A/N: I am warning you people now, this is LONG and not OVERLY exciting, but I have been working on this for a few days and decided to post it even though it is not complete. There will be more to come eventually. I will slowly be working on the second part and am hoping to have it up around New Year's.

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me except for the plot and my OCs. Hisoka is (regrettably) not my character though I would pay an arm or a leg to own him.

Tsutae closed her eyes but could not block the sound of the man crumpling to the ground from her ears. She knew, without a doubt, that he was dead. The surrounding crowd was deathly quiet in the arena, even the announcer was in too much shock to describe what had just happened.

The match was over, Tsutae had won and her opponent was dead. His heart had been torn from his chest cavity and carelessly dropped next to his now lifeless corpse. The only evidence it had been Tsutae's doing was the still warm crimson liquid dripping from her fingertips.

Breathing out to relax her body, Tsutae withdrew her claws and allowed her hand to contort back into its original shape. Opening her now brown eyes, Tsutae looked at her kill. No human could live very long without their heart. And this only made one more kill on Tsutae's list.

Tsutae was currently fighting on the 200th floor of the Heaven's Arena, trying to fruitlessly catch up to her younger brother's shadow. The past few years Hakka Zoldyck had progressed rapidly, leaving his elder sister Tsutae to lag behind. Her only accomplishments remained in her poisons.

Hakka had already completed his ten wins on the 200th floor; he had completed them before Tsutae had even set foot here. This had been Tsutae's first fight on this floor, while her brother had already returned to their mansion.

The silence of the crowd pounded in Tsutae's ear, louder than their cheering ever could. Raising her gaze to the stands Tsutae took a single step forward. Her movement seemed to break the spell over the announcer, who loudly proclaimed,

"Tae is the winner," yet the crowd never applauded or cheered.

Avoiding the ever increasing pool of blood around her opponent, Tsutae reached up with her unbloodied hand to release her hair. The dark strands cascaded down her back to rest low and with a soft wave near the ends.

She hopped off the raised square platform and walked down the dark corridor. Tsutae stopped only when she knew she was hidden in the shadows and stared at the drying blood on her hand. Its red hue was slowly beginning to be replaced by rustic brown the more it dried. Impossible to resist the temptation, she raised her hand to her lips and her tongue snaked out to taste the familiar coppery substance when another voice spoke up. It came from the deeper shadows, farther down the hallway.

"My, my, what a pretty girl~ but such a filthy habit hmm~" Tsutae's eyes darted to the man who slowly emerged into view, a predatory look in his strange yellow eyes. His hair was the same color as the blood still on Tsutae's hand; her tongue licked her lips when she noted the comparison.

However, after having been so absorbed by the color the first time, and by that neglecting to pick up his presence, Tsutae was not about to relax her guard anytime soon.

Her gaze roved over his entire body, noting his unusual appearance. On his upper arms and wrists were sweat bands, or something akin to them. He wore pants that were fitted to his waist and tucked into black shoes with the toes pointed up. His rustic red hair was spiked up and away from his face so nothing obscured the painted teardrop and star upon his cheeks.

Tsutae watched as, from seemingly nowhere, he pulled forth a deck of cards and began to shuffle them leisurely.

Those cards… there was only one person in the whole arena who was known for using playing cards as weapons…

"Hisoka." Tsutae said in a voice which barely concealed her irrational loathing of this boy.

"Oh~ What a pleasure it is, to be so easily recognized by a woman such as you." His yellow eyes narrowed and he stopped shuffling, his feet bringing him some steps closer until Tsutae felt the instinctual urge to gain more distance. He was dangerous. Tsutae understood this, but could not force her feet to move as they should.

Hisoka smiled and pushed his boundaries by walking another foot closer. He was intrigued with this girl, who was comparably younger than him, not in age but in skill. Of course, she was fairly accomplished in that as well, but Hisoka felt confident that he could still break her anytime he wished. But, where was the fun in the game if he simply did that?

Tsutae finally retreated, taking only a half-step back but it was an accomplishment. This type of fear was such an unknown feeling to Tsutae. She had been trained to withstand so much, yet this man produced a primal fear deep within Tsutae's gut and she had learned long ago her instincts were the one thing in life she could wholeheartedly trust. Even her own blood kin were not to be given her complete trust, for if paid enough they would turn on her. Tsutae knew this, even if at many points in her life she wished she did not.

"Tae~chan…" Within the blink of an eye Hisoka had moved with such speed towards her that Tsutae had no time to think, only to act. Her instincts maneuverer her body, twisting away from Hisoka before jumping back a distance so she was now in the spot Hisoka had originally appeared from and he was in hers.

Hisoka chuckled, thrilled to see her running. He licked his lips and shuffled his cards, repressing his enjoyment at such an honest display.

Tsutae waited, would Hisoka make another move towards her? Would she be able to evade and get away from him? Multiple scenarios ran through Tsutae's thoughts, she tried to create a plan for every possible outcome. Her plans were formulated in only a few seconds, but there was one scenario Tsutae had not planned for.

Hisoka walked away.

He turned his back on her, and made his way to the ring. Only then did Tsutae realize that a rhythmic chant was coming from the stands.

"Hi-so-ka! Hi-so-ka! Hi-so-ka!" They were cheering for him…

Tsutae's hands dropped to her sides and her muscles relaxed only when it was apparent Hisoka would not be turning around. He had just… left. Tsutae did not know why, but mixed with her relief was a sense of disappointment.

Shutting the door to her room, Tsutae stared at the half bloody hand print she had left on the white paint. Her gaze travelled to her still blood laced hand, no longer feeling transfixed by the color. Jerking her body around, Tsutae made her way to the bathroom. She pulled her shirt over her head as she walked, discarding it to the wooden floor to be picked up the next time she felt like it.

Tsutae stopped to lean on the doorframe of the single bedroom and took the time to kick off her shoes and peel off her socks. Walking the rest of the way in nothing more than a bra and pants, Tsutae turned the shower onto full blast and stepped in without undressing the rest of the way.

Her muscles protested the entire time.

Trusting her weight to the tiled wall, Tsutae let her feet slowly slide out from beneath her and allowed her body to collapse against the floor of the shower. Hot water sprayed down to soak her thoroughly, but Tsutae could barely acknowledge the heat. She felt cold. And it wasn't because of the kill. Tsutae had grown numb to that pain when she was still only a child.

It was because of Hisoka. That man… he was frightening. He was powerful. He was…

Tsutae squeezed her eyes tightly shut to block the thoughts.

…handsome.

Holding aloft her hand, Tsutae watched as the water slowly mixed with the dried blood and the now pink water was pulled by gravity to disappear down the drain. Tsutae watched until the last remnants of the pink water was gone before dropping both her hand and head.

The muscles in her stomach tightened as she thought back to how Hisoka had looked. He was filled with confidence… A confidence Tsutae had lost. Sure she was a Zoldyck in name, and her skill was superior to those who were not from her family, but within the Zoldyck bloodline she would forever be viewed as a failure. It was Hakka who was the success.

…and now a second silver haired Zoldyck had been born. Tsutae's younger cousin, Killua, who was now five. Her uncle had already declared Killua would be the heir. He was so young, yet filled with a potential which made Tsutae feel like a novice next to him.

The shower was still blasting down upon Tsutae's head and making it indistinguishable to tell what was water and what were tears…

"Hmm~" Hisoka hummed as his body leaned against the wall of the ground floor foyer in the Heaven's Arena. He had been waiting in this exact spot since early morning, hoping to catch a glimpse of the girl from yesterday, Tae-chan. And he had just spotted his elusive girl now…

He watched from his spot as she left, never turning her head and her gaze locked forward. Where was she going ne~?

Hisoka followed, curious as a cat and as insatiable as a predator with their prey within their grasp. He watched her all throughout the morning, but by noon Hisoka's interesting was beginning to fade from the dark haired teen.

Tsutae had hopped from one boutique to another in the downtown area, never buying anything but spending exactly the same amount of time in every store. She looked up at the sky, shielding her eyes from the sun's glare and guessed it to be lunchtime.

Tsutae was not at all picky about her eating habits, so she simply found the nearest café and went in. How lucky for Hisoka, as it just so happened to be his favourite café. Upon following her inside, the hostess greeted him enthusiastically.

"Hisoka-sama! It's so great to see you again!" Her dark blue hair was cut to frame her face and her green eyes sparkled with happiness. It was precisely her kind of face that bored Hisoka the most. "I have your favourite table open, if you want to follow me."

Without acknowledging her, Hisoka walked to his 'favourite table' and discovered his newest amusement at the table beside his. Since Tsutae appeared to be sitting alone and not awaiting any particular company, Hisoka invited himself to the party.

"Tae~chan~" He purred, only to realize Tsutae had already known about his presence and currently held a blade against the inside of his thigh, posed over the femoral artery there. Guess that was what he deserved for taking the seat immediately beside this deadly beauty. He repressed the urge to lick his lips.

"Hisoka." That was the second time Tsutae had spoken his name aloud, her stomach muscles clenching as she realized she did not detest his name. The way she spoke it… Tsutae bit her tongue to prevent herself from saying it again. Instead, she glared vehemently at the red haired man beside her.

"Tsk is this how such a beauty greets her beau?" Hisoka stroked the back of the hand which held the knife, smiling when he saw the shudder pass through her body. Tsutae refused to pull her hand away, but Hisoka was good. He used the lightest of touches to trace patterns on the sensitive skin with his fingertips.

Anger flashed in her now clear green eyes as she heard what Hisoka had said.

"You are not my beau." Tsutae hissed, pressing her knife deeper into his skin. One single slice and he would be bleeding well. It would be so easy…

"Than what am I Tae-chan?" Hisoka asked in open wonder, curious about so much more than just her opinion of him. Like, were her eyes always this green? Had they not been brown when he talked to her last night?

"You," Tsutae kept her voice pitched low, "are a nuisance."

Hisoka laughed, loudly, at her choice of words. He had been called many things in his short years, but nuisance was new.

The other customers in the shop turned to look at the strange red head, but the two paid no heed. Hisoka was used to the attention wherever he went, and Tsutae was too perplexed by the older man's actions to even notice the expressions of those around them.

"Lovely Tae-chan… you are simply a delight. If you keep acting like this I may eat you before you are a ripe fruit." Hisoka chortled as he said this. Tsutae's face contorted into a scowl, insulted at being personified with a fruit metaphor.

She abruptly pushed away from their table, the blade already re-hidden amongst her clothing. Hisoka was impressed with her skill at concealing and withdrawing her weapon. She was an interesting little one, and he would have fun slowly figuring out not only her secrets but crushing her in his hands as well.

Tsutae stalked from the café, while Hisoka remained seated. His curiosity in her may have been renewed, but he was not about to continue following her. He had learned what he needed to from her today; why not let her have her afternoon to herself? Their game was far from over anyways.

Tsutae replaced the necklace she had ideally picked up in the last boutique on the block. There had been no real purpose to her outing today, other than to take a breather from her room. Heaven's Arena was nice, especially the rooms on the 200th floor, but it was redundant to spend all her time there when there was a whole new world for the teen to discover.

But, so far the world was not all that interesting. The only thing Tsutae had found interesting was…

Gnawing on her bottom lip, Tsutae exited the store and tried to leave her thoughts behind as well. The crowds had waned the later it had gotten, and the street lights had come on just recently. Night time in the city might as well have been high noon in the country because of all the lights. Cities never sleep, and neither did Tsutae.

Holding her hands together behind her back, the teen took her time to stroll along the slowly emptying sidewalk. There were still hours to kill before she wanted to go back to the Heaven's Arena, but had nothing to occupy her time. Tsutae was not one to participate in many hobbies; her only one was actually her poisons. However, Tsutae had not thought it would take her so long to conquer the floors and had not planned ahead to pack some small vials of raw or mixed ingredients.

Passing through a park, Tsutae stopped to gaze at the moon. It was nearly full yet its light was brilliant. Stars were seen twinkling here and there, but only the brightest and bravest for the skyline was heavily clouded by the city smog.

She drew a deep breath into her lungs, scenting a fraction of coming rain. Tsutae breathed out and threw her body down onto a nearby park bench. What was she supposed to do now? She looked down at her toes, picking absentmindedly at the laces of her running shoes. Dressed in a common pair of blue jeans and a long sleeved soft yellow, off the shoulder top, Tsutae had also tied her hair into loose twin tails. She looked like a normal teenage girl who was out after curfew, but without her friends.

Resting her head on her huddled knees, Tsutae closed her eyes in exhaustion. It was so quiet at the moment… peaceful…

She felt her thoughts wander wherever they may, not at all concern which path they went down. Tsutae had come to terms with her life and was not one to wallow in the past. She looked at her life like it belonged to someone else; she felt no real connection to her memories.

Her thoughts led her to a time in her life when her mother had nearly killed her simply because Vanessa was disgusted with her daughter.

Vanessa Zoldyck looked down at her eldest offspring, her daughter that greatly resembled her own appearance. She sneered, kicking the girl in the ribs to rouse her. Tsutae had fallen unconscious after Hakka had delivered a perfect blow to a nerve located in the back of her neck.

Tsutae coughed, spitting up saliva before her green eyes fluttered open. Her limbs felt weak and numb.

"Get up." Vanessa ordered, her eyes narrowed in climbing rage. Tsutae struggled to her feet only to be knocked down by her mother's hand. She huddled on her side against the stone floor and said nothing as her mother rained blows down upon her.

Time passed and Vanessa finally let up.

Tsutae pushed herself up fully, swaying on her feet. She resisted the urge to feel her battered body; she knew bruises would form along her arms by the time the sun set, and Tsutae would be lucky not to have a broken rib or two. Her face felt swollen. Allowing her tongue to run along her teeth, Tsutae tasted the blood from her split lip.

While Tsutae was focusing on her internal diagnostic, Vanessa's anger peaked as she saw Tsutae's legs shaking with the effort to stay upright. How dare her eldest child show such weakness! Her brother's sons were not this weak! Her children should be as strong, nay stronger, than her brother's!

Clenching her fists tightly, Vanessa felt her hand contort and her nails pierced the skin of her palm. Without a shred of remorse, Vanessa lashed out. Catching her daughter's cheek, four bloody streaks were carved into Tsutae's face.

Tsutae's cry of pain mirrored that of a wild animal's. However, the vocalization of her pain only seemed to send Tsutae's mother farther over the edge. Vanessa lashed out again with her claws and shredded the front of her daughter's shirt, spilling more of the life liquid from her daughter.

The more Tsutae cried the angrier Vanessa became. Eventually Tsutae could no longer support her own weight and crumpled, more a bloody heap than solid flesh.

"Mamma?" Hakka's voice was the one thing that could still the enraged woman. He had been in the room through the whole ordeal, but had held his silence for he thought his sister deserved everything she received. Vanessa stilled her hand, and Hakka never realized how narrowly his mother had come to murdering his sister in cold blood.

"Hakka darling…" Vanessa cooed, forgetting her daughter in favor of her beloved silver haired son. Since her elder brother had not seen fit to produce a silver haired child, producing two with inky black locks, Hakka was the obvious choice to become the Zoldyck heir. She could not have been more proud of her son.

The two left the large stone room without another word. And Tsutae was left on her own, just like all the times before when her family had abandoned her to her own care.

With a resolute strength, the ten year old crawled across the floor and eventually made her way to her own bedroom. Light headed from the blood loss, Tsutae struggled to staunch her bleeding. It took her all night, and no sooner had she wrapped her wounds did the fever set in.

"Tae~chan…" A softly careening voice pulled Tsutae's eyelids open and she looked sideways to see the red haired man from earlier. Why was he here?

Her feet touched the ground as Tsutae straightened her posture, too weary to react to his unexplained appearance.

Hisoka reached out a hand, brushing his thumb swiftly across Tsutae's cheek and catching a tear. He brought the drop of liquid to his lips and tasted the salty fluid.

Refusing to greet the man, like she had the last two times they had met, Tsutae rose and made to walk off. Hisoka grasped her wrist, pulling her strongly back so Tsutae landed in his lap.

He chuckled.

"Hello Tae-chan~" Hisoka said again, nuzzling into the blushing girl's neck. "My, my, your scent is so… arousing." He licked from the base of Tsutae's neck to her jawline as she struggled to release herself, though the attempts were half-hearted in the face of her exhaustion.

"Get off you pervy sack of –"

"Such language!" Hisoka cut off, chuckling softly. He was hardly offended by words, but her reactions to everything he did were just too cute. However, her reactions at the moment were less than enthralling…

"I said get off!" Irked, Tsutae pulled her fist back and aimed a solid punch directly into the grinning man's face. He easily caught it, kissing each of her knuckles as Tsutae struggled to release herself from him yet again.

Muttering under her breath, some of which making Hisoka laugh in mirth, Tsutae finally extracted herself. She never looked back and set off down the nearly unseeable path, her aim was to return to Heaven's Arena.

Hisoka remained seated on the wooden bench, resting his arms along the back and with one ankle balancing on his other knee. He did not try to stop Tsutae again, merely watched the girl walk solemnly away. There had been little spark in her tonight, not surprising as the hour was unimaginable to most people.

Hisoka sat there, watching the stars until the sky began to lighten and he felt the need to stretch his muscles.

Weeks passed and Tsutae was actively avoiding Hisoka. And despite her efforts, he had appeared before her every day, greeting her with the same old,

"Good morning~ Tae-chan," she shuddered in remembrance, "Don't you look ripe this morning my little fruit…"

Wai– NO!

Tsutae twirled on her heel, planting her back against the nearest wall and holding her breath. But there he was, in his same old attire of pants, sweatbands, pointed shoes and no shirt.

"Hisoka." Tsutae's voice rolled his name inadvertently, causing him to smile with pride.

"My, my, Tae-chan finally dines to acknowledge me ne~"

Casting her eyes downwards, Tsutae pondered how she could get away from him without too much effort on her part. She saw a finger come into her view, titling her chin up enough so she stared directly into Hisoka's yellow eyes.

"Hmm~ Tae-chan's eyes are brown again. Ne~ Tell me why?" Hisoka refused to release her chin when Tsutae tried to turn her head, grasping it firmly between his thumb and index finger. It was the first time since their night in the park that he had heard her voice and Hisoka was not one to let an opportunity for fun slip away.

Tsutae slapped away his hand, and Hisoka allowed it, keeping her trapped against the wall with his physical body alone. She was so much smaller than him… but she was hardly a fragile woman. Those who were made of glass never survived in the Heaven's Arena, there were too many people like him who made it their pastime to shatter the glass as soon as they could. Hisoka's game was just a little different; keeping them perched precariously on a ledge, only allowing them to topple over when he wanted them too. Although there were those few who chose to plummet to their own fate by their own hand…

Hisoka enjoyed those games the least. What was the point of the chase if he could not enjoy the final kill?

"Won't Tae-chan tell me~?" Hisoka implored after some time had passed and Tsutae kept quiet. He was fast losing interest in her unresponsive body; surely she was not such a poor game? She had been enthralling during her first match, when she killed her opponent without hesitation.

Hisoka licked his lips as he remembered how she looked, when she was about to lick the drying blood from her hand. Her look then…

He held in his moan of ecstasy.

"Tsutae." A male voice called and Hisoka saw the girl in his arms respond instinctually. Hisoka turned to stare drawly at the approaching young man. He had silver hair and blue eyes, a confidence in his step as he walked directly up to Hisoka and Tsutae, never batting an eye at their intimate position.

Hisoka took an instant disliking to the cocky boy. He seemed far too naïve, believing the strength he currently possessed was enough to overwhelm any opponent he fought. Such a fool, Hisoka thought with a frown.

"B-brother, why?" Tsutae stammered, elbowing Hisoka in the kidney to force him away and closing the distance towards her apparent brother.

"For you from mamma," he held out a folded sheet of paper. Tsutae snatched it greedily, reading the words in silence. Looking up as she finished, Tsutae's expression told Hisoka everything he needed to know. Tsutae was dismayed by whatever the note had said.

"Hakka," whispered Tsutae, her eyes growing wet.

Hisoka, not one to remain out of the loop for long, snatched the note from Tsutae's limp hand and read it himself,

Tsutae,

Since you're training has proven ineffective at the Heaven's Arena,

I am seeing fit to send you to your Uncle's.

You are a disgrace to our proud Zoldyck name.

Do not return before me until you have received Silva's approval.

-Vanessa

The handwritten script was flowing and feminine, in contrast to the dark message it contained. Hisoka, glancing up with his own expression of astonishment, tried to connect the dots of his mind.

This girl, and by default the cocky bastard who handed her the note as well, was a member of the Zoldyck family? The game just became a lot more interesting, Hisoka thought with glee.

"See ya, big sis." Hakka sneered the usually sweet endearment so it came out sounding twisted. Tsutae blinked, trying her upmost to contain her tears and watched with wounded eyes as her brother turned without another glance and made his way to the automatic sliding doors which served as the main entry to the building.

Hisoka dined to keep his tongue and let the poor girl off the hook for the day. He would play nice, for now. He was not overly fond of crying girls after all...

"Come on Tae-chan," Hisoka grasped her wrist and pulled her along. They too exited the building, but already there was no longer any sign of Hakka.

The two teenagers walked, side by side, through the crowd of strangers on the sidewalk. Hisoka seemed to have an idea of where they were going, and Tsutae just followed, walking automatically with downcast eyes.

Growing increasingly bored of the quiet between the pair, Hisoka decided to have a little fun with the seemingly oblivious girl. He wasn't called a magician for nothing… and as some people knew, magicians were also well known for being incredible tricksters…

He looked quickly down to the left at the girl's feet, noting that she was wearing a pair of plain black sneakers and jeans, before attaching a small piece of his nen to the toe of her left shoe. Hisoka lifted his gaze and maneuvered that same piece of sticky nen, making his fingers move minimally so it seemed normal when he suddenly yanked on the nen.

Tsutae felt her left foot suddenly yanked sideways, knocking into her right leg and unbalancing her. Her one knee struck the ground, followed by her hands and before Hisoka could even laugh once Tsutae had already climbed back to her feet and looked as if nothing had happened.

Most of the people around them never had time to notice the girl fall.

Hisoka let out a low, impressed sounding whistle as he looked down at the shorter girl's head. The two were stopped in the middle of the sidewalk; people were pushing against them in their impatience to go wherever they thought they had to be.

"Don't do that again." Tsutae stated in a voice that broke no arguments and continued walking. Her pace was smooth and even, making Hisoka feel disappointed that he had not only failed in flustering the girl but that she seemed unaffected physically by his effort.

Unfortunately for Tsuate, her calm exterior was a complete façade. Internally she was very flustered. She had been absorbed in her thoughts, despairing over her mother's impartial letter. She was to be sent to her uncle's? Why?

Tsutae's mother had little, nay nothing to do with the main family in a decade. Tsutae had been four years old the one and only time they had travelled to the main house. She remembered it well, for it was the first time she had met her cousin Illumi. Before that meeting, Tsutae had been ignorant to the fact that she even had relatives her own age.

And if it had not been for her mother's lengthy and overdramatic hysterical screams of outrage and humiliation at receiving the news of Killua's birth, Tsutae may still be ignorant of the fact that she now had three male cousins instead of only Illumi.

"Say ah~" Hisoka's odd words forced Tsutae to once more crawl forth from her thoughts and she saw as the red haired man held out to her a vanilla ice cream cone. Taking the frozen treat, Tsutae licked at it, growing increasingly more engrossed in the activity. It was… good. This was the first time Tsutae could ever remember actually tasting ice cream.

"Mhmm…" She hummed, closing her eyes and savoring a small bite as it melting on her tongue. Too bad for Tsutae she was inexperienced with such a treat, for taking a slightly too large bite she felt a constricting feeling in the top of her mouth from the sudden cold. "Ahh…"

"Brainfreeze!" Hisoka cried in jubilation as he watched the girl cover her mouth with her hand, fruitlessly trying to make her mouth warmer.

"Gah! That was cold." Tsutae fanned her mouth once most of the numbness had faded and she warily eyed the rest of the cone.

"Tae-chan is cute~"

"Why do you always say such things?" Her head tilted curiously. She eyed him with her brown eyes in puzzlement, never having fully understood the thoughts which filtered through his mind.

"Because Tae-chan is cute." Hisoka said in lieu of an explanation and continued to eat his own strawberry ice cream cone.

The two had ended up back in the park, where some weeks back they had run into each other under the nearly full moon. Now, it was flooded in sunlight. The deciduous trees were covered in healthy green leaves, providing ample shade along the pathways which meandered about. As it was an early afternoon sunny weekday, the only occupants of the park were mother's watching their children play in the jungle gym and swing on the swings. The children's shrieks of carefree laughter carried to the teens, who silently agreed to avoid people.

Hisoka ignored the disapproving looks of some of the mothers as he lead Tsutae deeper into the park. They were probably just offended that he decided to walk around shirtless, not that it bugged Hisoka. He never had an easy time following conventional rules and laws; he much preferred the freedom of ruling his own life.

"So… Why are we here?" Tsutae finally ventured. The two had spent the afternoon in tranquility, finding a grassy little hill and laying on their backs to cloud watch. It was growing later, the day was growing old and soon it would be evening. Tsutae would have to make her way back to the Heaven's Arena to collect her… possessions.

"The question should really have been; why are we not somewhere else?" Hisoka countered, still gazing up at the clouds but with a smile in his voice. Tsutae was too relaxed to even think of countering his minds games, so she played along. Somehow, being with him, like this, was the most calming experience Tsutae had ever known. Which spoke volumes since the first time Tsutae had met the clown-wannabe she had been unable to move, and now, here she was, lying next to him like it was the most natural thing on the planet.

"Why did you choose this park?" Tsutae asked, her own eyes still watching the sky above her.

"Because Tae-chan likes this park."

"How did you-?"

"Know?" Hisoka finished and rolled onto his stomach, folding his arms beneath his chin to look across the park. "I know a great deal about my Tae-chan."

Tsutae arched a single eyebrow as she too rolled, resting on her right side and staring at his red hair, tracing every strand with her eyes.

"Oh?" Was all she said.

"Mhm~ Is my Tae-chan curious?" Hisoka purred, adjusting his body position to mirror Tsutae's. Her brown eyes darted away, and she could not fight off the blush that crept across her cheeks. With a mumbled,

"Yes," Hisoka smirked and began to list everything he had learned about her over the past little while. Which, to Tsutae's surprise, was quite a bit more than she was comfortable with him knowing.

A/N: Thank you for reading this far, and I do hope you will come back for the next installment of Tsutae's Secret ^^