Disclaimers: Hunter X Hunter © Yoshihiro Togashi, Shounen Jump Weekly, Shueisha and Nippon Animation. This fanfic is written for entertainment purposes only.
Summary:
It's settled. Illumi Zoldick has reached the age he has been dreading for so long. To escape his fate, he turns to the one single person who could help him. Hisoka x Illumi
Notes:
*grins like an idiot* Another one of my muse's my-human-can't-sleep-so-I'll-just-bombard-her-with-ideas nights. I'll be writing chapter 1 for now, then move on to finish Luminescence. Sorry for delaying the latter, but I just have to right this down ^.^ Anyway, warning goes here because the characters may become OOC (example, Illumi cursing and talking not in monotone). I mean, Illumi may or may not want to marry, but if we're talking typical Illumi here, he might not care at all. But let's just say that he doesn't want to, okay? ^___^

OF GAMES AND ASSASSINS
by: Cherrie ( kurapikasama@yahoo.com )

Chapter 1 - Coming of Age

It was cold way up there on the ceiling. But he really had no choice. He either had to stay up there and freeze to death or go down and die slowly and painfully in the worst kind of torture his family has come up with. So instead of dwelling on the fact that it was almost below ten degrees there, he settled on just clutching the wooden beam tighter as he leaned down to peek behind the flame of the torch on the wall.

"Illumi, dear! Mama's looking for you, where are you?" came a sweet but deafening voice from the darkness of the hallway ahead. His mother, Kikyou Zoldick, can be really sweet most of the time. But one has to admit that her voice is almost comparable to the screeching of tires against a smooth road, in lack of better (or worse) things to be reminded of. "Dearest, please come out, Mama promises not to hurt you!"

Illumi rolled his eyes. Like hell I'm ever coming down while you're there, he thought as he watched the bright yellow form of his mother walking and looking around. He almost wanted to hit himself. Here he was, a full-grown man in his twenties, but he's still hiding from his own mother as if he just did something really bad and would be punished for it. Don't get him wrong, he liked his mother, but he just won't come down for her right this moment.

He watched quietly as she went on past where he sat. Kikyou's steps were small and careful, and her progress along the hallway was agonizingly slow. But eventually, she disappeared into the darkness, her footsteps trailing behind until they, as well, disappeared with her.

He waited a few more seconds, then jumped down from the beam as lightly as his skills would allow him to. Granted, he succeeded and emitted no sound, but just when he was about to stand up and run away from his mother, a small body crashed with his own. Brotherly instincts came to him at the wrong time, and deciding automatically that this was one of his siblings he just hit, he quickly grabbed hold of the small shoulders as he regained his balance to keep the younger one from falling as well.

"Aniki!" The light from the torch revealed Killua's cheerful face, his dark purple eyes sparkling beneath the flame as he caught sight of him. The young boy arrived just a few hours ago, when Karuto was sent to escort him back to Kukulu Mountain because of a 'special occasion'. Illumi cursed that said occasion when he was reminded of it, but he wasn't able to dwell on it for long because Killua's perked up voice rang through the whole hallway.

"Mama, I found Illumi!!!"

One thing about Killua, he likes to antagonize Illumi's life as much as he's allowed to. Sure, Illumi scares the hell out of him, but that never stopped him from seeking revenge against his eldest brother for 'making his life miserable'. But really, was it Illumi's fault that he's the one assigned to train Killua?

For the young heir, yes, it was Illumi's fault.

"Hold him down dear, I'm coming!" came Kikyou's high-pitched response. Quick footsteps echoed against the cold stone wall, indicating Kikyou's fast approaching form.

"Sure thing," said Killua, pure mischief reflected in his cat-like eyes as he quickly grabbed a hold of Illumi's wrist.

Killua's certainly stronger now, noted Illumi as it took him a while to struggle out of his younger brother's hold. But desperation is a miraculous thing, and it can help you through if ever you're in a bind. With a sudden burst of adrenaline, (To hell with brotherhood, thought Illumi) he violently pushed his brother against the wall and freed himself from the iron grip. Killua hit the stone wall with a sickening 'thud' and was shaken for a few seconds, and this Illumi used to escape.

He ran as fast as his feet could go. He heard Killua's faraway, "Ma, he's getting away again!" behind him, and he cursed his brat for a brother as he looked around to see where he was. He was somewhere around the western wing, and if he remembered correctly, there's a hidden passage here that comes out below the staircase in the main hall.

He scanned from wall to wall for the tapestry he's looking for. Right there, painted with a blood red snake ready to strike, the huge cloth was pushed aside as the eldest Zoldick child went past it. It was pitch black inside, but Illumi doesn't mind. All he wanted was to get out of there.

Many people say that once you enter the Zoldick territory, you might as well have entered Hell itself. With the rate his family was going through just to stalk him, Illumi can't help but agree.

* * * * *

He was bored.

Hisoka was lying down on the bed of the small hotel suite, a huge leap below his usual preference of dominating the top floors of every hotel he steps upon. But he felt that though he's almost the very epitome of spontaneous life himself, his tendency to take the top floors was getting old. So there he was, in an ordinary suite, staring at the small chip on the ceiling as if it was the most fascinating thing on earth.

He was bored.

He hadn't been doing much these past few days. A week ago, he decided to give himself a short vacation from his old life. That also meant no killing - much, anyway. He decided that he should at least try to live like a normal person for once, just to see what it's like. The first step was the whole hotel thing. Next...he absolutely had no idea.

He. Was. Bored.

This was getting stupid. But before he could even think of a curse to use against himself, a faint ringing caught his attention. He tilted his head towards the coffee table beside the bed and caught sight of his mobile phone, the screen blinking repeatedly to indicate the call. He made a grab for it - need he mention that he was excited to actually have something to do? - and didn't even have to look at who the caller is. Only one person calls him anyway.

"Illumi-kun, it's so nice of you to call!" he greeted cheerfully, glad to at least use his mouth on something again. His last decent conversation was with the hotel clerk. That in itself is pathetic.

But Illumi's mood didn't seem to agree with his. "Where the hell are you!?" came his demanding voice from the other line.

Hisoka noted that Illumi must be running, because he could hear the wheeze of the wind coming past Illumi's mouthpiece, together with the assassin's quick intakes of breath. Hisoka also noted that that was the first time he heard Illumi's voice rise an octave higher than the usual monotone. His interest was quickly awaken. "Uhm, Illu? What are you doing?" he asked, honestly curious.

"Just tell me where in hell you are, Hisoka!" came Illumi's impatient tone again.

Hisoka could've sworn he heard the other mutter a curse, but quickly laid it aside to answer the question (or order). Upon realizing that he won't be finding the other's room as easily as he usually would, Illumi scolded the magician for a second about the whole room thing ("Why didn't you get the fucking presidential suite, jackass!"), but quickly let it go when another voice came, calling out his name. Hisoka was quite sure Illumi was cursing now.

"Er, are you okay? Will you be able to find my room alive and sane, Illumi?" he asked, now curious and confused.

But before Hisoka could anticipate a reply from the assassin, his door suddenly burst open and with but a little of his infamous grace, Illumi threw himself in and quickly locked the door behind him. He cast a very startled Hisoka a look and heaved out, "I can manage."

"That was fast," remarked the magician after regaining his decency enough to let him speak and store his cellphone away. He was ignored though, for Illumi stayed leaning against the door, listening for any footsteps from outside. It took a while for him to be convinced that the coast was clear, and by then, he finally noticed how tired he was. He was by far more desperate about running away from his family than anything else.

Hisoka watched as the person closest to being a 'friend' to him stumbled his way towards the bed. The small, twin sized bed's side sank as it took in the assassin's now still form, the heavy panting muffled by the white pillow.

The magician blinked. "Ookay," he drawled, still not believing what he just saw. "That was the freakiest thing I've ever witnessed so far," he commented, eyes trailing back to the door, also disbelieving that the assassin just burst in from there a few minutes ago. But it didn't take long before he looked back at the black head beside him, two pale hands clutching the pillowcase. Hisoka's eyebrow rose playfully. "Just who the hell are you and what did you do to the real Illumi anyway?" he asked.

"Water."

Hisoka blinked. "Excuse me?"

A few seconds passed before Illumi lifted his head from the pillow, only to sink it in again. Only, he was facing the magician this time. "I'm tired. I want something to drink," he said, breathing still heavy.

One interesting thing about Illumi was that he's the only one who can order Hisoka around like this and survive. Granted, Hisoka can do the same if the occasion calls for it, but that in itself only increases the oddity of things. But what was most peculiar was the fact that Hisoka would usually give Illumi what he asks, or demands - whichever. And vice versa. Hisoka would've teased Illumi about it, that is if he'd just get rid of his still dazed state.

The magician stood up and walked towards the small refrigerator in the room. He took out a small bottle of water and threw it over the assassin, whose hand promptly shot up to catch it. Illumi raggedly sat up and twisted the top off and took a big gulp. It didn't take long for him to finish the whole bottle.

"So, what's with you?" Hisoka asked after the assassin laid the bottle on the side table. "And how come you looked like you just ran a marathon? Raging stampede chasing after you?"

"You can say that," answered the young man. He closed his eyes, obviously tired, and let himself fall back against the pillows. "My family has grown mad. Even Killua himself is siding with them." He opened his eyes to give Hisoka an exasperated look. "And Karuto! I'm supposed to be her favorite family member and even she is against me!"

A slim eyebrow rose from the magician's face as he eyed the other curiously. He straightened up from where he was standing and walked towards the bed, jumping in himself to eye Illumi closer. "That bad? What did you do anyway?" he asked, his hand propping him up as he laid on his side to face the assassin.

"Live up to my mid twenties," was the short answer. The pause and Hisoka's faint, "hm?" prompted Illumi to elaborate. And so, with a tired sigh the young assassin opened his eyes and faced the magician beside him. "I'm...betrothed."

A pause.

A very long pause.

And a maybe a minute more just to emphasize the pregnant silence.

Hisoka can't help but gawk. "Uh...say that again?"

Illumi rolled his eyes and sat up. He shifted and planted both hands on the bed, eyeing Hisoka firmly. "Betrothed," he drawled, his voice ebbing a faint mockery towards the word. "You know, engaged. Affianced. Promised to be married. And in my own personal words, cursed for eternity."

Okay, so far on Hisoka's list. One: Illumi's voice lost its monotone. Two: Illumi has by far said seven different swear words of different intensities and repeated them at least twice in a span of ten minutes. Three: Illumi's doesn't seem to care much about his current poise. Sure, he still has that natural grace, but it lost a huge chunk of the usual as far as Hisoka remembered. Four: He just realized that Illumi's getting married. Five, and most probably the last thing he'd expect: Illumi's whining.

He had to shake his head to relieve it from his initial surprise. "To who?" he managed to ask.

"A girl I met when I was fifteen," said Illumi, frowning. "She's my mother's goddaughter. The only thing I remember about her is that she hates furry animals and likes to torture them as much as she could. Also, she never stopped fawning over me ever since we met and that all I ever wanted to do to her was to throw her over the balcony. My mother was cooing all the while though, so I couldn't really do anything."

The bed sank as Illumi fell against it again. Hisoka eyed him suspiciously. "You didn't - by any chance - run away from home, did you?"

Silence. Illumi just laid there, staring at the ceiling.

Hisoka sighed. "Don't tell me. You decided to hide here, didn't you?" he asked. Okay, so Illumi staying there wasn't that bad of an idea. At least he'll have company. But he's just not about to admit that. He has a reputation to uphold after all.

It took a while before Illumi responded. A small upward curve of his lips indicated a mischievous smirk, and Hisoka could've sworn he caught sight of a faint sparkle from those usually blank eyes. The magician did not like that look at all. That was supposed to be his expression, not Illumi's. Maybe they were spending too much time together?

But he wasn't able to dwell on this for long because Illumi lifted himself from the bed and leaned back on his elbows, a predatory look in his eyes. That smirk was still there, and it unnerved the magician. But in a way, he couldn't help but stare nonetheless. Illumi. On his bed. Looking as if he was just about ready to pounce on him. It was no big secret that he's attracted to the young assassin, male or otherwise. He just didn't know if Illumi actually knows. As far as he's concerned, Illumi's probably the most dense person one can ever encounter in this damned planet.

But Hisoka's thoughts were silenced as Illumi moved closer, leaving but a few inches between them, a pure look of mischief in his eyes. The magician noted that Illumi's looking a lot like Killua right now. He can now see the blood connection between the two siblings. But hell, Killua can never affect him as much as Illumi could, that's for sure.

"Actually, I have a better idea," said Illumi, oblivious to the magician's thoughts. "Until I get rid of this whole mess, I want you to pretend to be my lover."

End of Chapter 1

A/N: Tada~!!! ^.^ Please review! Feedbacks for this fic are essential because I'm not really sure if I'm continuing this. It's just something one has to write ^^; I don't even know what comes next after this! 0 But I like the plot, so please encourage me, ne? =P