AN: Hey guys, this is pretty hot off the press, so please let me know if you catch any errors. Any kind of constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. The pairing IS Hisoka and Illumi. I just threw an OC in there as a catalyst. There will be mature content, yaoi and other sexual situations in future chapters, as well as possible coarse language and definitely violence. I hope you enjoy.

-Xioyuu

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"Mother, where are we going?"

"We are going to see a family friend."

"But mother… Assassins don't have friends."

"Indeed they don't. But families do."

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Illumi watched calmly as his mother and father fell into a deep silence of concentration and worry. He looked again to the work order in his hand, calling for the assassination of an old family friend: The breeder who gave them Mike. While there was no client name on the order – Enough to make the order too suspicious for acceptance – the breeder's real name and personal address was on there. This was worrisome to Illumi's parents, as they were the only ones who were supposed to know the breeder's name. Having no family, the breeder was the last of her kind, and her assassination would mean the death of one of the Zoldyck family's most powerful resources. Judging from the looks on his parents' faces, Illumi figured they were worried that his decline of the mission would not stop the client from pursuing an assassination. After all, only someone who is truly hated has a hit placed on them. Illumi knew this from experience.

Illumi himself had met this breeder a few times, and didn't like her very much. But he had gotten a taste of her power firsthand when he had tried to test her. On a visit when he was very young, his dislike for the woman prompted him to throttle a pin at her. While he did an excellent job with the location of the pin and the stealthiness of his attack (Which is what his mother had told him), he was years away from her in experience and training (Which his father had told him). Truth be told, one of his greater motivations for becoming an assassin was the hope that he could one day surpass the strength of the breeder.

His mother released a choked sob.

"What should we do, dear? Surely none of us can take this job, but even if we don't, Viola-chan's life will still be sought." His mother said tearfully. Illumi noticed that his mother used the breeder's alias instead of her real name. His father sighed.

"Illumi, maybe you should call and confirm with the employer. Find out who they are, any way that you can. Then Viola-san will hire us to kill them off." He finished, smirking. Illumi nodded, though he noticed his mother still looked frazzled. Illumi pulled out his phone, preparing to make the call.

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Hisoka held up his phone, seeing that his incoming call was from Illumi. He beamed immediately, since the assassin almost never called him. Eagerly, he flipped the phone open.

"Hello, Illumi-chan! To what do I owe the pleasure of this call? Missed me a little, hmm?" He teased brightly. The voice on the other side was as deadpan as ever.

"Hello, Hisoka. Mother and father have sent me on an errand, and I am calling to request your assistance. Since I know you care not for money, I am willing to let you fight the target, who is a very powerful foe." Illumi emphasized 'powerful' to catch the magician's attention.

Hisoka's eyes widened. Illumi could hear the ragged breathing on the other end of the phone.

"How powerful?" Hisoka drawled, tantalized.

"She breeds the world's most dangerous animals. No one but the Zoldyck's know her personally, she runs her operations behind many corporations serving as a public face. As for how powerful she is…" Illumi trailed off, not knowing exactly what to say to ensure the magician's co-operation with the fee. "… I've heard she defeated my grandfather. Even father would never fight her." It wasn't a lie. 'Viola-san' visited on occasion, and Illumi could remember his grandfather being nowhere to be found. His father explained it was because the man was a sore loser, and that the breeder had beaten him into the submission of a target. The target had apparently been one of her beasts. Illumi could hear the raspiness on the other side of the line abruptly stop. Hisoka seemed to be thinking it through.

"Can I kill her? Or is she your target?"

"If you kill her, I will pay you my fee."

"Ah, so you'd tell your client that you killed her and take the money, would you? I supposed that if you did tell them that someone else did it, you wouldn't get anything. Still, that is not like you, Illumi-chan." Hisoka poked playfully.

"Indeed, but I somehow doubt you can kill her." Hook, line, and sinker. Illumi knew he had Hisoka now. The magician's maniacal laughter ensued.

"Where am I to meet you?"

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Illumi hung up his phone, having just made arrangements with Hisoka. He had made the call to the mystery client beforehand. The pay was ten figures, and even though Illumi threatened not to do the job, the woman on the other end of the phone did not reveal the name of the client taking out the hit. The bank account used to deposit the first half of the fee belonged to an eleven-year-old homeless child. Stalking the child had revealed nothing of the client. Websites and passwords were locked tighter than the Zoldyck household. Bank cameras showed that no one ever deposited or took money out of the account physically. That had been a long shot, but worth a try. In the end, his mother urged him to take the hit. She said that taking the job would keep Viola-chan safe for the time being. She also wanted him to go see the breeder (Since she lived a great deal north, with no phones and only carrier hawks which would take too long to relay the message) and tell her about the hit. His father agreed that if Viola knew whom it was that had taken the hit out on her, he would then assassinate that person and relieve Illumi of his duty to kill the breeder, thus also ensuring her protection. Illumi was to relay the message and protect the breeder on her trip to the Zoldyck household.

Illumi himself would not have minded killing the woman. She treated his parents with the utmost respect, but viewed him and his siblings as animals. She had never said such a thing, but the look in her eyes when she laid them on him revealed the supremacy. Ever since he was young, Illumi sensed that she would truly like to break him. And then, when he was fifteen, she said it to him.

"Come get me before I get you."

That same day, his father boisterously informed him that she had taken a great liking to him, and thought he had what it took to train the most ferocious animals, should the calling appeal to him. Naturally, he didn't take her up on her offer. While the manipulation was blatant, he never told his parents what she had said. He felt that it was a challenge, and that one day he would accept it. This might have been the chance he was waiting for.

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Illumi waited at the airship strip for his companion. He was taking a public airship so as not to expose the family to Hisoka. The landing site for public ships that was farthest north was about four hours away, and quite some distance shy of the breeder's location. After that, only private ships would fly amidst the forest and mountains, and only at their own risk. Illumi knew that his family's airship could possibly get him closer to his destination, and would have dropped him off right at home, but he would need the extra travel time going from the public landing site to his home so he could get rid of Hisoka when they got back. Chances were that, after Hisoka battled with Viola, he might become a tad obsessed. Even so, Illumi had it all figured out. He would use Hisoka as bait to see if he could indeed win a fight with the breeder. If Hisoka lost, then Illumi would perhaps have to seek harsher training. If the magician won, however… Then the breeder had been dead when he got there. That would be their story. Illumi knew that his family was the only one in the breeder's will, so even with her dead, all they had to do was find someone to pick up where she left off. He supposed Kalluto might since he seemed to enjoy animals. And if his family did some further investigating and found out it was Hisoka who had killed her, then… Illumi would advise the magician to disappear for a while and that would be that. If he got caught, it was his own fault from that point.

The pop of crimson in the distance was unmistakable. Hisoka waved and bounced towards Illumi with a lack of dignity that made the assassin turn his back and begin walking away from the joyous man. Hisoka picked up the pace until he was right beside the assassin. Illumi had stopped to join the line of passengers boarding the airship, and Hisoka threw himself to hug the assassin's back. Illumi swiftly sidestepped, simultaneously grabbing the brightly-colored man's collar and jerking him back so he wouldn't run into the person standing in front of them in line. Illumi forcefully stood Hisoka beside him, not letting go of his collar.

"If you continue this behavior, I cannot continue with you. You will compromise the inconspicuousness of my being here." Illumi's voice was as flat as his expression. Hisoka pouted.

"I can't help it that I missed you. Can't I even get a hug?" He whiled, turning his head so that Illumi could only see the teardrop painted on his cheek, and how well it matched the heartbroken expression on his face. Illumi simply released the magician's collar and didn't respond, expecting the man to behave himself. Hisoka, seeing that he couldn't win, merely allowed the characteristic maniacal smile to slide onto his face.

"So tell me more about this strong opponent."