Time passed, and I became more accustomed to Hisoka's way of speech and way of picking apart whomever he was talking to. He was an interesting person. While I was talking to him, some guy bumped into him and didn't say anything in apology. In response, Hisoka turned the guy's arms into flower petals as reprimanding him for not apologizing.

Not even a moment later, he turned back to me with his usual smile on his face. "Kiame, can I see your eyes?" I felt heat immediately fish to my face and I shook my head quickly. "H-Hisoka! Please don't ask me things like that! That is like asking me to rip out my heart from my chest and hand it to you, not knowing if it will be thrown away or cherished..."

He seemed slightly surprised by this before his grin grew wider. "So protective of your eyes. Does it have something to do with that 'Soulmate' bond you spoke of before?" I felt my blush deepen as I nodded, my heart thundering in my chest as I looked up at his grin. "To look someone purely in the eyes is like opening a window into your heart for my clan...

"Our eyes and the Nen in them make us strong, but they make us vulnerable. If we bond with someone, it is for life. Our Nen, when bonded, changes the Nen of the one we bonded to so it is impossible to hurt one another. If one of those bonded tried to hurt the other, they physically wouldn't be able to do it. And since the bond is for life, even when someone bonded to dies, the bond cannot be replaced.

"When someone who is bonded dies, their bond mate feels pain similar to death, and will most likely die as well, if they don't die, they live alone for years in sorrow and will die in such a way it makes even the darkest hearts pity them. It is possible that a bond is not formed when looking another in the eyes, but the sheer thought of the act alone is terrifying. Please understand what you ask for when you request to see my eyes."

He grinned, resting his chin on the heel of his hand as he looked down at me, his eyes scanning over the shades that I wore, unable to see past them. His smile widened slightly, curing up into a 'devil-may-care' grin before he spoke again, "Can I see your eyes?" Heat rose to my face and I looked away sharply at this, trying to reign in my emotions.

"You are a curious little creature~ And your Nen is deliciously strong. I want to see your eyes." I felt a shiver go down my spine at this, just at the thought of revealing my eyes to someone. Let alone someone I just met. "...fine. But we can't be near others when I show you my eyes." He grinned widely at this and led me away from others, my heart fluttering in my chest like a bird in a cage.

"How do you know if a bond is formed?" He asked, sitting across from me as I sat upon the cold ground. "...You know if my chest begins to glow. It sounds stupid... but it is because my Nen is responding and becoming in tune with the Nen of whomever I bond do, creating a light from my center where my heart is... where most of my Nen resides besides my eyes."

I let out a long breath, looking down at my hands. "Sorry... this is a very difficult thing for me to do. To show my eyes to someone I have known for a few hours is... well... something I would be shamed for if my family were still alive... But they're not... so I guess I can trust my judgment. I will have to look in your eyes for at least ten seconds for a bond to show, if there is one."

He nodded, wordlessly smiling at me and I felt my heart racing in my chest, drumming a beat through my body as my blood roared through my ears. I slowly reached up to my shades, gripping them lightly before pulling them off. Out of habit I closed my eyes, and I had to steel my mind before I allowed them to slide open, gazing at him now without my usual filter around my world.

It was terrifying to me and I wanted to immediately look away and put my shades back on and never take them off again. I even slept with them on most nights. It was just something that gave me a sense of safety from those around me, and here I sat, feeling as innocent and as vulnerable as a new-born as I gazed into his intense eyes.

A sudden feeling gripped my chest, forcing me to break the gaze as I gripped tightly to where my heart was, buried deep in my body. It was a white-hot feeling, but wasn't as unpleasant as it seemed before a faint glow came from me, wrapping around my chest in a warm light that seared into my mind.

My eyes burned slightly and it was like I was washed away in a tide around me before it settled into a soft pull towards Hisoka, who sat in front of me, watching me curiously. "So a bond was formed. Looks like you're stuck with me." I let out a soft, breathless laugh, trying to calm myself down. "You say that like it's a bad thing. A bond wouldn't have even formed if we were completely incompatible..."

He tilted his head, looking at his hand. "You have such a bright Nen... not completely out for blood, but the feeling lurks just under the surface." I reached down and picked back up my shades, lifting them back up before his hand stopped mine. "You don't have to wear those now because we are bonded, so you can look at anyone and not have to worry right~?"

I sighed and looked away, it was clear he could feel my stress as he let my arm go. "I know that we're bonded now, and nothing, not even death can break that... but... I've lived almost my whole life with these on... or something similar to them. I don't feel... safe... if I'm not wearing them." He was about to say something before a few voices reached my ear and my eyes snapped shut.

"What a freak! Makes someone get her glasses back for her and then doesn't even open her eyes!" There was a moment of silence before I felt Hisoka's irritation spark and he stood up. I put the shades back on and stood as well, trying to calm him. "Please, don't. Even if they are idiots, they don't deserve to die."

He growled softly and glared at them, a twisted grin on his face. "They're mocking you and need to be taught a lesson." Right as he said this, a sudden ringing sound filled the area and I looked over, seeing the wall that kept us from the first task lifting up to show a man who had lavender hair and a strange mustache. "Sorry for the wait. The time for accepting new applicants is closed. The Hunter examination will begin in a moment. Follow me, and stay close. Don't get lost or left behind."