A Scratch

It was a nice, quiet morning. Most of the clinic's current inhabitants sat at the wooden table in the kitchen, eating their breakfast. Leorio was sitting in his chair, staring into space, barely awake; Kurapika was engrossed in one of the history books he loved so much, sipping strong, black coffee; the two boys were chatting away happily while ingesting copious amounts of bagels; Aada's face was hidden completely behind the latest issue of the Yorkshin Medical Journal as she munched on her croissant.

Unbeknownst to them, they were being watched. Hisoka stood at the door, leaning against the frame in a relaxed posture, his arms crossed on his chest. He wasn't used to being around others so much, but with them it felt… oddly familiar and comfortable. He observed his toy; her brow furrowed in concentration as she read something that she must have found especially interesting, her hand automatically readjusting her glasses. The pastry she was eating fell to the plate, forgotten; she bit her lip and looked absentmindedly through the kitchen window, lost in thought, making Hisoka smile, before she directed her attention back to the article. He recalled the night before, what she shared with him, the connection he felt. The alien feeling returned and he frowned slightly as he fought the confusion. What was this? He only wanted to play with her, use subterfuge to manipulate her. That's why he stayed; he rationalized. That's all there was to it. He pushed himself off the door frame, walking into the kitchen and making himself known.

"Morning, little pine." he said.

"Morning, Hi-so-ka." Replied Aada, as her hand reached for another croissant on an autopilot. She held it up, her arm reaching behind her head, not taking her eyes off the magazine, knowing Hisoka would snatch it before taking his usual seat next to her.

Gon and Killua exchanged an amused look, observing what has already become a morning routine for the doctor and the magician. Watching Hisoka in a domestic environment was bizarre and out of place, but very often amusing.

Said magician shot the croissant he held with an accusing look and groaned.

"I'm bored." he complained.

Aada lowered the magazine, and then rolled it neatly, placing it next to her plate. The boys noticed a delicate smile on her face as she finished her coffee. Both could swear it was mischievous. The doctor readjusted her glasses before turning towards the magician.

"Oooooh Hisokaaaaa…" she breathed, immediately drawing everybody's attention to herself. Hisoka's brows arched in surprise.

"You're just… so… sooooo…" Aada continued, her voice almost a moan, her palm splayed on her chest in a dramatic gesture, as she leaned towards him until she was mere centimeters from his face, "…SO PRETTY!" she finished with a wide grin.

The kitchen was quiet for a millisecond, before Gon and Killua erupted with hysterical laughter, their minds immediately replaying the comical scene from the day before. Aada gently flicked the flabbergasted magician on the nose and got up, preparing to leave. She and Leorio had house calls today.

"Leorio," she warned, turning towards the other doctor, "move it or I'm leaving without you."

She turned to leave, and Leorio followed, yawning and mumbling unhappily. Killua observed Hisoka carefully. The magician's eyes followed the pair to the door, then he stretched his long legs under the table and reached for his mug, looking through the window, a small, fond smile flickering on his lips.

Huh, thought Killua, surprised, who knew?

Outside, Leorio waited until they walked a good distance from the house, before he chose to speak.

"Aada," he started, "You shouldn't be so carefree around him."

Aada's face turned in his direction, her demeanor neutral.

"You mean our resident magician, of course." she surmised.

Leorio nodded.

"I've seen what this man is capable of. He may be acting tame now, but during the hunter exam I saw him kill eight people with one movement, without blinking. And to be honest, I didn't even have time to blink myself – it happened too fast."

His companion remained silent.

"I noticed he has some kind of interest in you, Aada." added Leorio. "This does not bode well."

Aada glared at him defiantly.

"Well, I have some kind of interest in him too." she said simply, her brow furrowed.

Leorio was horrified.

"You can't be serious."

Aada shrugged. "He's fun to be around."

"Fun to be around?!" exclaimed Leorio, his eyes widening in surprise.

"Yes." Aada almost shouted, coming to a halt, her feet digging into the dirt path, her palms balling into fists, "He is! I enjoy his sense of humor. I enjoy bickering with him. I like his card tricks. I like his looks. I like talking to him, about anything, or not talking, just being next to him. He makes me feel… light. During the past weeks he's made me laugh more times than I've laughed in a long time and goddammit Leorio, after what happened to me last year I deserve to laugh at last!"

"Aada…" Leorio stopped her, putting his hand on her shoulder. His other hand titled her chin up so she would look him in the eye. "I know… I'm sorry… I'm just worried about you, that's all."

Aada patted the hand on her shoulder, slowly calming down, and already feeling sorry for her outburst.

"I know, Leorio… you're the best friend I've ever had. I'm sorry, too."

The tall doctor smiled gently, touched by her words.

"I'm not saying you don't deserve to have fun, Aada." he said, "I just really, really need you to understand you're playing with fire. Right in the beginning of the exam, there was that guy that bumped into Hisoka. Next thing we knew, he was on the floor, screaming, and his arms were just… gone, in a cloud of flower petals… and Hisoka just pretended nothing happened." He shrugged, remembering the gruesome scene, before he continued.

"All Hisoka said was, 'You should really apologize when you bump into someone'. And this is the man you flicked on the nose today at breakfast…" he sighed, "He is a wild animal, Aada… do it today and he's amused… Get close to him tomorrow, and he might hurt you. To top it off, he used to be a member of the Phantom Troupe. Granted, he only joined them to fight their leader, now they want to hunt him down, but still… initially, they accepted him. That should tell you something."

Aada bit her lower lip, her brow furrowed. She instinctively knew Hisoka was dangerous; it was plain as day when she saw him for the very first time, and if the way he moved was not enough of an indication, her keen sense of observation made her notice how tense Gon, Killua and Kurapika were around him that night, and how Leorio tensed up immediately upon seeing him. She sensed that the chaotic, volatile man that acted so playful around her had a dark side, one she actively chose to ignore because he made her feel better. And after what Leorio had just shared with her… as much as it pained her, she couldn't let her guard down around Hisoka anymore. She'd heard about the Phantom Troupe, the Yorkshin incident was all over the news. They were criminals, thieves, but that was not the worst; they were killers. She couldn't believe Hisoka was like them. Still, there were things that she did not abide for, not as a doctor, and not as a human being. All she stood for was to save lives, not to end them. Yet, she couldn't help but feel sad.

Why, Hisoka, damn it?! She thought angrily, Why can't you just be… She shook her head; he was who he was, and if she was to be completely honest with herself, that dark side that she sensed in him only added to his allure and contributed to that magnetic pull she felt whenever he was near, a pull that she would have to try to ignore. Why did she feel it anyway? It wasn't just his looks, although Aada had to admit she found Hisoka undeniably attractive. Was it because he was intriguing, playful and so very intelligent? Was it because her existence was so mundane and he was anything but? Or did she simply latch onto the first man who's shown even remote interest in her after her period of mourning? There was a reason why she kissed him the night before. Only a chaste kiss, but still… Whatever it was, she needed to distance herself, and she knew it. Now came the hard part of accepting it, and acting upon her decision. She looked up at her friend who was waiting patiently, giving her time to think.

"Thank you, Leorio." she reassured him "I promise I'll be more careful from now on."

Leorio only nodded and they resumed their trek. Aada was silent for a while, but then smiled, deciding that she needed to lift her spirits.

"Hey, Leorio…" she started innocently.

"Hmmm?"

"So… Kurapika is really cute!" she baited, smiling mischievously.

"Oh, yes, he is…" said Leorio dreamily before understanding dawned on him. "Huh, no, I mean, yes, no, wait!" he exclaimed, clearly flustered.

Aada smiled triumphantly.

"I knew it!"

Leorio's arms slumped in defeat.

"Am I really that obvious?" he asked.

"No, you're not," she reassured him, "I just happen to know you really well."

"But..." she added, lifting her index finger, "I think you should tell him, sometime soon."

The look on Leorio's face was pensive, with a hint of sadness.

"I'd like to, Aada, I really do… But what if he doesn't think of me this way? What if this ruins our friendship? Now at least I have this…"

Aada chose her words carefully before she replied.

"I haven't known Kurapika for long, but he doesn't strike me as somebody who would condemn you for letting him know how you feel." she said. "You are good friends, so I think this friendship may be strong enough to survive, even if he doesn't like you back. But then again, maybe he does?" she finished, winking.

Leorio smiled. "I'll think about it, Aada. Thanks."

"And for the record," he added "You're my very best friend in the world too."

Aada smiled back and linked her arm with his, trying to push the thoughts of Hisoka aside.

"Come, my love-struck friend, before we're late." She said, dragging him along.