Diversion: Division

Chrollo spat out a mouthful of seawater as he trudged onto the beach. He was reminded he didn't particularly enjoy swimming- he would not call himself practiced nor skilled, the amount of water in his stomach proof. Being swept out to sea by a turbulent river that at one point branched through a cave system made for an ordeal. How Lanfen ever got him to agree to this was a testament to the influence she held over him. Never mind that he had agreed, in theory, it held the highest probability of a reduced-confrontation escape.

Lanfen sat in the sand, pushing wet hair from her face while hiding adrenaline-laced giggles. She smiled, eyes bright, giddy despite losing the physical battle. A faint smile looking at her, perhaps the hell of swimming was worth the closure she gained from this.

Once he stood beside her, he offered his hand, pulling her up when she accepted. She kept close even as he dropped her hand to push back the hair dripping water in his eyes.

"Your plan was as convoluted as you promised," he said, twitch of his lips trying to mirror her expression again.

She brushed at sand clinging to her, bit of cheer slipping when it stuck fast. The wasted effort left her wiping gritty hands on her shirt. "It was the best way to escape while dissuading pursuit." She glanced over her shoulder inland, then to the sky, to Nemmi scouting for danger and their ride. "For all the damage I caused, I just don't have the brute force it would take to kill him." Skin covered in scrapes and darkening bruises, he expected worse wounds to be hidden beneath torn clothing and pain tolerance. "He wasn't very serious," she said under her breath, brows pushing together. Another fractional loss in cheer, her thoughts ran silent.

Like most insecure in their power, she preferred to be taken seriously, felt wounded when brushed off as inconsequential. Expressing the twist of emotions wearing at her, her feelings being ignored probably hurt more than if Hisoka had only belittled her strength. Yet, beneath that, he sensed another layer. He hadn't been privy to the conversation between them prior to Nemmi crashing through the trees to fetch him. Given the emotional and physical volatility in their past, out of curiosity and concern, he wanted to know what had happened to leave her in this mixed mood.

"Did you achieve what you wanted?"

"I did," she said, shrugging, gaze cast to the side. He wished she would explain her reasoning at length. He only understood she had wanted to speak to Hisoka before he became another untouchable ghost haunting her. "Thank you," she interrupted as his lips parted to pry. "For helping with my selfish, irrational request."

It was terribly irrational and rather counterproductive. In short, it wasn't the death match Hisoka desired. Truthfully, killing him now would have been a sufficiently humiliating end. Her selfish request, she may have accepted his death as an inevitability, but, if it could be helped, she didn't wish to play an active role. Chrollo should have finished him off and then lied to Lanfen. Why he hadn't… Perhaps, in an equally irrational way, he wanted to crush Hisoka the same way Hisoka wanted to crush him. Finishing off the wounded prey of another lacked a certain sense of satisfaction.

"I don't know what I expected." Her voice shrank to whisper, her attention drifting to a crab pulling apart a dead fish. "I feel better after yelling at him, but I just… wanted him to acknowledge how much he hurt me. Not offer an apology or say he regretted it, just that he… recognized what he did hurt me. That's all." And he had refused. Chrollo fiddled with her hand, observing scrapes in skin rubbed raw- rope burn, it seemed. How… sad that he was one of the few to apologize for causing her pain- deliberate or otherwise. "Maybe not just him.".

She fell silent, willfully distracted as a seagull snapped at the crab.

The urge to wince convinced him to drop the subject to glance downward. A slimy creature had decided to claim his leg. "This is an unpleasant leech." The disproportional amount of pain, venom of some sort was involved. Her attention immediately went to his predicament.

"Lamprey," she gently corrected as he pried the lamprey from his skin, wicked rows of teeth leaving a bleeding ring. "It's a razor-mouth lamprey." The lack of concern answered his question. He tossed the thing back into the water lest he interrupt her lecture. "They're quite common around this island. Typically, they attach to fish. Their preferred host is the sail-fin anglerfish, a nocturnal ambush predator that spends most of its time resting on the sea floor. The lampreys feed off anglerfish blood rather unbothered. When they latch onto humans, however, their venom causes intense pain that-" His hand on her shoulder persuaded her to turn. He pulled an even larger lamprey, already engorged with blood, from her skin. "That I don't ever feel," she finished, glaring at the lamprey before he tossed it into the water. "It wasn't attached to you very long. The pain will wear off in, at most, half an hour. May ache for a few additional hours."

He wiped away the blood, noting deep punctures in her shoulder, catching a deeper bruise blossoming on her back. He absently asked, "I expect your exam involved both?" The distraction kept her happy, and he enjoyed her enthusiasm. The bruise, however, aggravated him; he wanted to see the full extent Hisoka had damaged her, but they didn't have the time or privacy for her to strip down. He expected Nemmi had called their ride well before Lanfen had arrived on the beach. Such a useful ability.

"That's why I suggested both arriving and leaving in daylight. The anglerfish use disturbances in the bioluminescent algae to locate prey. They've been known to overturn and sink boats. Presumably accidentally." How thoughtful her expression became while considering the possibility of fish overturning boats not accidentally. Her head tilted to the side, wonder in her eyes, mildly morbid interests revealed, she asked, "Did you know their stomachs can expand to hold prey twice their size?"

"Presumably, a single fish could devour a dozen humans."

"Presumably." She sighed, pouting. "Since I was in the water with them, I didn't get to watch the feeding frenzy. It was probably beautiful in combination with the algae. I don't think the association would appreciate it if I incited one for fun." She mumbled, "If they found out, that is," under her breath.

At that, Chrollo realized she was in a fantastically wonderful mood he had only caught glimpses of in the past. Mostly when she was surrounded by animals with sharp teeth and claws. Or lying.

Lanfen's arms resting on his shoulders, her body partially pressed to his as she stretched, his arm wrapped around her waist to help her lips meet his. Enthusiastic, she set a pace he happily followed. His hand slipped up her shirt, fingers tracing her spine. No alarming swelling or obvious signs of serious inju- She nipped at his lower lip, her tongue running along the seam of his lips. As convincing as she could be, he didn't appreciate the metallic taste of blood. Undoubtedly, while fighting, she had cut her mouth open. She pulled away, not upset with being denied. His hand remained up the back of her shirt, thumb rubbing light circles.

"I have a sprained ankle, bruised ribs, bruised everything, probably, but no fully broken bones. Could use a fracture check, though. Aside from that and some rather minor punctures and scrapes, I'm fine. No need to so carefully check me over."

He stared, brows raising slightly when she remained adamant. He understood, or, truthfully, he did not understand at all. Blood hanging in the air, lust testing his control, Hisoka had been playing with her, careful not to get carried away in the moment. Hisoka probably assumed Chrollo, or in the very least a few Troupe members, were with Lanfen. Yet, had he been buying time in gently pushing her towards fleeing so he could then fight Chrollo instead… Hisoka's clothes shredded and soaked in his own blood, he wouldn't have let Lanfen injure him to the degree she had.

His brows pushed together. Bizarre, even for Hisoka.

"You're right," Lanfen agreed, pausing before jokingly adding, "Sorry for the blood. I bit my cheek open, may actually need a few stitches." Her face paled when she realized that would entail Machi's fingers awkwardly in her mouth. However, the joke a form of avoidance, he wondered why. Agreeing with an unsaid motive analysis showed she understood the oddity.

"Were you hit in the head?" Was it the why bothering her?

"Is it so strange?" Her expression blanked in warning. "Wanting to kiss my lover after a harrowing, adrenaline-filled adventure, I mean."

"Quite, as you're well aware." Adventure opposed to fight or battle, perplexing indeed. "I will happily indulge you later, assuming your injuries allow. I suspect you won't be able to lie on your back?"

"I don't understand why," she reluctantly admitted, pleased enough with the trade. "It's also a why I don't want to understand. I'm done chasing after the flickers of hope he likes to dangle in my face."

The boat hesitantly arrived, all attention moving from Chrollo's hand up the back of Lanfen's shirt to her arms so carelessly resting on his shoulders, pressing her body close. Phinks wore some version of abhorrent confusion often interpreted as simple disgust, while Machi stared, passive attitude hiding her thoughts.

"Hey, Danchou," Shalnark greeted with a wave, cheer disguising curiosity.

Lanfen released him, prepared to stumble away and pretend that they hadn't been in any sort of intimate pose. His hand kept her in place. "Hello, everyone," he returned, attention shifting to each member.

Lanfen's head tilted briefly, but then she relaxed. The Troupe would have to adjust to their relationship eventually. That said, once Lanfen was far, far away to eliminate the slimmest chance of her overhearing, he would be explaining to them to think of her as one of his treasured Nen-ability-contributors. As in, foremost, she needed to be alive. Then he would add his preference she be left unharmed as it would be a detriment to what was technically his ability now. As well as detrimental to his sex life; they already assumed, and he had no reason to deny. It was ridiculous, of course, but it would be easier for some members to swallow the Nen metaphor than their sexual relationship driving his preferences, absolutely no declarations of love necessary.

His hand left her shirt, a tug fixing the fabric before she turned. A step ahead of him, she climbed into the boat first, Chrollo following. She went directly to Machi, fingers fiddling with the torn hem of her shirt as Machi gauged her wounds.

"Our business here has concluded," Chrollo said, Phinks catching the hint he could continue captaining the boat. "We shall be returning to Meteor City. I suspect Feitan, Kalluto, and Nobunaga will have completed their mission and have returned by the time we arrive." A wonderful collection of ivory carvings would be waiting for him.

Talons gripping his shoulder, careful not to harm, Nemmi perched on him. The bird had become rather non-hostile since he had confided in Lanfen. Chrollo followed the bird's curious gaze. Lanfen stood rigid, mortification radiating from her as she tripped through relaying her list of potential injuries to Machi. Machi's expression remained stone. He wondered if Machi caught that Lanfen was intimidated because of attraction opposed to something more rational.

"Should I be jealous?" he asked Nemmi. The bird's feathers ruffled before deflating dramatically. A sigh. "I thought as much." Lanfen's flirting was much too heavy-handed to be missed. They would never betray him in any manner, either. What disturbed him was that Lanfen and Hisoka had such similar tastes.

Lanfen became more flustered as Shalnark circled around her, leaning in to examine her shoulder. "You and Danchou sure have some strange bitemarks," he teased, watching blood drip from the lamprey bite. He should have presumed an anti-coagulate of some variety would be involved; his bite seeped enough blood to be noticed.

Lanfen rolled her eyes, catching sight of Phinks. With similar mischief, she happily suggested, "If you help me throw Phinks in the water, I'll-"

"Just try it," Phinks barked. "I won't be the one going overboard!"

They were getting along so well.

Lan tossed her coat on the back of a chair before digging through her bag for a charger.

The day had dragged on into two, most spent between the return to the mainland and the hospital. Both uneventful, but the hospital had been more tiring than entertaining the Spiders with awkward conversation.

Once they hit the mainland, they split up. Shalnark, Machi, and Phinks went off to do whatever Spiders did in their spare time. They were to reconvene tomorrow morning; a horrific few hours from now.

Chrollo had escorted Lan to the nearest hospital to ensure she wasn't internally dying a slow pain-free death. Her license paid for everything and sped up the process, of course, but hospitals were still her least favorite place. She couldn't decide if the staff's concerned glances between her bruised body and Chrollo were annoying or not. Their expression when she told them no, Chrollo didn't do this, I had a fight with my ex and he beat the hell out of me while I stabbed him was hilarious.

After confirmation of a very sprained ankle, deep bruises, and a fractured arm, they found home for the night in the nicest hotel that wouldn't ask questions.

Tired, finally managing to get her phone plugged in, she caught a whiff of ocean stink clinging to her. All the adrenaline long lost, mood exaggerated with exhaustion, body stiff from strain, she wanted a hot shower and a nap.

She glanced at Chrollo as he shed his coat. He hid it better. While also 'swimming' from white water rapids into the ocean, he didn't look as much like a drowned rat as she must. Still, he must feel grimy too. He would tolerate it, need be, but…

"Do you want to shower with me?"

He met her gaze before his eyes drifted over her body. Her very battered body that didn't need any vigorous activity, no matter how fun. Doing so in a cramped shower with her legs already feeling like gelatinous lead invited further injury.

"Please?" she added when he stood on the side of reason.

Truth was, she agreed. While high on endorphins and low on reality, she had wanted to be in control of something, no matter how shallow or false that control was. A rare moment of taking the dominant role in bed would have sufficed. Now she felt like garbage and would rather indulge in something else before passing out.

A little nod, he agreed despite her offering no amendment to her earlier desires. She must look quite pitiful.

She wandered into the bathroom, hotel shower as small as she had imagined. Again, they had spared extravagant comfort for modest anonymity. Water running, warming up, Chrollo walked into the room as she began undressing. Shimmying out of her pants took undue effort. Even pulling her shirt and bra over her head was exhausting. When she hit the mattress, she would be dead asleep; Chrollo may be carrying her comatose self to their next destination the way she felt.

Water still lukewarm, she distracted herself with Chrollo.

Shrugging off his shirt, muscles flexing as he moved, he always looked so pretty and handsome. He deliberately went slower with her attention on him. Being horny and tired sucked.

Exposed skin, cold-perked nipples, and his eyes still gravitated to darkened bruises. He let his expression slip, frigid anger overtaking much of the concern. The shiver up her spine, she wished she wasn't so tired- the sex would have been passionate tonight. His possessiveness had grown on her, in a way. Chrollo set aside much of his reluctance since admitting he loved her. They were no longer a matter of if and only if she joined. There was certainty. She hadn't realized how at ease his certainty set her.

"I'm fine, Chrollo," she repeated. Physically fine, more or less, but more than bothered otherwise.

Why? Why had Hisoka gone easy on her? The possibilities, from choosing Chrollo over her to choosing her over reason, she resented them all. He never failed to complicate matters.

She stepped into the shower to escape.

Warm water hitting her skin relaxed aching muscles. She bet, could she feel pain, she would be a wailing pile on the floor. Chrollo joined her, stepping behind her. She sighed heavily as his fingers gently massaged her shoulders, carefully avoiding injuries.

Eventually, he brought her close, arm around her waist, her back pressed to his hard chest. He trailed soft kisses from her shoulder to her neck, stopping at her jaw.

"Remind me why I allowed you to fight on your own," he said, voice calm and low, dangerous and attractive, "other than my own misjudgment." Not a question, but affirmation this is what she had wanted: to be battered and abused to meet some emotional end. "I find myself genuinely upset someone dared damage what is dearly mine. Even without his past transgressions, death is a befitting punishment for harming you so."

He knew just how to sweet talk her, endearments paired with otherwise possessive words and threats. It was strangely romantic, now. It at least came from from a place of intense fondness opposed to coercion and ultimatums. It felt truer to who he was.

"Because I needed to, not wanted to." Another thing he understood, but he lacked the particular why. "Not to confront just him," she started, trying to string together abstractions. She undoubtedly wanted to confront him, first and foremost, but this was one of the few chances at closure she had available. Rest of her misery came from phantoms; she could only project. "I think I wanted him to substitute my father, Fanghe, and the Fan Shi. People that…"

People that she should have been able to trust. People that should have shown her love and understanding, not use her and blame her for everything they had done wrong. She hated them because- because they should have been- "Family. They were family that hurt me." And she never had the chance to confront most of them. Not in any meaningful way. "I needed to…" Forgive. Blame. Neither fit. "I needed to move on." She would hate them forever but living in that hate and fear and pain bound her to them. "I guess I wanted to confront that, them, too. The situation was close enough, so…"

"You achieved what you wanted."

"I did," she reconfirmed with more confidence than before. "I don't… want to blame myself for what they did anymore."

Running water narrating silence, she leaned against him, closing her eyes. She had always wanted to shower with someone like this. Nothing necessarily sexual, but certainly intimate. Sharing the experience with Chrollo felt… right, she supposed. Any amount of happiness seemed to stir anxiety; her victories always horribly fleeting, a sense of impending doom tried to overtake any scrap of happiness she found in yet another vicious cycle.

A cycle that no longer felt like a rigid inevitability.

She pulled away slightly, Chrollo loosening his hold. So curious as their eyes met, her lips pulled into a crooked smile. "Can I wash your hair?"

He indeed appeared puzzled. Still, he leaned down as Lan found some shampoo; they were both smelling of generic soap tonight. A shame, since he had just started wearing a consistent scent. She liked it more than vague soap smell. After returning the small bottle to the ledge, she set to work. She began massaging it into his hair and scalp, content, careful to keep it from his eyes as not to ruin his perfect view of her chest.

Maybe she should make it more obvious this wasn't foreplay.

His eyes fluttering closed, leaning into her touch, he whispered, "This feels nice." Said like a treasured secret and treacherous sin, genuine affection remained so foreign to him. Admitting that vulnerability instead of committing it to silence gave her hope. He was being more honest with her, even at the expense of his ignorance to his own state. No matter how trivial, she wanted to know more about him, how he thought and felt.

Her hands leaving his hair, they shuffled positions. As he rinsed his hair, she sneaked an arm around him to steal the soap again, expecting nothing. "Allow me to return the favor," Chrollo said as her fingers closed around the bottle.

"It wasn't a favor." She passed him the bottle, his fingers brushing over hers, fake pout ruined by her lip trying to curl into a smile.

He raised his eyebrows slightly, exaggerating her poor wordplay. "Affectionate gesture?" he offered instead. Gently, he began running his fingers through her hair, brushing it away from her eyes before soap dared consider dripping. "Or perhaps intimate act?"

She bit back a laugh with a scoff. "I regret to agree with you, but I don't think we'll be doing anything more intimate than cuddling tonight." Her stupid smile remained. She wanted to fall asleep with him beside her, warm and comforting, familiar and safe. His faint smile mirrored her contentment despite the changed agenda; her heart squeezed, seeing him, terrifying bandit leader on so many hitlists, basking in affection.

She felt loved, with him.

A/N: The Ao3 version is officially caught up to this site, so I will now be updating both at the same time. The Ao3 version may be slightly more polished, just because its easier for me to edit there. I should have posted this ages ago, but I've been writing new chapters opposed to editing/posting.

Thank you Boxiee13, Back alley guest, MissEkat597, Helin, Sakura's Midnigth, Guest97, XTakaX27, Login, , sheepcuddler, Athqna, and guest reviewers. I'm glad you've enjoyed the story and Lan (often to the point of reading over sleeping lol).