I'm not even ten steps out of the town when I'm startled by a razor-sharp playing card sailing past my head.
I turn around to be greeted by the mischevious magician, Hisoka. He waves at me, smiling with his eyes closed.
"What are you doing here?" I ask, crossing my arms.
"I could ask you the same question~" He says playfully, running a hand through his blood-red hair.
"Fair point... but I asked first," I say in a childish tone, the corners of my lips being tugged upward into a small smile.
"If you must know, I have no need to be at Heavens Arena anymore. So, I followed you here. It seemed like you were up to something, anyway~" He answers, taking one step closer to me.
"You're right about me being up to something, but I don't think you'd be interested," I explain.
"You'd be surprised to hear some of my interests~" He vaguely replies. "What exactly is it that you're doing?"
"I'd rather not disclose that information, Hisoka. At least, not with other people around. You, of all people, should understand secrecy," I say, sending him a sassy look. He chuckles darkly. "Now, if you don't mind, I need to get going."
I pull my summoning stone out of my backpack and activate it. My horse, Mirai, appears in front of me, neighing happily.
"Yeah, I know. I haven't seen you in a while," I stroke her fur and attach some of my bags to her saddle.
"You know, I've got a long way to walk~" Hisoka openly states. That was really subtle, Hisoka. Should I give him a ride, though? I mean, he's not exactly the most trustworthy individual. He has helped me several times before, but he only helped me because it was good for him in the long run. Ahh, what the heck? It's not gonna hurt anyone.
"Would you like a ride?" I offer, gesturing to Mirai.
"How generous! That would be great~" He accepts. I slip my foot into the stirrups, swinging my other leg over to sit on her back. Hisoka follows suit, sitting right behind me. I grip the reigns, signaling for her to begin moving. I pull gently, increasing our speed to a gallop.
"You know we're going the wrong way, right~?" He says matter-of-factly.
"No, I'm going to the next city. Which is this way," I point in front of us.
"The next city is that way," He points to the right. Silently, I switch our direction to where he was pointing. Hisoka laughs, while I stay completely quiet.
"What, the silent treatment now~?" He questions.
"Look, I'm dropping you off in the next city and I'm moving on. I don't have time to waste," I say sternly, having Mirai go even faster than before.
"Are you sure you don't have some time to spare~?" He asks, almost like he has plans already.
"I'm sure. I have to be somewhere soon, but I have no idea where I'm even going! Not to mention the fact that I'm in severe danger if I don't get there in time!" I exasperatedly exclaim.
"Who exactly are you looking for~?" Hisoka asks.
"This guy named Manato Watanabe, but no one knows where he is. I have to find him," I tell him.
"It seems like you could use some help~" My eyes widen at his apparent offer. Yes, I could definitely use some help, but I don't want to put Hisoka, or anyone else for that matter, in danger. It's not fair to them. Hisoka is very strong and I'm sure he can defend himself. If he can't, though, I won't be able to live with myself. I can't let another person die on my watch. I refuse.
"I appreciate the offer, but I have to do this alone," Declining, I bow my head slightly in thanks.
The rest of the ride is spent in peaceful silence. We reach the city close to sunset, as people are finishing up their shopping to return home. Compared to the small town from earlier, this city is a million times larger. It's not as big as Yorknew, but it's a close second. After I send Mirai back home, I decide that my best option is to find an inn to stay for the night. I have a lot to do tomorrow. My goal is to figure out where Mr. Watanabe is residing. He's clearly hiding somewhere, it seems like no one knows where he is.
I walk around the city, trying to find a hotel. To my dismay, Hisoka comes with me. We stumble across a hotel a couple streets down from where we were. The place doesn't look too expensive, so I head inside. At the counter in the lobby, a receptionist stands with her back facing us.
"Excuse me," I say, getting her attention. She turns to face me, looking surprised (and possibly scared) when she sees Hisoka.
"Oh, hello! My name is Gina. How can I help you today?" She asks, now gazing between the two of us.
"I would like a room, for one person," I explain, making it very apparent that I don't intend on sharing a room with Hisoka.
"I need a room as well~" He says after a moment.
"Okay, two rooms. I've checked you in. I'll go get your room keys," She tells us, walking to another room to retrieve the keys. When she returns, we grab the keys out of her hand.
"Thank you," I say, already on my way to the elevator. Hisoka beats me there, standing in front of the doors until they open. I step inside it with him, awkwardly pressing the '12' button.
A couple moments pass, and we have arrived. I go down the hallway, stopping at room 1027. I roll my eyes when I see that Hisoka is in 1026. Great.
Once I'm inside, I'm pleased to see my room. It's not as luxurious as the Heavens Arena rooms, but it's really nice regardless. The next thing I do is pull out my phone to check for any messages. I haven't had any access to service lately, considering all of the traveling. I scroll through my contacts, stopping when I see nothing important. Nothing new. I close my eyes, laying down on the bed. When I look back at the screen, I see that my thumb has landed on one of my contacts. Kurapika.
I mentally debate calling him. Then, I take a deep breath and turn off my phone. I'll see all of my friends soon enough. I glance at the clock. Seeing that it's already 11:34 pm, I decide to hit the hay. It has been a very, very long day.
Sunlight filters through the small window to the left of my bed, shining directly onto my face. I groggily sit up, running a hand through my hair. My first task of the morning is to eat breakfast. Relatively quickly, I find something to eat in the hotel's mini fridge. Then, I get myself ready for the day.
I go down to the lobby, prepared to check out. The same woman from last night is standing at the counter. I reach down to grab my wallet out of my pocket.
"How much will it be?" I ask her, setting my room key on the counter.
"Actually, the man you came here with already paid for your room. He left early this morning and told me to give you this," She hands me a pristine white envelope.
"I'll make sure to thank him," I say, heading outside. Hisoka paid for my room. Huh. I open the envelope, taking out the two pieces of paper that were inside.
On the first piece of paper is an address. An address in this city. The second piece of paper has a photo of an older looking man. Under the picture, in bright pink pen ink, it says, "Manato Watanabe. You're welcome". The last thing on the page is a tiny face, drawn with the same pink pen. It has a teardrop and star on its cheeks, under its eyes.
I smile widely, realizing what this means. Now, I know where I need to go. I silently thank Hisoka for leaving me this information. My work is cut out for me. I need to go to the address that Hisoka gave me and look for the man in the picture. Seems easy, right? I hope so.
As fast as I can, I locate the address on a map and travel there. It was all the way across the city, near the outskirts. It's a medium sized concrete building, with ivy growing up the sides. If there was ever a good place to hide, it's this place.
I gather up my courage, preparing myself to enter. After a moment of hesitation, I confidently walk inside, prepared for the worst. I'm met with a man, sitting in a black chair. He lifts his head up, hearing me enter.
"Hikaru Malachite," He menacingly spits, standing up to his full height.
"Manato Watanabe," I reply, looking at him with a glare that could kill.
A/N: Hi guys! Wow, I just realized how long it's been since Hikaru summoned Mirai. I guess she just didn't have a good opportunity to ride her, until this chapter, that is. Anway, I left this chapter on sort of a cliffhanger! Sorry about that, but you'll just have to wait until tomorrow to find out what happens!
Okay, I don't have anything else to say, so I'll be back tomorrow with the next chapter!
-CrypticAlexandrite ^_^
Question of the Chapter: What's your favorite food?
Author's Answer: It's not technically food, but coffee. Cuz coffee is amazing and I would fall asleep in class like every day without it. I stay up way too late writing and/or on the internet lol.