This has been in my drafts for a while and I decided to share it with you all. Isekai!Illumi will be using they/them pronouns, but doesn't mind being addressed as she or he. They sort of just go with the flow with that sort of thing. And yes, Parent!Illumi will definitely be a thing here. (Cover image belongs to lavenderangelic on Twitter)
CHAPTER ONE:
AWARENESS AND ADVENTURE
Awareness suddenly slammed into them, making a quiet groan slip past their lips as they woke. The sunlight streaming through the gap of the green curtains felt like too much, and the throbbing of their head worsened. They let out a small hiss, reaching up to massage their temples and closing their eyes. Someone in the room gasped, and the sound was ridiculously loud in the quiet room.
"Master Illumi—" They quickly shushed the female voice, raising a hand in its general direction.
"Who the hell is Illumi?" They questioned, slowly opening their eyes to stare at the young woman standing next to the bed. Her expression morphed into one of surprise and disbelief.
"You, Master Illumi." The woman replied, her eyebrows knitting together. "Do you not remember?"
Their head throbbed furiously, and they hissed, a hand coming up to their forehead. They were Illumi? They reached into the dark, rummaging through foggy memories despite the pain. Blood, needles, dark hair and dead eyes. Was that them? Illumi Zoldyck?
Why was it so familiar, yet so... unbelievable?
They looked at the woman again, taking in her features. A heart shaped face, a flat nose, murky green eyes and combed black hair. A name came to them, "Amane." They said, tasting the word on their tongue. It felt like they've said it a hundred times over, yet never before. "Can you bring me something to drink?" They — Illumi? — asked.
"Of course, Master Illumi." Amane bowed at the waist, "I will bring you some tea after I inform Master Silva that you've woken up. Is there anything else you require of me?" She asked dutifully.
Illumi sighed and waved her away, "No, that will be all. Thank you, Amane." They weren't blind to the final, bewildered stare she gave them before leaving the room. They waited until she was far away and threw the white sheets off their body. Illumi got to their feet, pushing their hair away from their face and approaching the mirror on the other side of the room. They were wearing a pair of long black pants made of silk, the top half of their body left uncovered.
They ran a hand down their flat chest, their fingers running over the slender muscle, and paused. They had a very vague memory of breasts and doing something to flatten them into pectorals. Illumi turned, peeking at their reflection over their shoulder and brushing their long hair to the side. There were two golden studs on their lower back, one on either side of their spine, like dermal piercings. They were needles, Illumi realized, embedded with Nen to alter their appearance.
Nen. Where had they heard that before? Illumi huffed in frustration when their head only throbbed again. They walked over to the closet, sliding open the wooden doors and eyeing the expensive looking clothes inside. They ditched the silk pants in exchange for a green crop top, baggy jeans and a pair of white platform sneakers. Illumi opened the door and peeked into the dim hallways, finding them deserted.
They walked out of their room, quietly closing the door behind themselves, and ventured deeper into the house (mansion?). They ran their fingertips along the cold wall, letting their feet guide them by instinct and muscle memory. After a few twists and turns, Illumi opened the door to the gardens. They stepped out onto the porch, letting the light breeze toy with their long hair and caress their face with a cool touch.
"Aniki?" They turned at the familial term, looking down at the person who'd spoken. Big blue eyes blinked up at them beneath a head of unruly white hair. Killua, a voice whispered in the back of their mind.
"Yo." They greeted, settling a hand on their hip as they faced the young boy while the other tucked some of their black hair behind their ear.
Killua buried his hands in his pockets and tilted his head in a distinctly feline manner. "I thought you were gonna die." He stated bluntly, and Illumi's lips twitched.
"How long was I out?" They asked, both curious and amused.
"Five days." The boy answered. It seemed uncharacteristic for them, it seemed, to take so long to heal.
"Illumi." A large man with long silvery blonde hair walked up to them, his lips pressed into a firm line and his cat-like eyes stern.
Something like recognition sparked within them, and Illumi gave an acknowledging nod, "Father."
"How are you?" It wasn't a caring or concerned question, not with the cold and the professional, all-business tone he was using. "Amane said you complained about your head and that you were having problems with your memory." He added, crossing his muscled arms over his broad chest. Well, Illumi thought, they didn't complain, per se...
"I'm alright now." Illumi said casually, and Silva looked at them from top to bottom, as if searching for a reason to be suspicious. Technically, Illumi wasn't lying, their headache had lessened considerably.
"Good. I expect you to go back to work immediately." Silva informed them, then swiftly turned on his heels and disappeared into the house. The second he was out of earshot, Killua turned his curious and mischievous blue eyes to his elder sibling.
"Did you really lose your memory?" Killua questioned.
Illumi tore his eyes away from the shadows and bobbed their head. "Yup." They said, popping the 'p'. Killua looked bewildered, his mouth falling open with an incredulous sound, and Illumi allowed their lips to curl into a small smile that only seemed to shock the boy even more. "I have bits and pieces left, which should be enough." They mused out loud, holding their chin between their fingers.
The more they looked at Killua, the more they would recall a pair of honey brown eyes and a bright smile that would only lead to adventure. It was then that Illumi realized exactly who they were and who they were looking at. How exciting! They hummed to themself, then dropped into a crouch so they were eye level with their little brother. Killua raised an eyebrow at them, confusion seeping into his gaze.
"Hey, Killu," Illumi began, mischief igniting in once dead eyes, "how would you like to go on an adventure?"
Illumi calmly took a sip of tea, their legs crossed as they sat on the couch. They peeked over their teacup at the shrieking woman on the floor. There was blood running down her pale face, and she wouldn't stop moving, which caused the servant to grow distressed as she tried time and time again to clean Kikyou's wounds, only for her to squirm away in her theatrics.
"My Killua," She wailed, a stream of dramatic tears mixing with the crimson seeping from her cheeks. "Mommy is so proud! He's growing so quickly!"
"Lady Kikyou, please," The servant pleaded, once again raising the cloth to the woman's face. "Try to stay still, I need to bandage your wounds."
The so-called lady of the house only shrieked incomprehensibly again, and Illumi tried not to roll their eyes. Milluki was sitting on the other couch, whining as he clutched his round middle. Lucky for him, Killua had stabbed him in the gut, which meant the knife got caught in fat rather than any vital organs. It didn't stop him from complaining, though.
Illumi finished their tea and set down the china. They hummed softly and rose from their seat, aware of the eyes locked on their form. They walked back to their room and began getting ready for their trip. They took a brief shower and washed their hair, changing into more combat ready clothing. They put on a pink shirt with a cropped gray vest along with matching gray cargo pants tucked into knee high combat boots and a black choker around their throat. 'Armed to the teeth' seemed like an understatement with how many needles and throwing knives they had stashed away under their clothes. Some of their pins were tucked in the vest, looking like stud accessories.
They put their hands on their hips, assessing their outfit in the full length mirror. The door of their bedroom opened, revealing a calm Zeno standing in the doorway. He stepped inside without invitation, his arms folded behind his back. The elderly man had the ghost of a smile playing on his lips, an intrigued gleam in his eye. Illumi turned to him in silence, waiting for him to speak.
"Where are you headed, Illumi?" Zeno questioned in a lighthearted voice.
"I'm going to take the Hunter Exam." Illumi said in reply, walking over to their dresser to grab a comb. Curiously enough, no matter how many things they tucked away in their pockets, they never seemed to fill or bulge. They supposed it was the work of Nen. "I need a Hunter's License for my next job." They added.
Zeno hummed, "And I don't suppose that's also where Killua is heading…" Illumi paused, peeking at him through a curtain of black hair. Their grandfather was looking at the weapons propped on the wall, his smile growing. "It's strange how he acted out right after having a private conversation with you."
"Are you implying something?" Illumi asked, tilting their head at him.
Zeno turned to face them, the corners of his eyes crinkling in amusement as he looked at them. "You've changed after the Nen incident, even a blind man can see that." He pointed out. "All these years you've been nothing but my son's mindless puppet, but now you have that look in your eyes."
Illumi chuckled quietly, the corner of their mouth lifting in a smirk, "Careful, you're starting to sound like you care."
The man let out a small laugh, staring as though he was looking at them for the first time. He waved a dismissive hand through the air, "Just make sure Killu comes back relatively unharmed. We will continue this conversation when you return." Zeno said, and bid his farewell before sinking back into the shadows of the mansion.
They turned back to the mirror, taking a needle between their fingers. They pursed their lips, trying not to grimace at the disguise they could recall seeing, and pondered on which direction they wanted to go. Illumi grabbed their long hair with a hand, lifting it away from their neck, and pierced their nape with the Nen laced needle with practiced accuracy. They gazed into the mirror as their features began folding and changing in a strange, grotesque display.
Their face became rounder, their hair shrinking and lightening into pink chin length hair, and their features grew delicate as their eyes turned a dark magenta. Illumi turned their head, eyeing their new face for any trace of the eldest Zoldyck. Finding none, they hummed and picked up the black eyeliner. They drew a nice cat eye on both that would compliment their naturally large eyes. They fluffled their messy hair and nodded, pleased with their appearance. As Illumi stepped out into the outside world, they took their phone out of their pockets and opened the messaging app. They scrolled through the contacts, which were the unsurprising number of five, until they found who they were looking for.
Want to take the Hunter Exam with me? —Illumi
Not even a minute after they had sent it, they received a reply.
Of course~ ⭐️ —_— 💧
Illumi sent the location of where they would meet and a brief description of their disguise before tucking it away into their bottomless pockets. They called for a cab, something like excitement brewing in their chest.
This was going to be fun.
Did y'all catch that Bucky reference? I couldn't help myself sksks
Much like Illumi, I have no idea where this is going, I just know it's going to be fun.
Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed and tell me what you think!