The continuous droplets outside mixed harmoniously with the distant thunder as the tall man looked in from his place at the open balcony doors, his already-drenched long, black locks narrowly escaping the rain wetting the lush scarlet carpet. His traditional Chinese clothing clung to his slim body, the breeze flapping the clothing around. Any normal human being would have shivered at the frigid autumn winds.
Except for him.
It's been a long time since Illumi Zoldyck felt cold.
Illumi had already surveyed the unnecessarily large room, glancing here and there but memorizing everything. The heavy curtains behind him with intricate embellishment along with the matching others hanging from other windows. The expensive chandelier with hundreds of crystal glistening in the bright moonlight. The tiny designs on the frames of the five paintings in the room.
He gazed upon the large, wooden table in front of him that stood in the middle of the huge room. Ten chairs surrounded it with a man sitting upright occupying each chair. Their clothing looked expensive, with tailored suits in different patterns and fancy dress shoes that shone. Walking down the street, no one would think each of these men directed a gritty crime syndicate. All of the men looked straight ahead, a blank gaze staring into a computer camera that they had just used only moments ago. They sat so still, their arms beside them and their eyes unblinking.
A fly flew around the room, the buzzing the only living thing making a sound in the dead room. Illumi followed it, watching the insect land on the man that sat at the head of the table. Watching as it landed on his eye, clawing on the man's pale skin, over his hair, until it rested on one of Illumi's needles that were lodged deep into the man's head.
Illumi took out a burn phone and dialed one of the few numbers he knew.
The phone rung three times before the line picked up.
"Hello."
The voice on the other side was cold and hard, resulting from decades of training and a lifetime of rash jobs that would leave dozens of people dead in its track. His words were clipped, to the point, leaving nothing wasted.
Not a shred of emotion shown.
"Father."
Illumi's tone was calm, his face unfazed as he starred at the wall, his back facing away from the main door.
"Illumi? What is it?"
Illumi knew his father was on a job with his grandfather, most likely with his own target already. From what information he had, it was a very dangerous man that recently became a hindrance for the mafia. However, that was the outstanding factor in this particular job of Illumi.
He happened to be Illumi's client.
Illumi heard crashing behind his father's words.
"Oh are you fighting?" Illumi's voice picked up a bit, his interest pique. His face still unchanged. "Then my client should be there with you. Please inform him the ten mafia bosses are dead."
"Okay. Was that all?"
His father's voice held no disdain. Moreover, a tinge of pride could be heard over the booming thunder behind him.
"Well actually..."
Illumi turned his head, his eyes finding the smallest of shadows in the darkest corner of the room as bright pink eyes followed the tall man's every move.
Another crack of thunder boomed outside, providing light over the pale girl's body until dark shadows enveloped her small figure once again.
She had been in the room the whole time, standing by the door quietly as she let the older man do as he please.
Illumi couldn't remember the last time he'd seen his youngest sibling.
"Kallu-chan was here all alone."
"And?"
"Are you and grandfather going to be picking her up soon?"
Illumi's voice was still even as he spoke, not really interested in his father's cold mannerism.
"Kalluto can get home by herself."
From there, the line went dead. His father hung up, most likely going to finish what he could. From his lack of payment, his grandfather will most likely leave the assignment, leaving his client to wire him his money.
Illumi pocketed his phone and turned around, facing his younger sister.
"Why are you here Kallu-chan?"
Illumi approached the young girl slowly, his eyes having adjusted to the dark long ago, taking in her small, fragile features, from her long eyelashes framing her big eyes to her beauty mark that laid just underneath her tiny lips. Her black hair was cut shorter than he remembered, so that it reached her chin while her bangs stopped above her eyes. Her pink and black floral kimono was impeccably put together, her waist cinched by her favorite obi bow.
Kalluto's face was its usual void of emotion as she looked up to her brother, standing up right, the way their mother had instilled in each of her five children.
"Grandfather said I should watch over the clients since he had a feeling the target would try something like this."
Kalluto's voice was quiet when she spoke, her words too formal for a girl as young as she was. Her feet pointed straight with her pale hands folded in front of her. She truly was a princess.
However, Kalluto was always free-spirited around Illumi. He put her polite manners on the fact that she was coming off from a job and that it'll take time for her mind to catch up to reality.
At least, that's what Illumi told himself. He hadn't visited home recently so he wouldn't know if his parents had piled on Kalluto's training to the point where a part of her is a complete void, a black hole without a trace of any emotion.
Illumi squatted before the girl, balancing his weight on the balls of his feet, thighs together, forearms leaning against his knees. He leaned forward to the short girl, now at eye level, trying to locate a scent but only finding a light smell of flowers.
"Hmmm. He wanted you to fight off assassins?" His thin eyebrows rose slightly, his face still as passive. "Well I guess I was about your age when I started working."
Illumi thought back a bit to the time when his parents started bringing him on jobs. In between all his endurance training and the various practices for assassination, he remembered going out with his mother and father on outings. He remembered them leaving him some places while they were gone for a couple of days. Sometimes they would come to get him. Other times, Illumi had to rely on his skills to get home.
"Pop quiz Kallu-chan. Why didn't you attack when you first saw me?"
"Because, Aniki, you told me never to attack someone I know I can't beat."
Ever since Illumi turned 15 years-old, his parents had always entrusted a portion of his younger siblings' training to him. He never got the chance with Milluki or the other one, however, he became more involved with Killiau and Kalluto's lives. Killiau got his full attention but since Kalluto was the only girl born into the family, mother kept her all to herself, giving Illumi little time with her.
If there was one thing, though, Illumi could drill into his siblings, it was to never try and waste their time on an opponent stronger than them; that the most important thing at the end of the day is that they come home.
"Bingo." His raised his hands on either side of his head, spreading his long fingers in a congratulatory motion.
Illumi looked at the young girl, wondering just how long she's been stuck there with these old men; how long she was left behind by their father.
Like he was.
"Kallu-chan you should return home with me."
Kalluto's small face scrunched up in confusion as she strained her neck.
"But father told me to wait for him to come back."
"But I don't want you to stay here alone."
"Then stay with me, Onii-chan."
Kalluto knew what type of person her eldest brother was though. He had moved out of the house, he found his own work and bought his own necessities. Her older brother had other things to worry about rather than staying with his younger sister in a mansion in the middle of the woods filled with dead people.
She also knew the type of person her brother hated. She knew that Mimi-chan didn't like the other child because they were too selfish and asked too much of people; they were too out of control. Kalluto was being selfish. She didn't want her older brother to hate her.
"I'll go." Kalluto spoke in her soft voice.
Illumi didn't smile, he never did, but as Kalluto starred into his deep black eyes, she could tell he was happy with her decision.
Illumi patted her on her head.
"C'mon, let's go find something for you wear so you don't get your beautiful kimono dirty."
Illumi stood to his full height, towering over his sister, walking around her and heading to the door.
Kalluto followed as soon as he had passed, taking steps as big as her kimono allowed, which wasn't much by far. However, thanks to her training, she was still able to keep up with her brother's long legs.
Illumi reached the hall, making left and right turns throughout the large house until they reached the main foyer with its litter of lush and pristine items in an attempt to mask their lack of class.
Illumi walked along the lines of dark wood to the doors of a coat closet.
He fussed through the lines of the contexts, his fingers running over fur and leather, looking through the different colors and patterns.
"Ah." Illumi picked out a pure black, woolen coat and closed the door.
"Here you go Kallu-chan. This one should be able to cover you and your clothes."
Kalluto was right besides Illumi, so when he moved to kneel in front of her, he took a step back, like a prince.
At the thought, a light blush brushed over Kalluto's cheeks.
"You're not going to get one for yourself, Mimi-chan?" She mainly spoke in an attempt to distract herself.
"I shouldn't need one."
Illumi placed the heavy coat on his sister's shoulders.
"You won't be cold, Mimi?"
"No."
The coat was pure black wool, its thickness blocking out the chill wind that ran its way throughout the dead house. It hung over Kalluto's shoulders, completely covering her small form. She looked up to her brother, wondering how long he hadn't been cold.
"Is this okay, Kallu-chan?"
Kalluto fit her arms through the sleeves, looking at the leftover material that draped over her hands. She returned to her formal stance, crossing her hands in front of her body.
"Y-yes."
"Then we should start heading off."
Illumi stretched his arms towards her, gripping just under her rib cage and lifted her up.
"Ahhh."
Kalluto was surprised as her brother picked her up and sat her on his forearm. It isn't easy, but she sometimes forgot just how strong her oldest brother was; and being in his arms was just another reminder of the distance between them, of just how weak she was.
Kalluto hated being weak.
"I can walk."
Her cheeks were pink. The hand that held her fan gripped tighter around the wood. Her lips pursed and her eyebrows scrunched together.
"I know you can," Illumi said calmly, starting towards the grand door. "But I wouldn't want your shoes and socks getting dirty from the mud outside."
The young girl mulled over the thought for a few moments before Illumi continued.
"Besides, I'll lose you in the tall grass."
Kalluto blinked, taking a long moment before she recognized her brother's subtle form of teasing.
Then the entirety of her face went red.
"I'm only 10 years old!" A pout on her lips was still evident as she turned her head to look behind her brother's shoulder into the empty mansion. "I'm still growing Onii-chan!"
"Of course you are." Illumi adjusted the coat so it covered all of Kalluto's front.
"As long as you didn't inherit grandfather's genes, you should be fine."
"Grandfather has nice genes!"
"But you don't want to be short forever, do you?"
"Of course not!"
"Then you better eat all of your vegetables until your stomach is filled. Maybe you can even take some of Millu-chan's snacks."
"I don't wanna die by taking from Milu-chan, Onii-chan! Besides, vegetables are gross. Who'd wanna eat them?!"
"So you want to be short when you're all grown up Kallu?"
She stopped for a second. However, in that second, her brother still caught the moment of hesitation. He always noticed hesitation. He always noticed everything.
They were just underneath a small heading over the front entrance, Illumi just about to step into the rain. He pulled on the coat so that it covered Kalluto's bob of hair.
"I want to be strong."
Illumi stepped into the rain and started running.
Kalluto starred at the path her brother was leaving, at the open doors leading to the dark space left in their wake. The tall plants and long vines surrounding the landscape were vast and endless it seemed, as if it was the nest of some dangerous creature.
The siblings were quiet for a few minutes, both of their brains reeling. Kalluto crossed her arms over her brother's shoulder, placing her chin in the crook of her elbows. Her gaze was downcast, watching as they passed different species of flowers being drowned by the small yet heavy droplets. She watched as they were toppled down, the stems bending lower and lower towards the floor until it seemed like they were just stepped on.
That's right. Kalluto wasn't weak by any means. However, in comparison to something stronger and older, of course the flowers would seem weaker to the rain drops; of course she seemed weaker right next to her brother. He's stronger with more experience.
He really is at a different level.
"Kallu-chan."
Kalluto snapped out of thoughts at the sound of her brother's voice.
"Yes?"
"You shouldn't go home. At least not for a while."
That certainly surprised her.
"Why not Mimi?"
"I think father meant for you not to complete your side of the job."
That made Kalluto go into over drive. The training of the Zoldyck family is intense; the electroshock therapy, the endless hours, days, weeks, months of rhythmic stepping, the endless fighting at Heaven's Arena. Their elders put their children through a lot. However, it was all for their careers as future assassins.
"What makes you think that?"
"Grandfather is pretty intuitive when it comes to the weather. He says he can predict it from how much his knees hurts. I think he knew it was going to rain and that your power doesn't work properly when it does. Isn't it impossible for you to control your paper when it's wet?"
"Kind of but why would he set me up to fail?"
Illumi didn't want to tell his sister it was so their parents had a reason to assert their dominance over their last child; so that they can give Kalluto a grim reminder that she had no freedom.
"That's beside the point. You shouldn't return to the main estate for a while."
"Then what should I do?"
"Take up some work. Try and do something that'll make father proud."
That was really all she could do. Their parents didn't necessarily care when their children came home. They cared about whether or not they did good work while they were out.
"I wonder where I can get some work like that."
Kalluto spoke quietly, mainly to herself. She didn't want to go home if she was just going to see her parents' disappointed faces. She squeezed her arms closer towards herself, trying to box herself off from the world. A shiver ran through her form despite the warmth the large jacket provided.
"Actually," the hand holding her steady at her back seemed to be pressing her tighter against her brother's shoulder. "I know a group that might be looking for some new members soon."
Kalluto thought over the idea for a while. Her stomach erupted in butterflies. She'd never worked in a group before that didn't involve her family members. She'd gone on solo jobs too, but there was never a case she had to actually communicate on a compatible level with people she was completely unfamiliar with.
"I don't know Onii-chan. I've never been able to work well with others."
"It's more of a club than anything else. They assign you a number and from there your allowed to do whatever you want, so long as you attend their meetings when their called. That's why I thought it was perfect for you."
"I'll still be able to work on my own?"
"Yes but you should try and get accustomed to group work. As much as it pains me to work with him, I have an ally that I call for help every now and then."
"Do you like him, Onii-chan?"
"I don't know where to place him."
Illumi didn't know very few things. There were secrets in this world that only he knew along with a vast knowledge of countless other topics. It wasn't often the words "I don't know" left his mouth, so Kalluto instantly knew she had to keep a sharp eye out for this "ally".
Kalluto returned to her thoughts, keeping her head low and away from the mist bouncing off the wool. She barley felt the impact of her brother's steps, each landing was soft, no noise produced from his strides. The whole trip, as she laid her head on his shoulder, was peaceful and she couldn't find any flaws in her brother's running. She almost couldn't notice when Illumi had slowed his pace to a slow jog, to walking, until he was at a standstill in the middle of an opening in the trees above. The sun had come out, so when Kalluto looked up, the sun blinded her and she squinted away.
"Ah the rain stopped."
Illumi looked to the clearing sky above, as the dark clouds moved aside. He watched the clouds beginning to lose the darkness in them, while the condensed air dissipated, allowing streams of light to hit the green earth.
The flowers all around the pair glistened, the water droplets sparkling as if glitter flooded the ground. The left over rain on the leaves fell to the dirt as they gathered together on the tips, causing the plants to droop, droop, droop until they were practically touching the ground.
However, they rose again, back to their full height, basking in the warm sunlight.
Illumi shifted his sister in his arms so that he can look her in the eye. He tugged at the fabric covering her head and pulled it back, revealing her to the warmth.
Like the flowers.
Kalluto felt her brother's hand on her head, stroking her hair to the short ends. They looked at each other, Kalluto's eyes bright and lively compared to Illumi's dark and cold eyes.
"Kallu-chan. Your hair is shorter than I remember."
Illumi shifted his gaze at the ends of her hair, all straight and full and healthy.
"Yes. Mother said it was too much of a nuisance so she thought it be best if it stayed short."
"But you loved your long hair. You always said you loved it since it matched mine."
"Yes but I don't want to be an inconvenience to mother."
Illumi could understand that. Throughout their lives, the Zoldyck children have gone to great lengths to make sure their parents were comfortable around them; the children never gave their parents a reason to hate them. Or worse.
The children were secretly, deep down, terrified that their parents, at any time, would see them as useless and too much effort and be thrown away, in an instant.
"If I help you take care of your hair, will you grow it out again?"
"Does that mean you'll visit me more often?"
Illumi really did miss his younger siblings. He hardly came home and he barley kept in contact with them. He was a bad son and cold eldest brother. However, he did what he did to see his siblings at the end of the day, living and at home.
But, recently, Illumi wondering if they were just living. He wants them to breathe but, as he looked to Kalluto's big eyes, he also wanted them live. He wanted to see his younger brothers and sister happy.
He moved his gaze to in front of him, looking for a path to the closest town.
"Yes Kallu-chan."
Kalluto wrapped her arms around her older brother's neck, brushing against his angel soft hair as he began getting ready to start running again.
Her brother never shivered in the entirety of their trip. Kalluto thought it because of the blood pumping fast from the running, however, she also wondered if Illumi couldn't feel cold. She wondered if her brother felt the outside seasons in his bones, if he felt the cold, quiet air at night when he sleeps, if he felt the loneliness she felt when he was off somewhere in the world.
Kalluto gripped her brother tighter. She didn't want her brother feeling cold. She didn't want her brother alone at night feeling lonely and homesick. She rubbed a little bit of his skin softly with her kimono sleeve, trying to heat him up from the outside.
But Kalluto knew that her brother's dead gaze and cold mannerism is deeper, etched into him from two decades of training. She knew that it would be a while until his eyes sparked like hers did, and it would be longer before he smiled.
Illumi was always ambitious; always after a goal no one knew about. The others thought that Illumi wanted to become head of the household, however, Kalluto wondered if he wanted to take the burden from the young ones.
Kalluto wanted to work hard too. She wouldn't feel right if the only one suffering was her brother.
She needed to get stronger. She had time. To grow up. To get taller, bigger and stronger. She would use her time wisely.
To protect Illumi.
To protect the Zoldycks.