X Syn X (Illumi) Hunter X Hunter

X Chapter Nineteen X

I was right, there was a lot of bloodshed, though I wasn't expecting to be wearing a pretty dress, that part was a surprise. After leaving the boys under Hisoka's protection. Illumi nearly ripped my arm out of it's socket as he dragged me to a fancy boutique. We nearly gave all the shop employees a heart attack, but luckily managed to leave without a body count in our wake. After the boutique, I was dragged to a salon and abandoned to their mercy. When Illumi returned for me, he was wearing a sharp obsidian suit and nearly took my breath away. He stared at me for a long moment but didn't say a word as he inspected the salon's handiwork and the new sleek backless onyx dress. I didn't like that the dress was backless or that my colorless hair was currently pinned atop my head revealing the scarred letters across my shoulder blades in view for everyone to see. 'DEMON'. It was how the world had always seen me. Once we arrived at the restaurant, the bloodshed began.

Men whose eyes lingered too long, were immediately blinded with two nen needles to the eye women who dared to make a snide remark were silenced forever with a slew of nen needles. Before long every other patron and most of the staff, was dead. We were then shown to the best table with a scenic view of the city lights below from the penthouse restaurant, by a sniveling waiter who kept his eyes low and bowed more than was necessary.

Another waiter served us wine as our first waiter appeared to have fainted in the kitchen. I sipped at my glass of Riesling and turned my gaze to the glow of lights out the window as my only other view options were a sea of corpses or trying to figure out what kind of expressions were hidden beneath Illumi's expressionless mask. I could feel his dark soulless eyes transfixed on me, trying to read me. His lips pulled into a small faint frown and for a moment it looked as if he wanted to say something but was incapable of expressing it.

I looked away from the glowing city lights and turned to him curiously, "Is something the matter, Illumi-sama?"

His frown became more pronounced but vanished after a moment. Instead of responding he sipped at his glass of Malbec and turned his dark gaze to the window.

Our new waiter returned with some fresh baked bread, "Would you like to see some menus?" His voice cracked from nervousness.

I turned to the waiter and watched him jump, visibly startled, as he met my gaze. Eyes the color of blood, eyes that had always made me an outcast, that labeled me as a demon. Two nen needles, thrown with enough force, they pierced him through his eyes and exited out the back of his skull, killing him in an instant flew from Illumi's direction. As a child I'd grown accustom to people fearing me, shying away from me and treating me like a demon. Living with the Zoldyck's, I never experienced such treatment, I was no more demon than they were.

I turned to Illumi curiously, "Why did you do that?" Not that I expected an answer from him, he rarely answered me when I questioned his actions.

"It upset you." Illumi's voice nearly startled me. What? He killed a man merely for reflexively reacting in repulsion and fear from my eyes, simply because it upset me?

"And the rest?" I mused.

Illumi's face was blank, apparently done answering for his actions.

"Not that I'm sure if it was your intention or not, but you don't have to protect my feelings, Illumi-sama. I don't mind if other's think of me as a demon anymore." I smiled softly.

He looked at me, his expression still blank, holding my gaze as if trying to detect the lie in my words, but there was none. I must have been reflecting on the past and my face must have revealed some kind of pain, but it no longer mattered to me, how others saw me. His was the only opinion that mattered, and he didn't see me as a demon.