ENTER: The Magician, and His Assistant. [ PreExam Hisoka x Reader ]

EPISODE FOURTEEN: Coincidental x Crossing

CHAPTER 14

COINCIDENTAL CROSSING

Despite the calm sky, there's a den of snakes wrestling violently in their secret hole. One snake is the largest of them all, and he's eating the smaller ones that are latched onto him with their tiny fangs. There's one he can't quite swallow, however, and he's forced to leave his home.

The night sky was turning to a deep navy from the violet hues left on the horizon from the fading sun. The clouds cast a dark shadow elongating the path where the rain fell. It was a light drizzle, with shallow puddles formed in the crevices of the sidewalk and pooling at the sides of the road. The lights from the intersection highlight the pools of liquid in neon green and red, the occasional passing car sending curtains of black water over the passerby. He doesn't mind the inconvenience of the soak, because he's keeping something far more delicate dry. To his side is a small girl with bright cerise hair to match his own. They are both scuffed up from an unknown attacker, a single scratch across the male's cheek. The little girl, his sister, is unharmed save for a few brown patches of dirt on her raw knees. His yellow eyes are glowing menacingly under the pale light from the streetlamps, causing other pedestrians to avoid his gaze. Anger and bloodlust was rolling off of him in waves as he considered the events that had taken place prior. His hands, though open palmed, were tense and the veins were twitching. Rain fell from the tips of his nails, and it was easy to imagine the liquid to be blood instead.

Moritonio had attacked Himiko's tent as a warning to him.

As the only one who knew Moritonio's crime of murdering a troupe-mate, Hisoka had unwittingly placed a target on his younger sister's back. His pale hand found a place to rest on the young girl's shoulder, a small confirmation that she was fine and still breathing. Had it truly been a warning though, or was Moritonio simply enticed by the weakness of Himiko? The ring leader's lust for killing was becoming stronger, and with the death of another low-stringer, it was becoming apparent that strangers weren't satiated the older man's killer instinct. The broad shouldered man behind the curtain was beginning to catch the itch more frequently, and was lashing out at his supposed children.

"Where are we going?" Himiko asked, looking up at him with her doe amber eyes. They almost looked black against her pale skin.

Hisoka looked away from her briefly, thinking. Truth be told, he hadn't thought of that yet. He was focused on his anger so much, he neglected to start thinking of that. Gaze snapping back to Himiko's, he knew she couldn't walk around all night like him. He offered her a comforting smile, "Somewhere safe. Don't worry, we're almost there."

To lift her worry some more, he lifted his fingers in an easy-going peace sign. It worked, she smiled back at him, some bounce returning to her tired feet. "Okay."

By now, the sky was completely blacked out, no stars to be seen beyond the thick cloud cover. Setting aside his irate thoughts, he roved the city streets for a place to stay. He already knew where to avoid, most of the hotels around were exceedingly expensive, but the ones on the end of the street were lower class and more affordable. A bright red sign emboldened with bright and bare bulbs caught his eye a few blocks down. The building was tall and impressive, but the brick was faded and he could tell it was not as popular as the others surrounding it. Deciding to check it out, he quickened their pace.

As he got closer, he confirmed that it indeed read Legends.

Hisoka ushered Himiko inside and out of the rain, the chill of the buildings air conditioning meeting their damp skin. The color crimson was the first thing to meet his eye, and the gold embellishments were second. It was an elegant but outdated color scheme, and the pattern was everywhere. It was mildly psychedelic and he didn't care for it. Himiko gasped in wonder at the sight, finding it to look like a castle, especially the giant chandelier looming above them in the lobby.