SOUR CANDY | killua z. ✔

24 | play

tw: descriptions of injury, mentions of  zoldyck family nastiness

"I WASN'T playing," Kalluto replied smoothly, stepping out from behind a tree.

They were a bleeding fish and Sen Inoue was a shark. No matter what Nen techniques they used, no matter how flawless their Zetsu was, Sen always knew Kalluto was there. Sometimes before they even had the chance to tag her.

She was always half a step behind them, nearly grabbing the back of their kimono.

And there Kalluto was, coming to her instead. Mother would be furious; it was a good thing they bribed Milluki into looping the camera feed by the creek.

Sen looked them over coolly. She seemed to be gauging their intentions, even though it was obvious Kalluto had been trying to spy on her. What else was she looking for?

"You weren't?" She scrunched her nose. "A shame. I like games."

Sen turned back to the water and continued brushing her hair.

She'd been borderline obsessed in her determination to catch Kalluto, to keep their presence hidden from her friends. And now she was... what, writing them off as harmless? A small, lonely part of them mourned the loss of interest.

"I didn't think you'd give up so easily," Sen said. "I was hoping you'd tag me and I wouldn't notice until it was too late."

Kalluto narrowed their eyes, squashing the flicker of warmth they felt from the encouragement.

"This isn't a game. I've been ordered to spy on your group, but I'm here to give you a warning."

She turned to them again. The amusement on her face was deadly in the moonlight. 

Their time on Inariyami taught them that one shouldn't humor a fox's whimsies. Kotaro and Mai and the little triplets weren't even full kitsunes, but they could direct a conversation the way a conductor led an orchestra.

Sen was probably the same.

"Everything's a game. It's all about viewpoint," she patted the ground beside her. "Alright, kid. I'll bite. What's the warning?"

Kalluto knelt next to her in the dainty, pretty way their mother taught them.

Sen dropped the playful visage and slouched, looking at them solemnly.

They had to take care in not revealing they were a Zoldyck. She could do all sorts of things with that information.

"You should stop interfering with my surveillance," Kalluto said. "The mistress is displeased that I'm not bringing her anything new."

Mother spent most of the morning wailing and cursing 'that nasty little girl', fluttering her fan about her chin, agitated.

"What will happen if I keep 'interfering', as you put it?" She toyed with the hairbrush.

"The mistress's anger will be re-directed to other members of the household," said Kalluto. "Like Killua."

And me, they didn't say.

If they successfully played themself off as a servant, maybe Mother would be impressed enough to forgo Kalluto's inevitable punishment. That was unlikely; incompetence was not tolerated in their family. But they could indulge in daydreams.

"Who are you?" Sen asked wryly.

There was no reaction to the provocation about Killua.