Beta:TaintedLetter

(≧ڡ≦*)

(Miwa)

Gon and Miwa had traveled a fair bit up the mountain but were stopped by someone.

In front of them was a girl a touch older than either of them. She had smooth dark skin, deep grey eyes, and dark purple hair combed into thick bunches each tied with a string toward the tip. She was dressed in a pristine butler's outfit, and held a thick staff with a heavy ball at the top of it.

"Hello," Gon politely greeted her. "We're here to see Killua."

"Please leave. You're trespassing," the girl intoned.

"Don't care," Miwa said flippantly. "We're here to pick Killua up before we go adventuring. Are you here to escort us, or are you in our way?"

"I can't let you pass," the girl insisted, and she drew a line into the dirt with her staff. "If you try to move past this line—"

Miwa, as gently as she could, abruptly shushined to the girl in question and hit her hard enough in the jaw to knock her out instantly.

"Miwa!" Gon exclaimed.

"She was going to get in our way," Miwa said with a shrug. "Come on, let's go."

Gon looked back down at the girl on the ground, then back up at Miwa, then he gave a big shrug as if to say yeah okay.

The two friends continued on their way, happy chatting with one another as Gon asked Miwa to show him how she was doing all that super cool stuff.

(≧ڡ≦*)

Then they were stopped again.

This time by a woman in an absurdly frilly dress who had a bandaged face and a weird visor covering her eyes. Hovering nearby this woman was a very pretty boy—according to Miwa's nose—who was dressed in a traditional yukata and eyeing the two friends with plain contempt.

"Hello there, dear guests, allow me to introduce myself," came the eerily soft voice of the older woman. "I am Kikyo, Killua's mother. This is Kalluko."

Gon politely bowed toward the woman and Miwa followed his actions. "It's nice to meet you, Kikyo-san. I'm Gon, and this is Miwa. We're Killua's friends and we're here to pick him up."

"I'm afraid I cannot allow that. Killua is not able to see either of you for the moment," Kikyo intoned.

Gon let out a hmm, his eyes narrowing as he glanced over at Miwa.

Like a lightbulb went off inside his head, a mischievous spark ignited inside him. Gon had a wide grin stretch over his face that made Miwa uneasy.

'He's about to do something stupid,' Miwa immediately realized.

Sure enough, Gon slung an arm around Miwa's shoulder as his grin took down Kurama levels of impish glee.

"Well, Miwa's not just Killua's friend, she's his fiancé!" Gon chirped. "He asked her to marry him and everything. Surely, you can understand why it's important these two meet up again?"

'Oh, no.'

Kurama's taunting laughter echoed inside Miwa's head, as both understood how their little joke from before could be misconstrued into something a lot more serious now.

Especially when told to the mother of said friend!

This caused an instant reaction from both Zoldyck family members.

Kikyo sputtered, her whole body trembling with shock. "Wha—Wha—huh—wha—?"

Miwa opened her mouth to correct this assumption, but then realized that maybe this would allow them to see Killua.

And the woman seemed to not want them to see Killua which annoyed Miwa, so she thought: 'Fuck her.'

"That's a lie!" the younger sibling snarled. "My brother would never ask someone like you to marry him."

"How rude," Miwa said, only mildly offended. "I'll have you know I'm quite the catch. I can kick his ass. Besides, why don't you just ask him yourself?"

"This—you—which of you opened the test gate?" Kikyo demanded.

Gon pointed to Miwa, and Miwa raised her hand.

"You opened all of the gates?! Do it again! Let me see it!" Kikyo stomped toward Miwa, grabbing the younger girl's hand and proceeding to drag her back down the mountain.

'Killua wouldn't be happy if I killed his mom, would he?' Miwa hesitantly thought, disliking how the woman was literally dragging her around. She seemed a little... strange. She didn't ooze malice, but rather...

... she seemed sad.

Broken, almost.

Most people like their parents, so probably not, Kurama allowed.

'What made her so sad?' Miwa wondered.

The trip back down the mountain took several minutes, and it took another minute for Miwa to once again opened all the gates. She had to borrow Kurama's chakra for the second time that day, but since she was better prepared for it she was able to keep all of it inside so it wouldn't leak out and potentially harm Killua's family.

Kikyo was hard to read. Since her face was entirely banadaged Miwa could only judge her by the smell of her pheromones, which was hard to do under all her perfume. Her entire body was stock still.

The younger sibling was easier to judge. The boy fell to—actually, now that Miwa thought about it, he was dressed as a girl so he probably wanted to be perceived as a girl—-the girl fell to her knees in stunned awe.

Suddenly Kikyo burst forward and wrapped Miwa into a tight hug. "Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! That strength so young—yes! With Killua and that strength my darling grandchildren will be PERFECT!"

Miwa was stiff under Kikyo's hug, uncertain if she was supposed to be happy or uncomfortable with the sudden embrace. The woman's perfume was overwhelming and made Miwa hold her breath. She might have almost thought Kikyo wore it on purpose to give Miwa a headache, but that was silly.

She was Killua's mother, which meant Miwa had to treat her a bit nicer.

Maybe it was a good thing the lady liked Miwa?

Miwa didn't see how it would hurt her friendship with Killua and Gon at the very least.

Kikyo abruptly released Miwa, before grabbing her hand and proceeding to drag her back up the mountain. "Tea! We must have tea. Gotoh, prepare tea for our guests."

Miwa and Gon exchanged looks before shrugging.

(≧ڡ≦*)

(Kikyo)

Had someone told Kikyo at the start of the day that she would meet her future daughter in law for her favorite son, she would have killed them.

Killua was obviously going to become the next Zoldyck leader. He was a prodigy, and had such potential that Kikyo simply knew he was going to be the best. He was going to surpass his father, and his grandfather in time. She knew it like she knew the sky was blue.

With such a high standard, Killua's inevitable wife had to be equally prestigious. Kikyo had already been scouring through the potential heiresses to provide her with grandchildren, but none so far had matched up. To be the next matriarch of the Zoldyck family, and future mother of Killua's children, she had to meet a high bar.

Now simply opening the gate didn't grant Miwa that instant status, but it certainly shot her up the list! At the very least Kikyo found a potential future mother.

And the fact that it was Killua who proposed the marriage told Kikyo that there was more to this Miwa than simple strength.

Which was why she had to do a little digging.

It didn't take long for everyone to be situated in the mansion. Miwa and Gon were guided into the guest room where tea and light snacks were prepared. As Miwa and Gon took a seat on the couch together, Kikyo took a seat opposite of them, with the butler Gotoh standing behind her.

"Tell me about yourself," Kikyo began in earnest. "Where are you from?"

"Konoha," Miwa answered, picking up one of the scones and giving it a sniff before biting into it.

Kikyo didn't recognize the town, but that didn't mean much. "What did your parents do?"

"My mother was a kunoichi, but she retired when she became pregnant with me," Miwa answered after a moment of silence. She tilted her head as if she were listening to another voice, but Kikyo didn't hear anything so she dismissed it as an odd quirk. "My father was a shinobi."

The was implied they were deceased. Convenient, but acceptable. Kikyo didn't want to have to deal with insufferable in laws. Dead ones were ideal.

Another check in Miwa's favor.

"And you? Are you a kunoichi?" Kikyo pressed.

"Kunoichi," Miwa confirmed, her tone more confident than before. "Although I guess Hunter, too? We just got our licenses."

Gon nodded encouragingly at that, happily munching on some of the provided cookies.

'Check, check, check.'

Kikyo had confirmed that Miwa effortlessly murdered the two harassers from this morning. According to the doorman she had moved too fast for even him to spot, and after brutally twisting their legs around she stomped on them to death.

'Thrilling!'

A Hunter license at this age spoke of competence.

Strength, check.

Competence, check.

Ability to kill in cold blood, check!

Yes, yes, yes! Kikyo wanted to grin viciously at this ideal find. She would need more time to vet her, but Miwa was passing all the fundamental requirements.

She even had unique physical traits. Whiskered cheeks, blonde hair, big blue eyes... Kikyo could already picture how utterly adorable her grandchildren would look.

How wonderful it would be to see those grandchildren stand proudly over their first kills...

Miwa was dressed in horrid clothes, but that could be fixed. She could be cleaned up like—

Like Silva did for Kikyo.

Kikyo felt her heart skip a cold beat at the reminder of that horrible, horrible place.

Steering away from those cruel memories, Kikyo asked Miwa, "What do you want in life?"

"Adventure?" Miwa guessed, her brow furrowed. "I-I don't know."

'Lacks direction,' Kikyo thought, 'but that's fine because I can give her direction.'

She would, too. If this girl was going to be the future mother of her grandchildren, it was the least Kikyo could do to provide her with direction.

Such as strive to becoming the ideal matriarch for the Zoldyck family.

A sick thrill surged throughout Kikyo.

(≧ڡ≦*)

(Miwa)

Killua's mom kept asking Miwa all sorts of odd questions.

Which wasn't terribly surprising. Miwa supposed most mothers would want to know about the people her was essentially backpacking with, but she hardly asked Gon anything yet.

She's vetting you for courtship with her spawn, Kurama yawned. Not being subtle about it, either.

'Should I tell her it was just a joke?'

Nah. Watching humans make themselves look stupid is a hobby of mine, Kurama jeered.

When Miwa found a lull in the questions she decided to ask one of her own. "Where's Killua?"

"Killua is talking with his father now," Kikyo answered dismissively. "He had to be disciplined first after running off, you know. Although I was so proud of him, too! He did this to me, you see, he's turning into such a fine killer."

Kikyo gestured to her bandaged face, gushing about how Killua had done that to her.

Another fucking masochist? Kurama groaned in pain.

Miwa... Miwa really didn't know how to respond to that. The woman was clearly proud of Killua, and Miwa didn't think Killua would just scar his mother's face for no reason.

Exactly what kind of relationship did Killua have with his family?

Or was this woman the odd one out? Miwa had an instinctive feeling that she was... broken... somehow. Was she delusional? Insane? Violent?

'Should I ask Killua?'

Ehhhhh. She's barely a fly on our radar, not worth the trouble to care about.

'I meant, do you think he would be mad if I asked?'

How the hell would I know?

'Would you be mad?'

So in this scenario I am the child of a deranged woman and someone I've known for barely a month wants to ask about my situation? I'd be liable to eat that person.

Miwa decided against asking Killua.

Kikyo daintily cleared her throat. "Now, while you're here, let's go ahead and get your measurements."

"My wha—" Miwa asked, but then she was yanked up by another butler as a third butler proceeded to wrap a cloth measuring tape around her.

'Weird,' Miwa thought.

They worked with quick efficiency, and then she felt a prick of a needle in her arm.

They drew her blood.

'Huh.'

Huh.

"A simple check to make sure you're free of any disease or genetic issue," Kikyo explained.

"Oh, wow thanks," Miwa thanked her. She didn't think she had anything of the sort, but how would she know?

"Mm-hmm."

(≧ڡ≦*)

Meanwhile...

(Killua)

Killua's father was a man that Killua deeply respected. Silva Zoldyck was an infamous assassin. He was strong, intelligent, and cunning—all traits that Killua strove to mimic. Silva trained Killua to be an assassin, and for a while that was enough for Killua.

But then came a day that Killua decided he wanted more than just that life. He wanted to experience a normal childhood—he wanted to experience friends.

He left his home in pursuit of that desire.

He had thought, at that time, that his father would not tolerate his return.

That his father might punish Killua, or demand Killua to give up those wants.

It was... a worrisome thought.

When Killua did return he was ushered into a cell for his punishment. His mother insisted on confinement while Killua "sorted out his thoughts" while one of his older brothers insisted on revenge via whipping Killua.

Killua indulged both their requests because these were the two he had hurt in his escape.

He wasn't sorry for his behavior, but he did feel bad that he took it out on them.

Confinement was easy. He needed time to think anyway. The physical torture was something that could be ignored. He had trained his body to tolerate high levels of pain and none of the attacks hit hard enough to draw blood, or break his bones.

He knew, also, that each member were trying to help in their own ways.

His mother genuinely believed Killua would do better if he stayed with the family. Her view on the outside world was dismal, and cynical, thanks to her history. His brother, Mil, believed Killua was mentally weak and unstable and needed firm discipline.

It was a twisted sort of help, but Killua acknowledged their efforts.

It was all his family had ever known, after all.

They never had a chance to meet people like Gon, or Miwa.

This punishment was put on an abrupt hold, however, when Silva called for Killua.

And so came the moment that Killua dreaded.

Killua entered his father's office, his eyes adjusted to the pale blue light that filled it. His father was a big, strong man with long white hair and cat-like blue eyes. Silva sat on his couch, his gaze neither angry nor happy, but a careful neutral.

"Father," Killua greeted respectfully.

"Killua. Come, sit with me," Silva said, gesturing toward a spot on the couch beside him. "I want to hear it... all of it. Tell me about your time in the exam. What was it like? Who did you meet?"

Killua's eyes widened in disbelief, and a brief flame of hope warmed his heart.

Then he gave a shy smile and began to tell his tale.

(≧ڡ≦*)

(Miwa)

Miwa was starting to get a little tired from all the questions. Kikyo seemed to have an endless stream of them, and the delicious food could only help so much.

She was finally, finally, saved from having to answer more when Killua entered the room, dressed in an odd outfit and carrying two backpacks.

His presence caused a stir in Kikyo and she stood up quickly, her tone elated. "Killua!"

"Yo," Killua casually greeted. "Father said I could go."

"No, no, I think it would be best—" Kikyo winced, and Miwa picked up the sound of something coming from her visor. It was too quiet for Miwa to discern, but it was clearly someone talking. "But dear—!"

Kikyo bit her lip, clearly distressed.

"Um... we'll be back," Miwa hesitantly said. "The food was really good."

"I'll come back, Mother," Killua added. "It's important."

With the promise to return, Kikyo relaxed. "Yes... yes you will come back, of course you would. There are wedding plans to be made, and more history checks to be done, yes of course..."

Miwa leaned in to whisper to Killua, "I think your mother is taking the marriage joke very seriously."

Killua whispered back, "Yep."

Neither were brave enough to correct the woman.

That was a problem for future Killua and Miwa to solve.

Gon nudged Miwa, leaning in to quietly murmur, "Go hug her."

"What?" Miwa hissed.

"She already hugged you, so she must like hugs. Go hug her," Gon insisted, grinning a rather playful grin.

Miwa hesitated for a split second before approaching Kikyo and giving her a hug. Kikyo didn't really react, which made Miwa feel awkward—especially when she noticed the smirks Killua and Gon exchanged—but at least Kikyo didn't have a melt down or something.

"Father wanted to see you, Mother," Killua said, a very obvious bait to get Kikyo to leave.

A bait she took, though, because with a grumble Kikyo headed off.

"That wasn't an awkward hug at all," Killua teased the moment Kikyo left.

"Shut up," Miwa grouched.

"Here," Killua said, giving Miwa a bulky bag stuffed with clothes. "These are some of my old clothes. Use these instead."

Miwa raised an eyebrow at that, a silent inquiry as to why?

"Because your clothes look like a bunch of stolen rags you pieced together on the streets," Killua said with a roll of his eyes. "It's completely uncool."

Miwa couldn't say what was cool or uncool, nor did she particularly care. She touched the clothes inside, felt how delightfully soft, comfortable, and sturdy they were and acknowledged they were a significant upgrade to what she was currently wearing. With a shrug, she placed the bag down on the coffee table before she started to tug off her shirt.

"No, no, no!" Killua quickly said, red faced and panicking. "Don't—don't change here! There's a bathroom down the hall!"

"Prude," Miwa said with a sniff, grabbing the clothes and doing exactly that as she heard Gon's laughter in the background.

Killua had gifted her with some really nice—military grade nice—black cargo pants with dark purple and blue camouflage print. It had plenty of pockets for Miwa to stuff her scrolls in, and felt like it wouldn't tear easily. There were a variety of pants of similar nature inside the bag, but Miwa liked these pants best so she wore them first.

Accompanying them was a sleeveless purple vest with a high collar. The vest had a nice stash of inside pockets, and was thick and sturdy.

The clothes were actually pretty nice. Practical, easy to move in, and comfortable.

What made Miwa choose the vest first was because of the hood.

It had ears on it.

Miwa didn't have much of a concept of cute, but she thought Killua must have looked cute in a cat-eared hoodie. She wished she could see Gon in a similar hoodie, because he would also look very cute in it.

'Do I look cute?' Miwa asked Kurama, assessing her appearance in the mirror.

She could practically see the dramatic eye roll from Kurama. How the hell am I supposed to know?

'You're cute', Miwa thought. 'Fluffy and warm. That's cute.'

Using myself as a reference and those terms, then no. You have no fur, and you're nowhere near my body temperature.

Miwa nodded in agreement, accepting this.

Heading back out to the living room, she quietly said, "Thank you."

Killua looked her up and down before giving a smile. "Much better. Do you have scrolls that we can put our backpacks in? Those things are way easier to carry around."

Miwa pulled out a few extra storage scrolls, tossing one to Gon—who she realized hadn't had a chance to see them in use—and the other one to Killua.

"Great... now I don't suppose you have a mark near a building called Heaven's Arena?" Killua asked.

Miwa had to rummage through her memories of the new world and found—

"I don't think so," she admitted.

"That's fine. We can take an airship there," Killua said.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Gon asked

And the three kids grinned.

(≧ڡ≦*)

BONUS TT!AU:

Killua and Miwa kick down the door to Alluka's room.

"Huh?!" Alluka exclaimed, startled.

"You're running away with us," Killua flippantly told her as Miwa picked her up.

"I'm adopting you now," Miwa politely informed her.

"Okay," Alluka hesitantly agreed.

"I'm your new uncle," Gon added, stepping into the child's room. "Now let's get outta here before the rest of the family get over their concussions!"

"Agreed," Killua and Miwa echoed.

(≧ڡ≦*)

Surprise early update!

But now I've concluded the Zoldyck family arc which means I'll see you all 02-17-2020 for the Heaven's Arena Arc. Jeeze laweeze simply having Miwa be involved has cut out so much fatty content.

Answer: Almighty demon fox with crazy amount of knowledge and power that is willing to share that with me, please and thank you.

Question: Favorite memory?

Reviews are love!