Disclaimer: I do not own Hunter x Hunter; only my plot and my original characters belong to me.
Author's Note: Greetings, lovely readers! Are you ready for some hot Hisoka/Rhea interaction? Of course you are! Good, because you're gonna get it-in this chapter and the next. I'm really excited about finally having gotten to this point in the story, and I hope you enjoy reading it! Thank you so much!
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Chapter Thirteen: Surrender
…
"...what are you so afraid of?"
Cal Veleno's question gave Rhea a moment's hesitation. Her life had been so filled with fear, and for so long. She felt it inside her, rising and falling like a wave, threatening to spill out of her like a scream at any moment. But despite the multitude of answers she could utter in response to the innocent inquiry, she closed her lips tightly, trying to keep the truth from leaking out.
I'm afraid of...of myself… she realized with growing despair.
It was true. Every day since she had met Hisoka, she slipped a little further away from herself and towards a person she didn't recognize. She took stupid risks, lost control of her emotions, and did things she knew were dangerous. Tonight was no different. Here she was again, killing time by trading niceties with Cal, when she was really just waiting to meet with Hisoka, to beg him for answers yet again.
I can't escape from him, she thought despairingly. It's like he keeps pulling me in. I have no control.
She didn't have long to dwell on the troublesome thought. The young woman felt the magician's eyes on her before she heard his voice. A sudden flare of heat upon her skin snapped her out of her melancholy daze, and her instincts immediately sprung into action. The hair stood up on the back of her neck, and a shriek of fear rose in her throat. She swallowed it down and kept silent. Though her mind was racing, time seemed to grind to a slow, agonizing halt. She waited, counting her hesitant breaths and the rapid thumps of her heart as she waited for him to reveal himself. When Hisoka finally spoke, his words were almost a relief to her ears.
"Sorry," he sneered wickedly. "Am I interrupting?"
Rhea turned her head in the direction of the voice. The clinking of glasses, the soft murmur of a hundred voices, the colorful shimmer of dim lights around her flickered momentarily out of existence when she met Hisoka's amber eyes.
It took her a moment to untangle her thoughts, and still another to free her tongue, but eventually Rhea managed to spit out a single word: his name.
"Hisoka…"
The man's wicked grin grew wider, and a bright red flush of blood began to flood her cheeks. Rhea ripped her eyes away from his, and glanced back at her other companion. Cal stared open-mouthed at the Heaven's Arena combatant, before turning back towards her and grinning like a schoolboy.
"Whoa," he exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell me this was who you were meeting?"
The young lawyer put down his drink, hurriedly brushed his hands against the lapels of his sports coat, and confidently stuck a hand out towards the magician.
"Callix Veleno," he introduced himself to Hisoka with a winning smile. "I've heard a lot about you. It's an honor to meet you in person."
Rhea felt the heat from the magician's eyes shift away, and watched with growing anxiety as the magician looked down his nose at the other man. He did not offer his hand back. Instead, Hisoka glared down at him as though he was an insect that he wanted to crush. The young woman immediately began to fear for the young lawyer's life.
"Cal," she said, her voice strained with urgency.
The man turned to glance at her, and his gleeful grin vanished the moment he saw her worried expression. His eyes darted back up to the Heaven's Arena combatant and he finally seemed to understand the danger that Hisoka presented. Cal retracted his hand and dipped his head slightly under the magician's scrutinizing, unfriendly gaze.
"Nevermind," he muttered sheepishly.
Hisoka turned his eyes back towards Rhea, seemingly content to ignore the lawyer's presence for now. The girl allowed herself a hurried breath and forced herself to gaze back at him.
"Y-you mentioned someplace private where we could speak," she suggested, her voice shaking only slightly. She was getting better at masking her fear. Somehow, however, she knew Hisoka would still notice. If that was a case, the magician didn't make it known.
"It's all been arranged," he said, gesturing to a darkened corner of the club behind him. "Shall we?"
The young woman weighed her choices once again. She could refuse. But then what would all of this have been for? She'd been the one, after all, to demand answers from Hisoka, and he'd agreed as long as she was willing to meet him here. She'd be a fool to turn away now, even if the opportunity frightened her. This was the trade. Something for something. Rhea squeezed the glass of water between her fingers so tightly she thought that it might burst, and time began to slow down again.
"Let's go," she finally said.
Hisoka gave a short nod of his head and turned to lead the way. As the young woman slipped off the barstool to follow him, she felt Cal's fingers brush against her shoulder one more time.
"Rhea, hold on a moment," the lawyer said, his voice softer than before. She glanced towards the lawyer, questions in her eyes, as he continued in a hushed tone: "Are you okay with this?"
The reporter's brow furrowed in confusion, and she set down her glass on the bar with an impatient thump. "I-I'm not sure what you mean."
Cal pulled closer, his voice just above a whisper. "I don't exactly feel comfortable leaving you alone with the likes of him. Especially now that…"
His words trailed off he glanced past her and towards the magician. The young woman frowned impatiently. "Especially now that what?" she asked.
Cal's lips pressed tightly together for a tense moment, before he finally admitted: "Especially now that I see the way he looks at you."
Rhea listened to the young man's words, knowing very well what he spoke of-the magician's heated gaze, his hungry, wandering eyes, his wolvish grin. The young woman inhaled another shaky breath, and cast another glance towards the Heaven's Arena combatant. Hisoka had paused and was glancing over his shoulder towards the two of them, a knowing smile stretching across his face. She felt a small flare of annoyance ignite within her chest.
I have no control.
Her earlier thoughts echoed in her head like the haunting wails of ghosts, and Rhea turned back towards the concerned lawyer, her face set in a resolute frown.
"It's not your choice to let me go with him," she said softly, but firmly. "It's mine."
Cal began to protest. "Rhea-"
"Thank you for the company, Mr. Veleno," she cut him off while backing out of the young man's reach, her expression solemn. "Please don't worry about me."
She turned away from him then, forcefully pushing Cal Veleno and his concern out of her thoughts, and walked instead towards the Heaven's Arena combatant. Hisoka waited for her to approach. When she reached him Rhea gathered her courage, looked him in the eye, and spoke.
"I'm ready."
...
Hisoka wasted no time.
He led Rhea Satto between jostling, brightly-clad bodies on the dance floor, past the strobing lights and throbbing music, and into a small, secluded corridor. As they walked down it, her trailing after him, the noises of the bar grew gradually fainter behind them.
The girl nervously glanced backward. "Where-where are we going?"
"Someplace more private," The Heaven's Arena combatant replied, casting a dismissive glance over his shoulder at her. "Just as you said."
She didn't question him further. They continued farther into the depths of the building, until they reached the end of the hallway, and an unmarked metal door. Hisoka twisted the doorknob delicately and swung the door open to reveal a windowless stairwell. He settled his eyes back upon the young woman following him.
"After you," he insisted with a smile.
He observed with growing interest as he eyes widened slightly while she second-guessed her choices. However, after a few seconds of rapid, shallow breathing and anxiously darting eyes, Rhea nodded resolutely and strolled into the stairwell. As she brushed past him, Hisoka took a deep, satisfying breath. He could practically taste the girl's fear on his tongue. It was a delicate, sweet flavor, with a few notes of bitterness. The magician contemplated seizing her, raising her to his lips, and taking a long, drawn-out sip of the elixir-but he stopped himself.
Not yet.
The magician held back a blissful shudder that might have betrayed his dark intentions to the young journalist. It was too soon, he decided. He had already killed one woman today, and that had left his palate for violence satisfied, at least for now. He would have to wait to savor Rhea Satto until another, even more opportune time. In the meantime, however, he would enjoy playing with her.
They began to climb, their footfalls echoing upward, bouncing back and forth between the walls of concrete and steel. The ascent ended with another door. Hisoka opened this one as he had the first, and beckoned Rhea to pass the threshold before him yet again. The girl glanced up cautiously at him, and then gingerly stepped out onto an open, empty balcony that overlooked the neon splendor of the city below. Hisoka was close behind her.
It was a small balcony, nestled between two looming beams of the celestial tower, meant to be used for surveyors and staff instead of entertaining. It was deeper than it was wide, and half-cast in bright light and shadow, but the opening it did have offered an unparalleled view of the city. Most importantly, Hisoka thought, they wouldn't be disturbed.
In the center of the platform there was a small table with two drinks set upon it. The Heaven's Arena combatant observed his companion with interest as she approached the table, blinked confusedly at the beverages, and glanced suspiciously back at him. It took her a moment to gather the courage to speak.
"What is this?" she asked.
Hisoka shot her a smile. "A little celebration. I thought you might want to drink to my victory today."
The young woman's face twisted into an angry grimace. "I don't drink."
Hisoka allowed the stairwell door to close behind him and walked towards the table. She took an instinctual step back as he approached. He didn't mind. She had little reason to feel safe in his presence, especially after the carnage she'd witnessed today in the ring. He closed his fist around one of the glasses, raised it delicately to his lips, and took a sip.
"Shame," he remarked.
The magician turned away and strolled casually towards the end of the platform, resting his forearms upon the railing. He leaned forward to gaze out upon the chaotic maze of streets stretching out for miles below. Rhea Satto hung back behind, gathering her courage once again.
"And you-you didn't technically win," she added, the tremor in her voice painfully apparent. "You forfeited the match just before Lilith died."
Hisoka smacked his lips and smiled gleefully to himself. It was fun, to hear her strain to say the words, trying to incite a reaction from him. It was all a farce, however. She wasn't really that brave, she was just playing the part, feebly attempting to wrestle at least a portion of control back to her side. But it was useless, and they both knew it.
He turned, placing the small of his back against the metal railing and stretching his arms out on either side. "What shall we drink to then?"
The journalist didn't answer, but stood silently at the table-arms crossed, lips drawn in a tight, thin line, hair fluttering slightly in the mild breeze that encircled them. Hisoka felt his bloodlust beginning to surface again. She was still being stubborn, and he couldn't wait to break her of her resistance.
Such a lovely, broken little toy, the magician marveled. She makes it all too easy.
The magician sighed pleasurably, and turned back towards the vibrant, glowing city with a satisfied grin, dreamily reveling in his blissful, bloody thoughts. He had been silently picking at the threads that loosely held Rhea Satto together ever since their first meeting, eager to see what was hidden inside, but the rookie reporter had managed to hastily sew herself up again every time he caught a glimpse.
Tonight was the night that he would finally completely unravel her, slowly, stitch by stitch.
The Heaven's Arena combatant felt a pleasurable shudder begin to overtake him, but on the outside, he appeared calm. He raised a hand and gestured for Rhea to join him at the railing. Another moment passed in silence, and after an exasperated sigh, she obeyed. Hisoka tilted his head and was pleased to see that she had the second drink cradled between her bandaged hands. His smile stretched wide, and he turned towards her, extending his glass towards her. The young woman flinched backwards, careful to maintain and arm's distance of length between them.
"Maybe we can toast to the beginnings of a friendship," Hisoka suggested melodiously, his eyes flicking momentarily towards her. "We just can't keep away from one another, it seems."
The young woman's face twisted into another unpleasant frown. "We-we're not friends."
Hisoka felt his lips tug upwards into a smirk. "Perhaps tonight will change that."
...
Rhea wasn't entirely sure how to respond to Hisoka's comment, and so she fell silent yet again.
Inside the young woman's head, however, was a cacophony of turmoil. Anger was still fresh in her memory, bubbling and frothing like and storm-tossed body of water, although it didn't boil over with the same blind, reckless tenacity as it had earlier that day. Now, it her more of a slow leak inside her, as she struggled to remain afloat in an ocean of uncertainty.
The reporter glanced again in Hisoka's direction, and was instantly caught in the thrall of the magician's amber eyes. They seemed to beckon her, calling her towards him like a siren's song. She could feel herself being tugged in, circling the vortex of Hisoka's dark world, and it frightened her how much she was tempted to let it take her. Regardless, she gathered her remaining courage and resolved to swim ahead of the current.
"Tell me why you did it," she demanded. "Why did you kill Lilith?"
As soon as the bold words left her lips, she flinched, as though she expected him to lash out in response. But Hisoka hardly reacted, except to shoot her another one of his cheshire grins.
"Tsk, Tsk, Rhea Satto…" he chided. Her name rolled off his lips slowly, as though he was savoring the flavor of it. Rhea shivered at the thought. "I think you are forgetting something very important."
The young woman's eyes narrowed in confusion. "W-what do you mean?"
"You never fulfilled your end of the deal," the Heaven's Arena combatant continued, chuckling darkly as he did it. "I don't believe it to be fair that I answer any of your questions, until you answer all of mine."
Rhea's mouth dropped open as she realized the gravity of his words.
No, she thought in despair. No, I can't...
The young woman's carefully measured breaths became ragged with fear. Heat welled at the corners of her eyes, but she shut them tightly and attempted to push back the tears. As soon as she did, memories of fire and ghostly screams surfaced like monsters in her head. She popped her eyes back open, and glimpsed Hisoka watching her inner struggle with a gleeful grin.
"Something for something," he reminded, his voice dipping slightly in a dangerous melody. "Make good on your end of the agreement, and I will tell you all you want to know."
The Heaven's Arena combatant took another swig of his drink, swallowing it down before sighing in delight. He glanced again at the dumbstruck girl beside him and waited eagerly for her response. Rhea shook her head in disbelief and felt a pang of nausea swirl to life in her gut, nearly crippling her ability to speak.
I have no control.
"And-and if I refuse?" she wondered aloud.
Hisoka leaned his head far backwards, his torso dangling perilously far over the railing. He gazed menacingly at her through the twisted corner of his eye.
"It's a little too late to consider that, Rhea Satto," he said seriously, before reverting back to his usual playfulness. "Besides, I think we both must consider that fate has some plan for the two of us. We seem inextricably linked together, you and I. No point in resisting."
He leaned forward to clink their glasses together again, but Rhea recoiled from his reach. It utterly disgusted her to think that she and Hisoka could be linked through some random, celestial circumstance. She cast a disdainful look in his direction, but said nothing in protest.
He's right, she realized with growing trepidation. I've tried to run before, but I just keep coming back to him. Like a moth to a flame.
A cold draft of air suddenly shot up the side of the building, ruffling her hair and the hem of her dress. Rhea shivered against the wind. It was as bitterly cold as the revelation she was having right now: as much as it made her physically sick to think about it, she would have to endure Hisoka's line of questioning, as well as the mental anguish that it would dredge up.
She could feel herself sinking deeper into the darkened waters of her fear, losing her will to fight against the current, allowing herself to be sucked into the center of the maelstrom. She had no control. No choice, she realized, but to let a killer poke around inside her head.
The young woman's gaze dropped to her feet. She felt the sharp prickle of tears forming at the corners of her eyes, and watched as the little, wet circles dotted the cement below her head. Finally, a single, strangled word crawled its way out of her throat, and with it, the last of her resolve slowly crumbled.
"Fine," she said, spitting the word out like it was poison.
As she glanced up in defeat, the Heaven's Arena combatant's sickle-shaped smile broadened. He raised his glass upwards in a cheerful gesture.
"Here's to beginnings, as well as endings," he toasted, a mischievous glint in his eye. "We'll see which possibility tonight brings us."
Rhea watched as the magician raised his glass to his lips with a sense of spiraling panic, but she mirrored his movements nonetheless, too petrified to do anything else. She closed her eyes as she pressed the drink to her quivering lips, feeling herself being pulled closer and closer to an uncertain fate. At least she could partially numb herself before Hisoka began asking his questions. The sharp, acidic smell of alcohol filled her nostrils, and she determinedly tipped the glass forward, swallowing two huge gulps of the liquor. The taste was bitter on her tongue, and she gagged violently.
When she recovered, Hisoka was grinning at her, amusement twinkling in his eyes.
"Shall we begin?" the magician asked delightedly.
Rhea glared back at him, bile and anger rising in her throat. He was acting so smug, and she hated him for it. She raised the glass and swallowed again, choking down the rest of her misgivings along with last drops of the distasteful liquor. Finally, having fully imbibed herself, she flung her arm to the side and allowed the empty glass to slip from her grasp. It struck the cement with a shatter, scattering shards of glass around her feet.
Rhea didn't care. She flicked her gaze back towards her host, her eyes swimming with bitter tears, and felt herself surrender to circumstance, fate, or whatever cruel force it was that kept pulling her towards Hisoka.
"Ask away."
...
Author's Note: Whew, finally done. Sorry it took so long to get this one up. I know I posted that I had it done early, but then I went back to reread it and I wasn't as satisfied. I wrote like four more drafts and each one didn't seem right...so I've been chiseling away at it slowly for the past few days, and I'm finally satisfied. How do you think I did? I hope you're excited for the next chapter too, because the conversation between Hisoka and Rhea is only getting started! It's about to get hot and heavy people! Once again, thank you so much for your readership! I love you guys!