A Worthy Opponent (HunterxHunter)

Chapter 16: The Jungle Members

Hisoka slowly lifted his eyes, disoriented. "Mmm..." he faintly groaned sitting up. A small headache pulsed as he looked around the room. A blur of soft, orange light spilled over the floor from the window. And a clump of wild brown hair sat near his legs.

Hmm?~

Raine was slumped on the side of the bed. As he adjusted himself, a melted ice bag fell beside him.

What is she-

Ripples of events suddenly flashed before him.

A Man. Blood. Raine. Kill. Child.

Confusion clouded his memories, but he quickly shook it off, for he had no care to understand. It happened too many times before...when he lost himself entirely. All he knew was he going to kill last night and Raine had stepped in.

He watched her chest rise and fall as her hair messily tumbled over her face. Then his heart tightened as he vividly retained something.

He caught her. He pinned her down and choked her...but something stopped him. Something shifted inside him at that moment. Hisoka scrunched his eyebrows, studying Raine, her aura in bliss. His hand felt strangely warm, something he thought was only part of his dream. His eyes flickered to his hand then back to her.

That night, it was the moment she opened her eyes, his heart tugged, over her frantic body. That look...she wasn't scared for her life, in fact, even filled with tears, the power in them brightened, not drained under his grasp. Her reaction was not what he expected at all.

She wasn't angry at him.
She wasn't terrified.
She wasn't trying to kill him.
She wasn't even focused on him.

Even when he didn't plan for it to happen, he failed...and his bloodlust had repelled. Just for an instant. But that had never happened before.

Hisoka looked away, pushing himself towards the end of the bed. His arms were wrapped in clean bandages. His wounds taken care of. Hisoka frowned. You weren't supposed to take care of someone like him. An enemy. And you weren't supposed to give the vulnerable a second glance.

He got up to shower, taking the bandages off. It didn't matter anymore because it never happened. Just like everything he knew, everyone he killed, every memory in the past, was forgotten the next day.

Of course, it was easy to pin her down. A distraction to save the boy. Clever girl~

His sly smile returned. The difficulty of breaking her only made it more fun to figure out.

She doesn't seem to be steering me in any direction...but to prevent me from killing? She would have done that for anyone. What to do...

Hisoka doused himself in hot water.

Knowing Raine, she doesn't like violence. Does she think she can make a nonviolent person out of me from stopping my Bloodlust?

No, impossible....but, it does line up with her words, 'if I win, you won't want to.'

If that's the case, I have nothing to worry about. Unless she has a trick up her sleeve. Raine still fights when she has to, but again it's always a selfless act.

Perhaps a little distraction today will suffice. I need to put her in a messy situation to see what she does. Overwhelm her to the brink. It may give me an idea of what she'll use on me. Something like...a performance. Although I'd love to do the killing, perhaps I can break her innocence if others did it for me.

Oh, how lovely~ dinner and a show. I just need a bit more time...

He snapped his fingers.

The Full Moon.