.

"For that time I agreed to go on a double date with the Tachibana twins," Gon said.

Killua gagged inwardly. "If you can forgive me for last night, I can forgive you for that," He said with a shudder. The Tachibana twins were the worst, from looks to personalities, but they were also the richest in all the eastern islands so Gon had been forced to get on their good sides in order to complete an assignment. The date was unpleasant, to say the least. Although, why Gon was apologizing for it now was beyond Killua …

Hugging Killua tighter, Gon's face broke out in a beam of sunshine that was his brilliant smile. "It's a deal!" he said, relieved they weren't fighting any more.

Killua was used to the bear hugs he received regularly from his companion and felt reassured by it. He let out a contented sigh, relaxing into the firm hold. But before he could get comfortable, upper body resting against Gon's, the other teen suddenly moved backwards. Killua nearly fell over, but caught himself in time to give Gon a confused look.

"Sorry!" He apologized, jumping off of the bed and stretching," But I really need to take a shower, and I've got to pee really bad!"

Now that he mentioned it, Killua could pick up on the distinct body odor of sweat emitting from Gon. He gave a small smile, letting Gon know he understood. The dark haired hunter hurried into the bathroom, completely recovered from his sickness. The quick recovery wasn't surprising, as Gon bounced back to his feet from even the worst of injuries with little trouble. But what did surprise Killua was the fact that he had been forgiven so easily. To act so cruelly towards someone as sweet as Gon was just wrong and Killua shouldn't have been accepted back into the other's arms so willingly. That was Gon, though, always selfless in his ways.

Climbing onto the large bed and making himself comfortable, Killua leaned back against the head board in hopes of catching a few moments of rest. He hadn't slept at all since the day before, and he'd only gotten a couple hours of rest then. His senses were kept at high alert, but he let his eye lids slide shut if only to ease the burning sensation that lack of sleep was causing them. Killua could still hear Gon singing in the shower cheerfully and feel the aura of every guest that stepped on their floor of the hotel. He couldn't let his guard down yet, as he hadn't checked to make sure Gon was back to normal nen wise, and he also hadn't informed his partner of the new danger.

But it was still nice to have a few minutes of peace and quiet –

"BEEP! BEEP!"

Damn phone.

Killua grumbled as he pulled the piece of technology from his pocket. He flipped it open and answered it in his business-like monotone. "Hello?"

"Killua!" The booming voice could only belong to one person. "Hey, sorry we couldn't reach you earlier; me and Kurapika were busy at an auction." And then there was a muffled conversation and a slightly irritated Kurapika spoke, "Hello, Killua."

"Leorio, Kurapika, what's up?" Killua asked listlessly, eye lids slowly drooping down again.

"Kid, we've been seeing you and Gon everywhere! I mean, every time I turn on the TV – "Leorio's obnoxious rambling was cut off as Kurapika took hold of the phone again.

"We called to see how you two were handling the current situation," he said, not one to mince conversation with small talk.

Killua sunk deeper into the mountain of pillows on the bed. "We're handling it," he said.

Gon emerged from the bathroom then, a fluffy towel around his waist and another one wrapped on top of his head. The guy had weird habits, Killua had to admit, because no way did Gon have nearly enough hair to need a towel, but he always wore one whenever time allowed – on certain jobs they were permitted five minutes, top, to shower up before returning to the field.

"How are Kurapika and Leorio?" Gon asked while slipping into a pair of jeans and a big green hoodie.

His hearing was incredible. Either that, or he figured they were the only two Killua would talk so casually to.

"Gon wants to know how you two are doing," Killua relayed to the other line.

"Tell him he needs to worry about himself," Kurapika chided, but than added," But we're doing fine."

Curled up against Killua's side, Gon smiled warmly while shutting his eyes and nuzzling against Killua's neck. "He's happy to hear that," Killua translated," But he's still delusional from a fever he just got over."

"A fever?" Kurapika asked, concerned.

"Yeah, he's really dedicated to his fishing," Killua said between a rather loud yawn," he caught a cold while fishing out in the rain which led to the fever."

Gon absently twirled locks of Killua's hair through his fingers. "I'm not delusional," he protested quietly, seemingly fixated on the hair.

"Yeah, whatever you say, buddy," Killua said, one eye brow raised at Gon's unusual touchiness. "Anyway, is that all you called about?"

"No, we were also wondering how the hell the media found out about you two," Leorio was back in control of the phone and sounded pissed off.

Pulling the phone away from his ear so as to not have his ear drum blown out, Killua snapped back," Someone told them."

"Who?" Leorio asked, voice growing even louder.

"How the hell should I know?" Killua said with a growl.

"What – "

Killua ended the call. He was way too tired to deal with the yelling old man, because even if he meant well, Leoiro still annoyed the shit out of him. Large hazel eyes gazed into Killua's weary face, childlike despite everything they'd seen and the age of the near man.

"Are you tired?" Gon asked, still kneading Killua's hair.

Taking a moment to answer, Killua asked," Can you sense the person walking down the hall?"

Gon blinked. "No, but I do sense the people in the restaurant."

"Good, that was a trick question," Killua said," How many in the restaurant?"

"Hm … Ten, eleven counting the employee at the counter," Gon answered, pausing only to make sure he had counted right.

Killua nodded, satisfied with Gon's abilities. "Wake me up if you feel anything suspicious, okay?" He asked while resting his head on the pillows.

"Okay," Gon answered, figuring an explanation would come later," Do you mind if I braid your hair?"

"As long as they're out by the time I wake up," Killua said while pushing back second thoughts on trusting the teen who wanted to play with his hair to be able to stay alert.

"No problem!" Gon replied, chipper with the unexpected chance to mess around with Killua's cloud soft hair.

---

Killua slept for a couple of hours. It was all he needed to feel better since he'd been raised to sleep for only the amount of time his body truly needed to recover from whatever stress he'd gone through. When his eyes slowly flickered open, he was surprised to find the sun already setting outside. The day had passed by quickly. Feeling the top of his head, Killua grumbled when he discovered his hair had been divided into small pony tails. Where Gon had found the hair bands to do so, he didn't know.

"Oh, you're awake," Gon's voice spoke from the room's table where he was eating a very delicious looking dinner.

"I thought I said to have my hair back to normal," Killua said, pulling out the hair bands.

Gon squinted against one of the last rays of sunshine that had managed to find its way into his face. "You said to have the braids out by the time you woke up," He pointed out with a small grin.

Killua's stomach growled demandingly. "Whatever," he said, standing up and stretching," Where's my food?"

Munching away, Gon nodded towards a tray opposite him at the table. Killua walked over and took his seat, slightly nervous as to what would be on the tray when he uncovered it. But when he uncovered his meal, he was glad to see one of his favorites, lobster, on the dish. Really, Killua shouldn't have been surprised, he and Gon had been together for over five years – Killua knew Gon like the back of his hand and vice versa. Killua dug into his meal with vigor as his stomach yet again reminded him that he was starving.

"You want to go out as soon as it gets dark?" Gon piped up as he polished off the last of his dinner.

Looking out into the multi-colored sunset, Killua smiled to himself. To walk outside, side by side with Gon, accompanied by the crisp night air was what he really needed right now. "Sounds good," he said.

Gon beamed at him, glad things between them were back to normal.

While they waited for the shadow of night to fall, the two hunters busied themselves by fixing the TV set. Well, more like Killua spent two hours repairing the damage dealt onto the poor, inanimate object by Gon while the latter teen sat idly watching. They fell into their normal chatter, which was slightly random and always veering from the original topic without either noticing. Laughter filled the room, warming it like no heater could do. The only pause came when Killua informed Gon on the situation with his brother, but even that couldn't keep the two down. They both agreed they could figure it out when the need called for it since Killua had deduced as long as they were together they could handle Illumi.

"I think its dark enough now," Killua noted after glancing out the open window.

"'K, let's go!" Gon said, standing and eagerly grabbing Killua's hand and pulling him up with him.

Killua chuckled as he was reminded of a much younger Gon. "You really have been cooped up here too long," he said while being led out of the room.

"Damn right I have!" Gon said good-naturedly, laughing all the while. 'Hurry up!"

"Okay, okay!"

Despite Gon's anxiousness to get outside, he fell silent as soon as they stepped out of the elevator. The upmost stealth was required to exit the hotel's lobby without drawing attention towards them. Working as a team, they escaped unseen using techniques usually reserved for hunts. As soon as they were alone on the beach, Gon and Killua began laughing at just how crazy the situation was while enjoying the feeling of the sand between their toes.

"Killua, if it weren't for you, I don't think I would have survived this week," Gon said with a sincere smile, stopping so he could face Killua.

Holding both of Gon's hands, Killua returned the smile, albeit more reserved. "If it weren't for me you wouldn't have to deal with this in the first place," he reminded.

Gon thought that over for a moment. "I guess you're right," he said," But still, I'm glad I have you."

"I'm glad I have you too," Killua said, pulling Gon closer to him.

The gap between them was quickly breached. Killua bent his head down until his forehead was touching Gon's. They stared into each other's eyes, seeing more there than words could describe. Sweet smiles spread across their lips and for the time they could forget about everything except the one standing in front of them. Neither could be happier than at that moment. But, as fate would have it, they were never allotted much time for those kind of moments.

"Well, well, what do we have hear?" A voice rang from the shadows," You two love birds are so adorable, but you should really be more modest!"

Gon and Killua jumped into fighting stances faster than the average human eye could follow. Both glared at the spot where the voice had originated from. As the man stepped from the shadows to reveal himself, both spoke his name in unison.

"Hisoka."

---

A/N: Well, yeah, so that was incredibly rushed. But whatever, I'm happy with it. Hope y'all are too! It would be awesome if you let me know! WinkWinkNudgeNudge.

What will happen in the next installemt?! Le gasp! Keep reading to find out!