Hey! I'm back with the second chapter! Thank you immensely for supporting the story, it means the world to me. I have no words to thank you all, both the old and the new readers, for sticking around. You guys are amazing! I'm going to make a few modifications on every chapter from now on so I can correct previous mistakes and adapt it to my current writing style, considering I wrote this two years ago and it really changed since then. But I promise the plot stays the same! And I've decided I'll update at least twice a week, probably around Monday and Tuesday.
Oh, and would you guys be interested if I posted the HxH NSFW Alphabet again? I already have three or four chapters ready from before, so... Let me know in the comments!
Anyway, see you soon!
Tchauzinho ^.^
It was dusk when Medea entered the Emerald Kaniv. It was the most luxurious casino in the Southern Region of Saherta. Located in the district of Konneticot, the place was known for being the point of distribution of new drugs and for hosting various figures of the underworld of crime as a neutral zone, especially on the occasion of agreements.
From the outside, what people saw was a beautiful two-story building that mixed modern and classic architectural concepts — an unexpected, but interesting combination which, contrary to everyone's expectations, managed to look elegant. However, what most people did not know about was the basement of the building, which only got deeper as it became more and more private.
They were 20 floors lower in total, the last 5 being reserved only for the most important leaders of mafias and factions, which means they were inaccessible areas for 98% of the frequenters.
Acquiring the ticket to get inside was practically impossible. The casino managers maintained a strict control over the listing of regulars and their companions, both new and old, whose admission was carried out through indications of other members and an extensive investigation of the individual's data.
In short, not enough money meant no ticket. After all, why would they allow access to those who could not have fun and increase the pockets of the owners?
Due to the rumors most civilians heard about the drugs and weapons negotiated there, the security of the establishment was extremely high, and, of course, any attempt at invading was immediately vetoed and punished vigorously. Rumor had it that no one left the casino alive.
Medea obviously knew that entering as a guest would not work, so she opted for the safest option: being hired by the Kaniv.
Her uniform consisted of a white buttoned blouse that reacher her elbows, navy blue tailored pants with pleats on the sides (and deep pockets for storing tips), black leather shoes and white cotton gloves. She would definitely go unnoticed among guests and other employees. Her long, wavy locks were hidden under a smooth shoulder-length brown wig and her face was covered with minimal makeup. It was enough to alter some of her facial features, but it was the pair of scarlet contact lenses that really brought it all together and made her unrecognizable.
Deep down, there was the familiar spark of anxiety that always occurred when she was on a mission.
She trusted her abilities, but disliked waiting before acting properly, it was a real torture for a restless person like her. Taking a deep breath, she reminded herself of the reason she was there for and focused on the task at hand, walking through the chambers with a tray of canapés.
The joyful shouting from the winners in that basement level was extremely loud, and she rolled her eyes when some guests began to exalt themselves for alleged cheating in certain machines or games. If they didn't have enough intelligence to know that it was a common thing even in upper-class casinos or lacked the emotional control needed to accept their defeat, they shouldn't even be there.
Approaching the Roulette game table, one of the most well-known attractions there, she put a cold smile on her lips and arranged her posture, ready to serve the ecstatic people. Extending the silver platter, Medea bypassed one by one around the table and offered them the appetizers, being practically ignored by the majority of them. Their attention was solely on the small ball that rotated between the enumerated sections. She herself was quite entertained by the match, casting discreet glimpses to observe what the result would be as she headed to the bettor who seemed to have the most chips there and his bodyguard.
"Good evening, gentlemen. Would you like to try the new Sparkling Canapé? It's made with cheese, orange jam and Siamese squid spheres."
"Where is the cheese from?"
"The Republic of Rokario, of course, and this one is the best of the Balsa Islands, sir. Only the finest things for our dear customers." She replied, smiling at the gambler.
The man had light blue hair and copper-colored skin, he shouldn't be older than 35 years old judging by the slight wrinkles that formed around his blue eyes, an air of fun surrounded him and highlighted his amused countenance. He had a certain refined beauty, much due to his expensive clothes. He took his index finger to his lips, a smirk on his lips.
"Does that include you? Don't get me wrong, but I'd love to spend some time talking to you…" He said, squinting his eyes to read the plaque on the white blouse. "...miss Visula."
Medea smiled.
"I'm flattered, sir, but I'm at work and I don't think I could give you the attention you desire."
"Too bad, I'm sure we could get to know each other better. Perhaps even have some fun by ourselves..." The man commented seductively after taking one of the snacks. He winked at her as he bit the canapé, which made her take a deep breath not to frown in disgust.
Did all men have this ridiculous habit of confusing kindness with flirting?
Whenever she was polite to one, he assumed that she wanted to go to bed with him, it was extremely annoying.
The rich guy turned his attention to the game, ready to decimate opponents with his bet on the Roulette, almost immediately forgetting about the waitress in front of him.
Ignoring the previous comment, she turned to the person next to him, a blond young man who was standing in an impeccably formal posture.
He was definitely younger than his contractor, maybe in somewhere around his twenties, like herself. Medea wondered how someone so young worked as a security guard for someone visiting the Emerald Kaniv. The lack of expression on his face and the way his right thumb made tiny contours on his left wrist showed that he was stuck in his own thoughts, probably bored of everything.
His grayish eyes were almost feline and once combined to his delicate lips and slightly flushed cheeks, he assumed an angelic, almost ethereal appearance. Despite the serenity that he emanated, Medea could see the dullness that those beautiful eyes hid within them, as if there were shadows there, and she sympathized with him for an instant.
Both of them were dealing with their own demons.
"Would you like an appetizer?" She tilted the platter in his direction, making him frown.
"Are you talking to me?" His voice was melodic and soft, almost a whisper amid the noise of the Hall.
"Yes. The Emerald Kaniv serves both the regulars and their companions, that includes their security guards."
"No, thanks. I'm working. It would be unethical."
Medea pouted lightly before insisting: "Come on, even your boss ate one! It's almost nine in the evening, you can't spend all your time here without eating or drinking anything! You'll pass out!"
He sighed tiredly, passing his fingers through the golden threads and shaking his head.
"I'm not hungry, I'd be grateful if you let me be." His boss shouted joyfully, while the other participants murmured with dissatisfaction for losing another round.
"I can give you some cover so he doesn't see when you stick one in your mouth, what do you think?" The young woman suggested, determined to win him over. From the corner of her eye, she saw a woman with purple hair and black dress walking into the elevator and her body became alert; her target was there, she couldn't miss that opportunity.
The blonde stared at her in a mixture of annoyance and disbelief, but he merely turned to her once again, ready to tell her to get the hell away from him. Politely, she hoped.
"Look, I know you're trying to be nice and—"
She suddenly stuck a snack in his mouth, her unthinkable action taking him by surprise and causing him to choke momentarily before chewing the appetizer against his will. If looks could kill, Medea would be buried underground at that very moment.
"You shouldn't refuse a lady's offer, sir." She placed a napkin in the boy's calloused hands and patted him on the shoulder. "I suggest you drink something, the canapé makes your mouth a little dry afterwards. Have a good evening."
Walking as fast as possible while trying to avoid unwanted attention, Medea deviated from the people who chatted happily while following the woman in black dress among the sea of humans on that floor.
She placed the tray on the lap of a middle-aged man and hastened even more the step towards the woman, even when the latter shouted outraged at being used as a table.
The distance between the two women had decreased, they were almost two meters away from each other when the elevator opened its doors. Noticing that her target had gotten in, Medea had no other option but to throw her ring's gem directly into the perfectly combed strands of purple hair, and it fell right at the beginning of the wide braid before the door closed again.
Sighing with relief, she rotated the ring and a hologram of the building materialized, showing the path traveled by the stone and, consequently, by the woman.
On the wall next to the elevator was the entrance to the service stairs, used only by the employees. Without thinking twice, Medea darted through the entrance and followed the steps.
She sprinted like there was no tomorrow, sometimes bumping into one or two walls during the turns, but nothing that actually hurt her. She was grateful for having no one around because if there was one thing she truly hated was being interrupted during her missions. While dashing through a new flight of stairs, she re-observed the woman's position. Noticing that the woman was already approaching the first floor, Medea relaxed. She was only two levels below, there was no way she would catch someone's attention while following the same path as her target.
After finally reaching the last door, Medea threw her cotton gloves somewhere on the floor, pulled a glove with stud-covered palm out of her pocket and put it on her left hand. She unbuttoned the white blouse and then got rid of the blue pants, revealing an indigo leotard with short sleeves and tight, matching pants, which made the outfit look like it was a one-piece suit.
Taking off the wig, she felt the long pearly braid fall down her back. She sighed. There was nothing better than to be dressed the way she felt comfortable.
She then took off her social shoes, leaving only the black fabric slippers that were underneath it on, and opened a small compartment that she had made between the sole and the inner part of the footwear, from which she took out a mask.
Placing it on her face to cover the lower half of her face, Medea sought the lighter on the pants' pocket and once she found it, she set it aflame and threw the burning object towards the clothes.
If everything happened as planned, the fire alarm would ring and everyone would be evacuated, leaving their target at their mercy in the garden and if it didn't ring… Well, it wouldn't make much difference to her.
The face of the young bodyguard flashed through her mind, and felt sorry imagining what would happen to him if the worse scenario came true. But this was life. Some had to suffer for others to be alright.
It was nothing but business.
She walked quietly through the back of the casino, perfectly trained to merge into the shadows and take advantage of the surrounding environment. Medea looked at the hologram in her ring once again to make sure the woman would be standing in the same place, and after getting the answer she had hoped for, started to sneak through the walls towards the trees of the gigantic garden.
It was beautiful. Filled with trees, flowers and even statues from distant ages, all equally impressive. In the middle of it was a fountain with small decorations of angels throughout its extension; some played lyres, others seemed to write on parchments, etc.
Medea had to keep herself from snickering.
The irony of the scene was hilarious for the pale-haired woman, who let out a snort; that casino was a den of immorality and definitely not guarded by angels. About fifteen meters in front of it was located the labyrinth where the regulars went to make out or even join orgies in the open and it was there, unfortunately, that Medea would have to enter.
Following the path taken by her target and passing through groups that practically begged her to join them (that she promptly ignored), Medea came across the central part of the labyrinth. It was an imposing gazebo with a large padded bench, a wooden table in the middle of it, and several plant jugs surrounding the space.
Her target had her back turned while undressing to spend time with her lover; a perfect moment for Medea to attack. When she saw the woman sit on the padding, she approached and grabbed her neck with her left hand, the one with the most firmness.
The woman let out something between laughter and a groan.
"Oh, Rorvet, I love it when you play rough."
"Oh, man, I think he's gonna be hurt to know that you mistook him for someone who didn't even fuck you." She chuckled.
Medea pulled a sharp clip from the center of her braid and pointed it at the woman's carotid, which led her to stiffened immediately when she became aware of how vulnerable she was. Her body began to tremble, fearful of what could occur if she overreacted.
"Who are you?" Her voice was almost a whisper.
"The important thing here is not who I am, but who you are ..." She declared calmly. "Or rather, what you have."
"Do you want money?" The victim questioned trying to act with the tranquility Medea knew she did not possess, at least not at that moment. "My husband is rich, say how much they paid you for my life and I will double it!" Suddenly a thought crossed the woman's mind. "Wait, did my husband hire you? Is that bastard the one who wants to kill me?"
She laughed, shaking her head gently.
"Now, frankly, do you think I'm an adulterer's slayer? I'm actually offended."
"Was it my sister then? She always hated me for being more successful than her, it wouldn't surprise me if-ARGH!"
Medea squeezed her long neck tightly, leaving the victim momentarily airless.
"I said I'm not here to kill you, but if you don't shut up, I'll begin to consider the possibility." She warned, pressing down on the victim's neck one more time. The studs pierced the mahogany skin and hot blood dripped down the palm of her hands, the peacock kanzashi persistently poking the right artery teasingly. "I know you brought a flash drive for your lover. Hand it over and I'll let you out unscathed, what do you think?"
Medea felt a cold object touch the back of her head and frowned.
"How about you let my chick go and get the hell out of here before I blow your brains out?" Asked a male voice that Medea assumed to be the lover. He pushed the gun against her head hard, causing her body to hang forward for a split second. "You don't act so tough when you have a man ready to fight you, huh? Come on, let her go, bitch!"
She lowered the hand holding the hair ornament and loosened the woman's neck with brusqueness, jumping above the enraged lover and landing behind him.
Surprised by the sudden and agile movement, he turned to her with the gun in hand. His aim was not that great, it must've been even worse thanks to momentary emotional instability, but it could do some damage if Medea wasn't attentive. In addition, Medea was unaware of how many bullets that gun had and judging by the format of the chamber where the ammunition was located, she assumed that it could store up to 15 projectiles. This was a disadvantage; she would need to be close to attack him with her poisoned kanzashi, while he could fire at will from a safe zone.
Would she have to use her Nen? Had she underestimated the operation to such an extent? If she had her chakrams the fight would be fairer. But since that wasn't the case, she could try to use the kanzashi as her last resort, but if she aimed improperly she'd lose the confrontation.
She took a deep breath and focused. No, she wouldn't have to use her Nen this time.
None of the two people in front of her used the technique, she just needed to observe her surroundings. While trying to find something to use to attack or defend herself, she felt one of the bullets scrape through her face, deflecting in time to see the damage that the projectile had done to the wall of plants of the Labyrinth and hearing the screams of the couples shortly after.
He shot once again, aiming (or trying, at least) for Medea's shoulder, but she quickly swirled to the other side.
A thought ran through her mind: she just needed to make him spend his bullets and deflect from every shot at the last seconds. An intense burst of light illuminated the labyrinth, but she ignored it; the casino had the habit of doing a light show quarterly, it should be happening on that occasion.
Focusing on the man in front of her, she realized that despite facing her he glanced at his lover a lot —who was now dressed again—, which gave her the clarity she needed to perceive another weakness of his.
She was the reason the fight had begun, it was only fair that she ended it as well.
Medea stared at the woman for a few moments, but it was enough for him to understand her intentions and begin to shoot incessantly at her, stopping only when the gun indicated there was no ammunition left. He swore, enraged to see the woman put his beloved under the sights of her weapon again. This time, the purple-haired woman had closed her eyes in despair, expecting certain death now that her tormentor had been challenged.
Medea narrowed her eyes, a shadow covering her face even with the distant lights.
"I said it before and I will say it again: I'm not here to kill anyone. I want the flash drive." She stated coldly. "I'm not gonna hurt any of you if you give me what I want, but otherwise I'm gonna shove this poison-soaked silver clip down her neck and then proceed to rip your head off with my bare hands. So, what will it be?"
He gulped down and released the air he didn't know he was holding. Sweating and crying, the woman kept looking at her lover and nodded slowly, confirming that he should make that decision.
In the background, loud noises could be heard, but weren't distinguished by any of them since they were focused on that situation.
Begrudgingly, he reached for his pocket and took a small metal object out, looking at it for a few seconds with what appeared to be wounded pride. When he lifted it towards the young woman, the man suddenly stiffened.
Both Medea and his lover widened their eyes.
As the man led his hands to the center of his forehead and checked the round metal object that had sunk there, the flash drive fell to the ground. Not even two seconds later, his lifeless body followed suit.
The woman screamed and kicked around, trying to get rid of the hands that held her, which was not too difficult considering the shock that Medea was in. With a sharp movement, she pushed the young woman's arms away, which allowed her kanzashi to fall on the green grass.
What the hell was going on? Where did that thing come from?
Noticing that she tried, in vain, to revive the man while murmuring words of love, Medea simply shrugged and lowered herself to grab the flash drive. Immediately after, she heard the noise of something cutting off the air near her head and the sudden sound of something crashing on the ground.
Slowly, she stared at the place where the once desperate woman was, being greeted by another corpse. Both lovers had a look of terror on their faces. Frowning, she pressed the object that she had gone there for against her chest and approached the bodies.
"The hell is that?" Medea guided her hand to the side of the woman's head, where the fresh blood dripped, and was surprised to feel the cold surface of a small golden sphere etched there. Her fingers wrapped the ball and she pulled it, revealing a thin, long silver cord, completely soaked in a dark, heavy aura.
Somehow that was slightly familiar.
A rustling of leaves caught her attention and she turned around, fake scarlet eyes locked on the silhouette of a tall man. The same man she had met in Idyzanon.
His black eyes remained as empty as the first time she saw him, maybe even a little more, and she could feel the bloodlust surrounding him. His black hair rested on his shoulder and he stared at the small antenna between the delicate fingers of the pearl-haired thief.
So that was her target's assassin?
What a small world!
"It's not polite to take other people's things, please leave my needle where you found it."
"You just killed my target and her lover." Medea told him, slightly irritated. "If you had killed them a few minutes earlier, my entire mission would have been a failure; you're the one to talk about politeness."
He raised an eyebrow and tilted his head to the side.
"But I waited until you got what you needed, didn't I? The least you could do is thank me for not extending your search or killing her." He retorted.
Medea frowned under the mask, infuriated by the mention of thanking someone who got in between her mission.
"Oh, please!" The way she enunciated it made her sound like a spoiled brat. Not that she minded. "Does it look like I'm gonna thank someone of your level?" She sneered, looking at him from head to toe. "An assassin shouldn't expect anyone to respect him. You guys have no morals."
"Says a thief, someone who is considered as low as me." He responded in that same 'almost cheerful' tone from the other day, which caused a wave of fury to run through her body.
She was about to respond when an explosion noise became present and both turned towards the sound, watching the above-ground part of the Emerald Kaniv burn like hell.
Medea remembered the clothes she had set on fire and just left an "Ah!" escape, hoping the blond boy hadn't died during the fire.
Without a second thought, she climbed the maze wall and jumped, setting off to a safe place. And, of course, getting the hell away from the killer. She could only hope they wouldn't cross paths ever again.
"Oh! That was unexpected." He said out loud. "Well, anyway give me—" The raven-haired man stopped when he noticed that he was alone and frowned, outraged.
How dared that woman steal one of his needles?
Looking at the floor, however, he detected a certain shimmer where the thief had been moments ago and got closer, bending over to take it in his hands.
It was a common hair ornament — a kanzashi, if he recalled correctly. The only thing differentiating it from other accessories was the faint greenish hue of a poison that it was soaked in and the small sculpture of a multicolored peacock on the tip. He analyzed it for a while and put it in his pocket.
If she had something of his, it was only fair that he had something of hers in return.