Hey guys! Sorry to say that from here out I might update after longer periods, not months lol but maybe a few weeks. The thing is that my summer class takes up my whole day and then I just end up Pokemon hunting with not much time to spare at home.

*Forgot to mention this last time but if you're ever poisoned don't make the person puke unless you know it's safe. Always call the poison control.

Disclaimer: in first chapter

Replies to Reviews:

KilluGon12: Haha thank you so much! Yeah I'm sorry about the way these updates work, I type the story as we go along. Glad you really liked the chapter and that it could be a little special—that makes me super happy. Thanks again for the review!

Ungracefuls: Yay! Glad to hear that! I think my next goal should be to get that rating off the charts. Hehe thanks for the review!

Yuki15: lol. You're absolutely right, those kinds of thoughts are abnormal, and Illumi didn't initially want to do anything more than clean that blood stain until he realized how addicting and new the feel of skin is, esp Killua's pure white child skin. And the rest was just curiosity lol. But if you were actually enjoying it than my mission has been accomplished haha. I really appreciate the confession and compliments. Aw, thanks, now I'm glad I started this story too. Thanks again for the great review !

Chapter 4: Solitude?

The doctor cleared Killua to be out of danger but the fever would still persist for a while.

"Oh my poor Kiru!" Kikyo cried over the younger's bed.

"The doctor gave the medicines mom, he should be fine now." Illumi assured while the butlers brought damp towels, food and water. The silverette cracked his eyes open to stare at the people before him.

"Ani…ani…" Kiru struggled to talk beyond that.

"It's alright Kiru, I'm right here. You're fine." The elder convinced him with his usual straight face while he unconditionally took hold of the child's small hand reaching out to him. Unbeknownst to the younger, the tiny hand was setting fire on Illumi's skin, which he couldn't tell if it was the fever or something else. That's when Gotoh entered the room as well.

"Illumi-sama, you have a client seeking your services." He informed. The teen's face dropped negligibly while he straightened up ready to let go of the child's hand. 'What inconvenient timing. Hm, maybe I should ask father if I can postpone this one for a brief while. Yes that should work.' Illumi decided then turned back to Killua. Leaving was the last thing his intuition was telling him to do right now.

"Kiru, I'll be right back so be sure to take your medicine and recover okay?" The elder patted his head one last time before leaving. He made it to his father's chambers and knocked on the door. Upon permission he entered.

"Something you wanted to discuss, son?" Silva questioned as he turned around to face Illumi.

"Ah, yes. The truth is I'd like to forfeit this job just this once."

Silva literally stared into the other's unwavering dark eyes for the first time in amazement. "This is…certainly a first. Is there a reason you would deny a B-rank job? Or should I say any mission at all?" He pried since the teen had never before found a reason to neglect his work.

"Not…really."

"…this doesn't have anything to do with Killua's illness, does it?" Silva raised a brow.

'He's sharp.' "More or less maybe." Illumi confessed. Silva sighed at that.

"Isn't that a bit of an inconvenience?" Silva blurted. 'This job is inconvenient.' Illumi rolled his eyes to the left. " To have conflicting emotions that hold you back. In case you have forgotten, we are all home including the butlers to take care of Killua so you have no reason to stay back." His dad reminded.

Illumi let the words sink in. 'He had a point.' He really did forget that he wasn't the only one close to Killua. The whole household was. It's just that for the past couple of days it really only felt as if the world was centered between Killua and himself. What was this? All of a sudden he was feeling rather …dejected... "You're right. On second thought I'll go after all." The teen half bowed and went his way.

"Good luck." Silva smiled.

****Hours Later****

Killua was beginning to feel better already as he sat up on his bed, still under the covers though. His temperature wasn't as spiked as before but he still had to wear the foreheads strips. Butler Gotoh removed the current strip and replaced it with a new one, brushing the younger's hair to the side while he was at it. "Gotoh,"

"Yes master Killua."

"…did aniki come back?"

"I'm afraid not Master Killua." At that response, Killua quietly tucked himself back in, silently telling himself to wait for the other since he still held hope. Surprisingly he didn't hold a grudge for Illumi not showing up. He was sick and confined after all, the other would probably prefer him in his normal state too.

It wasn't until a whole day and a half later until Illumi returned.

"Welcome back honey." Their mom greeted as usual.

"Hi mom." Illumi casually said as he stepped over to the kitchen and grabbed a can of soda. He flicked the top lid/lock of the can with a single finger and opened the drink with a 'pheesh' sound. However, before he could take a sip from the can, a small shadow came running into the living room on its own accord. Upon noticing the teen however, Killua immediately gaped in shock before that expression became one of rejoice as he ran towards the elder instead.

"Illu-nii!" Even Illumi himself wasn't expecting the kid to be so delighted at his arrival, seeing that he hadn't kept his word two days ago. Nonetheless a spark of joy lit Illumi's chest as the younger tackled his leg.

"Yo." The teen rested a hand on his fluffy white head. "If you can run around like that, I'm assuming the fever's completely gone?"

"Yup!" Kiru grinned. "Where were you this whole time aniki?"

"…at a job." Illumi found himself cautiously choosing his words, skeptical the kid might hold a grudge.

"Another mission? Tell me about it!"

"You know I'm not very good at that." Illumi cocked his head to one side. "But I'll still try." He promised, sticking out his index finger after seeing the cute pout on his little brother's face. The silverette smiled again and led them out of the house by his hand to his sandbox. When they reached outside, Illumi crouched onto the grassy ground with the help of his knees while the younger sat solidly on the floor. "I want you to imagine these as people." He striked a few of his needles in to the ground. "First I…" And with that he briefed his mission with maps and needles, simultaneously explaining the different colors and symbols to Killua, who was eagerly listening the entire time.

After his short tale, the raven haired volunteered to get some snacks. Kiru automatically concurred as he waited patiently for his brother to return. During the time he heard a strange yet soft sound. The child curiously crawled towards the source behind the bushes and discovered a new little creature. The thing had four legs, purred and was large enough for Killua to cuddle. Furthermore, it had a catchy orange striped pattern on its back.

When the needle master retreated with a tray of snacks, he halted in his steps noticing Kiru playing with a kitten. "Where did you get that?" He asked expecting the least.

"I just found it. I think she's lost." Kiru giggled as it nuzzled the crook of his neck. Illumi put the tray down and sat on his knees ahead of the two, observing them in silence. He looked so happy playing with the kitten that the elder surely felt like a third wheel.

'Now then, it's only a cat.' Illumi told himself emotionlessly. 'If he's enjoying it so much then I guess keeping the thing for a while shouldn't be that harmful.' So he thought.

The next day:

"Where's Kiru?" Illumi asked Milluki one late afternoon.

"I believe he's playing outside with his kitten." Milluki answered without looking up from his notes.

"Is that so." The sixteen year old teen flatly stated. He looked around the room and recognized his two year old sibling, Kalluto on the floor with a few toys. That child's expression was always cold and empty—reminded him of himself most of the times yet at the same time there was a big difference. Nevertheless, he blended with the family perfectly or expectedly, shall one say. Dark hair like the rest of them, quiet, and dull eyes inspite holding color. Kiru on the other hand was completely distinct. Bright eyes, blinding hair, and a burnished countenance. Maybe that's what made him all the more attractive to Illumi.

The second day:

"Kiru?" Illumi called out as he sought the younger. Killua was found too busy feeding the cat at the time.

The third day:

"Are you sure that's safe?" The elder asked as he watched Kiru buried in the sand of his sandbox with only a head sticking out that was conquered by the kitten resting on top of it. Kiru only laughed. By this point, Illu was honestly beginning to feel like a jealous neglected wife. So his face may not have changed but his dark eyes were almost expanding under his cornea as if they were spreading the darkness in his heart. 'I'm really beginning to loathe that creature now.' Illumi concluded after a long while. He shouldn't have time to play with the pet in the first place if he were to become the number one assassin. Looks like this leaves me no choice but to do what I should have done days ago.'

It was barely dawn and the kitten was out doors on top of a low tree, moaning in its sleep until a figure popped up below it. The animal peered its eyes open and stared defenselessly at the raven haired teen. The teen gazed back at it. Then, the boy finally smiled, stretching his lips from both corners and narrowing his eyes in the slightest.

"You look very similar to my stuffed animals, don't you?" He uttered slowly, revealing a lollipop needle oozing danger from in between his two fingers. The cat, that appeared paralyzed on the spot, had nowhere to run as it took the needle to the head. "What a waste of my needles." Illumi sighed as he watched the creature fall to the ground. He stepped over, knelt down and plucked the needle out before recruiting back to the house as if nothing had happened.

That same day, hours later during breakfast Killua came running out to the cat's tree to find it there. He rushed to the tree with his eyes towards the sky, scanning any branch that the cat could yet be sleeping on. Although when he did reach the tree, he happened to trip over something. The four year old landed on his knees right before swerving around to recognize the object that caused his fall. As his eyes met a particular orange striped cat's closed eyes and limp body all of his soul jumped out of him.

"Kitty…?" Kiru shook the cat, convinced at first that stepping over may have injured it but then he noticed how cold the thing was. And if he hadn't noticed already, a fort of ants were crawling over it too where a few of them began climbing up the child's hands too. The silverette swatted them off and fell backwards on his butt, staring at his long lost friend in terror. It wasn't long before tears invaded his eyes and he couldn't help sniffing once—not crying though. Even so, it took him a while to get rid of the ants and carry the cat inside.

"What the hell is that?" Milluki grimaced at the dead kitten in the younger's hands as he walked past the open back door that also led them back into the house.

"Move! She needs a doctor!" Kiru ordered as he stepped inside. Milluki sighed.

"You can't bring back what's already dead, Killua." That's when realization hit him that she might indeed be dead and it was all starting to make sense too. The younger clenched his small teeth, eyes blurring again but this time the tears actually began streaming down.

"Uu..." After that Killua really didn't hold back and cried loudly to his heart's content, still standing there and holding the kitten.

"H-hey!" Milluki was at a sudden loss of what to do. This situation almost made it seem like he was the bully here. "Don't just start crying all of a sudden!"

Seconds later another person entered their circle of space. "What's all the commotion here?" A flat even voice asked as it stood beside them.

"Illu-nii..." Milluki turned to the silhouette but didn't know how to debrief the situation exactly. Illumi noticed the cat in Kiru's hands almost immediately before turning his gaze to the sobbing child.

To Be Continued…

Ooh, what's Illumi gonna say now? Lol, I love Illumi so much. XD but poor Kiru *averts eyes*

Still, feedback is always appreciated so plz Review and as always thanks for reading!

Oh, before I forget, check out the cover image I drew for this fanfic. Since this site crops the sides a bit here's the link to it: art/Illumi-x-Killua-621610107

if it doesn't work than just type "ZerocoolDemon deviantart" on Google. :)

Let me know what you guys think! I know you'll like the scene idea a lot hehe