Chapter 18: Cheating
"Of course, I believe," Kyle's gaze was warm but firm.
He looked past Gon's earnest face, his eyes settling back on Killua. His look wasn't just trust; it was a heavy, expectant waiting.
"It's precisely because I believe in your potential, Killua, that I want you to be the one to break this shackle. It's not just a restraint; it's a whetstone. Right now, you have two paths."
Kyle held up two fingers, as if tracing two different fates.
"First," he bent one finger, "you keep the needle."
"You treat it as a trial. Every time you face a strong enemy, every time you feel that implanted, soul-deep terror, you actively fight it."
"You use your own will to wear it down and conquer it, until its influence means nothing to you. When you finally pull it out with your own strength, your mind and your Nen will undergo a true metamorphosis. A total rebirth."
He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in, before bending his second finger.
"Second, we remove it. Right here, right now. I'll help you. Without its interference, your actions will be your own again. But... you'll also lose this chance to forge your spirit under extreme pressure. It's the safer, easier path."
Silence filled the cabin, broken only by the soft sound of waves against the hull.
Gon clenched his fists, staring at Killua, but he forced himself to stay quiet. This had to be Killua's choice.
Kyle waited patiently, watching the internal storm in the silver-haired boy.
Killua's head was bowed, his hair hiding his expression. Only his shoulders trembled, betraying the intense, agonizing struggle within.
Keep it? That meant in every future battle, this thing could make him freeze. Make him run. Make him... abandon his friends.
But remove it now?
That was easy. But it was also... running away.
No. He didn't just want to be free of it. He wanted to conquer it. To completely, and utterly, crush the fear Illumi had forced on him.
After what felt like an eternity, Killua finally lifted his head.
The confusion and fear in his blue eyes were gone, washed clean, replaced by a sharp, hardened resolve.
"I choose the first path." His voice was quiet, but absolutely firm, each word cutting through the tense air.
"I'm going to face it. And I'm going to use my own will to defeat the fear he planted inside me."
At this, a relieved smile spread across Kyle's face.
Gon let out a whoop and jumped, clapping Killua hard on the shoulder with his trademark, blinding grin. "That's the Killua I know! Cool and smart!"
Killua felt the solid, trusting weight of Gon's hand. His cheeks flushed slightly, and he turned away, trying to hide his expression, but a real, genuine smile finally broke through.
With friends like this, who believed in him unconditionally, what shadow was worth fearing?
Of course, facing that fear wouldn't be easy. It would be a constant, internal war. But Kyle was certain that now that Killua had made his choice, every time he resisted, he would weaken the needle's power. The day he finally ripped it out himself, his strength—and especially his mind—would leap to a level he couldn't even imagine. It would be a true rebirth.
Kyle turned, looking out the porthole at the endless blue. The sky was clear, and the sun sparkled on the water.
He took a deep breath of the salt air and smiled, breaking the heavy atmosphere.
"It's too nice a day to be stuck in here talking about dark stuff. How about it, you two? Fishing competition?"
The words "fishing" and "competition" made Gon's eyes light up, all tension vanishing.
"A match! Definitely!" he cheered. "Here are the rules: whoever catches the lightest fish—or catches nothing—is in charge of dinner and all the dishes. Deal?"
Kyle and Killua locked eyes, a competitive spark flashing between them.
"Deal!" they said in unison.
When it came to fishing, Gon was a master, with an almost animalistic instinct for it. Kyle and Killua, on the other hand, were on the same level: Kyle was a total fishing rookie, and Killua was a complete novice (assassin training, it turned out, did not include angling).
This meant the real fight wasn't for first place. It was between Kyle and Killua for not last place.
The three of them scrambled to find tackle in the ship's storage. Kyle took the bow, Killua the port side, and Gon the starboard.
Kyle knew that to catch a big fish, bait was key. He watched the shadows moving under the water, locking onto a good-sized fish swimming lazily by.
He held his breath, his index and middle fingers together. He mobilized his Nen, a small, invisible stream of Aura flowing to his fingertips.
He aimed, and a "bullet" of Nen shot from his finger, precisely piercing the fish.
"Hey! Kyle!" Killua yelled from the side, instantly annoyed. "This is a fishing competition! Are you cheating?!"