BLD10

(A/N: I've pretty much got the rest of this figured out, and it'll take at least six more chapters, if I hurry. Most likely we'll be on for eight or nine though.)

Ch.10: Art

Kalluto noticed immediately that Feitan's hands were covered in charcoal, but he didn't pay it much thought. No, he was much more excited to be back at the house.

Kalluto runs up and hugs his fiancé, then his brother, "you will not believe what happened!"

"What?" Feitan asks as they head into the kitchen, "you buy something?"

Kalluto pulls out the art book, "we couldn't find anything I wanted, so the girl looked through here for inspiration, and she found this!" he holds up the picture, "and said she'd make me it!"

Feitan's jaw drops, but it's kind of hard to see with the mask. The very thought of Kalluto wearing that dress put him in a state of awe.

"This is happening isn't it?" he whispers, "really happening."

Machi giggles behind him, "Ah, and now the reality sets in."

Feitan plops down in a kitchen chair and looks at Kalluto, "Don't kill our savings Kallu. We steal nothing for this wedding."

Kalluto giggles, "I can only try. Wanna hear the cost of the dress?"

"no but you'll tell anyway."

"..."

Several vases were broken that day.

Kikyo stood outside the iron gates, shifting her feet nervously. She had come alone, Silva refusing to have anything to do with it.

She rang the bell, and waited. A voice came over the intercom.

"Albina residence, Marza speaking. How may I help you?"

"Yes, this is Kikyo Zoldyck; Kalluto and Killua's mother. I've come to assist in the current preparations, and I have come alone. I was going to bring their father, but he declined."

After a moment, the gates begin to swing open, and a servant begins to lead her in. She observes the sprawling gardens with a content gaze, nodding occasionally. This estate had land enough to possibly rival the Zoldyck's if they wanted, but they chose a smaller house in favor of gardens. Kikyo was wildly impressed with it.

She entered the house, and immediately noticed how eerily quiet it was. There weren't children running around, screaming and laughing like she expected. Killua's friends were so lively, why was it so silent?

Everyone was in the dining room, sitting quietly. They all stared at her, and she smiled when she saw the man next to Kalluto with a weapon drawn. Yes, he was a good one. Her son had good taste in men; that was for sure.

It was obvious he was a skilled fighter, with a burning fire in his observant eyes, the gaze of an artist if she ever saw one. And the gaze of a good husband.

"Hello everyone! Why the long faces, we're planning a wedding here!" She goes up behind Gon and Killua and hugs them around the shoulders, "this is supposed to be exciting! My baby's getting married!"

She rushes over to Kalluto and cups his face in her hands, "oh my baby… you look so much older. I swear only yesterday you were in diapers! I never expected the youngest of my children would be marrying first, But the older boys are just so... immature."

Kalluto carefully removes his mother's hands, "Hi mama, I didn't know you were coming. Um… this is Feitan. He's our interrogator and torture specialist."

"Yes, yes I've heard about you! You have that strange ability, don't you? Killua and Alluka were raving about it. And you like art, right? I've seen some of your drawings online."

Kuroro looks at him "you draw?"

Feitan nods, "a bit. Commissions sometimes. Right now I'm on a portrait of the governor's daughter."

"oh wow, Kalluto you lucky dog!" Kikyo pinches Feitan's cheek, "he's cute as a button!"

She whips around and looks at Killua, "Where's Alluka? Alluka and Nanika wouldn't want to miss Kalluto's wedding, right? Oh, little Nani'd be furious, and we know what would happen then."

Killua's face gets slightly hostile, "She's staying with Gon's aunt; I figured the mission was too dangerous for her, originally this was a search and rescue thing. Anyway, why are you suddenly getting all touchy-feely with us? You didn't care before!"

"I've always cared! I might not have been very good about showing it, but of course I cared! I gave birth to you kids!" She exclaimed, "But we weren't a normal family. Illumi and Milluki became so distant at such a young age, I thought you'd be the same Killua. And Alluka… I wanted to be a mother for her, I knew in my heart she needed me to support her… But for an assassin I'm not very brave. I kept Kalluto so close because I was so scared of losing him like I lost the rest of you! But not everyone has a family, not everyone gets that luxury… and I abused that privilege, and took you all for granted. I… I had to do something or I'd never get the chance to be a mother; you'd drift away and make your own lives and I'd lose all my wonderful, beautiful, intelligent, strong children. You five-six, however many there are now, are the best thing that's ever happened to me. And I love you very much."

Tears were rolling down her face at this point, making her mask go all static-y. Killua hugged her comfortingly, waiting patiently for her to calm down again.

"It's okay mom, it's okay." He murmurs, "We're assassins, emotions aren't our strong point. You're doing your best, that's all I can ask for."

Feitan partially wanted to hug Kalluto close to him and wave a butter knife at anyone who came close- particularly that scary masked woman- but at the same time he wanted to hide under the table. Being an orphan whose only friends are also orphans, Feitan had no clue what a mother was supposed to be like.

And if they were all like this, Feitan would never have children.

"This is my new mother in law? Really? Can I back out now?" he thought in a panic, "she's loud and crazy and… weird looking. If this is what raising (or attempting to raise) kids will do to you, we're never having kids. I don't care if people PAY us to adopt a kid, it is NOT happening. I don't want Kalluto to turn into that!"

Noticing his unease, Kalluto grabs his hand. "Don't worry," the younger whispers, "Our family is sincerely the weirdest. This is the worst you'll most likely see, as Father didn't come. He probably wants nothing to do with me, which is what we want. Mama's loud, but she means well I promise. Once you get used to her she really isn't that bad."

"I hope not…"

(A/N: to continue on with that I was saying above, I've already got a few idea on what might come next. I have two Soul Eater ideas, both with OC's. One has two OC's going into their world, another is about their world merging with ours. BUT I also have an idea for Pokémon that involved retelling the N arc with Paul showing up, and I have something going on with this videogame series called Rune Factory, but that's another list altogether.)