The wind blew the white curtains into the darkened room, bringing the fresh smell of rain that hung in the air. Hisoka had to move quite a few fluttering cloths until he found the edge and was able to step out onto the balcony through the open window.

In the dark night, the stars looked bigger and brighter than usual. He thought it was strange; the scent of rain was intense and unmistakable; and there was also the wind that blew his hair hard.

"It rained a while ago, what remains are the echoes," explained the dark figure of Chrollo, leaning on the balcony railing and turning his back to him. "We can't escape the echoes."

The figure turned. Chrollo, all dressed in black, walked over to Hisoka. His eyes, which glowed like two incandescent white lights, made him look ghostly and unreal.

"Chrollo, your eyes…" Hisoka said as soon as Chrollo stopped about six feet away.

"Ah, this? It's because of the stars. Tonight they are brighter and I got filled with stars," Chrollo replied. He reached his arm skyward and pointed up. "You see?"

Hisoka raised his head, but instead of stars he could only see a reddish sky covered with clouds, moving fast above his head. The storm swirled and displayed every possible tone of red and orange flashes through the dark clouds.

"Oh, yeah. It's time to fight," Chrollo said.

Chrollo's voice distracted him from the cloud show. As he lowered his head to look at him he noticed that they were no longer on the balcony of his floor in the Heaven's Arena, but in the mountains where Chrollo had been abandoned after being overcome by Kurapika's restriction.

The reddish light illuminated the whole environment, which was no longer clear and cool, but heavy and humid. Hisoka tried to take a step but found that he couldn't move. The ground at his feet was covered in thick, heavy mud that looked like glue. An intense fear began to take over his body, as he looked at Chrollo, standing ten feet in front of him; the man smiled wickedly and stared at him, this time with his ordinary eyes.

The wind swirled the classic black coat with a fur collar. The instant Chrollo raised his arms, two huge and powerful Nen fishes appeared floating in the air; they immediately launched themselves towards Hisoka.

The joker tried to scream, but no sound came out from his opened mouth. He could barely move his arms, desperate, to try to keep the fishes away. Little by little the evil creatures devoured small pieces of his body, but he couldn't feel any pain.

He tried to use his "Bungee Gum", but nothing appeared. He neither could use any of his cards as knives. His hands remained empty as he was stuck to the muddy ground, unable to move from where he was.

He watched his feet sink deeper and deeper into the mud. Then, a circle of soil slowly went down under his feet, creating a well where he himself descended along with the ground. As he sank, he saw Chrollo laughing over his head. He reached out a hand to grab him, but one of the fish ripped off his entire arm and brought it to his master. Chrollo took Hisoka's bleeding arm and held it in front of him. From the mutilated part, a river of blood began to flow, a stream as wide as the arm, filling the well where Hisoka sank.

Chrollo laughed and said:

"Did you forget that the chain bastard forbade you to use Nen? Come on, fight!"

"No, it's not true! It was you who was left without using Nen!" Hisoka yelled terrified.

The second fish ripped off his other arm and deposited it at Chrollo's feet. Blood began to pool around him and was almost up to his waist.

"Ah, right. You can't do it because you love me," Chrollo said, as he lowered the arm. He looked sad and gloomy, standing on the edge of the well.

The ground stopped descending. The rim was almost five feet high above Hisoka's head. Chrollo thrust his hand into his chest and ripped out his own heart. He held it over Hisoka's head.

"I love you too, you see?" Chrollo said.

He squeezed the heart and made it explode. Hisoka screamed in terror but couldn't make a sound. An impressive amount of blood fell over his head with the force of a huge wave.

Hisoka woke up jolted, his naked body covered in sweat. His throat ached, and his chest was rising and falling, shook by his beating heart. He tried to focus his eyes and place himself in the dark. A slight twilight, the dawn that was barely looming, illuminated the walls, the furniture, and the large bed in his room. The dull tapping of fabrics caught his attention. He had forgotten to close the window and a storm wind was blowing the curtains strongly.

Hisoka sighed in relief. He rubbed his face and his hair hard, as if he wanted to remove the images of the gruesome nightmare. Reluctantly he pulled the covers back, got up, and closed the window. Softly the curtains returned to their position. He returned to the bed and hugged the warm body sleeping under the light blanket, his back to him.

Chrollo grunted as he was surrounded by the strong arms and the body that settled next to his, but immediately he regained the rhythm of the deep and slow breathing. Hisoka smiled, hugged the young man's torso tighter and kissed him on the cheek. Just another brief grunt, followed by a slight movement of the legs, as Chrollo settled his hip against Hisoka's body and fell back into a deep sleep, having reached an even more comfortable position than before.

Hisoka smiled again, as he buried his nose in Chrollo's hair, enjoying the soft scent of shampoo. He felt his muscular white back against his chest, and his member naturally hardened at the arousing closeness. He took a deep breath and remained satisfied, for the moment, to enjoy the rest and warmth of that beloved body next to him.

"I love you," he whispered very softly over Chrollo's hair, moved by that sensual and languid emotion that enveloped him. He immediately held his breath in fear; frozen, tuned his ears and waited for some response from Chrollo.

The seconds passed without Chrollo making a sound or any movement to reveal that he had heard him. Hisoka exhaled in relief. Apparently his secret was still safe. It was fortunate, after all, that Chrollo was a heavy sleeper. Besides, after all the activity since their first kiss, barely interrupted to eat and rest, it was no wonder that he was exhausted, Hisoka thought. He couldn't help a small chuckle as he remembered those moments.

Chrollo growled again, but this time he turned to Hisoka, his eyes still closed and his face against his chest.

"What is so funny?" He drawled, still half asleep.

"Nothing," Hisoka replied as he kissed his forehead and stroked his hair. "You look so cute, you sleep as if you were fainted; it seems nothing in the world could wake you up. I was wondering why you are so exhausted," he added smiling.

"It's your fault ... Let me sleep or I'll go back to my room," Chrollo growled, placing his face into the crook of Hisoka's neck.

"Oh, do you mean that place that looks like a demolition more than a room?" Hisoka whispered as he gently stroked his back.

Chrollo protested and tried to get up, but Hisoka pulled him close.

"Sorry, don't go. I'm not talking anymore; I promise. Keep sleeping," Hisoka whispered as he hugged him and caressed his head.

Chrollo sighed, made himself comfortable next to Hisoka's body, and instantly fell asleep again. Hisoka kissed his hair, smiled and remained motionless but fully awake. His thoughts took him back to that day when Chrollo first entered his apartment in the Heaven's Arena, just three months ago.