𝐓𝐎 𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐋 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 [Hisoka Morow]

PRICKLY x GUEST

I remembered the other kid he had befriended, Gon. Such a sweet boy, with the brightest smile and a determined glint in his eyes. "Who knows? Maybe his friends will help him out this time."

"Killua doesn't need friends," Illumi said. His dark, apathetic eyes stared into mine. "As an assassin yourself, I'd expect you to understand."

"I'm no longer an assassin." I replied coldly, standing up from the table.

Brushing past him, I headed for the door. Although his appearance had changed, I still couldn't glimpse a shred of humanity in that man. Perhaps it was a product of his twisted upbringing, but nonetheless, I wished he had the conscience to spare his brother of the same fate.

I glanced back at Illumi before I left, meeting his emotionless gaze. I felt infuriated, yet saddened at the same time. "You know, he spoke quite fondly of you. He might even love you."

Hisoka ~

I watched in mild amusement as Kira stormed out, leaving Illumi standing silently in the room. Not so attractive now, is he?

To get his attention, I shot a playing card at him, narrowly missing his face and piercing the wall behind him. "Don't mind me, my hand slipped."

Illumi finally stopped staring at the door and turned to face me. He didn't seem fazed by my friendly attack, instead he seemed rather used to it. "When did Kira meet my brother?"

"I wouldn't know." I lied with a shrug. "Sometime during the Hunter Exam, I suppose."

He stared at me with his dead eyes but kept quiet. If he had suspected me of withholding information, he didn't press the matter. No doubt he was running simulations in his head, speculating how the two had come into contact and how much his brother had revealed.

"Now that she's left, do you mind telling me why you're here?" I asked, distracting him before he could get any murderous ideas. "It's unusual for you to pay me a visit without notice."

"My next mission is in this city so I thought I'd drop by." He explained, joining me at the table. "And I have information for you."

I raised an eyebrow. "Regarding?"

"Kira Night."

Had he managed to dig up more about her past? I was intrigued. "Please, proceed."

"Do you recall me telling you about her brother, Kyros Night?"

I nodded. "He was an assassin, if I remember correctly."

"Turns out he was one of the Mafia's assassins," Illumi clarified. "He worked directly for the organisation and showed a lot of promise. They called him the Lynx and he was to replace the next Shadowbeast to fall or retire. But before that, he had trained his whole life under the Mafia. So did Kira."

It did make sense, especially considering her fighting style. Raised in the Mafia, she must've been taught to keep attacking regardless of suffering damage. But that created another plot hole. Why did the Mafia target their own assassin? Who did Kyros Night refuse to kill that instantly made the Mafia want him dead?

"Here's the ironic part," Illumi continued to explain. "The two trained under none other than Azaro, the Hound. He was their mentor for several years and yet he was the one..."

"To hunt them down." I finished it off for him. The irony was almost too cruel. The siblings never would have survived, not against the man who had taught them everything they knew. And Azaro wasn't called the Hound without a reason.

"Precisely. Which begs the question: how did Kira manage to come out of it alive?"

I could imagine how, but I decided not to tell Illumi. He already disapproved of my involvement with her as it was.