Chapter 11: I'd Risk It All For You

lllumi hummed, taking a causal glance around the now corpse filled room. "Looks like everyone is dead."

"Nice job." Smiled the woman, placing a hand on her hip.

Hisoka smirked with Hunter in his arms, Senka wondered how the man didn't show any signs of growing tired of holding the child. "I'm actually going to miss this little one~" he admitted aloud to his partners.

The assassin blinked with a expressionless face at Hisoka's words. "So why don't you have one with Senka." he suggested bluntly, a finger pointed at the woman.

Senka snickered. "Yeah call me when you stop being such a lunatic, then we can talk about that." she stated dryly.

The magician hummed in allurement to her words. "I'll take that as a yes."

She glared at Hisoka, lips parted to voice a rejection but nothing came out. Senka simply closed her mouth, not wanting to say how she liked the father-like interaction that was witnessed between him and Hunter. The woman's chest throbbed with pain, feeling having a child was something she could never achieve.

Hisoka noticed her dismay but decided to not pry into the unspoken matter. It was for another time. lllumi, whom had always been observing the complex exchange between his friends, noticed a change in both. He just couldn't say what it is exactly. The three, plus a baby, approached the door only to pause, feeling multiple different presences appearing where they not too long ago were battling the Elementals.

Senka froze in place, her head lend forward. The two males watched with confusion when she banged her head against the wooden door. "My family... is waiting outside." the woman grimaced in a grumble.

lllumi snickered at the woman's distaste of meeting her family again though he could somewhat understand why. "You seem to thrilled." he sarcastically said.

"That's a huge understatement." retorted Senka in a dismayed groan, a frown curved her painted lips.

Hisoka chuckled at her, the baby occupied by one of his cards unenforced with Shu. "My my, you make it sound as if you're meeting the devil. It can't really be that bad."

Senka sighed, her eyes softened at the unavoidable fate of facing consequences. Her lips parted in reluctance. "it's my family... You'll understand why." she mumbled in a soft voice. Senka's mouth started to dry, her chest ached with anticipation. Consumed by nostalgia and fear of rejection. Intuition screamed in agony at the troubling possibility of them hating her for what was done. What couldn't be taken back. What couldn't be stopped. She'd once again be subjected to the evil target of blame. Labelled forever as the reason for Sunalin's fall.

The woman's counterpart noticed her internal dilemma, knowing Senka all too well as she was wandering down memory line. She bit her bottom lip in hesitated nervousness, feeling as if she would be welcomed with ridicule than thankfulness.

A gentle touch rested on her lower back, gaining the female hunter's attention. Senka turned her head to see a smiling Hisoka, the baby in his arms stared at her as well. The sensation of cold lips pressing against her own sent heat throughout the woman's body. Violet eyes never averted away from his yellow ones, feeling herself calm down from the small gesture. Neither caring whether Hunter or lllumi were present to witness the affectionate act. A smirk curled the corner of the magician's lips as he slowly broke their connection by only an inch.

"No need to be so nervous, my Angel." whispered Hisoka in a soothingly allurement, straightening his back. Senka blinked at him before snickering, self-doubts replaced by a smile. Both simultaneously returning to their stoic expressions.

The woman took hold of the sliver door handle, giving it a push. She sighed heavily before exiting, sunset light shined through the passage. Instantly greeted by a group of familiar faces she hadn't seen since the day of her disownment. Everyone from Nellia's house stood before Senka and her deadly team. Natalia stood in the center of her four children that included Yume, Namia, Nolan, his wife and lastly Nellia stood in the front. Hisoka observed how most of the members had a husky bodily figure to them, each of the sisters shared different curves accented by their plump frames.

It's clear now, where Senka gets it from. What a way to meet the parents huh?

"Mom." called Senka in a softly stern voice, body took a hesitant step towards the glaring group. She paused when violet eyes that mimicked her own narrowed in disappointment on her. The three hunters noticed how the remaining family members looked at their handy work. Eyes widened in terror at a still hanging Reva, expressions lit with fear and anger of seeing Miku's and Aiden's lifeless bodies on the ground. A sickness steered in Senka's stomach, it was coming. Judgement.

"My God Senka... What did you do?" asked her Aunt Natalia, arms gestured around her many children in protection. Unsure of what side her niece was on, she could tell the two males were incredibly skilled.

Namia's head shook in disbelief at the scene, "This can't be your doing right? To your own family?" she asked aloud as a finger gestured to the horrible scene, voice expressing her disbelief.

"Hunter!" called a male voice, alerting Hisoka's attention. A husky couple approached the magician with hast in seeing their son was safe and out of the torture chambers. However, they were blocked by an arm from Nellia. Her brother's features flashed with impatience. "They have my son Nel!" he shouted at his sister.

"Now is not the time Nolan, you'll get Hunty back." Namia warned with a serious tone.

Violet eyes that mirrored Senka's glared at the man, Hisoka could guess she was Senka's mother from their similar features. "Answer the question Senka, did you do this?" demanded Nellia.

Senka remained stoic in her expression, blank mask she called a face hide fear of what her wrathful mother would do. "I only did what was needed." she stated in a straight response.

"H'ka..." whispered the child in Hisoka's arms, he clung onto the man in sensing intensive tension between Senka and her relatives. The magician gently patted Hunter's back in comfort. "There there little one, it's alright." coddled Hisoka in a soft voice for only the baby to hear. The actions earned death glares from Nolan.

lllumi noticed how the blonde woman known as Senka's mother became heated with disappointment. He mentally groaned to himself, all too familiar with that expression from females whom give birth. Shit was about to go home.

After a single blink, Nellia disappeared from her siblings to front of her daughter. The female hunter gasped, knowing it was already too late to counter or dodge. A hand raised, swiping an open palm across the other's cheek. Senka's face shifted to the side from the impact, eyes narrowed in surprise at her mother's actions.

Anger flashed in Senka's features along with a hint of embarrassment, her fist tightened into a ball. "Are you fucking kidding me? This is how you thank me?" she snapped back, pointing to lllumi whom was on her left.

"Hello." lllumi greeted on cue, raising a hand. Expression blank as ever.

Senka continued her outburst. "He's a Zoldyck assassin and so happened to be my friend! If it was up to him none of you would be alive and you slap me? What a 'thank you' for saving your lives." she ended with sarcasm in her voice, cursing as her cheek began to sting. Senka knew this was going to happen, that being hopeful and praying for the best was never something in her life.

The adults all had shocked expressions at Senka's words, obvious to both Hisoka and lllumi at how little they thought of the female hunter. Only making it all the more clearer to why the woman seemed so indecisive about the whole ordeal of coming to this town. Of seeing her family again. Of playing their villain.

"Is... Is that true?" Natalia asked in a stuttered voice, her eyes darting nervously from her children to the two men that stood beside her niece.

lllumi blinked. "It is, I was hired by a certain Mafia to assassinate every single person belonging to the Sunalin family. I came to offer Senka to decide who should be killed or saved." he stated to back up the woman's story.

"She instructed us to only end the lives of those in this building or anyone who attacked us." Hisoka added smoothly, a finger pointed to the Town Hall behind him.

Natalia gulped, busty chest raised with anxiety. "The Zoldycks' is a family infamous for being assassins... I believe Senka is telling the truth."

A skeptical Namia shifted her eyes between her sisters and niece. "But no one goes around hiring an assassin to kill an entire family for no reason or comes to do it herself."

"You're right, there is a reason." spoke Senka with blazing violet eyes directed at her mother's. "Tessila told me what's been happening and what Ivya and Nova have done."

Nellia and Natalia's heart dropped at hearing the name of Senka's cousin whom was sold to a Mafia family. Tessila's mother placed a hand over her mouth. "You saved her?" she asked Senka with a shaky voice.

Senka kept eyes on the woman who slapped the life out of her. "Of course I did! Whether it be Tessila or Hunter I would risk everything to save them."

"That's a true fact." Hisoka spoke in his partner's defense to gain the attention of everyone, yellow eyes rested on the female. "Not once had Senka hesitated the decision to rescue her family when getting notice of their capture." Allurement poured from the magician's voice with a smile, boldly lying to the family about her possibility not wanting to help.

"Nellia, really? Your daughter just admitted to killing her own family! Our family! What would Daddy say about this?" interfered Namia, playing devil's advocate.

"Technically we did." lllumi stated in a small lie, a finger pointed between himself and Hisoka.

Hisoka agreed with a hum. "Senka is only accountable for ending two lives." he added, showing the number with his fingers. Playing along with lllumi, they weren't really lying. The problem was the amount of family members the woman killed and that number was two. Minus the tens of guards in the mansion that were buried.

The spotlight once against turned onto Senka, features still showing her own disappointment. "You can't trust me to do my job but you can allow Nova and Ivya to run rampant?" she asked not just Nellia but her whole family, eyes darting to every single face.

One of Natalia's children, a short little girl with long jet black hair ran from the hold of her mother. Bolting in a fit of built up frustration with the situation, passed Nellia and wrapped her arms around Senka's waist. Burying her face into bloodied fabric, clumps of tears falling down her cheeks "Thank you... for coming back... for us Senka." the child of twelve cried, melting the woman's heart.

Senka's violet eyes stared in widened surprise and hurt at the sobbing cousin, expression softened for a moment. "Oh Dominique..." the woman mumbled the girls' name with a sweet voice. A gentle hand rested on her second youngest cousin's head, allowing the girl to cry as much as she wanted into her side.

The rest of her siblings exchanged tearful looks before following Dominique's example, all leaving their mother's side. Natalia gasped in worry of her treasures going near such dangerous people, she parted her lips to voice against their actions but only a hitched breath came out. Her body seemed to freeze as brown eyes watched the remaining three children surround Senka with sorrowful embraces that mirrored their little sister.

"It's alright..." Senka assured the children with a comforting voice. Lips softly planted a peck on the forehead of a boy inches shorted than her, dark skin and short black hair. Slender fingers curled around his neck, allowing him to cry into hers.

While the fourth child, mimicked Dominique in embracing Senka from the front. His head rested against the woman's chest as he sobbed in silence. "...It's over now."

Hisoka and lllumi observed how the younger ones seemed to have broken down from the stressful ordeal. It was made clear how fond the children were towards their eldest cousin, their role model, their protector. As well, how much she truly cared and adored them in return. Sounds of sobbing and sniffles was all anyone could hear.

In Hisoka's arms, the baby began to sniff in threatening to cry from how his older cousins seemed to be in such despair. The magician chuckled softly at Hunter's sensitive reaction before a small smile curved his lips in silent assures to the baby.

Senka's expression only heightened with determination to prove her actions were for the best and not completely villainous. "If I'm such a bad guy, then how can the kids trust me more than all of you?" the woman boldly stated, eyes lit with fire.

Nellia sighed heavily, her own cheeks damp with tears. "Honey, we do trust you... but when you do reckless things like this... It's frightening. I'm not sure what your grandfather would say about this, or do. But what I do know is he would understand why."

Namia nodded in agreement to Nellia's words. "No matter what, Daddy would have talked it out rationally."

Natalia's features softened at her sisters words. "Senka isn't the only one to blame, this could have been avoided if we took control of the situation."

"She's right." spoke a calmed down Nolan, expression showing immense regret. "We - I'm sorry Senka, for not helping you. We all are somewhat responsible for all of this." he motioned his hands, referring to the entire group.

The female hunter's lips smiled faintly. "All I care about was saving the kids, nothing else. As long as I accomplished that, everything else was secondary." Senka said looking between the adults, expression broke from the emotionless mask to a sincere one. At the same time, Senka couldn't forgive them so easily, not yet. They failed her so much that it couldn't be healed. All that Senka can do was move on from her past, sometimes it works.

Nellia looked to her now grown up daughter, wondering where did the years go. How she was able to miss out on her only childs' transformation into a woman who didn't necessarily need anyone to aid her unless wanted. Senka felt a shiver as her mother's hand stroked blue hair in affection. "Welcome home pumpkin." she said with a slight crack in her voice, giving a gentle peck on Senka's forehead.

lllumi and Hisoka exchanged looks, both felt a strange contain emotion of witnessing the mother daughter moment. Although they had seen the relationship their female partner had with Mel, it was nothing like the real thing.

With the tension finally over, everyone else let out a needed breath of relief. The four children released Senka, hands wiping away the salted water. Nolan didn't waste any time, making his way towards the magician with hast and wife following suit. Hisoka turned to them with a solemn expression, allowing Hunter to see the eyes widened slightly at seeing how the child's features brightened with happiness when noticing his parents were before him. A big innocent smile that exposed tiny teeth giggled. "Da! Da! Ma! Ma!" chanted Hunter, little arms instantly unwrapped themselves from Hisoka to desperately stretch towards the couple.

"Son! My Son!" cried Nolan, thankful that his only child had been freed from the torture chambers. Big hands took the small child from Hisoka's hold, Hunter completely ditched the magician without a moments' hesitation to be in the loving care of his parents.

An unknown feeling settled in the man, something he couldn't verbally explain or mentally. Or perhaps he did, just not willing to admit it yet. Hisoka's unreadable expression was replaced with a smile at the overjoyed couple. "You have such a good little boy~ So much talent~" he complimented Hunter with enjoyment, thrilled in the thought of how the young child could grow into such a wonderful target.

Nolan took a brief moment from his son, scanning the man who took care of him. A brow rose in question of the magician's relations to his niece. "Who is this guy Senka?" he asked, voice filled with skeptic opinions.

"Is he your boyfriend?" budded in Yume with a comical tone, a finger poked at her older cousin in emphasizing her joking manner.

"No!" Senka rejected instantly while in union Hisoka stated the opposite "Yes!" Earning him a glare from a frowning Senka, lllumi snickered at the display. They were always like this but it never got less entertaining. Not that it showed on his non expressive face.

Natalia began cackling in hysterics. "Pay up Nellia!" she demanded from her sister, hand gestured for the agreed amount.

"Dammit" cursed Nellia, giggling as she dig into pockets for the five hundred jennys.

Senka's brow twitched, not believing what the adults were doing at her expense. "What the hell?! you guys were betting?" shouted the blue haired woman at the two.

"Well honey, we were worried you'd bring home a girl one day. You have such a bad bisexual phase." Explained her mother nonchalantly, hand placing the money into Natalia's.

Both lllumi and Hisoka looked to their female partner with interest at the new information "Girls too?"

Senka just shrugged off the embarrassment of her youthful dark history. "What can I say, I appreciate all forms of the human body." she bluntly stated with a sly smirk.

A mischievous expression played on Hisoka's features, an alluring hum escaped his lips. "That explains quite a bit." he hinted indirectly at the countless wickedness they had done together behind closed doors, or open spaces.

She narrowed violet eyes on the devilish magician. "Keep talking Hisoka and see what'll happen to you."

"Oh~ So he's name is Hisoka." Namia wickedly stated, catching her nieces' slip up.

Senka froze, realizing she had made a big mistake. A hand covered her in a facepalm of stupidity. "Damnit... Can this get any worse?"

"Huh? My daughter actually brought a boy home? Two at that! Nice." shouted a sarcastic male voice in dramatics. Yup, it just did.

All eyes landed on a tall man well in his fifties, head shined from having no hair, grey covered his cheekbones and mouth area. His body seemed lanky but slight detailed muscles said otherwise. lllumi noticed upon the newcomer's arrival, Senka seemed to turn to stone.

A soft gasp of surprise escaped from Nellia, her hand over-mouth. "Jax?" she called to the man with widened eyes.

"Uncle Jax!" shouted all four of Natalia's children, thrilled to see an obviously familiar face. Their expressions lit with excitement and joy as they ran into the male, giving him a welcoming embrace as a group.

Jax, chuckled at the young ones. "Hey when are you kids going to stop calling me that!" he greeted with a goofy smile, a strong hand gently rubbed Dominique's head.

Hisoka scowled sightly at himself, wondering how he couldn't detect the man's presence from such a close distance. Yellow eyes shifted onto Senka with intentions to ask the woman who this person was, only to have his answer.

lllumi, not distracted like his friend, clued into the fact this male was Senka's father. He noted how the woman had gotten her exotic features from Jax, since his skin colour mirrored her own. Where as the more feminine, Nellia took responsibility for them for obvious reasons.

Senka blinked in disbelief, expression instantly changed to one of annoyance. "What the hell baldy? You should have told me you were coming! Having me do all the hard work dammit! That's abuse!" she scolded loudly, earning a laugh from the man.

"Exactly, I'm too old for these things you know. Cut your father some slack." he said jokingly, a hand rubbed his stomach.

Hisoka blinked at the words. "Huh?"

lllumi's thoughts were confirmed. "Aren't you lucky." he commented to his friend in a whisper.

The blue haired woman huffed, arms folded under her chest. "This... Is my Dad... Jax..." she introduced in reluctance, a scowl emphasize her distaste of the situation. Now realizing what she had just put herself in, the one thing she never thought would happen in her life.

Hisoka meeting her family. Her. Family. Senka's right eye twitched, knowing it was going to come, the teasing. The dark secrets of her childhood. It was all going to be said in front of the people she'd want to least to know. It was too late, there was no escape. The magician noticed how Senka seemed too nervous in her manner, it made him wonder if he should be as well, so far he kept up with his poker face.

"So which one of you is it? My daughter's boyfriend." Asked Jax with a silly smile, wondering between the two males that stood beside his daughter was in relations with her.

"Can everyone stop it with the 'boyfriend' crap." Senka mumbled under her breath in grimace.

lllumi pointed to Hisoka. "Him." while at the same moment Hisoka pointed at himself "Me."

Senka groaned at the two males. "Please, stop. You're going to make it worse." she warned, not that it was going to save them.

Jax clapped in amazement, giving unspoken approval of the relationship between his daughter and the magician. "Nice son, I feel sorry for you." he joked before turning to the attention back onto his daughter, leaving Hisoka with confusion to his words. "Wow you're doing pretty good child, still into the crazy ones I see huh? Well at least you're out of the house! Got a job, a place, a boyfriend. Now I just need grandchildren."

"Shut up!" Senka yelled in reflex at her father, Hisoka just sweatdropped and looked the other way in slight embarrassment. The situation was so alien to him that he didn't even know how to really reaction. Who knew he'd ever be able to feel such an emotion like embarrassment, he started to understand why Senka grimaced in reuniting with her family.

lllumi parted his lips, seeing fit to be the one answering on his friends' behalf. "Oh they work on that very often."

Violet eyes glared at the assassin with immense murderous intentions. "Say something more... I dare you." Senka warned in a monstrous voice.

Hisoka cleared his throat purposely to draw Senka's attention. "We should take our leave, seeing as there is other work to be done." he cleverly said as an excuse, the woman clued in on what the magician was hinting at for an escape, mentally agreeing.

"So Jax you ready to help us with the repairs?" Nolan asked Senka's father, changing the subject to something he deemed more important.

The bald man exchanged a questionable look with his daughter, revealing they had other ideas that were unmentioned. The woman returned to her stern manner, taking a breath before parting her lips.

"That's not an option." interjected Senka bluntly, her voice stern in its tone. "Pack whatever you need and leave with Dad to the Island, immediately. You all need to be gone by latest tomorrow afternoon." she instructed, her male companions looked to the woman in unspoken curiosity.

Namia glared at her niece, brows wrinkled. "What do you mean? This is our home, where everything started, where our Dad started."

Senka sighed softly, knowing what she had to say would be hard on them. "I understand how hard it is but the bottom line is you can not stay here. " She looked down with a pained expression, guilt settled in as she blamed herself. It she never met him, the family could have stayed and rebuild the town. "A spider can sense when a victim is caught in its web, no matter how far from the center it is."

Her mother's breath paused, the sickness from anxiety threatened to rise. "Senka you're not still..." A hand from her ex-husband gentle rested on her shoulder, forcing the woman to not finish. Jax looked at his ex-wife with a saddened expression, showing his age.

"Nellia, don't ask questions. Sometimes it's better to not know." stated Jax, strong eyes looked onto his daughter. He knew her little secret and that she wished to not involve those closet to her heart.

A regretful smile curled Senka's lips, hand gently caressed Dominique's cheek. "Go with Dad and forget everything that happened, start anew and..." she sighed heavily, eyes shifted between the children. "Don't be like me, be better than me."

Senka lingered in the moment a little longer before turning her back, taking her reconfirmed rightfully earned place with the two males. Walking between Hisoka and lllumi as they made their way out of the town, now finished.

"Damn I really need a vacation." Senka complained while stretching her arms over head.

The magician hummed in interest to her idea. "Then why don't we?" he asked with allurement, giving the woman a mischievous expression.

She huffed with a scowl. "It wouldn't be much of a vacation if you're with me causing trouble." rejected Senka in a direct insult.

lllumi let out a small snicker. "As if you're any better Senka." he added for the other male's defense.

Watching the friendly exchange between the three hunters, the family stood in peaceful containment. A smile of relief played on Nellia's lips, able to finally rest easy to know her daughter was happy. To know that her daughter was brave and strong. To know that her daughter walked with confidence. To know her daughter could walk along side monsters and not be eaten.

Little did she knew, it was too late for that. Five years too late.