The Crimson Bond

~ Chapter 1 ~

(In Machi's POV)

A new member was joining the Phantom Troupe today. According to what Feitan had described to Machi as she herself was not available to watch the fight-This guy defeated Momokage with such ease as if fighting a child. As if that alone was not enough to perk her up, the portrait of this man named 'Hisoka' told by Shalnark got her curious and had her looking forward to meeting him.

While she was oddly curious, the amount of time he was taking in showing up had started to annoy her. This was an official troupe meeting, being late to it was a serious matter for anyone no matter if they were a founding member or not, and this guy was already 30 minutes late for his own introductory meeting.

Just as she thought that he will not show up at all and started to get up, she bumped into a large figure, who she had no idea how and when managed to get behind her. Now, she wasn't the absolute best at En but she was confident enough in her skills to notice a person before they get this close to her, but somehow this man was able to stand right behind her without being detected at all. Just how good was he? Oh, and his appearance was just as strange as Shalnark had told her- A very muscular and tall man, definitely over 6 ft., while he had a very defined facial structure which would have made him look truly handsome if it wasn't for his weird fashion choices- he was wearing a green sleeveless crop top with a spade and a diamond printed across the chest area, a pink skin tight top underneath it which made his waist look weirdly circular in shape, green baggy pants matching to the crop top and a pair of pointed black shoes. If that much weirdness wasn't enough, he also had painted a tear drop and a star under his eyes and his hair was held up in an eccentric way and bright red in color. Was that his natural hair color or dyed?

Even with all these outlandish outfit compositions, there was one thing that fascinated Machi- his eyes. They were a striking study in contrasts, burning with rich, hypnotic warmth of molten gold and amber. Slanted just enough to evoke the cunning grace of a fox, they held a captivating, predatory spark- a sharp, intelligent gaze that seems to see right through you while keeping his own wild secrets perfectly hidden. They made her feel something deep inside of her. Something she could not give a name to. It made her feel strangely nostalgic and she could not understand why. So she tore her eyes away from his and turned around to settle in a different location.

Machi decided not to think about it anymore and shifted her attention to Chrollo who was introducing Hisoka to the other members of the troupe. When she looked over to that direction she found Hisoka still staring at her with wry smile. It unsettled her a bit so she looked away once again and just stared at the floor, but she could still feel his eyes on her.

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Finally the introduction was over and they got to the main topic- Their mission for the visit to this city. It was a simple mission. They just had to steal an artifact from an auction being held in the back alleys. Since it was this simple they just needed 4 people for it- 2 to distract the guards and 2 to steal the artifact. The teams were decided quickly, Pakunoda and Shalnark would distract the guards and Machi and Hisoka will steal the artifact.

Soon after Chrollo left and just the 4 of them remained. Shalnark started talking to Hisoka as he wanted to get to know the new member if they were to work together. While the two of them were talking Machi could still see Hisoka stealing glances at her.

"I think he has taken a liking of you Machi" Said Paku, who was standing beside her. Machi rolled her eyes and said "lame joke Paku. Not funny." "wasn't joking. Don't you see the way he keeps glancing at you. Even when he first arrived he went and stood right behind you. Maybe he fell in love with you at first sight." She winked. "oh c'mon!" Machi rolled her eyes again, a bit more dramatically this time.

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At last they decided to leave. As Machi was on her way back to her hotel, she sensed someone walking behind her. she turned around fully alert and ready to tackle an ambush, but found Hisoka walking behind. She stopped and let go of her nen threads but he kept walking towards her and stopped just a few inches away from her.

They both stared at each other for some time until he broke the silence "You never told me your name". That sly smile of his infuriated her for unknown reasons. Or maybe it was the way that her heart started beating faster whenever she met his eyes that made her angry, she didn't know. "Danchou introduced everyone." She said looking away. "But I want to hear it from you." "Why?" "We will be partners for this mission I should at least get to know you." Machi rolled her eyes "Its Machi. Machi Komacine." His grin turned wider as if delighted to hear her name. "Nice to meet you Machi. I'm Hisoka Morrow. Hope we get along." He said while extending his hand for a handshake. Machi looked at it and turned around. "We better do." Was all she said before walking away.

'Interesting. Very interesting' thought Hisoka as he put his extended hand back into his pocket.

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