Note: I do not own HxH. After waking up, Illumi questions Palm about why she is here, and also searches himself for some answers. Palm is beginning to regret breaking into this cottage, but is also intrigued by this strange, pale man.

Ch. 3

When Palm woke up, the first thing she noticed was the agonizing pain that rippled through her entire being. Everything seemed to hurt. As she began to gain more consciousness, Palm also noticed that she was crumpled up in the same position that she had collapsed into after she hit the wall. Unsure of where the pale, skinny man was, she let out a small groan as her muscles twitched.

Illumi had known she was awake from the second her breathing changed. He had been sitting down nearby, contemplating his current situation while Palm was unconscious. His only reaction to her groan was to stare more intensely at her dirtied face as her eyes fluttered open. The world began to come into focus, and Palm painfully raised her upper body off the floor. This movement caused some unswept dust to disperse into the air. Illumi took notice, and made a mental note to sweep again after this woman was out of his hair.

He allowed her a few more moments to collect herself before he spoke. "Get up." He commanded. She definitely had to be sore after their… meeting, but that was not his concern. "Sit down." He said, gesturing slightly with his head to the open chair across from where he was sitting. Palm obeyed, raising her throbbing body from the floor. Various joints cracked as she stood up and made her way over to the chair. While her muscles were thankful to not be in one position, they were not too happy about being exerted either.

When she had finally seated herself Illumi began his questioning, his cold black eyes boring into her guarded fuschia ones. "How did you find this place?" He asked in his monotone voice. "W-well," she began cautiously, "I've been wandering around recently. I have nowhere in particular to be and-" "I didn't ask for your life story." Illumi interrupted. "How did you find this cottage?" He repeated sternly. Illumi really wasn't one for casual conversations in general, let alone with strange women who break into his house.

Palm stuck her lip out slightly in annoyance. She didn't think she was really that off topic. "If you want the short story, then I'll tell you what I said before." She said, articulating each word. "I was exhausted and saw what looked like a good shelter. I didn't see anyone around and it certainly doesn't look like anybody lives here. So I decided to go inside. So here I am, about a hundred times more tired and achey than before this mess," she concluded.

Illumi stared at her for an uncomfortable period of time. He knew she was telling the truth. He had been trained to pick apart lies. He just found this human to be particularly annoying. "Did anyone follow you here?" He inquired further. He certainly did not need more trouble to deal with in addition to this one. Palm shook her head. "It is highly unlikely." She responded. "You know," she began, hesitantly, "just because you knocked me out in one shot doesn't mean I'm completely helpless, right? You just caught me when I was tired… and not looking to die" She added, eyeing his pins. Illumi stared blankly at Palm, unmoving.

Illumi was intrigued by her comment. She is clearly at a level of skill high enough to tell that messing with someone such as himself would result in death or severe pain. A small part of him was… satisfied that he was getting credit for being as strong as he is, without even having to display himself. This fact alone bothered Illumi. Why was he letting all these fragments of emotions be acknowledged? Sure his childhood home was a place for him to relax and think about whatever he was feeling, but this is a situation of peril. He should be Illumi Zoldyck, the assassin. Not whoever this was.

"What makes this place so important anyways?" She asked, in an attempt to break the odd silence. "It looks like nobody cares enough to clean it up. It seems like nobody lives here."

"It's none of your business", the assassin responded, shifting in his seat. In all honesty, it had been a while since he had spent time here, with his missions and the hunter exam and all. Though he knew they shouldn't, the girl's comments irked him. Who was she, a dirty wanderer, to judge his personal space?

Palm took note of the shift in the strange man. "Well," she began, "since you're such a great conversationalist I'm going to go use your restroom and wash up. I think you owe me that at least," she said, touching her sore muscles. This sudden display of bold language caught them both off guard. Palm was tired and, frankly, quite cranky about this situation. Illumi covered his shock in the typical Zoldyck fashion. "I owe you nothing." Illumi replied sternly. "You broke into my house, you pay the consequences."

Palm got up awkwardly, but headed to the bathroom nonetheless. "I'm going to shower. I hope to survive long enough without a needle in me." she said as she walked away. Before she turned the corner she paused, and turned to the man sitting at the table, ever so slightly taken aback by her straightforwardness. "You never told me your name." she said.

Against his better judgement, the man responded. "My name is Illumi."

Note: Reviews are much appreciated! I know this pairing isn't super popular or even known at all, so spread the word if you enjoy.