Cherrie's Universal Rule When Reading Her Yaoi Pieces applies here. Read chapter 2 for the whole statement.

Disclaimers: Hunter X Hunter © Yoshihiro Togashi, Shounen Jump Weekly, Shueisha and Nippon Animation. This fanfic is written for entertainment purposes only.

Author's Notes: Just in case somebody steps on my face for my originality, I would like to say that I'll be using Yomi-san's nicknames for the Zoldick children. Y'know, her 'Illu', 'Millu' and 'Allu's ^.^ I find them really cute. Yomi-san, I hope you don't mind ^^v Also, in the Hunter world, they have different kinds of animals like the fox-bear, wolf-rat, etc. But since I'm not much familiar with them, I figured that they still have the conventional domestic animals for food. You know, like chickens, cows, pigs...the like. Besides, I don't want to imagine eating something that looks weird XP Oh, and as for the asparagus...yeah, okay, so I used it before, but what the hell. I like cream of asparagus! XP

Oh yeah, forgot to post this up in chapter 3. I just opened up an Illumi fanlisting. If you're a fan of Illumi, please fill out the form and sign up. It's quite simple, so please join. I'd be forever grateful and I'll dedicate future chapters to whoever will sign up ^____^ Here's the URL:

Grrr...why can't FF.net stop being such an ass and let me post website addresses!?!? For those who can't see it, I'll just change my personal website address and put the fanlisting add. For those interested, just check out my profiles, okay? ^^ *stomps off cursing FF.net*

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

Chapter 4 - The Search

"Argh!!!" Milluki's laments of frustration rang through the whole room. The crunching sound of crisp potato chips were clear and audible beside the distressed cries. It was a known fact that the second Zoldick child consumed more food - as unbelievable as it may sound - when he's terribly upset. "I can't believe him! How could he do this!?!? I'm his freakin' brother for cryin' out loud!!!"

A series of worse curses echoed through the stone walls. Killua merely sighed as he waited for his supposedly older brother's tantrum to reside. He sneaked a sidelong glance at his younger brother, who seemed to be just as exasperated as he was.

"Geez. You'd think Oniisan just stole a bag of his favorite cookies or something," remarked the raven-haired boy, his eyes rolling in pure sarcasm as a chair flew across the room. His dark eyes followed its progress, up until it crashed on the gray wall. He smirked. "I guess this means Milluki would be spending more time with us, huh?"

Killua shrugged. "Oh well. I guess nothing can be perfect in this world," he said, casting a smug smirk towards the bigger boy in front of them. "We should get packing. We did say we're leaving today, didn't we?"

* * * * *

The restaurant was quiet. Illumi noticed that aside from a couple generating more sap and honey than a tree sporting five bee hives, the place was pretty much deserted except for he and his companion. It was around 2 in the afternoon. According to Hisoka, he liked this restaurant when it was quiet, so he would usually insist on taking a late lunch. The place seemed to be the magician's favorite since the waitresses seemed to know him quite well. They smiled at them both earlier, and they greeted his companion with a friendly, "Nice to see you again, Hisoka-san". It wasn't their first time there. In fact, now that Illumi thought about it, that was the third time they've eaten at the place because Hisoka kept on insisting that they take different dishes every time they go there.

Illumi eyed Hisoka carefully. The magician was strangely cheerful that day, and was almost near glowing, in lack of better words. It only increased the anxiety the assassin was already feeling. Okay, so Hisoka has always been strange, and half the time Illumi found himself not understanding how the other's mind worked, but really. Sometimes, the young assassin would just wonder if his brother was right and that Hisoka really was a psychopath.

It's been two days but nothing much happened yet. If ever he actually had any problems, it was all due to Hisoka's enthusiasm and amusement for having to put up an act for people to misunderstand. By now, he wouldn't be surprised if he found out that the whole staff of the hotel they were staying at knew who he and Hisoka was. The magician seemed to live to lie, Illumi noted. He was a natural at how the human mind worked, and he enjoyed twisting other people's thoughts as much as he could.

He briefly wondered where his family was. Were they looking for him? Before he left, he found out that the girl he was supposedly cursed to eternity with would be coming to their house for a visit a few weeks from then. That was the last straw, and he knew that he just had to get away.

Sighing, Illumi buried himself deeper behind the newspaper he held up to his face, seeing the words yet not really understanding them. He never really cared much for current events and only picked up the newspaper when he was really desperate for something to read. Sometimes, when he had to eat in public, he would pick up the papers under the pretense of reading just so he would avoid any attention.

He winced, remembering those times he had with his fiancée. He couldn't remember a time he spent during his younger days without her tailing behind him like some sick puppy. He never understood her problem. True, he knew he had striking features - and whenever he would forget, she would always be there to remind him - but he never really gave himself much thought. But he supposed that people were just strange, and when they have nothing better to do with their individual lives, they go around messing with other people's own.

He let out yet another sigh.

"Oh come on. The news can't be that bad," said a voice from across from him. "What does it say? 'Spoiled rich girl, deep in depression over killer fiancé's disappearance'? I kind of thought that would make you happy."

Pulled back from his own thoughts, Illumi looked up to pull the papers he was supposed to be reading down, revealing a familiar face grinning up at him. There was an air of smugness coming from that expression, and Illumi thought back on what the other had just said. He cast the other a sardonic look. "I'm dying with laughter," he drawled sarcastically, folding the newspaper neatly and setting it aside.

Hisoka gave out a mock sigh and shook his head. Quite exaggeratedly, Illumi noted. "Illumi Illumi Illumi..." chanted the magician, further infuriating the man across from him. But either he didn't see, or he chose to ignore the glare he was receiving. "You should stop thinking too much. Worrying causes wrinkles, you know," he said, waving a finger tauntingly in front of the assassin's face.

"I am not worrying," defended Illumi. He then scowled at the finger in front of him. "And get that thing off my face lest you want me to break it."

Hisoka obeyed the order, but not because of the threat. In fact, he even looked amused at it. "Ah! There, see? You're so tense, and that's not good."

Illumi's frowned, and was about to retort when an especially cheerful waitress came by with a tray in one hand. "Here are you orders, sorry for the wait!" she said, perkiness ebbing through her very tone alone. Great, Illumi thought. I sit here brooding about my current life and it seems as if people around me are on some holiday I don't know about.

"It's never a bother, dear Katie. The wait is always worth it," said Hisoka, gracing the girl with a charming smile. Illumi had to raise an eyebrow at that, and a raised eyebrow from the usually indifferent Zoldick was a true indication that something really was amiss. But still, the assassin had to admit that Hisoka could be charming if he wanted to. Perhaps he just didn't notice because half the time he spent with the other, Hisoka was killing some poor fool who dumbly got in his way.

The waitress, Katie as Hisoka called her, beamed at Hisoka and moved her arm lower so she can reach for the dishes they've ordered. In front of Illumi, she placed a plate with a generous serving of grilled chicken in white sauce, sided with a lovely potato salad topped with a variety of vegetables and spices. To Hisoka, she gave a steak almost of the same size, sided with his own serving of vegetables. She also placed a small plate of parsley rice, a rice dish Hisoka seemed to particularly like. She then proceeded on taking away the empty bowls that once held the two's soups of creamed asparagus.

"There you go. Enjoy your meal!" bade Katie. She then turned around, and had she been any more energetic, Illumi could've sworn she would've skipped.

Noticing Illumi's look, Hisoka grinned and leaned over the table. "People who work here are bored stiff. Not everyone can afford this place, and those who actually can are like cardboard models that came alive. So a small 'thank you for the excellent service' and a few 'you seem especially blooming today' here and there, and these girls are bound to latch themselves to you and serve you with the brightest smiles," he said in a tone merely above a whisper, tipping his head towards the leaving waitress.

Illumi's lips curved into a smile. A very small movement, but it was an accomplishment for Hisoka's part nonetheless. "You really enjoy playing with people, don't you?" he accused, casting the other a knowing look.

Hisoka placed a hand on his chest and mocked a gasp. "Illumi, you wound me," he said dramatically, giving the other an indignant pout. "I honestly mean well. And is it so awful to try and liven things up a bit? I want a more cheerful service and these people want more outspoken customers. It works both ways!"

Illumi shook his head and said nothing more, but a small smile of amusement was upon his face. On the other end of the table, Hisoka congratulated himself for doing an excellent job in helping Illumi loosen up. He was, after all, telling the truth about the other thinking too much. Perhaps Illumi still felt uncomfortable. It wasn't in his nature to go against orders, and this seemed to be the first time that he actually turned his back from his family. It's been two days, but who knows how the other's mind worked anyway?

Oblivious to the two, two pairs of eyes watched intently as Hisoka stopped staring and proceeded on picking up his fork. A series of muffled giggles sounded behind the main counter, and the exasperated cashier had to look at the two girls behind him. "Really," he said, casting the girls a pointed look. "Don't you two have anything better to do?"

Instead of the desired effect, he only earned himself a hand on his mouth and a hissed "Not too loud!", and yet another bout of giggles. This made the cashier roll his eyes.

"Oh come on, don't be so uptight," said the taller girl. The name tag clearly showed the name 'Lisa' in black, bold letters. "Don't tell us you didn't notice it either."

"Yeah," said the other girl, Katie. "Hisoka-san never brought anybody here. This is the first time he actually did!" she said, an obvious amount of excitement in her high-pitched voice.

"That doesn't mean anything," said the young man behind the cash register. "Maybe they're friends. You girls and your sick fantasies. Not every pair of men that sit across from each other are lovers."

"Oh please! Look at them, you idiot," scoffed Lisa, pointing the taller man towards the table in what she hoped was a discreet movement. "See the way they look at each other?"

"They're looking down at their food, innocently eating."

"Not that! The fleeting glances! You men are so dense," said Lisa, rolling her eyes. Deeming their co-worker a lost cause, she instead gave her attention back to Katie, who was just as happy sharing her enthusiasm at the prospect of having such a rare type of customers.

* * * * *

"We've been walking around for three damned hours and it's way past lunch! We have to stop and get something to eat!"

Killua rolled his eyes and ignored his older brother's voice. Cellphone held in hand, he instead gave his attention to the other boy his age that he was just about exchanging messages with. He'd rather drop dead and rot before he actually agrees to spend his entire time with this whining pig behind his back. Alluka wasn't bad a companion, which was actually part of the reason why thought of contacting his best friend. Maybe the two would get along once they met. Wouldn't their mother be furious when she finds out that Killua's sharing his friends with his brother, thus influencing him to go against the 'rules'. But what the hell, thought Killua. If Illumi's running around breaking every family rule one could think of, why wouldn't he be allowed to go on with his business?

The young boy beside Killua was the one unfortunate enough to respond to their older brother. "Oh cut it out, Milluki. Is it my fault you two overslept? Maybe if you two hadn't stayed up the whole night watching that disgusting porn movie, we could've started earlier. And besides, you've passed by every food stall in the city and bought half their snacks. I really doubt you're dying of hunger," drawled Alluka, who held as much, if not more, disrespect for his fat brother as Killua did. Milluki cared crap for all of them and only found happiness behind women's clothes and his computers, so Alluka figured that there's no amount of affection to actually be given back.

"You call a bunch of hotdogs lunch!?" retorted the eldest of the three.

"If you're talking about six hotdogs in less than 30 minutes, YES, that was lunch!" countered the raven-haired boy.

Merely listening to the argument behind him, Killua grinned at the message he just received. His moods were particularly brought up, so he then turned to the two. "Aren't you hungry yet, Allu? If I remember it right, Milluki's the one who was always eating. We haven't had a bite yet, so maybe we can pass by some place here to quench the fatal hunger our dear brother over here is feeling?"

"Oh!" Milluki perked up at an instant. "I scanned through the list of the best restaurants here around the city before we came here. I saw this place that makes really mean steaks!" he said, excited at the idea of finally having something to put into his bulging stomach.

"But of course," said Alluka, pure sarcasm flowing through his boyish voice. "Ask him to find Oniisan and he'll throw a tantrum and ask for three days, but when it comes to food, he'll get the best places in a mere nanosecond."

Milluki cast Alluka a menacing glare but chose not to say anything. Instead, he just lifted his chin up high and grunted at the younger boy. "I'll forget you even said that. Anyway, I know just the place. Follow me!"

* * * * *

Hisoka had to suppress a smirk. He had noticed the three's conversation right after the cashier spoke a tad bit too loudly. He couldn't say he wasn't amused. Stealing a glance towards the person across from him, he was pleased to note that he wasn't the only one who noticed the supposedly discreet exchange.

"I agree with the boy. Don't they have anything better to do?" asked Illumi, casting a wary glance at the girls from the corner of his eyes. "And what fleeting glances?"

Hisoka had to keep himself from laughing. "I told you. Cardboard customers, remember? It's like watching the same silent movie over and over again. Leave them be, they need a good show every once in a while," he said. He gave Illumi a thoughtful glance before reaching out across the table. He placed a finger under the younger man's chin - marveling at the smooth skin underneath his touch - and urged the other to stop looking elsewhere and just look at him instead. Hisoka's face broke into a self-satisfied smirk at the small look of surprise on the young assassin's face. "What do you say we give them what they want?" he asked, his tone low and menacing, dripping with pure, unadulterated mischief.

The hushed giggles didn't escape Illumi's keen hearing, and he had to roll his eyes at the sheer shallowness of some people. But he brought himself back to the man across from him, taking note of the light twinkle in those dark eyes. After dismissing Hisoka's earlier move as just some playful act of a staged intimacy, he instead thought about the magician's proposition.

"We do need to practice, you know," offered Hisoka.

Illumi sighed. He shrugged, and looked up at the magician. "If you feel like playing around with people's minds, then I'm not stopping you," he said dismissively. Hisoka grinned.

A few moments later, Katie was back with yet another tray. A deep tinge of pink was on her cheeks, an obvious sign of giggling for a full three minutes. Two tall glasses of strawberry flambé were then presented to the two while their empty plates were being cleared up. "Enjoy your desserts!" she said. Illumi didn't think it was possible, but she sounded even more enthusiastic when she said that.

He took up the dessert spoon beside the glass and buried it on the seriously inviting vanilla ice cream. But instead of picking up a spoonful, he stilled, noticing from the corner of his eyes that the girl still stood beside their table. He stole a glance up, and indeed, she was eyeing them both with a curious look on her bright, young eyes.

Confused, Illumi gave Hisoka a look, which the other then returned before looking up at the quiet waitress. "Yes, is there anything else, Katie?" he asked, addressing the girl with her name again.

After a few heartbeats, Katie lifted a hand to her cheeks in what seemed like a thoughtful look. "I hope you don't mind me asking Hisoka-san, but..." he looked at the two alternately, only to land again on Hisoka after two sets of exchanges. "Are you two...uhm, you know..."

Illumi knew that Hisoka understood what the girl was trying to ask. As if the small smirk on the man's lips wasn't clue enough.

"Well," continued the young lass. "Ben there, behind the cash register, insisted against it, but Lisa and I swear that you two look like you're..." She stopped to take a deep breath. "Lovers."

A few seconds passed, grueling moments that Hisoka stretched to make the young girl fidget more nervously in place. But he immediately gave her a smile just when she looked like she was about to bolt off, and propped his elbow on the table, resting his chin on his hand. "So you noticed," he said in a light and friendly tone. "Might I ask what gave it away?"

Illumi, who watched the magician's every move, caught the latter casting him a brief glance. Illumi was then graced with a playful wink, and this Katie obviously caught by the brightening blush she had on her cheeks.

The young girl was beaming, obviously thrilled with the 'confession'. "Nothing much, Hisoka-san. Just...this and that," she said, gracing Illumi with a sweet smile this time. Illumi didn't smile back, but instead gave the girl a polite nod of acknowledgement. Katie seemed to have excused him as one of those quiet types, and found it extremely cute because she looked like she was suppressing her giggles, and just accepted the response quite contentedly.

"I hope you're satisfied with our answer then?" asked Hisoka, gaining back Katie's attention.

"Very much, yes!" gushed the waitress. She then thanked them and apologized for prying, as most polite people were wont to do. She bid the two a good meal, and if one would look closely, there was a triumphant grin on her face as she approached the cash register.

"Well that was certainly interesting," commented the assassin as he continued to scoop out more of his dessert.

Hisoka laughed. "I had fun," he said, doing the same thing as the other with his own dessert. "I was actually considering whether or not I would spoon-feed you in front of her, but I think the small conversation was enough," he added, savoring the look he got from the other.

"Is it just me or are you a bit too enthusiastic about this whole thing?" asked the assassin suspiciously.

Again, the magician merely laughed. "Am I?" he asked, not in the least bit betraying his own thoughts about the matter. Illumi wondered if there really was anything to be betrayed at all. He looked genuinely amused. "If I am, does it give me enough excuse to be allowed to spoon-feed you?"

The glare went off without even missing a beat. "Don't push it," he warned. Receiving nothing but yet another grin, he sighed. "Forget it. I don't think I'd be able to--"

The assassin's light tenor faded and his words were cut off. His dark eyes were set on a point behind Hisoka's shoulders. Hisoka, upon noticing the other's distraction, blinked twice before turning his head to look at whatever it was that caught the other's attention. Narrow eyes met with three distinct figures at a distance as they looked at both sides before crossing the road.

"Well it's about time," remarked the magician as his eyes continued to follow the three's progress.

"They're coming this way," said Illumi. He fixed his eyes from his siblings back to the man across him. "We have to go."

Hisoka nodded and took out a number of bills from his pocket and placed it under his plate. Together with Illumi, he stood up and turned to the three people on the counter. "Gotta run, so just keep the change, all right?" he said, giving the three a wide grin. Katie and Lisa happily waved while the young man, Ben, bade him a courteous "Thank you and good day, sir."

"We have to go out right after they enter. They won't chase after us," said Illumi, his voice low. There was yet another light tinkle of girlish giggles coming from the counter, and he didn't even have to look to see just who the girls were ogling over. He had to stop himself from glaring at them and just kept his attention towards the other door.

"They won't? How do you know?" asked Hisoka.

Illumi didn't say anything, but merely pointed at the fat boy patting his huge stomach and all but drooling at the mere sight of the menu outside.

"Oookay," said Hisoka with a strange expression. "Your family's really strange, have I told you that?" he teased, but merely earned himself a glare. But as always, he wasn't in the least bit taunted. As a last minute act of boldness, he lifted his arm and placed it around Illumi's shoulder. The assassin visibly tensed and cast him a stern look, one which Hisoka just dismissed by placing a finger on his smirking lips. "Ssh. They're almost here," he remarked instead. As if on cue, the bell above the door rang as the three entered.

Killua, whose attention was still on the cellphone he held in his hand, ignored the sounds of the door on the other side of the restaurant, dismissing it as just another set of customers entering or leaving the place. Milluki was still looking over the menu he snatched from the front steps, so his attention was just as occupied. It was Alluka who pulled them both back from their own little worlds.

"Oniisama!"

Alluka would never call Killua that. Formalities weren't held between the two kids, and if anything, Killua was 'oniichan' or just plain 'Killua' for the other boy. One thing about Alluka was that he hardly ever used any sort of formality for anybody save for three people. Namely, that was their father, their mother, and last but definitely not the least, their feared eldest brother whose very presence demanded respect.

And so, with that said, Killua's eyes immediately widened in attention as he looked down at his younger brother to see where he was pointing at. And sure enough, the pale finger spoke true, and just by the other door stood two distinct figures that Killua swore were born from his very nightmares. The first thing he looked at was the unreadable stare that was his brother's gaze alone. It was undeniably Illumi, if the death-white skin and contrasting hair weren't clue enough. But the young Zoldick's eyes didn't rest there, and they immediately settled on another familiar pair of eyes, their distance doing little to dim their bright sparkle.

But that wasn't all. Hisoka - if it truly was Hisoka, but then Killua noted that he was supposed to be expecting that anyway - had an arm around Illumi, and his brother wasn't even doing anything to get rid of him at all. His eyes were solely on him alone, and Killua felt a cold spark up his spine at the revelation that it was he whom Illumi was looking at. He could've sworn he saw a small smirk lift up from the corners of his brother's pale lips, which only increased his shock. It was all he could take and his jaw dropped to the floor.

"Killua, what are you doing!? He's right there!!!" Alluka's frantic voice woke him up from his shocked stupor. Killua looked down at the younger boy all but tearing at his sleeve, and was just about to do as the other told him to had it not been for the fact that when he looked up, the two figures were gone.

"What in the blue hell--?"

"We have to go after them!!!" came Alluka again.

And they were just about to do just that, but a slight tug stopped them in their tracks. "Oh no, we can't leave now," said Milluki, giving them both a stern look.

"But...but he--" Alluka stuttered, confusion and rage mixing up in his childish face.

"Look. Do you two honestly think we can go after two people who disappeared at the blink of an eye? We didn't even catch the direction they went to."

"We can split up!!!"

Milluki sighed and addressed the less frantic boy in front of him. "Killua, you remember what happened last time, don't you?" He then turned back to the younger boy beside Killua. "We're mere pups compared to Aniki on a chase. It's enough that we know he is here. What we have to do now is to find out where he's staying."

"But he could leave at any moment!!!" protested Alluka.

"That's a risk we have to take," Milluki calmly stated.

Alluka was seething in his place. Unable to hold out his temper, he stepped on his brother's foot and cried out, "You're just saying that because of the food!!! There's a stranger with Oniisan and you don't even care!!!"

Killua watched the commotion his siblings were making, carefully backing out and hoping that it's not yet too late to pretend that they weren't related. But at the look the girl behind the counter was giving him, he knew that he didn't stand a chance. So instead, dodging the hopping Milluki who held his pained foot in both hands, the white-haired Zoldick turned to Alluka. The young boy was near tears, and Killua noted that with him aside, Illumi was the closest sibling to Alluka, so it was no great surprise that the boy felt uneasy at the sight of his brother.

"Don't worry, Allu. I don't know if this would comfort you, but that man was no stranger. I know him," he said, patting Alluka's shoulder.

The raven-haired boy looked up at him in surprise. "You do?" he asked curiously.

"Er...yeah," Killua said, scratching his cheek uneasily. "Met him back during the Hunter Exam. It's kind of a long story, but thanks to Milluki here, we might have a bit of time with us right now." He then gave Milluki an exasperated look before turning to the nervous waitress by the counter. He gestured for her to come to them, and, albeit shakily, she complied.

"Table for three please," said the young Zoldick. "And if you don't mind, we would like to ask a few questions about those people who just left."

End of Chapter 4

A/N: I'm just beginning to settle the pace, so if you feel that the story is moving a bit slowly, I ask you to please be a bit more patient. I might introduce Hannah Schwartz by next chapter or something. Please please please be patient, okay? ^^ Oh yeah. This chapter got a bit long, so if you see any typographical/grammatical errors, please let me off for now. I'll edit it better next time =P