34

827 32 7
                                    

Chapter 34: Behind the Pretentious Mask

"What? You're going alone?" Gon asked Flame who nodded at him.

"You don't have a reason to come with me, don't you?" She asked them, making Killua click his tongue and avoid her gaze.

"Of course I have, idiot." He mumbled, not realizing that it was enough for her to hear.

"No, you don't." She interjected, making him snap his head towards her with furrowed eyebrows.

"Just shut up and go!"

"Okay, then. I'll go now."

"Wait, what? You'll actually go?!"

"You told me to." Gon was just listening at them, his eyes averting to the person who was talking.

"Idiot!"

"It seems like you don't have anything important to say. I shall now go." Killua only crossed his arms, huffing

"Goodbye, Flame! Have a safe trip!" Gon said with a wide smile, earning a nod from her. She turned her back against them and suddenly dashed away from them, making Gon blink multiple times when she was now nowhere to be seen.

"She's fast!" He exclaimed, squinting his eyes to look for her but she is really nowhere near them. "And now she's gone."

"She really left?!" Killua unbelievably said, glaring at the spot in front of him where Flame was standing earlier. Gon only grimaced at his friend who was acting strange.

On the other side, Rei, Yon, Ichi, San, Roku, Go, Shichi, Ku, and Juu were at the rooftop of the building where Flame first saw Rei. They were all standing side by side, peering at the busy streets below. The five boys who just recently got out of the mansion and are finally almost free had wide smiles, feeling the cold breeze hitting their skins.

They still wore their cloaks and hoods and it looked like they are a cult doing a ritual.

"How is it?" Rei asked, making all of them turn their heads to look at her. Instead of orange eyes, she had her On eyes and her hair was dyed black by Ichi just now. This is how she originally looked except that her eyes were supposed to be red like her siblings. Changing her appearance is a must when she entered the assassin world to avoid being recognized early.

"It's so refreshing!" Ku exclaimed, chuckling and making his other siblings smile.

"You've all grown so big, huh?" San commented, putting both of his hands above his hips. That gesture made Rei remember someone but she shook her thoughts of him away.

"Don't go emotional on us. Ew." Shichi showed San a disgusted look and that made the latter glare at him.

"And you're still as salty as ever, Shichi." Ichi said, shaking her head.

"News flash, I can be saltier." He replied in a sarcastic tone, making Rei chuckle.

"They fell for the dummy for seven years. How stupid can they be?" Roku suddenly interjected, making the other four boys snort.

"Can't blame them. It's a breathing dummy." Go shrugged, feeling cocky of his own creation. Ichi smacked the back of his head before trapping him into a headlock.

"And cocky as ever, ey?"

"Let go of me!" Ichi just ruffled his hair, not letting him go.

"Oh, and Juu is the strongest among us five!" Ku exclaimed making Juu who was admiring the scenario before him flinch.

"S-Stop." He stuttered when all of eyes are focused on him.

"Awe, shy as ever." Ichi mused, letting Go go (heh) before heading to Juu.

"Well, that's good. Did Tiago do anything to all of you while you're there?" Rei asked the boys who shook their heads. She let out a small smile, turning her head to Yon who had a small smile on his lips while looking at the scenario unfolding before him.

"Stay here. Flame is on the way." She told him, earning a nod from him.

"Flame?" Ku and Juu asked at the same time, making Yon and Rei look at them.

"She's Rei's student. You'll like her when you meet her." Yon told them and Ku's eyes immediately sparkled while Juu was intrigued.

"I'm giving you permission to put a smile on her face." Rei smirked, challenging the two boys who exchanged looks with smug smiles.

"Easy peasy!" Ku winked at her, thinking that it was, indeed, a very easy task. She and Yon could only shake their heads, not agreeing to his words.

"Juu, she's younger than you by one year. You'll get along with her the most." Rei informed the youngest Quixote, before turning her back against them, sighing. "I can't fight him in full strength." She mumbled as she started to walk towards the edge of the rooftop, her black hair dancing with the wind.

"Will you let him win?" Yon asked her, rendering her silent for a few seconds.

"That's the only way to keep him put, right?" Yon knew she was right, but Hisoka is smart, too. He would notice that she would purposely let him win. "That's also why we have Illumi on our side. And besides, immortality means possessing rage, eternal grief, narcissism, and needs, too. I used up most of my On, and I have to protect my life energy." Yon's eyes widened at what she said. Her other siblings suddenly stopped talking to each other, turning their heads to look at her.

"W-What?" Ichi asked, shocked at the sudden revelation.

"It's true. I found out during the Warfare." She looked back at them, smiling. "I couldn't do anything, could I?"

"Then get rid of it!" Ichi exclaimed, flicking her hand.

"I'm not that heartless."

"Then isn't that a reason to just not go?" Roku asked her, worried for her condition.

"It's fine. If I don't do this, more lives will be wasted." She faces front, wearing her hood. "When the sun rises, come to me." Those were the last words she said before jumping. While the others went silent, Ku was wondering what they were talking about.

"What's the matter?" He asked, making his siblings turn to him with sharp eyes. He flinched, smiling sheepishly.

"Immortality means possessing rage, eternal grief, narcissism and needs, too. Decode it. It's simple, you pea brain." Shichi said, rolling his eyes.

At The Death Valley, Hisoka sat at the top of a rock, his eyes closed with a smirk on his face. He can already feel her presence coming near, and his hands itched to fight her already. He could barely control himself from succumbing to his bloodlust. After what seemed like forever, he can finally feel her presence within 20 meter radius. He opened his eyes, turning his head to look at her.

He was expecting to see an orange-eyed girl with red and orange locks, smiling brightly at him. However, what he saw was beyond his expectations. A black haired girl with eyes of On and a stoic face. That was when he remembered what Illumi said.

"The moment she stepped out of that building and met with her siblings, she's not Hisashi anymore who you can do things to. She is now Rei, a Quixote." Right. The orange and red haired woman was Hisashi. But now, the lady in front of him was far from Hisashi. She is Rei Quixote, the real person behind the pretentious Hisashi. This is the real her, the side of her that she didn't show him, and if he stayed ignorant, she will never ever show it to him.

"Rei Quixote, huh?" He mumbled, jumping from the rock to the ground. "What happened to the Hisashi?" He asked, placing a hand above his hip while his free hand held a card.

"Oh, that? Hisashi is only a facade and an identity that I made for me to reach my goals. It is nothing but a mere representation of my weak self." She answered, tying her hair up. The gesture made Hisoka lose his smirk, his eyes sharpening at her.

"A facade? Then how come you adapted to her habits, then?" He asked, referring to the way she tied her hair. Everytime that Hisashi would get into a fight, she'd tie her hair up since it's too annoying but still refuses to cut it.

"Oh, this is a habit I have since before that I let the Hisashi side adapt. Old habits die hard, you know?" She answered, dropping her hands on each of her sides when she finished tying her hair up. "Well, then, shall we proceed?"

Moonstruck || OC × HisokaWhere stories live. Discover now