Medea wanted to kill herself. Literally. She could not stand another hour of whatever the hell was going on. Caught in between Illumi's terrible driving abilities and Hisoka's weird songs, all she could think about was how she must have really angered some deity to be stuck in this situation.
As the hours passed, she grew apathetic. Illumi's needle prevented her from doing anything, anyway.
The dark road was a monotonous and lifeless sight. For someone who had spent at least two hours being tossed around by the car's sudden movements, staring forward made her feel like she would puke her guts out at any given moment. She was also tired. So, so tired. Her entire body felt too heavy. The only thing she wanted to do was lay down and sleep, but there were two problems: one, she did not trust those two together around her, and two, she was legitimately unable to do so.
But at least she was not thinking about Kurapika nor the Order anymore.
She sighed.
Now I did. Great.
The weight of black eyes analyzing her through the rearview mirror bothered her, but she did her best to ignore it altogether. Whether it was because she was not in the mood to deal with her kidnapper or because she felt terrible, she was not sure.
Much to her surprise, Illumi let go of the steering wheel as he turned to her, face as calm as ever.
"What the hell, Illumi?!" Hisoka yelled, grabbing the wheel before the car strayed from the road and into the vegetation.
"What?"
"Don't do that!"
His brows furrowed as he extended a hand in Medea's direction. "Why? You took the wheel, did you not?" The woman sighed once the back of his hand touched her forehead. It was almost like he had bathed in the Northern Seas' icy waters, terribly and unbearably cold. He felt the side of her neck and her muscles stiffened. She shivered, uncomfortable with the sensation. "This is not good." Sighed Illumi.
"Yeah, but you could have warned me!" He insisted. "This is not what we agreed upon!"
"I was not trying to kill you." The assassin retorted. His fingers trailed past her artery until they reached the tiny needle at the base of her nape and took it out slowly. Medea grunted. She could feel her skin struggling to detach from the foreign object, and, most importantly, from his aura. "And you," He told her sternly, slapping Hisoka's hand away from the steering wheel, "try not to move or you will feel worse."
"Vurpek." Muttered Medea, tongue too heavy and rough after so long in silence.
"Huh?"
"Idy na bliedoer."
"I think you broke her, Illu."
"Go fuck yourself." She translated, voice slightly hoarse. "You Padokean piece of shit. I'm gonna shove my kitten heels so far up your ass that you'll be coughing glitter for the next month!"
"Never mind, she's alright." Hisoka giggled.
"And fuck you, too!"
"Don't threaten me with a good time, little dove." He teased, staring at Illumi, who did not even glance at him.
"Why the hell did you kidnap me?" Inquired her, massaging her neck.
"Spare your energy, Medea. You have a fever and you need to rest." He told her.
"Fuck you, I'm not sick." Leaning against Hisoka's headrest, she bit her lower lip as her vertigo got stronger. "I swear, if I had anything in my stomach, I'd throw it up right on your stupid face."
"Your temperature is surprisingly high."
"It's not."
"It is. You are—"
"I never get sick. Never." Reiterated her.
"How long have you been awake for?"
She gripped the seat in front of her and shrugged. "I don't know."
"When was the last time you ate or drank something?"
"When we were at the bar," Hisoka replied, glancing at her before looking back at Illumi, "she had two shots of tequila and a shot of vodka, but she didn't eat anything."
Illumi sighed. "Medea, were you near anyone ill lately?"
With a bit of effort, she shook her head. "No."
"Are you sure?"
"I…" Frowning, she gulped down the bile rising through her throat. "Yeah. I am."
"Well, let's see if by taking out the needle you will recover soon or if you are, indeed, sick."
"I am not !" She growled. "It's all because of your disgusting Nen trying to subdue my aura!"
"That was not my intention. All I did was paralyze most of your voluntary movements." Explained Illumi, as if he was talking to a child.
"It was you!"
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because it can't be anything else!" Medea insisted, burying her nails into the padded seat. "It's always you ruining my life! Always! First, you kill my most important sponsor…"
"You say that as if you were not the one who gave up on defending him in the end." His chuckle was soft and amused.
"Then, you try to kill me…" Continued the woman, breathing hard.
"You broke into my house to rob us." Added him.
"And now you, you…" A loud, annoyed grunt escaped her lips. "You ruined the only chance I had to be normal! Fuck you!"
Illumi frowned. "I did no such thing."
"You did! I can't even… Oh, Heavens, I fucking hate you for handing me those papers!"
"So this is what it is all about?" He arched an eyebrow and turned to Medea. "You are angry because you know the truth?"
"Wait, what are you guys talking about?" Hisoka asked, turning the volume of the radio down.
"You ruined everything, Illumi! I hate you. I hate you so, so much that I feel like…" She trailed off, chin quivering.
"Like what?"
"Like I want to kill you."
"You cannot." He reminded her.
"Doesn't matter."
"Honestly, I do not know why you are so upset," Illumi said, eyes gleaming with amusement, "I did tell you that you should not count on Kurapika."
"Wait, Kurapika?!"
"Yeah, but one thing is saying that, and another completely different one is to literally drop a fucking… A fucking…" She leaned into his seat, eyes closed. "What's the word again? A missile? Projectile?"
"Bomb?"
"A bomb ! Thank you, clown."
"Excuse me?" Hisoka scoffed. "I'm a magician."
She blinked. "Whatever."
"Listen, missy, I—"
"Anyway, you dropped a fucking bomb straight into my lap! Do you know how awful I felt to know that? To have to confront him?"
"Well, that is not my problem." Replied Illumi in that nonchalant way of his.
"It is because it was you who handed me those papers, you scrularch!"
"Please, refrain from addressing me in a language I do not understand. It is very annoying."
"He was my friend and you literally…"
"Opened your eyes?"
"Took away everything we had!"
Black eyes stared right into hers, cold and calculating. "And what was it that the two of you had?"
Medea stared back at him, ignoring the dull ache all over her body and the sweat accumulating on her skin. "Do you know how fucking hard it is to make friends and trust people?"
"No, I do not. But it serves you right," Illumi declared, "you do not need any friends. They will only betray you." She opened her mouth, but only a pained sigh came out. He pursed his lips. "You are getting worse. Hisoka, do you have a bottle of water?"
"Uh, no."
"I want to kill myself." Medea whined, rubbing her temples.
"No, don't! It'll be a waste of tits and Nen!"
"Stop looking at my breasts, Hisoka."
"I can't, you have a great rack!"
"Hisoka." Illumi growled. "Stop it."
The redhead rose his hands in the air, smirking. "Just sayin'."
"Take the wheel."
"What?"
"Now."
"Fine, fine!" He rolled his eyes.
Medea inhaled and exhaled slowly. "I think I'm going to faint."
"You think?" The magician asked.
"Just a suspicion." She joked, trying to stay still.
"Medea, look at me."
"Fuck you, Zoldyck."
His cold fingers grabbed her by the chin, forcing her to do what he wanted. There was a crease between his brows as he analyzed her better, almost as if he was worried about a failed experiment. That was what she was to everyone, anyway. "Medea, I will put you to sleep."
"I don't want to sleep."
"I know, but you will anyway." A needle glimmered between his fingers. "This will put you in an unconscious state until I take it off so we can take you somewhere appropriate."
"No paralysis?" Her eyes narrowed.
"No paralysis."
"I don't trust any of you." She blurted out, too tired to even care.
"None of us will do you any harm, I promise you."
She closed her eyes and bit her lip when the needle unexpectedly pierced a different region on her neck. That was a discomfort she would never grow used to. But, soon after, she forgot about it. There was no room for complaints in her blacked-out state.
Medea turned to the side, too somnolent to get up, but too awake to drift back to sleep. Just a few more minutes of laziness would not hurt, right?
The smell of coffee was noticed shortly after and her belly growled, aching a bit. From that, she could conclude that it had been a while since she had last eaten. Not common, but not unheard of either. She opened one eye, deciding whether she should go eat or stay still. Her stomach rumbled in reply.
Sighing, she sat up and rubbed her eyes.
She removed the sheet that covered her body and, very carefully, got up. The pain in her back had almost disappeared and she wasn't stuck to her bed either, which was something positive.
Medea looked around.
The room was dark, thick curtains closed. There was not much furniture, only the bed and a bedside table, where her travel bag rested. She tilted her head down and was surprised to see that she was still wearing the same clothes from before and, considering the way her body was relaxed, she had not been raped while she was passed out. Her kidnappers had at least some decency left.
Where are they, by the way? Did they leave?
That sounded unlikely. Still…
As soon as she put her ear against the door, it opened. Medea hissed with the sharp blow on her forehead and staggered backward. "Dirma!"
"Oh, are you alright?" She held her breath when Illumi held her face, a crease between his eyebrows. "It is bleeding. Damn it."
"You did this to me, vurpek!" Slapping his hand away, she stepped back and glared at him.
"Only because you were standing behind the door." He pointed out.
From the door emerged Hisoka, grinning. "Ah, is the little cutie an eavesdropper?" He emphasized the nickname, glancing at his friend, who expressed nothing but disinterest.
"I am not!"
"It seems like you are."
"I was going to open the door, dipshit."
"Liar." He sang.
"Come here." Requested Illumi, grasping her upper arm and pulling the woman closer before she could react.
"Stop touching me!" Protested Medea.
"Stop moving, let me take a better look at the cut," Illumi told her, thumb wiping the blood that stained the side of her forehead as he frowned. She bit her lip in pain. "Four, or so it seems. I suggest you take a shower so I can stitch you up."
"No! I can patch myself up just fine!"
"I find that quite hard to believe." He said, blinking calmly. "Go shower, we will be waiting for you in the living room."
"Don't tell me what to do, you imbecile!" She growled.
"You just have to open the door on the left. There is a clean towel for you." Continued the assassin, not paying attention to her objections.
"I—"
Her stomach rumbled yet again, even louder than the other times and she blushed when the two men stared at her.
Hisoka chuckled softly. "Maybe she should eat first."
"Indeed." He agreed with a short nod of his head. "Come, we will have breakfast." With that tone of voice, there was no doubt it was an order. "The last thing you ingested was pure alcohol and you had a fever, you need to regain your energy."
"Could you stop bossing me around?" She snapped. "I don't need anyone to tell me what to do, I can take care of myself!"
"I know you can. It is just that I am not going to talk to someone who might faint again at any given moment." He stated unaffectedly.
"I won't—"
"Lanfort, I will not repeat myself."
"Neither will I, Zoldyck."
"Eat, or I will not tell you why you are here."
Medea narrowed her eyes.
Illumi knew what he was doing. He knew her weakness was curiosity, and he was using it against her yet again. Successfully, at that. And, to be fair, she was actually quite hungry. How long had it been? Two, maybe three days without eating at all? That, allied to the fact that she had had very strong alcoholic drinks, could have resulted in a severe problem, and maybe even led her body to an alcoholic coma.
A little reluctantly, she rolled her eyes and nodded.
A sign of momentary truce.
He stepped aside and she walked out the door. Her muscles tensed and she froze when his hand touched her back, a little above the curve of her spine, to guide her to where she should go. It was possibly due to the fever she had had, but something felt different. His touch felt warmer. Considering his usual indifferent posture and his ever-so-pale skin, Medea expected his touch to be cold like always — in contrast, it was so hot that she felt as if she was the one freezing cold. It was… Weird.
His long, calloused fingers carried an unmatched lightness. A skill learned during years of training, Medea presumed. Were her hands, so used to stealing, like that as well?
The man did not seem to mind her reaction and instead pushed her until they reached the living room, where the food was perfectly set on a small table.
Hisoka took a seat and typed something on his phone, a little smirk forming on his lips as a new message arrived.
Illumi motioned for her to sit down with a brief gesture and disappeared into the corridor they had just walked through.
Diverting his attention from his phone, Hisoka poured himself a cup of coffee and stared at Medea. "Want some coffee?"
Nodding, she lifted her own cup to the small glass coffee maker. The smell was even stronger now. She smiled. Kite had been the one to teach her how useful a bit of caffeine could be after staying awake for so long, especially when they were doing their individual research together, and, sometimes, even when all they did was talk.
It was comforting and nostalgic to drink it.
"Is this your home, Hisoka?" Politely, she took the cup to her lips, savoring the drink's bitter taste.
He shook his head. "No. We booked this apartment for a few days." He took a cherry muffin from the platter and bit a piece.
"Why's that?"
"Well, you were sick and both Illumi and I still have some things to solve in this country, so it was the best thing to do." Explained the redhead.
"For how long was I asleep?"
"About three days."
"Three days?!"
"Yeah, Illumi was actually considering forcing you to wake up with a needle to make sure you weren't, you know… Brain-dead." Chuckling, he ate another bite of the muffin.
Medea scoffed, wiping the blood from her wound with the back of her hand. "You guys kidnap me, paralyze me, but draw the line at me being dead?"
"Hey, I didn't paralyze you. It was all Illumi, blame him."
"I do."
"And just for the record, he was the one who asked me to pick you up, it wasn't my idea either."
"You say that as if I had known about it, but you literally hit me with a card in the back of my thigh and told him to keep me paralyzed." The woman contested while putting some pepper jam on her toast.
"Well, you ran away." Stated Hisoka. "I simply couldn't resist hunting you down!" He laughed and took the cup to his lips.
"Still, you could have refrained from injuring her."
Illumi reappeared by her side, with thread, absorbent cotton, and disinfectant in his hands.
"You told me to bring her to you, not that I couldn't play with her."
"I did say, however, that you should not hurt her." Illumi declared, voice slightly annoyed as he soaked the cotton with the liquid. "Come to think of it, I should also stitch your thigh."
"Oh, hell no! You will not use those fucking needles anywhere besides my face, do you hear me?"
"Medea, I'm just trying to help."
"No!"
"It will be quick."
"No way! I don't want your help with that!" Exclaimed the woman, hissing when the cotton touched the cut on her forehead.
Tilting he tilted her head for better access to the injury and arched an eyebrow. "Why not?" A half-grin appeared on his lips. "Scared of a little needle, Lanfort?"
Medea was ashamed to notice how fast her heart beating.
"I'm not afraid of anything." She managed to say.
"Then you will certainly let me take care of your wound, right?" He asked, stitching the skin with utmost care and attention.
Grunting, Medea gritted her teeth. "I'll kill you, that is what I'm going to do."
"No, you will not."
"Do you think I'm joking? I will kill you." She threatened.
"No, I know you mean it."
"Then why are you saying I won't do it?"
He cut the thread on the needle with his own nails, covering the area with a small bandage. "There. All done."
"Answer me!"
"Because you are not strong enough to do so, Lanfort." The man bluntly stated.
Medea blinked. "What did you say?"
"That you are not strong enough to kill me." He repeated. "And it is true. For now, at least."
"Well, guess what? I'm strong enough to kiss your dick!"
There was a long moment of silence.
Both men blinked at her.
Then, slowly, she processed what she had just told him. Her eyes widened, face paling. "Shit— No— Kick! I meant to kick your dick! Fuck!"
Illumi smirked and Hisoka burst into laughter as she leaned back in her seat with her face buried in her hands, unable to look at either of them. "Oh, are you?"
"I-I made a mistake!"
"Perhaps you should take on the lady's offer, Illumi. You know, just to make sure she is indeed as strong as she claims to be." The redhead teased.
"Stop, I didn't mean that! I made a mistake!" She shrieked.
"I am quite intrigued, I must say." He agreed, glancing at his friend.
Warmth spread through her cheeks. "Stop! I wasn't— I didn't… I didn't mean to…"
"She's quite entertaining, I can see why you have decided to spare her."
"Spare me? He tried to kill me!" Argued Medea.
"And you just offered him a blowjob."
"I did not!"
"You did."
"It is alright, Medea," Illumi said. "I know I am attractive."
She stared at him, wide-eyed, nostrils flaring with rage. "You…" She threw her plate at him, but he simply dodged, still smirking, so she threw a fork. Then a knife. "Go fuck yourself, you piece of shit! Fucking Padokean trash!"
"Hey, don't throw the muffins! I'm eating those!" Protested Hisoka.
"Fuck your muffins!"
"Illumi, she's destroying our breakfast table!" He pleaded.
The dark-haired assassin sighed. "Stop it, Medea." Her brows furrowed and before she could kneel him in the groin, he grabbed her ankle, frowning. "I told you to stop it."
"You can't tell me to do shit! You're a disgusting kidnapper, the two of you are!"
Hisoka pouted and took a hand to his heart dramatically. "How cruel, I may end up falling in love, you know."
"That is enough!" Illumi just threw him an icy glare and the redhead chuckled. "We brought you here because we need to talk."
"We did that on Whale Island, dick face!"
"About something else."
"What else is there to talk about?" She asked, exasperated. "I made it really clear I didn't want to meet you again!"
"Let me rephrase it, then. I needed to talk to you."
"Wouldn't it have been easier for you to text me?"
"Do you think I did not try?" He retorted. "You did not even pick up my calls."
She opened her mouth and then closed it. Medea had completely forgotten about turning off her phone after boarding the ship. She shook her head and stared at him again. "First, that's no excuse to tell you and your friend to kidnap me—"
"He is not my friend."
"—Second, don't you think I would have liked to isolate myself a little after everything that happened?"
"No. What I do think is that you are overreacting because of something small."
"It isn't small!"
"You had to find out about it, Medea." His brows furrowed. "What Kurapika did to you was not right."
"And who are you to judge that?"
"I am but a part of a family which you have a life debt with." Illumi reminded her, slowly letting go of her ankle.
The woman clenched her jaw. "That's it? You want me to pay the debt?"
"No. Not yet. I just thought it was disgusting on his part to keep you in the dark, cruel, even, to use you."
"Cruel? Who are you to talk anything about cruelty?" She shot back angrily. "You keep trying to do the same with both of your siblings again and again and again."
"I know that it might seem like it to you," He said, "but I do not mean any harm. I just want my family to be safe, that is all."
"Why did you go out of your way to help me, then?"
"Because, whether I like it or not, Killua has a bond with you. If something happens to you, it will affect him, direct or indirectly. I do not want that. All I want is for him to be safe… Much like yourself." He added.
"You… Did that for Killua?" Quietly, she asked.
"Yes. He is still my little brother, after all. I care for him."
"But… how did you discover I was at the harbor? You told me you had a contract to finish."
He walked up to Hisoka and sat beside him. Medea resisted the impulse to roll her eyes as they faced each other.
Not a friend my ass.
"I have my ways."
"Wow, so elucidating. Love that." She muttered, biting a piece of her toast again. "So, will you tell me what you wanted to at once? I'm not known for being patient, you know."
The assassin studied her as she took her coffee mug to her lips.
His gaze made a chill run down her spine, which definitely was not a good sign. Finally, he put a rebellious lock of his own hair behind his ear and broke the eye contact. "I want to marry you."
Medea stopped, coffee mug in hand.
Slowly, she blinked. "I think I heard it wrong, could you repeat it for me, please?"
"I want to marry you."
Medea stared at him.
Illumi stared at her.
"No."
"No?"
"No." She said, chuckling. "No fucking way."
"Why not?"
"Because we hate each other."
"I do not hate you."
"You tried to kill me."
"I find it poetic." Commented Hisoka. "I mean, it's pretty much the whole 'until death do us part' thing, except for the other vows…"
"And you're gay!" She pointed out.
"I am not gay, Medea."
"You are!"
"Medea…"
"I'm not going to be your fake wife!" She drank the coffee, shaking her head.
"I want you to be my wife, Medea," Illumi stated. "In all aspects of the word."
Medea choked.
Hisoka took his hand to his mouth, shaking his head from one side to the other in perplexity. "Really smooth, Illumi."
The woman rubbed her chest a couple of times, trying to stop choking and breathe again. She inhaled big puffs of air as a terribly loud noise erupted from her throat. It looked like she was about to faint or suffer an asthma attack.
That was definitely not what she had expected to hear.
Was he being serious? There was no way he could be!
She faced him again, but he looked unaffected. "You're… You're being serious?"
"Of course."
"What?!" Screamed Medea. "I am not going to marry you!"
He frowned and tilted his head slightly to the side, looking like a confused puppy. "Why?"
"Because this whole ordeal is insane! No! No way, Illumi!"
"In fact, it is reasonable. You were at the Engagement Ball and successfully fulfilled the trial proposed by my family. That makes you a valid option to be my future wife." Explained him with a serene countenance.
Medea's eyes widened and she trembled, burying her hands in her hair as she grabbed it at the roots, shaking her head from side to side.
It was absurd!
"Why me?! Why not one of the girls who actually want you?" Averting her gaze to Hisoka, who was watching everything while grinning perversely, she gulped, hands shaky and sweaty. "Don't you agree with me?"
He took the cup to his lips and drank the coffee, avoiding any response.
"I don't want them, I want you." Illumi told her.
"Why?"
"You are resistant, which was proven by the fact that you survived the Whispers of the Abyss, and I have read about the studies you conducted in the Hunter Association, so I know you are intelligent. You are also determined. Dedicated. Skilled. You have the potential to improve, of course, but that is beside the point." He pointed out. "None of the other candidates would have all of these qualities, so I chose you as my future bride."
Illumi's hand rested atop of hers, warm and light, and her skin shivered. She looked at him and tried to pull it away, but he grabbed it tightly, preventing her from doing so. His index finger sank into the flesh of her forearm, creating an invisible line to the silvery leaves on her wrist.
Medea did not know whether to move or to keep still, in fact, she could barely process what was happening.
Basically, the man who had treated her with disdain since the first time they had seen each other had just announced that he had chosen her to be his fiancée. Of course, it was entirely normal.
They stayed in silence for endless moments, until Medea stared back at the assassin. "Kill me."
Illumi frowned. "Kill you?"
"Go ahead. I know you want it. It's fine, I won't put up a fight."
He chuckled. "You are so funny, Medea Lanfort."
"Huh?"
"I do not wish to kill you anymore, I already told you that." He smiled at her, taking a hand to his lips. "Silly woman."
"I never agreed to this."
"You have."
"No, I—"
He raised her forearm to the level of her violet eyes and showed her the bracelet. "Accepting the gift a Zoldyck gives you and being seen wearing it by another family member is enough to form a commitment according to our traditions."
She paled. "You mean… Killua?" Medea muttered, remembering the moment he asked her about the bracelet.
"Precisely." This time, when Medea pulled her arm away, Illumi did not stop her. She got up and was about to unfasten the accessory when he interrupted her. "It's no use taking it off now." He took the cup to his lips and closed his eyes, satisfied.
Hisoka laughed obnoxiously loud.
"Don't laugh!" The woman scolded him. "He literally almost killed me and now he wants to marry me, and apparently I agreed to it! It's not funny!"
"Oh, but it is, and I'm enjoying every second of it!" He teased. "Congratulations to the lovebirds!" He got up from the table and took the dirty dishes to the dishwasher.
"But, since I am very understanding and also to show you I am willing to hear your complaints," Announced Illumi, "I will give you a chance to prove you truly do not wish for this arrangement to take place. If you do, we will pretend none of this happened."
Purple eyes narrowed at him.
Something felt odd about this. She was not sure that she trusted him, especially now that he had made it clear what his plans for her were. But, at the same time, he had been honest with her back on Whale Island. He had helped her.
Maybe he was just toying with her about this whole marriage thing. This could be a mischievous plan of his, precisely like the ones his siblings had, so he could tease her for being so stupid and accepting a gift from a stranger. He wanted to worry her. Humiliate her.
This was a performance. Surely, he himself was giving her this so-called chance to break off the fake arrangement.
Yes. It made sense.
This was the only plausible explanation.
"What do I have to do, Illumi?" Inquired Medea, unwavering determination shining in her eyes.
"I want to gamble with you." The assassin declared.
"Gamble?"
Now, this is interesting.
"Yes. The prize will be your hand in marriage."
"And what are we going to play?"
"A game of cards."
A bet.
Medea loved them. And she absolutely loved the fact that she always won.
"How can I be sure that you won't cheat?"
"I will not."
" How do I know that?"
His eyes narrowed, but he took his thumb to his mouth and bit it. He extended it in her direction. Scarlet stained his fingerpads. "A blood oath."
"Huh?"
"They are a solid agreement in my family, we do not break them. Ever." Clarified the assassin. "So this proves I am being sincere."
She remained silent, staring at him. Then, she did the same. "Do you promise not to cheat on our gamble?"
"I do."
"No, I want you to say it," Medea told him sternly. "I want it to be loud and clear."
"I will not cheat on our gamble, Medea." Illumi proclaimed. "In exchange, do you promise to happily comply with the arrangement, in case I do win?"
"I will comply with the arrangement."
"Happily?"
Medea rolled her eyes. "I will happily comply with the arrangement in case you win."
Slowly, she moved her hand forward.
When their thumbs touched, her adrenaline sparked in such a way that she could have sworn that she could feel her very blood mixing with his own. Her eyes flickered from their fingers to him and she smiled. "It's done. I'm in."
"Marvelous."
"When can we start?"
"Right now. Hisoka, I borrowed your deck of cards." Illumi said, taking out said cards from his pocket and distancing himself from her.
"Wait! I didn't—"
"I think it is better if we do this on the center table, do you not agree?" He asked Medea.
"Yeah. We can come back for breakfast afterward."
"Oh, you are right! I had forgotten about that…"
As they made their way to the glass table a few feet away from them, Medea bit the final piece of her toast. The two of them sat on opposite sides of the fluffy carpet, and she ran her fingers over her colorful tattoo.
"Is it blackjack?" Asked Medea, crossing her legs. "Poker? Oh! Maybe Baccarat?"
Hisoka sighed and sat on the couch, glaring at them. "You two better not lose any of them, do you hear me?"
"We will not," Illumi replied. "and no. It is nothing like that… I am opting for something simple." As he shuffled the deck, he glanced in her direction. "This is a standard fifty-two-card deck, which means we have four suits: clubs, diamonds, hearts and spades. Each suit has 13 cards, as you already know."
"Alright, but what do I have to do?"
"You will have to pick one out of these fifty-two cards."
Medea arched an eyebrow. "Just that?"
He nodded. "The thing is: to win, you cannot choose any aces nor any card from my suit."
"Which is?"
"Hearts, obviously."
She scoffed. "Of course."
"Not only that, but you must also pick one of your own suit, which will be…"
"Spades."
"Very well."
"And if I don't?"
"If you accidentally choose either a card from the other two suits, then you will start over." Explained Illumi, randomly placing the cards atop the glass.
"But it doesn't matter the card I pick? Like, does it matter if it's a queen or a joker, for example?"
"Since scoring is not our concern, it does not make any difference. The only type that is off-limits in all suits is the ace." Placing a lock of hair behind his ear, he looked at her. "Do you have any other questions?"
"You said hearts is your suit. Are you going to play?"
Illumi grinned. "No."
Medea furrowed her brows and crossed her arms. "Then who am I gambling against?"
"Fate itself."
"I see…"
"Are you ready to begin?"
"I am."
"Then, please, pick a card." His voice was cheerful and so terribly sultry, dripping with venom in that typical way of his.
She bit her lower lip.
Just a card from spades. No aces. No hearts. Just… Spades.
Her eyes locked onto Illumi's. Dark. Deep. That unknown, yet terrifying gleam was still there, almost daring her to do something about it. Daring her to uncover that secret. But she did not want to. She wanted it to stay hidden, sealed in the depths of those irises, of his very soul.
"Go on," Hisoka told her, chuckling softly. "It's just a card."
Medea nodded. "I know."
"Are you scared, little dove?"
"No."
"Oh?"
"I never lose."
"Confident, I like that."
She placed her hand over a card and stared at the dark-haired man in front of her. "I want this one."
"Are you sure?" He asked.
"Yes."
"Then let us see what you chose."
When she flipped the card around, she rose her eyebrows. "Two of diamonds."
"Oops, guess you'll have to choose another one, little dove." She rolled her eyes. "Hand me the card." Medea leaned over the table and extended her hand to the magician, who grabbed her wrist and scanned her bracelet, whistling in awe before letting her go. "That's a really fancy one, Illumi. Where did you get it?"
"I will tell you later. Pick another one, Medea."
She nodded. "That one on your left."
"This?"
"Yes."
"May I flip it around for you?"
"Please, do."
He blinked. "Eight of clubs."
"What?"
"Yes, look. Eight of clubs." He showed it to her and extended his hand to Hisoka. "Another."
Medea frowned.
Two neutral cards in a row. That left her with thirty-four available cards to choose from, excluding the aces from these three suits. All she had to was not pick one of those nor a card from Illumi's suit. Simple as that.
Sighing, she looked at the table.
So many cards…
So many risks…
Her fingers tingled.
But she never lost. This was her domain. Illumi might have gotten the best of her in with the fake engagement, but she would put an end to it, once and for all.
"Pick one, Medea." Coaxed Illumi.
Closing her eyes, she let her hands roam over the table, not touching any card yet.
Please. Any spades. Please.
Medea took a deep breath and lowered her hand.
Opening her eyes again, she stared at Illumi, completely resolute. "This is my card."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Do you want to change to another card?" He insisted.
"No. I want this one."
"This is the last time I ask you: are you certain, Medea?"
"Without a shadow of a doubt."
Illumi grinned. "Then flip it."
She smirked. She always won. This time would not be any different.
So she flipped the card.
HISOKA TAKE THE WHEEL
DNIHIPIAN TRANSLATION:
Vurpek - Asshole
Idy na bliedoer - Go fuck yourself
Scrularch - Jerk
Dirma - Shit