Chapter Text
Illumi is a simple man who feels impartial about most things. Execute task, train, upkeep, work on nen. That's all he does. That’s all he’s made for. Everything else is irrelevant. Unnecessary. Until shecame along.
The sweetness of April surrounds him as he’s walking through the downtown part of the Dentora Region, practicing a more subtle method of his needle manipulation on passerby’s. He’s poised with his actions, controlling the needlemen with such grace and accuracy that everything seemed to be at peace on this beautiful spring day.
The ring of a store bell catches his attention. A woman walks out of the door to a flower shop, holding a large crate of irises and sets it down out front. Her tanned face glimmered in the hot sun. Like her face held the warmth of the sun within it, and for whatever reason, he stops in his tracks to stare.
The girl, who was going about her business, suddenly shot up in alarm and snapped her head towards where Illumi was. Meanwhile, Illumi has already left town. He ran away from her as fast as he could. ‘I knew this would happen one day, I hadn’t expected that time to be now. Oh well.’He thought to himself as he pulled out his phone to have the butlers make special “arrangements” for the zoldyck family’s new guest. For once in his life Illumi is extatic.
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For the next few weeks, all he could ever pay attention to is her. Every single thing she did was jotted down and taken note of. Her style, her routines, likes and dislikes, even the ins and outs of her apartment was all taken into account. Illumi put her under constant surveillance, setting up hidden cameras in every nook and cranny of her home, and he also had Milluki hack into her phone so llumi would always know where she is. Illumi is patient though, rushing through a grandious plan like kidnapping and brainwashing someone would be as sloppy as a common killer. After all, he was a professional, and everything had to be perfect.
At the Zoldyck manor, Illumi's watching her in her apartment through his phone. She was watching tv, nothing too special really, but Illumi was mesmerized by her. He watched the way she curled up under her throw with her oversized hoodie. Time had passed and before he knew it, it was night time. She went about her routine, cleaning the house, showering, skincare, bed. Simple, yet organized. He adored how basic she was, it was a refreshing change compared to his chaotic and eccentric lifestyle. He put his phone away, 'I might as well go to bed as well.' he thought as he reached over and turned his lamp off.
Meanwhile, at the butler's mansion, word is getting around about Illumi's new obsession. "I heard Master Illumi is planning to train that girl to be a new member of the Zoldyck family." one said to the other, "Well I hope she has enough potential to survive this place, it would be a shame." they both shook their heads at each other. A man clears his throat behind them, "I hope you two aren't disrespecting the Zoldyck family." the both jump and turn towards him. "Gotoh, Sir, we were just-". He interrupted, "Unless you both have the power and standing of a Zoldyck then I would highly encourage you keep your mouths shut and do your jobs." They bow quickly and walk off. He acknowledged how messed up it was, taking an innocent woman and brainwashing her into being her wife, let alone an assassin, was incredibly cruel. There was nothing he could do though, so, he moved along and did what he was told.
He arranged the room perfectly. Every item was twice as weighted as the butler's things, especially the door. If she was going to leave, she would have to leave as strong as a Zoldyck. Illumi had given Gotoh a list of her favorite beauty products, perfumes, and clothes to wear. I mean, just because he's kidnapping her doesn't mean he can't try his best to make her comfortable. Her closet was filled to the brim with plush hoodies and sweats (some of them belonging to Illumi) and fuzzy socks. No shoes though, it's not like she'll need them. He then checked the hidden cameras and microphones (for Illumi and his nozy ass mom), making sure that they're running and positioned correctly. Lastly, Gotoh swiped his gloved finger across her future dresser, huffed, and proceeded to wipe the surface once more with his handkerchief before briskly walking out of the room.
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Juno's alarm blared as soon as the clock hit 6am and she immediatly turned it off. She turned to lay on her back and stared at the ceiling. Even though Juno loves that she landed her dream apartment and town, and her job isn't half bad either, something still felt evil about waking up this early for work. It always gave her war flashbacks of her sh*tty dead-end job she escaped before coming here. She squeezed her eyes and sat up, rubbing her face and looking around her room. Tiny, with clothes sprawled out here and there, a small closet and night stand, and a single window with a gorgeous view of the town. Juno sighs and gets out of bed and walks to the kitchen and makes a cup of tea, then gets ready for work. She left the house feeling completely secure in her safety. If only she knew.
At her job, she stood at the front desk, taking orders off the phone and in person. One person ordering a simple bouquet while another would order an annoyingly complicated wreath. She handled it fine though, it wasn't as complicated when her other coworkers would take the reins from time to time. On her break she went out and bought a sandwich, eating it on one of the benches outside the tiny restaurant. The breeze was nice and she ate quickly as she watched the townsfolk walk idly by. A few minutes had already passed when Juno suddenly felt a wave of anxiety wash over her. Like she was being watched. She whipped around to the dark alleyway a few stores down from her, but when nothing was there, she second guessed herself. 'C'mon Juno, you're crazy. What could possibly happen in this town it's practically in the middle of nowhere.' She reassured herself as she got up and returned to work.The rest of her day went by quite normally, but there was still this knot in her stomach that just wouldn't go away no matter how much she tried to relax.
A thick miasma loomed over the evening sky as she walked home. There was nothing out of the ordinary, yet Juno jolted at every little noise that crossed her path. She sighed a breath of relief as she finally entered her home. She locked her door and windows quickly, then took a fast shower, making sure to keep an eye open. Just in case. She then laid in bed, too sleepy to care about whatever she was anxious about any more, and fell asleep.
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His long, pale fingers grip around the edge of the bed as he pulls himself out from under the bed. Each fluid movement of his was completely silent. He stood up, his hip-length locks of ink flowing down his shoulders and lightly brushing against Juno's face as he towered over her sleeping figure. His soulless eyes gazed at her until he knew that she wouldn't wake when he injected her. When she was comatose, he swiftly lifted her off the bed and carried her to the black car parked out front. He sat both himself and his lady into the back seat. Without a word, the chauffeur drove straight to the Zoldyck estate. Illumi held her close, caressing her cheek. "Oh, " he sighed, shutting his eyes and pressing his forehead to hers, "I really do hope you survive. You'll make a wonderful wife."
