Kira ~
My mind was a mess, as I entered the room with the other candidates. It was the Final Phase, but I couldn't concentrate. Even when Chairman Netero explained the task, I found my thoughts drifting elsewhere. More precisely, they were focused on Hisoka.
Our encounter last night had left me somewhat unsteady. I still couldn't fully process it. Part of me refused to believe that he truly meant what he said. But why? Why was I feeling this way?
From the beginning I had always known that Hisoka was a self-serving, psychopathic trickster. I knew he wasn't one to be trusted, and that he was just using me for his own benefit. So I shouldn't have been surprised when he uttered those words. I was supposed to be expecting it.
But why does it hurt?
Why did his words affect me so much? I've been called way worse than 'a toy' before. And yet, coming from his mouth, those two words seemed sharper than the cards he carried.
My eyes followed as Hisoka's tall figure sauntered into the corner, leaning casually against the wall. He seemed completely indifferent, like he'd already forgotten. I watched as he drew a card, fiddling with it idly, twirling it in his fingers.
He noticed me, and looked over, his golden eyes meeting mine. To my surprise, he gave me a lighthearted smile, before turning away. It was as if nothing had happened at all.
How dare he... For some reason, that made me seethe with anger. How could he just stand there, so unaffected, so oblivious to the stress he was causing me?
"Now, the next fight is between Hisoka and Kira." The Chairman's voice sounded in the room, and I immediately perked up at the mention of my name. I was even more delighted to hear Hisoka's.
"Weapons are allowed, right?" I asked eagerly, already unsheathing and sharpening my knives. This clown is dead.
"Yes." Netero confirmed with a nod. "But killing your opponent will result in your immediate disqualification."
You've got to be kidding me. What kind of rule was that? Never mind, I'll just cripple him instead. The goal was no longer to make him surrender, but to inflict as much pain as possible.
With that clearly in mind, I stepped forward, facing Hisoka, and he followed in suit. He then had the audacity to smirk at me. He obviously wanted to see me get angry. As if I'm not already mad enough. But I wasn't going to let him have the satisfaction. Instead, I maintained my composure, and simply glared at him.
At the Chairman's command, the duel began. Immediately, I dashed towards Hisoka, two daggers in hand. Strike fast, don't give him the time to think. He doesn't deserve that privilege. Aiming for his head, I lunged forward and swiped with my knife.
It annoyed me greatly when he effortlessly ducked, and jumped out of the way. I'll get him next time. Quickly changing directions, I attacked again, this time going for his upper body. My knife barely grazed his side, as he managed to swerve to the side, yet again avoiding serious damage.
He smiled again, this time even more cheerfully than before. This insufferably obnoxious clown! He hadn't even drawn out a card yet. Was he so confident, that he didn't even need a weapon? Was he spiting me?
"Fight back, you coward!" His cockiness was really pissing me off. Even more, for me to land an attack, I had to find an opening. Right now, he wasn't giving me one, as he continued to play defense.
"Oh, Sweetheart," Hisoka grinned. "You are not ready yet."
Huh?! How dare he!
I launched into a series of attacks, slashing and stabbing with both knives, determined to injure him. My frustration began to build up, as he continuously dodged the strikes, and my blades consistently swiped through thin air.
It's no use. I could feel myself beginning to tire. As much as I hated to admit, Hisoka was a good fighter. My usual run-and-knife tactic wouldn't work on him. I needed to change up my strategy. I noticed that he only moved after I had begun an attack, therefore his reaction time was fast. He also didn't make any unnecessary movements, thus conserving his energy. For what? It's not like he's going to fight.
If I was going to land a hit, I'd have to bait him. I knew I couldn't change directions halfway through an attack, or he would definitely notice. Therefore, the only way was to use myself as a decoy, and strike front on, then follow through to the side. It would be risky, considering I'd have to guess which direction he'd dodge.
But what if he attacks me? No, that was unlikely. From what I've found out so far, he wouldn't hurt me. He was 'keeping me alive' until the 'right time' for god-knows-what he had planned out. I'll use this against him. I'll make him sorry he ever said that.
I took a deep breath, getting myself together. This had better work.
I darted towards him again, this time, with a clearer objective. In previous attacks, I had been wary, and kept my distance, in case he countered. But now, I pounced towards him, closer than before. It's all or nothing. I slashed at him viciously with my left hand, purposefully freeing up my right.
As expected he reacted immediately. Right. I took a guess, mentally crossing my fingers. With my throwing arm, I released the knife in the anticipated location.
My heart soared with an evil glee as I saw Hisoka collide with my blade. The knife had made a rather deep cut along his side. An expression of disbelief momentarily came over him. Not smiling anymore, are we?
However, he recovered quicker than expected. "Sweetheart, you are so cute." He smiled. "I see, you want to play serious."
I take that back. How the hell is this clown still smiling?!
Hisoka ~
Glancing down at the fresh, bleeding wound in my side, I was slightly surprised. Kira had baited me. She knew full well that I wouldn't hurt her and she used it to her advantage. Damn it! She played me.
But I was the magician here. I calmly drew out a card, holding it between my two fingers. "Let's have some fun then, shall we?"
Without waiting for her response, I charged at her, swiping at her repeatedly with the sharpened card. Of course, I wasn't trying to cause any serious injuries. It was mainly just to startle her, which clearly worked.
She immediately switched to defensive mode, as her Nen tightened around her. She focused on dodging my attacks, gradually retreating backwards.
She can't hide forever. She's going to run out of space.
I could tell she was beginning to tire. She hadn't fully recovered from the Felen venom yet. With a scratch that deep, any normal person would've been paralysed for weeks. I was surprised she could even walk, let alone fight.
I'll end it here. She needs to rest.
With that, I threw the card at her, intending to throw her off. Oh, shit. That's too close. I cringed slightly, as my card grazed her right arm. But I couldn't really stop now. What's done is done.
Taking advantage of the split second of hesitation, I lunged sharply towards Kira, pinning her to the floor. Expectedly, she started to struggle. I already had the precautions in place. A look of confusion came over her, as she realised she was stuck to the ground. I love Bungee Gum.
I restrained her wrists beside her head, and smiled down at her. "Look, Sweetheart, we've had our fun. But it's almost bed time." I said, in a whimsical tone. "I really need you to surrender."
"No way!" She continued to thrash aimlessly.
"I don't think you're aware of your situation right now, but Sweetheart, please give up."
"As if I'm losing to a clown like you!" She protested stubbornly, trying to kick me.
Damn, that hit hard. "Once again, I prefer the term 'magician', if you don't mind." I replied, keeping my calm. "Now, if you'd please surrender, it would save a lot of trouble."
"Make me!"
Oh boy. It was really hard for me to control myself, if she was constantly tempting me like that. It's fine. A little blood won't hurt.
With one fast motion, I swiped the card across her collarbone, drawing a thin line of blood. "Strike one." I smiled ominously.
However, Kira didn't seem fazed, not at all. Even more surprisingly, she mirrored my smile. But it wasn't a friendly or pleasant one. It radiated extreme malice, her silver eyes flaring with some sort of darkness. A choking, hiss-like laugh escaped her lips, as she convulsed uncontrollably.
What's going on? Did I do something?
I released her in shock, slowly backing away. Oh god... what have I done?
Suddenly, she lunged at me with inhuman speed, knocking me down. She was now positioned on top of me, straddling my waist, snarling down with menace. I watched in pure astonishment, as her eyes began to flicker between the usual silver and an obsidian black.
I tried to get up, but with one hand, she shoved me back firmly to the ground, before unsheathing a dagger. I caught her wrist just in time, as she attempted to plunge the knife into my chest. She let out a hysterical laugh as she forced the blade towards me, pushing down with both arms.
For someone her size, she was astoundingly strong. Yet it didn't seem like her full strength. It was almost as if the roles were reversed, with her toying with me.
Her eyes were now completely back. I gazed with horror into the abyss, the pools of darkness that had overwhelmed her mind. I could find no trace of Kira. She wasn't in control anymore. Something had taken over.
Is this why she was so scared? My heart stung a little, as I remembered the fragile girl in my arms, just a week ago. Is this the part of herself she is afraid of?
"Kira." I whispered softly, looking into her eyes. "It's okay, Kira."
She froze. She seemed confused.
"Kira." I repeated coaxingly.
She lowered the dagger. The darkness gradually receded from her eyes, and the silver light returned once more. Then, her expression morphed into terror, as if the shock of what had just happened was now settling in.
The knife clattered to the floor, right beside my head. She stumbled backwards. I immediately got up after her. I couldn't bear to keep my distance anymore. The circumstances were now different. Very different.
"I'm sorry..." She gasped, voice trembling. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."
"Kira, it's okay..." I carefully approached her.
"No!" She stopped me. "Stay back."
I'm sorry, but I can't do that. I continued moving forwards.
"Hisoka, please..." She sounded on the verge of breaking, tears glistening in her eyes. "I don't want to hurt you..."
"Sweetheart, I don't care." I reached out and took her shaking hands in mine. She looks so vulnerable. For some reason, it pained me to see her like this.
Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around Kira, pulling her towards me. Standing still, she didn't resist. "It's okay." I repeated reassuringly, holding her tighter. "It's going to be okay."
She rested her head on my chest, listening to my steady heartbeat. Eventually, her breathing eased, and she began to relax. I felt the warmth return to her body, as the cold fear slowly left her.
Then, she collapsed, falling unconscious in my embrace. It must've taxed her greatly, being in that state. I gently lifted her up, with one arm under her legs, and the other supporting her shoulders.
I turned towards the panel of examiners, who now wore faces of incredulity. "I surrender."
Without another word, I left the room, carrying Kira in my arms.
~~~~
Hi guys, thanks for reading! Hopefully you've enjoyed this chapter.
Honestly, I love writing about Hisoka, when he's being all sweet and stuff. I know it's really out of character, especially for him, but I can't help it.
Next chapter's coming soon, please keep reading :)
~ krypto