Author's Note: Ahaha…I should be chased by an angry mob for leaving a year between chapter 10 and this one…but hey I got around to it (finally). Hopefully you enjoy this chapter. I'll try to post chapter 12 soon. It was all thanks to your reviews that got me off my lazy ass, so review when you're done and keep me inspired! Also I'm a little rusty, so Apologizes for any canon character slaughter. Let me know if the chapter was utter crap or not. Enjoy~
And death grows near
When bliss is far
Hold your friends close
For when you fall
Hisoka sat on a crater farthest away from the others. Today he had his bright red hair slicked back in place, his magician's makeup painted over his flawless features, and his peculiar clothing replaced the suit he'd become accustomed to wear as Scarlett's bodyguard.
Today Hisoka wasn't Scarlett's bodyguard. Today he was a spider.
He snickered slightly to the eyes that followed him before redirecting his attention back to the man that grabbed all their attention. The leader that sat silently amongst his followers till every single one of them arrived. How long had they said it been since all of them got together like this? Two, three years? He was never good at remembering irrelevant things.
The man was clad in a long drench coat with fur around the end of each rim. Black hair slicked back revealed the tattoo of a cross on his forehead.
Chrollo Lucifer.
"Tell us chief! What do you want us to steal?!" Uvogin's voice bellowed in the run down storage building. His deep voice already shaking with blood lust.
"We shall be stealing the treasures from this year's underground auction."
As Chrollo gave the command to kill anyone in the way, there was one more plan he had in mind.
"Are any of you familiar with the name Eli Valentine?" he questioned after they'd settled down. His empty gaze scanned their faces.
"Who wouldn't know about her? She was one of the most famous black list hunters, even the world outside of hunters and mafia knew her name," Shalnark piped with a wide smile. His average appearance able to fool anyone, "She discovered the ruins of Acteriz in the Azian continent-not to mention that she's never failed her job she had for finding rare items or stealing. She was known as Lucky Eli."
"Oh! I heard of her!" Nabunaga slammed his fist in the palm of his hand, "Rumors went around for a while about her disappearance.
"Why do you ask?" Shalnark blinked over at his boss, voicing what everyone else questioned.
Chrollo's eyes gleamed for a second, his lips held a faint smirk. This was going to be an interesting year, "She goes by the name Elizabeth Ashworth."
"Leexii!" Neon's voice penetrated the awkward silence of the drawing room their father called them into. Both twins had been left in the gray to why, but it had become painfully obvious that the guest of honor had finally arrived.
The blue haired girl gave her best friend a tight hug, laughing and chattering away about how her father promised to take her to the auction to collect some ancient body parts? Scarlett raised a brow at their old friend. Since when did this girl get into collecting body parts?
"And I'm the one with weird friends?" She commented loud enough so Revonika could hear. The older woman just stared, her arms folded against her chest. "You do realize you're still friends with a psycho path."
Ah Hisoka. Since when had he become a friend? "Point taken."
Just as she spoke Neon blinked over, noticing her presence for the first time since she'd entered. Her wide blue eyes lit up with unexpected surprise. "Scarlett?! Woahh! You're back!" And again the girl through her arms around her old acquaintance before taking a proper look at her. "Oh my god Scarlett, you look just like your mother!"
"Yeah, dead."
Scarlett threw a shuriken she'd conjured up at her sister. The tip of the weapon grazing the skin on her cheek and found its place stuck in the wall behind her, "And you're just an ugly scar face!"
Alexis screamed when she saw the blood trickling down her cheek and pounced at her sister finally unable to hold back, "My face is your face you ugly little bitch!" her hands yanked at Scarlett's hair, both girls toppling over as they threw insult after insult at one another.
"Do you two hear yourselves?" Revonika commented from the side.
"Guys! Guys!" Neon awkward stood there over the sisters with a panicked face. What could she do other than watch?
"Lady Neon!" An older man with a scar on his face burst through the door, two other body guards followed in after, "We heard a scream!"
The tall man known as Dalzollene, the one in charge of the body guards and only connection to Nostrade, blinked skeptically as his anxious expression faded. His eyes went over two the two young ladies that rolled around on the floor yanking at each other's hair and screaming streams of profanities at each other.
"What in the world is going on?"
Alexis pulled away, her foot against the side of Scarlett's face, "She's insane! She just tried to kill me! Call father! I want her shot!"
"Take back what you said about mother! You heartless bitch!" Scarlett spat back as she tried to fling herself at her twin. Her temper these days much harder to control than usual.
"Can you stop acting like a brat for once," Revonika remarked between gritted teeth as she held back Scarlett, "You two have a lot more in common than you think."
"WE DO NOT," both twins spoke in simultaneously.
Revonika gave a heavy sigh at how idiotic these two were being before giving her attention to Dalzollene, "They've been like this all month. You'll get used to it."
"Great sounds like another baby sitting job," one of the other bodyguards muttered under his breath. This one had puffy black hair and dark tan skin.
"Scarlett?"
The black haired girl looked up as she patted her clothing off. Her face held a deep scowl, her brown eyes had a glint to kill-that is until she saw the blonde that stepped into view.
A face she wasn't expecting to see for another month.
"Kurapika?!" What the hell was he doing here?!
Neon blinked, "Huh? You know each other?"
The blue haired girl wasn't the only surprised face in the room. Alexis and the other body guards found it hard to believe.
"She's a…friend," the teenager remarked hesitantly. Was it because he was on the job? It made Scarlett slightly uncomfortable but she decided to leave the proper reunion chat for another time-when no one else was around.
"We took the hunter exam together," she added feeling that the question wasn't just meant for Kurapika alone. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm one of Neon's new body guards," he gave her a small smile one that Scarlett didn't quite like. She racked at her brain trying to remember what he'd told her before their small group parted ways. Gon and Killua had planned to train which lead them back to her home at Heaven's Arena. Leorio had gone back to start pursuing his dreams of becoming a doctor; and Kurapika…
The frown on her lips deepened. He was going to concentrate on avenging his clan and gaining back what was rightfully theirs. She remembered that the scarlet eyes were stolen from his people and what better chance to get them back than by guarding a rich body part collector.
"Right."
Guess catching up had to wait.
It was two hours past midnight when Scarlett slipped out of her room, "Hm, no Hisoka today?" she spoke to herself when she realized he hadn't been around all day. What was that man up too?
Thoughts of the magician quickly slipped her mind when she knocked on one of the doors of their guest rooms. It took a moment, but Kurapika opened the door. "Somehow I knew it'd be you."
Impulsively Scarlett through her arms around him and gave him a tight hug. Five months? How come it felt longer? She held her friend afraid he might vanish from right between her grasp. Finally someone she trusted was there. The overwhelming loneliness she had been suffering felt slightly lighter.
"Kura-Kura!"
"I really prefer you use my normal name." he remarked over her shoulder, returning the hug in a more polite manner. Scarlett pulled away with a laugh, "Leorio thought it suited you too. But fine whatever rows your boat."
The blonde closed the door behind them and watched as his friend went over to the couch and literally just threw herself face first into the cushions. He gave a skeptical stare wondering whether it was a good idea for her to skip out on sleep.
"When they said we'd be escorting Neon to Reverie Ashworth's estate you cross my mind, but I couldn't quite believe you were actually related to him- or have a twin sister."
"Surprise," her voice muffled with the pillow in her face. She sat up and pulled her legs up on the couch, "I'm not too happy with my family background to share it with others. Sorry I didn't tell you from before."
"You're not obligated to tell me anything. It's fine."
"Are you okay Scarlett?"
"Why would I be otherwise?"
Kurapika gave her a stern look. His once blue eyes seemed darker than before. Melody's words rang in his head. 'Her heartbeat is painful to listen to. It's tragic and defeated.' "You've lost weight."
"And you've gotten paler," Scarlett caught his gaze before letting it drop to the red fabric beneath her, "I won't stop you from your vengeance but don't kill yourself in the process. Me and the others still want you alive."
Scarlett watched in awe as she set her eyes on the crazy magician for the first time. Around him stood a horror struck crowd. No one saw it coming. Not even the victim that screamed for his missing arms that Hisoka turned into peddles.
Her widened eyes caught those sadistic grey ones. Admiration exchanged for silent laughter. In that one moment Scarlett felt her heart race. He was dangerous and it thrilled her.
-hm?
She felt someone snap off the necklace from around her neck. Her hand went to feel around her collar bone not quite hitting her that someone was gutsy enough to just steal it right off her.
... Her head snapped back to the guys that laughed out loud.
"Hey little girl how the hell did you get your hands on this?"
"You don't go walking into a room full of dangerous men wearing Helvetia's gem around your neck!"
"Consider this a listen to you little lad-"
Her fist went square into his face so hard that it sent him spiraling back into the wall. Sidestepping quickly she found herself behind the thug that threw himself forward and nailed him in the side of his jaw with her foot. Before he could fall over she grabbed him by the back of his collar,"Give It Back You Fucking Douchebag!" she kicked him hard in the back and stepped on top of him. Her deep brown raging eyes landed on the guy who held her necklace. Her nen as threatening as ever.
Then, unexpectedly, the idiot flung it into the crowd and smirked, "Good luck fin-"
She punched the shithead hard in the gut and knocked him out in a single blow. If Biscuit-sensei had been there she would've definitely gotten a scolding for revealing her strength so early on in the hunter exam.
"Excuse me, is this yours?"
Scarlett turned to find a young boy dressed in bright green clothing. His shining brown eyes held a gleam similar to her own. For a second Scarlett was taken aback to find such a character amongst the crowd and she wondered if he was anything like like her previous master.
" Yea, thanks for returning it."
"Your welcome. I'm Gon!"
"Scarlett Ashworth pleased to meet you," she scratched the side of er head realizing how big a scene she just created, " How loud was I?"
He gave an awkward laugh, his smile still friendly, "Kind of loud."
"Ah, fuck..."
"He does have a point though. Something like Helvetia's gem shouldn't be worn in a hunter exam." A blonde came over its cautious eyes a man in a suit beside him.
"Hey it's my mothers momentum. I'll wear it where ever I please," she clipped it back on and ran her fingers over it, "Scarlett Ashworth."
"You may call me Kurapika."
"Name's Leorio! Was going to kick their asses for you but you beat me to it."
" Of course you were," Kurapika commented with heavy sarcasm.
Scarlett raised her brow slightly at the older man and snickered at his remark, "Nice to know there are friendly people taking the exam."
Scarlett woke with a start. What time was it? She rubbed her eyes and lazily looked over at the alarm clock on her nightstand. 11:00am. She groaned.
It was half passed twelve when she made her way down to the dining room. Breakfast had already been taken back into the kitchen. It took her a while to find something that fitted her mood but afterward she headed over to visit her mother.
When she finished up, she found none other than Hisoka waiting outside her mother's door. A sedcuive smirk played on his lips. "Did you miss me princess?"
Scarlett rolled we eyes, "back so soon?"
"I thought you'd want to see me."
She let out a forced laugh and walked passed him, already knowing he would follow- because it was his job. She cursed her father under her breath. "Where were you anyways?"
"Oh? You're curious?"
"You know what I don't want to know."
He gave her a smirk, "By the way, do you know someone that goes by the name Eli Valentine?"
The young woman had to stop and look over her shoulder. Why was he bringing up a near legend hunter? "Who doesn't?" she stepped into one of the guest bathrooms and left the door open, not caring if Hisoka watched her wash off all the fake acne off her face. "She disappeared some twenty years ago. Both her identity and her whereabouts are unknown." Scarlet let down her straightened hair. The course of time allowed it to finally reach passed her shoulders.
Hisoka paused to watch Scarlett break her daily routine. Was she starting to feel conscious about her appearance around him? Since when did she act like that at all?
She threw the wet towel at his face, "It's rude to stare."
He removed the cloth and gave her a smirk, "I think you know Eli Valentine a lot more than you think."
"?"
But before she could say anything else to the crimson magician she'd already stepped into the drawing room where she found Kurapika and the other bodyguards that belonged to the Nostrades.
"Ah, sorry must be in the wrong room," Neon and Alexis must've been in their room. Not that she had any reason to see the two. Her eyes shifted to Kurapika for a quick glance before closing the door and caught the expression on his face on sight of Hisoka.
"Ah, shit I forgot to tell him.' she closed the door quickly but not before Hisoka could give the kurta member a small wave of the hand and a devilish smile.
"See when you go and do that he'll think that you're about to kill me and rape my corpse."
"Why's that just an assumption?" he teased calmly. He'd pulled out his deck of cards and began shuffling them between his hands.
"Your words are really assuring."
"You bring this subject up so much, I'm starting to wonder if you're really hoping for it or not."
His words caused her cheeks to flush red. What the hell was he saying?! She was suddenly speechless at the images that were suddenly planted in her head at 'wanting' to be raped by him.
"What's he doing here?"
It was Kurapika. She winced and slowly turned on her heels. She was about to answer when Hisoka beat her too it. He leaned right over and placed a hand on her shoulder, the side of his face nearly pressed against her cheek, "I'm her bodyguard."
End of chapter! Don't forget to review! Pray I update soon!