It was one o'clock in the afternoon for the platinum blonde.
Currently, Vividus is sitting in a cafeteria in the airship, enjoying a cup of coffee and a brunch. She enjoyed the view of the sky from her table of the large window while watching the clouds go by. Sipping on her beverage between bites of food and relaxing as she consumed her meal.
Apart from the food on her table, there were a bunch of papers all over her table. Each document contained information about Esther, the Dragurs, Eden, and the kidnapped children for the White Garden Project. In addition to her paperwork of a mess, she had notes scattered all over the table while she was figuring out the plan.
She also felt on edge because she hadn't heard nor seen Hisoka for the past few days.
It's been nearly three days since they left for Jappon. As the hours passed, Vividus was surprised to not run into the Jester since their sparring match. She expected Hisoka to pester her as usual whenever she's around him. Back in Heaven's arena, he tried his best to get close to her every chance he got.
Even though they are in close proximity to one another, the clown has never approached her. This was surprising to her, given that the fuschia-haired man usually doesn't hesitate to approach her.
Even for Vividus, she thought it odd that the Jester hadn't bugged her. Let alone for two days.
Twirling the contents in her cup, she stared down at the cup in thought.
'I wonder what he's been up to,' Vividus thought, taking another sip of her drink.
Scanning the documents in front of the poor woman, it was obvious that she was starting to feel pressured about the mission. As she took down some notes and tried her best on how to carry out the mission, Vividus didn't want to fail on this one.
Based on her time spent undercover, Esther knows information about the eyes of her Brethren and where they could be. Even so, in order to obtain the answers she needed, she had no choice but to attend the Gala event.
She has no idea why Esther wants her to come so bad, but she couldn't refuse her offer. As a 'friend' to her, she has to do whatever it takes to make sure she and the rest of Eden are defeated.
She would run her fingers through her delicate hair as she set the cup of coffee down on the table. Vividus felt frustrated that the mission will occur within the next two weeks. Once they reach Jappon, her mission will resume and she will have to go undercover again.
But this time, with Hisoka by her side. She isn't exactly sure what role he is going to play in all this. As much as she wanted to protest against his orders; she couldn't defy the chairman. All she knows is she has to put her faith into Netero, just as he has done for her.
Sinking deeper into her seated cushion, she let out a stressful sigh while groaning as she felt her mind about to explode.
"Ah, so this is where you've been hiding," A familiar voice called out to her. "Damn sugar, you should really take a break."
Looking over, she would see her dearest friend, Gaia. She stood before her, her thick black hair in a fluffy pigtail and wearing workout gear and heels – an odd choice in Vividus's opinion.
Vividus replied, "You know I can't, we're going to arrive in Jappon in a few days. I need to gather as much intel as I can before I go undercover again."
"But sweet-pea," Gaia said, frowning, "I know you work hard, but even someone like you needs to rest."
"A breather?" Vividus scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "There's so much at stake here; I'm the only one who has even remotely gotten close to Esther- "
As Esther came into her mind and announced her name, a small memory flashed before her. She remembered the wonderful kids and Tobias. Her memories suddenly shifting towards a horrid scene Esther showed her with that sinister smile on her lips.
"-After what I saw that day...I feel like I can't relax. It's hard to do so." Vividus said, looking away.
The tall woman stared down at the platinum-blonde who was also frowning. Gaia wasn't exactly sure what she saw that day. But from what she described when she came back; it was so inhuman that it would make you question your sanity.
She understands very well why the Kurta woman is feeling what she's feeling. The poor girl has been through a lot of hardships since she met the woman before her. But as a team member and friend, she refused to let her spiral out of control and destroy herself. Not like that.
"Well, lucky for you; I'm here to retrieve you for a training session," Gaia replied, "So you can take some time away from that paperwork."
"Training session?" Vividus asked suspiciously, "I train with Hizashi already. What else is there to do in terms of training?"
With that, Vividus watches Gaia's lips turn into a playful smile. As she grabbed ahold of the Kurta woman; she started to drag her away from her paperwork. Started to giggle a bit like a mad woman towards her friend.
"Well sugar, you are going to be attending a Gala soon are you not?" Gaia said, "So tell me...do you know how to dance?"
~.:x_X_x:.~
"I can't believe we're doing this," Vividus said, struggling to stand in the stiletto heels Gaia had forced her to wear.
"You've got to learn how to dance in them!" Gaia proclaimed, "If you wear simple wedge heels to a Gala, you'll look like a fool."
"What's wrong with wedge heels?" Vividus replied, "I like wearing them... they're so comfortable to move around in."
Yes, but this is a formal event. If I want to make you the star of the show, I won't let you wear wedges with the dress I have in mind for you." She said, rolling her eyes. "Besides, this will be excellent practice for you. I can imagine all the men just grovelling before you. Asking you to dance!"
As Gaia's imagination ran wild, she started to giggle to herself at the possibilities of what could happen at this event. "My precious Vivi is going to be a princess!"
The platinum blonde laughed at her comment. "Princess...yeah right."
Although Vividus was struggling to walk her heels; Gaia allowed her to take a hold of her arm and walked along with the poor woman. The Earth Element couldn't help but laugh a bit. Thinking how cute it was how a formidable fighter such as Vividus cannot dance. Let alone, having a hard time walking in stiletto heels.
"You'll do great." She said confidently, "Relax and enjoy this training session."
"How could anyone enjoy dancing in heels such as these?! Can you imagine standing in them for hours? !" Vividus exclaimed."
As both women were on the topic of dancing, she glanced over towards Gaia. Her eyes narrowed and she stared at her friend with a suspicious expression.
"Who will be my dance partner?" She inquired bluntly, unafraid to talk. "Clearly, I wouldn't go alone into a dance like this."
"If I told you who it was," Gaia replied, now standing in front of the training room they approached. "You wouldn't have agreed to it."
Before Vividus could protest, the woman stepped out of the training doors and entered the room, entering with total confidence.
When entering the doors, the Kurta woman felt her eyes widen in shock. Her jaw dropped as she was surprised to see the sight that was in front of her eyes.
The music reverberated through her ears as she watched two men dance in front of her. As the rhythm of the music played throughout the room, she watched them dance in sync with the music.
A certain Fuschia-haired man was the student and the other tall male with long blonde hair tied in a bun with blue eyes was taking the lead. Kuuki, the Elementos member who represents air. Staring at the two men in disbelief, it was a duo she would never have imagined dancing together.
Ever.
"K-Kuuki?" Vividus stammered.
The moment the music ended, Hisoka and Kuuki looked over at the blonde. As she watched the blonde man smile brightly towards her, he let go of Hisoka and began to approach the young woman.
"Vivi dear, it's been forever now, hasn't it?" He asked brightly.
"It has," She conceded. "What are you doing here with Hisoka?"
"Oh, this?" He inquired, gesturing towards the training room. "Oh, I'm just training Hisoka on how to dance properly for the mission."
"D-dance?" She asked, looking past Kuuki just to catch the Jester smirking at her, giving her a small wave.
"Exactly!" Kuuki smiled, "Isn't that why you're also here, to train with Hisoka for the Gala?"
Her eyes widened as an idea suddenly struck Vividus. As she spun around toward Gaia, all she could see was her friend giving her an evil smile. A glint in her eye as though she had been planning something all along.
Finally connecting the dots on Gaia's question to dancing, and now to Hisoka who is here, training with Kuuki. He just happens to be in sweats and everything. Glaring, she was not at all impressed with the situation.
"I guess so..." Vividus held the side of her arm as she gazed at the side.
Everyone could see the visible discomfort on Vividus' face. She's never done this before, and her encounter with the Jester hasn't been the best either.
She couldn't figure out why, but ever since that sparring match, Hisoka would always pop up in her mind. No matter how hard she tried to ignore him, he always seems to appear in one way or another.
'I'm such a mess,' Vividus thought to herself, 'why is Hisoka making me feel this way?'
But now not only does she have to train and learn how to dance, but she's also going to be Hisoka's dance partner. Gaia knew exactly what she was doing and this is causing the poor young woman even more anxiety than she already has.
"Why are you nervous Vivi-chan?" Hisoka purred, now approaching the platinum blonde. "It'll be fun!"
"I'm going to look like a fool." She said bluntly, crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't know if you noticed: but I don't really work well with these heels."
"It's not bad once you get used to it." He smirked, quickly lowering himself to match her height. "I promise I'll be gentle with you."
Feeling her cheeks turn red, she looked away from the Jester and gave him a gentle push. This made him laugh due to how adorable she was acting.
"Alright kids, enough flirting," Kuuki said, sighing. "Now let's start this thing. Hisoka, based on your recent progress you will take the lead. Vivi, I want you to try your best and follow his lead. We'll go from the top and work from there."
Hearing Kuuki claps his hands, Vividus knew that as soon as he's serious, he will work hard to get things done. In all honesty, she was a little stunned that a man such as him knows how to dance, let alone in the ballroom.
Now she faces a new challenge; looking up, she only sees the smirking Jester before her. Extending his hand towards Vividus, he bows slightly towards the Kurta woman.
"May I have this dance?" He asked, sounding smooth as honey.
Watching him stretch out his hand and wondering what to do next, she worried a bit and hesitated to take it. Her shoulders tensed as her stomach fluttered with anxiety and stress. She doesn't understand why, but she felt was as if invisible chains were holding her back.
She looked away from the Jester at first, uncertain if she was able to look him straight in the eye. But as she turned her gaze to face the man once more; her hazel-grey eyes widened in shock a bit. Only to see Hisoka looking at her with an unreadable expression.
Vividus doesn't understand why, but his gaze made all her anxieties go away.
But even though her mind was thinking so many negative thoughts, her body started to move on its own. As she extended her hand out toward the fushia-haired man, she would gently take his hand. A spark swept through her body as he tightened his grip around her delicate fingers. Feeling a small tug at the corner of her lips, she couldn't help but smirk back towards the Jester before her.
"You may."
Watching Hisoka prop himself back up, he suddenly radiated with an intense burst of energy. When she felt the Jester pull her close to him. Hisoka placed one of her hands on top of his shoulder, while the other hand was held by his strong hand. While doing so, he would place his free hand on her hips, suddenly pulling her closer to his body.
"Perfect Hisoka!" Kuuki called, "Thank you for putting her in place! Let's start from the very top now!"
On cue, the music started playing.
At first, Vividus was paying attention to Kuuki's instructions on what needs to be done. Despite following his instruction, Vividus still found this a struggle. Particularly with the heels, Gaia had provided her. The pain in her heels was unbearable and she lost track of how many times she stepped on Hisoka.
The dance lessons Kuuki taught were a lot. First, there was ballroom dancing, then the tango, then the Waltz, and even Swing. The platinum-blonde was surprised to discover how much dancing the Air element member knows. Kuuki increased the difficulty for both Hisoka and Vividus as they improved over time.
Oddly enough, no matter how much Vividus struggled to learn the routine, Hisoka was nothing but patient and didn't mind it at all. Sure, there were definitely some flirtatious comments here and there, but Jester has never been angry with her at all.
During her dance lessons, she was bound to make mistakes. There are times when had Kuuki to stop them midway. Providing feedback and providing them with a couple of helpful tips on how to improve their dance.
Initially, she thought this training session would be short, but soon after it turned into a couple of hours of perfecting the dance. Even though she feels silly learning these moves, she is enjoying the dance lessons.
A few hours turned into three full days of training. Vividus didn't realize that dancing is an art to be perfected, just like fighting. This is the sort of training that she never expected to be tough at all. If anything she found a new respect for those who dance as a profession.
Back when her people were alive, her people were never the ones in the whole ballroom dancing business. The only time dancing was involved is when the clan is celebrating a large event. From what she remembered, there was dancing involved around the bonfire, along with lots of singing and various instruments being played. But other than that, her people were actually strict and reserved individuals. The only open-minded people she knew at the time were her parents, Pairo, and Kurapika.
Bit by bit, Vividus was able to get better at dancing. At some point, it was no longer an issue for her to dance in stiletto heels. She felt accomplished because she was able to walk around in them with no issues. Sure, her heels hurt at some point, but soon the pain started to fade and she genuinely got better at dancing.
Even with everything that happened, dancing with Hisoka was a moment that she would never have expected to happen. Despite her struggle with dancing, the Kurta woman was mostly impressed with Hisoka. Throughout their time training together, Hisoka was a natural. Even with everything that happened, Hisoka dancing with her was a moment she never expected to occur between the two of them. His ability to catch on so quickly and follow his instincts was impeccable. The fact that Hisoka was an amazing dancer was a pleasant surprise to her.
But then soon enough, a thought suddenly hit her.
'I know nothing about Hisoka at all.' She thought to herself, moving to the beat of the music, 'Yet, he knows so much about me.'
As the music started up once more, the sweet tunes now started to fade out and become white noise in the background. Vividus would look up towards Hisoka, her eyes now looking at him with a curious glint in her eyes.
"You know Hisoka," She said, dancing side to side with the Jester. "I'm surprised you know how to dance so well."
"Really?" He asked, lifting his arm up as he twirled her body around, "Why is this surprising?"
"I don't know," She admitted, now placing her hand on his shoulder again. "I've always viewed you as a fighter. Not a well...dancer."
Hearing her statement, Hisoka couldn't help but laugh a bit, causing Vividus to raise an eyebrow.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing" He replied, "You know, it wasn't that long ago that I used to work in a circus once." He explained, swaying her as they followed the rhythm of the music. "I figured learning ballroom dance would not be an issue for me due to the circus acts I did when I was younger."
After hearing Hisoka's response, she laughed a bit as well, causing Hisoka to raise an eyebrow a bit towards the woman.
"What's so funny?"
"I knew you were a clown." She replied bluntly, "But I never knew you actually grew up as one. Let alone being part of a circus. That explains a lot about your appearance if I'm being honest."
"Well I can assure you that joining the circus wasn't an easy feat," he said. "I grew up in Glam Gas City in the harshest conditions. My family all passed on except for me so I was alone from the start."
He spun Vividus around and watched her elegant movements. As he watched her body gracefully spin, he drew her back toward him and caught her in his arms shortly after. Her hair flowing and letting it fall peacefully back on her shoulders.
"One day I was attacked by a couple of bandits and left for dead. However, the circus' Ringleader; Moritonio found me and he took me in. During my time there, I noticed that none of the Circus Troupe members liked me much."
On cue, the music between the two dancers changed. It was no longer the slow ballroom music; now it was more speeded up on the acoustic guitar. The guitar sounded like tango beats but the strings on it were strung fast. Their steps began to pick up, and both parties were able to read each other's minds in terms of where their next steps would be.
"You see, I always wanted to be a part of their troupe." He said, smirking slightly. "I replaced one of the jugglers' partners because he got hurt. It was only when I proved I was capable of performing the act at the Princess Hotel that the performer felt forced to comply. By the end of the show, everyone was practicing in secret to avoid me."
After hearing that part, Vividus couldn't help but notice. She inquired, now curious about Hisoka's story. As she spun her body outwards, Hisoka would catch her hand and pull her back towards his body and wrap his arms around her waist.
"But why?" Her innocent question was, "Why did they end up training in secret?"
When she asked that question, the music reached its peak. As he grinned at her, he would gently slide his hand down her thigh and use the other to bring her close to his body. As he trailed his fingers down her leg, he would lift it and dip her body toward his own, their lower bodies pressing against each other. It was a lot closer than Vividus anticipated.
"Because in their opinion," He led close to her, "I was nothing but a slum brat. They were scared I would steal their routine, just as I did with the jugglers."
Hearing his words sent shivers down her spine. As she slowly lifted her hand, she gently pressed her hand against his chest. As she pushed him away, a small blush appeared on her cheeks. It was faint, but Hisoka noticed and couldn't help but to smirk playfully.
"It brings out your complexation when you blush, Vivi-chan."
"S-Shut up Hisoka." Vividus snapped, unravelling her legs from Hisoka's hands.
She trailed her right hand down his chest and stood back up. As she spun out of Hisoka's grasp, she turned right behind the Jester. Leaning her back against his own. Leaning her head back into his shoulder.
"You know," She said softly, "After knowing you for a few years now, that is the most I've ever learned about your past."
Following this, she walked slowly around Hisoka's body, placing her hands on the Jester's shoulder and placing them on his chest. The male and female could both hear their feet tapping against the beat as the Fuschia-haired man grabbed hold of her again.
As Hisoka kneeled down, he had Vividus spin around gently as she leaned her back against his upper leg. With her hands swinging back, her legs gracefully flew upwards as she was essentially embraced by him.
"You see Vivi-chan," He said, pushing her up the leg from which she came. He spins her around and held her in his arms, wearing a sly grin on his lips. "You never asked. However, I'd love to share more in the near future."
They were both panting heavily while they stared at one another; surprised at how they managed to be in sync throughout the whole dance. His golden hues stared deeply into her hazel-grey ones as the music ended with the Jester and the Kurta woman.
"Over dinner of course," Hisoka said, teasing the woman as she blushed even more. "What do you say?"
Vividus doesn't understand why, but it felt to her like she was in a trance throughout the whole dance. In the short time of that dance lesson, she has learned so much more about Hisoka than she had in the last few years of knowing him. In the Jester's favour, she was impressed with how smoothly and fast Hisoka was able to lead the dance.
The whole experience was memorable to Vividus. Even though she was a complete novice throughout the training, she was actually thankful for Hisoka. Although she felt negative feelings toward the man at first, she is gradually changing her feelings.
She doesn't know why.
Until Hisoka pulled her back up. She looked towards the Jester, giving him a sly smile as she walked away and gave him her final answer.
"It's a date."
[AUTHOR'S NOTE]
Hihi, I'm still here XD
Honestly, I don't know why but I'm very mixed feelings about this chapter. I hope you guys like it though!
I also released a new book called "Being Human | Ryomen Sukuna x OC", check it out when you get the chance!
ALSO, I PROMISE I'LL RELEASE THE KITE X OC FANFIC AT SOME POINT. I'm just having a hard time starting it up. Considering there isn't a lot of fanfic based on Kite out there, I really wanted to make it special for you guys ;_;
Anywho, I hope all of you are doing well. Take care, everyone!
-NezuVIX
