Opening my eyes, I looked around me to see that it was the same dream as before. Vividus is wearing the same ocean blue dress, looking beat up as ever. Before her was the same boy and his Nen beast getting ready to strike. Just a bit further away, the woman in the cheetah mask snarled towards the platinum blonde, suddenly making her command that caused the battle to commence once more.

"Finish her."

The moment I heard her command, the boy dashed towards Vividus. Feeling their aura suddenly surged and black sand-like nen coating their body. As his nen was activated, blood streamed down the child's cheek, and a deformed beast appeared out of nowhere and started to attack her. Vividus advanced forward and began to fight against the boy.

By her actions, I knew she was trying to not harm the child. From the way she's dodging more than fighting, I understood she was trying to disable him without killing them.

Since the Kurta woman is focused on the boy, she doesn't pay attention to her surroundings. She is so focused on wanting to save him, she forgot one of the most important rules of combat: pay attention to your surroundings.

I stared back at the woman in the mask only to see a little girl appear out of nowhere. Her Nen-beast looked like another fox, deformed in shape, and armed with a blunt spear. Aiming at Vividus and the boy.

Esther knew that her attention is focused on the boy; the crazy woman knows that children are her weakness. Knowing this fact, I now see a sadistic smile forming across her lips. As I read the situation, the masked woman would sacrifice the little boy so the second child could make her shot. What's worse is Vividus doesn't even know about the second child suddenly being present. Not realizing that the spear is targeted towards her.

Feeling my body ache, I tried to conjure nen to my hands. Hoping to at least use my remainder of my Bungee Gum and force her out of the way. But nothing was happening, I was at my limit, and there was nothing I could do.

Vividus is going to die.

In a sudden jerk, Hisoka jumped up from his bed and breathed heavily. Placing his hand over his heart, he felt his heart pounding against his chest. Closing his eyes, he tried his best to calm himself once more.

The Kurta woman has been recovering for the past two days after Vividus has passed out on his bed. Despite hating taking care of others, the Kurta woman had to be taken care of, since she treated his arms.

Since Vividus became bedridden in the Jester's room, he has been by her side as much as he can. He only left the room briefly to gather supplies for the mission.

Which is new to Hisoka; he has never done it before.

His whole life, he's only been concerned about himself and what he wants, what he needs. He never cared about anything else unless it directly benefited his own wants. So sitting by her side for the last two days was a new experience for him.

As people may know, Hisoka Morow is a selfish man. He has no problem admitting that to himself and has no shame in it. However, experiencing the notion of being worried about someone else other than himself is new to him. He's starting to feel certain emotions that are making him experience the discomfort of worry. In all honesty, he hates how it's starting to make him grow softer towards Vividus.

It was slowly becoming a concern for the Jester.

"Hisoka..?" A soft voice called out, "Are you alright?"

He raised his head and looked at the now awakened Kurta woman. Her hazel-grey hues staring into his golden ones. He was surprised to see a look of concern on the woman, mostly if it had something to do with him.

Now that he thinks about it, Vividus has demonstrated genuine concern for Hisoka for the first time.

She doesn't seem annoyed, uneasy, or cold towards him like she usually would. If he was honest with himself...he enjoyed the attention he was getting from Vividus, mainly as he's used to the sassy side of her.

"I'm fine, Vivi-chan~." Hisoka reassured, "I'm delighted to see that you're finally awake."

"Are you now?" She asked, laughing a bit while sitting up on her bed. "How long have I been out for?"

"Two days," He replied, "but it was awfully boring. All I did was watch over you."

Hisoka observed Vividus's expression widen a bit. Looking at him in disbelief, she stared at him incredulously: "You were watching over me?"

"Of course," the Jester replied, "I wasn't given a choice."

"Hisoka, everyone has a choice," Vividus commented, a small smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. "You just happened to make one."

Hisoka felt his eyes widen at this moment. He felt like the time suddenly stopped as Vividus had done something that she had never done before. Especially towards him.

She smiled.

"Thank you." She said softly, "For watching over me."

Hisoka's jaw agape when she said those words; and for once, his brisk heartbeat accompanied his flushed cheeks. While looking away from the Kurta woman, he tried to avoid her gaze so she wouldn't notice.

For once in his life, Hisoka Morow is actually blushing.

"... You're welcome."

~.:x_X_x:.~

After Vividus got out of bed, she wasted no time in making travel arrangements to reach their destination.

Hisoka was impressed with the efficiency of her work. One minute, they were sitting in Hisoka's room; the next, they are now sitting in a fancy black chair on the way to a private airport.

While Hisoka played cards, Vividus stared out the window and watched the scenery go by. As the woman's leg shifted in her lap, he glanced down to see, smirking a bit, that even with her composed self, she was nervous.

"What's on your mind this time, Vivi-chan?" the Jester asked, twirling a card in his hand.

She replied without bothering to look back at Hisoka: "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You know exactly what I mean." He replied, "We're not even there yet, and already you're jumping around. Just admit you're nervous."

At first, there was silence. But soon after, he heard a small sigh escape her lips. Turning her head over, she stared at the Jester with her arms crossed. "Fine, I'm nervous."

"About~?" He pushed.

"About the mission." She replied, "I know we haven't even arrived yet, but you have no idea what you've gotten yourself into."

"My dear, I know exactly what I'm getting into." Hisoka grinned with pleasure. "Oh, the possibility of fighting tough adversaries. This is something I live for~!" Vividus heard the moan of pleasure escape his lips. Which caused her to flinch in discomfort.

"That may be the case, but we still have to be careful. A lot can go wrong during this mission, and we can't afford any failures."

"We?" Hisoka repeated, raising an eyebrow. "This sounds more like a "you" situation than an "I." Why are you so focused on this mission being successful?"

"I have my reasons."

"Oh? Like what?" Hisoka queried, scooting closer to Vividus as their hips are now touching one another.

"Why do you care?" Vividus asked, staring at Hisoka disapprovingly. "You're asking a lot of questions."

Hisoka admitted, "I merely want to know your objectives on this mission for myself. To my knowledge, your main focus is to kill the Spiders and retrieve the eyes of your brethren. Why this mission is an exception?"

After hearing Hisoka's lengthy reply, the woman's eyes widened in shock. Surprised by how much he noticed how she was responding. Vividus is aware of her actions, but she wasn't expecting him to be this alert.

"What does it matter if I want this mission to be successful?" Vividus asked, deciding to be a little more stubborn.

Hisoka said bluntly, licking his lips in delight, "Because if we don't communicate, I'll end up killing every single person in the room."

When hearing his comment, Vividus clicked her tongue. Hisoka had a point although she detested his response.

She should've known better. This is Hisoka Morow, the man who gets off on fighting powerful opponents and does anything he likes. Despite agreeing to the terms and conditions, the Jester is still unpredictable.

Even though she didn't want to expose herself, she couldn't help but comply with his request.

"...During the time when I went undercover, I spent a lot of time with Esther. While trying to get close to me as a friend, I was trying to obtain more information about The White Garden Project. But one day, Esther decided to surprise me and take me somewhere." She said, looking away from the Jester's gaze. "She took me to an orphanage that she ran. It was filled with children. They're all unique in their own way. But among the children, one stood out in particular."

She reached into her pockets and pulled out her phone. After scrolling through it for a while, she showed him a picture.

Vividus was smiling as she embraced a boy with short brown hair, a white button-up shirt, and a pair of plaid shorts. The boy was also smiling as if each of them were having a great time. The sight of this image made his heart drop. He felt the air leaving his lungs as he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

It was the same boy that Vividus battled in his dreams.

"His name is Tobias," Vividus continued, taking her phone away and now staring down at the photo. "One of the sweetest boys I have ever met. His eyes sparkled with wonder and innocence. He reminded me of a boy that I knew who was close to Kurapika when they were little. The overall orphanage was a beautiful place. I was genuinely impressed and gave Esther the benefit of the doubt and thought she wasn't as bad as I thought..."

Hisoka saw her eyes flash red for a moment. Vividus tried to maintain her calm, but he could tell that she was fuming with rage.

"But, I was wrong."

At that moment, Hisoka was now suddenly drawn into Vividus's story. He wanted to know what made her angry so suddenly. He also wanted to know what motivated her to do this in the first place.

But then, the moment ended when the car stopped. As the Jester peered out the window, he saw a private area with an air blimp a few feet away: waiting for them.

"Let's go."

Leaving hisoka behind, Vividus opened the door as she began to walk toward the ship. He stared at the woman from behind and felt irritated. Getting out of the car, he started following Vividus from behind. Frowning slightly in displeasure.

"Just after she reached the good part."

~.:x_X_x:.~

The ship quickly left the airport and made its way to Jappon, taking the opportunity to give Hisoka a tour of the ship in advance. She showed him the dining room, the training room, and other places he could use while on the ship.

At the end of the tour, they finally came to the room Hisoka assumed was his.

"This is the place you're staying at," Vividus said, handing him a keycard. "If you need me, I'll be down the hall if you have any questions."

"Thank you," He said, picking up the key card in his hands and placing it in his pocket, "I couldn't have imagined how accommodating this place was; I must admit I am impressed."

I'm glad to hear that, and I will inform the chairman as well." She replied in a deadpan tone, "Gaia-san will call us if necessary, but in the meantime, I've got some business to attend too, so keep yourself busy."

"I see, you're leaving me here alone?" Hisoka muttered, "what am I supposed to do while you're gone?"

"Hisoka, you're an adult. I am confident you will be fine." Vividus sighed. "I have to meet with Hizashi for a training session. I'm sure you can keep yourself busy."

"So rude, Vivi-chan. Are you like that with all of your guests?" Hisoka asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You're not a guest," Vividus said bluntly, "And that's why I gave you a tour of the place. To keep you busy while I do my own thing. You'll be fine."

"But it's not as entertaining if you're not around~," Hisoka said, placing a hand on his hip. "If you're going to be training, at least let me watch! I promise I'll be on my best behaviour if you let me come."

"I doubt it very much," she replied, crossing her arms across her chest.

As Vividus was about to respond pleasantly, she was suddenly interrupted by a familiar voice from behind. "I'm sure having Mr. Morow observe us wouldn't be so bad. After all, I'm sure he can learn a few things from us, right?"

Hearing Hisoka's voice, both figures turned around to see a man directly behind them. Hisoka glanced over at the figure before him, as he was curious about who it was.

He looked like he was about six feet tall, about the same height as the other man. He had medium-long spiky black hair, and a large scar spread across his face underneath his eyes. He had a pair of piercing light green-yellow eyes. He wore a long black coat with a crimson red top underneath with dark grey dress pants. To finish the look, he has a black trenchcoat hanging off his shoulders.

He must admit that he was impressed. Hisoka had not noticed that his presence was there before He spoke out. From what he remembered, Hizashi Ragni was the leader of the Elementos from Vividus' Water Memory ability.

Feeling a Cheshire grin spread across his lips, Hisoka already wanted a taste of wanting to fight Hizashi. Even though he has excellent control of his zetsu, his aura alone already gives off a strong presence.

"Hizashi! How long have you been there?" Vividus said, raising an eyebrow towards the tall man.

"Long enough," He said coolly, "I would've interrupted your conversation long ago. But I found it cute that you were bickering. I must say you two are quite interesting."

Vividus groaned at Hizashi's comment, "Please stop; there's no need to feed this man's ego."

Hisoka giggled, "I feel offended Vivi-chan."

The platinum blonde glared at the Jester a bit. "Good."

Hearing Hizashi chuckled and patted Vividus on the back. "Don't be hostile towards the man," he said. "Besides, perhaps you should spar with Hisoka, instead of me. You both might learn a thing or two during this sparring."

"Learn?" Hisoka asked, raising an eyebrow, "What makes you think I need to learn more than I do now, hm~?"

At that moment, he smiled at Hisoka, and the Fushia haired man smirked in return. Hisoka could tell the Elementos leader was trying to size him up in the most discreet way possible.

Hizashi's presence alone felt intimidating to Hisoka, and he loved every minute of it. Hisoka felt his lust to fight grow more than expected. But he tried to maintain his composure, because he refuses to show weakness towards the leader.

This caused Hizashi to grin even more.

"There is always room for improvement," Hizashi began, stepping away from the two figures. "Come on, let's go over to the training room and show Mr. Morow how strong you've become over the past few months."

Vividus groaned in response when Hizashi ruffled her hair, "You're embarrassing me! "

"Good." He said, "Oh, by the way, if you lose against Hisoka: You're giving me one-thousand squats."

"What?!" Vividus exclaimed, "Are you serious?!"

"Dead serious," Hizashi smirked, "So make sure you don't lose."

"My my, isn't that interesting." Hisoka cooed, giving Vividus his signature smirk. "I suppose I can't afford to lose against you."

Hizashi chuckled a bit when Vividus turned to face Hisoka and glared at him.

"I hope so too, because your punishment is much more effective than hers," Hizashi said, nudging Hisoka's arm with a cocky grin.

"Is that so?" Hisoka asked, still maintaining his smirk. "There is no possible way it could be worse~. So tell me, what is my punishment if I lose?"

At that moment, Hizashi glanced over at Hisoka and smiled even wider, bending down toward Hisoka and whispering his words, which caused Hisoka's smirk to fall:

"Your punishment is living with the fact that you lost to Vividus...again. Which means you haven't grown at all in the last few years of knowing her. Tell me, Mr. Morow, can you live with that?"

Hisoka felt his throat rumble a bit as he growled towards Hizashi's statement. His ren suddenly became dark and angry. The Jester felt a bit annoyed and angered towards Hizashi for saying such a thing.

On top of that, he was angry that he was right.

Hisoka Morow hardly ever loses in his life during combat. Vividus is the only few people that have ever managed to defeat him. But even then, it wasn't an easy win for her. But the fact that Hizashi dared to question his fighting skills and assumed he hasn't gotten stronger?

Now that was a real insult to the Jester.

Hizashi stared deeply into Hisoka's golden shade with his bright green one. Seeing how the leader won this battle and managed to have Hisoka lose his composure. Giving Hisoka a small pat on the shoulder, Hizashi moved away from him.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." He replied, "Now, let's get going, shall we?"

Vividus began to follow behind Hizashi as he walked away. But before following, she smirked at Hisoka with a smirk of her own.

"Let me guess, Hizashi got under your skin?" She chuckled darkly.

But Hisoka didn't answer; all he did was walk beside Vividus and continue to stare into Hizashi's back.

Although the Kurta woman wasn't certain of Hizashi's conversation with Hisoka, she seemed to be satisfied by the fact that the leader managed to make the Jester lose his composure, even if it was just for a moment.


[Author's note]

Hello my lovelies! I am so sorry if this chapter took so long! I had a lot happening on my end!

How is everyone? Are you all doing well? I hope you are staying safe!

I started working on a drawing on what the Elementos squad is going to look like, just so all of you can have a visual. I'm super excited to show it to you all soon! At some point, I will also draw what Esther and Tobias look like as well, this photo however will have more of a darker tone than the other ones.

The two images will be posted on my Wattpad and Archie of Our Own account when it's done!

That's all I have for now, see you all soon in the next chapter!

-NezuVIX