Illumi stood silently before Gotoh and the magician that once held his heart - the man who caused him so much trouble. He could feel his blood bubbling with the heat of his own rage just below the surface of his skin. The feeling was familiar and ugly. Illumi wanted nothing more than to slaughter Hisoka where he stood. Where did he find the gall to come to him dressed as a Butler? This had to be a joke, but the look on Gotoh's face suggested it wasn't.

Illumi realized he was in front of his family's most trusted Butler who waited patiently for a response. Killing Hisoka would have to wait.

"Very well." Illumi was able to muster out, keeping his cool long enough for the Butler to curtly bow his head.

"Sorry if we disturbed you, I'll go an introduce our new Butler to the rest of the family."

"No!" Illumi blurted out before he really thought anything through, all he knew for sure is he didn't want his family anywhere near Hisoka.

Gotoh stared at Illumi, wide-eyed in surprise at his sudden outburst.

"If, uh, he's going to be my personal butler then he should start right away."

"Sir, I must insist he meet with your mother at the very least."

If Illumi could physically grip his composure, he would. Instead he gripped his hands against themselves and breathed.

"Sir?"

"Send him to my room when you are done."

Gotoh squinted at Illumi for a moment, trying to figure out his intentions. Illumi looked away from the accusatory stare.

"As you wish." The head Butler turned and beckoned the newest servant to follow him. Illumi watched as they walked away until they turned down another hallway. Illumi exhaled whatever tension was poisoning him.

He placed his palm on the nearby wall to steady himself. He felt his chest heave and his head spin. He couldn't believe what just happened. He questioned whether he had truly seen Hisoka in front of him merely a moment ago, or if he was finally going mad and seeing Hisoka's face on his new Butler. He stumbled backwards and made his way back to his room. He needed to lay down, he thought. He needed to forget.

….

"Madam." Gotoh's bow was low as he addressed the lady of the house. Hisoka followed suit.

"Gotoh! Who do we have here?"

"This is Hiro. He's one of our newest servants. Tsubone claims he holds promise. I hope he can be of use to-"

"I don't need another personal servant. I have you, after all."

"Thank you, My lady, but I thought perhaps he would do well to serve Illumi now that he has returned to us."

Kikyo's eye laser focused on Hisoka. He bowed a little lower, and as he raised his head he was startled to see she had moved far closer. Hisoka was taller than her, but he couldn't help but feel intimidated in the same way he felt intimidated the first time he met Illumi. He noted her black hair which she kept in a tidy updo. He made a mental note to himself not to imagine what her hair would look like down.

"Hiro? Is that your name?"

"Yes."

"Why has Gotoh suggested you be my son's personal assistant?"

"He has your family's best interest at heart."

"And why do you think having you as Illumi's Butler serves my family's best interest?"

"...Tsubone mentioned Illumi has a bit of a temper."

"Did she?"

"Yes."

"She would say something like that, the old hag."

"I have experience dealing with tempers."

"What kind of experience?"

"I'm sure you know of Chrollo Lucilfer."

"We've done business with him in the past, but that's a bridge far too burned for it to be of any use for you."

"Sorry to hear that. He was a troubled student after all."

"Student? You? You trained Chrollo Lucilfer?"

"That's correct."

"So you're from Meteor City I take it?"

"Yes! You know of it?"

"I'm from there, just like Chrollo and just like you."

Hisoka couldn't help but smile at Kikyo's beaming face. He could tell it pleased her to find someone from the same background.

"I take it then I can never fully trust you."

Hisoka's voice caught in his throat. Kikyo continued.

"If you're from Meteor City, I can assume you have the capacity to be sneaky?"

"That's a fair judgment."

Hisoka nearly jumped out of his skin when she started laughing. It was boisterous, and Hisoka calmly ignored his itch to fight her. He knew, just like all the other Zoldycks, she had to be strong. She had, after all, mothered every single one of the Zoldyck children – Illumi included. Her laughter subsided, and Hisoka felt like he could breathe again.

"Good. Then I don't have to worry about asking you nonsense questions. I don't care about whatever intentions you had coming in here. Most of the staff here think they can work for a few years and leave. Forget it. You're going to work for us for the rest of your natural life, and here's how it's going to be from now on. You may be our servant, but your fundamental job is to protect my family. Specifically, Illumi. You will live and breathe and die here serving him. I'm sure Tsubone also told you about Illumi's recent alternative living arrangements."

"I think I might have heard about it."

"Good. Illumi is not to leave the grounds for any other reason than family related work. If he is making a fool out of himself on the outside of these walls, I want you to find out about it and report it to me. If I find that you're hiding something you better have a damn good reason for it or you'll be fed to the dog. Do you understand, Hiro?"

"Perfectly."

…..

Hisoka and Gotoh left Kikyo's study and headed to Illumi's room in silence. Hisoka hated silence.

"How long have you been here?"

"I'd like you to keep all personal questions to yourself."

"Oh. Okay, sorry." Hisoka winced at the cold nature. Even the old hag Tsubone had a better temperament when it came to small talk.

"This is the young Master Illumi's room. You will report here every morning at 6 am and serve him whatever he needs until 9 pm, where you are to return to the Butler's quarters. Illumi has a tendency to like to spar with his butler. I must ask you to refrain from doing so. If Illumi tells you to leave his side, you may first report to Madame Kikyo for further instructions. Do not get caught doing anything you are not supposed to be doing."

"Pardon?"

"Kikyo has put an amount of trust in you that I personally do not agree with."

"What, are you jealous?"

Hisoka noted the smallest twinge in Gotoh's expression. Hisoka thought to himself quietly about how nice it would be to slit his throat.

"I'd hoped you'd keep all meaningless jokes aside. They will do you no good here. Anyway, don't fuck it up." Gotoh nodded before leaving.

Gotoh had barely turned around a corner, and Hisoka could feel strong fingers gripping his collar, wrinkling the fabric of his new uniform as he was pulled about face.

"Who do you think you are?" Illumi kept his voice hushed, but the anger in his tone and the sound of the scuffle from grabbing Hisoka and pushing him back against the wall echoed around them.

"Didn't you hear? The name's Hiro."

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

"Careful, Sir. You wouldn't want everyone knowing what a nasty temper you're displaying, would you?"

Hisoka smiled as Illumi moved to his front to face him. He missed Illumi's angry face: pupils narrow and his cheeks flush. Hisoka wondered if Illumi was aware of how cute he looked when he was angry.

Before he knew it, Illumi was pulling him through a door opposite of his bedroom. It was a Library, and it was immense. Illumi dragged Hisoka by his collar through the bookshelves. There were books over and around them. Hisoka had known the Zoldycks were rich, but he never imagined that Illumi actually lived and grew up in such a place until he started to see it for himself.

"Nice place."

"Shut up!"

Illumi threw Hisoka into a nook surrounded by shelves. His back thrust against a wall hard enough to briefly knock the air out of his lungs. Hisoka grinned, enjoying the feeling of being thrown around for once. His grin widened as Illumi stepped to loom over him, hands on his hips and death in his eyes.

"I ought to kill you."

"Like you killed Nadiya?"

Illumi was quick to slap Hisoka across the face. Hisoka just about moaned at the stinging feeling across his cheek.

"You didn't tell me you had a wife!"

"I didn't really see the point."

Illumi gripped Hisoka's collar again with both hands and pulled him up and off the floor, pinning him against the wall high enough to let his feet dangle.

"What WAS I to you?" Illumi's voice was gritty and sounded almost like a growl. Hisoka's blood rushed through his body and the feeling was devilishly enticing.

But it was here, above Illumi, dangling like a ragdoll, that Hisoka could see the hurt in Illumi's eyes.

"Illumi, you-"

"Stop. I don't want to know." Illumi looked away as he let go of Hisoka, letting him fall back to the ground. "You want to be my butler? Fine. I'll treat you like one. Your suit is wrinkled and unacceptable. Fix it before anyone sees you."

Hisoka watched Illumi turn and leave the small enclosed reading area and disappear behind a row of shelves.

"Hey, wait! I still don't know my way around and-"

"Shh!"

Hisoka was startled by Illumi's shush, and startled again when Illumi poked his head out from behind one of the shelves.

"This is a library you uncultured swine. Be quiet. Follow me."

...

...

"We got a letter from the Zoldycks. They seem interested." The man leaned on a desk in the Yorknew City Police Station, reading off a checklist on his phone with a grin. "Prytania? Did you hear what I said?"

"Quiet! Someone will hear you." The officer closed blinds to the windows that separated her office from the rest of the station.

"It's not like they can hear through glass." He moved to sit more comfortably on top of the desk, his tailored suit moving smoothly with him. He glanced at the name plate on the desk that read 'Yorknew City Police Captain Robin Taft' and sighed. "Robin is a hideous name for such a pretty girl like yourself."

The small woman's badge glinted in the light. "That's rude and I resent it. What are you here for, Pariston?"

The impatience in her tone amused the Zodiac, and he smiled his awful smile that she had always hated.

"My dear Prytania, I want to know what the hell you've been doing all this time." Pariston's smile was painful to look at, especially when she knew he was angry.

Prytania winced at the sound of her name. She'd always wanted to change it, and when she got the chance to go undercover she was more than delighted. So now, hearing it in her sacred office, the four walls where normally she could be who she wanted to be, she felt like a stranger in her own skin.

"I've been doing my job."

"Your job? As the police captain? Or as my mole?"

"You know what I mean. I'm only here because you put me here."

"Then where's Hisoka?"

She sighed, "Last I heard he was on Greed Island. There were a number of players who went missing even after the game was cleared. He could be dead, he didn't answer my voicemails after what happened to Nadiya."

"He better not be dead. For your sake."

"Why do you need Hisoka? I thought project Albert was a failure."

"Do you know nothing about business? Our cut from Nadiya's earnings at heaven's arena for the past four years alone have paid for your salary. Not to mention we were able to move to a private laboratory on the east side. Now that she's gone we need to find a replacement and we need to do it fast." Pariston reached in his pocket and pulled out a cigarette box and lighter.

"You cant smoke in here."

Pariston ignored her as he lit his cigarette. "You know, now that we have our own in-vitro lab more people can choose to do business less physically and we get paid more to do it.. Funny how people nowadays are willing to pay so much more just to keep things less messy. Convenience is the future, you know."

"Look, we arrested a rival business owner but there's no telling who put the hit on Nadiya. Last I checked she had been careful to cover her tracks."

"Forget Nadiya. She wasn't the real money-maker. It's Hisoka we want."

"I said if I find anything on Hisoka I'd contact you."

"You also said that about project Gon."

"Project Gon doesn't even belong to us. Besides, you said yourself Gon was advancing nicely after the Hunter exam and we shouldn't be worried about him."

"How stupid are you?"

"Excuse me?"

"If you had really been looking for Hisoka, you would have gotten your little ass behind this desk and done some actual fucking research!"

Prytania looked at Pariston with wide eyes.

"I bet you don't even know who cleared Greed Island, do you?"

"I, no. Was it Hisoka?" Her voice fumbled in her mouth as she watched in horror as Pariston's smile slowly faded.

"It was Gon-Fucking-Freecs! How are you so incompetent that you missed such a huge piece of information?"

"I-"

"I might have been able to deal with Hisoka's absurd habit of letting Gon go every single time he meets him because the man is batshit insane but we honestly thought we could trust you."

"Look I can't be everywhere at once! You put me here at Yorknew and I only have jurisdiction-"

"You're not an actual police officer! We put you here so you could have access to more resources not so that you could work inside the law!"

"I know, but I have to keep appearances and-"

"Don't try to delude yourself. You're not just keeping appearances."

"But dad, I-"

"Don't call me that!"

"..Pariston," Prytania corrected herself. The outburst was startling, so she breathed before speaking again. "I'm trying." She prayed he couldn't hear the shakiness in her voice, but she knew he did.

Pariston sighed, and a cloud of smoke escaped his lips. After a moment, his smile returned and he looked up and directly at his daughter. "I know you are, which is why I've decided to give you another chance."

"Really?"

"Yes. The real reason I've come here, is because I have the most important job for you."

Her eyes grew wide and she couldn't help but smile. She always wondered if her smile looked anything like her father's, or if it looked sweet and genuine.

"The most important? What- what is it?"

Pariston stood up from the desk and stepped towards the small blonde woman. Prytania looked up at her father with wonder and adoration. He reached out to pet her hair.

"Prytania, my sweet baby girl,"

"Yes?"

"We've found a match for you."

"You've- what?"

"Illumi Zoldyck. He's going to be your husband, and you're going to raise his child."

…

…...

Hisoka patted down the jacket of his suit, trying to fit the tie back in place and smooth over the wrinkles. No good, the fabric of his shirt had stretched a bit. Hisoka gave up trying to look any bit better. Illumi peered down a hallway, checking to see if it was clear before yanking Hisoka through the corridor.

"Don't be so rough with me, Illu~ I'll take it the wrong way."

"Ugh." Illumi rolled his eyes and pulled them into a door frame to hide from a butler passing by the hallway adjacent to the one they were trying to pass through.

"So where is your room?"

Illumi gripped Hisoka's arm and pulled him once more down the hallway and into a room. Hisoka knew almost instantly that it was Illumi's. There were no windows, or if there were they were blacked out with heavy curtains. It was no less than extravagant and in the style of most of the rest of the house, but it was uniquely Illumi's.

"I want you to leave."

Hisoka turned to look at Illumi who had just finished locking the door behind him.

"I just got here! How rude."

"Stop playing games with me. I want you gone."

"If you want me gone so badly why did you lock the door?"

Illumi huffed and his face got even redder. "Because I don't want anyone seeing you!"

Hisoka couldn't help but laugh softly at Illumi, which only fueled his rage.

"I'm serious. I don't want you here." Illumi had calmed his tone, but his anger was clear. Hisoka sighed.

"Can we at least talk?"

"There's nothing to talk about."

"Yes there is, Illumi. I need to explain."

"I don't want to hear it. I'm done."

"I'm not."

"Have you made it your goal in life to vex me?"

"She didn't mean anything to me."

"She certainly meant enough for you to hide her from me."

"Look, she wasn't actually my wife, okay?"

"Oh and I guess you want me to also believe the kid wasn't actually yours either?"

"Well, he was mine, and I was technically legally married to her, but I didn't care about either of them."

"No surprise there. I doubt you cared about me either."

"What? Illumi of course I care about you. I lo-"

"Don't."

"Illumi, I know you want to talk to me."

"You're wrong."

"Then why did you lock me in here with you?" Hisoka carefully stepped forward. Illumi stepped back.

"I've spent enough time paying for my transgressions. I'm not going back because of you."

"Going back where? Paying for what?" Hisoka inched forward. Illumi matched the distance backwards.

"Here, in my family, when you break the rules and betray the family, you get tortured. I'm not doing that again because you decided to play dress-up."

"It'll be fine, Kalluto is the only one who's actually seen my face and he's not here. We have time." Illumi felt his back press against the wall behind him as Hisoka closed the distance between them. Illumi gripped onto needles in between his fingers as he stared into the black contacts that covered the sharp golden eyes Illumi remembered.

"Milluki might have also seen... wait. How do you know Kalluto isn't here?"

"He's meeting with the phantom troupe and they have something that will keep them all occupied for a while."

"So you found Chrollo."

"I never lost him."

"And you let me worry about him anyway."

"You're cute when you worry."

"Why aren't you with him now? It shouldn't be too long before he get's his Nen back."

"Because I want to be with you."

Illumi's heart pounded in his chest.

"Hisoka..." Illumi whispered the name like a bad word spoken in a church. "I.." Illumi felt so suddenly small with his back against a wall and his grip on his needles shaking with uncertainty. Even if they were only an inch or two at the most separated in height, Illumi felt like Hisoka was staring down at him from miles away. He wanted to grip on to him and wrap his legs around him just like before, and just the thought alone made his knees weak. But Illumi had responsibilities, and if anyone in his family saw how weak he was being in that moment, he was sure they'd flip. Only Hisoka had ever been able to so easily draw out this kind of reaction from him, so he had to die.

Hisoka jumped back, as if he had read Illumi's thoughts or predicted his movement. Illumi's needles flew through the air quickly and despite Hisoka's reflexes, several lodged themselves into the flesh of his chest, stinging with sharp force.

"If you mess this up, if my family catches you; They'll do terrible things to you." Illumi spoke calmly, Hisoka flicked his wrist to draw a card.

"Illumi, I knew the risks coming here. I wanted to make things right with you."

"What makes you think I'd ever want to make things right with you? You lied to me!" Illumi readied himself to throw another set, but he stopped short. Hisoka held up his hands, with open palms. Illumi knew that gesture meant he wasn't going to fight, but Illumi kept an eye on him, reading him. He still had a card in between his fingers, and Illumi wasn't about to take any chances.

"The card. Drop it."

Hisoka let the card flutter through the air and to the ground. Illumi knew if there was bungee gum on it, the card would have fallen differently. Illumi relaxed his stance slightly.

"I killed your family and suffered for it, and now you want to tell me they meant nothing to you?"

"They weren't family. It was a business deal."

"I still suffered! I paid time and blood for my sins, Hisoka!"

"Sins? You're an assassin."

"You wouldn't understand."

"Help my understand!"

"You're not supposed to betray your friends!"

Hisoka looked at Illumi with wide eyes.

"You- You're not supposed to betray your friends. A-and you're not supposed to run away from family. And you can't kill people that aren't on the hit list... I, I did all those things and more. I endangered my family, I killed someone who didn't need to die, and I almost blew my family's cover completely! I basically abandoned my family for you and you're not an assassin and you're not even a woman... All of these things warranted my punishment and I paid for it dearly. I'm still paying for it! Hell, my grandfather hasn't looked at my face since I got back."

"Illumi, I'm sorry."

"No, you don't get to do that. I've been here and I've been fine until you showed up. I can deal with my consequences. I'm a grown ass man..." Illumi breathed and flared his nostrils. "...but you. You make things complicated."

"Complicated? Illumi it's so simple. We could be together. We could be happy."

"Happy? You want us to be happy?"

"Why not?"

"Hisoka, you'll never understand what it's like to be an assassin. You're not from the same world as I am. You'll just never get it."

Hisoka tried to step forward, but Illumi raised a needle at him. Hisoka but didn't dare approach him. Hisoka raised his palms an inch higher, showing again that he meant no harm.

"Illumi, I know we're different, but we were just fine until I left."

"Just fine!? You think we were just fine?"

"Weren't we?"

"Hisoka, you'd talk to Chrollo every day like you wanted to eat him."

"I talk to everyone like that."

"Well, I-"

"Were you jealous?"

"What? No, I- It's just you really wanted to fight him and he was down to fight you too as soon as he got his Nen back."

"So you were jealous."

"So? I Lov-" Illumi stopped and cleared his throat. "I really liked you, and yeah I guess I got a little possessive."

Hisoka bit his lip and Illumi tried his best to ignore the feeling that created in his abdomen. "I knew you'd get jealous. And, It's okay if you were a little possessive. I mean, I've seen how possessive you get over your own family so I kind of expected it."

"But you're not family!"

"I could be if you really wanted it."

Illumi's training as an assassin had helped him hide the small gasp trying to escape him. He knew Hisoka probably said what he said on purpose to get a reaction from him. Everything Hisoka ever did got a raise out of him, and Illumi hated it. He hated how much this single human could cause so much feeling.

"You? In my family? I don't think mother would ever agree to that."

Illumi began to think about all the terrible things his mother would probably do to him if he even suggested bringing this walking trash can into the family. He couldn't imagine it, but he tried anyway.

"You don't have to think so hard, Illumi." Hisoka chuckled.

"You don't get it, my parents expect me to be getting married soon and having children and my mother has already-"

"Whoa, they think you're straight?"

"Well, I don't think I've ever given them a reason to believe I wasn't before you came along, but that's not the point! Listen, my mother has already arranged for me to meet with someone..."

Hisoka looked puzzled.

Illumi explained further, "...Someone they expect me to marry."

"A Girl someone?"

"Well, yeah. They want babies."

"Uh, what?"
"They are matching me with someone who-"

"Oh don't tell me you're doing that shit."

"What do you mean by 'that shit'? You did it!"

"Yeah, but that was when I was stupid!"

"You were still married to her up until I killed her! Till death do you part much?"

"I was locked in a contract with her and she was funneling money from her bets in Heaven's arena to those goons."

"Those goons? You're not making any sense!"

"The baby goons! They want strong, loyal children to fuel their little army or something."

"Army?"

"Yeah, so they match strong people like you and me to people who are going to enable that kind of loyalty and then they harness the kid's potential."

"Potential, huh?"

"I thought it was a great idea when I signed up. Could you imagine, all these children growing up to have Nen as strong as yours and mine? And then I found out I wouldn't get to fight them all. The only one I was allowed to fight or would ever get the chance to fight would be my own kid, and he turned out to be a dud."

"You should probably stop calling your own kid a dud."

"So anyway, kids like Gon and- I mean-"

"Wait what? Did you say Gon?"

"Nope."

"Don't fucking lie to me what did you say about Gon?"

"Nothing important."

"I swear Hisoka I'll kill you where you stand"

"Are you flirting with me?"

Illumi closed the distance between Hisoka and himself, needle held up to Hisoka's neck. "Killua is with that boy now. You better not tell me that Gon is some kind of-"

"Gon won't do anything to hurt Killua, and you know that."

Illumi said nothing and held his grip on his needles tight. A knock at the door startled Illumi, but he didn't dare take his eyes off Hisoka. Instead he simply commanded, "Enter." The door creaked open and a small figure poked its head through the door.

"Master Illumi?" Amane's voice was so soft, Hisoka almost didn't recognize it as someone talking. Illumi grunted in response to the small servant at his door.

"Ahem." Amane cleared her throat and spoke louder, now that she knew Illumi was unconcerned with her presence. "Your father has requested that I fetch you."

"For what?"

"There's a young lady here to see you." Illumi broke his concentration to look at Amane, but kept his needle's point fixed at Hisoka's Adam's apple.

"So she's here? That was quick. Mother said she sent word out this morning." Illumi said, surprised.

"They work very fast I'm guessing." Amane shrugged.

Illumi looked back at Hisoka.

"I guess I'll have to kill you later."

"I look forward to it." Hisoka chimed.

Illumi put away his needles and brushed his hair back. He noticed Hisoka readying himself to follow him.

"Uh, where are you going?"

"I'm your personal assistant. I go where you go now."

"That's dreadfully annoying. And if I don't want you around?"

"You'll have to take that up with your mother." Illumi scoffed and rolled his eyes dramatically. Hisoka laughed at the petty display, which only further flustered Illumi. It was at this point Amane interrupted the two of them.

"Um, Master Illumi, we need to be going now. Silva and your mother are waiting in the sitting room."

"My mother has a name too, Amane." Illumi raised a brow at the young butler.

"Yes, that she does." Amane turned about face and walked down the hallway. Illumi followed her with Hisoka by his side.

Illumi nearly yelped as Hisoka gave his rear a playful slap, making his face flush red. He'd pay for it all later, Illumi swore it.

... Chapter 11, fin

**** Sorry this took so long! I've just been sitting on this chapter avoiding the editing stage for weeks lololol. Thank you for all your reviews! I really appreciate it so much. Light my way through editing hell with your lovely reviews~ Just kidding I'll be better this time so stay tuned there's another chapter coming in soon.