Pursuit of a Promise: Innocent Treachery

September first. Lan was honestly surprised she had lived long enough to see it.

After leaving Heaven's Arena, Lan had spent two months in the remote forests of Kukan'yu. While she technically did help a group of researchers tag various bird species, she had really chosen the job to hide from the Fan Shi. During that time, no one materialized to… to do anything to her. In July, she risked a trip home to Anchi. Nothing happened. She spent the rest of her time doing some final blacklist hunting, taking jobs that almost asked for attention. Still nothing.

Why did Fanghe's supposed prodigy not whip the entire Fan Shi into a frenzy to find her? The absolute lack of activity made Lan more paranoid than if she would have had to flee the Fan Shi at every turn. Maybe none of them were Hunters… although that shouldn't have deterred them from searching for information. They should have been able to find some useable lead.

She almost wished they had found her already; the waiting in uncertainty killed her.

With the Fan Shi's nonexistent response to the incident, Lan decided to try to resume life as usual- she worried about them finding her before, so nothing had really changed in that regard. So, she came to Yorknew as planned. As did Auntie. The woman complained that Lan had skewed priorities, but she refused to sit in Anchi as her precious vase was auctioned off without her. At least she seemed confident the encounter had been pure coincidence...

They had arrived a few days ago, leaving Lan plenty of time to grow bored. The excitement of sleepless cities covered in a constant layer of smog and filled with ceaseless noise had long since passed. Lan had enough of that in Kou-Ang and the few other major cities in Anchi.

Her boredom wasn't helped by a certain magician ignoring her texts.

Hence why she chose to wander through Yorknew's largest park this fine morning. A park was about the only place to see animals in the city- barring common pets, rats, and pigeons. Although, zoos were an exception. She had considered going to do a welfare check on the zoo animals, but…

A squawk punctuated her thoughts. Closing down a Yorknew zoo would attract way too much attention; Nemmi had reminded her to keep a low profile. Even if the Fan Shi had ignored her, Yorknew was currently crawling with mafia from around the world, Anchi included. Although sparingly, their quarrels with the other groups distancing them, isolating them. The usual politics, really. The few Bai Ze would be too busy throwing their money around to notice ghosts, unless Lan caused another arena disaster to shift attention to her. That would cause Auntie more needless danger. She would be fine attending the auction if Lan behaved, Auntie's aged face also altered with a number of plastic surgeries- the only Paijin thing Auntie regretted getting rid of was their features, even if it did make it easier to hide in plain sight. One of Auntie's long-time friends had arranged for them to attend, like usual; another older lady, her husband long dead and his former empire hers through another series of mafia political moves and scandals Lan really couldn't be bothered with. (All she cared about was that the woman wore awful perfume and disgusting fur coats, Auntie hating it whenever she pointed it out- almost as much as she disliked Lan making mock hit-lists out of bidders buying animal parts during auctions.)

Nemmi shuffled on her shoulder, eyes continuing to dart around for something to occupy them for the rest of the day. They'd be in the marketplace soon if they didn't find something better to do… Lan didn't want to shop for pointless trinkets.

"What is it?" she whispered as Nemmi grabbed a lock of her hair, pulling at it. One wrong move and the chunk would be snipped by his beak. Again. Her hair was always uneven from him doing this. He let go to chirp at her, head snapping to the side to point. Her pace dragged as she stared across to another pathway. Two kids walked by, the white-haired one familiar. The boy from the arena. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye like he was also just placing where he knew her from. Her approach sent him on the defensive, the boy in green next to him taking a few extra steps before noticing a change in atmosphere. Nemmi left her shoulder as she neared them.

"You followed me back in Heaven's Arena," she said once she stood in front of them. White-hair bristled at the comment; he didn't know she had seen him, then. Or, more specifically, that Nemmi had pointed him out to her. He must not have noticed Nemmi back then.

"And you're Hisoka's friend." While subtle, his tone sounded accusing. The other boy opened his mouth to ask a question, but the white-haired boy spoke over him. "Does that mean he's around too?" That time suspicion was apparent in his tone. She wondered how Hisoka acted around them; hopefully better than he did when around her. Twelve-year-old Lan would have no idea how to deal with that man's bizarre behavior. Nineteen-year-old Lan could barely handle him.

"I'm not sure." Her brow twitched at admitting it aloud. If that bastard had lied about coming to Yorknew… "Who's Killua and who's Gon?" She looked between them, still unsure. Hisoka had just droned on about their potential while describing them, no useful traits for identifying them shared. Boredom and curiosity made her want to keep talking to the two until she thought of something more entertaining to do.

The white-haired boy stared at her, refusing to answer the question as he thought. His eyes were analytical and calm rather than panicked.

"Hey, Killua, do you two know each other?" The look Killua aimed at Gon for spouting out the answer was priceless. "Did I miss something important?" Gon asked innocently.

Killua gave into Gon's pleading expression, explaining, "I saw her at Heaven's Arena. She went into Hisoka's room, so they're either friends, or…" He trailed off, face managing to pale further despite his already white skin. Whatever disturbing thought that had crossed his mind, his scrunched face showed absolute repulsion with it. "Or they're together."

"Oh, that's good." Lan almost laughed, Gon's response throwing Killua for a loop. They were like a comedy duo; an entertaining one at that. They… they seemed like good friends. "I'd feel bad if I forgot that I'd met her before."

A flicker of her aura sent the two on the defensive. Even as she played with her Ren, increasing it, the boys stood firm. Impressive. At their age, she would have retreated a short distance, if not run, in a direct confrontation like this. She shrugged as she let aura fade to normal. In a poor form of reassurance, she took a step back from them, burying her hands in her pockets. They relaxed, if only a little.

"Hisoka seems to like you two, and I guess I can see why." Her words elicited no verbal response. Instead Killua gave an exasperated look that said 'unfortunately' while Gon didn't seem phased. Hisoka's behavior mustn't bother him much, then. It was a good thing Killua had the sense to be wary enough for the both of them. "Want to fight me?" A short sparring match would prove more than a little flaring of aura. She would have to be careful not to break them, though, because Hisoka would definitely kill her for it. She remembered her place in his priorities…

"Why would we do that?"

"Come on, Gon." Killua began walking away in attempt to corral his friend's attention. "She's probably just creepy like Hisoka."

"But we still haven't introduced ourselves!"

"Lan." She would humor Gon, his genuine enthusiasm… A bit odd, honestly.

"My name's Gon Freecss!" he replied cheerfully before looking to Killua, waiting for him to give a proper introduction. He didn't. Freecss… That sounded familiar. "And this is my best friend Killua Z-"

"Freecss!" Lan said a bit louder than intended, eyes lighting up as she finally remembered. "As in related to Ging Freecss?"

"That's my dad!" Gon's eyes sparkled as he leaned forward, hands balled into tight fists. "Do you know him?"

"Never met him." He immediately deflated at her bluntness. She felt her own excitement bubbling to the surface. "I've heard he's tamed some of the rarest creatures in the world, ones I could only dream of seeing!"

"Really?" Gon asked, eyes shining with renewed excitement. "What kind of animals?"

A list flew out of her mouth before she could control herself. Killua had a blank look on his face as Lan talked animatedly. Gon listened intently until Lan said, "And I heard he was central to preserving foxbears!"

"Really!? I raised a foxbear cub after-"

"You're from Whale Island, then? Are their numbers improving?"

"Hey, lady. Your phone's ringing," Killua interrupted, pointing at her pocket as if she forgot where she kept her phone. It was, in fact, buzzing nonstop with an incoming call. "And Gon, we should get going. We need to find Leorio and Kurapika."

Lan dug her phone out of her pocket. The card suits on the screen made her heart leap to her throat as her fingers fumbled to answer. She said nothing as she held it to her ear.

"Come find me, fledgling."

Anything she might have said in response caught in her mouth as his voice echoed in her brain. While eternally teasing and bordering seductive, his tone held an amount of seriousness as he issued her the challenge. This… This didn't sound like a joke. Her bloodlust skyrocketed with her anger. If this was another joke, she swore she'd find some way to make him pay.

"She's definitely friends with Hisoka," Killua said under his breath.

"We need to go now, Lan," Gon said cheerfully, seemingly unaffected by her excitable reaction. That kid, he definitely wasn't human. "Bye!"

"Yeah, bye," she mumbled, staring at her phone. How big was Yorknew, again? Maybe that was the joke; she would spend days searching when he had never been in the city to begin with.

Her phone buzzed with another message. A single photo this time. She studied the dilapidated, certainly condemned, building nearing the status of rubble. It appeared to be several stories tall; not something easily missed. More crumbling buildings sat on either side of it, the picture taken from across the street, either in the adjacent building's middle-level floors or on a low roof. An abandoned part of town, maybe?

Nemmi landed on her shoulder, craning his neck to take a look at the picture. Once she was sure he had it memorized, she searched the internet for a map of Yorknew. There was a large area on the edge town filled with old, abandoned buildings. It would take an hour or so to locate the specific cluster. The windows in the picture seemed one of a kind, helping her cause. Hisoka wanted to meet there? Actually, if he wanted to finally provide her a rematch, the area would be perfect. Only criminals would loiter around an area like that; they wouldn't try to interrupt a match if they were half-way intelligent. It was much better than the arena, that's for sure.

"We'll take a train to get closer," she whispered to Nemmi, her pace already quickening with her new mission driving her. "Then I'll have you look for that building and Hisoka." If she had one skill, it was tracking, Nemmi specialized for the task.

Nemmi circled overhead as Lan trekked through an alleyway. Her heartbeat drummed in her chest as she saw the same tall windows and building faces from the picture. A few moments more, and she would have Hisoka in her sights. Hopefully. She had seen a run-down amusement park a dozen blocks ago. That seemed like a more fitting place to bump into Hisoka than a boring shell of a building with pretty, church-like windows.

She quietly stalked around the outside of the building, looking for a way in. Hisoka didn't magically appear to greet her when she found the front entrance. She chewed on her lip a moment, apprehensive to enter the crumbling building, unsure what Hisoka had planned for her this time. The possibility of a rematch had her swallowing down her nerves. He wouldn't trick her twice, right? That'd be predictable. Of course, they hadn't seen each other since the arena. Their phone conversations were few and far in between over the last few months due to poor reception in a forest and her general irritation with him. He might be dying to play with her in retribution for ignoring him, her reactions somehow endlessly amusing to him.

Lan cautiously stepped from the shadow of the adjacent building, crossing through the late morning sun to the entryway of what had once perhaps been an opulent hotel. Her eyes took a moment to adjust to the sudden darkness inside, the blown-out windows not enough to light the space even in the daytime. The dreary, ominous atmosphere held stark contrast to the lively park from earlier. It almost felt foreboding, like nightmares might make their home here. The change had her reconsidering her decision of having Nemmi wait outside, but indoor spaces were too confining for him should a fight erupt… She would rather not have him forcibly dispersed unless absolutely necessary.

Kicking a stray piece of rubble broke the absolute silence. Lan paused a moment, as if waiting for the deep shadows to leap out and grab her. Maybe that's why he chose the place: it was like a giant haunted house, even in the daytime.

Hisoka better be here... She continued down the hall, guessing the room on the other side of the windows was her destination. If he made me come here for no reason, I swear…

The door creaked as she swung it open.

More than one set of eyes shot to her in hostile greeting. Time stopped. Several auras churned around her. Nearest the door, two forms moved. Her brain screamed run as her body sluggishly reacted, taken off guard. One figure flew towards her in a blur. Too fast, even without panic rooting her in place.

Her feet left the ground with a sudden jerk to her body. In a blink, she slammed into something warm and rather firm. A person, she realized. Someone that smelled suspiciously like a certain brand of gum. She lifted her head from the crook of his neck as he wrapped his arms around her to keep her in his lap. She might have complained if he hadn't just saved her and now prevented her from falling from the high windowsill to the floor. How did she get up here? His ability again?

"Hello, fledgling," Hisoka greeted cheerfully, drawing her attention to his face. He looked abysmally happy with himself, even with the annoyed auras surrounding them dropping the room temperature a few degrees.

Her eyes widened with horrid realization. How… how did she forget about the Phantom Troupe's entire existence?

"Oi, Hisoka!" a voice shouted from below. Lan struggled to shift positions, Hisoka grinning the whole time. She caught the speaker as he poignantly added, "Who the hell is that?" Blond hair combed back, wearing a green tracksuit, he had been by the door, ready to grab her. For a guy without eyebrows, he managed to look incredibly angry.

"Doesn't matter," another person added, voice a raspy hiss as he stepped away from the door. The vague statement became threatening with the way his dead eyes gained a flicker of excitement. Black hair, his mouth obscured by a skull crested bandana over a dark cloak, he had been aiming to kill her before Hisoka had stolen her away. A fraction of a moment later, and he would have succeeded. Impressively terrifying.

Hisoka pulled her against his chest, his mouth next to her ear. "Why not introduce yourself? You had seemed so excited to meet them." She could almost hear the wicked smirk in his whisper.

Her eyes wandered to two equally agitated men as they abandoned their card game, glares aimed at the window. The mountainous man with wild hair and the scraggly samurai were not pleased with the situation either.

"I…" Her voice was barely audible. No way she could talk her way out of this alone. Not with eight other Spiders in the room that she hadn't even dared to look at yet. Meeting them under these circumstances, the entire group gathered in one room, varying degrees of annoyed at her intruding on their space... She never wanted this, because this was positively suicidal.

"Do you want my help?" Hisoka asked as her fingers pulled at her sleeves. His tone implied but it will come at a price. He helped her into this situation to being with… Still, her voice failed, her eyes fixed on the angriest Spiders in a mix of curious terror.

"Hisoka," the larger man boomed, his regular speaking voice making Lan fear for her eardrums should he begin shouting. His muscles bulged as he formed a fist, lips pulled back to bare teeth. "You can't give out our location to whoever you'd like. Not unless you want us to crush 'em."

"How about take care of both?" the short black-haired guy suggested, dark eyes narrowing, pleased with his own idea.

"I agree," the blond man quickly answered, rolling his shoulder as he walked a few steps closer.

The samurai let out an odd whistling-laugh as his hand found the hilt of his sword. The giant's muscles tensed as a snarling grin broke on his face. She should have known. They didn't particularly like Hisoka, and any reason was a good enough reason to fight him.

Lan elbowed Hisoka in the ribs.

"Now, now~ There's no fighting between members, remember?" Hisoka's sugar-coated words simultaneously ceased their advance, while irritating them more. That apparent rule must be the only thing preventing the other members from throwing Hisoka out. The same, unfortunately, did not apply to her. The second Hisoka shoved her off his lap, she would be in further peril. "This is Lan," he introduced, tone making her heart pound in anticipation. "She's a harmless Blacklist Hunter."

She jerked her head around to glare at him, indifference be damned. He grinned like he hadn't just made her situation a thousand times worse. Even if she had lied about her occupation, he had no reason to share that right now. At least not a valid reason. He clearly said it to rile the Spiders and her up for his own damn amusement. It worked, too.

"A Blacklist Hunter, huh?" a new voice chimed in. Another blond, this one with a boyish face. He continued playing with his phone, now half-interested in what was being discussed. "I wonder if she's after the bounties on us."

"Mustn't be very smart, then." Her attention fell on another large man, his skin decorated in scars, his stretched earlobes nearing his shoulders. His expression was rather passive. "Coming here alone is a death wish."

"He probably didn't tell her that we were here," a vibrantly-pink-haired woman commented offhandedly, not glancing up from whatever she was sewing.

"None of that matters," blond man grumbled, shoving a hand into his tracksuit pocket to grab a cigarette before lighting it. After blowing out a puff of smoke, he added, "He told her our location."

"Eh, leave her to Feitan." The bulky man waved a hand dismissively, the candles flickering, threatening to send the room into near darkness. She felt the breeze all the way in the window; even air seemed to yield to his physical strength. "She doesn't look like any fun." The samurai reluctantly shrugged after agreeing she wasn't worth the effort, following the other man back to their card game. Somehow, losing their attention gave her a sense of impending doom.

The guy in the cloak had glanced up at the name. "Yes, Phinks, I take care of her," Feitan happily agreed, his raspy voice ensuring misery of some variety. Lan would rather not find out the specifics. The blond man, Phinks, took another drag of his cigarette. He looked peeved, but not with Feitan. His eyebrow-less scowl remined on Hisoka.

"Little fledgling," Hisoka suddenly interjected, redirecting her eyes back to him. His smile, the way his eyes glinted in flickering candle light, he was ensuring her ordeal wasn't over quite yet. He spoke above a whisper, seeking his audience's attention before he lost their interest entirely. "I do wonder how you found this place. I never told you where it was, after all."

Any fear she had suddenly disappeared as anger overtook it. Her aura stirred with ire as she tried to pull free of his grasp. No matter how hard she struggled, like a magnet, she was pulled back to him. Nen flooded her eyes to see bubblegum-pink aura clinging to her. Any move she made, his aura snapped her back into place like elastic. His Nen, she hated it. Trying to slash through it with hers would likely prove counterproductive. As her irritation rose, she felt a dozen sets of eyes returning to her.

"You did tell me, Hisoka," she hissed, dignity lost. If he intended to throw her to the sharks, she'd pull him into the water with her, because this was more than some harmless prank. It was playing with her life.

"I told you he had a part in this!" Phinks snarled, stomping his cigarette into the ground as he took a step forward.

"I only sent an innocent picture of the building," Hisoka said, suddenly defending himself. "I never expected you to find it." He wanted to know how she had found him so soon, this his infuriating way of asking. Like hell she would tell him when he managed to sign her death warrant with the Spiders.

"You told me to come find you!"

"Hisoka's probably lying," a girl with glasses said, looking upwards in thought as she added, "but she might be too since they're associates."

"That would make us…" The man with a scarred face paused in realization of what he was about to say. "Good point, Shizuku."

"I can get truth," Feitan chimed in again, growing a bit impatient now. Worse, no one seemed to disagree with him.

The edge of card nicked her neck. A hot trickle of blood seared cold skin. Lan froze, leaning into Hisoka's chest to lessen the pressure, even if he was the cause. "If you are so upset, I will kill her myself." His words were somewhere between comforting and terrifying. Either the Spiders agreed to spare her from whatever Feitan had planned and sentenced her to death at Hisoka's hands, or a physical fight might break out over killing rights.

"I can check." A woman with dirty blond hair uncrossed her legs as if threatening to stand, her classy skirt suit setting her apart from the more eccentric members of the Troupe- like the mummy and mop Lan just noticed below her. "You're bothering Danchou with all the noise."

All eyes gravitated to a high pile of rubble on the other side of the room. Staring back at them, the void itself. Himself. Lan's anger ebbed, replaced with curiosity, realization, wonder, admiration, unease, a cacophony of conflict. The leader of the Phantom Troupe sat with a book abandoned in his hand, steely eyes focused on her in an unreadable, unfathomable expression. Slicked back black hair, cross tattoo at the center of his forehead, dark coat with a fur-lined collar over his bare chest: an aesthetic dream with the title of nightmares. She could drool over his appearance and reputation forever, the man another predator in human skin. His calculating gaze held her captive, stopping her heart in her throat, her aura between lust and terror.

Hisoka's voice lowered to whisper in her ear as he asked, "Do you like what you see?"

Her feet hit the floor with an echoing thud, breaking her daze, freeing her from empty eyes. Soon after shoving her off, Hisoka landed beside her, his arm draping over her shoulders to urge her to walk with him. She followed without thought, focused on reigning in her aura and mind.

"I am going to talk with my darling friend," Hisoka stated as he paused in front of their leader. His eyes had since returned to his book, most of the Troupe members losing interest in the matter. Feitan and Phinks seemed the most irked by the lack of execution orders. "You don't mind, I hope."

"Go ahead," he said, his voice as gorgeous as his face, tone calm and passive despite the tiniest quirk of a smile on his lips. Lan mentally sighed in relief, quickly realizing he had offered her a momentary reprieve. Maybe she wasn't threatening; a blow to her pride, but it might save her life this time. Leaving might be another matter, though. Their reaction, his stare, she wouldn't walk away unscathed. "Just do not share the base's location again, Hisoka."

"Of course."

Despite the insincere smile on Hisoka's face, the hollowness in his affirmation to behave, the Spiders did not move to stop him as he escorted Lan towards the door. She took what was hopefully a last glance at the Phantom Troupe, at their leader. As much as she wanted to know more, to see them in battle, to experience what it felt like to face such unbelievably skilled individuals, she knew that she stood little chance against any of them, let alone the entire group. Escaping the building alive became her priority, not contemplating the Phantom Troupe, the cold burning stare of its leader, the way adrenaline filled her veins in their presence, under his gaze.

Leaving the room of intense auras and heated glares hardly settled her racing mind. Hisoka wordlessly directed her through a few dark corridors to the opposite side of the building, and up two flights of stairs. After entering an empty, furniture-less room, Lan distanced herself, the daylight seeping in from an intact window drawing her to it like a beacon in the night. She tapped her fingers restlessly on the windowsill, fighting conflicting expressions into indifference. She needed a plan, some way to escape with her life, Hisoka her only possible help…

The solemn click of the door trapped her in the room.

Hisoka leaned against the door briefly, watching as Lan fidgeted, her nails monotonously striking wood. Her reaction to the Troupe had been… rather mundane, honestly. Fear and anger had overtaken morbid curiosity as her life hung in the balance. The Troupe's reaction had been rather predictable as well. Hostile in their boredom as they awaited the auction later tonight, they had only found mild entertainment and taken minor offence in his slight betrayal.

The entire interaction may have become boring if not for one exception: Chrollo. Hisoka had stared at the man enough hours to understand some of his subtler behaviors. Unless the world was coming to an end, in instances where the Spiders were about to tear into each other with irrevocable damage, a coin-toss no longer able to resolve the conflict, Chrollo showed no outward interest. He would read, unbothered by their petty squabbles, eyes never glancing away from the pages even as he gave orders to desist. Chrollo only abandoned his books when he found something adequately interesting. Like treasures to steal, poignant remarks from the Troupe, occasionally the nature of humanity, and other miscellaneous oddities.

Lan happened to be one of those oddities, it seemed.

"He's quite spectacular, isn't he?" Hisoka's voice drew Lan's attention from the window. She turned to face him, fingers then shredding the hem of her shirt with her excess energy, as he closed the distance between them to a mere step. Infectious excitement still tinged her aura.

"Yeah," she said, sparkling eyes wide as if reliving the moment again. Her reaction to Chrollo's gaze, the way she looked at him, how her aura spun with conflict, it irritated Hisoka to a degree. Those love-struck, murderous eyes were his alone. "What's his name?" she asked eagerly.

"Chrollo Lucilfer." Hisoka reached out as she considered the name. To his surprise, she didn't shrink away, only a slight flicker of surprise in her eyes as his fingers brushed down her cheek before tilting her chin upwards, exposing her neck. A thin line of blood stained her neck where his card sliced earlier. "So strong…" He muttered, leaning down, lips pressed against the nick only briefly he traced the line with his tongue. The coppery taste of dry blood coaxed a moan out of him; he wanted to cut her up until he could taste her blood in the air itself. He wouldn't put off their rematch again.

Lan sighed in either acceptance or pleasure. "He is, isn't he?" She sucked in a breath as he bit down, a hand finding the back of his head, fingers roughly threading into his hair. "Has to be to lead such a powerful group. Amazing and terrifying in the same moment…"

He sunk his teeth in her flesh again, pressure sure to leave behind marks. Her grip on his hair tightened, 'bastard' slipping out of her lips as she realized she would be left with a lovebite. A downside to her lack of pain; she wouldn't scream out in it no matter what he did, pleasurable or not. "The thought of fighting him turns me on," he said against her skin, glee leaking into his voice because he really wanted Chrollo. Years of waiting, stalking, searching for an opening to take what he wanted, to think that he was now so close to achieving his goal.

"Yeah."

His lips crashed into hers, his hands finding her hips to pull her flush against his body. She didn't back down, the timidity she had at the arena suddenly lost. Her teeth bit into his lower lip, fingers pulling his hair as she pressed herself into him. Another moan slipped out when he tasted blood, her tongue then gliding over his, her nails digging into his scalp. So bold today… How far would she be willing to take this? Because what she was doing, if it escalated, grew rougher and more intense, he wouldn't be as forgiving as he had been at the arena. He wouldn't let her leave. A price had to be paid for teasing him, getting him all tingly with excitement.

"I crave a battle to the death," he mumbled, only half-aware he was talking as his hands roamed her back. He wished she wore tighter clothes so he had more to feel than fabric. And now his clothes seemed too tight, the collar choking and hot. "To see the look of defeat on his face as he's about to die, as all his plans fail." His hand slipped from the small of her back, lower, a rough grab earning him scratches down the nape of his neck. The wild look of irritation and anticipation in her eyes… "I want to crush his skull into the ground until those eyes burst."

"His eyes are gorgeous…"

He paused, grin faltering as his amusement faded.

"He's mine," his voice lowered, nails digging into her back, a possessive warning not to interfere with what he was working towards even accidentally. She knew his intentions with Chrollo and that could be a dangerous thing in the wrong hands- like Pakunoda. How did he let her become a liability…? Lan's eyes widened with his burning gaze, rational fear and confusion reflected. Just as quickly, his tone shifted back to half-serious teasing. "I hope you weren't having any impure thoughts about him, fledgling."

"Huh?" was her eloquent response as she struggled to find where that flash of irritation had stemmed from. "Not any more than I had when I met you." Had she complimented his appearance then? He didn't recall much beyond the wanting expression on her face and the twisting bloodlust in her aura; the same reaction she had towards Chrollo. The fact remained she was his toy, and he didn't particularly like to share- even if dear Chrollo, the pinnacle of perfected fruit and his number one target for two years, was the person trying to borrow her. "Any reason you can't seem to keep your hands off me today?"

The subject change… His eyes narrowed. She had been doing this on purpose. Giving into him, playing along so willingly and avidly, it had been a distraction, a lie. She was stalling while trying to think of how to convince him to help her escape, the Spiders certainly not done with her. Such a clumsy attempt at manipulating him- never mind her few moments of success. Not subtle enough with her words to steer the conversation, she hoped he would bring it up or provide some useful information before she grew too uncomfortable with the act. His irritation had made her panic enough to slip up. Her reaction and his realization effectively slaughtered the mood.

"Aren't you simply adorable, fledgling." He smiled. While ineffective, she was getting better at using him. With more practice, she could manipulate people and situations to her liking just as he did. The havoc they could wreck together… With a shove, Lan flew into the wall, her back cracking the window as she hit. Her façade broke, brows pushed together in a tight frown, her lips pressed into a thin line. Oh, she was absolutely livid with him still- he was wondering where all that delightful anger had disappeared to. "Now, now." He stepped forward, jerking her chin to keep her glare focused on his eyes. The wrath and loathing, oh, this was another of his favorite expressions. "What's on your mind? No lies this time, darling."

"Hisoka," she said with barely restrained anger, "are you going to let them kill me?"

"Hmm…" His hand slipped from her chin, fingers ghosting along her throat. She tensed at his touch, no longer hiding her discomfort under the threat of being choked. His grin returned as he considered teaching her an early lesson about messing with him. "That honor is mine alone, Lan."

"Then are you…" Her words trailed off as his nails scrapped her collarbone, 'going to kill me before they have a chance?' hanging unfinished in the air. With torturous slowness, he flattened his hand, palm resting between her breasts, her heart pounding.

"He looked interested in you."

"I…" She faltered as his hand brushed over her breast before continuing down the side of her body, feeling over what curves she had. Fabric was still in the way… "I don't know why he would be," she answered through her discomfort. Still, she didn't swat him away, playing along. Her lips parted, likely to get back to the subject of her life, but he interrupted.

"Oh?" He leaned forward, wicked grin on his face as his hand rested on her hip, thumb under the hem of her shirt. Chrollo had a reason to be interested, and to have his attention, there was no way she was completely unaware. "Are you sure?" No answer equated to a lie deserving punishment. "Naughty girl, I can tell you're lying."

His hand slid under fabric, over burning skin and tense muscle, to her rib cage, to- Her hand caught his wrist, nails digging in at a boundary crossed. A heel struck his gut, his left hand catching her ankle before she could retreat. As he moved to throw her into the opposite wall, her aura flared with blue light, slicing flesh, drawing blood. Hisoka released her with a thrilled laugh, holding his bloodied hands in front of him in glee. Red dripped down his right arm from fresh cuts to his wrist, fingers of his left hand almost mangled beyond use. Without using his Nen for protection, she left quite the painful, delightful mark. And using her aura in two separate areas in such quick succession, her control had improved more than he had initially thought. He definitely would be fighting her in Yorknew before or after he had his way with Chrollo.

"Listen," she almost hissed while pulling her shirt back into place, "the stunt you pulled with the Spiders is liable to get me killed. I'm not about to let you do as you please without you first getting me out of this mess."

"If I do cooperate, you'd let me 'do as I please?'" Her accepting silence conflicted with the way she bit her lip while glancing away. She would, albeit reluctantly. He could work with that, although he still preferred fighting. Unless the two were combined, because he'd given it some thought, and that would be Hisoka's idea of perfect. "You want me to promise my help?"

"Your promises are worthless." Her narrowed eyes, the sharp edge in her voice, she meant it. She didn't trust him after what he did at Heaven's Arena. Precious girl had learned her lesson just as he had wanted; trust would only get her killed, and it would be a shame if someone else destroyed his toy by using her naivety against her. "I want results."

"So cold… I thought we were friends." He pouted briefly before a grin overtook it. "I don't want to kill you on someone else's terms, but I cannot guarantee the possibility. Without knowing what Chrollo wants to do with you, my hands are tied." The truth… barely. He was just morbidly curious what Chrollo saw in her. And, ultimately, he would let his Danchou do whatever he wanted with her if interfering would jeopardize their fight. "You see, I want to fight him more than I want to fight you, so-"

"Then do as much as you can, bastard."

"I would prefer a better pet name than bastard."

"Stop acting like one then," she muttered under her breath. "Now, are you going to-"

Hisoka lunged forward, grabbing a fist-full of her shirt, jerking her away from the window. A second wave of her Nen threatened to slice into him, his own aura protecting him from the brunt of it- he would like at least one semi-useable hand, after all. Her back slammed into the window, glass shattering, shards sparkling in brilliant sunlight, Lan falling as he released his grip. A mid-air flip gave her enough time to land on her feet two-stories below.

The grin on his face as he innocently waved at her made her jaw clench in held-back offence. "I would start running, little fledgling," he helpfully added when she continued to glare up at him. If the Spiders planned to give chase under Chrollo's orders, he wouldn't stand in the way. Tossing Lan out a window had purely been for fun. Trying to trick him again, he would give her the illusion of a chance at escape in retribution. "I will do what I can, but no promises," he called down to her as she spun on her heel, her presence disappearing with Zetsu. "It would be a shame if you die before our rematch."

He stared after her retreating form until he lost sight of her amongst the buildings. "A shame indeed," he muttered as he leaned into the now glass-less window frame. A single picture of a decrepit building… He never intended for her to find them so quickly, severely misjudging her tracking abilities. His plan had been to fight her after introducing her to the Spiders, her intrusion easily justifying his actions. Chrollo's interest had perhaps only delayed the inevitable. Presumably Chrollo wanted her alive for now; he would have given her to Feitan instead if he wanted her dead. Hisoka would simply request-

A blur of black made him regret his decision.

A/N: Welcome to Yorknew! I promised canon characters, so have like fifteen at once! (Writing so many people in a room, haven't done that very often, haha. Hope it read well enough...) And I like danchou over boss/leader so I'm using it (and Chrollo vs Kuroro, I'm still torn so I just went with one). Now, whatever is it that Chrollo wants? More spiders to come~

As always, thanks for reading, for the follows, favorites, and reviews!