Not Strong Enough
Chapter 26
Aleta gasped for air as she was lifted off her feet and pinned against the wall of her hotel room. It seemed as though her troubles were far from over as her torturer of the hour kept her pinned there no matter how hard she pried at his fingers or how much she kicked. Just as her vision was beginning to blur, she was let down and the same hand that held her up grabbed at her face, right under her chin.
As the blonde coughed, her mind reeled as to what could have caused her such a fate.
"Sure thing, Leader." Hisoka had said, almost teasingly. Aleta gave one last look at the others around her before hurrying to catch up with her escort back to her hotel.
Wary, Aleta chose not to say anything and just followed. The ground was surprisingly clean for a city so the only thing she really suffered where blackened feet. Hisoka had his back turned, but no doubt he may as well as had eyes on the back of his head. Aleta was unsure if she should try to escape or not. There was plenty of dirt around, the kind that she could dive in and probably bust through a wall to the sewer. Anime sewers were usually clean anyway. But her captor of sorts was still inhumanly fast. It must have been the heaviness of her legs that prevented her from trying anything. She was still scared of him, but he didn't radiate killing intent as often as one would expect.
Hisoka seemed almost ignorant of the odd looks they got. A barefoot girl wearing a size too big robe and a man in clown's clothing. Her black footprints stained the white marble of the hotel flooring, but none of the employees seemed to notice yet.
Then, just as they arrived in her former room, Hisoka struck.
"That was some trick you managed to pull little cherry. Even Illumi didn't know how it happened."
Aleta groaned. Great, now she was going to have to deal with an angry Hisoka all on her own.
"Look," talking with a hand clamped around her chin wasn't that easy. "I know this looks bad, but we can work this out, right? I-I can explain, sorta."
Hisoka hummed and poked at her cheek with his thumb, making his long, sharp nail wave rather close to her eyeball.
"I can! Really! Just, just let go of me, let me put on some actual clothes and we can work this out. If you're mad then I'm sorry but I didn't want to die!"
Differentiating if the red head was serious or not was rather difficult since he almost always had a smile on his face, but he let go. Aleta backed away as much as possible before being tripped up by the robe and falling sideways. She must have looked quite the mess, but if it meant she wasn't in death's grip Aleta didn't exactly care. Her legs wobbled as she stood and made her way to the closet. Her nerves were at their limits so Illumi's existence or not wasn't her top concern.
"I'll start from the beginning." She said, opening the door, which was thankfully devoid of any assassins to grab some clothing. "So, there's apparently some deity that thought it was a good idea to pull a prank on me. And right now I'm not sure what reality is and if I'm insane or not. Oh, and I'll leave the door cracked so you can hear me. I'm showering. Please don't watch or attempt to mutilate me when I do so."
Hisoka seemed amused but waved for her to continue anyway, moving to sit in a chair.
"Um, so I'll be honest with you since there isn't a single lie I can think of to make this make sense." After testing the temperature of the water, Aleta began to strip and spoke louder so the man could hear her. Though hopefully Melody would also pick up through the vents. Hisoka had no idea of her ability, so there was a savior somewhere yet.
"So, there I was, under Illumi's invisible watch, when I got a headache. There was nothing better else for me to do so I just went back to bed, just for a nap. Then bam, I wake up in my home dimension. Oh, not sure if I told you if I was from another world or not but surprise! I am." The tone in Aleta's voice wasn't exactly arrogant, yet it was impossible to constantly stutter and act terrified when she was talking to someone while in the shower. "And then for several months, there I was. No idea how to get back, but still enjoying where I came from as much as I could since, ya know, no nen powers and all that. Ah, yeah, no nen where I come from too. So then, one day, I went to bed as I usually do every day, and bam, just woke up back at the Phantom Troupe hide out. Nothing more to it."
Hisoka was quiet for a full minute, causing Aleta to become suspicious. She was telling the full truth, and even if he did torture her until she gave a sensible answer, nothing could even begin to equal to sneaking past a world class assassin, and a phantom troupe member.
"That does sound rather unbelievable, but I can't seem to sense any lies in your voice. Perhaps I should be a bit more thorough."
The bathroom door opened a bit more than the original crack and Aleta yelped.
"H-hisoka come on! I know you don't care about being naked in front of people, but I sorta do! Please remove yourself until I finish at least!" In a nervous fit, she had shrunk a third of her height by crouching under the shower and attempting to hide any parts of her still exposed with her arms and legs.
"Relax little cherry; I just want to do a simple test." He purred.
Another yelp escaped the blonde's lips as one of her arms was pulled away from her and the man's much cooler hand grasped her wrist. No matter how much she struggled, his grip was that of iron.
"Is nothing sacred with you?" Aleta said through clenched teeth.
"Mmm, I don't think so. Now, you are going to answer a few questions."
It had taken Aleta a moment to think clearly about the situation to see that he was measuring her pulse.
"You're gonna check to see if I'm lying like this?"
"Why yes. I highly doubt you're capable of masking it honestly." He stated matter of factly.
Aleta wasn't exactly offended, but it stung regardless. The urge to grumble "Asshole." was suppressed as quickly as it came. "Fine, just hurry up."
"How did you manage to find our hide out?"
"It's as I said, I didn't find it, I just sorta poofed there."
"And just how did you manage to sneak past Illumi the day you disappeared."
"I didn't. I just went to bed, poof, back to my own dimension."
"I see. Now, what are the abilities of every single member, including my own."
"This god damn sneak!" Aleta screeched inwardly.
Yanking her hand, Aleta shook her head and tried to pull back, but to no avail.
"Seriously I can't tell you."
"I am most certain you can."
Aleta stopped to look Hisoka in the eye. He still had that amused grin on his face like he wasn't giving an interrogation to a girl balled up and naked.
It was time to weigh her options. Telling him wouldn't exactly guarantee he wouldn't slit her wrist on the spot, but there was still a 50/50 chance he wouldn't. She couldn't lie, but not telling him meant a slow and painful death by bleeding out. It would look like a suicide if anyone found her. Just lying in the shower letting the water drain all her blood.
Wait. Water.
She cou-
"Ah ah ah." Hisoka cooed, increasing the pressure of his hand around her wrist.
Aleta gasped.
"I can feel you thinking of something. And it must have been of something very exciting."
Of course, He'd have snapped her neck before the water could even reach him.
"Fine! Fine, you really want to know? I'll tell you. I hope Pakunoda touches you too. Chrollo can steal abilities in a book, Pakunoda can read memories, Feitan can make a Sun, mummy guy can make planets, Machi can sew stuff, long hair can copy things, Phinks can punch stuff, Shizuku sucks things up, Uvo's just strong, Shal can play games on his cellphone, Franklin shoots stuff and I have no idea what Nobunaga does except he's good with his sword. " Aleta took a very deep breath. "And you. You, Hisoka, have bungee gum, can make super napkins with texture and can let go of me because that's all. I. Know. "
Hisoka wasn't smiling anymore, but let go regardless. Expecting him to rip out her eyes for raising her voice, Aleta wasn't expecting it when he placed his hand atop her wet head. After flinching, she opened one eye cautiously to see him smiling again.
"That wasn't so hard now was it?"
"You're um… not gonna kill me now right?"
"Maybe, maybe not."
"Well, let's go with maybe not and I think Chrollo is expecting you back. Like, now."
The man took one last look at her then stood. "Being ashamed of one's body isn't good you know."
A new breed of scarlet flew across Aleta's face, making Hisoka chuckle.
"I'll be seeing you soon little cherry." And with that, he left, properly shutting the door along the way.
Feet not as black as before, Aleta finished her shower and got dressed as fast as she could not even caring if parts of her skin where wet or not. Her hair was still short, thankfully, so there was no need to spend forever trying to dry it. All she wanted to do was asses her surroundings, see what was going on in the world, and try to not die before the sun rose again. Hisoka also must have taken Phink's robe while she wasn't paying attention since it was gone.
Upon turning on the television, Aleta could see that there were still reports on murders and robberies. The slaughter of the mafia wasn't included, something to be expected. Her room seemed to be the same, even her jars of dirt were set neatly on the desk. Bit by bit, the way her hatsu functioned was creeping back into her psych.
The door knob to the closet cracked under her grip when she opened the door only to see Illumi there again. Just as quickly as she opened it, she closed it and turned right around.
"Nope!" she said loudly to the air. She had to find her room key. She was going to leave and take a walk and hopefully forget all her problems.
Much to her dismay, the closet door opened again and the assassin stepped forward.
What Aleta wanted to say was, "Oh my god Illumi you creep would you just get your own room or something? Stop being such a weird ass! You want to know something about the future too?!"
Though the only thing to come out was a tired, "Please don't kill me right now."
"You can travel between dimensions then." It sounded more like a statement instead of a question."With such a power it's no wonder you were able to slip past me. Is this your true nen ability? "
"No, it is not. I am a manipulator, like you! And you know what, I don't know how I managed to do it. It just happens. Why doesn't anyone ever believe me? "
Illumi gave no answer as he approached.
"Nuh uh! No. I just had a shower interrogation. I'm not letting you do anything!"
"I wasn't going to question you. Just break both of your legs so you couldn't run away. You'd still be left alive, and the pain wouldn't be enough to kill you either."
Speechless, Aleta let her mouth drop. He was completely serious, he had to be.
"You know what." Aleta huffed through her nose. "I'm done. I quit. Screw you. There I said it. I am done with fearing for my life. You're crazy, Hisoka's insane, and everyone in this world has mental problems except for, and this is a huge maybe, the gatekeeper of your house. But you, you are just-Ugh!" Aleta threw her hands up in the air and continued her search for the room key.
"Hisoka's got my number, so he knows how to get to me. I am going on a walk, if you want, come along. I know you can transform, so be my twin sister if you want. I am not staying in this room all night. I want to walk and it just so happens to be nice out tonight. Break my legs and I am not gonna tell anyone anything ever! I'm gonna make myself brain dead and not even your dad, his dad or his dad could pull the information outta me."
It was official, Aleta had snapped. Talking to anime characters wasn't as charming as the series let on. Except for maybe Gon, Wing and Zushi. Everyone was insufferable in some way or another and Illumi had to be the worst.
"I was only kidding."
No, he was the absolute rock bottom.
Aleta sent a glare his way, but in doing so, spotted the key sitting next to the hotel phone which was no doubt either disconnected or went to Hisoka's phone. Illumi said nothing when she snatched it up and even stepped past him to go into the closet, pulling her wallet out of her luggage and counting its contents. She was still rich.
"Tell me, what makes you so sure I'll just allow you to leave?"
Another scathing glare and Aleta leaned her head his direction.
"Give me a piercing then. It'll be one big dumb earring but hey, you can track me can't you? I'm not letting you stab me in the neck or head or anything though. That would hurt and I don't feel like crying today." To prove her point, she even pulled at her earlobe for emphasis.
"Okay." Was all the man said before taking one of his needles and tossing it in said earlobe.
Aleta hissed and let out a groan as she stumbled back until she hit the wall next to the closet. Curses and other intelligible sounds flew from her mouth in a stream.
"A little warning would have been nice." She squeaked. Shakily, she made it to the still steamy bathroom to check on her ear. In the portion of the mirror that was clear, she could see that the needle had gone completely in, though the back wasn't as long as she expected. It wasn't too out of the question that he'd have different sizes. It looked like any other large earring, though it didn't help that it hurt much more than she expected. She'd have to stop and get some peroxide for when it was taken out. Oh that's right, she couldn't read the bottle anyway. At least she wasn't bleeding.
"You are free to go. However, if you go too far I will find you, and I will break your legs and drag you back. Or, perhaps I should just kill you?"
"I think you should just let me not fear for my life for 10 minutes. I know about your family policy and all, but after dealing with the Spiders I don't need any more near heart attacks. Oh, and when you call your dad in a few days tell him I'm a fan."
With nothing left to say apparently, Aleta walked out the door with key in hand and wallet as well as phone in her pocket.
Warm wind sent pleasant chills down Aleta's spine as she inhaled and exhaled the city air. Without Hisoka and Illumi making her thoughts a series of horrible "what if" scenarios, she could freely embrace the freedom of the world. The dull throb coming from her ear had become barely a distraction. Making sure to pay attention, Aleta mentally charted her whereabouts through landmarks. It wouldn't help her at all if she got lost. Though in general, she made sure not to take too many turns and went in long, straight lines.
York New City really was nice. People littered the streets with as much to do as her. Something familiar caught her ear and she followed the source until she found no other than the guy who sang the original first opening performing on a street corner. She had heard it so many times in her own world that she had the entire thing memorized. One hundred thousand jenni later, she smirked at how the man's voiced hitched when he saw how much she tossed in his guitar case. In the distance, she could see a bridge and a lot of ground she had no hope of covering in a single night. Aleta would have turned back, if it weren't for the sound of a bunch of men shouting catching her attention.
Curiosity killed the cat, and Aleta was sure she had about two lives left so taking a peak wouldn't hurt. Not long after, she found herself facing a small mob of large men gathered around something.
"Oh! Sooo close! So, who's next?"
It was Leorio. It seems as though she had happened upon the arm wrestling competition that got them into the "conditional auction." There was a line of contenders, though; it wouldn't hurt for her to try. Gon needed the money anyway.
As soon as she stood in line, the man in front of her, who was the definition of a muscle head, turned.
"Hey guys look! We got us another little lady here!"
Like an ocean, they all parted.
"Ladies first!" the man said enthusiastically.
"Hey, you-"
"Shhh." Aleta silenced Gon and winked. Leorio seemed to have caught on and kept on with their show.
"Hey now Gon, don't be getting nervous cause she's a girl."
Killua accepted the money without letting on they knew each other and Aleta placed her elbow on the table.
"Alright, here we go. Begin!"
Aleta put an efficient amount of effort into her arm as she and Gon began as soon as Leorio removed his hands from their own. Gon really was a beast in strength. Aleta had no intention of winning, but it was obvious he wasn't using his full strength either. Just to tease him, she tried harder, leaning his arm down. Gon responded by pushing hers down further. They remained like this until Aleta's forehead developed a small sheet of sweat , though in one last burst, the boy effectively slammed her hand down on the wood. They both panted in the humid air and the men behind roared.
"Did you see that? You could see the veins in his neck!"
"That's one tough broad."
"Yeah I was sure she almost had em'."
"Well, that was fun wasn't it?" Aleta said after wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. "Well, see ya!"
"Aww, and so close too." Leorio smiled in a way that meant it was nice to see her. Killua seemed to be bothered slightly, though the reason was unclear. Then it clicked, she still had that needle in her ear.
The roars of the crowd became background noise as Aleta quickly made her way back from where she came. Or, at least it's where she thought she came from. Of course Killua would recognize his brother's weapon of choice. She had to make herself scarce before he could catch up with her. Well, she would have if she didn't make a wrong turn and end up looking down an alleyway.
And now she was lost.
Cursing inwardly, Aleta took to running and followed the sounds of men to which were being loud. This time she took another turn in a different direction. It appeared that she was going in the right direction, until she found herself staring at what looked like the path to an undeveloped part of the city.
Wrong again.
"Hey."
Crap.
Aleta turned slowly to see Killua standing a few feet away.
"I know what you're here about, but trust me, it may look exactly what it looks like, but it's not bad."
"Why is he here?" Killua wouldn't attack her, but he was still good at intimidation. Even with his soft fluffy hair, love for sweets, and personality traits that were almost like a kitten's.
Aleta blushed.
"I-It's nothing serious. Just business. But it's not with you, trust me."
Killua's eyes widened. Apparently he had taken the girl's blush with another meaning behind it.
"He's.. with you?" he said in disbelief.
"Look I didn't ask for this, it just sort of happened. But it's nothing too serious alright? Oh my just look at the time, I think Gon and Leorio are expecting you and I-uh, need to go. L-later!"
"Y-yeah, sure. Just, be careful, I guess. Uh-bye."
Their parting was awkward as Killua left with the completely wrong impression and Aleta ran off to hopefully find her hotel again lest Illumi come find her himself since she was on the verge of going back to the Spider's hide out instead of the hotel.