A x Deadly x Interest

Chapter 19

AN: As always, notes are at the bottom. Enjoy!

Standing outside of what I now knew to be Hisoka's room, no matter what he wanted to call it, I took a moment to reorient myself and figure out what the shortest way back to the reception desk would be.

'That girl better still be working,' I grumbled internally. If I found out the desk was closed for the evening there would be hell to pay and I wasn't above taking that out on gullible receptionists if necessary.

Squinting slightly I decided to go left. If I'd correctly interpreted the layout the whole rooming block was probably just a big square anyways. My shoes dug unpleasantly into the plush carpet covering the floor as I took my first step. I unfortunately didn't get any further than that, because right as I was lifting my foot for step two an outraged shriek came from behind me.

I couldn't quite supress the weary sigh that escaped me in response. I just knew that shriek would inevitably spell trouble for me. Perhaps it was a bit presumptuous of me to assume, but what else was there in this empty hallway to shriek about? Unless the receptionists made it a habit to give people keys to used rooms, but somehow I doubted that.

I considered seriously whether I couldn't just make a run for it, but in the end I decided that no, I couldn't. My stay although I for sure didn't regret taking the so-called 'welcome comittee' down a notch. Those bastards could go fuck right off.

Turning around I was greeted by the unpleasant sight of a pink haired girl rushing my way with balled fists. I winced slightly upon seeing her, something which thankfully went unoticed. I'm sure the girl was usually quite beautiful, but the puce shade of her complexion clashed horridly with her pink hair, and the glare she was giving me could curdle milk. Not exactly an attractive picture.

I absently wondered what I'd done to deserve this, this time. 'Maybe everyone around here is just crazy?' I considered somewhat seriously. After all, my sample size consisted of Hisoka, the 'welcome-committee' and now this random girl who looked like she was about to explode for no reason I could determine. 'I suppose Kastro seemed normal enough,' I mused. 'Then again, he did seem kinda off'. I frowned. 'I'll withold judgement for now.' Happy with my decision I refocused on the girl who had finally made her way over.

I wondered why it had taken her so long, until I glanced down and saw the bright pink stillettos digging uncomfortably into the plush carpet. 'No wonder she is pissed, I'd be too if I had to wear those,' I thought to myself and almost giggled. 'Fuck, I really need to sleep if that's enough to make me laugh.'

Doing my level best to put on a serious face I regarded the girl calmly.

Said girl obviously did not appreciate my efforts because she shrieked once more; "YOU!"

"Me?" I asked somewhat questioningly.

"What do you think you are doing here?" she asked, clearly undeterred by my seeming naivitee.

"Walking," I retorted shortly. If she was going to be this rude I had no reason to be polite either.

"That's not what I meant," the girl hissed out. "I mean what are you doing here." She nodded at the door behind me as if it held some great importance.

I glanced behind me to make sure I hadn't missed anything, but all I saw was the same hardwoord door with the brass 204 next to it.

I turned back to the girl and shrugged. "I don't know what you are talking about."

Apparently this wasn't the right thing to say because the girl drew back her shoulders in an unsuccesfull attempt to look taller and her frown grew impossibly deeper. "Don't act dumb! I saw you leaving his room." I could almost hear the capital 'H' in his.

Now it was my turn to frown. She was making all this fuss about Hisoka of all people? I had half a mind to go back into that room and throw him out of those gorgeous glass windows. This was the second time tonight he was keeping me from my well deserved sleep!

The girl obviously took my frown as agreement because she harrumphed in triumph. "See? I knew it! Well listen here girlie, there's a certain way we do things around here and you'd better get with the program fast. That is if you don't want to have an unfortunate accident." She looked at her acrylic nails with feigned disinterest at those last words.

A mixture of confusion and anger filled me at the threat, leaving me speechless. Who did this girl think she was to talk down on me like that? She was gonna tell me what I could and couldn't do? Ha! I'd like to see her try. I'd sooner put her head through the wall than obey.

The girl obviously mistook my silence once more, perhaps believing me suitably cowed, because she continued in a fake friendly voice. "Since you are obviously new though, I suppose one exception can be made." She paused and looked at me expectantly. With shock I realised she expected me to thank her. No way in hell that was happening. When it became painfully obvious no gratitude was forthcoming she frowned minutely, but continued onwards undeterred. "My name is Tanakawa Hiyori, I run things around here and would be happy to help you settle in." She leaned forwards slightly and held up her pointer finger threateningly. "You must agree to one thing though. You can't bother Hisoka-sama again."

"Sama?!" I croaked out, disbelief momentarily winning out over my anger.

Now it was Hiyori's turn to look quizzical. "Yes, of course 'sama'!" She huffed, but then visibly repressed her annoyance. "Like I said, it seems you have a lot to learn still."

The smile she gave me was obviously meant to be friendly, but it had quite the opposite effect on me. My confusion was starting to fade and anger was taking over quickly. I knew this type. I had come across them often enough when I was younger. Popular girls faking kindness, who wanted you to feel grateful for being squished. She was nothing but a bully. The only thing confusing me was how Hisoka played into all this, but at this point I couldn't care less. Maybe if I hadn't already had a very stressfull day I would have been able to laugh this off, but as it was I was like one big bomb full of frustration waiting to go off. And Hiyori was starting to look more and more like the perfect target.

Hiyori, unaware of the danger she was in, continued on unabashedly. "Hisoka-sama has quite refined tastes. You are better off letting those of us more suited to him satisfy his needs." She smiled condescendingly. It was quite clear who she considered the person most suited for the job.

I took a moment to make sure, that yes, I was hearing this correctly. Then it took all I had not to facepalm. Of course she was a fangirl. Or maybe a jealous lover? She was pretty, yet somehow I couldn't imagine Hisoka fucking anyone who acted like this woman. From what I'd seen he had very little patience for idiots. Perhaps that explained her anger; she was jealous.

I hid a smirk behind my hand. This gave me the perfect idea on how to get a little payback.

It cost quite a bit of effort, but I put on my biggest, friendliest, fakest smile and let my hand drop. Then I grabbed one of Hiyori's hands in both of mine. "Thank you so much, Hiyori!" I chirped, sugar positively dripping off the words.

Hiyori looked somewhat startled, but a moment later her lips twisted into an equally syruppy smile. "You're welcome!," she clasped my handsd with her free hand. You could say many things about this woman, but at least she could adapt pretty quickly.

Some part of me still felt surprised that she'd fallen for my act. She had to be used to getting her way, why else would she believe me? It made me wonder how many others she had bullied in the past. Oh well, that would only make what came next all the sweeter.

I smirked and abruptly took a step back. "Your offer is so kind, truly. However, I believe I have all the help I need for now."

Hiyori startled at the sudden turn in my mood and I took that moment to fish the keycard from my pocket.

I kept my movements deliberately slow, giving her plenty of time to witness as I held the card to the pad next to door number 204. It took a moment, but then the light blinked green and the soft click of the door unlocking echoed through the suddenly quiet hallway.

Hiyori gasped and I glanced at her with smug satisfaction. "I'll be sure to keep you in mind, however, if I ever find myself in need of advice."

I turned towards the door and grasped the handle. As I pushed it in I made sure to toss one last comment over my shoulder.

"I don't believe I'll need it though." I smirked once more, taking in the return of the unflattering puce shade of her complexion with glee. "After all, I haven't had any complaints so far."

As the door fell shut behind me I could have sworn I heard the third shriek of the night.

This time though, I couldn't imagine a sweeter sound.

Hisoka looked up in surprise when he heard his door open again a mere 15 minutes after Sachi had left him. He hadn't expected her to return, nevermind this soon.

His little fruit was leaning against the door with a smugly satisfied smile gracing her full lips and this only served to fan the flames of his curiousity. He decided to wait until she noticed him before commenting, however. It was so rare that she acted so unguarded around him.

He leaned back on the couch leisurely and waited.

When she finally turned towards him and made eye-contact he could see her startle slightly. Silly woman, had she no selfpreservation? He might have no intention to hurt her right now, but it was never wise to forget there was a predator in the room with you. Even if you had claws yourself. He shuddered slightly at the thought of what she could do with those claws of hers. Memories of determined orange eyes and the feeling of steel tearing into his skin threatened to overwhelm him, but he pushed them down. Now was not the time.

"Change your mind?" he asked, his voice coming out a little huskier than intended.

Sachi scoffed at the thought and crossed her arms.

He wondered if she knew the effect that had on her bossom.

"Not because of you," she bit out, and he could hear the delicious tang of anger in her tone. Surprisingly, it didn't all seem to be directed at him. He sat up a little straighter, honestly intrigued at what could have happened in so few minutes to get her so worked up.

He watched as she slung her travel bag from over her shoulder and walked straight passed him and into the bedroom.

Worked up.. and agreeing to sleep in his rooms? He was just dying to know now.

Not one to look a gift horse into the mouth he followed her into the bedroom. He knew better than to get close to her right now though, for if he did he might scare her away, and so he leaned against the doorjamb.

Sachi glanced over her shoulder and frowned at him.

"Don't get any ideas," she said.

He held up his hands in surrender, showing they were empty, a non-threat. They both knew better though. And wasn't that an exciting thought? A shiver once more passed through him as he observed her rummaging through his bedroom.

It seemed his spontaneous plan to have her stay with him would be more succesful than expected. Initially, he had done it simply to rile her up. A little pay back for making him wait. Because he knew she had made him wait on purpose. He had tracked her buying the tickets several days in advance, and seen her deliberatly skipping earlier flight options. And while he wouldn't have it any other way, would have been disappointed really if she had come so easily, that didn't mean he would let it slide without retaliating. Such was the game they played.

He grinned, reflecting on the way this game had started. At first it had been a matter of convenience and brief curiosity. Something to distract himself from the delicious tension in the Hunter Exam and prevent him from making the same mistake as last time. She had allowed him to cut loose just a little more in their fights than he would have been able to otherwise, and in doing so had probably prevented him from irrepairably squashing some of the delectable, unripened fruits that had been present.

That brief curiousity had quickly ripened, however, until he was fighting an entirely different battle of wills. One that, with his attention split as it was, he had been finding more and more difficult to win.

Now that she had been away from him for a while he was finding it easier to control himself, yet as he stood there watching her standing in his bedroom he could feel the tangle of lust and bloodlust consume him once more.

It made him want to keep prodding, keep poking until he finally understood her and all her contradictory reactions.

It made him want to strip her down until she was bare and writhing underneath him against his satin sheets.

It made him want to take one of his precious playing cards and keep slicing away at her layers until she was nothing but a skinless mass of flesh and blood and bone before him, at last deprived of all her secrets.

The shudder that came through him was stronger this time and he grasped the wood of the doorjamb in a desperate bid to keep control.

It was too soon, he told himself.

Too soon.

I looked up as I heard the creaking of wood behind me. I had known of course that Hisoka was watching me, but I had been trying my level best to ignore him. Already I was regretting my impulsive decision to sleep here tonight. In fact I'd probably regretted it a hundred times since returning to these rooms. Seeing the cracked wood framing the open doorway where Hisoka had been standing not a moment before, I silently added another instance to the tally.

No going back now though, my pride wouldn't let met. Time to focus on the positives.

The bed looked mighty tempting. A luxurious kingsize and fitted with what I was almost certain were black silk sheets- and wasn't that a cliche?- I was sorely tempted to sink into the matress. A cursory sniff of my armpits killed that fantasy pretty quickly though. After a day of kicking ass I really needed a shower.

Grabbing a towel from the drawer I'd found earlier I headed back out into the living room and towards the door in the corner that I figured led to the bathroom. Hisoka, surprisingly was nowhere to be seen, but I still locked the door, figuring that would give enough of a warning if the perverted clown tried to intrude.

The bathroom was quite plain in comparison to the living room with its beautiful floor to ceiling windows and the luxurious bedroom. I couldn't care less though. When I turned on the water the showerhead gave nice, steady pressure, especially considering how high up we were, and the warm water felt heavenly.

All too soon, however, I started to feel uneasy again. I might have been able to supress my doubts while distracted by inspecting Hisoka's living space, but with only the creme tiles for company doubt was starting to creep back in. I could of course still head back to the reception desk and demand my own room, but after the showing I'd made to Hisoka of settling in, I felt that that would look weak.

I despised looking weak.

And considering my current company any show of weakness might very well be incredibly dangerous.

So that settled the debate of whether or not I was staying. Now to decide where I would sleep.

The couch in the living room had looked quite comfortable, but something in me recoiled at the thought of sleeping there. After all, why should I have to take the couch if Hisoka was the one who put us in this situation? I felt my earlier irritation returning slowly as I stuck with that train of thought.

When I left the shower and realized I hadn't brought any clean clothes my irritation only grew. As such, when I saw a white bathrobe hanging from a hook on the wall I only hesistated briefly. Hisoka probably never used the thing anyway, what with his seeming proclivity for constant nudity. Besides, if he wanted to insist on me staying here, then he'd better be prepared to provide for me.

Shrugging on the fluffy robe I was instantly hit with a masculine scent. 'Guess Hisoka does use this one,' I thought. The bathrobe carried his signature bubblegum smell, but the bloody undertones I was so used to were much less pronounced. In their place was a musky odour that could only be described as male. It made for a more subdued, but surprisingly pleasant scent. I jerked back my head from where I'd subconsciously been leaning in to get another whiff, feeling absolutely mortified. When I checked the room in reflex it was thankfully still empty.

Deciding my exhaustion was really starting to weigh on me if I was thinking like that, I quickly wrapped a towel around my wet hair and left the bathroom.

Hisoka was sitting on the couch like he had never left. He looked up when I entered the room and I saw him stiffen slightly. Then he did a leisurely sweep of my form, eyes lingering on the hem of his bathrobe where it brushed my legs mid-thigh.

Feeling the irrational urge to blush I tugged the hem down slightly. Damn man needed to get a longer robe. He was even taller than me, and while I did have some curves filling it up, I couldn't imagine it covered much more on him. Not that I wanted to think about such things. Nope, nope, nope. I was startled out of my increasingly silly musings when Hisoka broke the silence.

"Make yourself at home?" he asked, an undercurrent of something hoarse and undefinable coating the words.

I dediced to ignore it.

"I sure am," I confirmed, lifting my chin somewhat haughtily and daring him to defy me.

Unlike what I'd expected Hisoka remained silent. Regarding me with that same leisurely, yet oddly predatory gaze.

Tension was crackling in the air between us, something different than the usual bloodsoaked battlelust that marked our encounters. It reminded me of when I'd washed his back on Zevil island, only back then he'd been completely relaxed. This time he was coiled tightly, a predator on the prowl.

What he was hunting, however, I did not know.

"I'm going to bed," I announced abruptly.

Hisoka made a move as if he were about to get up and join me, but I threw up my hand to stop him.

"Oh no, no, no, no. You can stay right there mister." I pointed at the couch.

Hisoka pouted, but he fell back on his hands easily. "Can't blame me for trying," he joked lightly, yet the suggestive glint in his eyes seemed nothing if not serious.

"I sure can, and I do," I mumbled, desperate to leave the room now before he'd catch sight of the way I'd flushed when catching his eye. Still, I got the impression he would respect my wishes. Didn't mean I wasn't gonna lock the bedroom door to make sure, however. That would just be silly.

I turned to leave and heard Hisoka shift behind me.

"Sachi," he called out.

I turned around with a sigh, already preparing a new rebuttal explaining that really, he was not allowed in the bed with me, and yes I was quite sure thank you very much.

Instead I was met with smoldering eyes."Good night."

I blinked, suprised by the suprisingly normal words and barely managed to swallow my prepared retort. Instead I muttered a quick 'good night, Hisoka' in return, and then I rushed to the bedroom and shut the door behind me. I wasn't quite fast enough to shut out the chuckles that followed.

I noticed there was no lock on the door, but at this point I was so tired, I couldn't bring myself to care.

I crawled underneath the sheets, briefly noting that same bubblegum and Hisoka smell that clung to the bathrobe, only stronger, and then I was out like a light.

The next day I woke up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the world. First order of business was getting breakfast, then next I would see about getting my own room. I hoped the silk sheets were standard issue, although I somehow doubted it.

When I left the bedroom Hisoka was seated at the dining table with an elaborate breakfastspread laid out in front of him. Light from the large windows reflected of the silverware belonging to a second place setting. Clearly Hisoka intended for us to have breakfast together.

I considered briefly whether I should refuse out of spite, but a gurgle from my stomach killed that plan pretty quickly. There was a place for pettiness, and it wasn't when I was hungry.

I sat down and grabbed some bread and jam.

"Good morning," Hisoka said, sounding amused.

Internally I grumbled and wondered what I'd done now that he already sounded like that. I had the feeling staying quiet would only serve to entertain him more, so I grunted something around my bread that sounded vaguely like 'Goodmorning'. I made sure to keep my focus on my plate, hoping Hisoka would get the hint and quit talking.

Hisoka did not seem pleased with that, however, and continued the conversation nonetheless. "Did you sleep well?" he asked. His deep voice managed to make the simple inquiry sound positively sinful.

"I did," I said curtly, glancing up and catching his eye at last. Seeing an opportunity, I couldn't help myself from antagonizing him just a little bit. "And you?" I grinned darkly, hoping he'd had a rotten night on the couch.

Of course Hisoka could never just respond the way I wanted him to. He returned my smile with one of his own. "Hmm I found myself a little... pre-occupied."

He looked at me expectantly, but I damn well knew better than to inquire what he had been so 'pre-occupied' with. Maybe when I'd just met him I'd have fallen for his trap, but by now I knew better. So instead I hummed noncomittaly and refocused on my food.

I could almost feel Hisoka's pout from across the table, but I refused to give him anymore attention.

The rest of breakfast passed relatively peacefully. Hisoka made a few more attempts at starting conversation, but our time on Zevil island had given me plenty of practice at ignoring him. Eventually he gave up with a soft huff and started clearing the table.

The resulting grin I had to hide behind my hand. It was good being the one annoying him for once, rather than the other way around. I still had my manners, however, so I made sure to put my plate and cutlery in the dishwasher. Then I washed my hands and returned to the bedroom to get my bag.

I quickly scanned the room to make sure I wasn't forgetting anything. As I did so, my eye fell on the bathrobe I'd worn last night. It had been suprisingly comfortable. I decided Hisoka probably wouldn't mind if I took it and if he did, well, good. I snatched the robe and stuffed it in my bag with my other clothes.

Returning to the living room I made a beeline for the door. I wasn't surprised when I heard the shuffling behind me indicating Hisoka was following. At this point I was pretty sure he existed in a state of perpetual boredom while he wasn't fighting and was continually looking for a new thrill. Right now, I was probably the most interesting thing around. That alone probably excused Hisoka's incesant pestering in his mind.

I ignored how uncomfortably similar that perceived thrillseeking felt to my own motivations and headed for the reception at a quick pace. While I wasn't accosted as soon as we left the room this time, I wasn't about to tempt fate and linger. If Hisoka had any thoughts about my walking speed he thankfully kept them to himself.

Arriving at the reception I was happy to see the desk was manned by a different woman than yesterday. Hopefully that would make convincing her to give me my own room easier. As I approached the desk, Hisoka in tow, the woman looked up disinterestedly.

"Goodmorning," I said. "I would like to get a room, please."

The woman put down her magazine with a sigh. "Your name?"

"Kurokawa Sachi," I responded, trying to sound polite.

"Says here you were assigned a room yesterday," the woman said after typing on the computer for a few moments. She looked at me accusatorily, although the effect was ruined somewhat by her drooping eyes.

"It turns out the room was already occupied," I responded bluntly, gesturing behind me.

This finally seemed to get the woman's attention and as her eyes snapped from me to Hisoka they widened considerably. Where her gaze lingered on Hisoka I could swear I saw a glint of fear appear. She might be rude, but it seems I'd finally found a woman with some sense in this place.

"I, ah, I see," she muttered. "I will fix this."

She started typing with considerable speed and a few minutes later procured a new keycard. "Room 207, my apologies on behalf of the staff." Her eyes flitted continually between me and Hisoka as she spoke and I could slowly see curiousity replace the fear.

I snatched the key from the woman's grasp and uttered a very forced 'thanks'. I turned, intending to go find my room, when the woman seemed to snap back to her senses.

"Ah, wait!" The woman called out. "Sachi-san, you have received an invitation for a match."

I looked back at her, surprised. I had received a short explanation of the rules in the elevator to the 200th floor, so I was aware personal matches could be requested, however I couldn't imagine who would issue such a challenge to me so soon.

Seeing she had my attention the woman handed me a half-filled in form. I scanned over the form, searching for the name of my challenger. Before I could find it, however, Hisoka moved closer. I was distracted by the sudden closeness and the whisper of his breath against my ear. I was about to push him off when he suddenly let out a quiet 'ah' in realization.

Startled, I glanced back at the paper, looking for what had pulled such a reaction from the unpredictable man. Hisoka reached around me, arm brushing against my own, and tapped a spot on the paper. Squinting I read the words spelled there:

'Challenger: Tanakawa Hiyori'

A snort escaped me before I could stop it. I was so going to enjoy this.

Grin still on my lips I turned to look at Hisoka. I immediately realized he had not moved back yet and was a lot closer than I thought. He was looking at me curiously, a mischievous sparkle in his golden eyes.

"That bitch is going down," I stated, daring him to refuse me. After all, I wasn't sure what his relationship with the crazy fangirl was, but I almost couldn't believe a man like Hisoka would pay attention to such a desperate woman.

I needn't have worried though. Of course Hisoka would never stop any violence. Instead, he grinned back; a savage twist of the lips that bared his canines and reminded me uncomfortably of when we first met.

"I look forward to it," he said, voice husky.

I supressed a shiver and told myself it was because I was excited for the match and not because of anything to do with the man next to me.

My match with Hiyori was set for one week from now. Plenty of time to settle in. I loved my new, private room, although unfortunately it turns out the silk sheets weren't standard issue after all. The view, apparently, was and I loved looking through the large windows at the dizzying cityscape below.

I'd taken the past few days to get better aquainted withe the area around Heaven's arena. Already, I'd found a lovely bakery that sold the most delicious pastries. I'd been using my winnings from the first 199 floors to get myself breakfast there every morning so far, and was just on my way down to do so again when I ran into Kastro by the elevators.

"Where are you of to so early?" he asked.

"I'm getting breakfast," I responded.

"Ah, I see. Would you mind if I joined you?" Kastro asked politely.

I considered him for a moment before nodding my agreement. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to get to know this potentially interesting man further.

We engaged in light conversation as we walked towards the bakery. It was actually quite nice, if a bit boring. We took a seat out on the terrace and ordered our meals. It was all dreadfully normal. I was almost starting to wonder if I had imagined the hidden viciousness I'd seen when I'd first met Kastro, when he suddenly changed the topic.

"I didn't now Hisoka was close to anyone," Kastro commented, doing his best to appear aloof. The tight set of his shoulders betrayed him, however.

"Oh, we aren't," I hurried to clarify.

"Yet you room together?" Kastro asked, a brow raised in question.

I frowned. I'd hoped that particular detail had remained private, but guess that was too much to ask for. "It was a temporary arrangement," I stated, wincing slightly when I heard how unbelievable that sounded.

Seeing Kastro's brows quirk in disbelief I hurried to change the topic before he could continue asking.

"So have you been competing for long?"

Kastro clearly realised what I was trying to do, but thankfully he went along with it. "I have been here for around two years now."

"So are you close to becoming a floormaster then?" I asked, not caring that the question might come off as rude. I felt pretty sure I hadn't misjudged his strength.

"I am, actually. Only one more win to go," he said, looking proud.

"That is quite the accomplishment," I complimented him. The compliment was genuine too. From what I'd heard and seen so far, the competition could be cutthroat. "Do you have a match planned already?"

Kastro's forehead wrinkled slightly. "I do. I have yet to extend the invitation, but I'm sure it will be accepted."

"Oh?"

Kastro glanced at me sharply as he spoke. "Hisoka is not one to turn down a challenge,"

I took a moment to take that in. "He really isn't, no. Are you sure?"

It was a fair question to ask in my opinion. Surely there were easier and less lethal options.

For the first time I saw something unpleasant on Kastro's face. "I'm quite sure," he said, a little shortly.

I winced. Clearly, this was a sensitive subject.

We ate in silence for a moment, the previously carefree mood ruined. I cleared my throat uncomfortably and tried to think of something to say.

Thankfully, Kastro was a lot more socially capable than me. He sighed and shot me a sheepish smile. "I apologize, I should not have reacted like that. It was an innocent question."

I nodded and smiled hesitantly.

Kastro smiled back genially. "It is a bit of a sensitive subject I must admit. You see, Hisoka was in fact my first opponent in the Arena."

"He was?" I felt shocked. Hisoka would not be an easy match-up in any scenario, let alone for your first match.

"Indeed." Kastro shook his head and laughed bitterly. "I lost quite horribly of course. Although I did score a few points. The only one to have done so, I believe."

My respect for Kastro went up a few points. I knew from experience how difficult it could be to get a good hit in on the magician, and that was while he was holding back. Not that I hadn't been, but still.

"Impressive," I said.

Kastro looked at me warily for a moment, but he seemed to pick up on the fact that I was being honest. He smiled again, and I saw the last of the tension fall away.

"Thank you," he said. Then his features settled in a determined grimace. "I plan to do a lot more this time, however. I will show him what I learned and squash him."

I observed him silently. This was an entirely different man than the polite, somewhat reserved Kastro I had seen so far. The duality was interesting.

Kastro must have mistaken my silence for discomfort as he grinned sheepishly, the determination flowing out of him again. "I'm sorry, Hisoka is a friend of yours isn't he? I shouldn't talk like that."

Now it was my turn to frown. "A friend? Hell no! I'd like nothing more than to give him a good ass-kicking myself," I grumbled.

Kastro looked surprised. "Truly? I did not get that impression when I saw you together."

"And what impression did you get then?" I asked, half of me feeling curious, and the other half feeling pretty sure I did not want to know.

Kastro hesitated, clearly sensing my irritation.

"I won't bite," I promised. 'Not unlike some murder clowns I know...,' I thought bitterly, hand rubbing over my by-now customary ribbon-choker.

"I thought you appeared quite familiar with each other," Kastro started hesitantly. "Not many speak to Hisoka like that. And.." He trailed off.

"And?" I prompted, starting to feel a little impatient.

"And I believed you might be lovers," Kastro finished, looking away slightly.

I'd half-expected it was coming, but I was shocked nonetheless. Then, I became angry. "That fucking pervy clown," I muttered. "Giving people the wrong idea. I knew this was gonna happen, I just knew it!"

I was working myself into a rage to the point where I almost forgot Kastro was with me. Luckily he interrupted me before I stormed back to the Arena.

"I take it I was wrong then?" he asked.

"Yes!" I responded passionately.

Kastro cringed a little and I blushed.

"I'm sorry," I muttered. "It is a, ah, how did you say it? Sensitive subject."

Kastro looked like he was dying to ask more, but thankfully he thought better of it. "That's alright," he said. "You don't need to explain."

Relieved, I returned his smile with one of my own. 'I could get used to this,' I thought. 'It's nice when people respect your boundaries for once.'

"It might be selfish of me," Kastro continued suddenly,"but I am happy to hear you two are not involved. You seem like a lovely person, Sachi. I would hate for a man like that to get between us getting to know each other better."

It was clear what type of getting to know each other he meant, and I wasn't sure how to respond. I was not used to such brazen, yet polite flirting. At the same time, I did want to get to know Kastro better. Perhaps it couldn't hurt?

Before I could make up my mind about a response Kastro laughed. "I'm sorry, that was very forward of me, wasn't it? Please ignore that, and let's eat our meals, hmm?"

I nodded hesitantly. I really wasn't sure what to make of our conversation so far, especially the latter part. Kastro's calm demeanour was infectious, however, and we quickly settled back into easy conversation. Breakfast passed quickly, with smatterings of small talk and simple conversation. I did not get another glimpse of the determined, steely man hiding under Kastro's polite exterior. Now that I kenw he was there though, it only made me more determined to figure him out.

AN: Hi everyone, happy new year! I hope you are all doing well :)

Its been a while again, for which I'm sorry, but I hope all the Hisoka in here + the POV makes up for it. Was feeling a little rusty though, might come back later and do some edits. I also have a different writing program that isn't as good with spellcheck etc. I tried to do some extra checks myself, but some things might have slipped through.

As always, thank you for all reads, reviews, faves and alerts. They make my day!

Let me know what you think~

xXx Mai1564