DISCLAIMER : Following the word itself "fanfiction", I do not own anything in this fiction and credits belong to the rightful creators of the manga: TOGASHI YOSHIHIRO, the publisher, the broadcasting companies of the anime both 1999 original version and 2011 remake - Nippon Animation and Madhouse, respectively and etc.
Sorry for the delayed updates. I've been through a lot of things.
CHAPTER 9
-EXCITEMENT-
"You seem excited... What's up?"
"(chuckle) I can't wait for tomorrow..."
Hisoka was sitting by the glass wall overlooking the city, wearing a bathrobe while enjoying a goblet of wine. "It's been a little while since the last time I had somethig fun to do... There aren't strong opponents in here at the moment, and Chrollo is still on the loose and difficult to find."
Illumi visited Hisoka at his flat in the Heaven's Arena. "Mm-hm... there're only a few hours till tomorrow..."
"I can finally get to meet that woman you have been raving about... it's gonna be exciting... (giggle)"
"I am not too sure if she would statisfy your standards though. I mean, she's not too strong. But she has interesting abilities." Illumi sat on the couch and grabbed another goblet, filling it with wine.
"Haha, you bet. She wouldn't drive you crazy if she's not interesting enough... after all you wouldn't get to hire her if there's nothing special about her..."
"Why is it that whenever you say something, it always felt like there's something subliminally erotic within...? How many times shall I repeat myself, I wasn't the one who hired her... If only I was there, she couldn't have barged into our territory and started this little psy-war with me... I was utterly insulted by the fact someone like her at that level was trying to challenge me."
"Personal Assitant aye...?" The Kiriko Gotoh rubbed his chin while reading Palm's CV. Across him, she was sitting upstraight on a couch with her legs crossed, her hands on her lap.
"Yes sir." Palm bowed in response. "I saw the ad posted on the gatekeeper's booth when the tour bus stopped for a while to allow us to take pictures of the estate. I was interested, so I decided to give it a shot and hurriedly grabbed the opportunity to send an application."
"Hmm..." He placed the CV on the desk. "You do qualify for a lot of positions available here in the estate however, there are some things that make you a little too threatening for the specific vacancy you are applying for. It is written in here that you're a Half-Human, Half Chimera Ant and you're also a Hunter. Why did you choose to work here when you already have a job yourself. And doesn't being a half-blood Chimera Ant make you a little too dangerous to handle children or even live with people?"
"Oh no~! I'm not the kind of Chimera Ant who eats humans... I'm mostly a human than an Ant... As of now, the Hunter Association didn't have any missions for us to complete. I've heard that the pay is pretty rewarding in here, and I figured out I have the right strength and ability to live in this kind of environment so..."
"Okay, hold on. I'll just call the Master. He's the one who posted the ad so he's the only one eligible to decide who to hire. We just entertain applicants here to refer to the Master."
Kiriko Gotoh then stood up and headed to the a desk by the wall where the telephone line is attached. He picked it up then began dialling.
"Hello. This is Gotoh. Can you transfer my call to Master Illumi?"
"..."
"Huh? We have an applicant here who responded to his ad."
"..."
"Okay... Got it."
He then went back to Palm. "The Master isn't here. He's out on a mission and it will take him most likely until next week to arrive. If you want, you can just come back next week so you can get interviewed by him."
"Oh... Okay sir...!" Palm stood up then bowed as a sign of courtesy. "Thanks for your time."
"No problem."
RIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNG
The telephone line on the wall rang as Palm started to head for the door out of the Butler's Headquarters.
Gotoh picked the phone up.
The moment Palm was about to twist the knob of the door open to leave the Headquarters, Gotoh called her back.
"Wait up!"
"You are the applicant?"
"Yes, Master..." Palm gave a bow before attempting to sit down on the couch.
"Wait wait wait... can you remain standing for a while?"
Zeno eyed her carefully from head to foot for a few moments. "Okay you may sit now."
Palm did as she was told and sat on the couch across Zeno who was reviewing her CV while rubbing his chin.
"Illumi is not here so I decided to volunteer on entertaining the applicants in behalf of him. You know, getting old isn't fun and there's nothing much to do up there in the mansion..."
"Oh... I see..." Palm sheepishly responded.
"Your name is Palm Siberia... 25... hmmm..." He appeared to be skimming the CV until he paused at a certain part. "You're a half-blood Chimera Ant?"
"Umm Y-yes... Master..." She stuttered, being aware that she's less likely gonna get hired after them knowing her identity as a half ant.
"Hmmm..." He resumed reading until he reached the last part. He eyed her once again from head to foot, rubbing his chin.
"Okay, you're hired."
"WHAT?!" The butlers around, even Gotoh thought to themselves, dumbfounded and shocked of the Master's ridiculous decision.
"Eh?" Even Palm herself was confused.
"But, but Master..." Gotoh protested. "I believe we still needed to..."
"Needed to what?" Zeno put the papers back on the desk. "According to the ad Illumi has posted, the qualifications were only 'ANYONE who can do babysitting'. It was minimal. Nothing more specific. She possesses that particular qualification, so why not?"
"But..."
"Call Tsubone and tell her to guide this newly hired employee so she can start training and working right now." He commanded Gotoh. "And you,..." He then turned to Palm. "Welcome to the Zoldyck Household. You can start working now."
"Th-thank you Master...!" Even though everything seemed surreal for her, Palm managed to still thank Zeno as a sign of courtesy to her new Master.
Zeno then turned his back and headed for the door.
While a butler was dialling to Tsubone to relay the order and Palm waiting on the couch, Gotoh tried to run up to Zeno. "But Master, I believe she is a little too dangerous and suspicious... and you know, I think Master Illumi would agree and think the same way.."
"Are you scared of that brat Illumi?" Zeno asked tauntingly.
"Umm... actually..."
"Don't worry about that kid... If he throws a fit about it, you can always tell him I WAS THE ONE who hired her."
"Your Grandad seemed to have everything in his sleeves to piss you off..."
"Believe me, he does. Him and Dad are still putting me under the pressure while this bitch is meddling around. The worst part there is, Alluka liked her a lot. Although on the brighter side, I seemed to have escaped out of Nanika's favorite zone as that woman have been my replacement, she was actually a larger threat which makes this situation even worse. Hypothetically, Gramps realized that she can add up to my problems so he decided to put her in..."
"Gramps..." Illumi uttered upon coming across his Grandfather who was on his way to the dining hall.
"Mm?" He looked back at Illumi. "What's up? You finally arrived..."
The night Illumi arrived from a week long mission, 5 days after Palm got hired.
"Gramps, were you the one who hired Alluka's new Personal Assistant?"
"Yeah, why?" Zeno asked confidently. "Looking flustered aye?" He referred to Illumi's indifferent, unchanging expressions that only his family members and people close to him can tell.
"Gramps... that woman is a Chimera Ant..."
"And?"
"She could be dangerous."
"Hahahahaha! That was an unexpected remark from someone like you!" He chuckled, teasing the unobviously irritated Illumi. "Are you possibly scared of that woman?"
"Of course not." .
"You can perceive things faster than the most. If she started to appear as a threat then you can always get rid of her as how you wish. Giving it a try won't hurt."
"When he said 'get rid of her' at that moment, he knew that it's not actually that bitch I'm gonna be dealing with but Kil himself instead. It's most likely because Gramps foresaw that Killua would be teaming up with that woman as they are friends... He thought it's gonna be another spice up to this goddamn game..."
"And it took some time before you realize it..." Hisoka remarked, taking another sip.
"I can never beat Dad and Gramps and that's something I can never deny. Speaking of Killua..." Illumi crossed his legs as he gently shook the wine goblet. "He just arrived from his personal mission."
"Did you get to talk to him?"
"Nah. It's pointless. I'm pretty sure by now, he's discussing a lot of matters with his friend."
"I think the situation has gotten much better that Killua, one of the main actors of this little show has finally showed up..."
"Oh you could tell..." Illumi let out a slight grin. "It's going to be a lot easier to read between the lines now that the most important role has finally showed up. His and that woman's reaction tomorrow will settle everything. Once we figure it out, it's time to move on to the next step..."
"Mm-hm... that's why I'm excited... (Chuckle)"
"I still admire Killua's drastic changes however... I would admit he's putting me into a very tough situation. I can't believe he can now actually go head-on with me in a mind game... Back then he was just a little coward who can't even look at me straight into the eyes..."
"Do you think your Gramps, your Dad and Killua have been teaming up and that woman was one of their accessories after the fact?"
"That's one thing we needed to confirm tomorrow. I have a hunch though that they don't have that connection... I know Killua just can't team up with Dad and Gramps. He longed to beat me with his own hands... Killua's been playing with me separately..."
"And that woman and Alluka is his trump card..."
"Exactly... and I would make sure to make his advantage his own downfall. It's astounding how he took account of everything. He actually sent a friend to guard Alluka from me in behalf of him right the moment he left for his mission. Plus, that woman has a special connection with Alluka and Nanika too..."
2 weeks ago...
TWITCH TWITCH TWITCH...
"A little... more..." Alluka gritted her teeth as she exerted more effort to twitch and crack the joints of her right hand, trying to execute their signature assassination technique. She was almost there as veins started to emerge from the thin skin of her hand and her nails grew sharper. "Aaah! I can't..." She gasped for some air, pouted and sulked. She then finally relaxed her hand, putting it back to its normal state.
"It's okay." Illumi spoke. He was there to supervise her self defense training the Zoldyck way, while Palm was on stand-by mode for extra assistance just in case Alluka needed something. Alluka was not obliged to do assassination so she's not officially an assassin of the family. "It's still Tuesday anyways. I am giving you until this Saturday to master that one for your right hand. Then next week the left."
"EEEEHHH?"
"You wanted to be strong like Oniichan right?" He asked sarcastically.
"But... okay..." Alluka, oblivious of Illumi's indifferent and sarcastic nature yielded anyway.
"Good." He placed his hand on her head. "You can take your break now."
"Yaaay!" She hurriedly ran towards Palm. "Palm! Did you see that? I almost made it!"
"Yeah! Well done, Young Master!" Palm clapped her hands to appreciate the little one's endeavor.
"Palm... pat my head..."
The moment Alluka said this, Illumi automatically thought this one is not Alluka but Nanika. It's actually a relief that Palm was now Illumi's replacement on Nanika's favorite zone. But he still didn't like having her around.
"Mm-hm! Sure! You DESERVE IT!" Palm did so anyways. "You're so cute!"
"(giggle)"
"Alright, before anything else, you need to drink some water to refresh... okay?" Palm gave Alluka a bottle of water and she drank it as she was told.
"Aii!"
Illumi, confused and bewildered at the same time, looked back at Alluka. Only Nanika says that. Did he just misunderstood things? Did Nanika just follow what she ordered?
"Very good!" Palm pat her head once again. "Just sit and stay right there okay? I'm just gonna go there and get your snacks for you."
"Aii!" Alluka then sat on the bench swinging her legs back and forth.
"You're so cute!" Palm gently pinched Alluka's cheeks before she proceeded.
That was obviously an order. Illumi thought, is it possible that Palm finally have gained Nanika's emotional attachment and now she can freely issue her commands? Or it was Killua's command to follow whatever Palm says?
"There ya go...!" Palm handed the picnic basket to Alluka. "I made all of them just for you!"
"YAAAAY!" Alluka then began to grab a sandwich and started to eat.
"Alluka..." Illumi approached. "Can you give me a sandwich?"
It was a little test. He wanted to confirm if what he heard was for real...
Alluka just gave him back an innocent grin. "I love Aniki...! I love Palm..."
Ticked of Alluka's, rather, Nanika's behaviour towards him, he paused and tried to hold his temper down, letting out a deep breath.
"Young Master, Master Illumi is asking for a sandwich... please give him a sandwich..." Palm tried to scold Alluka. "I'm so sorry Master, sometimes she acts like this to other people..." She bowed as a sign of apology. "I'll make sure this won't happen again..."
"Aii!" Alluka handed over one sandwich to Illumi. "Palm!" She then turned to Palm. "Pat my head!"
"Oh that one... that's what makes it much more dangerous, considering the fact she can always wish to him anything that can bring you to your downfall..."
"I am still lost about her knowing that she can actually order Nanika around and she's just feigning ignorance, OR, she really was oblivious about it and it was Killua's order to follow everything that she says without her knowing..."
"That's exactly what I mean about trump card... regardless that, they are still Killua's trump cards. I am not too sure what is he trying to achieve with this little game he started with you, but of course, it would be such a shame if he beats you this time..."
"He wants me to give up on Alluka's parasitic twin and on him."
"Don't you think there can also be a deal between them? You know, Killua won't probably be just asking her friend a favor without promising her something in return. It was a risky task he assigned her after all..."
"We think alike... that's what also bothers me at the moment. I'm wondering what bargain did Kil offer her specially when she was that entity who has been watching me..."
"Oh that one who was getting on your way during your mission at the Azian Continent the preceding weeks...?"
"Yup. I just confirmed our hypothesis last week... She seemed to be able to locate people without being in the same location even without using En. I just don't exactly know how."
"She could be a specialist?"
"I can't tell. I think not. I haven't seen the exact maneuver to perform the said task. I never felt her exert an aura for it also... It's just the same presence or vibe that I feel when she's around and when that entity is watching me."
"Hmm, interesting... how did you get your facts straight though?"
"I was unsure until one time I asked her about how's Alluka doing during his private classes to test my theory about her and the unseen entity being one person only. Although she did not leave the place, she was able to tell accurately what was he doing, and apparently when I checked, she was right. I issued the same type of command at a non consecutive manner to different people and that's when I confirmed it even without seeing how she does it."
"Oh... Coincidence? I think not. But isn't it a bit strange that she freely used her ability around you when she was planning something ulterior? Did you ask her straightforwardly yet about that mysterious ability of hers?"
"I didn't. It's pretty pointless to hide it, I believe. They know I'd sooner or later figure it out specially that the downside of her Clairvoyance ability was that, it was recognizable by the object that he or she is being watched by an unseen entity. I was completely too much into my mission back then at Kakin that I did not anticipate Kil would actually send someone to spy on me, forgetting to consider the fact that Kil's ant friends stay somewhere in Kakin. And that was right when he left for the mission."
"And she applied for the vacancy the day right after the night she almost jinxed your mission. Well played..."
"Right? I was caught off-guard and it was an unexpected move. That explains why Kil always sounded so sure about everything. It was carefully thought and planned all along..."
"You should be careful though... are you just going to let your little bro beat you at your own forte?"
"I would NEVER let that happen." Illumi put the goblet down the glass table in front of him and crossed his arms. "Tomorrow's gonna be the moment of truth. I kept myself quiet in the shadows for some time, letting them do all of the attacks. After gathering enough infos, receiving their attacks defenselessly, it's finally my turn and I will show them who owns this game."
"Hmmm... let's see about that. You still have another bomb that has a timer on it though. Don't you think you have to detonate it before everything else?"
"I'm also working on a plan for it... but as of now, the only matter I can discuss with you is this one. We'll figure everything out tomorrow. And tomorrow's results will determine our counter attacks."
"I hate how I can't get to sleep out of excitement. I needed to get at least enough of it to perform my role efficiently for tomorrow. (chuckle)"
Illumi gave Hisoka that vague flat expression that can be translated into a sarcastic, gloating smile as he took another sip from the goblet.
"HOLY SHIT!"
I jolted myself up in haste. I realized I haven't even changed nor have even taken a shower. I was still even wearing my shoes with my bag slumped randomly down the floor!
I actually fell asleep pondering about this dilemma I, my friend and my brothers are caught up into!
I looked around and gazed at the closed curtains to notice light rays forcing its way to break in from the gaps which only means the sun was already up.
I jumped down the bed, and ran to my walk-in closet to get a robe and a towel. I needed to calm myself down and relax. I wouldn't be able to solve this problem logically if I continue being tensed about it. I maybe needed to get some warm, relaxing bubble bath and some massage...
As I start to undress and throw my soiled clothes off the wall, I felt like there's something I'm missing out... I felt like, I forgot something...
I decided to check the time to figure out how long have I been sleeping while I was putting the bathrobe on. The clock says, its 6:56 am.
Oh... It's still early. maybe my shower can wait for later... I'm just gonna take a nap again.
I headed for the bed and dropped myself down into its loving comfort once again.
6:56... in the morning...
morning...
I INDEED FORGOT SOMETHING! GODAMMIT HOW COULD I!
END OF CHAPTER 9