I'm so sorry for the very late update. I'm very busy with university, and with getting addicted to new anime, books and shows.

But I managed to write a new chapter anyway, so enjoy!


He didn't even know what exactly had happened. All he knew was that he'd made a mistake that would probably be fatal. The error his family had carefully taught him to avoid at all cost.

The mistake of hunting a predator more capable than himself.


A few hours ago

A slim figure, clad in a classic black kimono with simple pink patrons, was walking down the dark, dingy alleys of a city often called "The hell on earth".

Pale, dirty faces of extremely underweight children peered at the stranger from behind their hiding places. A glint of curiosity obvious in their usually dead eyes. No one of them spoke to the stranger, or dared come closer to him.

Kalluto brought his sleeved hand to his face, and covered his mouth and nose. 'Everything in this place is so smelly', he thought with disgust. 'Maybe I should clean this place from this filth,' he mused in amusement. He quickly dismissed the had more pressing matters at this moment. Like finding his target.

He had been to his patron's palace, receiving a file with the possible location of his target; Meteor City, or better known as "The hell on earth". His prey was a shameless bandit who managed to steal a small fortune from his current employer.

Kalluto scoffed inwardly. Why did he always get such boring jobs? Clean up jobs, as if he was a servant, he thought as he felt anger well up in him. The only interesting job he ever had was the one on York New City, when Illumi told him to distract the Phantom Troupe.

The Phantom Troupe.
Illumi told him to never ever get in touch with them again. But somehow, that name has never left his brain again, submerging from his subconscious every now and then, almost tauntingly, like a forbidden spell.

He felt very childish yet mature at the same time for this unexplainable interest in the Phantom Troupe. Childish, because only a child gets attracted to something he's told not to, something that only causes harm.

'But don't forbidden fruits taste the sweetest?' He chuckled inaudibly.
And isn't he mature enough now? He's ready for new challenges, and he's strong enough, able to take on strong enemies without batting a sweat and completing every mission he was sent to, honouring his family like he was supposed to.

He had been too caught up in his thoughts, he didn't feel the slight shift in the atmosphere immediately.

At first, it was like all background noises had disappeared, as if there was a vacuum cleaner who sucked every noise in, to an alternate universe or something. After that he had found it difficult to breathe, as if the atmosphere pressure had doubled, leaving him not only breathless, but pressing hard on his shoulders, making him tremble.

Then his knees buckled beneath him, not bearing his weight any longer. He crashed to the ground with a soft thud.

He couldn't see, nor move.


Kalluto remembered everything, only he couldn't explain it. He knew this man was responsible, and he also knew this man was going to pay costly for the humiliation and trouble he put him through.

The man was standing very close to him, Kalluto almost felt his negative vibes. 'It feels like Illumi getting mad at me,' he thought, shivering. That was everything but a pleasant thought.

Suddenly the man bent over him, so Kalluto could finally see his face, from the lying position on the cold floor. His face shone like a torch and for a tiny fraction of a second he felt relief; he was not really blind.

The man was fairly young, Illumi's age (he shivered again), with short raven hair, and ice blue eyes, gazing unfriendly, yet triumphantly at him. A smirk lingered on his face.

Kalluto knew him. Only a few hours ago he had been looking at his picture, stored on the files he received from his new patron. This is the very thief he was supposed to catch. 'Oh, the irony,' he thought bitterly.

"My, my, my" he said suddenly, in a soothing voice. "Look at what I've caught here." He caught Kalluto's chin with his gloved hand. "I can get a very high price for you, little girl." Kalluto wanted nothing more than to tear his hand away and feed it to him, to get rid of that damnable smirk of his.

"But first, let's start the introductions."

Kalluto didn't care about him, nor his stupid introductions. He already knew him and the long story about his stolen trophies was everything but interesting. All he wanted was to get up, and punch this man, hard. He was getting tired and almost sleepy.

Instead of showing weakness, he rewarded the man with the dirtiest look he could manage (given the unfortunate position he was in).

"You are a fierce one, no doubt," the man laughed. Suddenly he looked down at him again, almost apologetically. "I forgot I had pinned you down like this." With a weird movement of his hand, Kalluto felt all the pressure, and soreness leave him. A sigh of relief escaped his lips.

"Don't think I'm over with you though," he heard the smirk clearly in his voice, and with a sudden woosh, he felt blackness take over his mind again. But now, even consciousness left him.