PHASE 3: Illumi's Mission
The day before Amaranth's flight to York Shin City, in another part of the world...
"So this is the Republic of Padokia?" a man uttered in a sarcastic tone.
A rich environment made alive by countless vendors of various food, beverages, equipment and souvenirs on each and every corner welcomed the tourists of the Republic of Padokia. Indistinct chatter can be heard from numerous people exploring the place. Even children of different ages can be seen, freely running and playing around the busy streets. More than that, the balminess of the sunshine endowed its inhabitants the warmth they needed. With such features, it appeared to be a normal place.
Two bounty hunters stood near the vendors' stands, looking around and observing the area. One of them was about six feet tall and his head was perfectly shaved. His muscles were well built; somehow it was a sign of how determined he is in acquiring physical strength. The hands he possesses will give any person the impression that he could smash anything he holds if he wished to.
Contrary to that, his companion stood less than six feet, he had a slim body and pale skin coated him all over. Blonde wavy hair lay down until his shoulders and his eyes were sure to catch women's attention for he was a beautiful man. His fingers were slender and looked delicate. Possessing such characteristics, he looked more like an aristocrat rather than a blacklist hunter.
After a short period of observing, they headed to an inn nearby to settle down.
"Hahaha. This place seems to be a little pretty for infamous assassins to live in," added the tall man while laughing. "It's really well-populated. I wasn't really expecting something like this. I expected to come across a deserted island or something worse." He reached for a glass of beer on their table while speaking. "Look, they even have this inn here. Providing us the services and the high spirits we need, such as alcohol," he said while raising his glass.
The beautiful man shared his sentiments, "Hahaha. I'm starting to think that those assassins are only myths. Maybe they're just plain stupid people trying to get attention by making up stories of their so-called notoriousness."
"Yeah, right." his partner nodded in agreement. "Besides, who would be idiotic enough to make their lair a tourist attraction?! How pathetic!"
He gave his colleague a light tap on the shoulder, "Don't you like that? That way, we'll be having no difficulties finding them!" He took a sip from his mug after bragging. "They have totally huge bounties on their heads. Imagine if they were just puny people, we'll get the chance to catch all of them; dead or alive, we will get the money we want by means of relying on our strength and experience as certified hunters," he raised the intonation of his last word to put on emphasis.
"Well… That is if they do exist," the bare-headed man burst into laughter as he mentioned, so did the other.
Both of them spoke boisterously while seated, making the other people relaxing at the inn look at them all along whilst listening to their conversation. Some customers focused their eyes on them, muttering faint words to each other in repulsion to what they heard. Despite the uncanny atmosphere, the two continued their talk as if no one was around them.
"To be specific, the locals say they inhabit within the depths of Kukuroo Mountain, right? It wouldn't take us so long before we arrive there. So…" He paused for a while to gather up his words, "When do we start the infiltration?"
"After we take the last trip to the mountain, we will wait there and begin when twilight strikes," he said as planned. "But for now, let's just enjoy more of these beverages." He called one of the waitresses to order another mug of alcohol.
"This is the last trip to Kukuroo Mountain. Please hurry up, we're leaving," a female voice dispersed in the air. She was encouraging the remaining tourists to board the bus immediately and last to take the ride were the two self-proclaimed hunters. They sat at the back of the bus for it was the only vacant seats left. While on the way, the mountain can be already seen from afar. Dark, grey clouds hovered on top of it. A little later, they arrived at their destination. A huge, mighty gate welcomed all of them, it was engraved with detailed patterns and the gate didn't lose its extravagance despite being worn out by time and weather.
The female tourist guide explained everything she could; pointing out that no one had succeeded in returning alive from the killers' fortress. Afterwards, she started calling out everyone to board the bus once again. One by one, the passengers went inside, except for two.
"We'll be staying," the blonde man said confidently. "You can leave now if you please."
"Oh, if you say so…" the lady was surprised but she soon agreed. "We're leaving you at your own risk."
The bus' engine roared, disappearing in the horizon as it journeyed to the long and winding way back. The light in the sky began to vanish as darkness replaced everything above. One by one the stars started appearing in the night sky like little street lights being turned on. The evening wind blew tougher and gave a cold environment.
"It's about time," one of them said. Once again, they faced the sturdy gate of the Zoldyck's residence, formulating ideas on how to enter the infamous assassins' lair. The muscular man approached the gate and tried pushing it with all his might but as he wasn't expecting, he failed at it.
"I don't think we can open that with mere strength. There must be some other way," said his companion. They examined the area further, a gatehouse was located nearby and a plump man with age came out, approaching them.
"Is there any problem sir?" the man, who seems to be the guard, asked calmly after he released a sigh.
"You must be the concierge of the filthy Zoldyck family. Tell us how to get in and we'll spare your life," the tall intruder grabbed him by his collar and raised him a few inches above ground. "Speak now!"
He replied wearily, "I-I'm sorry but my master will get angry if I do so." Contrary to what he was saying, he thought of something else at the back of his head. Looks like Mike will have another meal tonight.
Suddenly, a silhouette of a tall, slender man appeared in the midst of the foggy shadows. "No need to bother giving them to Mike," said the unfamiliar voice.
"Who's there?!" the two interlopers wondered in curiosity while letting go of the old man.
The unidentified fellow walked forward unhurriedly. His physical features started to get clear every time he took a step closer. "I don't have to answer the likes of you," he said before he advanced another pace.
An idea entered the aristocratic man's thoughts. "Ah wait, I know who you are," hearing this made the mysterious guy raise an eyebrow in surprise. "You're a Zoldyck wannabe! Making that horrific entrance just to scare the shit out of us and pretending to be cool, eh?" After mentioning the insult, both he and his companion cackled in hilariousness while the lone guy just stood there, staring and not showing any sign of annoyance over the offensive words he received. His cryptic eyes kept pointed at the two guys.
"Are you gay?! Stop looking at us like that!" demanded the bulky man. "What the hell do you want from us?!"
"Your life," he simply replied without twitching.
"What?! Are you serious?" he continued while laughing. "That's impossi–"
His words hung up, not obtaining the chance to fulfill his insults. He saw several pins slice through thin air and unfortunately, they were all aimed right in his face. Before he could dodge, he felt those things hurled at him penetrate his thick flesh. He was caught up in shock; his mouth dangled open for everything happened too fast, his horrified face was retained right after he got the massive barrage of powerful needles without even getting the chance to screech in pain. What an ugly way to die. Then, he lifelessly fell on the dirty ground.
The other man stared at his fallen comrade in disbelief. All of his strength and confidence were suddenly drained in a blink of an eye for he realized the difference in the level of their abilities. Cold sweat streamed from his forehead down to his chin despite the chill bestowed by the night.
The mysterious man raised his right hand in front of his face, another set of needles were in between his fingers. "You're next," he said while referring to the last intruder remaining.
"Shit," the blonde man cursed. In fact, it was the only word he could think of that came out from his lips. He froze in his position like a statue on display as his enemy approached him.
What the hell is happening here?! I can't move! This guy is… too formidable. I wasn't expecting this! Maybe he's really one of–
His thoughts were interrupted as he saw numerous pins fly in his direction, he tried to evade them which he half-successfully did, and only a couple of needles entered and pierced the skin above his collarbone. Yet, it was too agonizingly painful, more than enough to distract his concentration. His enemy went missing from his vision as he tried to remove the needles one by one.
A sudden gust of wind passed near him, he then detected a presence in his rear but before he could even react, a heavy karate chop landed at the back of his skull. The force from the attack he received was far too powerful enough to send one of his eyes bursting out of its socket. His beautiful eye tumbled on dry earth; it bounced a couple of times and rolled as it gathered up dust before it stopped.
"Too easy," said the mysterious man as the corpse of his victim landed on his feet.
"Master Illumi, sorry for the trouble," Zebro, the gatekeeper, said as he bowed down before the Zoldyck's eldest child. He received no answer coming from him; only a cold stare was given in response.
The first born of the Zoldyck approached the gate of his own residence. Laying his fingers on it, he gave it a push. Little by little, each of the gate's panels produced a creaking sound as it slowly opened and revealed the luscious green forest inside. Without even using half of his strength, the enormous, rigid door opened up to three levels. He advanced into the opening he made. The gate's panels closed right away with a deafening sound after he passed through.
His eyes wandered in the scenery of his own home and it seemed that he was somehow disappointed in coming back. Nevertheless, he continued his way. He traveled in such speed that cannot be compensated by mere human agility. Despite the hundreds of trees which stood by his path, he moved with ease as if no obstacles were blocking his tracks.
A woman standing more than five feet tall was strolling towards the main residence of the killer family's lair. She wore an extravagant yellow bustle adorned with white ruffles on certain areas. Her headdress matched the color of her feudalistic dress which was decorated with purple feathers and fur. An electronic visor which corresponds to her emotions covered her eyes. Just when she was about to go inside, she sensed a presence fast approaching and much to her surprise; it was her son. "Illumi! You're back!" the matriarch of the Zoldyck exclaimed.
"Yo," a monotonous greeting welcomed her.
"What a surprise, Illumi. You came home early," she said. "I thought you wouldn't come home until the end of the week. Come here, let's talk inside and take a seat." She tried to be considerate to her son as she invited him inside their dwelling.
"My mission was too simple," he answered thriftily.
"Is that so? You don't seem satisfied with that tone of speech," her expression changed. Out of the blue, she thought of something. "Lacroix, Jacques. Remember his name and face," she said while revealing a picture of a person matching the name she uttered. "Since you're vacant… If you would like, you can hunt him down. It's one of the new assassination contracts we received yesterday."
"Fine," he said whilst turning his back to leave the entrance of his home without even acknowledging the invitation of his very own mother to sit down with her.
"By the way, our client said that your current target is in York Shin City and he'll be staying there for several days," added his mom. "You should have no difficulties in finding your prey."
Right after hearing those words, he left without saying anything to his mother.
York Shin City? What kind of morbid pleasure awaits me there?
Filling up his thoughts with blood-splattered notions, he started to get excited about the killing he has to make. And once again, he journeyed away from his home, traveling in the decadence of the night.
Author's Note:
I want to thank Razorblade Mistress for giving the very first review of this fanfic! Also, to Misstique13 and Curl. I wish to express gratitude to all the people who appreciate this story. Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy the next chapters as well. Stay tuned for the updates!