A Genius Thrown to the Wolves

Into the Woods Ch. 15

A huge feeling of relief washed over Kiyotaka when Hisoka came into his line of sight. The other four watched as their temporary teammate immediately walked away without so much as a word. But they watched as Hisoka and him met in the middle, Hisoka signaling something with his eyes. He'd held his hand out in front of him, the four expecting him to be asking, or demanding, something. Instead they saw Kiyotaka use it as a foot hold and boost himself up and lay around Hisoka's shoulders. He'd curled up and they actually watched him begin to doze off. Kurapika knew he hadn't slept the whole time they were together, and the others took brief notice of this as well. It was slightly concerning, but what was even more concerning then that, was the fact that he was comfortable enough to fall asleep with one of the biggest walking red flags any of them had ever seen.

Kiyotaka was trying to get a little bit of sleep before the next phase but he could feel the gazes of the 4 he'd just spent an almost unbearable 72 hours with. He just opted to bury his face out of sight, curling in on himself and Hisoka. Hisoka just went about his business like there wasn't a whole person on his shoulders. He just waited for the next instructions while shuffling cards.

Kiyotaka had read about boats in books he found in the white room, but he never expected to suddenly be on one when he woke up from his cat nap. Hisoka had felt the boy wake up before slightly tensing. "What's the matter? Is the kitty afraid of water~?" Hisoka poked, but did not get the answer he was expecting. "I am just fine with water. I've just never seen a boat in person, much less been on one." "You've never been on a boat?" "I just said that didn't I?" "Calm down I didn't mean anything by it, just confirming I heard you right. Well then you better go explore! Cats are supposed to be curious aren't they?" Kiyotaka slowly got off the man and tentatively stepped onto the deck of the boat. Hisoka found it funny how cautious Kiyo was being and motioned for him to go have a look around. Gon had seen the latter half of the interaction and wondered what Hisoka was getting the cute boy to go do. He watched Kiyotaka jump up onto the roof of the boat and crawl in circles, pausing every now and then to get a better look at something. Then Gon watched as he jumped off the top and landed on Hisoka's shoulders.
His legs and arms were around Hisoka's neck and shoulders, while his chin rested on Hisoka's head, messing up its usual gravity defying poof. "Had enough?" He asked the boy. "Yeah, it was a lot more simple then I thought. Not near as complex as that blimp thing we were just in."  Just as Hisoka was going to 'console' him the feminine voice of their next proctor came over the boat speakers telling them to gather at the front deck of the boat.

Nobody could say they were surprised when they saw Hisoka carrying Kiyotaka on his shoulders like a little kid. It did, however, continue to peak their curiosity. Why would such a cute little thing even bother with that lunatic? Some were jealous of Hisoka and others worried for the doll on his shoulders safety. Kurapika was definitely questioning the nature of their relationship. Was it forced or mutual, it seemed to always be switching.   He decided not to worry to much about it but keep his eye out when he turned his attention to the explanation of the next phase.

Kiyotaka got off from Hisoka's shoulders when it was time for him to leave onto the island. He watched as person after person left. He couldn't wait for it to be his turn. He just wanted to get away. He'd noticed people from his group in the last phase trying to start a conversation with him. One he didn't want to have. So he was grateful when he got called to leave. He strolled into the tree line and out of sight without so much as acknowledging them.

His target was a sniper, lucky for him when he found them, their sights were set on Hisoka's friend. Kiyotaka knew Hisoka didn't align himself with people who weren't powerful, which is why he would sit back and let the heavy lifting be done for him.
As if on que a needle was sent flying through the air, shattering the glass on the scope and imbedding itself in the eye and brain of its target. An instant kill. Right before Illumi could retrieve the badge from the body, it was gone. He followed the movement he was barely able to track and saw Kiyotaka perched in a tree. "Oh. Your his little pet." Illumi said referencing Hisoka. "Not his pet if I'm getting paid" This shocked Illumi, Hisoka was paying this person? He'd never done that before. So what was so different about the person in front of him? Was he really powerful enough to warrant this kind of treatment from Hisoka? He kept his shock to himself and disappeared. Kiyotaka, having completed his task went to look for the stream he'd heard. He was thirsty, and fresh water sounded nice.

Illumi had gone to let Hisoka know he'd finished the task before resting the rest of the phase. But before he completely buried himself he couldn't help but ask, "you're paying that kid?" "He's only 2 years you get then us. But yes I did!" "Why?" Illumi asked as serious as ever. "We'll I was just captivated by him when we first met and he was just about to walk away! I tried everything, even threatening and scaring him, but it didn't work! Can you believe that!? I'm the end I managed to convince him to stay with me as long as I paid him and he got to chose which requests he followed. Real adamant about that last part to. But it's totally been worth it!" "If you say so."