Summary: Hisoka's creepy obsession is focused on Melody for this chapter.

Disclaimer: Hunter X Hunter is Yoshihiro Togashi's baby. It's not mine.

Toy box: Melody

The smell of disinfectant made Melody nauseous. She had come for the Chairman Election and stayed to watch over Gon in Kurapika's place. She'd never been asked to, but she knew ill news of his friend's fate could break Kurapika's thin hold on his humanity. There was nothing she could do but watch, so that's what she did.

Tangled and destroyed, Gon's body looked much like her arm - twisted, mangled, inhuman. Hope stayed with her and it had paid off. A burst of Nen had come from his makeshift tent and she was eager to visit him. It would be a great relief to see him again without the mutilated flesh and the smell of death reminding her of the day she had been in his place. The day she'd dance to the devil's tune.

It had been on her way down the stairwell that he appeared.

Melody, with her large buck teeth, shivered looking every inch like a frightened rabbit. "What a terrible heartbeat. You sing a song of amusement and violence."

Hisoka stood in front of her blocking the way. "Eavesdropping is rude." He patted her head, causing her bonnet to slide slightly off her head. "If you hear a secret you'd best keep it; two can keep a secret only if one of them is dead."

Flailing at the light push, Melody managed to grab onto the railing. White fingers clung to the cold metal as she asked, "What do you want?"

She flinched as he smiled down at her, waiting for the push, the fall, and the snapped neck.

"I just want to know how Gon is. He means so much to me."

"I've never heard about you."

"How hurtful. We passed the Hunter Exam together."

She realized he was from the same year as Kurapika. To her horror, she must have spoken her thoughts aloud as his smile grew.

"Kurapika, why yes he's also dear to me. How is he?"

Careful to keep a neutral tone, Melody replied, "...he is fine."

"I see. Tell him to be a good boy and take his vitamins, clown's orders. I only want to see him at his best..." Hisoka turned as if to leave before looking back over his shoulder. The Joker of Spades was held between his fingers. "Now what was it...? Oh yes, that's quite the aura you have there. Show me your arm or I'll cut it off."

Pulling up her long sleeve Melody revealed the warped flesh what was once an arm. "The Sonata of Darkness did this to me. I listened to a movement of the flute solo."

With a low curious hmm, the card vanished and he walked away.

A cursed song was of no interest to him, but information on it could bait a certain spider with a love of rare things. He'd be keeping tabs on her from then on. No matter how fast or how far she ran, it would all end with her in his hands. Always frightened, but within arms reach.

Any decent magician could pull a rabbit out of a hat. 'Run, rabbit, run.'

Ugh, the 500-word limit killed me on this one.