Hisoka takes the group on a joy ride through Aiai.
Hisoka merely looked at the young girl with intrigue. There was something definitely off about her, but he couldn't place a finger on it, "Do tell… Why are you so interested in strong people?"
"Hold it, Bisky!" The man in the vest called Bisky's attention, "I don't want to team up with this guy."
The way the boys spoke to her, they definitely didn't want him remaining by their side… but she was calling the shots. She was in control, which means… She must be the boy's trainer. Yet, he couldn't gauge her potential. She was a master of her craft, one acting innocently.
"I agree! He just oozes issues…"
The young girl looked at the older man, then to the woman, her back turned to him.
"Do not trust this guy, Bisky! You saw how he reacted to us!"
"Oh? That's not true…"
"Not true? Did you not see his dick get rigid when he was testing us? I think he even nutted!"
"You must be imagining things…" Bisky gestured with her eyes to look down, "I can sense he's a kind and gentle man…" He's lying… "He would never do anything to harm you."
He kept his expression neutral, especially when he felt aura coming from the girl. What are you doing, young lady…?
The other woman gave the situation away. Bisky was clearly passing a secret message to the group of members, "I know a good place to find strong players." Hisoka offered a gentle smile, "Aiai, the City of Love is just crawling with them."
Raphael wanted to call out the man's lies. That place was nothing more than an infestation of problems, clichés of dramas he witnessed constantly.
That's the place people went to waste time, to get laid by the barrage of ladies that clung to men there.
Bisky looked the teen in the eyes, telling him to keep his mouth shut.
If Hisoka wants them to go there, surely, there's a reason. There's no harm in going there, especially if there's a secret he doesn't want them to find out about, hidden away in Aiai "We should listen to him. There could be strong players there…"
"~"
Raphael found himself sighing as they trudged along through the forest. They shouldn't be wasting their time with Aiai. They should just hit Tsezguerra up and get this shit over with. The less time they spend with the nutting clown, the better off they'll be.
Raphael pulled his map out, checking how close they were to Aiai, leading the group forward since he had no desire to trust the clown's navigation skills.
They were about half way there when he heard Gon and Killua make the weirdest noise, a sound a cross between gagging and whimpering.
He stopped to look at his friends, only to see Hisoka looking down, while the boys were convulsing with disgust, "What happened?" He could tell what happened from a glance, but he should double-check to see if it was much worse than his initial thought.
"Hisoka, get your ass in front of us!"
"My, my… so forward with what you want to see~" Hisoka sauntered forward, his hips shaking from side-to-side as he passed them.
Hisoka's eyes fell on Raphael, "Would you like to enjoy the view too?"
"Just… stay off to the side. Don't bother me."
"Shame…"
Raphael let out an involuntary tremble, focusing only on the map and what was in front of him. They hadn't been walking for long, when Hisoka decided to piped up, bothering the teen by stretching a finger out to gesture to something on the object the boy was holding.
Clearly, it was a map. But he might as well play his part if he's going to act like a himbo, "What's that flashing on the object you're holding?"
"It's a map. We're not that far from Aiai…"
"Interesting. How do you tell the dots apart from each other?"
"Common sense. But, you can tap each point, and it gives you a brief description of the place, like the name and coordinates."
"So it's a 3D map of Greed Island."
"Sure…" For the love of god, stop leaning in closer. I know you're not looking at the map…
"What's this dot nearby?"
"It's for a village, you can get #07?"
"Is that for a type of dish?"
"No, it's Pregnancy Stones, a Restricted slot card."
"Interesting, and you know this, how?"
"Because I did the quest." Out of instinct, a rush of discomfort caused him to push Hisoka's face away from him, "Can you not, invade my personal space?"
Hisoka smiled, stopping the teen from forcing him away with little resistance.
"You want me to beat this freak up for you?" Asta challenged the man, her fist tightening, "Cause I will beat his ass!"
Hisoka scoffed at the woman, barely leaning away from the teen, "With those dainty little arms?" He merely glanced in the woman's direction, "You'd be lucky, if you could give me a soft spanking."
Killua scrunched up his face, not expecting Hisoka to make a sexual joke like that. Given Gon's reaction, it didn't seem like he got the reference, nor why he was holding in his laughter.
"Oh, by the way, I'm a little curious who had the ability to warp to me earlier?"
"No one." Goreinu drew the man's attention, "It's a spell from this game?"
"A spell? Oh, like the map? If I vaguely remember…" Hisoka pressed a finger to his temple, "You need to buy spells from some kind of store?"
Hisoka scrunched up his face, "Masa-something?"
"Masadora, and yes."
"Are Restricted slots like spells too?"
"Sort of. They're objects that offer effects. Like, the Pregnancy Stone can get you pregnant after a month… even if you're a dude."
"A male Pregnancy? I wonder where the baby will come out…"
"Don't know, don't care." Raphael didn't want to continue that conversation, especially with a man like Hisoka. He was just thankful he could see the town's landmark ahead. Raphael gestured for the group to look forward, the heart within the distant sky, "We're not that far from Aiai, that heart is its landmark."
"Ooh, how fun."
"We're not here to have fun… we're here to look for strong players."
"Oh, you poor joy killer. Live a little…"
"No, thank you." He was totally going to hate this, wasn't he. With a reluctant sigh, he continued to lead the group towards Aiai, the City of Love… or he likes to call it, the city of debauchery.
"~"
Asta stood at the entrance of the town, refusing to take one step in that cesspool, "I'm staying here. Last time I came here, men and women refused to leave me alone."
Hisoka gave the woman a quick glance, "I suppose even the most mundane have their quirks." The man walked away without a second glance, ignoring her screaming for him to say it to her face.
Hisoka led the group through the entrance, his heels clicking across the cobblestone floors. When the man felt his shoes get clipped, a figure fell onto the floor with a heavy thud.
A smile crawled upwards. And now the fun begins… "Hmm?"
"My glasses…" Raphael looked at the girl, clearly an NPC, since she was feeling everything but the glasses barely an inch away from her face. This was a scripted event.
"Leave her alone, this is clearly a town event."
Hisoka merely smiled at the boy, "Don't events offer you rewards? You should help her with her glasses, she might give you a Restricted Slot card in return."
"I doubt it…"
Gon however, was already on his knees, offering the glasses up to the girl.
This time Goreinu was bumped into, a young woman laying into him for just standing there like an idiot, all he could do was apologise, clearly ignoring that this was another scripted event.
Hisoka shook his head, disappointed in his fellow man, "You should've chastised her for bumping into you, clearly, she was in the wrong since you were standing there, and she wasn't looking where she was going."
"Please, stop it…" A young man called out, Hisoka now turning towards the alley way. Oh, a young man in distress. A male variant. I wonder who is inclined in that manner to trigger such an event? "Someone should see what's happening?" Even if the event starts off with a male, they are notoriously known to switch genders depending on the preferences of the players that do interfere.
"I have nothing to offer you brutes."
"With a pretty face like that, I could think of a few-"
"Unhand him!" Gon screamed at the top of his lungs, the NPC remaining as a male.
Hisoka kept his expression neutral. It seems like Gon doesn't have a preference. Does that mean…? His eyes fell on Killua, interesting…
Killua swung at Gon's head, knocking him down.
The poor boy got up, rubbing at the bruise his friend just gave him. "That hurt, Killua…"
"It's another bloody event. This is clearly another cliché meant to drag you in!" He was about to lay into his friend, but Bisky's voice irritated him. While his poor friend was getting suckered in by every damsel in distress, or in his latest instance, a gentleman in jeopardy, Bisky was flirting with any guy who'd offer her a moment of their time.
What was Hisoka's ploy? Why waste time in Aiai?
He looked towards the one person who could give him an answer, but the teen was just as annoyed with Bisky.
"Really, you want me to model for your hairstyling?"
"Please…" The beautiful man leaned closer to Bisky, gently caressing her hand, "It would be an honour to let me cut your lovely hair."
"Of course…" Bisky gave the man love struck eyes.
Killua was done with the whole city. If an NPC approaches him, he dreads to think what kind of person they would be. The town is clearly preying on the player's personality and experiences.
He doesn't want Gon to see that happen to him during his childhood, at all. They needed to get out of Aiai.
Raphael held his hands up, "Guys, it's only going to get worse from here on out, clearly. I say we ditch the town and call-"
Raphael got knocked down, his hand instinctively reaching up to support the person's head and back. Whoever this NPC was, this was clearly going to be another cliché.
"Are you-" When his eyes met the person, he didn't expect himself to be supporting another teenager, a boy around his age no less.
Hisoka's smile widened. That makes two boys that swing in the same direction. Now he really wants to know what Killua is going to get "Ooo, you got, the falling into each other's arms. And you got the male variant… how interesting."
Raphael couldn't hear what the man was saying, not when the boy was looking up at him. He's seen this face before, except back then he was wearing different clothing.
This boy was the same one he encountered when getting the Pregnancy Stone.
When the boy reached up, a hand now touching his cheek, he heard something that he hadn't anticipated, "Wow, you're so pretty."
Raphael wrenched his arms away, dropping the NPC straight onto the floor. He ran, far away from the possibility, away from the truth of the situation.
He vaguely heard Asta called out to him, but he couldn't stop himself. He just kept sprinting.
His cliché was with a male variant…
A NPC he already encountered during a quest involving a similar mechanic. This wasn't just a coincidence, it was a fact.
Including his reaction to a naked Hisoka, this could mean only one thing…
He was attracted to guys…
"~"
Raphael panted heavily, dropping his back against one of the many trees. He couldn't believe what he just discovered, so many of his quirks and actions finally made sense.
What makes matters worse, is that this will be a huge blow to his father. His only child, being gay. Well, he wouldn't be upset with him being gay… he shouldn't. Nathaniel has taught him to be compassionate of others, to respect them no matter of sexuality, opinions or race.
The problem that comes with him being gay, is another issue. His father had hinted towards liking to have grandkids one day, but he can't… Raphael can't physically have kids with another dude.
But would his father be upset with that? Maybe disappointed…
His thoughts continued to spiral, wondering if this could ultimately lead him to his father hating him. It could be a possibility. There could be other avenues this aspect of his life could ruin in the future. What if scenarios that could ruin any friendships or relationship he may have in the future.
Then it hit him, things he had said… he has subconsciously hit on other 's pretty sure he accidentally flirted with Gon and Killua. They must think he's disgusting, or something, by now.
He quietly sobbed into his arms, dreading the possibility of finding out they no longer wanted to be friends with him, going as far to call him disgusting too.
He didn't know how long he was there for, but at some point he heard voices. Someone was approaching him.
He had no time to move, so he pretended he wasn't there… that the person in the vicinity wouldn't find him.
Little did he know that they already knew where he was…
His breath stilled when bushes nearby rustled, a head popping out along with their bubbly voice "Found you!"
Raphael just gawked at Gon, staring at him with disbelief. How on earth did he find him so easily? Not even he knew where exactly he ran to, "How?"
"I smelled you."
"I don't stink!"
"But you don't…" Gon looked a little confused. Why would he assume he smelled? Everyone has their own scent, something that differentiates others. He can tell Raphael a part from the trees and the forest, because he's different from them, "You have a distinct scent. Everyone does. Yours is… you smell like a fresh book and ahh, maybe peanut butter."
"A fresh book? Peanut butter? You're seriously a weirdo." He has no clue where the peanut butter comes from, but the smell of fresh book sort of makes sense. Although he shouldn't smell like that now, given that he hasn't read any physical books for ages…
At this point, Killua stuck his head out, "That's normal for Gon. If he can smell Leorio's Cologne, he can smell you. Now let's go. We're wasting precious time here by you sobbing over a dumb issue."
"Dumb issue?" Raphael grits his teeth, "That dumb issue is me realising I've said a lot of things around you, some of which would be considered flirting, with this realisation I'm quite possibly very gay."
"Until you're saying yass and slay, every other word, trust me… you can drop the very part. Can't argue with the gay aspect though. You were definitely flirty."
"Thanks…" Raphael found himself mocking the boy, "for your kind words."
His friend shoving his finger into his ribs, made Killua pout "What did I do?"
"Let me speak to Raphael, alone."
"What, it's true? Who gives a shit about gender preferences? Sure, we now have some context to some of the things he said to us, but him being into other dudes, is a non issue."
"Go!" Gon pointed to the bushes behind them.
Killua frowned, walking away from the situation.
Now it was just the two of them, Gon and himself. Gon took a seat by Raphael's side "Killua is right, though he should've worded it better. It doesn't matter if you're attracted to guys, you're still you… aren't you? You're not this completely different person, just because you like someone of the same gender as you… you're still Raphael?"
"I guess… But my father would be disappointed in me. He wants to be a grandpa one day, and I can't give him that."
Gon shook his head. There were ways around that, weren't there? "Mito once told me, happiness only comes from being yourself. I'm sure your dad would still love you."
"Right…" Raphael sat up, now leaning against the tree. Gon was probably right. His father shouldn't judge him for that. Still, there's still a part of him eating away at the possibility. There was one tiny flaw with Gon's argument he needed to bring up, though, "I don't think what Mito said to you, applies to me."
"It does!" Gon pouted.
Raphael found himself chuckling from the idea, "I mean, I don't think she was intending for it to be used as an argument for why being gay is okay."
"But it does apply! You are still you, so… it shouldn't matter what your father thinks."
Raphael found himself leaning over. He grabbed Gon, pulling his friend into a tight hug. He was grateful for him continuing to be his friend, though he shouldn't have probably suspected anything different. Gon had thanked Binolt, even when he tried to kill him.
When Gon hugged him back, he knew the boy was being honest with his feelings. He couldn't have been more grateful for making a friend like Gon. It was a long time before Raphael let go, finally having the courage to speak, "Thanks…"
It was a little awkward now, mainly for himself. He had hugged Gon for way longer than he should've, "I just need a minute to recollect my thoughts."
"It's okay. We'll wait for you." Gon got up to leave, making sure to give his friend a big smile as he did so.
He was thankful for Gon's approach, for cheering him up over probably his dumbest meltdown. His dad shouldn't care that much. But on the off chance he does get upset…
Well, he'll cross that bridge when he gets there.
For now, he needs a bit of time to come to terms with his newest discovery.
"~"
Raphael took a deep breath, making his way back to town. He found the group already gathered, waiting for him at the entrance of the town.
Although, the way Hisoka was looking at him, he dreads to think what was going through that clown's head.
"Sorry for the delay. I assume you found nobody in that town that could help us?"
Everyone in the group except for Hisoka sighed in defeat. It seems like he got his fun out of torturing everyone with stupid clichés involving romances.
"Thought so. How about we do it my way? Let's get Tsezguerra's team."
"Oh yeah, you're the one that introduced us to him." Gon chimed in with a smile.
The teen pulled out his book, ripping a Contact card out, "My treat-" It's only now he noticed Killua's glare, the boy was pissed off at him. What did I do?
"One second…" Killua grabbed Raphael's shoulder, pulling him away from prying ears, "Lie about having Tsezguerra in your list."
"Why?"
"We need to see Hisoka's list of names. He's hiding something. Considering how much of our time he wasted in Aiai, he did it for a reason. Hisoka doesn't want us checking his book."
"But you know I have his contact details, Gon even Said so."
"But Hisoka doesn't know, that we know. He just knows, you know, Tsezguerra. He doesn't know you can contact him. Get him to check for the name, hopefully he has Tsezguerra so we can kill two birds with one stone."
"And if he doesn't?"
"Look, Hisoka is using Chrollo's name for a reason."
"He could be using it as a joke…"
"He has no reason to be on Greed Island. There's nothing here to keep him interested in staying. He has no cards other than food and water, so he must be here for other reasons."
"And you're basing this on what?"
"He was a part of the Phantom Troupe?!"
"Was… So why isn't he?"
"It's a whole weird issue that's hard to explain. But if I could just check his book, if he ran across any of the other members, I could prove he's in connection with them for a reason that could put one of our friend's life in danger."
"Okay, let's say he does let you take a glimpse of his book. What makes you think he wouldn't try to do something to hide the fact he met them."
"There's no way he can hide them in that book… unless you know of a card?"
"No…" Raphael paused for a moment, trying to recount any monsters that could perform such an action. Considering Spell cards and Restricted Slot cards don't do any of that stuff, it's safe to ignore those. But the longer he thought about it, the more that possibility seemed unlikely, "But I'm sure you could do it via Nen abilities. Does he have any abilities that can pull off such a trick?"
"I'll use Gyo."
"On a book made entirely of aura? Fat chance…" The teen mocked the boy's idea. Seeing through someone else's Nen on book made through Nen wouldn't work in this situation, "But let's humour your idea. Let's say it works, and you see the names. You think a man as deranged as Hisoka is going to let you live?"
"No. But I'm sure Bisky could stop him…"
"Maybe she can. Maybe she can't. The fact is, even if you find the names, there's nothing we can do about it. He knows them, and they're here. I'd say if we're going to need his strength to obtain that card, we use his talents then flush the information out of him using Bisky's skills."
"I guess that can work…"
"We can also pry him for information using a little deceit. Get titbits here and there… he's bound to make a mistake."
Killua rubs at his chin, "That works, I guess…"
"But it can't come from you or me. It'll be too obvious. Gon is too straightforward to lie… So, Bisky is our best bet to obtain that information. We should let her know of the plan and let her verbally play around with that hunk of meat she was so aptly drooling over."
"Sounds like a plan…"
"I'll let her know, you just… distract him or something."
Raphael peeked over his shoulder to look at Hisoka, "Easier said than done…"
"~"
"You know, Hisoka…" Killua took this as his cue to pull Bisky aside for a moment. While those two catch up, Raphael was going to try to distract Hisoka.
"Hmm?" The man teased, already catching on to Killua and Bisky walking away from the group. They weren't doing a good job trying to hide their act.
It seems like his intuition was right. Killua does suspect something, the possibility of the names of other spiders in his book. He does, but the fact Raphael now knows…
This could be problematic…
Given from a few questions he asked, the boy knows a lot about this game. Like where to obtain certain cards, what some cards do. He can demonstrate he knows a lot more than Killua or Gon may know. If he's aware of the book's details, he may not be able to tamper with the list of names with Texture Surprise, without that boy suspecting something.
He'll have to not only fool Killua, but Raphael too…
"What would I like to know?" Hisoka teased the boy with a smile.
"How come you don't remember me?"
"Remember you…?" This piqued the man's interest. He thought he'd have to probe the teen later, but he's going to end up revealing those details himself, "No, why?"
"Three years ago, you were doing the Hunter's Exam. I was there."
"Were you? I hardly noticed…" That fact was true. He barely noticed the boy was there, well, he did notice there was someone with a potential to use aura, but from what he could see, they weren't that impressive. Mediocre, at best.
"I know you failed, because you attacked the examiner." If Hisoka wasn't interested then, he is now. He raised an eyebrow, questioning him for more information, "You scarred his face pretty badly, by using his own knives."
"If you knew that much, you mustn't have left that much of an impression on me." Hisoka teased the boy further, "I vaguely remember someone being there, but he didn't scream, potential."
"I have improved since then…" Raphael allowed aura to ooze from his fingertips, generating a single clone. The black figure stood before the man, blue eyes looking directly into his eyes.
Hisoka found himself smirking. What he saw was wasted potential, a skill not that different from Kastro's, "As if someone of your calibre can interest me…" The man offered a sly grin, "I can see you have some talent, but you lack the very thing that makes you stand out from the rest." Hisoka points towards the clone, "That is a cheap knock off to a man I killed after he overloaded his memory. He had such potential… wasted for a cheap trick."
Hisoka turned his back to the boy, "But if you can prove me wrong, maybe I'd acknowledge you and whatever talents you may have." With a small wave, the man sauntered off, leaving the teen feeling nothing but disgust for the situation.
He had no reason to prove anything to the clown, but since his eyes were on him… he might as well prove that he's not a wasted, cheap trick. He was more than that, "I'll prove you wrong, freak." Dismissing the figure, he continued to glare at the clown.
A/N: Leave a review, it helps inspire me
