A/N: Here's another early update. I still don't have my laptop but my sister doesn't need hers for now so good for us right?

Thanks goes out to the favs and reviews for the last chapter: Thehisokalover, Kee-Rect, xXIvana BraginskiXx, AfricanQueenForever and welcome Flame Metal Saphire :)

NB: You may have noticed the use of "..." by itself in my story at times. You've probably already guessed what it means. If not, it simply means that a character is speechless depending on the context I use it in.

Warning: None! Only implied violence.

Disclaimer: I do not own! All characters belong to Yoshihiro Togashi and he won't torture Gon the way that I do. Thus all I own is the plot...

Re-edit: The part of this chapter that speaks of Gon wondering about the paranormal stuff was taken from my other story Until Next Time since I had at first left out how he was feeling about the approaching danger but I've now decided to include it as a bit of foreboding for what's to come.

Chapter Six: Attack

"Well come closer…~" Hisoka encouraged. "I'll teach you how to play Go Fish, ~" he continued, beckoning him over. "It's easy, I promise. ~"

As Gon walked over to meet Hisoka, he eyed the usual closed-eye smile that the man was giving him – for once not finding it creepy or disgusting and this time, smiling in return.

That night after playing Go Fish for hours until he'd finally won (Gon had no idea how Hisoka managed to keep winning a game that seemed to be controlled by the odds), he slept soundly.

Actually it wasn't hard at all to fall asleep considering that he did not sleep at all the night before.

XXX

In the morning after washing his face and having breakfast, they were once again ready to go. The trees had thinned to the point that the forest seemed to have ended abruptly and now they were standing on a demarcation of sorts, looking out at what appeared to be a desert.

As Gon's alert gaze scanned the barren landscape, he found that it reminded him of Greed Island and the canyon that he, Killua and Biske had to cross in order to reach Masadora. Worse yet, it reminded him of the hours of intense labor that he and Killua had to put in in order to get to the city.

His face became pensive.

Hopefully Hisoka wouldn't make him shovel through the solid rock and packed dirt in order to get to York Shin City.

"You know," Hisoka said turning to face him and interrupting his thoughts. "This is the last part of our journey. We should be in York Shin City by this afternoon~"

Gon only nodded, smiling. Finally the journey was coming to an end.

XXX

As the day progressed, the sun appeared to be even higher in the blindingly bright blue sky and content to beat down on him alone. Back when they were trekking through the humid forest, Gon had been thankful that he had decided to keep his jacket stashed in the leather backpack he always carried with him. Now he was extremely thankful not to be wearing it as the thought of feeling any hotter than he already was made him cringe.

Urgh.

Gon took one look down at himself and frowned.

Even as he currently was, dressed in his simple ensemble of shorts and vest, he was terribly uncomfortable as the overbearing heat and lack of tree cover made him feel like he was sweating bullets. His arms were sweaty, skin was flushed and the cotton vest he wore stuck to his skin.

Can this get any worse?

Throwing an eye to the one walking beside him, Gon was amazed that Hisoka could be walking so casually in this literal furnace, not even sweating a drop.

He had to have some kind of internal air-conditioning system. Or be able to adapt his body temperature like some other-worldly creature.

Maybe he is an other-worldly creature.

Gon barely stifled the snort of laughter that threatened to bubble out of his throat.

Suddenly Hisoka stopped.

He put his hand to his lips.

Hisoka couldn't have read my mind…right?

Gon fidgeted, looking around innocently. And that's when he felt it, the disturbance in the air that signaled killing intent – and lots of it.

He spun around, looking left and right – unable to pinpoint the exact location of their unwelcome guests.

Noticing that Hisoka was looking pointedly in a north-easterly direction, he quickly trained his gaze there too and was not surprised by what he discovered.

Whoever it was, was blocking off their way to the City.

Gon's expression became determined.

Seems like we'll have to—

Just then a man chuckled loudly, the crude sound echoing in the desolate, heated space and grating on Gon's ears as he walked out into the open. He was dressed all in black and had a tough-looking face. "Ah I see you've noticed us," he said. "But that doesn't mean that we'd go easy on you. Right, guys?"

"Yeah!" came the collective answer and suddenly there were more of them as similarly dressed men stepped out from behind boulders and the low-lying rock face ahead.

Gon gritted his teeth, his fists balled tightly at his sides. "What do you want?!" he shouted back at them but Hisoka put his hand up to hush him. Gon stewed at having been silenced. So what, I can't talk now? he fumed.

"We don't want nothing much…" The same man drawled, pretending to be complacent. "Just your money. And your lives!"

With that, at least twenty burly-looking men started charging toward them with all manner of combat weapons from tomahawks to automatic knives and combo blades in hand.

At least none of them are carrying guns… Gon thought as he responded in kind, rushing toward the charging mob. That made it all the more easier.

He launched forward and knocked out a few. One hit to the base of the skull, so fast that they barely saw it coming. But he did not kill them. He did his best not to. The law enforcement authorities could always be contacted as soon as they arrived in York Shin and the criminals apprehended before they could even regain consciousness.

"Don't," came the stern voice of the magician now in front of him. He stood there, partially blocking Gon's view of the horde before them and successfully preventing him from attacking any more of them. Gon looked up at him perplexed, although the other could not see his face.

"Don't fight, just stay there." Hisoka continued in a low, commanding tone.

Gon gaped at the man's back for a few seconds, unsure of what to feel, his mouth slack in shock. What exactly was Hisoka up to this time?

Does he think that he owns me?

Grinding his teeth together, Gon's temper rose like the sand that had been disturbed by their movement. He didn't like the way that Hisoka seemed to be comfortable telling him what he could and couldn't do.

Who the hell does he think—ah!

It was then that a familiar twinge of pain brought him back to reality. His sudden movements seemed to have aggravated his healing injury from two days earlier. He was a fast healer so it had mostly healed, but Gon quickly realized that all it would take was a hit to that area from one of the attackers to cause a crippling pain that would render him momentarily stunned until another dealt him a killing blow.

Bringing an arm up to his abdomen, understanding hit him. Did Hisoka stop me because I'm still healing from my injuries?

But…

He doesn't care.

Oh… Gon sighed. I don't understand him.

Despite his mental conflict about Hisoka's behavior, Gon still did not like the tone of voice that Hisoka seemed to think was okay to use with him. It was just like before when he had prevented him from leaving…twice, forcing them to travel together.

That voice – smooth and commanding, soft and dangerous. Gon knew that he would be a fool to disobey it and as such, his inability to do what he wanted to only served to anger him further.

His eyes bored into the figure before him, about to face off against their attackers alone and he could not help but forget what he was angry about as soon as Hisoka started moving.

It was beautiful and frightening at the same time, the way he moved so quickly that he'd have been a blur to untrained eyes but Gon saw him clearly; saw every move.

As his shoes hit the arid, dusty earth and his clothes billowed with his precise movements, it was as if he was performing a choreographed piece – this battle his stage and the shouts of the dying men his grisly tune.

Hisoka moved seamlessly between those men, arms appearing to extend gracefully, slowly – the act seeming to last for hours – when in fact it was but a split second later that his victim/s were cut down. It was so fast, so perfect, so clean that each did not bleed or show signs of injury until they hit the ground, gasping for breath until they went silent.

So enraptured was Gon by this play of skill in front of him that it was a second too late that he sensed the presence behind him.

His limbs were suddenly restrained, pressed against his lower back, the position pulling at his injury and the skin of his neck burning from the bite of the gleaming double-edged steel blade pressed against it.

"Any sudden movements and you forfeit your life," the stranger behind him ground out in a hoarse voice.

It sounded like the first man who had confronted them.

Gon winced.

"Although I'd still kill you because your buddy wiped out my comrades." The blade dug deeper.

"He's not my—" Gon's protest was cut off by the sharp pain and the warm liquid running down his neck.

Fuck.

That's it.

Gon was done playing hostage and was about to introduce the guy to ten times the pain that he was feeling at that moment (considering that the bastard was aggravating his abdominal injury as well) when suddenly there was a whirring sound close to his left ear.

By the time Gon realized that the sound belonged to two of Hisoka's playing cards, the man behind him was already slumping to the ground.

He froze for a moment, looking down at the dead body at his feet, the cards still lodged in the forehead and chest – cards that they were just playing with the night before.

Hisoka smirked, crouching before the body to retrieve his cards, pulling them out of the bone with a sickening crunch. He waved his hand and as the cards disappeared, he looked up at Gon.

What caught his eye made him freeze and a frown settled to replace the bloodthirsty smirk on his lips.

Yellow eyes narrowed when they became instantly affixed to the source of the redness on Gon's neck – a three-inch long horizontal cut – and as the blood seeped from the wound, Hisoka felt his blood burn. How dare Gon allow someone else to hurt him...touch him...mark him...shed his blood? His eyes widened as they followed the path of the blood that now ran down the tanned neck in a smooth, uninterrupted line. It called to him.

Straightening to his full height, Hisoka took one step toward Gon, the look of bloodlust still on his face and Gon found it hard to believe that this was the same man who was moving so gracefully before.

Standing this close to Hisoka, Gon could feel the malice literally pouring off of him in waves.

Ah...

He looked up into Hisoka's focused glare and his lips went slack.

The air was thick with the man's irritation and his face was marred by what Gon could only interpret as a deeply dissatisfied frown and an angry, possessive glare.

Why is he angry with me?

Suddenly feeling as if he couldn't breathe, Gon took a few steps back only to find that there was a rocky wall not too far behind him.

Hisoka followed, matching his steps, bringing his hand up to take hold of Gon's chin. Gon brought both hands up to push against his chest, trying to put some distance between them but he did not budge.

The corner of Hisoka's lips twitched as if he was about to smirk; pleased at this show of resistance instead of angered by it.

Gon gave a muffled wail of surprise as those lips descended quickly, crashing against his own in a powerful display of dominance and possession. His momentary surprise allowed the other to thrust a bold tongue into his mouth for a brief exploration before retreating to trace his lips.

"Mine~" Hisoka muttered against his mouth, in between sharp bites and licks."You. Are. Mine."

"What are you—?" Gon blubbered but found himself being kissed roughly again.

He gasped for air as Hisoka stopped kissing him to lower his head to his neck, inspecting the wound there. His tongue came out to slowly and boldly lap at it – tasting the blood, licking the trail that it made and sucking the spot until the blood stopped flowing.

Gon's head was tipped back against the rock wall, his breaths coming in short, desperate bursts. He couldn't move from where he was pinned and did little to stop what Hisoka was doing – surprised and flustered that he did not mind the fact that the other seemed to be enjoying the taste of his blood.

It was over too soon when Hisoka raised his head, lips near his ear as he whispered, "We need to get moving…~"—he licked his lips and one hand glided over Gon's waist suggestively—"...as much as I'd love to stay here and continue this, we're almost to the city and should be finding a place to stay before dark~"

"…"

Hisoka then walked off in the direction that the men had come from without sparing a glance backwards as if automatically knowing that Gon would be at his side.

Gon followed him soundlessly, stepping over the myriad of dead bodies left in Hisoka's wake.

The gory sight helped him to eventually come to his senses and he abruptly found himself getting angry. "Don't you think that this was a little overdone?"

Hisoka turned to look in his direction, watching him as if he was someone who'd gone off of their pills. Was the young man trying to play righteous, or was his perspective of good and bad that messed up?

"If I didn't kill them, they'd have killed us~" he said matter-of-factly.

"But still…the police could have handled it and—"

"Gon." One word was enough to silence the young man. "Didn't I give you a lesson yesterday on consequences?"

Gon blushed hotly, remembering his 'lesson'. "Um..y-yeah…" he stuttered, looking away.

Hisoka continued, "Every action has its consequences and not every consequence is enjoyable~" He paused. "I'd rather not take risks that I deem unnecessary just to deal with the manifestation of whatever consequence that may result~"

"But…"

"I'd rather not risk it." He repeated, hinting that that was the end of the discussion on the matter.

Gon frowned, but realizing that there was nothing he could do about the situation, he gave up.

They continued walking the rest of the way in silence and Gon didn't even contemplate the heat anymore; just focused on walking and before he knew it, the hot midday sun had quickly transitioned into the cool of mid-afternoon.

Finally, as the sun was going down, they walked the last few steps to stand on an embankment that allowed them to look down at the vast city that was now no longer several days away.

Gon beamed, strength renewed as he took in the view ahead of him – the symbolism of his journey finally coming to an end.

And maybe the symbolism of his freedom from his unlikely companion too.

I can't believe it…it's over. I can finally meet up with Killua and—

Hisoka turned to look at him, gesturing at the city dusted in the orange glow of the setting sun.

"We only have about an hour's worth of walking to go. And then,"—he paused—"…we should immediately find a place to stay the night~"

"We?" Gon gasped, seeing his dreams for freedom evaporating right before his eyes.

"Yes~" Hisoka affirmed, now looking at him with a weird expression.

"…"

"Don't you want to finally take a warm shower and get something to eat?~"

"Ah yes…" Gon said, trying to find the right words. "It's just...I thought that now that our journey has come to an end, we'd be…um…separating."

"And why would we do that?~"

Gon was puzzled. Isn't it obvious?

"Well, I have things that I need to do in the City and I'm sure that you do as well so…"

"So…what?~"

"So we should do them…separately."

"Yes we will be doing them separately, but we'd be staying together~"

"But—"

"There's nothing more to discuss. I've indicated this before – you are with me now and I'll be the one to decide when we separate. Until then, we don't~"

"I –I...You can't just decide t—!"

"Come," Hisoka called, already walking off in the direction of the city. He looked over his shoulder. "It would be nightfall soon and it is wise not to be caught out here after dark~"

Gon did not follow him immediately, lost for a moment on the murderous grin of delight that stretched those lips right before the man turned away.

Now he was curious; what happened out here in this wilderness after dark that had Hisoka looking so excited? He chanced a glance behind them in the direction from where they had come. Were the dead bodies still lying about back there or had something already gotten to them?

From what he could sense, the predators were already gathering, causing the air to shift to a type of deep, weighted anticipation that was not his but came from the dozens of eyes that he could feel watching...waiting for them to leave.

Eyes that weren't human.

But what if we don't leave? What if we stayed right here? Would whatever it is that's watching us come out from behind those rocks?

A vile, impatient howl pierced the air.

The sound reverberated through to his very core and Gon's heart tripped over itself, picking up a rapid pace. He put his hand to his chest, feeling as if the rapidly beating organ within was knocking on his rib cage and contrary to a decidedly reasonable reaction, he smiled.

Completely lacking in self-preservation skills as usual, the possible threat only caused his excitement to rise and Gon carefully scanned the horizon for the faintest clue of what waited just outside his line of sight.

What exactly is out there? he wondered, turning to walk in the direction opposite to where Hisoka was heading – to where he felt the most concentrated sense of malignity. Common sense was forgotten in preference of assuaging his curiosity, but as he walked toward that immense sense of danger, whatever it was that emitted that foul energy was smart enough to remain hidden.

Gon stopped abruptly, grungy boots kicking up the dust as his consciousness was arrested by a sudden thought. The malignity in the air - although much more condensed now – felt familiar, as if he had been touched by nuances of it before. Could it be that this mysterious presence had been with him and Hisoka even while they were traveling through the forest?

Most likely.

And was it also the reason why he had never seen Hisoka asleep during their brief journey?

Possibly...

As Gon pondered the implications of this new development, he frowned, finally understanding the reason why, for the past two nights, Hisoka had appeared to be constantly alert, watching over him and seemingly waiting for something.

I thought he was just being creepy.

Gon brought one hand up to rub at the back of his head as his confusion deepened.

But why is this collective presence just skirting the periphery of our senses?

Is it refusing to engage us because of Hisoka? He shook his head. No... Hisoka is just one man, one! It can't be that whatever it is that's beyond those rock cliffs is afraid of him!

How could something that felt so evil, so powerful be cautious of Hisoka?

Unless...

Gon pursed his lips in thought. "Unless Hisoka is stronger," he whispered into the still, slightly chilly air.

It was one of the most basic laws of nature that Gon knew too well; an animal that functions as a predator at its level in the food chain can easily become the prey when a bigger threat – the top predator in the ecosystem arrives.

Gon resisted the urge to look back to see if Hisoka was where he had left him. If at all possible, his heart started to beat faster.

A cold sweat broke out on his forehead but his previous excitement refused to die. He always had a feeling that despite appearances, Hisoka was much stronger than he made himself out to be. If his haunch turned out to be a fact, it would be no surprise, considering that Hisoka's entire persona revolved around deception.

Hisoka... he pondered, pensive and utterly oblivious to his surroundings. What are you hidin—

"Boo!~"

Gon almost had two heart attacks. One, at the voice unexpectedly close to his ear and another when he spun around to see Hisoka right up behind him, golden eyes glinting in the semi-darkness. His throat felt parched and he clutched at his chest. "W-what did you do that for?!" he choked out, hating the way his voice sounded high-pitched and strained.

He cleared his throat.

Instead of answering his question, Hisoka smirked. "What are you doing going off in this direction? York Shin is that way~"

Gon looked to where Hisoka was pointing then back at him. "You...what's out there?" he asked, his voice slightly above a hoarse whisper and nodding to where the heavy presence only seemed to increase in malevolence.

That murderous grin was back. "Wouldn't you like to know~"

Gon grunted in disappointment at the ambiguous answer that did nothing to allay his curiosity. Folding his arms across his chest and looking up at Hisoka with a stubborn pout, Gon was prepared to stand his ground until he was given a satisfactory response.

"Come on~" Hisoka said, walking behind him to put one palm on his back.

"Hey what are you doing?!" Gon complained as he felt himself being steered forward.

"I want you up in front where I can keep an eye on you~" Hisoka replied casually.

"But you still haven't answered my question!" Gon protested stubbornly, boots raising the dust as he dug his heels in the ground to stop Hisoka from moving him away from his spot. In spite of his resistance though, he was easily pushed forward like a tiny toy tug boat in a free-flowing canal.

"As I told you Gon," Hisoka explained patiently. "It's getting dark and as much as I'd love to stay here and have some fun, it would not be wise to put you in any more danger..."—he leaned forward, lips almost touching Gon's ear—"...especially since you don't have your Nen~"

Gon huffed, shrugging away Hisoka's hands from his shoulders and marching off angrily. He did not have to be told twice – It seemed as if these days, ever since he'd lost his Nen, all the fun happened without him.

"Jerk," he muttered under his breath, fully aware of Hisoka's laughter and the eerie presence that drew closer as they walked further away.

XXX

N.B.: A few hours later~

Walking through the streets of York Shin City, Gon was sure that they made quite a sight – Hisoka in his unusually clean but unusual clothes and him in his very dirty and tattered vest and shorts.

People knew better than to stare though. Just looking at Hisoka, it was obvious that he was anything but normal, so they continued on about their day, hurrying home or to wherever they were going before the pair had crossed their paths.

The two walked for quite a while until they were no longer on the outskirts of the city. Now that they were in the thick of the crowd, Gon could no longer feel the dangerous air that had been encroaching just a few hours ago, lurking scarcely on the borders of the city.

"Ok, here it is~" Hisoka said, finally stopping to look up at the building in front of them. When his statement was met with a confused expression, he went on to explain. "We'd be staying here tonight and then tomorrow we can look for something else that would be more long-term~"

Gon didn't bother to comment and simply followed mutely as Hisoka started to walk toward the building. It was getting late, he was exhausted from their long journey, and the last thing he wanted to think about was the fact that there was nothing that he could do for now, other than to go along with his new situation.

A/N: Gon shouldn't even bother hoping to be free of him...

Ah so our unlikely pair has finally reached York Shin City. I wonder what awaits them here? And if you may ask how Hisoka is able to travel without luggage or how he keeps his clothes clean? The answer is simple: magic… (haha you knew it was coming XD )

NB. Oh and for the expression where Hisoka was "watching him as if he was someone who'd gone off of their pills", for those who may not be familiar with it, it means that he was looking at him like he was crazy. Because in his opinion he couldn't believe that Gon wanted to spare their attackers after their obvious intentions.

Maybe I'll give you guys an early update before Christmas. Oh and don't forget, Reviews are love :)