Chapter Three
The magician cocked his head to one side, regarding me slowly. The corners of his eyes tightened as the merest hint of a smile formed on his lips.
Fwp! Fwp fwp fwp! The sound of air whistling past my ear made my hair stand on end, and I heard four dull thunks as the iron hard solitaire cards made contact with my captor. The burly man's grip on me slackened and he took in a sudden breath. I immediately turned around and shoved him in the chest, his lanky arms falling away from my body, the cards sticking out from his forehead, knees and a spot just above his heart. The man shuddered and keeled backwards, falling onto the muddy ground with a muffled splash.
The last remaining man looked utterly shaken. He tried to hold his gun steady with both hands, but they still shook violently. He aimed his weapon unsteadily at the red-headed magician.
"D-d-don't m-m-move! S-stay r-r-right where you are!" The man squeaked, his voice a notch higher than it should have been. "Move, and I-I'll sh-shoot!"
Hisoka's stance was comfortable, examining a poker card in his right hand. Without even looking up, he replied, "Go ahead then."
The man looked flustered. At that point, I realised that I was in a dangerous position. I was a mere meter away from him and it was best that I move away, I began to back away, before-
Too late.
It was as if a lightbulb had appeared above the man's head and he turned sharply towards me; his eyes had a malicious glint. His left arm shot out towards me, stubby fingers outstrecthed and before I even had time to react, he had me by the neck. I spluttered. He had yanked me backwards with such force that I was sure my windpipe was damaged. I coughed. I felt something cold and hard pressed into my right temple. With a chilling realisation, I understood. Pressed into the side of my head, was the barrel of a fully loaded gun. My stomach seemed to have sunk deep down into the place where my gut should have been. I dared not even breathe.
"If you move a finger, I'll kill her." The man's voice was hot against my neck but I dared not struggle. Not this time. Not when a gun was pointed at my head.
The magician froze. Slowly, he lifted his head to stare at the man. His gaze then shifted to me. His expression was unreadable. My heart was pounding hard and fast. I am going to die. This is the very real truth. I am going to die. I closed my eyes, bracing myself for the pain. I am going to-
Thunk. A loud scream right next to my ear nearly deafened me and the owner of the scream scrambled backwards, dropping the gun and letting go of me. I stumbled forwards, catching the side of the wall for balance. I looked up at the screaming man. A single solitaire card was sticking out of the back of his right hand, which had held the gun just moments ago. I watched the scene unfold, slightly bewildered. The screaming stopped, and was reduced to piteous whimpers when the magician expertly threw another three cards at the man. He whimpered in pain for a minute, before slumping down onto the ground, unmoving.
Still clutching the wall, I breathed hard. I dared not look up. I was afraid as to what I would see. But slowly, I raised my head. And tripped backwards in surprise. The magician was standing directly in front of me, towering over me, my head only reaching his shoulders. How...? He had been a couple of metres away just now! I stuttered, eyes wide, "H-Hisoka! Wh-what...? What are you doing here?" The magician merely smiled at me, twirling a card between his long fingers.
"That is the question, isn't it?" The magician leaned in closer, his yellow green eyes shining as they stared into my own brown ones. I opened my mouth to speak but no sound came out. Hisoka chuckled. Then, he raised his right arm and positioned a razor sharp solitaire card under my chin. I took in a sharp breath.
"Sienna, Sienna~" He leered, all the while leaning in closer. I didn't even question how the magician knew my name.
"Asked me to promise to be there for her, when she wakes up, to stay, and that it is not just a dream?" My mind reeled. I remembered; those were the exact same things I had mumbled in my near conscious state to the Hisoka plushie. I didn't move.
"I can assure you my dear, this is not a dream," Hisoka continued, his face now inches away from mine. I could feel his warm breath on my cheek. His other hadn reached out, and the flat of his thumb trailed down the side of my face. My breathing was uneven, my heart was slamming itself against my ribcage. His thumb, surprisingly warm, had reached my chin, right where he held the solitaire card. He gripped my chin firmly and tilted my head backwards, leaving my neck exposed. I was at the mercy of Hisoka and his poker cards. Knowing Hisoka, I knew he was capable of anything and everything. He was unpredictable. I gulped. He had just saved me from a horrible fate, but he was also on the verge of killing me himself.
"Are you scared?" Came the low, leering voice.
Silence.
"No." My voice came out surprisingly even. I mustered all my courage and looked the magician straight in the eye. "I- I'm not afraid."
The magician raised an eyebrow in a silent question.
"You- you just rescued me. You wouldn't kill me." I blurted recklessly. Hisoka chuckled. He moved his card closer to my bare throat. "Wouldn't I?" He challenged, the delight evident in his sultry voice.
I didn't need to think. "I'm not worth killing." I answered simply. "You aren't interested in weak victims. I'm just- I'm just an ordinary girl. I'm not worth your time." I said. My heart dropped, just a little. Yeah, I wasn't worth his time. I was a silly little girl, with a silly little head, dreaming of a silly little fantasy. I wasn't even sure whether I was even awake.
The magician surveyed me for a second. Then he smiled, his eyes becoming tiny slits. "That is correct. You aren't worth killing." Although I knew it was true, I still felt a pang. Hisoka, or maybe it was just my imagination making it up, even Hisoka said that I was worthless. My gaze dropped from his face. I started examining my muddy shoelaces. They were soaked through with dirty water.
"But," Hisoka left his sentence hanging. I froze, not wanting to look at him "But what?" The magician grinned, enjoying himself tremendously. "But then why would I still save you when you are not worth killing?"
My heart nearly stopped. My eyes widened, my brain trying to comprehend what he had just said. What on earth did he mean by that? Yes, he had just saved me, that much I wns sure of. But the reason, I hadn't. I whirled round. But all I saw when I turned, was a small plushie, lying in a dirty puddle, three large bodies lying sprawled on the wet ground around it.