C H A P T E R O N E
Disclaimer: I do not own Hunter x Hunter. The wonderful characters are the creation of Togashi-sama. Any original characters who do appear however (and there will be plenty) belong to me.
Summary: It all began when Illumi was caught wearing women's clothes and competing in a beauty competition. However, it would seem that there are other reasons for his cross-dressing, and winning the prize not all that important.
Rating: M 15+
"Arcadia Central is a bustling, prosperous, rich city, almost comparable to Yorkshin City," Killua read aloud for his friend Gon from the brochure that he had off-handedly picked up in the hotel lobby on their way out to the bustling market square, "with its fair share of six star hotels, looming sky scrapers and massive shopping malls large enough to house a herd of elephants ten times over. Arcadia Central is the capital of Arcadia, a country recently torn by war. It is now undergoing a rapid modernization and reconstruction program. Arcadia has survived three invasions from its three fronts by three age-old enemies. Through ten years of devastating total war, the country, under the leadership of Emperor Rodimostev Alanis Kalinnan III, destroyed its adversaries and annexed the land of these three countries into what is now today known as Greater Arcadia. It has became a new country large enough and with enough potential for foreign affairs experts to claim that it is a sleeping giant that has been aroused, and the world will soon tremble at its might."
The young assassin flicked through the rest of the dry text, his eyes scanning the small glossy coloured photos of the palace where the Emperor currently resided. It was an old piece of architecture in the sea of modernity and technology. Other photos were of picturesque country sides to visit and small villages on the outskirts of cities rebuilding itself after the devastation of the Decade long war.
Having finished with the brochure, Killua handed it over for Gon to have look, who declined and would prefer to experience the country for himself. Their last trail for the search for Gin ended in Arcadia, and although it was yet another futile pursuit, travelling to different lands was all part of the journey and fun.
One of the most persuasive reasons for staying was their attraction to the colourful crowd milling around the many setup stores in the Central Square. They'd just come in time for a special festival for banners were raised into the air along with small flags; large tents were erected; the summer sun and the heat irresistibly pulled you outdoors and the festive mood was undeniable. There was a tangy flavour of celebration in the air, followed by the impulse of strong, almost reckless, consumerism. Merchants sold unique and fine handcrafts, beaded jewelry, modern constructs of art to place around the house, and more candy Killua had ever seen before! Gon on the other hand was too taken by the streamers, the sounds, the smells, but unfortunately, both were also equally aware of the tall and looming figure which had tailed them for days. For all the fancy distractions, there was a problem that could not, and would not, be ignored.
Exasperated beyond tolerance, Killua whirled around to face Hisoka "I've had it!" he growled at the man who had that nonchalant, everyday aimless smile hung on those thin lips. The tall clown shrugged dramatically, trying to look cute and vulnerable, albeit innocent in the process as well.
"What?" he whinnied, pouting his lips, the only person in the world to think that it was a coquettish gesture.
Definitely not cute! Gon and Killua sweat-dropped, shivered and thought at the same time.
To make his annoyance clear, Killua emphasized each word with rage and frustration. "Why are you following us?"
But Hisoka was true to his usual form and impervious to the children's anger, just as he was never entangled by his environment and in control of the world around him. It was an everlasting reminder to the world that he was never affected, never to be pushed around by circumstance. He was the magician, the master puppeteer who pulled all the strings of hapless mortals bound by fate, the intangible forces of influence that he had long freed himself of.
His eyes glinted at the kids with mock malice, only angering the young assassin even more. He responded with the airs of an adult, belittling and patronizing, knowing full well how he could get the white haired boy so riled up. That was the starkest and barest contrast between Killua and his older brother. It did not take much to cause steam to shoot from the albino child's ears and set his hair on fire with his own anger and frustration. As with Illumi however…well…you could probably arouse his anger only if you went as far as to stop him from completing his missions.
"Do you have a problem with me exercising my right to walk in the streets and pick up chicks?" he challenged, and to demonstrate his (false) intentions, he stuck his hand into the crowd surging past him and plucked a hapless woman who was busily rushing past. He pulled her into a suffocating embrace whilst the sea of people continued to flow around him. Few merchants and customers however, tainted with curiosity, ceased their haggling and bargaining to inconspicuously turn around and look on at what was happening.
The unfortunate female struggling in Hisoka's grasp was donned in a fashionable pastel purple suit with a light jacket and a short skirt, demonstrating fine, long, pale and slender legs on dangerously high stilettos. Her hair was a luminous black, flowed like brocade of shimmering satin which cascaded down her back and swung to and fro as the struggles became more intense. Her perfume was light and enchanting, being the trade mark of those expensive designer brands that boasted it could lure a man from fifty meters.
Briefly closing his eyes, Hisoka held the apparently exquisite creature even tighter, burying her head in the crook of his neck whilst he breathed in the fragrance and let the hair slip through his fingers. The perfume was mingled with another oddly enticing scent. It suddenly sent a jolt through him and set his adrenaline racing. His eyes twinkled gold, and in a fraction of a second, he had the compulsive urge to devour and destroy the person tightly snuggled in his arms.
Gon gulped when he saw Hisoka's expression, remembering distinctly where he had last seen it – the terrible night in the forest during the Hunter Exam where all the animals made a mad dash for their lives as they instinctively felt the dangerousness of the most lethal predator. He knew Killua had become uneasy as he saw the way his muscles were tightening and contracting, unsure whether to run for the next horizon in an act of self preservation or to help the innocent bystander.
"Umm…" Gon began, quite lost himself at what to do. He really couldn't face Hisoka directly front on, especially in the crowded market square. It would wreak havoc and chaos, cause destruction, give the psychopath an excuse to slaughter the innocent, and worst, he and Killua would probably get told off by the police.
"Hisoka," a strangely familiar, calm and quiet voice began "if you treasure your head, then you'll cease your sexual harassment against me."
Hisoka's face betrayed dramatic surprise. He held the woman at arm's length and gave a hard stare into the stunning oval face, past the professionally applied makeup, imagined the hair down without the fancy accessories and almost balked in shock.
"Illu! What sort of job requires you to dress up like this?!"
Killua gaped at the feminine figure."Big brother?!".
"Remove your hands." Illumi repeated, his eyes glued to Hisoka's rather defiant and challenging ones.
"Oh, I don't know." Hisoka began, pulling the professional assassin into his embrace again. "You're kind of….soft and hugable."
===== a cloud of dust and sounds of punching and kicking later ======
"Illu…you're too cruel!" Hisoka croaked, raising his beaten and bruised face from the ground. His hand shakily reached out to touch the fine ankle, and inappropriately began to stroke the leg.
===== painful sounds of kicking and stomping later ====
Killua gulped with eyes widened by shock at the cripple and battered body of Hisoka laying crumpled on the ground after Illumi's assault. "Strangely, I almost feel….sorry…for him." Gon dumbly nodded beside him, his expression was one of utter disbelief at Hisoka's total defeat.
Illumi gave the magician a stony stare. "My client strangely doesn't require me to kill. I have to win an item via a beauty contest, and I'm on my way to rehearsal."
"Ha ha..." Killua half-heatedly laughed. The shock of seeing his brother in drag was beginning to fade and it made him a bit bolder. "How much do you get paid for doing this?"
His brother turned abruptly to face him, attitude entirely cold and profession. "Ten digits. It's slightly less than my usual jobs, but I don't have to do as much and there's not as much danger, so I think I'm getting a good deal."
"Does dad know you do these other jobs?"
"Dad doesn't need to know what other jobs I do."
"If they're paying you ten digits for the item, why don't you just take it for yourself and sell it for more?" Hisoka remarked, busily dusting his shirt and pants.
"Apparently, the item is of great sentimental value only. And I'm not a reckless thief - I have a steady income, and I would like to keep it that way. Now if you'll excuse me." With that, Illumi pushed Hisoka aside and abruptly stalked away, leaving the three of them had to admire the ease with which he walked in those shoes.
"You think your brother can win Killua?" Gon asked, not exactly sure what a beauty contest was - not being too sure what was considered beautiful either. He knew he had disputes with Killua about things which tasted good – Killua could have chocolate frogs as dinner and squirm with delight all the way through whilst the idea alone made Gon sick. If you could have differing opinions about the taste of food, could you also have differing opinions as to what constitutes beauty?
"Hell yeah." Hisoka muttered, his gaze trailing after the distant figure
whilst his finger delicately traced along his bruised jaw. "I wonder what
kind of contest this is. For someone to pay ten billion just to win the
prize, there must be pretty tough competition."
* * * *
After five minutes of questioning the friendly locals, with Hisoka being unusually placid and co-operative, their search for an answer to the beauty contest took them to the newly constructed museum displaying the culture, history and tradition of the old imperial Kalinnan family - a dynasty which has spanned over twelve generations already. The museum porter, a portly and jolly old man, was well informed about the capital's events, and he led them to the section in the building concerning the ladies of the court.
"Women have never played much of a role in politics. Rather, princesses were usually married off to neighbouring countries to establish economic ties and alliances. An Arcadian princess usually knew no life other than that of serving their husbands, entertaining their husbands and bearing children for their husbands. A pretty miserable life really, entrenched in tradition and preserved over the centuries."
The jolly porter stopped beside the stunning portrait of a sixteenth century woman, dressed in the traditional Arcadian garb with an elaborate headset attached to a mane of fine, lustrous black hair.
"As you can see however, the Arcadian princess's fame was in their beauty. The royal Kalinnan line and the minor blood relatives interbred to keep the pale skin, the large eyes and that amazing hair in the family. It was almost a symbol of royalty to possess such features. The most prized possession of the princess was her hair. The thicker and longer the hair, the more lustrous and shiny, the more silken - it gradually became the ultimate symbol of perfection."
The museum porter allowed Killua and Gon lean forward to look at a real eighteenth century headset through the thick glass display box. Compared to the portrait, this headset was more concerned with the finer touches on the gold carvings, and the elaborateness of how it desired the hair to be attached. It preferred the tiny sparkles of crystals than the precious stones painted in the massive portrait. The porter politely coughed and returned to his well versed history lecture.
"The tradition of Arcadian princesses however, has died. There is only one person left with true and pure Kalinnan blood and that is the Emperor."
Hisoka had been disinterested, bordering on moody ever since they entered the museum. The musty old clothes, preciously preserved as cultural artifacts, were one of the last things to stir his insatiable hunger for appeal and attraction. "Why is that?" he asked, unable to stand the brooding silence around him anymore.
"Because Emperor Rodimostev executed the last Arcadian princess along with her whole family. She was the sister of the original heir to the throne – Prince Talien – about late last year, after the war had ended, Emperor Rodimostev had them all put to death. In fact, the war had either killed off most of the Kalinnan family, or the Emperor had them executed for capitulating, surrendering and or working with the enemy." The porter sighed wearily, his voice affected by a note of tiredness.
"We were all pretty certain that the Kalinnan dynasty was over the day war began. You have no idea to what extent the incompetence, despotism and corruption had eaten away in the bureaucracy under the late Rodimostev II. We had expected the war to completely destroy not only the dynasty itself, but every trace and residue of the foul sovereignty. Skipping the gory and bloody details, Emperor Rodimostev III cleansed and purged the family, and decided that they were all unworthy to remain after the sins and crimes that they had committed."
"What a bloody murderer…" Killua muttered, wondering what his father would think of such a ruthless demonstration of power. He could not dwell on the thought for long as his mind became fascinated by the embroidery of a phoenix on the main dress of the formal garb.
"So how does this relate to the beauty contest?" Gon asked, skipping alongside the porter so that he could get a rare glimpse of a vest sewn together by pearls the size of his fingernail.
"The criteria is to revive the Arcadian princess. The contest is held by one of the remaining closest relatives of Emperor - the Palace Guardian - whose line has served the entire dynasty as the personal bodyguard to the Kalinnan Emperor. They are a traditional family, and the Emperor is a traditionalist too, to a certain degree, so they probably wanted to revive some of the older, less menacing and morbid memories of the past."
"What is the prize for winning?" Gon continued. The porter laughed aloud at the naïve question.
"Why, international fame and coverage for one. This is considered a major event, and would be broadcast in about eight other major countries. There are two main sections - contestants are first required to perform the traditional court dances, and the second half is to imitate an Arcadian princess at an Emperor's Coronation celebration."
"Sounds pretty pointless…." Hisoka's mutterings continued.
"It is a popular reaction in the aftermath of a devastating war," the porter was perhaps slightly offended by Hisoka's unsympathetic attitude to their country's history and plight. "A country needs to find something to hold onto before we charge into the new future with no guidance and concept about 'who' we are to become as a people. Do we follow international trends – give up our traditional cuisine and fashion, mannerism and language in favour of the new so that we are seen as modern? Or do we cling onto a past which in some respects is barbaric and oppressive? We're at the turning point of history where we try to make our culture and tradition in step with modernity. Alas, I rant, forgive me. The actual prize is not determined; there is a selection of a replica of a nineteenth century headset, worth about five million jenis, an ornate diamond jewelry box or a contract to an overseas movie industry to choose from for the winner."
Killua's eyes narrowed in thought. "Have you heard any rumors about anyone desperately seeking one of these items and willing to pay a high price for it perhaps?"
"Ah….so it's been said that General Kamus has a representative in the competition. It has also been rumored that he spent a large sum to pay someone who has a definite chance of winning."
Killua's cat ears pricked up with that enlightening piece of information. "When does the contest start?"
"Oh, it has already begun. In fact, the elimination periods are over, and tomorrow night is the finals. It will be spectacular, but I think we all know who will win. Miss Arammi just stands out from the rest of them. How can she not win?"
They had already walked a full circle around the museum and seen most of the boxes on display. Killua realized that they were near the entrance of the building again.
"Well, this is the end of the tour. You should all tune in tomorrow night, because then you might actually see some replications of the designs of the garments and headsets you just saw displayed in the showcases…and oh…watch out for those dances. You haven't seen grace and elegance until you've seen Miss Arammi twirl those fans and spin those silks!"
"Thank you porter-san! It was a really interesting tour, really!" Gon beamed, halfway down the steps of the museum outside. The old man grinned and raised his hat, bidding them a good-day.