Nallui, Gon, Kurapika and Leorio were sat around a small table on the bustling train heading straight for her home which lay in the Dentora region. The weather was bright and while a cool breeze whooshed in through the open window, it wasn't distracting.
The trio accompanying her all had their heads hanging out of the window, smiling brightly at the scenery around them. The familiar mountains rushed by in a blur but Nallui paid them little attention, after all, she passed these very same hills and cliffs whenever she ventured from the mansion.
"There it is…" Leorio finally spoke up – their journey so far had been mostly quiet.
When Nallui had first approached the trio, all smiles and a friendly invitation to her home, Kurapika and Leorio, while wary, had followed their smallest friend's lead in trusting her. She'd laughed when they'd sheepishly tried to pay her back for their tickets, all of which she'd purchased the minute she'd separated from her twin. If she was to be their guide, then she'd do it correctly; after all, what was the Zoldyck fortune good for, if not taking care of her…guests?
"You really live on top of that creepy mountain Zurui?" Leorio asked and the girl smiled in exasperated amusement.
"How many times must I repeat myself, Leorio-san? It's Nallui," she reminded him. "Na-llu-i."
The man scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah, yeah. It's not my fault you hid your identity for so long," he grumbled. "And just Leorio is fine…"
"Ne, Nallui! What's it like living on top of a mountain?" Gon asked in such childish wonder, only looking back for a second to ask his question before staring out at the ominous mountain ahead.
"…Normal," she said, unsure what the boy meant by the question. "I've lived there my entire life, so I suppose I wouldn't know any different…" she mused, a finger to her lips. "Our entire family has always lived there."
"Your entire family?" Kurapika asked, edging for more information.
Nallui nodded, the wind from the open window was causing her hair to whip around her face like falling snow. So white it was almost blinding.
"I have five siblings, as well as my parents, my grandfather and my great-great-grandfather living there – that makes ten of us."
Leorio looked disturbed at how many more family members she had, especially considering the less than stellar impression they'd made so far…while Kurapika looked intrigued.
"Nallui, you helped Killua escape, right?" this time, it was Gon who was speaking and his usual-jovial voice had pitched down a little. "Why did you do that?"
"Huh? Help him escape?" Leorio muttered, confused.
Nallui nodded her head to his question. "Of course. It was what he wanted," she said, as though that explained everything.
"Then why were you so keen on dragging him back?"
"I wasn't," she denied Leorio's accusation, face placid and unfazed. "Illu-ni wants him home, and while I certainly would rather Killu exactly where I can see him, if he wants to leave, I will not stop him."
"You'd really do anything he asks…wouldn't you?" Kurapika asked quietly. His grey eyes were surprisingly soft.
"Yes," she answered simply.
"No matter what he asked?" Kurapika pushed, wanting the truth. "Is what Gittar- no, what Illumi said true? That you would have killed him and yourself if Killua asked you to?"
"Yes," she answered again without hesitation.
Leorio let out his breath in a loud whoosh, blinking wildly at her. "No way…" he muttered. "I thought that was all a ruse to gain control…"
"Illu-ni hardly lies. He has no need to when the truth fits his purposes," she explained. The scenery outside caught her eye and she abruptly stood, surprising her companions. "We're here," she announced. "Let's go."
Gon immediately followed her lead, leaping over the table to stand beside her, grinning widely as they steadily got closer to seeing Killua again. Leorio and Kurapika hurried to follow along, grabbing their bag and briefcase before the train could leave without them.
"We're here, already?" Kurapika asked, frowning as he looked pointedly towards the sight of the ominous mountain.
"No, this is as close as the train will go. However, there's a tour bus that will take you up the hill," she explained. "I've never used it before, but I've heard it's quick and effective for those who cannot scale mountains."
"Scale…mountains?" Leorio muttered in dread, apprehensive about the thought of scaling the dark, gloomy mountain that loomed above them.
Nallui had already walked on ahead, smiling coyly at the tourist guide; a woman with vibrant strawberry-blonde hair and pretty eyes, flirting shamelessly in an effort to snatch four tickets upon the already-full bus.
The trio watched on as Nallui successfully managed to acquire their passage, unrepentantly stealing them from a small family – no guilt on her expression at her actions. The girl waved them over, and so the four of them boarded the bus as it took off on its scenic journey of the landscape, including the infamous Kukuroo Mountain.
Once the bus journey began, the pretty tour guide began her scripted speech about the beautiful scenery around them, detailing all of the interesting facts for foreigners, including the mentioning of the mountain where a family of infamous assassins lived.
"Guys," Leorio whispered, getting their attention.
Nallui, who was sitting in front of the man and the blonde, beside Gon, peered back with a raised brow.
"Look over there," he nodded in the direction of two suspicious-looking men; their expressions bored and uninterested in the landscape and the tour guide's speech. As well, their clothing was intended for wear; thick leather and durable cloth usually suited to bandits and thieves.
"They obviously aren't tourists…" Leorio muttered and Nallui hummed lightly, eyes glittering with dark amusement.
Likely here intending on storming the Zoldyck home…I'm sure Mike will appreciate the extra meal… she mused, her lips quirking at the thought of their family pet.
"Everyone!" the guide called out to get their attention. "If you'd look to your right, you will see Kukuroo Mountain, where the Zoldyck family lives!"
Gon looked ecstatic, face pressed against the glass as he stared wide-eyed at the black mountain; smoke obscuring most of its volcanic shape. The woman continued listing the usual bland information regarding the mountain and their estate, emphasising how nobody had ever seen the actual mansion before.
"The Zoldyck family is made up of ten known members; a Great-great-grandfather, Grandfather, Father, Mother and then there are six children."
Leorio and Kurapika glanced Nallui's way as the girl was listening to the tour guide intently, amused at what little information was available of her family, and yet simultaneously impressed that they knew enough to distinguish its members.
Though I wouldn't be surprised if mother had something to do with that…she did say that the best-kept disguises are behind obvious truths. Nobody questions further when they're given an easy answer.
"Nallui," Kurapika said quietly, loud enough for only the four of them to hear.
The girl looked back calmly, blinking once in question.
"Why is your family so intent on keeping Killua locked away?"
"He's the family heir. Mother and Father believe that he should be learning how to run the Zoldyck matters as soon as possible, as is proper."
"The heir?" Leorio mumbled, taken aback by the old-fashioned term. "What does that even mean? Isn't he only twelve?"
"Then if Killua's the heir – where does that leave you?" Kurapika asked instead. "You and Illumi are both much older than Killua…are any of your other siblings older than him, too?"
"Milluki is five years older than Killu," she revealed.
"Then, why aren't any of you guys the heir instead?"
His question was a good one and it got the attention of both Leorio and Gon, too, the younger interested in anything that had to do with his new best friend.
"The Zoldyck family heir always inherits the silver hair," she said simply, as though that rule didn't sound ludicrous.
"That rules out your broth- Illumi," Kurapika said, changing his mind last minute and using her twin's name rather than his relationship to herself.
Interesting…so he acknowledges our relationship and yet refuses to voice it aloud? Perhaps he's still uncomfortable about it all?
"But what about yourself and…Milluki?" he said, testing out the stranger's name.
Killua had once wondered the very same thing upon being told of his future responsibility, pointing out how he wasn't the only, or first child to be born with a striking head of silvery-white hair. Nallui had given her little brother the same explanation then as she gave her companions now, one that her father had told her as a teen.
"That's simple," Nallui said with a chuckle. "Milluki inherited our mother's dark hair while I'm a woman, therefore I naturally cannot inherit the heirship."
There was a silence after her explanation where the trio stared back at her blankly, eyes-wide at the backwards logic and reasoning.
"Isn't that a little…" Kurapika started and Leorio finished his sentence. "Archaic?"
"I was thinking misogynistic, but Leorio's right," Kurapika said dryly.
Nallui hummed, contemplating their words. She supposed they were right, though it had never concerned her much. It made perfect sense to her for Killua to inherit the heirship; after all, hadn't she been told multiple times how powerful he was, and just how much potential he held within him?
While she certainly didn't like her parents, Nallui knew how much her father and grandfather cared for the Zoldyck name, and so she knew they would have only chosen the best of them to inherit the title.
To Nallui, choosing Killua was the only thing her parents had done that she wholeheartedly agreed with.
"That's the way it's always been," was all she could say, not particularly bothered by her family's misogyny. "Killu is undoubtedly the perfect choice, regardless."
"I suppose so…" Kurapika murmured, grey eyes so intelligent and watching her closely. Nallui let him; she found the blonde amusing, in his own way.
Hiding so much rage and turmoil behind such a pretty face…sounds familiar.
"We've arrived!"
"Finally!" Leorio moaned, standing as the bus came to a stop and groaning as his back popped.
"I don't believe your body is supposed to make such a noise at your age," Nallui mused. "I am older than you, after all."
"I still can't believe that," the man muttered, eyeing her shrewdly as she stood from her seat; lithe form belaying her demonic strength.
She hummed, eyeing both him, Kurapika and Gon as they descended the bus. "You all remind me of my younger siblings," she mused. "Especially you," she said to the blonde. "You remind me a lot of my little brother, Kallu."
"Kallu?" Gon asked, looking up at her with bright eyes, bouncing in his spot. It seemed like he'd finally had enough of being silent and taking in the view, and now looked eager to see his friend.
"He is younger than you, so if you ever meet him, you must be friendly."
"Got it!" Gon grinned, showing her a thumbs up. "So long as he isn't as bad as your twin we'll get along just fine!"
Gon's words were unrelenting and Kurapika and Leorio flinched, looking to her reaction as though they expected her to lash out. Nallui, instead, chuckled at the young boy's view of her brother.
"Don't judge Illu-ni so harshly, Gon-kun. He cares about our family as any older brother should."
Gon harrumphed, crossing his arms and sticking out his tongue in her direction. "Nu-uh."
Nallui quirked her brow, an amused smile on her lips. She bent down to pinch his cheek harshly, grinning at the yelp he released. "Judging others so rashly won't make you any friends. You'll only make enemies, Gon-kun."
"Den wut bout you?" he asked, his words slurred from her actions.
"What about me?" she asked, finally letting go of his cheek.
"Don't you make enemies?" he rubbed his sore cheek with a petulant pout.
Nallui laughed, smiling beautifully as the wind directed her hair into a striking white halo around her head. It was a deceptively serene image. "I have plenty of enemies. The difference is I can dispatch of mine."
Wide-eyed, Gon blinked, hazel eyes alight.
"Understand? If you're going to make enemies, you have to be willing to get rid of them," she whispered lowly, leaning close to the boy's face so that he was staring directly into her large, dark eyes.
Intoxicated by such blinding innocence, Nallui felt a thrumming need to whisper even the barest suggestion to the boy while she could. "Unless you have somebody to do the dirty work for you…" she whispered directly into his ear. "If you use somebody."
"Gon! Nallui!" Kurapika called out to the pair from a couple of metres away, Leorio beside him, the both of them beside the group of tourists all taking pictures of the large, looming gates.
Nallui pulled back from the boy, smiling easily. "Let's go, Gon-kun," she said, running a hand through the boy's spiked-black hair. "Give what I said some thought, hm? If you're going to be sticking around Killu, that makes you my responsibility too."
Gon watched Nallui leave; her slim frame and swaying silver hair a stark contrast to the dark granite gates in the distance.
"Oi, Nallui, is it true that nobody's ever made it past there alive?" Leorio said with his glasses askew, looking disturbed as he pointed towards the gate.
"Only Zoldycks are allowed inside," she answered simply.
"Then how are we supposed to get to Killua?" Kurapika asked the golden question, to which Nallui smiled beguilingly, pressing a finger to her lips.
"I believe I told you I'd get you all here, not inside, hm?"
The blonde let out a weary sigh, remembering their agreement while Gon was staring up at the gates in wonder. Looking at the towering doors gave Nallui a sense of nostalgia, remembering the endless days spent tirelessly forcing those barriers to part, all in the name of training.
As the girl zoned out of the guide's information dump, Nallui subtly gazed at the two men she'd seen on the bus, wearing the suspicious gear and hunting attire. They stood out like a sore thumb, surrounded by buzzing tourists; their sullen expressions contrasted to the excited chatter of foreigners. Even compared to her own little rag-tag group, they were obviously outsiders.
Nallui herself was drawing many stares, but for completely different reasons. Rather than fear her, many of the tourists were surprised at her unusual appearance. How often was it that they came across a tall beauty with hair the colour of the moon and arms covered in bandages, as exposed as she was; her kimono having been tied around her waist once again, for the sun was beating down heavily upon the mountain top and so the only covering of her chest was the wrap of white gauze.
"Well, I suppose this is my time to leave," she announced, recognising the mounting attention coming her way. Narrowing her eyes, she glanced toward the trio she'd brought alongside her, smiling charmingly. "Good luck getting inside – I suppose I shall see you all if you succeed, hm?"
"We'll definitely do it!" Gon declared passionately and Nallui smiled at his determination.
I'll make something of you yet, she mused to herself. So devoted to Killu already…yes, you'll be perfect.
Leaning down to press a firm kiss to the boy's forehead, Nallui grinned; pearly fangs on full display. "I'll hold you to that, Gon-kun." She looked at Kurapika and Leorio and winked. "Don't drag him too far behind, pretty boy, old man."
"Old man!?" Leorio predictably snapped. "You said it yourself: you're older than I am!"
"But I don't look it," she added cheekily. "That's all that matters in this world."
"Hah!?"
Nallui laughed at having ruffled the man's feathers so easily. Meeting Kurapika's stare, she tapped a manicured finger against her lips. "I'll give you a clue; speak to the man guarding the gate. I'm sure he'll have a rather…inspired idea of getting you inside."
With that said, Nallui disappeared from sight within the blink of an eye. Taken aback, the trio looked around themselves for any sights of the girl but were stumped. She'd seemingly vanished from thin air. The tour guide soon caught their attention again and they became focused on their next course of action. Operation: get inside the gates of hell!
. . .
Sprinting through the forest that surrounded the mansion – giving Mike a thorough petting as she passed; the poor beast had been put on a diet and was restricted in his meals. Nallui thought her parents should just release him from the gates and let him gorge himself on whoever was unfortunate enough to pass by, but she digressed – the trees rushed past her in a blur as she sped by.
The forest was dense and thick with undergrowth; perfect for ensnaring hapless victims who paid little attention to their surroundings.
A small girl running through the dark, eerie woods, calling out her brother's name. Calling for anybody who would listen.
Why wasn't anybody listening? Why could nobody hear her? Where was Illu-ni? Why had father sent her out here, alone?
Didn't he know she couldn't see anything?
Didn't he realise she was scared?
The small girl tripped for the hundredth time that night, disregarding the bloody trail oozing down a pale leg; her nerves still fried from yesterday's training session within the white room.
She didn't like to think about the white room.
The white room was associated with pain.
No, the girl thought she'd much rather be outside, alone and lost in the woods than unable to move within a room too blinding to see.
The snap of a branch was heard and she whipped her head around wildly, trying in vain to pinpoint its location.
"Illu-ni?"
…
Another snap, this time closer. Heavy breathing and the rustling of leaves.
"Oni-chan?"
…
"Anyone?"
A low growl and the unmistakable aura of bloodlust.
Shaking hands gripped skinny knees; the blood soaking thin fingers and stinging existing lacerations. Another snap.
"Please…Illu-ni…where are you?"
Nallui refused to admit, even to herself, how fast she slammed the door shut as she entered the mansion; closing off the deafening silence of the forest and the memories it held alongside it. There was nothing to fear from pitiful childhood memories; she was an assassin with more blood on her hands than cold-blooded murderers around the world.
To be afraid of things you cannot control is a sign of weakness. To admit fear is a sign of weakness. Zoldycks do not have weaknesses, only strengths.
Repeating the family mantra within her head as she stretched her body, Nallui surveyed her surroundings. She'd entered from a side door, meaning she'd arrived within the kitchen area that led onto the main entryway.
With delicate footsteps; silent and unassuming as a spectre, she made her way through the house, leaving not a trace of her existence behind.
The last thing she wanted was to encounter her mother, especially if she intended on retrieving Killu and allowing him to escape, once again.
Clicking her neck, she recalled the punishment she'd endured when her parents had discovered her little brother's disappearance and her part in allowing it to happen. When Nallui had reassured Killua that she'd taken all the blame, she wasn't completely lying.
Of course, she'd attempted to do so but Silva and Zeno weren't blind to Nallui's obsessive love for her brother and knew that if anybody were able to track the boy down to the ends of the earth, it would be her. Therefore, it was only too obvious just who had let the boy slip through the family's defences – after all, they had a particular coding system with the butlers for this very kind of occurrence, and only someone as skilled as herself could have interfered with it so seamlessly.
Nallui regretted nothing, and she knew that her father understood just as well. Zeno, too. Neither man was persuaded of her apologies as Kikyo had been, the woman glomping her daughter and reassuring her that all was forgiven if only her wonderful daughter would retrieve their precious Killua.
No, Silva and Zeno were well aware of the girl's psychopathy – of both twin's tendencies and lack of morality – and were active in monitoring it. Ensuring that it didn't reach a point where they'd compromise the entire family and everything they'd worked for.
Silva was an intelligent and shrewd man, understanding that the key to controlling his powerful and dangerous daughter – of who he knew, without a doubt, would kill him without a shred of guilt – was through Killua. And Illumi, who was just as unpredictable and volatile, had the singular weakness of his twin sister.
The head of the Zoldyck Family, though an understandably paranoid man, was confident if only because he knew the exact weaknesses of all those around him and had the ability to utilise them to his benefit.
That was why, when he heard a light knocking upon his door without any previous signs of life within the building, he did not panic and simply called the girl inside.
"Father," she greeted monotonously, inky-black eyes glancing at his form impassively.
Silva was a man of composure, but even he could admit to finding his two eldest children's eyes a disturbing experience; alike to glimpsing into an endless void.
They were nothing like those who'd they'd inherited them from, for Kikyo's eyes had been a gleaming obsidian, not the bottomless black that mirrored your very face back at you. The eldest Zoldyck children were truly his finest creations; talented in assassination, powerful beyond imagination and lacking basic morality.
Yes, they were the perfect tools in furthering the Zoldyck name.
Only, the head had made one mistake in his first attempts at child-raising. He'd miscalculated the effect an innate born tendency for psychopathy would have on growing children. Silva had intended for his children to lack morals as a result of training and self-control…however, he'd watched in morbid fascination as his two children had adapted into actual monsters.
Unable to feel empathy for those around them, bar their pairing, Silva had been harbouring a sense of dreadful anticipation to see them in action. And they had not disappointed.
Though…he supposed the rather, disturbing outcomes of his heavy-handed discipline had resulted in relationships he wasn't as pleased with.
"Nallui," he greeted amicably. "Where's your brother?"
"Illu-ni is busy on a job," Nallui replied, the slightest curl of a smirk visible on her red lips.
That. That was the part Silva had not accounted for in all his foolish grandiose.
To think that his two children – his twins, his own flesh and blood – would succumb to the loneliness and strife of their situations by indulging in such…taboo relations. When he'd first found out, catching the pair inappropriately touching one another in their shared bedroom, he'd understandably punished them both terribly.
Neither had been able to complete missions for days afterwards – a punishment that no normal people, let alone children would have survived. Instead, the pair had faced their reprimands and disappointment with blank expressions, continuing to clutch onto the other's hand without any fear of further punishment.
"Ah, I see," he said. "Why don't you take a seat, my daughter?"
"Father, that won't be necessary." She said the title so strained it bordered on irony; it was spoken in humour, almost mocking and Silva expected no less.
He had created the girl in front of him, after all.
Every part of Nallui, from the good to the bad, was his responsibility and that was why, despite finding such an aversion to the knowledge that two of his children were romantically and sexually involved, he turned a blind eye. He knew his father did the same thing, too.
For the sake of peace within the family.
Nallui and Illumi were simply too unpredictable and dangerous to consider reprimanding or controlling at this stage of their lives. While Silva was certain he would win should it come down to it, he couldn't be sure of the damage that would be caused as a consequence. He wasn't willing to sacrifice everything they'd worked for in the fruitless effort of policing his wayward children.
Killua's birth was a blessing for more than one reason, it seems. If the boy can control such a monster as her, then all the better for us. If that means keeping him happy and unaware until he is ready to take on the responsibility of the heirship, then so be it.
"I want to see Killu."
"I'm sure you're already aware of where he is," Silva drawled.
"Of course," she responded promptly. "I've heard it's polite to ask before forcing your way inside," she said, the threat clear in her words. Let me see Killua before I destroy everything in my way.
"How very altruistic of you."
"Altruism is not a trait I possess, Father. We both know this."
Silva paused, staring at Nallui with piercing blue eyes. He did this often, knowing just how similar he and his son looked; how this affected his only daughter's perception of himself – to her own frustration. It was easy to imagine that Killua would grow to look very similar to Silva, and both individuals in the room knew that's exactly the kind of weakness Nallui was susceptible to.
"You intend on allowing your brother to escape again, don't you?"
"If that's what he wants."
"Of course," Silva mused. "Whatever Killua wants."
Nallui's eyes tightened at the corners in her restrained anger and Silva knew he'd hit a sore point. Perhaps flaunting her weakness right in front of her face so blatantly was unfair, but playing the game against his cunning daughter, he would take any advantages.
He was a Zoldyck, after all.
"Yes. Whatever he wants," she said, forcibly calm. "Or whoever he wants," she couldn't help but add in, threateningly.
Silva wanted to laugh aloud; whether from genuine amusement or a disbelieving pride at how ruthless his only daughter had turned out to be. Threatening to kill her father, right to his face all in the guise of following her brother's orders?
Silva wanted to compliment her malice; such natural cruelty was best guided with a firm hand but he knew such a thing would not be appreciated. No, his daughter was much more likely to bite the hand that was offered her way. To claw and chew and tear the hand from its victim and gorge on the remains to feed her own bloodlust…truly a visceral, deadly being I've created…
Like any father, Silva liked to tell himself he harboured no favourites within his children, but the head of a family of assassins could not afford to suffer from denial, and so he could admit, if only to himself, that the two children to have inherited his own head of silver hair, held a special place.
Not necessarily one of sentiment, but certainly favouritism.
As he looked back at Nallui, so tall and artfully beautiful; thick white lashes and striking silver hair that fell like water down her back, Silva could acknowledge his pride in knowing he created such a divine being. If his daughter's looks were anything to go on, then he had no worries for Killua, too. It was obvious the boy adored his sister and would grow up influenced most by her than any other.
While veering from my original intentions, allowing them both to remain together can only prove fruitful. With Nallui's natural inclinations to violence and lack of morality, Killua is bound to fall to the inevitable allure of promised power…
And who better to dangle that allure right in front of him, than his trusted older sister who he so devotedly adores, who is willing to destroy everything in her path with a single command from his lips?
That kind of power will be too tempting to pass up…he'll fall eventually, and when he does, he will truly become a worthy Zoldyck heir.
"Milluki has him in the dungeons," he finally revealed.
"Understood," she said before turning to leave. "I'll be taking him back."
"Send him my way, first. I wish to speak to him before he leaves, my daughter. Then send him towards the butler's quarters to wait – I've heard his friends are attempting to enter the mountain. I'm curious as to their possible success."
"Yes," she nodded succinctly. "I believe they'll be here soon enough."
"Oh?" Silva rubbed his chin, leaning back against the comforter he sat upon. "Interesting…then, let us not waste any more time."
"Understood. Then, I'll take my leave," she said with a perfectly-executed bow in his direction. Why, if he didn't know of her true feelings, Silva may have even thought that the girl respected him.
Nevertheless, her lithe form disappeared from behind the heavy, steel door and into the maze of hallways that lead down to the dungeons below, where her sociopathic brother enjoyed torturing helpless victims for his own pleasure.
It seems I may have to smooth Millu's ruffled feathers once I release Killu…what to do, what to do…perhaps…?
With silent steps and invisibility like a cloak shrouding her person, Nallui made her way to the dungeons, eager to see both of her little brothers again.
Next chapter there will very likely be smut! I'm not sure how I'm going to do it yet (regarding rules) but maybe I'll just upload the uncensored version on ao3 and you can read it over there if you'd like.