if found please return to kukuroo mountain

"She is known as Valkyrie of the underworld, and one day, she will come for us all..."

⋅───⊱༺ ♰ ༻⊰───⋅

October 1999

She sat with her legs perched up on the teal tuxedo couch, like some sort of elegant gargoyle on the rooftop of a gothic cathedral. Ironic for someone who had a history of playing god at times. She swirled the wine in her glass as she flipped through the endless tv channels without a second thought. A classic rom-com trailer caught her attention, enough for her to ease her thumb off the remote for a brief moment. A peculiar feeling wavered through her as a novice to anything related to romance. She could fathom a deep appreciation for things, lustful at times, but could never recall a time where she deeply expressed a profound emotion such as love toward something or someone. Wait, that was a lie. She bit her bottom lip as a deeply embedded memory resurfed. It reminded her of the years she had spent in Meteor City. 

The once full glass of wine was now gone within a matter of seconds. Pity, it's not like she would feel any of the side effects anyway. Numbed from years of training and self-mutilation. She pulled out a small foil packet of pills she kept on her at all times. Usually saved for when she was on the clock, she knew her evening would soon turn deplorable without some chemical recalibration. Her eyes drifted to the phone screen, almost as if she had the ability to intercept the notification before it was even delivered. 

You have (1) new Hunter mail message.

A quiet sigh left her nose. It was supposed to be her day off of work, but frankly, she was unsure of what to do with even just a few hours of time to spare. There were a couple of hobbies that she had begun to invest in: caring for house plants, knitting. Painting was a core pastime of hers. But her mind always spoke too loud for comfort even in the midst of silence. Collecting samples, doing research, analyzing metrics, and inputting data was what she was gifted at. Didn't matter if it meant getting blood on her hands or not. After a few minutes of warring with the idea in her mind, she decided to open the message. It would no doubt be another update from the labs.

The grip on her phone tightened and her eyes widened.

"No fucking way, you can't be serious..."

⋅───⊱༺ ♰ ༻⊰───⋅

A few weeks prior...

The lavish mahogany walls of the mansion embraced all the secrets within this isolated household. Secrets too dark to ever see the light of day. The floor-to-ceiling French style windows in the office led to a gorgeous view of the estate's garden. It was a view people would kill for. A tall, young man with cascading raven locks stood near the center of the room. His eyes were a pupiless void that one could easily find themselves lost in. 

"Might I ask why this client requests that two assassins take on this job? It's no task that I can't accomplish on my own." If he wanted company, he knew a certain red-headed magician he could call. An older man with silver hair set his tea cup down. He cleared his throat before addressing him.

"I understand, but this client is a valuable connection to us Zoldycks. Who am I to question their methods or request? You've never been one to turn down a job, either." He shot his grandson a brief glance. "I doubt that you will find yourself hindered by the second assassin, if that is your concern."

Great, it looks like he wasn't getting much of a choice anyway. Some things never change. A middle aged man with voluminous silver hair stood near a corner of the office with his arms crossed over his chest. He had a stone-faced expression but slightly sour look. Work was work, and money was money. A kill a day, was the old family saying and the motto embroidered on the tunic that the older man currently wore. The raven haired man threw a strand of hair over his shoulder. He fidgeted with a gold pin needle between his slender fingers, quietly processing the information.

"Illumi dear, this would be a wonderful opportunity to prove your prowess. You never know who you'll have the opportunity to kill next." A woman with an elegant gown and visor spoke. Her face was bandaged as if she had suffered a terrible accident. She couldn't have been prouder of her middle child for giving her those scars. "Allies become future enemies."

A brief moment of silence fell over them.

"Now that you have a Hunter's license..." The older man leaned over to grab a caviar nigiri from a gold platter. "How about I give you the opportunity to meet them firsthand before accepting the mission?"

Illumi's eyes showed the faintest reflection of light in them at that detail. A small smirk settled on Zeno's wrinkled face. 

"Assess them yourself and see if they're worthy of taking on this mission with you."