declaration ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

page eighteen

“gon! you won't believe what happened--” you stood off to the side as leorio launched into an excited ramble, his hands gesturing wildly as he recounted everything you had done—how you seemed to command thunder itself, how you hovered above the ground while making it tremble beneath you, and how, as if that weren’t enough, you had pulled a sword straight from your own chest. 

gon, ever the attentive listener, was trying his best to keep up, but his wide, dotted eyes and slightly open mouth betrayed his struggle. he glanced between leorio and you, clearly overwhelmed by the rapid-fire explanation. 

"raiden y/n, can i talk to you for a second?" leorio's rambling came to an abrupt halt. all four of you turned toward netero, who was approaching with his usual expression.

"about what?" you asked, tilting your head slightly, your curiosity piqued. netero remained silent for a moment, his gaze shifting briefly toward gon, kurapika, and leorio. the three of them understood the unspoken signal and promptly took their leave. 

"you certainly possess a powerful nen," he finally spoke once they were gone, his voice carrying a note of curiosity. standing side by side, both of you faced the fountain ahead, the sound of flowing water filling the quiet space between you. 

"nen?" your brow slightly furrowed at the unfamiliar term. "what is this nen you speak of?" 

netero's suspicions were confirmed at that moment. he had already taken note of the way you fought against illumi—how you displayed immense strength and ability without even a hint of nen, not even the most basic applications of its four principles. it made you an anomaly, an exception to the rules he had come to understand. yet, he had not yet arrived at the conclusion that you were something beyond human. 

"i suppose you'll uncover the answer in due time," he said at last, choosing his words carefully. "your journey as a hunter will lead you to it." he paused, his expression unreadable as he weighed his next statement. 

"would you mind if i speak my thoughts aloud? exactly as they come to me?" you tilted your head slightly, already sensing that there was more to this conversation than he was letting on. it was clear that he had been waiting for this moment, insisting on privacy for a reason. 

"go ahead," you encouraged, arms loosely crossed as you turned your gaze toward him. "i'm curious to hear what’s on your mind."

netero remained silent for a long moment, letting the gentle trickling of the fountain fill the space between you. his usual playful demeanor had faded into something more thoughtful.

"i've lived long enough to see all kinds of hunters," he finally said, voice calm yet edged with intrigue.

"masters of nen, prodigies of combat, even those born with gifts that defy explanation." he glanced at you from the corner of his eye. "but you… you are something else entirely, aren't you?" 

"what makes you say that?" your gaze remained steady, unreadable.

"intuition." he smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes. "and experience." 

he turned fully toward you now, arms still tucked inside his sleeves, the usual lightness in his posture replaced by a quiet intensity. 

"i watched your fight with illumi zoldyck. not once did you use ren, ten, or even the faintest trace of nen." he tilted his head slightly. "yet, you wielded power unlike anything i've encountered." 

you hummed, unconcerned. "is that a problem?" 

"not at all," he admitted. "but it does make me wonder… what are you, raiden y/n?" 

his words hung in the air, heavy with curiosity and something deeper—an unspoken challenge, as if daring you to reveal a truth even he had yet to grasp.

the words didn’t unsettle you, nor did they amuse you. it wasn’t the first time someone had looked at you with that mix of curiosity and wariness, as if searching for something beyond human comprehension.

your gaze remained fixed on the fountain, watching the water ripple endlessly, caught in an eternal cycle of motion. never stopping, never fading, yet never truly changing.

“does it matter?” you asked, your tone even as you watched him closely, waiting to see how he would respond. 

netero chuckled, the corners of his lips twitching upward as he stroked his beard. “i suppose it does. at least in this moment, you remain a mystery.” 

“mysteries exist because mortals seek answers,” you mused, eyes drifting toward the fountain. the water moved in endless cycles, much like the questions humans asked, always searching, always reaching.

“but some things are better left unknown.” he didn’t respond immediately, letting your words settle. his silence told you enough—he understood, even if he didn’t fully grasp what you were implying. it wasn’t a direct answer, but it was clear enough. 

you were not like them. not bound by their rules, nor by their limitations. 

netero exhaled softly, then spoke again, his tone light yet laced with something deeper, something almost cautious. 

“i see.” he paused for a moment, then with a small smile, added, “then i just need one assurance—you're not here to destroy this world, are you?" 

his words carried a trace of humor, but there was an undeniable weight beneath them. 

“that is far from my goal.” 

the truth lingered between you, unshaken and absolute. whatever conclusion he reached from this conversation was his own to make.

as you wandered through the halls in search of gon, kurapika, and leorio, your steps came to an abrupt halt at the sound of two familiar voices in conversation. curiosity piqued, you turned the corner, and there they were. 

"if it isn't my favorite girl!" hisoka straightened from where he had been leaning against a pillar, his lips stretching into that ever-familiar grin. his gaze flickered over you with amusement.

you didn’t respond, your attention shifting past him to the figure beside him. illumi. 

your eyes met his jet-black, hollow ones, unreadable as ever, before trailing downward, landing on his arm. broken. yet he stood as if it didn’t bother him in the slightest. 

"well, are you going to ask me too where killua is?" what you noticed about illumi is that he's soft spoken and devoid of emotion at the same time.

you had encountered many with that same tone before—calm, indifferent, but with something sinister lurking just beneath the surface. malice, restrained yet present. 

"too?" your eyes narrowed slightly. "did you come across gon, kurapika, and leorio?" you shifted your full attention to illumi, momentarily disregarding the magician beside him. 

hisoka didn’t like that. 

his ever-present grin faltered, lips pressing into a thin line. though he remained silent, you could feel the shift in his mood—like a predator whose amusement had been momentarily stolen.

“sure. they asked me where killua is,” illumi said, his expression as unreadable as ever. “but i didn’t tell them. if you ask, though, i might.” 

hisoka arched a brow at him but didn’t interfere, merely watching the exchange unfold. 

you crossed your arms, not looking away. “why keep it from them but consider telling me?”

illumi blinked, his posture relaxed, unaffected. “simple. they don’t deserve to know. they are not as strong as you.” 

you doubted that was the real reason. his words felt too calculated, too deliberate. but if pretending to believe him would get you the answer you needed, then so be it. 

“then, where is he?” 

“he went home,” illumi answered without hesitation. “our house is at the top of kukuro mountain, in the republic of padokea.” he revealed the location as casually as one would mention the weather. 

great, you thought. i have no idea where that is.

kukuro mountain? republic of padokea? you had nothing to go on. even if you wanted to find killua, you wouldn’t know where to start. fortunately, you have gon, kurapika and leorio, they'll surely know where those locations are.

“i could take you there.” illumi added before you could dwell on it.

“there’s no need. i can go there with my group.” you declined without hesitation, shutting down his offer before he could say more. 

hisoka let out a slow hum, his usual grin faltering just slightly. “my, my~ how generous of you, illumi.” his voice carried its usual playful lilt, but there was something off about it—something almost forced. “offering to be her personal guide.” 

illumi, unsurprisingly, remained unaffected. he simply blinked at hisoka, then rested a finger on his chin, tilting his head slightly as if deep in thought. 

“it’s the most efficient option,” he stated plainly. “our house is not like an ordinary one. it has multiple layers of security—barriers, traps, guards, that i doubt your group will be able to bypass.” he paused briefly, then turned his gaze back to you. 

“but if you come with me, you won’t have to deal with any of that. i could take you straight to killua without interruption.” 

hisoka’s fingers twitched at his sides, eyes narrowing ever so slightly. he remained silent, but there was a shift in his demeanor—a quiet, unspoken irritation bubbling beneath the surface.

you paused for a moment, considering illumi’s offer. truthfully, those so-called security measures he mentioned wouldn’t be an issue for you. you could get through them with ease, and if needed, you could ensure gon, kurapika, and leorio did as well. 

"save yourself from the hassle and just come with me, y/n." illumi’s voice cut through your thoughts once again. 

you eyed him, skeptical. “and how can i be sure you’re not lying?” his insistence felt unusual—why was he so eager to bring you along? why help you retrieve his brother? 

“assassins have one word,” he replied without hesitation. “it would be a disgrace to my family name if i were to deceive you.” 

your eyes narrowed. you didn’t trust him. nor did you trust the magician standing beside him. their relationship was a riddle, one that defied easy explanation.

“alright then. i’ll come with you, and you’ll take me directly to killua. don’t think about doing otherwise or pulling any tricks,” your tone darkened, the air around you crackling with electricity. “i won’t be forgiving.” 

the sky overhead dimmed, swirling clouds gathering as streaks of lightning danced in the distance. 

hisoka’s amusement returned instantly, his infamous boyish grin stretching across his face as he glanced up at the sky, delighted. 

illumi, in contrast, simply crossed his arms, his gaze lifting toward the heavens. he didn’t react outwardly, but the message was received. 

“i’ll find my companions first. i’ll be back.” with that, the sky cleared, returning to its previous state. without waiting for their response, you turned on your heel and walked away. 

you had already put distance between you when illumi’s voice reached your ears, quiet yet deliberate. 

“don’t tell them about this.”

the two watched as you walked away, neither speaking until your figure disappeared from sight. only then did hisoka shift his attention to illumi. 

“why did you lie?” hisoka’s voice was light, almost playful, but it was sharp. “you already told gon where your house is.” 

before you had come across them, gon, kurapika, and leorio had encountered illumi first, asking the same question—where was killua? and just as he had with you, illumi had given them the address. after getting their answer, the three had left, and that was when hisoka had appeared, slipping into conversation with the assassin. 

their exchange had been casual, neither of them seeming particularly invested, until you arrived and the topic shifted. 

“so why are you so insistent that she go with you?” hisoka tilted his head, eyes gleaming with something unreadable.

“persistence implies effort. i am merely stating what is inevitable.” illumi barely spared him a glance.

hisoka chuckled. “hmm? and what exactly is inevitable?”

“y/n.” your name left illumi's lips without hesitation, spoken like a fact, not an opinion. “she belongs to me.”

hisoka’s grin widened, though there was something strained behind it. “oh? how intriguing, and what exactly do you mean by belongs?”

illumi finally turned his head, meeting hisoka’s gaze without a flicker of hesitation.

“interpret it however you like.”

    ┌ ╌ ╌ ╌ ╌  ㅤ °ㅤㅤ 𝒪𝒪.   .ㅤ     ╭◜
      *       ㅤ            ㅤ                              ╎
ㅤ         ㅤ           to be continuedㅤ       ❀

not proofread and edited.