I promise that I'll stick to this fanfiction. I promise. I hope. It had a lot of material (I was on a roll) so I decided to post it. Please criticize! My writing is still in-progress.
xX-[oOo-]-Xx
Chapter 1:
His black eyes bore into hers without any emotion. "I'm hiring you."
She frowned back at him, scowl lines making her 14-year old face seem older than usual. "…This job…"
He tilted his head. "That is the Hashimoto family motto, isn't it? 'Pay what is due, and you will receive.'"
He turned around and walked calmly to the edge of the tower, looking out the window into the city night, his long black hair flowing freely behind him. "This is quite an important job. I've payed for the information needed. You are to give it to me."
Morrigan's frown deepened further. "You've payed far too much to just be asking for information. I'm assuming you're also asking for my assistance?" Her tone suddenly became venomous. "Right, Illumi?" She walked up to him. "You're asking me to help you kill my father. Why? Why me?"
Without warning, he flourished a phone out of nowhere, seeming to produce it out of thin air. After tapping the screen rapidly several times, he said. "That's another 15 billion up front. I'll pay another ten after the job is finished." He stated monotonously, the large figures rolling off his tongue easily, as if he was used to spending that much money.
"Hey-" Her protest was cut off as the devil's advocate disappeared right in front of her eyes.
She sighed, left alone in the dark room. The city below seemed a world away.
"What a bastard…"
"Mori. Wake up. The conference is beginning."
The distant voice penentrated her dreams, bringing her back to the present. Sluggishly opening her eyes, she got a full view of her brother's close-up face, which honestly, wasn't that bad-looking. Aeron.
"Get ready to go. I already saw the Hunter Association chairman and other big-timers."
Morrigan – more commonly known as Mori – moved robotically as she stretched and followed her younger sibling's steps. The dream still clung on to her, a reminder of a memory that was seared into her mind.
Four years ago…Four years ago, Illumi Zoldyck had come to her with a strange request. "Assist me in killing your father, Hashimoto Kuroh."
xX-[oOo-]-Xx
Three, tiresome hours wasted on a conference regarding foreign policies of Gorunba.
Mori and Aeron sat at a quaint café, sipping coffee and tea, typing rapidly on their laptops.
"Gorunba-Sahelta Nuclear Pact?"
"Done. Did you get the location of the nuclear facility?"
"Typing that up right now…" Mori muttered as her fingers flew rapidly across the keyboard. Finishing, she took a long sip of her tea, its bitter taste swirling on her tongue.
Aeron grinned – a white smile that flashed his perfect teeth. "This stuff is gonna be worth some nice figures." With a keystroke that let ring a sound of finality, he shut the laptop lid close, reaching for his cup of coffee.
Seconds later, Mori shut her laptop lid close, too. As information brokers, they handled the gathering and distribution of information for a living.
It was a family business.
"Although, it was more difficult than expected to get in." She said, looking over the street that held a bustling crowd.
Aeron snorted. "Their security sucked."
Mori raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything.
Every time her younger brother attempted to act tough, she felt uneasy. It was a constant reminder of her prodigial older brother – YuMing – looking down on them, reminding them of their uselessness.
Nothing really fazed her – except YuMing. And maybe Illumi. At the thought, she smiled grimly; if YuMing and Illumi teamed up, they could probably destroy the world. They were creepily similar: stoic, powerful, and eldest sons of prominent underground families.
Not that they ever would. After all, Illumi killed her (and YuMing's) father.
"Let's go home," Mori murmured quietly, slipping the black laptop into her bag. Their mother had sent a text hours before, calling them back. To cut short Aeron and her mission must have meant that whatever the matriarch needed, it was important.
xX-[oOo-]-Xx
Mori and Aeron spent several hours bypassing the security system to their house. Extensive, repetitive, and all too tedious.
Finally, they stood before a mansion the size of a palace, complete with a garden maze and a gold-plated fountain. Quiet, yet with an air of power and danger. The entire property expressed the virtues of her family, down to the very last movement-triggered gun hidden in the bushes.
It was an understatement when people said the Hashimoto family lived a lavish lifestyle. As they walked through the oversized, over-decorated door, Aeron did a double take at the sight in front of them.
Mori stared at the scene. The entire family was gathered…
The entire family was gathered. Shock hit her like a bullet. The entire family had not even reunited when her father had died.
Mori had five siblings: Ichiro, Amaya, Aeron, Venus, and YuMing, youngest to oldest. She herself was third oldest, fitted in between her beautiful sister – Venus – and her deliquent younger brother, Aeron.
Her mother – Anavren Hashimoto – stood on the grand staircase, in a dress that looked like it was for trophy wives. She looked rich, stuck-up, and quite the proud mother.
"Hello, mother," Mori bowed slightly at the waist, quickly recovering from her relapse. Aeron quickly following suit, bowing nearly parallel to the floor.
Before Anavren could reply, Ichiro ran up to her.
"Morrigan!" His cry of delight broke the frigid moment. He ran up to her and hugged her, his head reaching her waist. A smile broke across Mori's calm exterior, her arms enclosing around his tiny body.
"Did you get the information?"
The voice cut through the moment, cold and emotionless. YuMing looked at her and Aeron, his glasses reflecting a deadly glint of light. Black eyes cut deep into another set of black eyes, empty and dark.
"Yes, we did." Aeron piped up, eager to please. "It was a piece of cake." At his words, Amaya let out a sigh. Venus rubbed her slender fingers against her temples in exasperation.
"Now, now children. Please listen up." The sickly honey voice flowed over the room, interrupting the conversation. All eyes turned towards Mother, except for YuMing, who's gaze still bore deep into hers.
"We have good news."
Immediately, Mori's eyes flickered to the head of the family. Their mother was glowing with triumph, standing in a position that showed her immense pleasure.
It was unusual to see their mother so happy.
She stepped slowly down the marble staircase, landing in the main foyer. "As you all know, your father was killed four years ago."
Immediately, Mori's vision blurred.
It can't be…
"And ever since, I have been working hard to find the perpetrator. Finally, I have narrowed it down."
Illumi was thorough. I was thorough. We cleaned up every last bit.
"He was killed by a Zoldyck. I don't want to hear questions, and let me finish."
How did they find out? HOW DID SHE FIND OUT? Illumi should've been infallible.
"Therefore, I have a task for all of you. Narrow down the suspect to a specific person. You have a year. It should be difficult, because like us, they are professionals."
If they figure out it's Illumi…No he isn't that careless. But if they do…He'll pin the blame on me.
"If you haven't figured out who it is within a year, I want everyone to bring a head to me. The person who discovers and kills the perpetrator will be guaranteed next master of the household. After a year, if anyone fails to bring me a Zoldyck head on a plate, I won't hesitate to kick you out. Or do worse."
The speech was punctuated by a long silence. Mori brought her vision back into focus, making sure that she was still calm, her face devoid of emotion. If she slipped up here, she didn't know what would happen to her.
"You can all leave."
Just like that, her mother disappeared, no doubt speeding back to whatever bad habit she was into. Leaving behind a group of uncomfortable children to their own deadly devices.
YuMing immediately disappeared right after her, no doubt going back to finish whatever work he was doing. To him, such a matter would be trifling – he would no doubt set it aside and return back to it when he had time.
As for the rest of them, Mori watched blankly as the rest of her siblings descended into chaos.
xX-[oOo-]-Xx
Venus rubbed her temples again. "Seriously? I haven't gone after prey as big as the Zoldycks in ages. This'll be troublesome for certain."
Ichiro's eyes were round with surprise. "I hope we can find the perpetrator within a year. Otherwise, we'll have to hunt that big, badass assassin family down, right?"
Aeron grinned, cracking his knuckles. "If we have to do that, I call that old man, Zeno Zoldyck. I wanna fight someone strong!"
Venus and Mori exchanged exasperated looks. Out of their family, their mother was the strongest, followed by YuMing. However, not even their mother was a match for Zeno.
YuMing could nab Illumi, though, she thought amusedly. Walking past everyone in the foyer, she began to climb the stairs. Although she could disappear and reappear in her bedroom within milliseconds, she preferred taking the stairs.
Venus watched her climb past. "You're going to get started? Already?"
Mori turned her gaze on her older sister, observing her casual posture. Unlike her, her sister was beautiful.
Mori tilted her head. "Underestimating the Zoldyck's will be our greatest flaw, Venus. Best to get a head start."
xX-[oOo-]-Xx
She sat in the center of her room, meditating peacefully. Time to think was essential, due to the crisis now presented.
The quiet was comforting. Mori enjoyed being calm and at peace, despite always being surrounded by darkness and violence. Although, that was probably the reason she always like the quiet.
If I warn Illumi and join his side, I'll have a higher chance of living. If he gives me protection from YuMing, then I would be fine…most likely. If YuMing gets to him first for interrogation, Illumi could possible pin the entire thing on me. Which means, I would be hunted down by YuMing. That's assuming that Illumi won't kill him at first sight.
Or, I pin the entire thing on Illumi, and let him and YuMing fight it out. However, if YuMing loses, it's certain death by Illumi' hand.
It was most likely that YuMing wouldn't act for a while. Mori still had Illumi's contact number; they occasionally worked together once or twice a year for a job. Although, none of the jobs had required constant contact between them.
Which meant that it all came down to which was stronger: Illumi or YuMing.
But if I aid Illumi, doesn't that mean that Amaya, Ichiro, and Aeron would have to fight Zoldycks? We're information brokers – spies, skilled in espionage. On the other hand, the Zoldycks are trained assassins who spend every day killing. We're certainly very skilled, but they would beat the little ones.
Therefore, it logically made sense to pin the blame on Illumi – plant evidence so that YuMing would be concrete in his decision to kill Illumi.
However…
Something kept her from making the decision. It was like a voice, warm and trustworthy, telling her to rethink. Something made her hesitate…Her instinct was telling her to do the opposite.
But Mori couldn't just obey her instinct, as well honed as it was. Selling out Illumi was the most logical decision, with the better benefits.
But…She couldn't. Her gut told her to join Illumi. Somehow, she knew deep down, that picking Illumi over YuMing would result in a better ending for her more...amiable siblings.
Silently, wordlessly, she got up from the carpeted floor.
It was time to act.
Let me know if this is worth continuing!
Good? Bad?