Phantom Troupe's Web

The week of Illuki's visit had passed quickly, the dichromatic-haired woman roams the main floor of the estate with a strawberry-flavoured lollipop wedged in the cavity of her right cheek, the black dress she had arrived in switched out for a custom-made white yukata with black floral detailing. She holds the treat by the stick gingerly, meeting her grandfather at the base of the staircase, the senior gesturing for his granddaughter to follow him down to the dungeons of the mansion. Located in the furthest dungeon, Milluki stood with a whip in his hands, slapping his younger brother awake as punishment for stabbing himself and their mother when the brothers' grandfather and older sister intruded.

"That's enough Mil," Zeno advised, his hunched figure appearing from the doorway where the eldest Zoldyck leaned against the doorframe.

"But Grandpa Zeno...He isn't sorry at all!" the computer wiz argued, pointing an accusatory finger at the white-haired heir who hung with one arm chained up, a permanent scowl on his pale face. "Nee-chan! Tell him!" he turned his attention to the woman.

Illuki shrugs her shoulders, eyes closed and arms crossed under her chest as she listens in to the conversation. "Don't bring me into your petty revenge. I wouldn't have been sorry either," she muttered, slurring her words slightly due to the treat she had been indulging since that morning.

The siblings' grandfather permits the young heir to leave the dungeon, he and his granddaughter watched as the child snapped himself free from the rusty shackle, rolling his left shoulder. "Man that hurt...Bro, I'm not sorry. But I do feel bad, so I let you slap me around," Killua told Milluki frankly, walking towards the door when his grandfather called on him.

"Kil, Silva wishes to see you," the prodigy perked in confusion, halting in his spot for a moment before exiting the room while Zeno turned his attention to Illuki who blinked innocently at him. "He wishes to see you as well, Illuki," he added.

'Father wants to see me?' the female thought with a head tilt, nodding slowly at her grandfather before pivoting on her heels and retreating up the stairs with curiosity in her eyes. She rarely met with her father privately, it was usually to discuss family business matters or to receive a mission from him. Before making her way to her where her father is, she detours into her bedroom, discards the lollipop stick into the bin underneath her desk, steps into her walk-in closet and changes out of the yukata her mother gifted her.

After changing into something more comfortable and breathable, Illuki treks up the staircase and towards her parents' bedroom, knocking on the door twice before slipping into the room when she hears her father's muffled voice. "You wanted to see me, Father?" she hummed, greeting the older man with a warm smile as she bowed her head slightly, her hands linked behind her.

"Yes. Come sit," he pats a spot on the couch beside him. Taking small steps, the petite woman settles herself onto the couch and crosses her legs elegantly, turning her head to face her father who had pivoted his body to face her. "I worry about Kil. Tell me about this friend of his," Silva told his eldest who smiled softly.

As Illuki opens her mouth to share her observations with her father when a knock and the muffled voice of Killua interrupted their conversation. Not wanting to intrude on their precious father–son bonding time, the former assassin stood from her spot on the couch and offers it to her brother, walking down the steps and making her way towards the door. "We were just finishing up. I'll be on my way then," she opens the door, turning her head and nodding at her father before stepping outside and closing the door.

Instead of leaving the mansion, she leans against the wall and eavesdrops on her father's and brother's conversation, rosy lips curling into a small smile as she hears her younger brother's voice sharing stories of his adventures with Gon during the Hunter Exam. The white-haired heir goes on ranting about his friend's chaotic antics when his father interjects his storytelling, sternly meeting his eyes.

"Do you want to see your friends? You don't need to hold back. Tell me the truth," Silva began, resting a hand on his thigh and gazing down at the 12-year-old. "Thinking back, we've never had a father–son chat before. I was raised by my parents to be an assassin...And I raised you and your sister the same way. You and I are different. I didn't realise that until you left home," the head of the family reflected, maintaining eye contact with his son as he expresses his feelings for the first time in forever. "You are my son...But you are your own person. Live as you please," he then reached out and softly pats his son on the head once before retracting it. "If you get tired, you can come home as Illuki does. I'll ask you one more time...Do you want to see your friends?"

Breathless by his father's words, Killua slowly nods his head in response to the blonde's question. "I understand. You're free now, but...Promise me one thing. Never betray your friends. Understand?" Silva raised a thumb to his lips, biting down enough to draw blood from the skin, sticking it out to his child with a straight face.

"I promise. I'll never betray them. Never," Killua reciprocated his father's actions, biting down on his thumb and connecting it with his father's, sealing the promise.

Behind the closed door, the eldest child smirked and pushed her body off the wall, retreating to the main room of the family estate, dialling her leader. "Hi hi~ I thought I'd update you," she greets once the call was connected, her figure blending into the shadows of the hallways that roamed, phones pressed against her ear.

"And?" the male's voice came out soft and distant.

Rolling her eyes at his tone, Illuki stood by the front door with her free arm crossed under her chest, resting on the bicep of her other arm. "I'll be in the same vicinity as him in a few days and check in on him, but aside from that, I'll be attending to personal matters. I've already checked on the other members that have disembarked from the hideout," she reported, picking at her freshly black-painted nails and flipping her hand back and forth to admire them.

"I see. Good work. If something changes then I shall let you know," he tells the woman, bidding her goodbye before hanging up the phone.

With a soft hum leaving her rosy lips, Illuki pocketed her phone and turned around to see Killua approaching her from the tunnels with a backpack. She stands with her arms crossed under her chest, nudging her head to the entrance with a proud and delicate smile that warms the boy. "Let's go see your friends," she tells him.