Doubts

As soon as they entered Rivendell Gon openly marvelled at everything he saw as he jumped around enthusiastically. Killua however, was a lot more discreet as he admired the beauty of the architecture. The surrounding 'elves', as Gandalf called them, looked on at the two boys curiously. They were probably wondering what a pair of children were doing in the company of the grey wizard.

Gon and Killua were led through a various amount of hallways until they entered spacey room where they saw nine people conversing quietly as they sat around large circular table. It wasn't long before Gandalf was greeted by an elf with long brown hair.

"Ah Mithrandir. You have returned at last..." the elf said before turning to Gon and Killua. A look of concern crossed his face as he studied the two boys behind Gandalf. "Mithrandir? Why have you brought children of Men with you? Did they lose their way?"

Gandalf chuckled almost nervously.

"No, no. They are not mere children," the wizard replied calmly. He gestured Gon and Killua to move in front of him.

Now that Gon and Killua were in clear view of everyone present, the Fellowship couldn't help but examine the two teens. The boy clothed in green sported a bright smile as he waved excitedly to the Fellowship members. On the other hand, the boy with the white hair had placed his hands in his pockets, scanning everyone in the room with a thoroughly unimpressed look on his face.

"Gon, Killua, I would like you to meet the lord of Rivendell, Elrond. Behind him are the other members of the Fellowship; Pippin, Merry, Frodo, Sam, Legolas, Boromir and Aragorn. All of you, I would like you to meet Gon and Killua... the reinforcements."

Along with everyone in the Fellowship, Elrond's eyes widened to the size of saucers. Confusion was quickly replaced by anger as the room immediately went into an uproar.

Boromir and Gimli were loudly voicing their annoyance, and, while Aragorn and Legolas were not yelling like the other two, their disapproval at the wizard's statement was shown clearly on their faces. Everyone else's protests were drowned out as soon as Elrond opened his mouth.

"Mithrandir! This quest is no place for these, these children! They will die within the first few days, or even hours! I dare not think what possessed Netero to send two mere boys! These children will be nothing but a liability to the company! Gandalf, my friend, I advise that you send these two home immediately so that they may return to their families and be safe from harm!" Elrond yelled indignantly.

Killua's eyes immediately turned to slits as he levelled a glare at the elf lord and the Fellowship which would instil fear in the heart of Sauron himself.

"We mere boys are going to help you on this quest whether any of you like it or not," Killua said slowly in a dangerously low voice.

"Don't underestimate us," the ex-assassin spat out. "I promise you'll regret it."

To say they were scared would have been the understatement of the century. Everyone's eyes were trained on the white-haired boy as they regarded him with barely concealed trepidation.

Though Gandalf admittedly felt his fear towards the boy grow, he was curious at the fearsome aurar which he was exuding. He didn't need to be a wizard to see his killer intent was fiercer than that of any Nazgul. However, where could the boy have learnt that from? Surely not the Hunter Exam? The wizard had a niggling suspicion that it had something to do with the environment in which he was raised in, or perhaps, those who raised him. A shiver involuntarily ran down his spine. A terrifying thought indeed.

Unlike the rest, Gon didn't express any feelings of fear towards his friend and simply sweat dropped in the background. He held his hands up and smiled nervously.

"Er, why don't we calm down? Don't mind Killua, he's like this to everyone," Gon said as he indiscreetly elbowed the Zoldyck hardly in the ribs, whispering, "Calm down Killua."

With a defeated sigh, Killua receded his killer intent significantly, though his scowl stayed firmly in place. Despite this, the tension between both companies – namely Killua and the others present, side Gandalf - had stubbornly remained.

"If you still doubt our skills I'll be happy to fight with one of you?" Gon proposed unsurely as he scratched the back of his head.

Everyone's attention turned to Gon. Elrond, who was still dazed, cleared his throat and nodded in agreement, obviously attempting to regain his composure.

"I believe that would be for the best," Elrond managed to say in all his regal glory. "However, that must wait until all of the preparations for your departure are completed.

Gon smiled brightly and enthusiastically nodded his head in agreement, immediately lifting the heavy atmosphere. Just then Gon's belly grumbled really loudly, causing him to flush in embarrassment and the others to laugh silently.

"I don't believe our friends have eaten lunch yet. Perhaps we should treat ourselves with lunch, hmm?" Gandalf asked humorously, patting Gon kindly on the shoulder.

Neither Gon nor Killua had the chance to respond as one of the four hobbits, Pippin, gave a whoop of joy.

"Finally! I haven't eaten in forever. Honesty, I could have died of starvation," he exclaimed dramatically, rubbing his belly mournfully.

"Pippin," the hobbit next to him, Merry, started with a roll of his eyes, "you ate ten minutes ago. Hardly forever, if you ask me."

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Aragorn had been confident that there weren't many things in life which could surprise him anymore and even more confident in his abilities as a Ranger, though he had always been humble about it. Being raised and trained by the Elves of Rivendell since infancy had certainly helped this along.

As an eighty-seven year old Ranger, Aragorn had experienced and fought in many wars, and was a well-travelled Man, having wondered all of Middle-Earth many times over and earning himself many titles along the way. Strider, Thorongil, and Wingfoot were but a few amongst the absolutely ridiculous amount of titles which he had acquired of the years.

This, of course, meant that the Ranger had many opportunities to interact with people from every corner of Middle-Earth, and so, naturally, Aragorn would be confident enough to accurately discern any Man, Dwarf or Elf's homeland by simply gazing upon them.

However, despite all of his efforts, Aragorn, for the life of him, couldn't figure out where on Middle-Earth the two strange boys were from.

Aragorn would have thought that Young Killua, the boy whom he was still quite apprehensive about, was from the North due to his deathly pale skin. However, his facial features, which were more sharp and slim, didn't quite match those native to the North, and he had never seen white hair on any child of Man.

The only conclusion that the Ranger could reach was that the boy was half Elven. Though this certainly explained his more elf-like features, it most definitely didn't explain the child's killer intent. Just the memory of it sent chills running down Aragorn's spine, though he would never admit it out loud.

Well, Young Gon, on the other hand, was quite the enigma – even more so than Killua. At least the man an idea of where the white haired boy was from. He had absolutely no idea where this boy was from.

Just about everything about him was foreign. The most obvious example of this would have been his green and spikey hair, which Aragorn couldn't help but wonder at. The Ranger could live with the white hair, but green hair? Absolutely not.

Indeed the Ranger had thought of simply asking Gandalf where they were from, but, this idea was quickly discarded as the wizard would, more than likely, answer him with some long and confusing riddle. It was best for Aragorn to figure it out himself.

However, even if Aragorn could discern where the boys came from – the possibilities of this slimming more and more -, there were still many, many unanswered questions. Like, how had they met? They clearly weren't from the same village and yet they act as if they've known each other their whole lives.

How on Middle-Earth were they to aid the Fellowship with the destruction of the Ring? Aragorn did indeed trust Gandalf's words, however, the very prospect of having to fight alongside these poor boys, who had yet to reach the proper fighting age, was unnerving.

Back to the point though, both boys were simply too puzzling.

Even as the white-haired child, Killua, inhaled his food, and the optimistic boy, Gon, roared in laughter at a joke Gimli had told, Aragorn couldn't help but narrow his eyes in both concentration and frustration.

The man shook his head grimly. He was seriously beginning to doubt his own skills. Gimli's booming laughter disrupted Aragorn's train of thought.

"So, after I won the drinking competition, just as agreed, Father had to frolic around in a dress, everywhere he went, for, for three months," the Dwarf struggled to say between guffaws before breaking into another fit of laughter, holding onto the also-laughing Gon for support.

Killua himself was sent into a cough-laughter fit after choking on his food.

Gandalf's eyes twinkled with mirth as he too laughed at the Dwarfs tale.

He was glad that the boys were getting along with some of the Fellowship - namely Gimli, Legolas and the Hobbits.

Boromir still seemed incredibly unhappy about their two newest members and Aragorn was obviously currently having some sort of internal debate.

Though the first few minutes of lunch consisted of glares from Killua and wary glances from the Fellowship, this seemed to go unnoticed by Gon as he had immediately launched questions at Gimli and Legolas, whom had reluctantly sat near him.

Both the Dwarf and the Elf were pleasantly surprised that the young boy was interested in knowing more about their people and were also humoured by his innocent curiosity.

Obviously Killua had eventually joined into the conversation and actually was surprisingly sociable. However, this was probably because everyone wasn't being so hostile towards him. Of course he would shoot Elrond the occasional death glare, but other than that, he was reasonably well behaved as he and the Hobbits exchanged friendly banter.

While the rest finished lunch, the wizard contemplated Gon's suggestion for sparring. Though he himself was curious at the boys fighting skills, he thought it a pity that both boys were so, incredibly underestimated.

If the punch that Gon gave Killua earlier was anything to go by, the teen's physical strength was no laughing matter. And, Gandalf could tell by their aura that the teens were remarkably strong. It was just a shame that the others couldn't realise it. On the other hand, if Gandalf himself didn't sense Nen or see Gon's surprising display of strength, then he would have also, undoubtedly, underestimated both Killua and Gon.

Gandalf shook those thoughts from his head. It was a sad idea indeed.

After lunch had concluded, Elrond had to leave to attend some important matters – and probably sulk in his office over the two newest Fellowship members - while the Fellowship members headed off to their quarters, leaving Gandalf, Killua and Gon alone.

The wizard sighed sorrowfully.

"I must apologise for their behaviours, Gon and Killua," Gandalf said ashamedly. "You must think us so vulgar."

"Don't worry, Oji-san, they'll like us eventually," Gon said optimistically.

'Does anything get this boy down?' Gandalf thought to himself.

"Your right of course, my boy," the old man said, chuckling warmly before he bent down until he was eye-level with the two teens. The old man's eyes sparkled mischievously.

"Now, I believe I promised you two a good display of magic."

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Gon and Killua hadn't known how long it would take these people to prepare to leave, but they certainly hadn't expected to be this long! It had been six weeks since they had arrived in Rivendell. Six. Weeks.

Rumours spread around about the two boys. Originally, some had said that they were children of the man, Boromir, but, seeing as the man was nothing but cold to them, this idea was quickly discarded.

Elves who had an unusually high capability of sensing energy had known that there was definitely something off about the Hunters and therefore suspected that the boys were either Mithrandir's apprentices or his relatives. Many leaned towards the former.

However, despite being curious about the children's identities, the Elves of Rivendell were delighted to have them there, for it had been many a century since the joyous laughter of a child had been heard in their halls. Those who knew the Elves also know that they have a rather large fondness for children, no matter what race they may be from.

Gon and Killua were not seen for the majority of the day, but when they were, the boys could be spotted exploring Rivendell, or wondering the corridors with either Gimli, Legolas or the Hobbits.

Though Boromir had tried to seek out the Hunters and frighten them out of coming on the quest, he soon found out that one does not simply find a Hunter. They find you. And, unfortunately for Boromir, both Gon and Killua had no intention of associating with the sour man – well, Gon wanted to make friends with him, but he was swiftly dissuaded by Killua. Dissuaded was quite a loose way of describing it. Gon was more like wacked over the head and thoroughly berated by Killua about how bad his idea was.

Aragorn, who currently was simply too busy dealing with life, didn't bother looking for the boys. He figured that the answers to that questions that he had for the the enigmatic pair would eventually present itself.

Back to Gon and Killua, the two Hunters had made the most of their six weeks in Rivendell, choosing to train their Nen by maintaining their Ren for up to three hours. At first, they couldn't even last a whole hour, but after a while, it became as easy as breathing. After this, they would go into an all-out duel against each other. Of course they did so away from prying eyes.

Presently, Gon and Killua were in their assigned quarters, simply chatting, when they heard a silent knock on their door. After a moment, the door slid open, revealing a shy Elf-maiden.

"Gandalf wishes to see you both in the Library, young Masters," the she-Elf said softly.

The faces of both boys brightened considerably.

"Really?! Great, come on Gon," Killua said.

The Elf lady scrambled out of the way as both boys bolted out of the door.

Gon quickly bowed several times to the Elf-maiden.

"Thank you, Elf-san," Gon said before running after Killua.

Once they entered the Library, they found Gandalf sitting in a comfortable looking chair, puffing on his pipe-weed, much to the horror of Gon. The scent of the weed really did a number on his poor sensitive smell. Despite this, Gon greeted the old man just as cheerfully as normal.

"Good morning, Oji-san," Gon stated brightly.

"Hey, old man," Killua said casually, waving a lazy hand.

Gandalf jumped slightly, surprised at their silent approach.

"You two must stop doing that. Honestly, all of these sneak attacks of yours can't be good for this old man's heart," the wizard declared dramatically while clutching his chest.

"Maybe it's all that weed stuff that's dulling your senses, old man," Killua deadpanned.

"Maybe, maybe," Gandalf chuckled, inwardly glad that the past six weeks with the boys had allowed Killua to warm up to him.

"So, Oji-san, was there something you needed?" Gon asked.

"No, my boy, not something I needed, but something that you needed," Gandalf replied, reaching into his robes and pulling out a piece of paper.

Killua grabbed the slip as Gandalf handed it to him. It was a letter. From Netero.

"It came early this morning and was addressed specifically to you two," Gandalf said, tone much more serious.

Killua opened the letter, allowing Gon to see it as well. Both boys scanned the letter, smiles appearing on their faces as they did.

//Dear Gon & Killua,

Knowing the Elves, they are still making preparations for your company to leave, and so I thought I'd send you this message. Kite was located and secured a week ago by two of Morel's student – Knuckle and Shoot. However, we believe that he is under enemy control. For your own benefit, I have asked Shoot to escort Kite to Middle-Earth to meet you at Rivendell's borders. I'm afraid your meeting with Kite should be far away from prying eyes. Judging by the time this letter and Shoot was sent, him and Kite should already be waiting for you. I'm sorry for not mentioning this sooner, but Middle-Earth customs are very different from our own and they will not be quick to accept you as comrades-in-arms. They should come to acknowledge your strength in due time though. If you wish to ask about our situation here, simply ask Shoot. I won't tell you whether you can share the contents of this letter to Gandalf or not. It is completely up to you. I will tell you this though. Gandalf is one of the greatest men if ever known and I assure you that you can trust him with your lives. Anyways, that's all I have to say. Goodbye and good luck on your quest.

Sincerely, Chairman Netero//

The pair were silent for a moment, before Gon jumped up high, pumping both fists in the air.

"Yes! I knew Kite was alive!"

Gon's shout was heard all throughout Rivendell. In fact, anyone else who was in the Library at the time would have had the absolute crap-balls scared out of them.

Killua watched his best friend fondly. Good for him. However, whether Kite was still alive or not, this didn't make Killua feel any less guilty about abandoning him.

Gandalf, who hadn't had anything explained to him, looked thoroughly confused.

"Sorry Oji-san. We promise to explain everything to you later," Gon said excitedly as he rushed out of the Library, leaving a very bemused Gandalf behind.