.: ThE HuNtErS WeBsItE " hero " :.

this is the very first fanficition submitted to me.

H E R O 
By: Ayane 
Part I 

As I slowly opened my eyes, the first thing I felt was the ray of sunlight that struck through my face. I rubbed my eyes and noticed the clear sky that I always saw in the morning. It was so blue and the clouds casually moved in the sky. I�m sure that it was Saturday. Saturdays are bright days and it�s my favorite day. 

As I laid down my feet on the floor, I felt that the warmness of my surroundings was slowly crawling to my feet towards my body. I took a shower to cool my body and my head. I don�t know why I have to feel this feeling of heaviness inside my head. 

When I took off my clothes, I saw bloodstains at my blouse and on my shorts. Where and how did I get these stains? However, I just ignored it and put them on the laundry basket. I entered the shower room and opened the tap and started showering myself. Something reacted at my back. Pain. I deprived to shout because of the pain that I felt. I can�t stand this pain anymore. I knelt down and hugged myself to cry and ease the pain. 

After a while, I walked out of the shower room, naked, and checked what was in my back��?!� I was surprised, seeing a scratch, a deep scratch on my back! It looks like a human scratch�? Maybe someone attacked me� who could that be? 

Flashbacks: 
Dark surroundings, foggy atmosphere and the moonlight shone from the northeast� there was a shadow of a tall guy with long straight hair and opposite of his direction was a boy standing right in front of him. The boy was not small but not tall and he had a short silver hair. The scene was blurred. But as I remembered something, they were fighting to each other. I don�t know why they were fighting� it�s because I don�t have a clue. 

Present: 
I reached out on to my back, but I reacted when I touched it. So I just put on my clothes, my long-sleeve clothes to cover the scratch on my back. I went outside my room and saw my maid, and as usual she greeted me� 

�Good morning my lady. Does your wounds affect your sleep?� She said. 

She knew that I had wounds and with my curiosity, I asked her. 

�What did REALLY happened to me? And why do I have those wounds at my back?� 
�Master Killua brought you here last night. Both of you were injured, however, his condition is very critical.� 

I was shocked from the information she gave to me. So I asked her once again and told me where I can find him. 

When I knew where I could find Killua, I ran to the 2nd guestroom, grasping my breath as if my heart will burst out against the shocking news. I opened the door and saw his loyal friends: Leorio, Kurapika and Gon, all were standing beside the large bed. They were melancholy looking at me. I don�t know why they have to look at me like that but I just ignored them. I rushed beside the bed and saw Killua covered with bandages all over his body. Geez, he looked like a mummy. Gon then talked to me� 

�Don�t worry, he�ll awake soon. Isn�t that right, Leorio?� 
�Definitely. I assume that he�ll recover 3 to 5 days. I already gave him healing herbs.� 

And then silence fell, until Kurapika explained something to us. 

�He can�t use his Nen for long time and he shouldn�t see his family for the meantime.� 

I can�t throw any question to Kurapika. But I really don�t know what happened. Why is Killua forbidden to see his family? Family problems might be involved. And then Leorio patted on my shoulder and asked something to me. He asked if my wounds are affecting me. I assured he knows something, and I asked. 

�How did you know that I have wounds? Who informed you?� 
�Killua called me last night. He told me that I should be here at your mansion A.S.A.P. and so I did� 
�Did he told you what really happened? And who did this to me?� 
�He didn�t told us what happened, but he admitted that he made those scratches at your back.� 

I was surprised! Confusion was circulating inside my head, trying to dig out the incidents that was kept inside. I tried to recall WHAT really happen, but it just failed. I felt that something was piercing inside my head that Gon realized I�m in the state of suffering. He approached me and carried me back to my room through Leorio�s advice. While the both of us were walking, I asked him the same thing, but he just returned the question. 

�I should ask you �what happened� coz you�re with Killua last night. Both of you were badly injured when you arrived.� 
��I really don�t know what happened. Because I don�t remember a thing.� 

Gon was looking directly into my eyes. It�s like he can see right through me and it made me uneasy. I can�t look directly to his eyes. And then he held up my hand, saying� 

�I understand. You don�t need to push yourself. There�s always time to think and recall everything as if you�re going back to start.� 

So I decided to go back to my room and rest for a while. When I gently closed my eyes, and only black is all I see, I heard someone was talking. And I feel that it�s a man. The words that I heard was� 

�A family mustn�t fight with his own kind.� 

2 days after, I woke up early and visited Killua on the next room. When I opened the door, I saw Gon holding a bowl of mushroom soup. He was feeding Killua, who was sitting on his bed with lots of bandages. I was astonished that I can�t speak. I was surprised that within 2 days, Killua was already sitting on his bed. But I am glad that he awakened as early as today. 

�Good morning. Did you slept well?� Gon asked to me. 

I�m still under astonishment that I can�t answer him with words, so I just nodded. And then I turned my eyes to Killua, who was staring at me for a long time. I thought that he couldn�t speak, he couldn�t move. Can�t walk and can�t fool around anymore until� 

�I�m sorry.� He said. 
�?!� 

I thought he could do nothing because of his wounds and injuries. I can�t use any words to mouth with. Later then, Gon decided to leave us so that we can talk about the incident a night ago. He walked past to me and patted my shoulder, and then he left. The atmosphere changed. Both of us were speechless. Waiting for someone to talk first. So I decided that I�d make the first topic. 

�So you can speak. I thought you can�t.� 
�Though I�m still chained with injuries, I can do everything, however it will never be the same again.� 

Silence befell. Only the sound of chirping birds and swaying of branches of the trees outside the room could be heard. The wind was cold, but it was a cozy feeling. I started humming together with the chirping birds. After a while, Killua whistled back which sounded like a chirping bird. I glanced at him. His eyes were closed and his body was resting on the inclined pillow. His face was bright, but deep inside his bright face� there was a pain. When I turned my eyes back to the window, the birds entered his room. He raised his pointing finger and the birds were occasionally landing on him. 

�I didn�t know that you know how to call the birds.� 
�Gon taught me to call friendly animals.� 
�That�s nice. Can you teach me how? I�m can�t call them, �coz I�m not friendly as you are.� 

Killua reached on to my hand. I don�t think he�ll do such foolishness so I gave my hand to him. He whistled again and the birds were gently landing on to my fingers. Back then I noticed that I was smiling, maybe because I was simple. Simple things can make me happy especially friendship. Maybe because I was too shallow. Simplicity is the best, as the oldies said. 

�Why are you staring at me all the time?� 
�Was it bad?� He frankly asked. 
��I�m just curious.� 

Killua did not answer my question. I thought that this topic will lead us to nowhere, I rose my hands and let the birds fly high. Then I heard him talked again. 

�I envy the birds. They are always free. When will I feel that I�m free?� he asked. 

I looked down to him and held his hand. I know that he�ll continue what he had started. 

�I guess I really don�t have the right to be free. I was always locked down at the dungeon, threatened by my older brother and galvanize me for training.� 
��People don�t need the rights to be free. All of us are said to be free.� I said. 

Both of us remained silent. It was a long silence. Gon on the other side of the room was calling on to someone, just as though he was very upset. 

�Please� I beg of you! I want you to prolong his life!� 

It was nightfall. I enjoyed talking nice things with Killua. He told me stories when he first met his friends. I was envy of him because his friends were loyal to him. 

�At first my family took my freedom but I cut our lines that binds us and took back my freedom. When I met my friends they also tried to eliminate our friendship and forced me to go home. But that time, my friends retrieved our relationship by visiting our home.� 

�I envy you. You�re lucky to have rare kind of friends. They sacrificed anything for you. I hope I�ll meet people just like them. Oh it�s already evening. I�ll come back tomorrow, ok?� 

When I stood up from my seat and was preparing to leave, Killua pulled my hand. My heart was beating fast. That beating turned out to pain because I thought I couldn�t breathe anymore. I turned around and saw his dark-bluish eyes looking directly to mine. I felt uneasy. But I also felt that I was blushing. I didn�t know what to ask or what to say when he glanced into my eyes. I don�t know what his looks meant. All of a sudden, there were flashbacks appeared into my memories. Shouting, mourning, conflicts and blood. But as soon as he smiled, such cozy feeling entered my heart and the negative illusions were eliminated. I wanna let go of this funny feeling that I pulled back my hand. 

�I�ll see you.� I said and rushed myself outside his room. I wasn�t thinking. I was so rude. 

When I closed his door, I turned around and inclined myself with it. I placed my both hands across my chest, and felt my heartbeat pumping so fast. I asked myself what was that kind of feeling, it was very funny� very uneasy. 


Author�s Note: Hello minna-san! This is the third fanfic that I made. Well what can I say�? Oh yeah, the girl here is you and you can imagine yourself as this girl, got it? She�s a rich and well bred (funny huh?). You�ll find out soon. Poor Killua, he�s very lame at this part. He�s just trying hard to be cool after all the sufferings he faced�(07/20/02) 




Part II 

2 months later� Killua�s bandages were lessened. The bandages left on his injury were on his head, in 2 hands and in his chest. He was not yet recovered. But I always took care of him. I don�t know why I cared so much for him. I didn�t care, I have no reason why I cared so much for him. 

Within 2 months of pain� I always took him outside his room, the mansion. We�ve been walking around the garden and chatting with our own stories. Both of us were enjoying those times. I supposed that his pain was already driven out of his heart. Until one day� 

�Killua, I think this is the right time to ask you this�� I said. 

I was still thinking twice, �I should or should not.� 

�What is it?� Killua asked. 
�Last 2 months ago, they said that both of us were critically injured. You called your friends and treated my wounds. I have a deep scratched at my back, and you�d admitted that you did that. I�m just wondering�� 

I paused for a while and looked directly on to his dark-bluish eyes to prepare for his answer� if he�ll lie or not� 

�What happened to us?� 

I did not take away my eyes on him, not until the blossoming red roses entwined at the pillars of the garden did distract me. I could feel the motion of the leaves falling endlessly on the ground, the soft wind that flows on to my hair and the sound of waving branches. I also noticed that we were sitting at a large swing with entwined vines on both sides. Killua stopped the swing and I was stopped from glancing at the garden-like-paradise, to listen to his story� our story� 

�Last 3 months, your father called our hotline. He needed an assassin but his purpose was not to kill or track down someone, his purpose was to protect his only daughter. Goto, our Majordomo called my grandfather. He refused to do the job because the amount was a little cheap. He noticed that I was there, overheard their conversation. So he called me and did the talking with your father. He said that he�d pay me as much as I want and begged to accept the job. I accepted the job. It�s not because of the money, but his purpose of protecting life.� 

Killua slowly walked towards the nearest tree. I followed his footsteps with my eyes and observed the next move he�d make. I was nervous that I couldn�t spread out the words rumbled inside my mouth. 

�I stalked at my client for the rest of the month. I found out that syndicates always followed his daughter, maybe to kill her. Why? I don�t know, they didn�t told to me.� 

At the moment he looked directly to me, I couldn�t answer him. Because I, myself, don�t know the reason why do they need to kill me. And then he turned around and continued along. 

�One day, her father told me that someone hired an assailant to assassinate his daughter. He even warned me to keep his child safe. They gave me �such� detailed reports that�s why I�m having a hard time protecting his daughter.� 

I was offended and threw back his words. 

�If you are given incomplete details, why won�t you ask them to give you complete ones?� 
�Because they themselves can�t protect you and that made me realized that they�d gave me the responsibility to protect you.� 

I kept in silence with embarrassment. I felt that the words I had thrown were returned to me. And then he continued the story again. 

�A call distracted the whole family. They warned them that they�ll going to kill the child at exactly 6 in the evening. And that day was Friday, our nightmare. Your father called several policemen to guard the house and to guard his daughter. But�� 

He turned around and looked at me with a strange but cute smile� 

�She refused.� 
�W-Why? Why did I refused?� 
�You said that you�re having a hard time with other people and you felt that you�re being clasped that you can�t move freely. You pointed at me and said that� 
�You hired him for me, and I want �only� him to be with me!� 
And then you ran upstairs and even called me to follow you.� 
�I-I said that?� I asked him with a blush. 
�When I followed you, you already changed your clothes. At first I didn�t know why you have to be upset. But when you told me that you wanna go out of the house for while, I understand that you juz wanna be free, at least, for this moment.� 
�You want to tell me that I wanted to go to a mall, aren�t you?� 
�Correct. Then as soon as we ride on your car, you asked me several questions. Some of them was about my background, my unique abilities to kill, my family, and�� 
�And what?� 
�You also asked� why did I accept you as my client, why did I accept the job to protect�� 
�So what did you answered?� 
�Nothing.� 

I couldn�t tell to myself if he was keeping something or what. I didn�t know if he was lying. I let him as he was. I didn�t care what he answered. I do care �only� from the things that happened. 

�So afterwards? What happened?� 
�We crashed on to something.� 
�What?!� 

I stood up from my seat in astonishment. My heart was beating strangely. I held up my hands onto my chest and felt that I was nervous. 

�Don�t worry, I had save you. We were both alive, however, the driver and the other bodyguard were killed. You and I were not wounded, so I decided to go to the nearest shop or house to stand by and called your father. Because at that moment, I slipped my cellphone going to save you.� 
�Where�s my phone? Where is it?� 
�You also dropped it because you�re shocked, you cannot move. And then, while I was walking with you on my back, the rain fell down to earth. I started running with you, sleeping on my back. We stayed inside on an old oak tree. I laid you on the dry land and let you sleep.� 
�What were you doing at that time?� 
�Awake. Guarding you. Watching you while you were sleeping.� 

I was blushing like a tomato. I don�t know what I�m going to do to him! I was mad, terrified, shocked, giggled and anything! The feelings were mixed. And that made me stayed quiet like a moron. 


Author�s Note: Hello minna-san! This was the continuation of the Part 1 of �H E R O�. In this part, Killua was telling the whole story 3 months ago. A rich businessman wanted to help and protect his only daughter (that happened to be you) hired Killua to do that job. They were terrified when someone from the enemy�s side called them and warned them that they�ll gonna kill the kid. I can�t think of a name for the father, so I let you think about it (He can be your father�). Well, for me, this story is one of a kind. And I like my plot! If you don�t like it, it�s ok, it�s your opinion. Ja ne! (07/21/02)



Part III 

�Meanwhile, as you were sleeping, I heard a someone was walking towards our place. I hid my aura and observed the man within those shadows. As soon as the wind blows stronger, two pins flew towards your direction.� 
�What?! So what happened to me?!� 
�I shielded you that�s why I had these wounds, these holes.� 

As I glanced to his pair of holes, I felt sad and anxious. Despite all the pain and anxiety that I felt for him, he wasn�t reacting or showing how pain it was when he was hit. So I let him told the story once again. 

�You were awaken by panicked and I told you just to duck. You didn�t even follow me and suggested to run, to escape. I told you that I don�t want to escape, because I wanted to see the assassin that the enemy�s side hired to kill us both.� 

I was shivering. Maybe I don�t want to hear the continuation or maybe� this was the climax of the story. 

�You agreed. And then, when I told you not to come out, you hide inside the darkness. I came out from the oak tree, ready to face the enemy. I saw a silhouette of a man standing on a tree in my opposite direction. He kept on calling by my name. When I can�t control myself, I started attacking him. When I got closed to him, I saw my brother�s face. So it was Illumi.� 

I saw Killua clenching his fist. Maybe in anger, coz the enemy�s side hired his brother to kill me and fight with him. A brother�s quarrel, maybe. And also, his eyes were shaking, don�t know why. 

�He asked me what I�m doing in that place. I said �None of your business.� And then he hold up my chin too tight to answer his question by force, because he knows that I was lying.� 

He paused for a while and looked down to me. I don�t know what expression I should make, so I stayed still, waiting for the next scenario. 

�And then he warned me, he�ll finish me if I�ll continue my job as your protector. I didn�t say a thing, but with my actions, he knew that I did not follow him. He threw another pair of pins towards my� heart.� 
�OH GOSH!!!� I screamed. 
�Don�t worry, I knew that he was aiming my heart, so I lunged to him and attacked him with my claws. I can�t believe myself that I left a scratch on my brother�s skin. I felt proud. But when I looked directly to his eyes, he was already raging.� 
�You mean you� haven�t fought with him?� 
�Yeah. And I have a little secret to share with you� my greatest fear is my brother� that�s him.� 

I didn�t really know that Killua had fears, for I believe that he fears no one. Maybe Illumi was scary, deadly and powerful that Killua opened up his fear. I was trying to remember Illumi�s appearance, but can�t remember a thing. 

�He called me stupid but I just replied that he�s a junk. I attacked him but he just evaded it. The next move I made was to use Nen, the Nen of Electricity. I changed my aura into electric shocks and then attacked him. And for the second time, I injured him. I didn�t know that he couldn�t stand the electricity so I continued torturing him by galvanizing him with my own Nen. It�s just a little moment of fun, that he let go himself from my power. He�s totally mad, and lunges to me. I�ve received several punches and kicks. I jumped back, breathing and sweating hard.� 
�Ummm� I don�t want to hear any fighting stories. Tell me what happened to me, the scratch on my back!� I commanded in fury. 
�You�re hurrying me? Ok, I�ll jump the fighting scene. Illumi told me something after he gave me several attacks�� 
�A family must not fight with his own kind.� 

A family must not fight with his kind? Those are the words that I can remember! 

�I was raging and told him that��do you think I like to be one? When I was born and started the training� I can�t stop cursing myself!�� 

I looked down with frown and saw some droplets on the ground. I looked up in the sky thinking that it was the droplets from the rain. I was wrong. I returned my sight to the droplets. It was so close to where Killua was standing�! Killua was crying! 

�He did not feel what pain I received. He doesn�t care. Hoping that I will be the most powerful member of the Zaoldyeck history. And then he said�� 
�No matter how much pain you suffer, you still need to survive. However, it�s different now. You�re against to your family. You won�t survive.� 
�I run to evade his attacks. I didn�t know that I went towards to your position. And then I stopped, to feel where he was hiding or where he will start attacking. And then I remembered that you were in that place.� 
�So what happened? Did Illumi found me?� 
�Yes, but I don�t know how. I sensed him from afar jumping towards my position. I also jumped, release my claws, ready to attack him. He smiled at me when I got close to him. I was mad and slashed him with my claws. As we returned to the ground, I saw my claws soaking from blood. He was facing me with a strange smile. I looked closely to him and saw 2 legs sticking out from his back. I know that style of shoes, he said�� 
�You did hit me. But that�s bad, it wasn�t my back.� 
�I was stunned when he took the body from his back, revealing the familiar face� it was you.� 
�Oh gosh!� 
�He said�� 
�See? With your reckless way of fighting you did not know whom you�ve hit. Poor boy, a boy without ambition.� 
�I did not speak. I was very ashamed. I don�t know what I was doing. I was staring at your body, your lifeless-like body all of the time. My eyes were still. Sometimes they were shaking. I felt guilty. And then the last words that I remember from him was�� 
�You�re so blind. Suffering and pain already blocked your heart. Why are you giving your life to this woman?� 
�Killua�� I said. 
�What? Do you still want to listen?� 
��� 
�Ok, I�ll continue. After he uttered those words, I felt that the other side of me was awakened. I was so afraid of the other side because �he� was uncontrollable. I don�t care if we both came from the same family, I don�t care if he was my brother, I don�t care if he was my greatest fear� because once the other side of �me� conquers the �real� me� it will be my victim�s nightmare. The fight started. I don�t need to elaborate our battle, but I�ll tell you how I get this wounds and how I killed him.� 
�You! You killed him?!� 
�Yeah.� 
�H-how?� 
�Before that I�ll tell you how I got these injuries. It�s from his Nen. I don�t understand what power he had, but he was totally powerful enough to crush me into pieces. He almost did that but I sacrificed the energy that was left to me. I galvanized and attacked him with my claws. I aimed for his heart and crushed it. Ahem, it wasn�t me it was the other side of me. 

My vision was totally blurred when I came back to normal� I saw my hands soaking from my brother�s blood. I started shivering. Soon after, the vision of my eyes suddenly turned into black� I collapsed. 

When I woke up I forced myself to get up but I was very lame at that time, luckily, Illumi had his cellphone. I took it and called my friends. I told them that they should wait for us at your mansion carrying all the medicines to treat your wounds. And then I hang-up. I go towards to your place where you laid and I took you. I placed you on my back coz I can�t carry you on my arms with the scratch that I accidentally did. I walked for about 2 � hours and then when we arrived at the front gate, I made a doorbell, saw my friends running towards us and then I suddenly lost my balance and breakdown. The end.� 
�So you lost your energy. That was too much for you.� I commented. 
�Yeah. I was very thrilled.� 
�But I�m glad that you�re ok.� 
�Me, too. I thought your gonna die because of the scratch was too deep.� 
�It�s because I�m strong.� 
�Maybe. Oh yeah, before I forgot I wanna tell you something� AH!� 
�Killua!� 

Killua knelt down holding on to his chest� his heart. He�s eyes are so scary. They are still yet shaking. He�s sweating cold and shouting for pain until I saw him� painfully crying. I was crying, too, I still called for help. Kurapika, Gon and Leorio rushed to us. Leorio and Gon do the CPR. Leorio listened to Killua�s heartbeat and then when he patted Gon�s shoulder, he gestured that� they did not make it. Gon started shouting out Killua�s name in the air. Leorio punched to the ground, Kurapika, face-down crying� and me, walked towards to where he lays, knelt beside him, bent my body and told to him face to face that� 

�Thank you� my hero�� 

And then I hugged him tightly. 

1 week after, we buried Killua�s body. The place was the Zaoldyeck territory. He�s beside his brother�s grave. Kikyou, Killua�s mom and Canary were weeping. And then suddenly, the family left the four of us: Gon, Leorio, Kurapika and me. Kurapika suddenly speaks� 

�The limit was very short. My calculation was wrong. You know why? During their battle, Illumi placed a pin inside Killua�s heart and with this he can still operate the pin and kill Killua painfully.� 

And then he left with Leorio. Gon patted my shoulder and said� 

�You know what he answered at the time you asked why he accepted the job?� 
�No�� 
�It�s because� it�s because he loves you so much.� 

After the last words, Gon left me alone with Killua. I can�t stand this pain inside my heart. My tears were coming out from my eyes. I started weeping. 

�Killua! Killua!� 

�And shouting out his name in the sky. I felt that I was so selfish, so blind, stonehearted. Several questions entered my mind. Why didn�t I feel that he already loves me? Why do I care so much to him? Why is it that I�m always with him? Why is it that he�s very much close to me� to my heart? � � � � The sky is so blue; the birds are weeping just like me. The breeze is very gloomy, very sad. It flows within my hair and wipes away my tears� � � 

�Killua� you can rest now� have peace�� 

The last words I said before I leave was� � � � 

�Killua� if you only know how much I love you since I met you� my hero��.� 


~ The End ~ 


Author�s Note: Hello minna-san! This will be the last part of the story and this part is so sad. (Weeping). Yeah, as if. I don�t know what idea got into my mind that I killed Killua in this story. I wanted to end it happily, but it�s no different to fairy tales, right? Yet it�s still good, ne? The story centers the fight with Killua and Illumi and also with Killua�s affection to the girl (Who happened to be you) that he tried to protect. I hope that you like it! Ja ne! (07/21/02)