Kira ~
"Remind me again, why are we here?" I asked impatiently. I didn't have all day, I couldn't afford to miss the sign up.
"Patience, Sweetheart," Hisoka smiled, idly pouring a drink for me. "Here, relax for a bit."
I squinted suspiciously at the dark red liquid. "Is it alcohol?"
"Why? Are you underage?"
"No, of course, not!"
"That's a relief." His smiled widened before gesturing to the drink. "Well, what's stopping you?"
"Do you ever use your common sense?" I pushed the glass back towards him. "I am a woman who is alone in a room with a man, and not just any man, but to clarify, a creep like yourself. No way in hell am I getting drunk!"
"A 'creep'?" Hisoka took a small step back, falling back into his chair, all the while feigning an expression of hurt. "I am genuinely offended that you would think of me that way."
"I thought you already knew." I replied indifferently. "To be honest, I'm not sure whether you're just unknowingly creepy or you go out of your way to strive for creepiness. Either way, that makes you a creep."
The red-haired man gave me a dead look. "You know, Sweetheart, sometimes it's better not to be honest." He said, as he reached for the wineglass and downed the liquid in one swig. Placing he glass on the table, he reached into his pocket and emerged with a pack of cards.
"Hisoka, as much as I love your magic tricks, now isn't the time."
Ignoring me, he dealt three cards, placing them face down on the table. "Pick a card."
"I'm serious, you clown. I need to sign up quickly or else..."
"Pick a card." He repeated, this time more forcefully, compelling me to follow his instructions.
I reached out and flipped over the card on the right. But instead of displaying a number, the card showed a face and it was neither a king, queen or jack. My eyes flicked towards Hisoka in confusion. "Who is this?" I asked, indicating to the photograph of a ghostly pale man with narrow black slits for eyes.
"Oh, good choice," the clown remarked casually. "That's Sadaso."
"Yeah, no shit, that's what it says on the card. But who is this Sadaso?"
The corner of Hisoka's lips curled into an enigmatic smile, as he regarded me with playful eyes. Oh god, what is he up to now?
"Do you believe in magic?"
"Honestly, I don't know what to believe when I'm with you." Strangely, he was the only person who I saw no point in lying to. His unpredictability made it hard to decide whether telling him the truth or concealing it would result in the best outcome.
At that, his smile only widened. He took the card from my hand and placed it back on the table, face down. "I'm going to tap the card three times and then hand it to you."
He followed through the steps and soon I found myself holding the card again. But this time, the picture had been altered. Instead of an image of Sadaso, the card displayed tiny graphs and charts. Upon closer inspection, I found that they contained details of his abilities, strengths and weaknesses.
Apparently the look of surprise on my face was very amusing because, beside me, Hisoka began laughing. On top of that, he seemed extremely proud of his trick. "Very clever, right? You know, you can do it, too. If you tap the back of the card again three times, it'll revert back to the photograph."
"No offense, but magic tricks are the least of my concerns right now." I huffed in annoyance, refusing to show him that I was even the slightest bit impressed. "What are you giving me this for?"
"Why, he's your first opponent, of course!" The clown exclaimed in delight. "With your abilities, he should be relatively easy to finish off."
"I'm not sure if I'm following..."
"Well, let me explain." He flipped over the two other cards on the table. "These three - Riehlvelt, Gido and Sadaso - are notoriously known for challenging newcomers on the 200th floor. Essentially, these lowlifes pressure new arrivals, generally those who are unfamiliar with Nen, to fight them. And that's how they rack up their wins, by preying on the weak. Pathetic, I know."
"You're saying I should seek them out? And challenge them instead?"
"Close, but not quite. Rather, you should let them come to you." He suggested. "Seeking them out will let them know that you are thoroughly prepared, then they might not agree to fight you. They are cowards, after all."
So this was Hisoka's plan. Assuming he was right, I would have three easy wins under my belt within the next few weeks. Three steps closer to my goal. And then only seven to go, until the chance of revenge would be in my hands.
"What do you suggest?" I turned to him with a newfound seriousness. Perhaps I did want his help.
"Let them find you." He smiled, standing up. Heading to the door, he beckoned me to follow him and pushed me gently back into the corridor. "Off you go, Sweetheart."
I spun around, quickly stopping the door before he could close it. "You're not coming with me?"
Hisoka shook his head. "Wouldn't want to frighten the rats, would I?"
I regarded him again, from the laughable outfit that contrasted against his nuscular build to the creepy smile plastered on his face. He was indeed quite frightful. And I wouldn't want to rely on him completely. Although he has helped me several times already, I couldn't bring myself to fully trust him. He was too unpredictable.
"Come to me again after you've signed up." He said as I headed down the hallway.
Who knew what he was planning?
Hisoka ~
I glanced anxiously at the clock again. It was almost midnight. What was taking Kira so long? The deadline was twelve o'clock and she was more aware of it than anyone. She must've signed on already. Unless...
Unless those cowardly rats gave her trouble. Could they have planned to injure her before their fight? Or did they demand something unreasonable of her? I felt an unusual surge of anger rush through me and quickly suppressed it. These were all but irrational thoughts. Kira was strong. She could handle it herself.
Otherwise, she'd be no match for me. And all that I've done to keep her around would have been a terrible waste.
I sat down at the table again, pouring myself another glass of red wine. I leaned back on my chair, taking a sip of the bittersweet liquid. Drinking alone was just just depressing. If only Kira would drink with me, but I doubt it'd happen. At least, not anytime soon. I still couldn't quite understand why she didn't trust me, especially after all that I've done for her. Besides, she should have already known that had I wished to kill her, she would already be dead.
True, I was using Kira for my own benefits, but the same could be said about her. How desperate she must've been, to trust a man as treacherous as I was. No, rather, it was a dangerous combination of desperation and determination.
"You should learn to lock your door." It was Kira's voice, directly behind me. Deep in thought, I had failed to detect her footsteps, though they were silent and swift, as expected of a trained assassin.
"You should learn not to 'creep' up on someone." I turned with a smile. "Besides, would locking it have made a difference to you?"
"No. But to others, perhaps." She replied, sitting down in the vacant chair beside me.
I poured myself more wine and swirled the red liquid in my glass. "What others do I have to fear?" I mused, savouring the drink. "Oh, and if you had hoped to catch me in the shower, I'm afraid you were half an hour too late."
"As if! I have standards, thank you very much." She scoffed, snatching the bottle of liquor from me and taking a drink.
"We're drinking from the bottle now? What happened to not wanting to be intoxicated around a 'creep' like myself?"
"I think I've interacted with enough creeps today, one more couldn't hurt." She shrugged, no doubt referring to the three gatekeepers she had to deal with earlier. I had better not be labelled as the fourth.
"And what of your standards?" I asked abruptly, taking a sip of wine. "Do I meet your standards now?"
"No. Of course, not." She quickly replied, concealing any hint of surprise, though the light flush in her cheeks told me otherwise. Aw, she's blushing. Either that or the alcohol was getting to her. I chose to believe in the former.
"Is that so?" I teased, wanting to get more of a reaction out of her.
"Positive." She said firmly.
"That breaks my heart." I placed a hand dramatically over my chest. "You truly are ruthless."
"Thank you, it is my pride and joy." Kira replied bluntly, before taking another drink.
I looked at the bottle still in her hand, noticing that there was little more than a quarter left. "That is fine wine, you know? It is a drink intended for tasteful savouring, rather than quenching thirst." I pointed out and took the bottle from her, pouring her a glass before setting it back on the table. "Please, have some decorum."
"You have no right to lecture me about decorum." She groaned in annoyance and slumped forward against the table.
"I have every right. I like to consider myself the epitome of sophistication, as I am sure many would agree."
She giggled at my response. "Yeah, your clown costume is quite sophisticated. I'll give you that."
"My dear, you do not understand sophistication."
"What? And you're an expert in the subject?" She joked, mocking my accent. "Hisoka Morow, the magic clown, at your service.
That was not very nice. I gave her an annoyed look, though I couldn't deny that accent was admittedly accurate. Kira continued to laugh until the joke was no longer funny. Not that it was particularly humorous to begin with.
God, was she drunk? I never even knew she was capable of laughing until I had seen her with alcohol in her system. It was a nice change but tonight wasn't a good time. Unfortunately, I still had plans later.
"Perhaps you should stop drinking," I said, taking the bottle of wine away from her again. After downing her glass, she had gotten her claws on the bottle once more.
"Relax, I'm not even tipsy."
Oh, she was beyond tipsy. However, I didn't see the point in arguing on this matter. Similarly, you couldn't convince a fool to recognise their own foolishness. This was going to be a problem.
"I believe you have a match tomorrow." I pointed out, choosing another approach. "It's not wise to drink before a fight."
"Who cares?" Kira shrugged, leaning back in her chair. "You said it'd be an easy win."
"Given that the fighter is competent and sober." I said, emphasising the last word. "And, if I'm not mistaken, your first opponent is Sadaso."
"Oh, but you are mistaken. I changed my mind."
I frowned. I had planned the order of her matches to provide the most entertainment for myself, and of course, to help her accumulate wins. Sadaso was the weakest of the three and I figured it would've been more advantageous for Kira not to reveal her full strength immediately. I had even gone to the trouble of performing a magic trick to make her believe she had chosen her own opponent, hoping it would make her more inclined to follow my plans.
And now all my efforts were wasted because she had challenged someone else on a whim. "Who is it then?" I asked.
"The cripple." she replied matter-of-factly.
"They're all crippled in some way or another. You're going to have to be more specific."
"The one in the wheelchair." She was referring to Riehlvelt.
"You challenged a man in a wheelchair?"
"Yes, and I would do it again."
"You're shameless. I like that."
However, Riehlvelt was the strongest among the three, contrary to his appearance. Perhaps I should warn Kira about his electric wheelchair. But then again, she was unlikely to retain any information, given her current state of mind. Besides, it would be more entertaining to watch her to figure it out herself.
It would be a fitting test. And if she were to fail, then perhaps I would have to consider her worth. As much as this woman intrigued me, it would serve no purpose to keep her around if she didn't amount to anything. Of course, I trusted my initial judgement, but in the past there were cases where I had been wrong.
Looking at her again, I noticed that she had already fallen asleep, which was potentially problematic. The bottle of wine was now empty, though I had no more than two glasses. What a waste.
I glanced at the clock. It was about time. I knew I couldn't just leave Kira there, not when I was expecting visitors. I bent down to pick her up, but before I could do so, she jolted awake. Instinctively, she drew a knife and held it against my throat.
"Sweetheart, if I had wanted to kill you, don't you think I would've done so already?"
She lowered the knife and returned it to its sheath. "Yes, and you seem to enjoy reminding me."
I smiled and picked her up, carrying her to my bedroom. I laid her down on the bed. She seemed to realise something was off. "What are you doing?"
"You need to rest," I explained, handing her a glass of water. "Drink this."
She seemed hesitant at first but drank it nonetheless. "Ain't no way I'm sleeping here." She protested, trying to sit up. "I'm going back to my room."
"Sweetheart, you're in no condition to walk back alone." I tried to reason with her, gently pushing her back down. I glanced at the clock and then back at Kira. She was unusually resistant. "You must stay here and rest."
"No! Who knows what you're up to..."
"Kira, I need you to trust me." I cut her off quickly. I couldn't afford to waste more time.
"No, I'm not..." Her voice faltered. "I think... I might've had too much too drink."
Ah, finally. It's working.
"Now, I need you to stay here and rest." I whispered softly. "Sweetheart, can you do that for me?"
She could only manage a weak nod before her body relaxed involuntarily and her eyes slowly closed.
"Good girl."
I smiled and left the bedroom, locking it behind me. The sleeping draught had taken effect. I didn't like to take unnecessary risks.
It didn't take long for me to hear a knock on the door. "Fancy seeing the two of you." I held the door open, inviting the two men into the living room.
"No one else is here?" The man in the black cloak asked skeptically.
"Not that I know of." I shrugged, taking a seat.
"Either you make sure or I do."
"Feitan, calm down." His friend said, joining me at the table. "I don't trust him either but if someone else is around, we would've already detected their presence."
"Thank you, Phinks. Now, to what do I owe this pleasure?" I asked with a smile.
Feitan handed me a sealed envelope. "Boss has job for you."
~~~~
I'm starting to write again. I know I've left this story to dry for quite a long time. My apologies.
~ krypto