After the brief interlude of horror things got back on track at a rapid pace. Shouto could be discharged that evening as nothing really needed to heal. Illumi on the other hand was a quirk made child so the doctors wanted him to stay in the hospital for a few more days just to make certain he stayed healthy. Illumi was not happy about this and the doctors were all having to wear special gloves to avoid being bitten.
Illumi was born with a head full of jet black hair as soft and silky as Shouto's. His eyes were as dark as her own and while Shouto insisted the child looked nothing like him Momo felt like the shape of his brow and nose were all Shouto.
Momo had been a little worried she wouldn't feel a connection with a child she hadn't given birth too, but there was something about holding him that held her attention like nothing else. Every other worry and concern fading into nothing as she ran her finger gently down his face.
He bit her hard enough to bleed which nicely solved the debate on if they would breastfeed the child. Neither Momo or Shouto needed injuries in sensitive places.
Perhaps it was the shock of everything that had her patiently letting him naw viciously at her finger for several moments. When she finally withdrew her bloody finger she paid it little mind as she used her quirk in it's new form, the new skin and blood vessels appearing to replaced what was broken.
Illumi watched the finger glow and heal with his huge dark eyes. She wanted to speak to him, but she really had no idea what she was supposed to say. She settled for humming as she held him close. She kept touching his face and he kept biting her and goodness she was teaching him bad habits wasn't she?
"Ah Yaomomo! Maybe umm...bleeding less would be good?" Kaminari chimed in hesitantly.
"Oh it's alright, I can heal it." Speaking of blood her pant legs were rather soaked from when she had kneeled on the floor weren't they?
"Sure, but ah...the blood...is getting into his mouth." Kaminari gently pulled her bloody finger out of her son's mouth and yes there was a bit of blood around Illumi's mouth wasn't there? Just like there had been a rather lot of blood around Shouto's...everything.
Momo swayed on her feet.
"Let's ah...give me the baby just for a second yeah? You should sit...sit down."
She didn't notice the child hissing at Kaminari or the debate he was having with Hisoka on if the 3 year old should be allowed to hold the baby.
She focused on her breathing and steadied herself. Baby being held by trusted adult? Check. Shouto out of danger? Check. Momo...Momo needed to...sit that's right. She was told to sit.
She wasn't sure how long she had been sitting when her phone went off, but she answered it automatically.
"Hello, how can I help you today?"
"Yaoyorozu-san? It's Fuyumi. Can you give me an update on my brother? Is everything still going as planned?"
"Of course. Shouto is fine now. The birth was successful. We named him Illumi."
"Oh that's so wonderful! Mom and I will be right over!"
"Wait-"
Shit.
/
He hadn't held his son long before they gave him permission to shower which was an excellent reason to hand him to Momo and finally get out of bed.
The easy part was now over. What was he going to do with a baby? Well feed it he supposed. Bakugou had complained a lot about changing diapers when Hisoka was an infant so that too.
They had a new house picked out. That was nice.
He did actually feel good enough to return to work right away, but thoughts of his father soured that. Even though he would enjoy fighting villains right now he couldn't avoid his father in the office. Endeavor would approve of him showing up so soon after giving birth so that just wasn't going to happen.
No matter how strange this baby thing was he should stay out of work for at least what a month? A year? When had Kaminari gone back to work again?
Finally clean he looked at himself in the mirror. No the baby didn't look like him. He looked like Momo and Shouto liked Momo. He could think of the kid as more Momo's kid then his couldn't he? He couldn't ruin Momo's kid because she wouldn't let him.
The thought cheered him until he was handed the child again. Illumi did perhaps look a little like him when he was frowning. They had a similar displeased expression. He wasn't sure if he loved the child or not, how were you supposed to know that? However he did feel a kinship with the infant that looked honestly offended at being born.
"It wasn't my idea." He told Illumi seriously as if perhaps knowing he wasn't to blame would make the child less angry.
"You being born I mean. We didn't know he had an ability to make people have babies." The child blinked at him and he blinked back. Maybe babies were a bit like cats? Slow blinking was a sign of trust he remembered Shinsou telling him once.
After a moment the child hissed at him. Hisoka had been a very smiley baby. This one was very...hissy.
"I can't do anything about it. The quirk is gone I can't put you back in."
Feeling awkward and like he was failing even worse at being a parent then he thought he would he tried apologizing.
"I'm sorry. Could you please stop hissing at me?" The child hissed louder. Shouto was a bad father.
He tried calling Izuku who answered immediately. Bright green flashed on the screen as the phone was moved too fast to see much of anything.
"Shouto-kun! Is everything alright?" A crashing sound came from the phone and the blurring stopped abruptly. When Izuku's face finally filled the screen properly he looked to be upside down.
"No. The baby hates me. Look." He held the phone up to Illumi's face so that Izuku could see the child.
"OhmygoshhelookslikeyoubothIcan'tbealivehe'salreadyhere-"
Izuku's excited muttering was cut off by what sounded like a car being through at him. Illumi glared at the phone.
"I'll be over as soon as my shift ends I promise!" Izuku hangs up on him.
Shouto blinked. Illumi blinked. It did not feel like a sign of trust.
/
Silva had run out of patience, it was time for Killua to come home.
It was long overdue. Father wanted to start training Killua for his role as heir personally and mother was searching for the next Zoldyck Matriarch.
There would be no battle. Kill was smart he would see the odds were overwhelming when faced with both Father and Grandfather. Illumi was just there to ensure his continued obedience. It was for the best.
Illumi had prepared the needle specially. The next Zoldyck head needed to be the perfect assassin and Killua was too soft. It wouldn't be forever. Just until Killua had learned to trust Illumi and obey Illumi. He needed to put the family first.
But his little brother was stubborn.
"I'm rather die than let you anywhere near my head!"
He did fight them. Maybe he thought if he held out long enough one of his little friends would come? They didn't come of course, we had already ensured they couldn't.
Illumi had a bad habit of not taking Killua at his word.
Kill made eye contact with Illumi when he plunged his hand into his own chest.
His speed had grown remarkable. One moment his hand was empty and the next it held his own heart.
He crushed it in his hand as brutally as he had been taught.
Illumi was the reason his brother was dead.
Killua was gone.
Dead.
Gone.
Illumi killed Killua.
Kill
was
Killed
Because
of
Illumi
Dead,dead,dead,dead,dead,dead,dead,dead,dead,dead
They had to go back home.
Father chose to leave the body with Killua's friends. They were the family he had chosen, he said.
Dead,dead,dead,dead,dead,dead,dead,dead,dead,dead
Mother cried. The household mourned.
Dead,dead,dead,dead,dead,dead,dead,dead,dead,dead
Illumi went to sleep.
Illumi woke up.
Killua wasdead,dead,dead,dead,dead,dead,dead,dead,dead
Illumi was the heir now. He would have lessons with Father after the funeral.
It was all he had ever wanted.
Kill was dead,dead,dead,dead,dead,dead,dead,dead,dead
He went to sleep.
He woke up.
a
w a s
d
A private affair. A closed casket without a body. Only mother cried.
Would Illumi kill his other brothers, he wondered. Would they too want to run from him this badly?
Was Illumi worse than death? Kill had thought so.
Kill,Kill,Kill,Kill,Kill,Kill
was
Killed,killed,killed,killed,killed
It was time for dinner. The empty chair wasn't because Killua was off playing anymore. It was empty because Illumi had killed his little brother.
His father sat in the seat that would have been Killua's if Illumi hadn't been there.
wa
i I was k il le d
l L was k ille d
l L wa s ki ll ed
e A w as ki lle d
d By Illumi Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
/
/
/
It was dark and warm and wet.
Then it was suddenly bright and cold.
Strange voices. Blurry shapes. His movement was restricted.
It was the clearest he had thought in days.
What was going on?