The Assassin's Sin

chapter 5- path of trust

       It took her eyes a moment to adjust to the dim lighting, but once they had, she spotted a familiar figure looming in the darkness. Y/n scrambled to her feet as she recognized Gitterackur watching her from the shadows. A bright screen light up the wall as the examiner introduced himself from a tv. He instructed the two of the to put the metal bracelets on and follow the instructions written on the sign next to them. The two of them did as the examiner told them and put the bracelets on and read the sign's instructions.

       "PATH OF MUTUAL TRUST: To pass this phase of the exam you must put your faith in one another as you complete a variety of trust building exercises. If one dies, the other shall fail the exam immediately. Introduce yourself to your partner and the door to the next room will open."

       'Thank god, this means he can't kill me without failing. At least for the time being.'  Y/n let out a blatant sigh of relief.

       "Well, you already know, but I'm Y/n. Y/n Delacour, from the Delacour weapons manufacturer." She lowered her head as a polite gesture while she introduced herself.

       What happened next y/n never could have foreseen. The man she had known as Gitterackur removed all of the pins from face and body. Once they were all removed, his appearance began to shift, revealing his true form. He was quite pale, and he had long, silky-looking black hair. His large, dark eyes displayed no emotion, nor did the rest of his face. 

       "I suppose I should introduce myself for real then. I am Illumi Zoldyck." His real voice was much smoother than his other one, though as lacking in emotion as his gaze.

       Y/n hesitated for a moment, not quite processing what had just happened or what he said. Her face flushed slightly looking at the attractive man in front of her. 

       "Huh? Wait, a Zoldyck?" Y/n realized, beginning to panic. "I guess that's what Hisoka meant by our fathers being friends. It's very nice to meet you," her voice trailed off in embarrassment. The door to the next room opening saved her from the need to say anything else. She let out a hum of relief. 

       Illumi walked through the door without a word, leaving her scrambling behind him. The next room was darker than the first. Through the darkness, y/n could make out a platform that extended across the room to the opposite corner. Beneath the platform, covering most of the room, was an expansive darkness that likely dropped farther than what could be considered survivable. Y/n's eyes moved back up to the platform, and upon closer inspection there were several obstacles varying from climbing walls to full on battle axes swinging across the width of the walkway. The door to the room they just walked through closed behind them. Next to the door was another sign and a single blindfold. 

       "GUIDANCE ROOM: One applicant will secure the blindfold over their eyes, while the other will take their hand and lead them both to the exit on the other side. Neither participant is allowed to let go; letting go will result in instant failure for both. The applicants will decide who wears the blindfold and who guides by pressing the button on their bracelets for them to randomly decide. Best of luck."

       Annoyance radiated off of Illumi, though none of it apparent on him. Y/n shuddered. His lack of expression was somehow much scarier when she could feel the aura around him change. He pressed the button on his bracelet, causing both of their bracelets to spin a roulette wheel. When they stopped y/n's bracelet showed the words 'guide'. She looked over at Illumi's, that showed a picture of a blindfold. The annoyed aura around him grew stronger, yet there was still no emotion on his face. 

       "Don't worry, I promise I'll keep you safe!" Y/n hoped to diffuse some of the suffocating tension in the room. 

       Illumi didn't react, but he put on the blindfold. He stuck his hand out.

       'Cute!' Y/n thought. She quickly shooed the thought out of her mind and gently took his hand. She began to guide him through the obstacles. The first was a wall. It was sliightly taller than Illumi. 

       "Um, there's a wall here. It looks about your height, I can't see what's on the other side." She informed him.

       With no hesitation, Illumi tossed her up on his other shoulder, carefully keeping their hands entwined. He leapt up onto the wall as if it were just another step and landed with just as much ease. He set y/n down on top of the wall as well. She just stared at him for a moment in awe.

       "Oh, right. Sorry." She looked over the other edge on the wall they stood on. "It drops off right at the edge of the wall, but the path continues maybe five feet out from the wall at the same level as the entrance."

       With no warning whatsoever, Illumi jumped across, realizing his mistake only as his hand pulled at y/n's. Refusing to let go and fail, y/n was dragged into the air above the gap. Illumi landed on the edge of the other side of the gap. He pulled at y/n's hand to keep her from falling. He pulled a little too hard and y/n crashed into him, causing him to stumble backwards. Her face was buried in his chest, with no space between their bodies. Y/n hardly noticed though, still trying to comprehend her near death experience. 

       "Seriously? That's great that you can do that and thank you for not letting me fall to my death, but please warn me next time."  Her voice shook and she buried herself further into his chest, trying to soothe herself. Illumi put his free hand on her shoulder as lightly as possible, as if the slightest amount of pressure would break her. He delicately moved her away from him and bowed an unspoken apology. 

       Y/n took a deep breath. "It's okay. Let's just keep moving." 

       The next obstacle was an array of axes swinging rhythmically from the ceiling. Y/n told Illumi all she could about the size and swinging patterns of each one, and he effortlessly picked her up again and dodged them all. 

       "I'm only going to tell you this one more time, warn me before you do that!" Y/n shouted at him. She softened her tone and continued, " Look, I really do understand that you're leagues above me in terms of strength and skill, but this is my exam too, and I've made it this far by myself. I know you're probably used to doing everything alone, but we're in this one together. Please, just let me help."

        Illumi nodded. From then on he would pat his shoulder before tossing her up and doing everything else. Y/n didn't dare try to argue again.

        'Well, it's a start...' 

        They continued to the other side of the room. Illumi removed his blindfold, and they walked through the door to the next room.