Thank you Guest, 5O5AAA, Alice aquabld, winddemon199, Razorblade Mistress, ItsLiz, Deja Via and ultraviolet read for reviewing to last chapter! :D
Oh! Before I begin, I have something I've been meaning to tell you all for weeks now but always forget to write in the ANs... =.= There's an artist on tumblr called rabiscosetal who makes some pretty funny HxH comics and many of them involve Illumi and Hisoka. The art is amazing and if you have no qualms about OOCness in benefit of humour, I really recommend you check it out. I got (still get) some very good laughs out of their work. ;)
When Bleach woke up, two days later, she was back in her body, lying on a bed, but didn't really have the strength to open her eyes and move. For some minutes, she just laid there, seemingly asleep, as she heard and felt what was going on in the room and concentrated her forces on properly waking up and regaining vontrol over her body. The only thing going through her mind was murdering that manipulative son of a bitch that went by the name of Illumi.
However, when she felt and heard Gon and Killua in the room with her, sitting side by side on the free bed at her left as they chatted excitedly about candy, every thought and ill intend regarding the assassin was pushed into oblivion, for the moment.
There was something wrong with Gon. Something extremely wrong.
Bleach maybe wasn't as good as Killua and Illumi in reading people, but she was no amateur either. Years of being forced to work under the Mafia practically forced her to learn how to read people; it was a matter of survival, really. And the experience she received during all of those years of having to tip-toe around her boss and unstable Nen-users screamed at her that Gon was on the brink of committing murder.
And she had a pretty good hunch as to why.
"What happened to Kaito?"
Both boys startled at hearing the thief's question and quickly turned their gazes to the woman who was struggling to keep her eyes open. Gon was the first to appear by her side, helping her sit up on the bed with a warm and happy smile on his face.
"Bleach! I'm so happy you're better already!" The brunette boy exclaimed excitedly. "Killua told me what happened. You were truly amazing, standing up against Illumi like that!"
The woman couldn't keep herself from blushing in a mix of embarrassment and shame.
"Gon, I did no such thing." She spoke in a low voice, lowering her gaze from Gon's bright and trusting eyes as if they were physically assaulting her. "On the contrary, I let that fuc- that bastard manipulate me like a damn puppet. I put your safety on second plan and tried to emotionally blackmail Killua in doing something he didn't want to without even realizing it. I was careless and stupid, and you two almost had to pay the price for it. I'm pathetic."
"Don't be daft." Killua drawled, crossing his arms behind his head. "We got out completely unharmed while you almost died facing Aniki." Then, it was the former assassin's turn to lower a shameful gaze to the ground. "If anyone's to blame it should be me. I'm the reason Illumi did what he did to you."
Bleach's eyes widened in shock. Never had she imagined that Killua would blame himself for her mistakes.
"Also-" Killua continued. "-you're not pathetic. Not only you're still fully functional after having Illumi's Nen frying your brain, but you fought and won against his Manipulation. No one did that before."
"That doesn't mean shit, Killua!" Bleach spat out, clenching the blanket tightly in her fists. "That doesn't change the fact that I put you two in danger!"
"No." The former assassin agreed, blue eyes raising to the woman's downcast face. "But the fact that you almost killed yourself to keep us safe does. It means everything. It changes everything."
Immediately Bleach's face shot up, allowing the woman to fix her wide eyes on Killua's sapphire orbs before turning to gaze to Gon's brown ones. Both set of eyes stared back at her with the utmost reassurance and trust.
The thief couldn't help but laugh at the enormous relief that flooded into her.
I thought I had certainly lost you two.
"We're friends, Bleach." Gon started to speak in a soft voice. "Remember what we told you in York Shin, when we were running away from Nobunaga?"
She smiled. "How could I ever forget?"
...I'm sorry, Gon, Killua."
Bleach shut her eyes. There, she had said it. Now, all she had to do was wait for the boys to express their disappointment with her and leave once and for all.
"Sorry? What for?" Gon asked innocently, making Bleach raise her wide eyes to him. "You've never hurt anyone, have you Bleach?"
"I-I killed a man, Gon! I killed Cressar!"
"You killed him to run away from the Mafia, who had kidnapped you and forced you to do things you didn't want to. I don't believe you were wrong in doing that. And I don't care if you pickpocket wallets and products from stores!" Gon smiled brightly at the girl. "You're my friend and I trust you, Bleach! I know you will never steal from me!"
"Gon…"
"You stole some things, so what?" Killua put in. "I killed lots of people in the past and Gon still accepted me.Youstill accepted me, Bleach."
"Killua…"
"We're friends." The former assassin said at last. "That's not changing anytime soon."
"Then don't make us repeat ourselves." Killua put in, pretending to be annoyed. "You and I can play the guilt game for hours on a row, but ultimately the only one to blame for everything is Aniki. We're together on this and that's all that matters."
Bleach's smile grew even more but rather of dwelling deeper in the emotional conversation – which made both her and Killua deeply uncomfortable - she opted for changing the subject for something even more pressing.
"Well, you shouldn't make me repeat myself either, brat. I asked once but - since you both ignored my question - I will do so again: what happened to Kaito?"
To the thief's surprise, there was no sadness or tension in the air when the question left her lips. Instead of wallowing in misery and anger as she expected, Gon just got a serious and determined look on his face and stated with the most neutral voice she had ever heard from him. His usually bright brown eyes, however, were dark and murderous.
"Kaito is being controlled by the enemy. But I'll free him. Even if I have to kill that thing."
Bleach had never been more scared for Gon before.
However, that concern was put in second plan as soon as the thief had some time to herself.
Immersed in a bubble bath with her cell phone and a half-eaten chocolate bar standing innocently on a small wooden bench by her side, Bleach's thoughts couldn't help but drift back to the origin to her most recent problems.
That fucking piece of shit. How could he?
Maybe it was due to Illumi not being someone prone to judge others, maybe it was because she couldn't have cared less about his opinion about her, maybe it was due to the weird and twisted attraction that had developed between them or just because the Manipulator knew exactly what to say to get her going… The reasons didn't matter, but the consequence did: during their trip to the palace, Bleach found herself starting to trust in the assassin. She had talked to him, confided in him, had sex with him and even kissed him.
On those short days, the woman had trusted the assassin with her feelings, body and past. Granted, much of that trust had been struggled from herself through manipulative words and actions, but still she had shown him parts of herself that she hadn't dared showing anyone else since Ging. And he had used it all against her.
"He's thirteen years old; he doesn't know what he wants. Surely you can remember some bad decisions you made when you were about that age."
Bleach felt her throat tighten. Of course she could. She was about that age when she started drinking and prostituting herself.
Bleach felt her blood pressure skyrocket at the sudden fury she felt remembering those words. How could he use her past against her like that? She already shamed herself for her past mistakes enough as it was and he knew it. But, even so, he used that piece of information without hesitating, easily humiliating her just so he could get what he wanted.
Disgusting pig.
In the end, Illumi was just like Cressar, using her – body and mind – any way he pleased without giving a second thought to what she wanted or felt.
I hate you.
And yet, he had saved her life.
After passing out in Killua's arms, Bleach found herself feeling warm, weightless and without pain, floating in one of the many indigo coloured pounds that were present in Namid's personal little world.
"Namid?" The woman called in a low voice, allowing herself to just keep floating.
"You're such a dumbass!" The Guardian's voice echoed from everywhere. "How could you fall for such a, a… a disgusting pig! Look what he did to you, idiot!"
Despite the scolding, Bleach smiled. It was wonderful to hear Namid's voice again.
"Thank you for saving me."
"Of course I saved you! You're my Chosen One and no one will hurt you as long as I can prevent it."
"Why am I here?"
"You spent too much Aura to use my powers and fight off that bastard's Nen. Now you're too weak to keep yourself alive as it is, so I'm using my Nen to provide for your body and keeping your conscious here in my dimension while it recovers from the fight. Don't worry; I'll return your body to you as soon as it recovers enough Aura for you to survive on your own."
"I'm not worried. I trust you."
If Namid had bothered to produce a physical manifestation as she talked to Bleach, her large indigo eyes would be wide and her cheeks would be burning. Her Chosen One, that woman whom had experienced so much abuse and pain at the hands of others throughout her whole life, trusted her absolutely and unconditionally. It made the Guardian of Cure feel warm inside and she wished nothing more than pain and death to herself if she ever broke that trust.
"Yada, yada, yada. Shut up and sleep, dumbass."
Of course, Namid would never say that; Bleach didn't need to become even more sure of herself. The woman already risked her life enough as it was.
Bleach felt when, a couple of hours later, Namid's Nen suddenly left her person and immediately knew that someone had taken her necklace from her body.
At once, that feeling of peace and safety suddenly disappeared and Bleach found herself plummeting down a black and cold abyss at an alarming speed. No matter how many times the thief called Namid and the other guardians' names, she heard nothing but the wind rushing by her ears.
Minutes seemed to pass her by before Bleach finally saw hope in receiving closure from that seemingly endless freefall. It was still much far below her, but she could see a platform glowing a dark purple colour, promising to give her the ground she needed to recompose herself.
However, before her feet could reach the platform, something halted the woman's freefall. A purple rope, wrapped around her neck.
After the fright and instantaneous agony that came with the violent trot of the rope pulling her still by the throat had passed, Bleach quickly raised her hands to pull on the cord, pulling it open as much as she could. She needed to breath.
"There is no use."
Bleach's eyes narrowed as a figure started to float her way through the darkness. It was humanoid, male. Tall and lean with leathery wings and pitch black skin and bright purple eyes. His lower body was protected by a dark purple armour that seemed to be made of a strange sort of ivory. His upper body was bare if not for a pair of matching gauntlets that reached up to the creature's elbows and ended with long and sharp claws in place of fingers. The face was covered by a large and sharp mask, made of that same purple ivory; it had two long horns that stretched behind him, following the curvature of his spine and ending on the end of his lower back.
The creature gave Bleach a predatory smile, showing long and white fangs as a chain started to grow from its chest, making its way to Bleach's heart at a very slow but foreboding pace.
"I have been waiting this moment for so long, Chosen One. For the chance to synchronize our souls without that meddlesome midget interfering. Soon, when the chain finally connects our hearts once again, you shall be mine."
Bleach's eyes widened as bone-chilling fear grew inside her chest. "Iadbo…"
"The one and only."
Then, the Guardian of Darkness stretched his clawed hands, grabbed the end of the rope encircling Bleach's neck, and pulled.
"And the last being you will ever see."
The suffocating tug-of-war that began between Bleach and Iadbo was a true battle of wills. The Guardian pulled the rope, trying to tighten its hold around the woman's throat while she pulled on her murderous necklace, trying to keep it from closing her windpipe completely.
Meanwhile, the chain continued to grow between them and Bleach knew that, when they connected, she would be done for. However, she wasn't even sure she'd manage to last that long; breathing was becoming harder by the second.
Just when the woman was about to lose consciousness, Iadbo suddenly loosened his hold on the rope, allowing the woman to take in desperate gulps of air in her lungs.
"Looks like you beloved saviour has come to save you from me once again. That meddlesome outsider."
Bleach frowned. There was only one "outsider"whom had saved her life from Iadbo and there was just no way he was there to save her again.
"But do not fret, my Chosen One. I will deal with that outsider soon. Then, I will be all yours one final time."
Bleach felt Illumi's Nen fighting Iadbo's and, to her surprise, felt how clear was the latter's victory. Iadbo's Nen spread like a shadow, corrupting both her and Illumi's Aura and using it to fuel his own power.
However, to her utmost surprise, she felt Namid's Nen invade her once again, enveloping her body, mind and soul in a warm indigo light that was completely impervious to Iadbo's power.
Illumi had returned her necklace to her and saved her life, at the same time he killed his chances of manipulating her with his Nen again.
"It doesn't mean shit." Bleach whispered to herself, dropping her head back on the tub. "I still hate him."
On the bench, her phone buzzed with a text and automatically she reached for it. It was from Illumi.
I hope you're well.
The woman shut her eyes. Slowly, she raised her knees to her chest and put her hands on her head, one pulling on her hair while the other tightened her grip on the piece of technology and pressed it to her temple.
"It doesn't mean shit. I still hate him."
For days, Bleach did all she could to ignore any and every emotion and thought that involved the man that had betrayed her trust so easily.
It would've been easy, if not for his constant messages that reached her through her cell phone. Messages that, she felt somewhere inside her chest, held truth to them. No matter how many times the woman remembered how Illumi had used her like a puppet, a small part of her – stupid as fuck part - still believed in every word he sent her.
I never lied to you.
Your secrets are safe with me.
I never wished to harm you.
Everything that happened between us was true.
I miss you.
Sometimes she missed him too, especially at night. But it was getting better. Every moment she spent with Gon and Killua or training her Manipulation Nen under Namid's orientation - next time you two come for me, I'll be ready - was a step away from the memories she shared with Illumi.
Sooner than she expected, Bleach found herself feeling "normal" again. Thinking about Illumi and what he did to her still angered the thief to no end, but didn't hurt anymore. She could once again think about the assassin in a rational way.
And that was why, when she received a message asking her to meet him for lunch if she wanted to know something that would undoubtedly be useful to keep Gon and Killua safe, she knew he was planning something once again.
Three days after receiving the message, early in the morning, Bleach left her room for a walk around town. She was so nervous and uneasy that she couldn't help but wake up early and since she had nothing planned to do with Gon or Killua, she found it would be nice to get out of the room a little and enjoy some time by herself. Also, there were quite a lot of rich people in the city for her to steal from.
And she had a "date" she was wholeheartedly dreading.
By noon, the thief had her backpack full of wallets and jewellery and decided it was a good time to get lunch; she still had one hour until it was time to meet with Illumi so she could enjoy her food in peace.
In a matter of minutes, the woman found herself sitting at a table on the outside of the café they had agreed upon meeting, eating some sandwiches and drinking a latte as she watched her potential targets walk by. As she sipped her latte, Bleach had a warm smile on her face; she hadn't felt this free for a long time. It was definitely nice having only herself in her brain again.
"Is this seat taken?"
The smile dropped and her body tensed as soon as those words were whispered in her ear. Instinctively, the thief summoned Runvle's mirror in her free hand and enveloped her body with a light, orange-tinted layer of diamond-hard Aura. Not so instinctively, she shivered in a sick form of delight as memories of all the times she heard that voice whispering in her ears promises of pleasure suddenly returned to her brain.
"Why the fuck are you so early?" The woman spoke through clenched teeth, not daring to turn around to face the dark voids that would undoubtedly be staring back at her. "You know what? Fuck it. Just sit the fuck down and start talking."
The person pulled the chair in front of her and sat down. Bleach found herself looking at the face of a handsome blonde man she had never seen before, if not for the eyes. They were large, pitch-black, intense and completely calculating.
"There's no need to be so distrustful." The man said in a calm voice, with a bored look in his borrowed face. "I just wish to talk."
"I've heard that shit before." Bleach spat out, glare burning hotter by the second. "And found myself with who knows how many needles in my skull and a manipulative son of a bitch's Nen in my brain. Now get a hint and just explain why you invited me here. Different face or not, I don't want to spend more time than absolutely necessary with you, Illumi."
"I have information about the workings in the Republic of East Gorteau that will undoubtedly help you to navigate through the country."
Bleach's eyes narrowed even more in suspicion. Without moving her eyes from Illumi's or letting Runvle's mirror dematerialize, she slowly raised her latte to her lips again.
"I kind of figured that already, shithead. What I wish to know is what kind of information do you have to offer me?"
The predatory smile that Illumi gave her was more than enough to put an end to that wonderful sensation of freedom from a few minutes ago. Suddenly, Bleach felt as nothing more than a bird inside a cage.
Despite taunting Bleach with that promise of information, Illumi spoke absolutely nothing about the Republic of East Gorteau. For a long time, he pulled the woman into the most pointless conversations, trying to get her to relax in his presence and, once again, become open to his Manipulation; be it through Nen or words.
Unfortunately for the assassin, the thief had all of her walls up and was in high alert, paying double attention to anything he said or did. Proof of that was the fact that not for one second did she inactivate the power of Runvle's mirror.
Once burned, twice shy.
Although he didn't show, Illumi was deeply annoyed by Bleach's cool demeanour. In their previous encounters, the woman had proved time and time again that she was in her essence an impulsive person, prone to losing control of her emotions and temper, and he had counted on that to deal with her; had counted on her lingering feelings for him to manipulate her. But, once again, she did the complete opposite of what he expected. Sure, he could see the anger and betrayal swimming in her glaring eyes – contacts or not, they always showed him exactly what the woman was feeling – but, other than that, the thief was in complete control of herself. She hated him and she hated his game; but she could easily put her pride aside and play it with him. As long as he promised her a valuable reward.
Just like that first night in the palace. The little thief is capable of absolutely anything to get what she wants.
That trait was both extremely satisfying and bothersome.
Illumi truly appreciated how tenacious the woman could be, sacrificing anything from herself to get what she wanted. In a way, she was like him whom resigned his opinions, personality, desire and face to fulfil his jobs; no matter what it cost, both of them would pay the price to achieve their goals.
On the other hand, it was remarkable difficult to manipulate someone whom had simply accepted to pay said price. In this estate, Bleach knew she couldn't expect fairness or even truthfulness from him and she was ready to endure it. At each second that passed, instead of letting her guard down bit by bit, she was building sturdier walls – physically and mentally – against him. Her eyes showed it.
It was then that Illumi understood; whatever groundwork he had managed to build with her emotions during their trip to the palace had been lost the moment she found out he was controlling her. As a true egocentric, Bleach put her interests above anyone else's and what she yearned for the most had always been freedom to do as she pleased. Taking said liberty was the worst violation Illumi could've ever committed against her. And the fact that not only did she find out about it but also recovered from his "betrayal" on her own, without allowing him the chance to persuade her into forgiving him, made it practically impossible for the Manipulator to keep her as his little puppet. For that, he'd have to earn her trust back and work his way to the top. Again. And it would be even harder than the first time.
However, Illumi didn't have the time to invest on recovering Bleach's trust right now; he knew that his Killu was weeks – maybe days – away from infiltrating an isolated country filled with blood-lusting and Aura-charged mutant creatures ready to bite off his pretty white-haired head at any given chance. He needed to get him back home. Now.
Fortunately for the assassin, there was a shortcut into manipulating the woman: sex. Maybe he wouldn't be able to turn the woman's feelings in his favour – yet – but the attraction she felt for him was still present, of that he was sure, and many times animal instinct thrived over rational intelligence.
But even so he'd have to be careful when dealing with the thief. No matter how much pleasure he had given and promised her, she had still grown up to be wary of men and their sexual advances. With all that she went through, it was a miracle altogether that not only she allowed men to touch her but also searched their company. Illumi doubted many women would have the courage to do so if they had experienced what Bleach did.
Stubborn, stubborn woman.
And indeed, Bleach was very stubborn regarding just about anything, especially people she didn't like. She trusted her instincts and, ever since the beginning, they had told her not to trust the assassin but, despite the internal warning, she allowed herself to drop her guard around him. And that resulted in him manipulating her to harm her friends and almost killing her in the process. More than a first impression, the thief now had experience about just how obstinate and cold-hearted Illumi could be. She wouldn't make the same mistake twice.
And Illumi knew that too, but she was his only chance of recovering his Killu before he went and got himself killed. And he would take that chance.
"Well, I guess I should give up on the pleasantries, since you most obviously aren't very inclined to behave in an agreeable or even polite manner."
Bleach deadpanned. "No shit."
"But I don't enjoy talking business in such a public place. Too many prying ears." The assassin stated in a conversational tone as he stood up from the table. "If you'd follow me to my hotel, we could discuss an exchange."
"Exchange?" The thief echoed, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at the man.
"Naturally, you didn't think I'd just give away the information I have." Illumi spoke, offering his hand to the woman. "Come. I'm sure we'll be able to come up with a reasonable deal."
Bleach's contacts covered eyes darted from the man's black orbs to his outstretched hand and back as every possible scenario that could come from being alone in a bedroom with Illumi for an undefined amount of time, talking about undefined deals and doing undefined things. She scowled at finding that her rotten mind came up with many scenarios that involved getting hot and heavy with the assassin and almost growled when all of said scenes ended with her following his every order and fulfilling his every desire.
She'd rather kill herself than allow that to happen. But…
But if he has information that could keep Gon and Killua alive, the least I can do is check it out.
"Fine. I'll fucking come with you." Bleach agreed, completely ignoring the offered hand as she pushed away from the table. "But we're not going to your room - who knows what fucking traps you laid out for me there? There's a motel not three blocks from here; we'll get a room there for some hours."
"Fair enough." Illumi conceded, moving so he could encircle the woman's waist with his arm.
As expected, Bleach all but flied away from him.
"I want you to keep your fucking distance from me, you pervert. Not less than three meters. Also, you're walking in front of me so I can watch your movements. Now, get going you piece-of-shit."
The assassin internally rolled his eyes, but did as Bleach demanded without a complaint. By agreeing to put herself in closed quarters with him, the woman had unknowingly given him exact what he had come for: a new chance of manipulating Killua.
It was his last one and he'd make the most of it.
From many metres away and above, Killua watched the exchange with attentive eyes.
We knew you'd try something else, Aniki.
The night before.
Killua had just entered the bathroom he shared with Gon and was about to undo the front of his shorts to use the toilet when a hand closed over his mouth and pulled him back onto a pliable chest. He tensed himself, ready to attack immediately.
"Relax, brat. It's just me."
Killua felt his body relax at hearing Bleach's whisper before tensing up all over again at realizing that she had been seconds away of seeing him without his pants, and that his head was being cushioned by nothing less than her breasts.
"What are you doing here?!" The now blushing former assassin demanded in a sharp whisper, quickly pulling away from the woman's hold… and upper private area. "You're such a pervert."
The thief didn't bother to answer the boy's demand or respond to his insult; she just went straight to the subject that interested her:
"I didn't say anything because I didn't want to worry Gon but, while you two were taken to see Kaito, Illumi showed up in the room to try and get me under his influence again. He obviously failed, but I don't think he has given up just yet. I know you said it was unlikely for him to go against your father again, but he's been sending me text messages. On the last one, he asked to meet me for lunch in exchange for some kind of useful information. He might not have clearance to approach you directly, but that doesn't mean he won't try to stop you through other means." The thief spoke quickly, as if she was pulling out a band-aid. "I'm not that worried about he coming for me; I won't give him another chance of putting anymore of his fucking needles inside my head without me realizing it. But-"
"But you still worry about him overpowering you physically and forcing those needles in anyway so he can use you to get to me."
Serious, Bleach nodded. "Yes."
"Aniki is already putting himself in jeopardy with my father as it is. Do you really think he'll try again just to keep me from going to fight the Chimera Ants?"
"I don't know. You know him better than I do. What do you think?"
The former assassin spent long moments in silence, thinking about the possibility.
"I think… we can use this to our advantage."
"What do you mean?" Bleach asked in an excited whisper.
"Grandpa once infiltrated the Republic of East Gorteau years ago, so he has a good knowledge about the workings of the country. Knowledge that he trusted Father and Aniki."
"And you think that information is what Illumi is offering me in exchange of meeting up with him."
"Yes."
"Can't we check that on the Hunters' website?"
"We can, but I'm sure Aniki knows more than what is in the internet. Also, if he does try anything again, it'll be his last shot. Not only he's already pushing Father's leniency, he also has to do jobs at his regular frequency – they have a sort of quid-pro-quo relationship. If we manage to frustrate his final attempt, he'll have no choice but to return home completely empty-handed and leave us alone so we can rest at ease that he won't come back."
Bleach smirked; she liked Killua's current train of thought. "Two birds with one stone."
"Yes." The boy confirmed, mirroring her smirk for a moment before getting serious again. "But we still need a plan."
"…I might have an idea."
With his silent steps and using Zetsu, Killua entered one of the motel's rooms through the window. On the room next to his, he heard a door opening and then slamming shut.
"We're in private now." There was no mistaking Bleach's demanding voice. "Get on with it."
When his brother began to speak, Killua's attention doubled. Sure, he could hear every word clearly through the microphone Bleach had implanted inside on of her molasses, but he still wouldn't risk missing a single word.
"Always so direct. Relax a little. After all, it has been so long since we've last been together; let's take our time."
Killua scowled in disgust at the flirtatious tone in his Aniki's voice but still forced himself to listen to the rest of the conversation. At each word that was said, his scowl deepened.
Adults are disgusting.
We got to see just what exactly was going on with Bleach while Namid took over and Illumi and Iadbo battled inside her brain. :D
Also, this is Illumi's last shot at getting Killua back. I wonder how it will turn out to be... Poor Bleach really doesn't catch a break. -.-
As always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review to let me know what you think. ;D
Kisses,
RedVoid