Archive of Our Own

Work Text

“Darling? Darling!” Your mother’s voice echoed within the room of the hair salon. You felt yourself flinch, your hair stylist noticed as quickly placed a hand on your shoulder. “Over here, mother.” You say as your mother hurried, an overpriced pirkin bag on one arm as she strutted towards you in red bottom rouboutins’. “There you are darling, I’ve just received word from your manager, your time slot has been pushed back.”“What? Pushed back? I thought I was wearing the main centerpieces?” You asked.“You are darling! You are the star of the show, all these other girls will just be showing off the other new but slightly mundane dresses. You will be Scarovski’s main masterpieces of the season- perhaps of the century!” Your mother laughed, her cheeks going red. “I can’t believe it, me and your grandmother have been dreaming of this day since you were born! All your other shows were just child’s play- but this is the one you will be remembered for!”“The other’s sure didn’t feel like child’s play.” You said and she waved you off.“Never mind that dear, just make sure those stylists put your hair back, afterall, you’ll be wearing those diamond earrings with the dress.”“Of course.”Your mother swiftly left and you sigh. Being a model was not easy.It wasn’t like you actively chose to be a model, your grandmother started it off when she was scouted in her twenties, making a splash in the fashion world, then it was your mother who inherited your grandmother’s beauty and grace, marrying a filthy rich billionaire who was ten years older than her. Then you, starting off a lot earlier than both your mother and grandmother, fashion magazines like Belle and Xogue. Not only the daughter of a successful businessman but a majestic model.You were put on a diet as soon as you hit ten years old. The fashion industry was ruthless, some girl’s got it worse than you but thankfully you had the protection of your family and two mature models who knew what they were doing. You trained everyday, constantly under pressure from all to keep fit and clean and while the benefits of success did make themselves apparent, what you wouldn’t give to just throw it away for one day, not having to wear designer brands every day and just walk about in some plain joggers and a oversized tee, those look comfy.You wanted to stuff your face and have a field day.“Am I allowed to smoke here?” You ask the attendant, a girl with pink hair was sweeping the floor of hair on the ground. She looked around, unsure. “I don't think so.”“Damn it…” You scoff, taking a nicotine patch out of your purse and laying it down on your arm. It could have been worse, for a while, you were on cocaine until your grandmother caught you doing a line in your bedroom with other fellow models and smacked the shit out of you. You could still hear her screeching in your ear, something about you ruining your life but what was the point? You are twenty now and your mother would always say the height of every model’s career ends when she is twenty five, what would you do then?You were never very good at school, you were more often in the studio posing for designers and walking runways then you were in school, it still surprises you to this day that you were able to graduate. Your dad may have had something to do with that but that doesn’t matter.Your only hope now is to become a trophy wife just like your mom and grandma, find a man who is pathetic enough to bow down to you and live a comfortable life. Did you really want that?Then again, it's not like you have a choice in the matter…... . . “Sugar plum, where are you heading? Your show is in three hours.”“I’m going for something to eat, I last ate at 7 this morning.”“No! Don’t, wait until after the show dear, otherwise you won’t fit into your dress.” Your grandma said over the phone as you stopped in your tracks. Here you were on your way to the mall so you could locate your favorite dumpling spot, but food was now out of the question? “But Granny- I’m only going for something small- it's not like the dress won’t fit me for having a bit of food-”“No! Out of the question, this is the biggest night of your life and we can’t risk you not fitting into that dress!”“But I’ve already done the fitting- me eating won’t change that.”“Child, when I tell you not to do something, you do it!”“But Granny-”“Tell me where you are and I’ll have the team come pick you up-” Next thing you knew, your phone was snatched from you, your heart in your throat- you spun around to see a man looking down at you with a smile. “Child- are you listening to me?! (Y/n)-” The man pressed the hang up button and smiled. “There, that's better, isn’t it?”“W-who are you?! Give me back my phone!” You squealed, reaching your arms up to take your device back, but he was taller by you and held it out of your reach with ease. “Come on now, atleast ask nicely~”“You can’t just take people’s phones- I was having a conversation with someone-”“Telling someone not to eat when they’re already skinny enough, sounded like a conversation that needed to stop.”You froze up. “H-how did you-”“Your phone was on speaker, I’m sure everyone could hear you.” He chuckled and a massive blush formed on your face. “D-...really?” You asked shyly, covering your mouth, you felt like an idiot, he simply chuckled, a charming grin before he handed you back your phone. “I have to say, you really are pretty, would you like to go to dinner with me?”“Oh sorry- I- I’m on bit of a time crunch right now- I was planning to go somewhere really quick-”“Then it’ll be a quick lunch date, I’ll pay.” He said, his eyes possessed a gentle nature, it intrigued you and he did just say he would pay. “Okay, yeah sure, but only for an hour, is that alright?” He wasn't unattractive, you’ve always had a difficult time in the dating game simply because you could never meet someone who was attractive enough to attract you. That may sound mean to others but your mother and Grandma always said ‘Tens should only be with tens, the last thing you want is to give a nine or eight a chance- else he might think he is also a ten!’“That's perfect, you lead the way.” He smiled. The man had thick black hair with a green bandana covering his forehead. He had on a black v neck with sleeves rolled up to his elbows with some grey dress pants, a pair of green dioptase orb earrings that hung below his earlobes and dark eyes that peered into your soul, but not is a predatory way- more of a friendly and welcoming way. In fact, he looked a lot like this one guy your fellow model was sleeping with as a friends with benefits type situation but the last thing you wanted was anyone’s sloppy seconds.You lead the man to an abandoned mall where many restaurant stalls popped up. You ordered some pan fried pork buns and some soup dumplings.The man came back with two cups of beer and looked down at the feast you had got. “Wow, at first I thought this place looked kinda fishy but the food looks pretty good.”“I know right? But it's always the dingy looking places that serve the best food, don’t you think” The man sat down and gave you your beer. “I’m Chrollo by the way, it's nice to meet you.” An odd name but one that seemed to suit him, a unique name for a handsome man, he had your interest so you would indulge him.“I’m (Y/n), nice to meet you too. So are you new to ‘york new’ or are you a regular?” You smiled, lightly sipping your beer. He shrugged. “My job demands that I travel so I’m always coming by every now and again.”“Oh really? Are you a hunter of some kind? I’d love to travel someday.”“Hahaha! No, no. I’m not a hunter, but I am flattered you think I’m one. What do you do?”“Okay… so it may not look like it… but I’m actually a model…” You smiled. Chrollo looked you up and down, giving you a relaxed smile. “Can’t say I’m surprised, you’re beautiful, besides, your clothes are from Cashmere so that gives it away.” He chuckled, and what caught your attention was that he knew the brands that you were wearing, upon further examination on your part, you noticed he was wearing Kalvin Clein and Yevi’s, so he was also a man of fashion culture, you could respect that.“Yeah, I know. I grew up wearing heels and skirts but some days I really just wanna wear some sweatpants and some sneakers, does that sound weird?” You ask. Chrollo looked shocked to hear that. “What? Is that weird? Girls wear those clothes all the time and you think it's weird? From what I know, heels are not the most comfortable shoes.”“They aren’t, but my mother and granny say I must always look my best.”“Was that one of them on the phone? Telling you not to eat?”“I honestly don’t understand what the big deal is, I train and exercise everyday so a few calories wont kill me. My granny even suggested I get a Gastrectomy soon- and I’m here thinking they won’t even let me enjoy food!”“It's certainly overkill on their part, but surely the job isn’t too bad, you get to wear all those clothes and you have the attention and love of everyone you meet.” He said. That part was certainly true, you have a bit of a cult following on social media. Girls and boys idolize you from all corners of the globe, wanting to live your life, wanting to wear your skin and clothes and imagine what it was like to be a wealthy and beautiful socialite. Your PR team puts out good pictures but you only do the modeling before retreating into your little cave and watching funny dog and cat videos.“True, I actually have a show tonight, I’ll be modeling this new dress and jewellery for Scarvoski.”“Scarvoski? Wow, that is impressive, do you have any idea what you’ll be wearing?”“Yeah, let me pull up a pic for you.” You say giddy with excitement as you scroll through your phone before handing it to him. “Wow, you really are stunning!” he smiled. The dress in question was a beautiful silver and blue dress. The top was made up of 6000 tiny crystals that gave you a sweetheart neckline and exposed your shoulders, going all the way down your arms and stopping at the back of your hands, the Crystals at the bottom disappeared showing louis blue chiffon skirt that flowed gracefully and showed your long legs, a slit in the side so your leg can pop out.“The dress- ugh, I had to wear this thin and sheer fabric that was skin tight and it took hours for the designers to place and clue each individual diamond onto the bodice and sleeves.”“A bit much for a dress, wouldn’t you say?” Chrollo chuckled. You nodded. “I’ll say- but it's not like I could say that- granny would’ve just smacked me upside the head and told me not to be ungrateful- I guess it could be worse, no?”“Is that all you’ll be wearing?” He asked and you shook your head. “No- Scarvoski actually has this other thing he wants me to wear- I have a diamond necklace as if the dress wasn’t enough! I haven’t seen it yet but supposedly- it's to be the centerpiece of the whole outfit.”A small smirk played on his lips. “I see…”. . .You step out of the taxi, attempting to hand Chrollo some cash before he places his hand up.” No need, I have it covered.” He smiled“Are you sure?” You questioned. He merely smiled. “Thanks a lot, I had a good time. You have my number, let's do this again sometime!” You smiled as you quickly made your way on to the path. “Yeah! Lets!” Chrollo called as the cab drove off. You quickly made your way into the building where you were immediately swatted by assistants and photographers, and reporters.“(Y/n)! (Y/n) do you have anything to say about tonight's show?””“(Y/n)- were these diamonds ethically sourced?!”“Come on people- move it! There will be no show if she can’t make it!” You were hastily led into an elevator where you and your team began to list off your schedule. “You need to have your make up done- then we’ll fit you into your dress!”You made it to your studio, there your granny and mother were waiting for you. “Darling! Where have you been? How could you hang up on your grandmother like that?” Your mother barked but you simply walked past her and let the makeup team go to work. First pinning your hair back so they could prime your face. Starting off with foundation and concealer, then with your bronzer, highlighter and blush. They did your eyeshadow and laced your eyelids with rhinestones before finishing them with eyeliner and mascara.Your lips were lined before they were painted a crimson red. They fixed your hair before your team helped you into the dress. It was a beautiful dress, it shined and radiated. They aided you in slipping on your diamond encrusted heels, six inches by the way. Your earrings were gently placed in and dozens of rings with rocks of all different shapes and sizes were slid onto your fingers and a knock was heard at your door.“(Y/n), darling! The star of my show! It is almost your time, are you ready?” Scarvoski sang as you nodded your head. “Yeah- I’m ready.”“No you're not- you’re missing something!” he cackled as his assistant brought forward a box, it opened and inside the box was possibly the largest rock you had ever seen. It was a big necklace, wrapping around your neck and dipping between your breasts with individual diamonds holding it together with the big stone at its centre.However, from where you were standing, there seemed to be a strange aura radiating from the rock, while everyone stared in awe and delight at the rock, there was something about the object that seemed….wrong. “Are you sure this is a good….idea?”Scarvoski looked at you as if you were crazy. “Don’t be daft darling- come now, it's time to make history!”Your hair was lifted as Scarvoski got behind you and clasped the necklace tightly. “You are the first person ever to wear such a necklace- my darling you will be remembered for the rest of time!” He announced. Everyone clapped at the sight of you, a living masterpiece, your mother shed a few tears before you were led over to the runway, once the last model had exited the stage, a few people clapped, thinking the show was over- but the stage lights hit the entrance and that's when you knew it was time to go.You swiftly made your way onto the stage, popping a hip out before commencing your catwalk, something you had practiced and performed a million times over, the diamond of the season. You slide across the stage, one foot at a time while your hips move left and right while keeping your back straight and chin up. Cameras flashed all around you while you made your way forward, everyone clapped and cheered.It was at times like this- you remember why you do what you do. For the fantasy- for passion of beauty and craft. A symbol for others to look up and dream. You were beauty, the first thing that comes to people’s minds when they think of beauty. You were in your prime and there was absolutely nothing anyone could do to take that away from you.You blow a kiss to the crowd and smile before turning around with the intent to walk back to the stage. “Give it up for (Y/n) Devereaux -” Pitch black. The whole room went pitch black and all of a sudden you couldn’t see. You could hear gasps. “Who turned the lights off?!” One voice said. Now you were beginning to get scared, for one, you were wearing 6 inch heels and a long dress. You were still on the runway and couldn’t see where you were and one wrong step and you would be sent falling from the stage.“Uhh… guys- a little help here…!” You cried, carefully lifting up your skirt so you.“AGGGHHHHH!!!!!!” A woman screamed and the main lights were back on. One of the important guests lay by the stage in a pool of her own blood, not moving. “AGH!” You screamed, stepping as far as you could without falling off the stage. At that moment, everyone had scattered into different directions. The whole show was thrown into chaos as you could only stand there, scared and confused. “What is going on?!” You cried.“Lady (Y/n)!” One of your bodyguards hopped onto the stage, a gun in hand. “Yancy!” You cried. He took your arm and pulled you close. “Quickly miss, we need to evacuate!” He commanded as the two of you ran towards the back stage.“Nuh Uh.” Said a shallow voice. Suddenly, there were two figures before you. A pink haired woman who looked like a ninja and raven haired man, smaller than you with a dark look on his face. She held a set of knives while the man had an umbrella on him. “Hand over the girl- or you will die.” The smaller man said. Yancy shoved you behind him and pointed his gun. Sweat running from his brow- you didn’t know why, but something radiated from these people- something dense and powerful, it made you feel sick. “Lady (Y/n), run away-!”Yancy’s head came rolling off his shoulders as a tall man swept forward, a katana in hand. “Enough playing around! Grab the girl and let's go!” He barked. You screamed, terror coursing through your body before you turned on your heel and attempted to run away, gathering your skirts, you tried to run down the stage-*Boom!*A large man appeared before you, spiky hair with sideburns and bushy brows. He wore a white tanktop and black shorts as well as an assortment of furs that acted as a kilt, leg warmers and a small cloak. He smirked, looking down at you, crossing his big hairy arms. “Now where do you think you’re going~?”You let out a scream- trying to step away from him but he quickly scooped you up in his arms and tossed you over his shoulders. “Come on now- let's get going!” He cackled. The next thing you know, the group of thugs rush down the halls with you. His shoulder going into your stomach again and again, fear filling your being as you reached out to the crowd in front of you. “SOMEBODY HELP ME!” You squealed.You never thought this would ever happen- sure you’ve had a few stalkers here and there but your dad always got rid of them before anything became too serious- but this? You were being fucking abducted! The group had flown past your mother who looked like she had seen a ghost- point over at you. “MY BABY! Someone stop them- they have my baby!” She cried, the guards had tried to catch up with you but it was no use, whoever these people were, they were far stronger and much faster than the security personnel. Despite your struggles, the man's large hand kept a firm grip on your back as you all exited out of the building through the back door, there a car was waiting, a blonde fellow quickly got out of the car and held it open.“Ladies first~!” He smiled. The big man dropped you back into his hands and smirked. “In ya go!”“Gagh!” The next thing you knew, you were chucked into the backseat of a car, another girl catching you. “Careful guys!” She warned. She wore a casual top and jeans. She had on a big pair of classes and a cross around her neck. “You guys go on, we’ll meet you once we lose their tail!” the man with the katana said as the blonde hopped into the car and you drove off.. . .“Who are you people?! What do you want- money- I don’t have any on me right now- please, just don't hurt me!” You cried, hiding your head in your hands. The blonde merely laughed joyously as if it were a funny joke. “Hurt you? We’d never hurt you Miss (Y/n)! You’re way more valuable to us undamaged!” You weren’t sure if you should feel relieved or more worried by the sentence. The boy proceeded to pull out a small poster- it was you when you were eighteen, you wanted to boost your career now that you were a fully fledged adult and to do that, you took part in the Lenora’s Secret Fashion show.Your hair was in a low bun and you wore a long black dress with a slit up the side, revealing your leg in a stocking, garter and six inch heel. You wore three sets of pearls, thick black sunglasses, long sheer lace gloves and a pair of large angel wings that dragged behind you. “By the way- could I have your autograph please?”“Tell me you didn’t kidnap me just to get an autograph!” You barked, your face going red with anger.That made the boy laugh even more. “Of course not silly- but don’t you know how much this photo of you would cost with your autograph? We'll get billions of jennies for it!”“What is it that you people want? You gonna hold me ransom? It won’t work- my father has connections everywhere in this city- they will find me!” You yell. The driver in the front seat laughed at that, he was older than you, maybe in his mid to late twenties, his yellow hair slicked back, no visible eyebrows, wearing a green, red and white tracksuit. He looked back at you for a second, stopping the car at a red light. “Hold you ransom- sure that sound like a good idea- you’re surely worth that much in your daddy’s eyes- but you aren’t what we want- you’re just the unfortunate soul that's wearing what we want~”“That's enough Phinks, let us not spoil the surprise.” The man in the passenger seat smiled, looking back at you, your blood began to boil, his face. His hand and charming face- staring back at you. “CHROLLO!” You roar, you were so unbelievably pissed- him taking your phone- taking you to dinner- chatting you up and flirting with you- “It was you! You were scoping me out weren’t you- you tricked me!” Your teeth grinded and your blood pressure began to rise.“Well to be fair, you didn’t make it difficult for me. I heard many sources about who was gonna wear the necklace- that date with you was just to confirm you were Scarvokski’s star.” He smiled politely.“I could STRANGLE you!” You scream, tears peaking from the corners of your eyes and you hold your hands out in a threatening way but a hand from your right grabs your wrist. The girl beside you grips it tightly, looking right out at you with dark eyes. “You will not threaten the boss.”“Agh!- let me go!” You gasped, the blood flow getting cut off from your hand and you struggled to get away from her grasp. “Shizuka, be a dear and let her go.” Chrollo smiled. The girl didn’t think twice to let go and you snatched your arm away. “Sorry boss.”“OW! My wrist- you broke it!” You cried, cradling your bruising arm. Her grip was unnaturally strong, she didn’t look much older than you, she didn’t even look like she had a lot of muscle under that thin black turtleneck sweater and yet the bruising on your wrist said otherwise. “Lemme see.” The blonde boy asked, carefully taking your arm and observing. “Don’t worry- it's not broken, more like sprained, you’ll live.”The car continued to drive until you had stopped at some kind of abandoned industrial park. The car parked right outside a warehouse, all of them had gotten out of the car and the older man was the one to pull you out. “No funny business or you’ll regret it.”“Okay!” You gasp, using your free hand to lift up your skirt as you all enter the building. The place was old and damp save for the parts that weren’t covered by the roof. The first figure you see is a large man with a scarred up face and super long earlobes, he wore a pair of denim dungarees and a large white coat with a triforce symbol. Next to him was a woman with short blonde hair, she wore a business suit with a short skirt, pink blouse and matching flats.There was a short man who wore a long dressing gown and had long flowing silver locks, you could only see his eyes, and the other man was dressed head to toe in badges. He had on boxing boots, a pair of boxing gloves and a pair of red shorts.The last man nearly gave you a heart attack. “So- is this the little muse we’ve been hearing about~?”“Play nice, Hisoka, you might scare her.” Chrollo smiled, walking past you to sit down.The man had his hair all flamed up, on one cheek was a star and the other a tear. Everything about him screamed jester, joker- clown. You fucking hated clowns, ever since you saw that one movie as a child with the murderous clowns running about and murdering children. It was terrible. “Go on- get moving!” the blonde man snapped, giving your shoulder a light shove. He walked you over to a small cage, big enough for a small bear, he opened it and shoved you inside. “Ah!” You cried, the cage was locked behind you and found yourself stuck.“You can’t do this!” You argued, gripping the bars of your enclosure. Your undamaged arm squeezing so tight, you thought you’d break a nail. “This police will find me-- and when they do- all of you are gonna be in jail for the rest of your lives!” You yell.This however- got a lot of them chuckling. “That's gotta be the least threatening thing I’ve ever heard. Us, Jail?” The woman smirked, crouching down to make eye contact with you. “Honey, there is no prison that can hold us.”You backed up against the cage, as far away from the criminals as you possibly could where you tucked your knees to your chest.. . .You were shivering by the time the last four came back, the pinked hair ninja, the small man in black, the man in the sarashi and the large man that seemed more beast than man. You had to stick a finger between your teeth to stop the chatter from echoing inside the building. Not just because you were frightened but because of how cold it was. Your dress was created for fashion, not function so the thin layers of your skirts and the thousands of diamonds that sat perfectly on the thin layer of fabric did nothing to grant you any warmth or comfort.But then again- that was what you were trying to display when you were walking down that runway.Cold, elegant- perfection.“You guys are finally back!” The blonde haired boy smiled as they entered. The pinked haired girl shrugged her shoulders before folding her arms. “Have you started yet?” She asked. The boy merely shook his head. “Nah, we were waiting for you to get back- didn’t want to start without you.”“My- how thoughtful.” The man in the sarashi said as he and the pink haired girl wandered over to your cage, at first, you didn’t recognise her- but then. “You- you were the assistant at the hairdressers…!”“Yeah, that was me.” She answers nonchalantly.“How long have you people been watching me for? You had all those opportunities to take me when you had the chance- so why at the show?”“Did you not remember what we told you earlier?” The older man with the slicked back blonde hair said as he joined the others. “While you are a valuable hostage- it's not you we wanted, rather the diamonds you’re wearing.”“The diamonds?!” You gasped. “Why go after me then?”“Because.” Chrollo said, getting up from his seat and walking over to you. “The information about where the diamonds were being kept previously was highly classified information. But what we did know was that one lucky girl was going to be wearing all of them and you just happened to be that unlucky girl.” You heard the beast man chuckle along with a few others and you couldn’t help but grunt.“Fine- you want them- then fucking take them!” You shouted, before sliding off all the diamond rings on your fingers. First one and then the others before ripping your earrings from your lobes and tossing them into the pile of rings before reaching around your neck to take your necklace off. Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend but they certainly weren’t worth your life!However, you couldn’t find the clasp, so you lifted your arm up and down the back of the necklace. You were usually a pro at taking your jewellery off quickly but for the life of you- you couldn’t find the damn clasp.“Hey. What is taking so long?” Said the small man, the collar covering the bottom part of his face and you groaned in frustration. “It's the clasp- I can’t find it!”“Girls, help her out.” Chrollo smiled and the next thing you knew- your cage was opening. The pink haired girl and the one with glasses reached in to pull you out. “NO! Don’t touch me!” You screamed. But their strength was unlike any you had seen before, they pulled you out with each and kicked your legs out from under you. “Stop!” You begged but both girls held you up by your arms and kept your shoulders pinned. Chrollo stepped around you and you could sense him behind your back.“Don’t struggle much- you’re only hurting yourself.” he murmured as you felt him pull your hair out of the way and you bit your lip. You could only hope and pray that once they got everything they wanted- they’d let you go. That they didn’t have any more heinous plans in store and that you would be allowed to go home- granny, mother and papa were probably all worried about you- just to be home and safe again.“Huh, what's this?” Chrollo said as the other two girls looked at what was being questioned.“What the heck?” The pinked haired girl said.“That's quite odd.” The girl with glasses said.“What…? What is it?!” You yelled, the anticipation was killing you.“If I didn’t know any better, I would say this was welded together.” Chrollo said. You turn your head to look up- to see him looking down on you. “Huh- what are you talking about?! Scarvoski put this necklace on me himself- I’d think I’d know if it was welded on!”“And yet- there's no way to take it off.” The small man said as he observed your neck. Before lifting up his umbrella. “Well- I can think of one way.” He chuckled before sliding a whole sword from his umbrella and twirling it around, allowing the light to flicker on its blade. “NO- WAIT!” You screamed, trying to wretch yourself from their grasp but they remained firm.“What do you think, boss?” The woman in the business suit asked.“I say we get it over and done with!” the man with the scared and stitched up face announced.“Wait- hold on, let's make a deal! I’m the highest grossing model on the market right now- I have more money than I know what to do with- I’ll give you every jenny I have!”“Please. Is your value worth more than these diamonds?” The man with the covered face asked condescendingly.“It's not just me! My father is one of the richest men in the city! Whatever you want- whatever we have- it's yours! If you kill me right here and now- you’ll be losing out big time!”“Oh- that just gave me an idea! If I got your autograph on all these posters- the market value would soar sky high after your death!” The boy laughed as he pulled out another poster with you on it.“Please! I am offering you everything I have! I’ll give you whatever you people want- just don’t kill me!”“Come on boss!” The big best man roared, getting excited. “Give the order and I’ll pinch this little girl’s head right off her shoulders! I’ll even rip that necklace off even if it shreds her to bits!”“PLEASE DON’T-!” *Smash!* A ball was thrown in through one of the windows, a piece of thread on top that was slowly disintegrating with every second the flame burned. “A bomb!” The man with the Sarashi shouted as the beast man lunged forward, his whole body glowing, like an aura that surrounded him- you had never seen anything like it. “Run for it boss!” he yelled, landing on top of the bomb in a noble sacrifice to save the others,However- what came out wasn’t any big explosion, but rather a gas that quickly leaked out from beneath his body. He began to cough and soon, through the windows came more bombs- or rather-“Fucking tear gas!” The man with no eyebrows shouted as the others began to gear up, an aura glowing about all of them now that completely astounded you as armed men began to infiltrate the building“Find the girl! Kill anything else that moves!” An unfamiliar voice commanded as an army of swats began to pile in. The girl with glasses shrugged as they let you fall to the ground. “I guess she wasn’t lying when she said they’d find her soon.”“(Y/n), do be a good girl and stay out of the way.” Chrollo said as he and the others walked forward to deal with the swats. You on the other hand weren’t gonna wait around to be rescued. The minute that they had begun to engage with the soldiers, you got to your feet as fast as you could and bolted. Picking up your skirts, you sprinted out of the room as quickly as you could.‘Find a way out! Find a way out!’ You repeated in your head, the hallways were dark and the only source of like came from the old orange street lights. “Gagh!” You crashed into a wall and nearly fell down, using your hands you felt along the walls, hoping it would lead you to an exit quickly. “Where is the girl?!” Shouted one of the men.You could no longer hear the sound of gunshots, were the swats victorious or did they fail?“Well well well, look who let the cat out of the bag~” You turned your head and there he was in the ominous orange light, the man with the red hair and the face paint- the clown looking man. “No,no,no!” You squealed as you picked up your skirts and ran as fast as you could down the hall.The man behind you chuckled. “Do you honestly think you can run?” He laughed and you tripped.Using your arms to take the brunt of the fall but you cried in pain again. Your wrist once again got a bad whack. One of your heels fell off as you struggled to get up. You look down at your foot and see some glowing pink wrapped around your ankle and the other end of the glowing pink string at the jester man’s finger. “W-What is that thing…?”“Mmm ... .you can see my bungee gum? That's very interesting. I had no idea you were a nen user.”“Bungee gum….nen? What the heck are you talking about!? And let me go!” You demanded, trying to unravel the strange gummy string attached to your ankle, but it was stuck like glue… or rather, gum. “You’re not the brightest bulb, are you?” The jester smirked as he unraveled the gum string from your ankle and stepped towards you, holding out his hand. “I’m here to help~”“What…?” You squawked, hesitantly taking his hand, allowing him to pull you up. He was most definitely strong. You took off your other heel before resting your bare feet in the cold ground. “But why? Aren't you with those guys? I doubt they’d take betrayal kindly!”“Oh- I know that very well, that's why they’re not gonna find out.” he smiled before shooting his hand forward and more of that pink string burst out, it reached all the way to the end of the corridor where it latched onto something in the dark. A door opened up and you could see the desolate street as clear as day. “There's your exit.” He smirked.“But you didn’t answer my question, why are you doing this? If you bring me back- you could get the money- isn’t this what it's all for…?”“My dear- If I was someone who was constantly after money- well, life would be quite droll. No- I seek something that money can’t buy me, now you be a dear and get going then.”Wait-!” You misspoke, you were wasting time but still. “Tell me your name, please. At least let me know the name of the man who helped me…”He gave a curious look before smirking once again. “Hisoka.”You nodded your head. “Thank you Hisoka for your generosity- but may we never meet again.” You huffed before sprinting out the door, one heel in your hand and the other left behind.“What an unusual girl- but still.” He grinning, taking your shoe from the floor and examining it thoroughly. “The others don’t know she can see nen- and I couldn’t see any aura coming from her which means they likely won’t either…. This should be fun.”. . .Each step on the ground felt like you were stepping in spikes. The ground was cold and bit into your delicate skin. You made it a habit to look behind you every few seconds to make sure you weren’t being followed.“Damn it…” You whined, stopping for a second to crouch down and rub your arms in the hopes of generating heat- but it was hopeless considering a barrier of diamonds lay between your hands and skin. “Why…. Why is this happening to me?! What did I do to deserve this?!”Sure, you lived a privileged life. You had everything you could ever want and yet you were always aware of said privilege. Always wearing new clothes then your classmates, the newest toys and outfits. A chauffeur to and from school everyday and spending your weekends at the country club where you hung out with the other socialites of high society.You kept smoking to areas where you knew the camera wouldn’t reach you, your drug habit didn’t last long thanks to your grandma’s interference and you donated to charity like- all the time! So what if you weren’t smartest or the bravest or the strongest? You never did wrong by anyone so why were you being punished like this?!

“Dii te rupes vident, clamores tui audiunt, corpus tuum reddunt et in complexu frigescunt”

An ancient voice rang in your ears, a striking hot pain burst in your veins as you were reduced to screams.“WHAT IS HAPPENING?!?!” You screamed, your throat felt tight, like something was cutting into you. It wasn’t hard to guess but shocking nonetheless as your necklace miraculously got tighter and tighter on you. You dragged yourself into an alleyway, laying behind an old set of bins so you were out of sight. Blood had begun to leak from your neck as your airways got tighter.‘Great, just great. I’m going to die from either asphyxiation or from a cut throat… the worst part is that I can’t even cry for help…!’“Which way could she have gone?!” Cried one of the girl’s from before. Leaning over, it was the pink haired ninja girl with the girl with glasses carrying some strange vacuum cleaner and the boy who wanted your autograph. “I know there's a police station somewhere close by, she might have ran over there!” The boy said as they ran off.“If she’s that quick!” The girl with glasses said.‘I guess I should be thankful they didn’t find me in the end….’ You coughed as the silver holding your necklace together digged deeper into your neck.‘This is the end…. Well…. At least I’ll die beautiful….’ You could feel yourself sink into the wall as your necklace got tighter and tighter, ready to succumb to your tragic fate.

“sanguinem eorum bibunt et carnes eorum edunt. Sinite adamantinum deus, ut vitia vestra consumat et ad eius imaginem renascamur.”

You receive flashes of memories, memories that were not yours. An underground city filled with the most beautiful people, the sacrifices that were made to them. The millions that died in battle against them, the horrific flesh that lay beneath their diamond exteriors.Beautiful on the outside, ugly on the inside.

“Surge a frigore et malo cisternis gehennae”

It got slightly warmer, like your pain was beginning to subside and you were simply tired, the wind the blew by and you was no longer no longer cold “Oh? Hey cutie- it's not every day I see a girl like you around here~!”You opened your eyes and saw a man standing above you, he looked weird. A fake Voiwurst jacket, a gold chain that was probably fake and a fake Qike tracksuit. People like this were the worst- if you can’t afford the real thing- don’t make a fool of yourself by buying fake- just admit you were poor and move on.“Sorry…. Can I borrow your phone?” you asked.“Borrow my phone? Why would you wanna call anyone else when I’m right here baby!” he smirked, crouching down to be at the same level as your eyes. “Damn girl, you look like a million dollars and- you…. You're so god damn beautiful…”“I know that already, now can I borrow your phone?” You asked again.“Nah baby girl- I’m your number one contact now!” He chuckled, grabbing your arms and pulling you up from the ground, your wrist still hurting. “OW! Let go!”“Listen baby- I ain’t got much to my name- but I promise you I’ll give you my everything!”“Damn it- I said let go of me!” You pushed him back with a hefty force and he looked shocked that you did so. A look of anger overtook his features, his face going red. “Why you-”A flash of red spit off of his neck as he collapsed on the ground. The man with the covered face standing before you. “Now that was taken care of.” His eyes flashed to yours, his sharp fingertips flicking the blood from his hands. “It.is.your.turn.”You don’t bother to say anything else, with the shoe still in your hand, you hurl it towards him before sprinting as far away as you can into the alley way. Your heart beats fast as your hair flies about from behind as you run and run as fast as you can. However the man from behind easily catches up and the next thing you know, you're pinned against the wall, one of his hands holding your arms against your back while his sharp nails threaten your neck.“Nice try. But unfortunately, there is nowhere to go.”“You fucking creep- let go of me!” You snarled, looking behind you. “I’m worth more than any of you! You dare threaten me?! SCUM!” You shout.That wasn’t you. Yeah, it was your voice but you didn’t mean to vocalise those words- you weren’t even thinking them.“Well- this is certainly a change from the girl we met earlier!” Chrollo appeared, clapping his hands before sticking them in his pockets. “Most people tend to show their true colours when they’re on death's doorstep, it is unfortunate- If we had gotten what we wanted, you could have gone home to your rick folk- perhaps I could’ve taken you out on another date.”“I will not die here.” You said, again, it wasn’t your words. “Pathetic worm- go on then, take the diamonds if you can. You’ll be hunted down for the rest of your life, you will be given no moment of reprieve, just pure anxiety for the rest of your life.”You had no idea what you were saying, that was until the man holding you down turned you around and slammed you on your back.“What is this….?” He growled.Looking down at your necklace, the silver holding it together was no longer there yet the diamonds remained, embedded in your skin like they were part of you naturally. You were confused also but you had no time to think, just act. You managed to get your leg out and stomped it right into the man’s gut, sending him across the alleyway. “Why you…!”“Hhmm, looks like she got the better of you Feitan.” Chrollo smiled before pulling out a knife, a dark purple liquid covered the blade, barely visible but you saw it. “I really wished it hadn’t come to this- do forgive me, it's nothing personal.”“You made it personal BITCH!” You roar, backing away before something catches your arm. “What the-”“No!” Chrollo cried and before you knew it, you were shot up from the alleyway and up into the skyline of the buildings, you felt air rush past you and arms wrapped around you. A man with long dark tresses and dark eyes carried you along the rooftops in his arms, speeding along.He simply looked down at you. “You’re safe now.”“Who are you?!” You gasped.“No time for introductions, I am an assassin but I was hired by your father to save you from the Phantom troupe, you are welcome.”“An assassin, phantom troupe? This just keeps getting weirder and weirder!” You cried when the man climbed the tallest building with you in his arms. Once you were up there, he set you down on your feet and nodded his head. “You are to wait here, a ship will come and get you, they already know our location.”“Really…? Wait- how did you know where I was- I have so many questions!”“I had some inside help who located you, we sent in the swats as bait, you would escape and I’d pick you up, simple.”“Hisoka right- or is it not him?”“No, you’re right.”“How does my dad even know assassins?!” You gasp.“Everyone with 10 digits knows an assassin.” He simply replied.So that was it, your dad sent an assassin to come get you, save the day and you get to go home, however as your fingers glaze across the diamonds in your skin, a gut feeling immerses you, that aura you originally saw on the necklace- you knew there was something fishy about it and now- you can see something call….. Nen, was it?“What can you tell me about nen…?” You ask the assassin, you knew he couldn’t bullshit his way out of not telling you, what caught your arm was needles, needles that were attached to nen and pulled you six stories into the air, it wasn’t a coincidence. “My contractor never said you were a nen user.”“That's the thing- I'm not! I can just SEE other people use it- like that bubblegum thing Hisoka had, I’m not crazy, I know what I saw!”“Only nen users can see other nen users, and you only started seeing it recently?”“When I put this fucking necklace on, made by Scar-”Scarvoski, fucking Scarvoski. He has to know what the fuck is going on with you- he made the damn necklace- he can fucking fix what ever the hell is happening to you. “Hey… so.. Do you think- this necklace caused me to become a nen user or something…?”“It depends, there are two ways to become a nen user, one is the natural way which involves intensive training and meditation, the other is the quicker way is intiatiation where another nen user forces your aura nodes awake, but what makes you think it was the necklace that opened your nodes?”“I’m not sure… I was in the dressing room, I saw the next at and had this glow about it that no one else seemed to notice…”“You do have a strict training regiment, don’t you?” He asked. You nodded your head, of course you did, staying fit was one of the most important parts of being a model, when you could no longer rely on drugs, you turned to more natural ways like meditation and yoga- clean girl shit like that. “Then my theory is you were slowly on your way to becoming a nen user but hadn’t realised it because you never knew nen existed before this, the necklace however forced you into initiation- but that is strange, i’ve never heard of an object forcing one into initiation.”“I can’t go home yet- I need to see Scarvoski.” You say.“Negative, I only get paid once you’ve been returned home to your family, surely you can contact him once your safety is assured.”“I guess…” You muttered, once again trying to rub your arms through your diamond covered arms. From afar the airship appeared in sight and it was slowly closing in. “Okay, is this where we part?” You ask the assassin, your hands folded in front of you. “Yep, The moment you get on the airship, my job will be complete.”“Well, that's for the help-”The sound of a machine gun fired rapidly from somewhere below and in the next second, the airship was going down in a ball of flame and smoke. “WHAT THE FUCK!?” You screamed, taking a step back.“Uh oh, looks like they’re onto us.” The assassin said nonchalantly.“Yeah no shit!” You barked.“ZOLDYCK!” Both you and him looked down the side of the building, the beast-like man practically galloping up the side of the building, rubble and debris following behind him. “Don’t think we’re gonna let you screw us over, you bastard!”“Fuck! We’re do we go!?” You looked around for escape but the assassin once again picked you and you were both falling over the other side of the building. “WAH!” You screamed.Your body passed through a sky light and miraculously, the assassin managed to land on both his feet with no issue. “Agh!” You squeaked, still in his arms, he looked down at you through his flowing black tresses. “Are you unharmed?”“No..” You muttered. The moon was peeking out from behind the clouds and he looked so sexy in the lighting despite his monotonous expression. He walked forward a bit and placed you down on the floor where the glass could not reach your bare feet. “Do you not have shoes? What happened to them?”“I had to ditch them, they were six inch heels- made running really hard.” *Ring* *Ring* The assassin removed his phone from his pocket and answered the call. “Hello?”“Illumi, let's talk.” Chrollo’s voice was loud within the dark and barren room you were in. You felt a jolt of fear course through you, why was Chrollo calling your saviour?! “Chrollo, I’m kind of in the middle of running away from your man, what was his name again…. Uvo?”“Don’t worry, Uvogin is on standby, I just wanna talk.. You won't make this difficult, will you?”“Depends.” Illumi said as your voice hissed. “What are you doing? Hang up!” You whispered.“It’s just the diamonds we want, not her, we’ll extract them from her and you’ll be free to take her back to her money bag father, we all win.”“That's the problem, the diamonds you specifically want are stuck in her skin. Can you fully say you’ll be able to give her back undamaged?”“Oh, we’ll be careful, besides if she does get a bit bloodied up, Machi can always just fix her back up.”“NO WAY!” You cried. “You bastards had no problem wanting to cut my head off when trying to get the necklace off, what makes you think I’l trust you with these diamonds in my skin!”“You have this on speaker…?” Chrollo sighed.“I thought it would have been her father calling, not you. I’m afraid I can’t take you up on your deal.”“Come now Illumi, whatever her father is paying you, we’ll pay twice the amount, you know you can trust us.”He wouldn’t seriously hand you over right?....... right?“You know it's not that simple Chrollo, I’ve already received half the payment, if I try to double cross him now, it’ll take a huge blow to my rep and I’m not willing to parlay for a bit more money.”“How sad, well, it was nice knowing you Zoldyck. Uvo, have at him.”Illumi grabbed your arm and began to pull you forward as the beast man landed through the sky light, on his feet too like Illumi. He cracked his knuckles and stretched his arms. “Heh, alright then, I’ll make this quick.”“Run!” Illumi commanded, you picked up your skirts and began to run out of the room and through the corridor.‘STOP!’ You halted your pace and a bullet whizzed right past your eyes. “AH!” You cried, falling to your butt, the clinking of ballet flats could be heard and the woman in the business suit appeared once again, a revolver in her hand as she approached. “Ah, I missed by just a hair I did. If you had gone any further, I might have been able to hit you dead in the head.”“Leave me alone!” You cried, picking yourself and continuing to run.“You do know running will get you nowhere right?” Another bullet was fired as you reached the railing of the stairs. ‘FALL!’ What happened next was a mystery, you were running towards the stairs but for some inconceivable reason, your body decided to fling itself over the whole railing instead. “AGH!”You went tumbling down the round stairs yet every time your body hit the surface, you didn’t feel pain. You would just pounce from the ground again and again until you reached the ground. “Ugh!” Your vision was dizzy, you picked yourself up off the ground.“What's wrong with my hand-.... What?” Your appendage was shiny and bright, allowing you to see the reflection of a woman with an equally shiny and bright face.Then your vision came back. “What the hell…?”Diamond.Lifting up both your hands, it was clear to see that both of them had crystallized within the short timespan you had fallen over the railing and hit the stairs. “What the fuck is going on- I’m so confused!” Weirdly enough, you could still move your crystalized hands, move your jaw, speak- weirdly enough you didn’t feel the need to blink.“Where are you?!” The woman shouted, her footsteps pattering down the steps, you took this opportunity to run again. Your movement was faster this time since you didn’t have to worry about stepping on sharp objects. You bolted outside the building where you heard the voice again. ‘To your left.’

You turned to your left and found yourself in another alley way. “Hide.”

You did so, hiding behind a dumpster, crouching down. ‘Hold your breath’ Without thinking about anything else, you held your breath and the woman’s voice got louder and louder. “Damn it- where did you go?!”Her steps slowly crept down the alley way and soon enough, she was right in front of you, but her gaze never reached yours. “I know you’re somewhere around here! Show yourself!” You were baffled, you were right there and for some reason, she didn’t see you. You clutched your skirt, keeping your eyes focused up at the crazy lady with a gun. “Pakunoda, there you are!” The man in the sarashi dropped down from above and landed beside the woman. “Did you locate that brat?” “She was right here just a second ago! I just had her in my sights- where did that little bitch go…?!”How the fuck were they not seeing you right now?!“Calm down Pakunoda- if you just saw her then there's no way she could have gotten far- let's split up for now and search for her!”Both of them vanished and it was only then and there you could breathe. Fear coursing through your bodies, shivers wracking your arms and legs “What the hell is going on…?”

‘I made both you and your aura disappear, they’ll have a harder time trying to find you.’

You gasped in fright, looking around, no one was there, confirming, yes, there was a voice in your head. “Just who the hell are you- and why can I hear you in my mind? Am I going crazy…?!” You whispered. ‘No, you can hear me because we have fused with your body.’

“Fused…?” You noted before peering down at the diamonds in your chest. “The necklace…..?”

‘Yes, we allowed you to fuse with us because you met the conditions worthy to wear us, henceforth from this day forward, we are at your service.’

“I don’t get it, just who are you and why me?” You asked, hoping they would respond to your question. ‘Our names… we can not remember, but what matters is we remember our origins. From beyond the safety of Lake Mobius where you and the other mongrels live in safety, we hail from the Dark continent, in the lava mountains and the deep underdark live the rock gods.’

Your nails grew in length and sharpness, the diamonds glittering in the orange light of the street light.

‘In a place of depravity where it is always a battle for survival, the people of the rock gods were born to survive its harsh terrain and live off its land- we have bountiful lifespans and when we do die, we revert to these forms, forever beautiful in shape.’

“So- what you're saying is someone took you from this.. Dark Continent, put you into my necklace and now what- we’ve fused?”

‘Many others have tried to claim us- but death is assured for anyone who touches use without meeting the conditions.'

“So how am I not dead then? What were the conditions?” You moaned, standing up and creeping back onto the street, it was then you could hear the voice sigh from the back of your mind, as if the answer was obvious. ‘You’re beautiful, that's why.’

“Huh..?” You nearly stumbled over, trying to process what the voice just said. “That's it? Only because I look good?”

‘Because you look good…?! Simply ‘looking good’ is not how you meet the conditions. We can tell from your genetic makeup, your routines and training, nothing about your beauty is fake or untrue. You are a rare beauty and we’re positive you’ve heard the term, ‘fine feathers make a fine bird’ but if it were anyone else, the outfit would simply wear them, you are the only one who can outshine the diamonds you wear and for that reason you are worthy of us'.

“Aw…. you really mean that?” You blushed, hiding your face, what could you say, you were a sucker for compliments, even knowing that if you were any uglier than you would be dead, but yea you! “But anyways, these guys want you and I doubt that you’ll simply just leave my body?”

“Impossible, once we fuse with a host then it is impossible to unfuse'.

“By the way, I noticed I literally turned into a diamond!” You say as you run down the street, skirts gathered in your hands, your feet going ‘pitter-patter, pitter-patter’.”And the fact that I fell down the stairs completely unharmed, can I not deflect bullets now?”

‘Sure, you body is not made of normal diamond as you realised, your body can withstand tons of force and you will not break, however, nen infused projectiles and weapons are a completely different story and until you can learn to summon a protective aura to shield you from others nen, I suggest we stick to escaping.’

Sounds like a good idea to you. . . “Huff… puff…… fuck me…” You whine, sliding your back down a wall, before resting your head on your knees. You swear you had been running and running all night in circles, narrowly dodging the crooks who took you and shady people who looked like they were up to no good. “Where Illumi where you need him…?”“Oh (Y/n)... where are you?” You froze, immediately getting back to your feet as you peeked around the corner, in the alley was Chrollo, his hands in his pockets as he combed through the dirty alleyway. “There's no point in trying to escape, we’ve got this entire industrial park cut off, there's no way you’ll be able to get out.”Even now he had a charming smile on his face, smiling like he was just having a laugh. A grin like he wasn’t out to get you, to hurt you. “Come on (Y/n), If it makes you feel better, I don’t like hurting girls, especially ones as pretty as yours. I was gonna take you for dinner afterwards as an apology of sorts- if you come out now- we’ll make sure you survive the extraction, we just want the diamonds, that's all!”‘Oh hell- you just want the diamonds.’ You scoffed as you snuck away and ran down the street, you were gonna let him catch you like this, let any of them catch you like this! You had to get home- your family was waiting for you- “Stop right there and put your hands where I can see them!” yelled a voice.You turn your head and there is an officer, standing by his police cruiser, a gun in his hand. Finally, help! You were able to relax and allow your diamond exterior to disappear from your skin- just so he wouldn’t think you were some freak.“Officer please- I need your assistance!”“I said hands where I can see them!” He barked, pistol aiming right at you, you quickly raised your hands. “Officer please, I need your help- there's some very bad people who kidnapped me and I-”“I don’t expect anything less from a woman of your ‘profession’.” He scoffed before he stomped over, getting behind you and putting your hands by your back- before handcuffing them. “What- what are you doing?! Are you arresting me?!” “Please- I’ve picked up plenty of hookers hanging around this place- all eager to pick up a pretty penny from the first guy who throws it.”“You think I’m a prostitute?! These are literally Scarvoski diamonds I’m wearing and you think I’m a whore!?”“Hey, I never said you weren’t successful, but I’m sure you can tell me all about it on our way down to the precinct!!” He said as he shoved you into the back of his cruiser, he got into the driver's seat and started the engine. “Just you wait- I’m gonna call my father and you’ll be sorry you treated me like this!” You huffed.“Yeah, yeah, yeah- tell it to the judge-” When he looked back at you through the barred back seat, he blinked. “You know- you’re actually really pretty.”“YOU THINK I WANT SOME COMPLIMENT AFTER YOU HANDCUFFED ME?!” You scream, kicking the seat. “I’ve met plenty of respectable officers and you put them all to shame!” You shout.“Okay…! No need to be a bitch about it-” A force rammed into the side of the cruiser and the next thing you knew, the car was in the air. “AGGGGGHHHHH!” In that instant, your diamond exterior was back up before the vehicle hit the building to your right. You heard something got *splat* and *shatter* before the car flipped upside down. There was glass everywhere and if not for your diamond skin you probably would have died on impact.“Officer…?” You whined, looking towards the driver's seat. He was in your line of vision, but not in his seat. A man sized hole was in the screen and in the distance, you could see his bloodied body that skidded across the road. “Fuck…!” You had to get out of here, your hands were still handcuffed so you had to resort to using your feet. “HAH!” You kicked at the window, your crystalised foot doing great damage as you kicked it again, and again and again until the glass shattered.You slid forward, hoping to slide out the window.“Oh, there you are!”A hand grabs your foot and you find yourself being dragged from the vehicle. “Let go of me!” You shouted, finding Chrollo’s smug face looking down at you, a tint of surprise in his eyes as he observed your new form. “Wow (Y/n), look at you, you were beautiful before but you are dazzling now!” You swore you could see a hint of blush on his cheeks.“Hands off perv!” You shout, attempting to kick him with your free foot only for him to catch it, holding both legs in both his legs. “Come on (Y/n), don’t be like that.” He spreads your legs wide open and gets between them and on top of you. “LET me go! Let me go, you creep! You sicko!” You cried, wanting so desperately to hit him if not for the cuffs on your hands.“I mean, just look at you, at first it was the diamonds we wanted- but you yourself are a living diamond, I’m not sure how that's possible but you’re a lot more valuable to us now as you are.”“You couldn’tafford us you little worthless lowlife- what claim do you have to this body? NONE!” The voice spoke for you, harshly and ruthlessly.

“My, your eyes sure are scary (Y/n)! Why don’t you forgive us for trying to hurt you earlier and put it all behind us? You did say you want to travel so perhaps we can take you with us-”“LIKE HELL!” You screamed, your rage giving you the strength you needed to break the cuffs. Your arm aimed to strike Chrollo, but he was quick and drew his blade. Your fingers merely hit the blade and he was sent skidding back.“Heh- looks like you're super strong now!” He chuckled, getting back to his feet, as did you. ‘Girl, you do not have the strength to fight this mongrel, you must run now while you can.’

“Easier said than done!” You scoffed.“Hmm.” Chrollo chimed, examining his blade. Your jaw dropped when you saw it. From the tip of the blade to its hilt was now entirely made of diamond. “What am I? King Midas of something?!” You gawked. Where everything he touched turned to gold, yours apparently turned everything into gems.“You my darling, are about to make us a lot of money~” He smirked, pulling off his headband, showing off a strange cross tattoo on his forehead before stuffing it into his pocket. “I haven’t introduced myself properly before and I apologise, my name is Chrollo Lucilfer, leader of the Phantom Troupe.”“What?!” You gasped, your breath hitching in your throat. “Who are they….? I’ve never heard of them before…” “Hahaha! You’re really funny (Y/n), I’m sure the others will love you, I promise in my honor as a thief that no one is gonna hurt you because- we’re gonna be friends for a real long time.” He smiled.“Ugh-no. You played me, you kidnapped me, planned to chop my head off, chased me all over this funk ass industrial park and made me fear for my life- all I have to say is fuck you and this is the last time I let a good looking guy try swoop me off my feet!” You bark.“I don’t believe I was asking.” He smirked, taking a step and suddenly he was in front of you, taking swipes at your neck. “OW!” You cried, falling to the ground. Chrollo’s hand was red. “Huh, I was trying to knock you out.”“Yeah no shit! My whole body is made of literal diamond, you’re not touching me!” You shout, taking a piece of glass and flinging it in his direction. He quickly caught it before it could reach his face and you took this opportunity to sprint away.But he was behind you in an instant, wrapping his arms around your torso and lifting you up “LET ME GO PIG! I will end you! I swear to god- agh!”“Put down my client, Chrollo.” There stood Illumi, not a scratch on him as he crept forward, needles protruding from each crevice of his finger. “I see Uvo wasn’t much of a challenge for you, or did you run when you first had the chance?”“Killing a spider is not my objective- besides- my father already told me killing one of you wasn’t worth the money so there's no need.”“Illumi- help me!” You cried before a hand was placed firmly on your mouth as you continued to struggle.“You have a nice voice but silence suits you better~”“What happened to her? She wasn’t like this the last time I saw her.”“I’m not sure either, but I do know that she has more value to us now more than ever- and I’m not about to hand her over.”“Oh I’m positive about that already- which is why I brought in a few extra hands.” he snapped his fingers and a herd of crooks, big and small came out from their hiding places, each one with a needle stuck in their heads. Drool dripped from their mouths as they stared you down with dilated eyes, as if they were brain dead.“Hey now, that's cheating, using your needlemen.” Chrollo groaned.“You’re the almighty leader of spiders, call your legs to come back you up.”Chrollo pushed you to the ground as the needlemen began their assault, narrowly avoiding the, you slipped through the crowd where Illumi grabbed your arm. “We don’t have much time.”“Yeah, no kidding!”A car zoomed around the corner, you and Illumi narrowly dodging it as it skidded to a stop, the window rolling down. “Hey you~”“You-” Illumi opened the car door and shoved you inside before you could say another word. “No time to talk, get her out of here while I buy you some time.”The car zoomed away before Illumi went to engage Chrollo.“My, my, that is quite the look for you~” The red haired man smiled as he drove the car. “Hisoka, you’re helping me too? But I thought you weren’t looking to get caught!” You gawked as you both zoomed out of the industrial park.“I’m not and as far as I’m concerned, they’re not going to find out. But let's talk about you- you’re made of a most precious rock.”“I know..!” You let yourself shed your diamond exterior, surprising Hisoka. “I’m hearing fucking voices in my head, I fused with the diamonds- they say they’re the deceased souls of some rock gods from- the dark continent or whatever its called!”“Hmm… well I certainly wasn’t expecting that.”“I’m wondering if Scarvoski knew about this…! He made the necklace- he had too!”“Why don’t we ask him ourselves?” Hisoka smirked as he turned the corner. “What? But Illumi wants me to be home..”“Well, Illumi is boring, besides, if you’re worried about your folks you can use my phone~!” He smiled, passing it to you as he continued to drive. “Do you know where he lives? I can help you confront him- get all the answers you need~”Hisoka was right, you don’t know if you’ll ever get another opportunity to confront Scarvoski again. You doubt he’ll come clean- most he’ll do is feign ignorance- but with Hisoka here, you could beat it out of him.“Take the next left and keep going until you reach the Skyline Pinnacle, that's where his penthouse is in York New.”He proceeds to step on the gas.. . . You didn’t enter through the reception area, that would have been silly. However, Hisoka was able to use his bungee gum to spring you both up to the top floors of the Skyline Pinnacle where you reached Scarvoski’s penthouse. “Have you been here before?” He asked smugly as you carefully slid the door open. “Oh course, I’ve known the man since I was a kid- and he’s been designing jewellery for my mom and grandma long before I was born..! ““This is a disaster!” Yelled a voice from within the home, you and Hisoka crept inside carefully. “He’s probably in his office….” You uttered as you tiptoed up the stairs. “She can’t be gone now- she can’t!” The older man cried from within his office.You had known the old man for a long time, one of your very first supporters he was, telling you that everyone from man to woman will envy you. You trusted him as did your family, he was a family friend and one that has aided you in your success.“Just where did they take her?! Where is my diamond?!”“You mean this one?” You scoffed, entering the office with Hisoka in tow as the man spun around. “(Y/n)! Oh my darling diamond- my little gem- you have returned to me~!” He cried, rushing towards you and taking your hands. “Your dress is ruined- those fiends! But at least you look as though you’ve not been harmed! Your grandma will be so happy…!”“Uncle Alexander, please!” You scoff, ripping your hands away.“Uncle?” Hisoka murmured, blinking his eyes.“You think I’m unharmed…? What have you done to me?!” You demanded, emphasizing the large rock stuck in your chest. He began to scratch the back of his neck, sweat forming on his brow. “Oh- my dear, I’m so sorry, I don’t-”“Now, now, don’t lie to her~” Hisoka smirked, pressing a card to his neck, the tiniest blood forming. “Who- Who are-!” The older man tried to squeal before you smacked your hands together. “Cut the bullshit uncle! You know, you made the necklace so tell me! Why would you do this to me…?!”“My dear- my (Y/n)- you need to know- everything I have ever done was because you are a valued loved one of mine! Please- you and your mama joined me for christmas in my lodge in Padokea when you were younger- don’t you remember-“Speak.” Hisoka said.It was plain and simple but the man fessed up- “It is a sacred treasure from the dark continent!” He cried, sinking to the floor. “It hails from an ancient civilisation that lives on to this day. Travelling there is forbidden due to its level of danger- but a group of hunters traveled there fifty years ago, intent on getting those treasures, only one of them came back recently and died when he got home… I was able to retrieve them before the hunter’s association got their hands on it- and crafted that necklace so only someone as beautiful as you may have the privilege of wearing it!”“But… why..?” You uttered.“Because- you are beautiful! Even more strikingly so now that you’ve fused with them! Such beauty deserves to be preserved for years to come, you will never be forgotten- you’ll never grow old nor will you be harmed….. But you must feed!”“What are you-” You moaned as you backed up against the wall. “(Y/n), what's wrong?” Hisoka asked.“He is right.” Said the voice. “In order to maintain our strength, you must feed from them, bleed him out and drink his blood.”“(Y/n), my child!” Scarvoski cried, crawling on his knees towards you- before kissing your feet. “You were born to inherit this earth! We are all mere insects to make your path… people as beautiful as you… deserve to have…. Everything their heart desires!” You physically cringed, disgust filling your being,“Uncle, what are you saying?!” You cried.“Make me your first meal- allow me to help pave the way for you my greatest dove- my darling diamond-” “NO!” You shout, sending a punch to his temple. Scarvoski fell on the ground out cold. You were shocked. “Did I do that…?”“Yes, you did~” Hisoka smirked, placing his hands on your shoulders. “It's clear he wished to raise you into a position of worship…. But I wish to see your potential~” He purred, his lips right next to your ear. You wanted to pull away but he quickly placed a hand on your stomach to stop you from doing so. “What do you mean…?”“This diamond exterior allows you protections no other shield can offer. You my dear are practically a walking tank.” He smirked leaning close to you“I wanna see what it takes to make you break~”“Get off me!” You squealed. Breaking from his grip, falling back against the table. “You wanna fight me?! I don’t know how to fight- I’ve never been in a position where I’ve had to fight back-”“Well my dear, I have no intention of breaking you now~! That would be a waste, instead, you should focus on getting stronger, that way when the time comes, our battle will be glorious.”“Freak….!” You cursed, attempting to leave the room when you bumped into some. “(Y/n), Hisoka..”“My, my, Illumi, what a surprise.”There stood the long haired assassin in the doorway, though he had a blank expression, you noticed a sense of bloodlust that radiated from you. One that terrified you, made goosebumps lace your skin. “I thought I told you to return her to the Devereaux estate, the longer you prolong this, the longer it takes for my employer to pay me.”“Come now Illumi, you’re an assassin by trade- not a rescuer, the fact you were even paid to rescue her is baffling even for me to comprehend. Well- I guess it doesn’t matter any how- she’s all yours for the taking-” “Wait!” You cried, before stepping over Scarvoski's body and looking at his desk. “There has to be something that can explain to me what the hell is going on…” You scoff, ripping open the drawers, design notepads, colors and paints all resided in them. But at the very bottom of the cupboard lay one big book.It didn’t have any title but it was bound in a dirty brown leather cover and from within it stuck out notes and tabs of different colours. You open it up and find sketches and details, photographs of people, made entirely of emeralds, rubies, sapphires, pearls and quartz. Although it was a bit heavy, you lugged it under one arm and huffed.“Okay, I’m ready.” . . .“Ugh, how much longer till we get there?” Hisoka scoffed as he sat in the front with Illumi who was behind the wheel.“The mansion is another three miles away- If you had not taken a detour- there still would’ve been enough gas to get us there faster.”You on the other hand sat in the backseat, feet curled up as you read through the book. All of it were notes that had previously belonged to the hunters who were studying the Rock clans of the Dark continent, thanks to their solid exteriors they could manifest in seconds- it prevents them from being targeted from predators who otherwise have no use for rocks. If by chance they are swallowed they may wait until they’ve passed through the digestive system and come out the other way which sounded utterly vile to you. The other method was simply by cutting themselves out with the sharp appendages.“Says here I can manifest diamonds myself… the quantity and size of each diamond depending on how much I’ve eaten- so technically I can burn calories by making diamonds!? This rules!”“My my, how lovely.” Hisoka says.“So, what is this dark continent?” You muttered as you flipped through the pages, hoping to get a better explanation, although you couldn’t really find one. “Hmm..” You muttered. Finding one page labeled ‘combat and strengths’.“Combat with the tribesmen is highly unrecommended. If confronted- focus on escaping than fighting back. The tribe must consume three times more protein than the average human and are known to eat anything they find- will cannibalise other humanoids if necessary. They are fed poison as soon as they enter the mother’s womb to build up resistance to poison- okay…. Can create weapons from the exteriors- only require four hours of sleep-”“From the sounds of things (Y/n), you must be a vampyre.” Hisoka smirked, looking at you through the rear view mirror.“A vampyre? I mean, that sounds cool but I think that is a bit of a stretch.”“It sounds like they are the perfect killers.” Illumi said, butting into the conversation. “When you think about it, the more attractive a person is, the more likely a target is to lower their guard. I mean… you wouldn’t expect a beautiful woman to kill you.”“Like a black widow~!” Hisoka laughed, folding his arms. “You know (Y/n), perhaps we should turn the car around, you’d fit in perfectly with the troupe.”“No way! Like hell I’d ever team up with the thugs who kidnapped me- I never want to see them again if I can help it!” You scoffed, flicking through more of the pages. Turns out the Rock has a hierarchical system, with one set of stone being inferior to the other. At the top were of course the Diamonds followed by the Emeralds, Rubies and Sapphires. Then the beryls, then the garnets, the pearls, the Quartz and last but not least the Granities.“Says here they stole the diamonds from an ancient burial ground from the inside of a world tree, one that has honored their dead since ancient times- that foul- isn’t it?”“Tell that to the phantom troupe, if they were there- they would have taken everything in sight and left nothing behind- grave robbing would not be beneath them.” Illumi stated and you shuddered. You couldn’t believe some people could be capable of that. Robbing a dead man’s belongings, you couldn’t stoop much lower than that. You continued to read, an entry continuing on from the cemetery robbing.

‘The diamonds were without a doubt the most difficult to obtain. There were no other diamonds that size and many would pay billions to have one. As were the emeralds, sapphires and rubies- they too were well guards but it was nothing we could not handle. The quantity of beryls that Asuka took were hefty and Rook had sacks full of garnets and pearls before we got anywhere near the sapphires-’

‘Those animals…! Desecrating the graves of our people!’ The voice growled contemptuously and you did not blame him, not one bit.You skipped a few pages and got to the last entry.

‘Dead. Everyone is dead. When I returned to the ship, it was covered in moss with a myriad of wild beasts living inside it. The tribesman had hunted us for years after they found out we stole the gems, one by one- we all dropped like flies, the horrors I’ve seen- I dare not speak of to anyone else. Yet despite that, I carried on with the treasure. We swore we would not return until we had those gemstones and it is up to me to see it through to the end. I came to this place as a young man, I am old now with not much life left in me. I am not sure If I’ll be alive by the time I reach back to the centre of Lake Mobius but it matters not- It is my only desire no one is stupid enough to touch these things with their bare hands- or they shall die. But one thing is certain- by the time the tribe reaches the shores- I will be gone with gems.’

“Holy crap…” You muttered. There was more. There was fucking more of them.“Oh damn.” Illumi noted as he slammed his foot down on the break. You nearly went through the screen as you dropped the book and held on tight in the back seat. “It's them…” Hisoka muttered.Your heart sank as you saw the phantom troupe, all of them on the barren road with no other car or person in sight. To be fair your family home was further into the countryside in the U.V hills, so that was not surprising. But the fact they got ahead of you was surprising, if not shocking.“Illumi- (Y/n). The both of you may come out now- you’ve nowhere to run.” Chrollo he clapped his hands once and you saw them all glow again, their ‘nen’ most likely.“This isn’t good, I can not lead them back to your home.” Illumi muttered- knowing he couldn’t risk his employer’s safety.“Thank god these windows are tinted…” Hisoka whistled, knowing he couldn’t let his team know he’d betrayed them. Uvogin smashed his fists together, a look of irritation on his face. “Boss! Give me the world and I’ll smash that car to bits! Including that Zoldyck bastard!”“So much of our time was wasted tonight, we should have killed the girl when we had the chance.”“I agree…” The small man said- or Feitan. You think that was his name.“Fuck we’re trapped…” You muttered. Just then, you heard the voice speak. ‘Let me take over.’

“What are you talking about?!” You cried, both Illumi and Hisoka giving you incredulous looks.“She can hear voices.” Hisoka comments.“Ah.” Illum replied.

‘You are still inexperienced with nen and combat, you can extend your shield but that will not be enough to aid you- but I can, allow me control for the moment, I will deal with this for you.’

“Okay, but can I trust you to give it back to me? I’m not exactly sure how I feel having a man take control of my body.”“It's like we don’t exist.” Hisoka muttered.

“You are the host, you can take back control whenever it pleases you, but for your information, if you die, I will die and I’ve already done that once and I don’t plan on doing it again.”

“We’re gonna die…” You muttered. Before falling back into your seat before nodding your head. “Go for it..” You had nothing to lose at this point, it was a situation that could mean life and death and as strong as Hisoka and Illumi were, you doubted that they would have the strength to take on all the phantom troupe. You felt weightless- a sensation of another being sliding into your skin was an odd one, like someone taking the skin of your hand and sliding their own into it as if it were a glove and yet you could feel the very sensation, course through the entirety of your body, it scared you and yet you were conscious the entire time.“Go for it?” Illumi asked, as you closed your eyes, when you opened them again, he felt shock for the first time in years. “Nanika..?”“Whose Nanika?” Hisoka question.In a state of co consciousness, you open the door and stretch your shoulders “What are you doing, get back in the car!” Illumi demanded.“I’ve got this.” You said, not your words but his. ‘So, what do I call you?’ you asked from the recesses of your mind.
“That will be up to you, I can not remember my name.”
‘Well, you are just a voice in my head- how do you feel about Koe?’ You asked.“It will do.” Koe spoked as he stood ten meters away from the infamous troupe before you. Illumi appeared by your side, grabbing your wrist. “Don’t be a fool. They’ll tear you apart in seconds.”“He is right, you know. I don’t receive any joy from doing this- you should come quietly if you know what's good for you.”The woman pakunoda took out her gun, the man with the sarashi slid out his katana, Shizuka had her weird vacuum cleaner with a mouth. The pink haired ninja had the threads that ran between her fingers, Feitan had his umbrella, the man Phinks cracked his knuckles. You examined each character within your line of sight. “Come now, the last thing we want is for things to get ugly.”“Ugly?” Koe spoke. “I’lL sHoW yOu UgLy.”Just then, your body began to expand in size, Your long legs were replaced by gargantuan apendages that you dare say looked like kraken tentacles, several arms popped out of your back and from within the roots of your hair came worms with with teeth like a sharks. Your mouth became larger and wide as more teeth filled in the empty as what ever pace that was left in your face was filled with eyes. Your dresss had ripped and what was exposed was filled with eyes as well. Everyone watched in horror as you became an eldritch monstrosity that could only be thought up in scary stories.‘WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?!?’ You screamed internally. You were hideous, disgusting this- This was you. “Let there be…… CaRnAgE!!!!!!!” Koe demanded as he rushed forward, everyone rushed away as fast as they could, only one did not get away fast enough. One of your giant hands wrapped around the yellow haired boy’s waist as you raised him up, Koe thinking if he squeezed him hard enough, his eyes would pop off from his skull. “BoN aPpEtIt!” Koe attempted to throw him inside your gaping mouth. However, a pink string found itself on him, quickly pulling back.Hisoka appeared catching the boy before letting him fall to the ground. “Hope I’m not too late~”“Where have you been all this time?!” The pink haired girl growled as Uvogin rushed forward and punched you.“TAKE THIS!” He proceeded to punch you furiously, it did indeed hurt but Koe did not let it show as grabbed him by his leg. “Homo sapien..!” He growled before smacking him against the ground as if he were a rag doll. Once, twice and three times before throwing him away. “ARGH!” Uvogin roared, skidding across the asphalt road, his nen protecting him from any damage Koe could have done to him.“What’s going on now?!” The man named Phinks cried out as he stood at your left with the man named Feitan. Both ascertaining the situation, what was the best solution to kill you. Your extra appendages made a sweep of the ground floor, all dodging to the best of their abilities, all fighting back against Koe’s advances.The man with the katana even manages to slice one of the tentacles that got too close- but that ended with Koe quickly growing back another in the blink of an eye before smacking the man away. ‘What have you done to me?! I am hideous!’ You squealed internally, looking at yourself through the many eyes that now literally your ginormous and deformed body.
‘This is what it means to be one of us. Beautiful on the outside- an abomination on the outside. It's how we learn to pray, by deceiving them into thinking we are angels- but we are so much worse than that. We will feel on them first and then we must hunt for more- that is our way.’
You didn’t want this- you never wanted this!Sure, in the beginning, you never really cared much for your looks, you were born beautiful and you thought you’d always be beautiful. Your entire career centred around your beauty and convincing others that they can hope to be as beautiful as you. You have been called ugly, but only by men whose advances you’ve rejected because you knew they weren’t good enough for you- they’d call you ugly in the hopes of diminishing your self esteem, but those words could never harm because it would be so easy to find another man who would call you beautiful the minute he saw you.But now?You took it all for granted. Your beauty, your loveliness and your seductiveness. You were a monster now, a horrible, ugly and loathsome monster- they all see you as what you are, an ugly monster not worthy of love. What if the world saw you like this? What if your mommy and grandma saw you like this? What would your daddy think?!
“Kill them Koe- kill them all! I can’t let anyone know about this! I can’t let them see me like this!”
However, Koe did not respond. Too focused on the man before him. Chrollo Lucilfer, the man in question, held a book in his hand while looking up at your monstrous form with pure awe and wonder eyes.And then you were hit with a *BANG* and Koe had to stomp his many appendages on the ground to halt you from tumbling over. “I have severely underestimated our strength, the longer we continue this fight, the more we back ourselves into a corner!”

‘How come?! You said you’d take care of this!’

“I draw strength from the nutrition we intake- we need three times the protein a human must intake daily and yet you only have half of that on a daily basis which means I don't have the strength to fight back!”

“Then what do we do Koe?! We can’t die like this!”

“I have an idea, it is risky and can do alot of damage to you, but it will give us the chance to slip away- I say we give them what they want!”

The pores of your deformed body began to emit a strange vapor, something akin to mist. “What is she doing now?!” The man in the sarashi shouted. And before you knew it- you burst into crystals.“Take cover!” Shouted Uvogin as the phantom troupe dodged and used their nen to shield themselves from the onslaught of sharp and deadly diamonds scattering across the area like a hailstorm. Although weary and half conscious- Koe managed to pull you away from the blast and hide your body.“Wha- What did you do….?” You groaned, your hand weak and achy, you attempted to touch your face- however, through your shaky vision, all you could see was a thin and bony hand. “What have you done…?!” Your cried

‘Your real body was hiding under the layer of obstruction that I was in control of- we turned that layer into diamond and exploded on impact- however I had to use whatever nutrition I could find in your body to make it happen.’

Looking down at yourself, you were all skin and bones- it was horrifying. It looked like you had severe anorexia- like you pride yourself on not eating and you couldn’t decide what form of yourself was worse, you when you were a monster with severe limbs, eye and tentacles or when you look like a bitch who did too much crack. your hair looked like it was frayed and dead and the only thing that covered your were your nude undergarments that didn't cover much at all.Bigger question. How were you getting out of here?“(Y/n)!” Appearing in your line of vision, Illumi appeared, observing your appearance. “The troupe is distracted, we need to leave while we can.”“Just take me home…. Take me home…!” You cried.Tonight was too much for you to handle, far too much. You have faced death more times than you could handle, your body and your life have been irrevocably changed forever and worst of all, you were hungry. So, so, so, fucking hungry. Illumi picked you up and ran off into the forest while the troupe collected the spoils of your defeat.. . . “(Y/n)! My baby!” Your mother cried as Illumi carried you in through the door. “Where is her room?” He asked, You father joined you by his side as he led you both to the elevator, your room being situated on the third floor. “What has happened to her? What did those maniacs do to my daughter?”“It had more to do with Scarvoski and less with the Troupe. It would appear he was messing about with dark artefacts and your daughter the unknowing victim.”“That Bastard!” Your father cursed as they exited the elevator and carried you to your room. It was so good to be back in your room, the sense of familiarity giving you great relief as you were laid down on your king sized circle bed. “Call the physicians and have them here now!” Your father demanded of the butler.“I’m hungry…” You whined.The doctors came to see you, your mother and grandmother came to see you- finally your private chefs came and delivered you your meals. First it was a Stout cooked brisket you wanted, then a honey glazed ham, then you demanded a medium rare steak and then some pulled pork. Yet despite all the food you had ingested, you were still hungry.“Are you feeling any better?” Illumi re entered your room, his hands by his side as he sat down in a seat next to your bed. “What are you still doing here? Has my father not paid you yet?” “Oh, he did and then some. He is very glad to have his only daughter back. I came to check on you- because I was concerned about your condition.” “My condition? Have you become fond of me? I have that impression on people…” You chuckled, now clean and in some nightclothes as you laid in your bed.“I wouldn’t say that- but rather, a morbid interest in you.” You don’t know if you wanted to ask more in detail about what he was talking about but you may as well since he was still here. “Do you know much about the Dark Continent?”“I had a Great Grandfather who traveled there twice- not an area to linger in for long. And that voice- who was it that you were talking to?”“I dunno, they can’t remember their name- so I just call ‘em Koe. They’ve decided I am worthy of the diamonds because I am quote ‘beautiful’ and that was the only qualification they needed…”“Makes sense, these diamonds do suit you and if you were any less attractive, they would certainly stand out.” You give him a look. “Thanks. Illumi.” He nodded his head, seemingly to take your sarcastic gratitude as it was. Your stomach growled and you groaned. “Why am I still hungry?!”“It must mean you need more than normal nutrition demands…!” He stood up. “Perhaps you need to see the physician again-” “No need.” A figure appeared in your window. There stood Hisoka, the book you left behind under one arm while he carried an insulated container in the other hand. “It's you!” You smiled, sitting up before crouching over in pain. “Agh..! Sorry- I’m not feeling right…”“What are you doing here?” Illumi demanded.“Well, while the troupe were busy collecting those gargantuan diamonds you left behind, I got out while the getting was good, I have the book you took off Scarvoski-” He dropped the book at the foot of your bed before setting down the insulated container and opening it up. You could smell a rich- sweet and savoury scent in the air as the jester man pulled out a blood bag. “And I took a little detour to the blood bank.” “Hisoka, thats-” “I want that…!” You whined, practically jumping from your bed and falling to the floor. Illumi came around the other side to assist you but you grabbed at Hisoka’s pants, looking up at him. “Please Hisoka! I’m begging you- I’m so HUNGRY!”“Well, I’m not one to tease a helpless and pathetic girl.” He smirked, letting you swipe it from his hands before ripping the top off and gargling down the blood. This one was rich in flavour, reminding you of those pan fried pork buns you had earlier that day, so delicious and tasty.“Hisoka….” Illumi warned as Hisoka looked down at you, a tent forming in his pants as you ripped open another blood bag, devouring the savoury contents of that one. The bones behind your skin began to disappear as the flesh reappeared, your body slowly repairing itself, your place and depleted skin began to glow once more effortlessly in the light of your lava lamps and your hair that was strained and streaky was once again voluminous and silky.“I feel so much better…” You remarked as you noticed the sun beginning to rise from beyond the horizon. “I was out all night, wondering if I’d ever be able to make it home to my family… but now that I’m back, it doesn’t feel real..”“It's clear you need to adjust to some things, for one, a new diet consisting of blood but I’m sure your father will sort that out for you-” Illumi froze in his speech as your skin began to glitter in the sun’s glow. As if your skin had been embedded with millions of little diamonds. From the tips of your fingers, to the cheeks of your temples. You glowed like a diamond encrusted ring.“You’re beautiful…” Illumi said breathlessly, Hisoka would have been surprised by that if he wasn;t busy being surprised by you. There goes your days in the sun.. . .“My dear, are you awake?” Your mother asked as she entered your room, Hisoka and Illumi had left your home. You found yourself using your shutters to block out the sun. You went to bed at 6 am and woke up at 10 am, fully rested. Your mind went back to the book that you had taken off Scarvoski- your kind don’t require that much sleep.It still baffles you that you were no longer human- even though you were one twelve hours ago.“Yes Mama.” You answered, pulling the covers off of yourself as you wrapped your silk bathrobe with the extravagant fathers on the rim of the sleeves and tail. “Everyone is glad to know of your safety! We’ve been sent flowers and gifts all morning, come and see darling!”Slipping in some Kitty Slippers, you and your mother traveled down the steps of your illustrious home and at the foyer were a mountain of roses and gifts, a line of envelopes which you could only guess were ‘Get well’ cards. “Isn’t it just amazing my dear?” She smiled, holding your hand.“Would be, if it weren’t for those vultures outside the gate.” You Grandmother huffed, drawing back one of the curtains true to her words, an army of journalists and news reporters were calling for you outside your home. Asking how you escaped, wanting details of what your kidnappers ‘did’ to you and what not. “Where is that husband of your daughter?! Tell him to call the police already- my sugar plum has been through enough!”You carried yourself back upstairs where you entered your private lounge. You flicked on your t.v and the first thing that greeted you was the news. The break in at the runway show, the death of Elsa Summers- one of the most renowned fashion orchestrators in the world. The possible suspects behind it and of course, the footage of your home from beyond the gates. At some point, you saw your grandmother there- demanding that they leave, that they’re ‘vulturing’ was unacceptable. With your phone in hand, you logged onto social media to see the amount of tags, comments and d.m’s you’ve received from fans, haters, friends and family.“Your lifestyle is quite lavish and privileged. This is something we shall enjoy.” Koe said cheekily before continuing to list the things they would like for you to digest. You don’t know how you would get by, hearing someone’s voice in your head all the time.“Miss Devereaux! May we come in?” Your assistant asked. You gave her the go ahead, she and some of the maids came in, carrying the roses and placing them on the table and cabinets, now properly placed in glass vases. “If you would like Miss, we’ll help you write all the thank you letters sent by your supporters!”“Yeah- sorry. I’m just really tuckered out after that fiasco…” You say as you lean back on your sofa.“Will I have the cooks make you your cucumber salad and fruit smoothie?” Your assistant asked. You nodded your head. “And a brisket sandwich please.”“Another brisket? You sure are hungry today Miss!” Your assistant smiled as she went to the phone that looked like a pair of lips and asked the cooks for your order. “I’ll also call in Melinda for a recovery massage, you look like you need one miss.”“Thanks….”“Miss, why don’t you open some of these gifts, one of them will be bound to put you in a good mood!” The maids smiled, placing your gifts on the coffee table. You figured, why not. You liked getting free shit. You opened them up and found you had received expensive chocolates, self care from your favourite brands, brand new necklaces and earrings- even Scarvoski sent you something. Like that would make up for what he put you through.One box stood out. A big heart shaped box covered in sparkly pink glitter and a silk golden bow. You opened it up and went through the lavender pager. Inside were your shoes from last night along with the rings and earrings. “What the….?” You searched through the box and found a note at the bottom.

‘Last night was a lot of fun, I do hope this gift finds you in better spirits. I enjoyed chasing you about- it felt like I was chasing after Cinderellla- although next time we meet- let me be the one to put your shoes back upon your feet.’

‘Yours always, Chrollo Lucilfer.’

That fucking creep. "He is a man who enjoys the hunt, I can respect that.” Koe says matter of factly, you don't understand. ‘He literally kidnapped me and nearly had me killed, what do you mean you respect that?’

‘Well he didn’t, in fact, I dare say he has become enthralled by you. If there's anything that men like him desire more than gold and fame is a woman who is hard to get. You challenged him and he doesn’t often receive that.’

‘Well I’m not a pushover, that's one thing. Granny always said if a man shows you disrespect, he becomes dead to you.’
 ‘And yet he wants you to acknowledge him, he wants your attention, the question is, what will you do know?’ he asked as your food was brought in, however in the moment, you couldn’t eat it, not. You rushed back to your room where you found your box full of blood.On your bedside table was a half empty glass of prosecco from one of your girls' nights. You opened the shutters and allowed the sunlight to touch you, allowing your skin to glitter once more. You dumped the prosecco out the window and refilled it with blood.“I Don't ever want anyone make me feel scared like that again… I won’t let anyone have that type of power over me ever again. Next time we meet, we need to be ready, do you understand Koe?”“Understood, this my dear is our grand entrance.” He cackled as you chugged down the glass of thick rich blood. Today was a new day.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

*Yawn*Your eyes opened up to a room full of darkness, just the way you preferred it. You turned to your side to take your phone off the nightstand. Battery power was at 100% just the way you liked it. Social media notifications, way too many to count, weren’t gonna bother with that and the time read at a quarter to six.It was still early and it wasn’t like you had many things to do today, besides, your bed was so cosy right now. Thirty minutes lying in wouldn’t kill you. '‘(Y/n), this is what we talked about. Discipline is all about doing the things you don’t want to do, even if no one expects them of you.’
‘I mean, yeah. But are you trying to get out of this bed?’

‘No, not really. I love this nest of yours, I’ve never slept in anything so comfortable in my life.’

‘Thirty minutes it is then!’ You smiled before putting your phone down and letting your lie in commence. Sure you went to bed at around two o’clock and if you were still a human, there would be no way you would be getting up until at least 10 o’clock, but your body was very much different to what it was a month ago.

‘By the way- can we have the slaves cook us another large breakfast with eggs- I love the soft ones they make.’

‘They’re not slaves Koe, they’re the staff, we pay them and if you haven’t noticed- we’re snoozing right now.’

‘But…. I’m hungry.’

This was your life since you fused with Koe. After that incident with the Phantom Troupe, you went on hiatus with your modelling career under the guise that you were recovering from the trauma you endured whilst being held captive. Your PR team was now handling your account but you still had access to it and you couldn’t believe the type of shit people were saying. Some people were trying to figure out what exactly happened to you and some sickos thought you were gang raped or some shit.Others were desperately looking at gangbang videos on porn sites trying to claim it was you being assaulted but all it took was one threat from you daddy to sue them for all their worth and they quickly retracted their statements. But it didn’t help that there were many rumors circling the web and it was disturbing to see.Journalists and photographers remain posted outside your home for days, taking snaps of you whenever they can and writing whatever ridiculous things they could to get a reaction out of the public and thus you remain at home with the comfort and security of your family. But it wasn’t all relaxation and luxury, far from it. The morning you finally came back home, safe and sound, a consistent feeling of dread would wash over you, that even though you were home and safe- Chrollo and his phantom troupe would push down your door and take you again. Even now it was still a possibility, nothing was stopping them now that they knew about your powers.You vowed you would never allow anyone to destroy your peace again.And in order to do that, you had to level up any way you could, thankfully you had not only a great gym instructor and dietitian but a magnificent nen master all in your head! Sure you had the former two in person but the type of training you needed had nothing to do with looks, but rather strength building and combat.Throughout the day, you and Koe would spend approximately two hours a day doing yoga and meditation, opening up your nodes and increasing your nen. Once you were done, the two of you would train to your heart's content, weight lifting, cardio, combative training and not just with anyone, from a small but long link in your body, Koe was able to create another form, wasn’t a very good form mind you but they had everything you would expect from another combatant, legs, a torso, arms, a head, eyes and a mouth.Koe would often kick your ass in the beginning and still does. You would often find yourself in the dirt but he would always pick you up, tell you what you did right, what you did wrong and how you could improve. He was firm but fair with you. Although you couldn’t but admit it pissed you off, constantly being knocked off your feet. You were a lady for god sake- you shouldn’t have to be forced into life and death situations!But when you weren’t meditating or training, you were studying. Koe was new to this world and thus he wanted to get some reading done to help him understand what was what. Technology and the architecture were very new to him. He still couldn’t believe that you live in a home like this and that you had all these luxuries available to you such as a pool, a game room, a hot tub, a private massager and of course his favorite of all, your giant walk-in wardrobe.

‘After our run, we should wear the tattoo top with the Saint Francois chain jeans along with the Jimmi Chu heels.’

“I see the vision and I like it.” Koe was really coming into his own as a stylist of sorts. After laying out the assorted outfit of the day, you pulled on your gear and left your home for your constitutional run around the estate. The majority of your home is surrounded by acres of trees that spree out, more specifically fruit trees that your mother had planted before you were born. Pomegranate trees, peach trees and fig trees, the early sun was shining down upon your illustrious home.You used to run once around your home while you still had a mortal body but now that your body was more resilient, you would run five times around the property- didn’t mean you absolutely despised it. “Koe! You’re killing me with this!”

‘Less complaining! More running! And turn up the music, I can barely hear Mozart over your incessant whining!’

“For one! Listening to classical music is not good motivational music for exercising!”Soon, enough was enough and you had to halt your steps, leaning over with sweat dripping from your face as your hands clutched your knees. “I need a break…!”“Don’t stop now! You’re nearly finished!” Koe remarked as you jumped up and reached for a fig hanging from one of the branches and letting yourself fall against the tree. “In a bit, a little R&R never killed anyone. Besides- you haven’t tasted the figs yet have you? It's been so long since I’ve had a fig.” You smiled, tearing open the fruit with your sharp nails and digging into it. “Mmh.. that's so good…”

It is….. sweet… Are all fruits so sweet?’

‘No, not all fruits are sweet, lemons, limes and grapefruits are quite bitter but can make good drinks.’

We will have to explore these tastes together.’

Before you could respond to him, a flash blinded you suddenly and the sound of a camera shutter was heard from your right. Your head quickly snapped to the right where you saw a middle aged man looking down on you with his camera in hand. “Wow (Y/n)! You look so natural here! What's going on with your skin- some kind of new skin care we haven’t heard of yet?”“Who are you?!” You squealed, getting up from your position at the tree, which made him look disappointed. “Ah! No- I had more photos I wanted to take-!”“This is private property! Leave my home at once or I’m calling the police and having you arrested for trespassing!” You shout, stomping up to him, attempting to grab the camera from his hand but he quickly moves out of the way. “Hey, hey now! You don’t wanna act so hastily now.” He said smugly and you quickly noticed the body cam attached to his chest. “Imagine what the public would think If you’re seen attacking a reporter-” “You have no right to be here! Those videos and photographs are illegal- I did not consent to those, delete them now-”“By the way, I have to ask about the rumors circulating about what happened to you, many people believe you were tortured, did that happen?”“What the fuck- I am under no obligation to answer any of your questions- now get out before I call the security-”“A good few also believe you were assaulted- sexually assaulted.” A grimy smile spread across his face. “There are alot of gang bang videos servicing online claiming to be you and the kidnappers, its okay, no one blames you for what happened- in fact- we can move a movie together- a little documentary of sorts of the horrific things that happened the night and how they made you stronger as a person-”

‘EAT HIM.’

He didn’t have to say it twice before you sprinted toward him sharp nails forming as you slashed across his belly watching his insides fall out. The slimy photographer soon lost his creepy perverted smile as he began screaming his lungs, snot and tears falling freely as he tried to gather his guts. “WHAT DID YOU DO!? WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME!? AGGH!” He squealed like the pig he was. You kicked him to the ground and snatched the camera from his chest, promptly crushing it.“You wanna make a movie together? Fine, I got an idea for a title, this one is called ‘(Y/n)’s body.’ “You got to the ground and began to pull out his insides before feasting on them like the ravenous animal you were, all the while he kicked and screamed begging you to stop.But you didn’t stop of course, you were getting your meals worth.. . .“Another one, dead! Another body we’ve had to dispose of- what were you thinking child?!” Your father roared from across his desk as he stared down at you, now in the clothes that Koe helped pick out for you, freshly showered and glammed up with both your crying mother and mildly annoyed grandmother on either side of you.“Um, I’m thinking some creep came onto the property with the intention of taking some illicit photographs of me and I was simply defending myself.” You sighed wistfully, looking at your social media, by the looks of things, more and more people were coming to their own conclusions, the gang rape thing being more and more apparant. It was stupid- why kidnap one person from a highly secure fashion show to sexual assault them when you could literally pick up any poor soul from the street.“My daughter…. A killer…! Why is this happening to me?!” Your mother cried, covering her face.“Well at least another one of those vultures are gone, what a relief!” Your grandma sighed as she sipped your tea.“It is imperative that no one finds out what you are, princess! I can only protect you for so long, if you keep this up, people will notice that they've gone missing and it’ll lead right back to us!”

‘Tell your sire to stop making us feel bad, you are a princess and thus shouldn’t be treated this way.’

“Koe says you should stop trying to guilt trip me, they were all in the wrong, I’m the victim here!”“Tell Koe to stop defending you! He’s just as guilty in this!” Your father huffed! “I’ve had to hire professionals from the goddamn mafia to help clean this up!It's been six people you’ve killed already- eaten alive! I feed you both more than enough to sustain your body and have had to make questionable partnerships with shady people just so you have a steady income of blood- when does it end?!”Yes, you did tell your daddy, your mom and your granny of your recent affliction. Your father couldn’t believe it at first but stepped up to help provide you with all you needed, your granny took it quite well which is surprisingly unsurprising. And your mother, you could not help but notice the denial radiating off her, not wanting to believe what happened to you occurred. You’ve also had to have the awkward talk about Koe, an ancient being that lives within you, your dad doesn’t seem to like Koe that much but then again, is any father okay with an ancient old man living inside their baby girl.“I don’t know dad! Koe and his people have always sustained themselves on whatever they could find, animalistic or humanoid- I’m still trying to help him adjust to a humanary diet!”“What about work dear? It's been a month now- you must get back on your feet soon and keep yourself busy! Isn’t that how we’ve raised you to be?” “Do you remember I literally had a near death experience? I’m not even sure I even want to be a model anymore!”The gasps resounded around you and within you. Your arm suddenly was suddenly taken over and two dark eyes formed with a mouth. “She’s not serious! You're not serious right…?!” Koe begged. Your grandma looked upset as your mother only continued to cry. “The pretty clothes- the lifestyle- the worship from the masses, you really want to give that up?!”

“I concur with your little demon friend. If you quit, what will you do, child? You only graduated thanks to your father and you never went to college. You have no experience other than modelling so what will you even do?” Your grandma huffed.You sighed, leaning back in your seat, your arms over the back as you stared up at the ceiling. “I have a few ideas, but first, I need to meet with Scarvoski.”“No. Absolutely not!” Your father commanded. When he found out what Scarvoski did, he wanted to drag him to court and have him answer for what he did to you. Your Grandma and mother pleaded with him not to as he was the best jeweller of the time and you were still debating what to do. He wasn’t the reason the phantom troupe came after you, an unforeseen event no one could have predicted. Was he planning to tell you after the show, just what was his motive for giving you the necklace other than giving you eternal beauty?You were angry that night and acted irrationally, from what you know, he’s been in contact with your grandmother the past month but your father forbids him to come anywhere near the property. You still have his book with all the notes, notes you’ve been reading up on properly, yet you still have questions.“Granny, can you call Uncle Alexander and tell him I want to meet?”“No, you will not meet- and he’s not your uncle nor a friend of this family anymore!” Your father barked.“Dad, I have to!” You exclaim, sitting up. “I need to know why he did it- but more importantly… if he plans to do it to anyone else..” “What do you mean pumpkin?” Your granny asked as you folded your arms. “In one of the entries written by the hunters, it wasn’t just the diamonds that were taken, it was a bunch of other gems- what happened to me could happen to other girls- if he is, I need to make him fess up before any other poor girl is blindsided.”“Fine. You may meet with him- but he is to come to the property alone, your grandmother will be here with you when he does and there will be armed guards during this meeting!”“God Phorenzo, the man is sixty seven years old, what do you expect him to do?” Your Granny scolded.. . .‘We are stunning.’ Koe drawled as you took the last remaining curler from your hair and shook your hair about, letting them unravel and liberate themselves. Skincare done. Body hair, removed. Hair, flawless. “We really are.” You concurred with the voice in your head. You looked at your freshly manicured nails, french tips.

‘I still find it miraculous that you get by having pictures taken of you so people can witness your beauty. If only there were such opportunities on the Dark Continent.’

“Did you have old flames Koe? Someone you really loved or cared about before you died?’

‘Why do you ask?’

"Just humour me, It's hard for me to find someone who meets my standards cause obviously, I’m so beautiful and everyone else is just so ew.”

‘True, but within the clans, there was no such thing as an ‘ugly’ or ‘hideous’ gem, just a matter of who was more beautiful. There was one such gem that I found companionship with, he was a pearl of such gentle beauty- doe eyes and a round face- his hair would naturally curl around his face giving him such an angelic look- it saddened me greatly when he was killed.’

“He was killed? How?’

‘One thing you must understand about our society is that it has always been a historically and culturally matriarchal society.’

“Yeah, I remember that. Females have more standing than the male counterpart. While some types of gem are more superior to the other, within those groups, it is always the males who answer to the females.”

‘I was the mate of another diamond, a great warrior of our clan but I made the mistake of thinking she would not take me seeking out another’s attention as an insult. I had a certain preference but I dared not neglect my duties to her. When I was not with her, I was with him and that upset her so, she killed him.’

‘She killed your boyfriend?! Gosh…. That's horrible.’

‘And as much as I hated her for it, I could not go against her. It is taboo to go against your superior. Females are afforded the privilege to engage in romance with each other while us males must make due, only needed when the females wish to procreate.’

‘“What the hell is gender equality then? Gosh, I’m really sorry Koe.”“Are you speaking to yourself again?” Your head turned quickly and there stood Ilumi in your window, the wind gently blowing through his long luscious longs of ebony hair. “There you are~” You hum, getting up and approaching him. “How have you been, Zoldyck?”“I have been well.” He said as you allowed him into your home. “God Illumi- do you have any idea how entrancing you looked just now- I swear you’d come to sweep me off my feet if I didn’t know any better~”“Would you like that?” He asked, surprising you by lightly gripping your chin. You chuckled, taking hold of his arm. “Don’t tease me, by the way, I’m loving the outfit.” You smiled, examining the assassin wearing jade coloured qipao with matching sleeves, a lime belt and pale mint pants. “Perhaps I wore it here on purpose? It seems to have a… desired effect on you.” He said in a sensual tone as he stuck his thumb between your lips. This was getting dangerous.He knew exactly what he was doing, you squeezed your legs together, a warmth building up in your core as you resisted the temptation to suck on his thumb. You had to pry the man’s thumb from between your limbs, a vast blush spread across your face. “You think I’m an easy woman Mr Zoldyck? I’m insulted.”“No, you’re not. But what I wouldn’t give to push you into this mattress of yours…” He said, taking his hands, placing them on your arms and lightly guiding you to your bed. “Spread open those legs of yours and see what makes you tick.”“It's an amusing thought. Mr Zoldyck, but that's not why either you nor I are here.” You mumbled, every urge in your body wanting to jump his bones. You know for a fact Koe likes him and urges you to get on with it. If there's any man who you should allow to indulge in your body, it should be Illumi Zoldyck, a man with vigor, beauty and strength. A man with virility and power as well as grace and elegance. He released a sigh before sitting down by your side. “No, it isn’t, I have what Koe has desired.” He noted before pulling something from a satchel in hand and handing it to you.Blood. Blood from either rare beasts or beasts whose blood is extremely hard to extract. Blood that could only be found in the black markets of the underworld. “Koe said that drinking these types of blood will introduce properties that will allow me to get stronger- like this one from the Korori- it’s to help boost up my non existence tolerance to poison.”“What types of poison have you been taking already?” “Right now, he’s trying to get me to adapt to poisonous mushrooms. They suck.”“I could give you a few pointers on what poisons are good to start off with for beginners.”“That would be appreciated.”You placed the satchel down before getting off the bed and heading over to your vanity. “I have your payment right here.” You pulled up a box and walked over to him, still sitting on your bed. You opened it up, a box full of diamonds, shining brightly in the reflection of the lights in your room. “Voila, pretty impressive huh?”“I guess we should be thankful the troupe never got their hands on you. They’d probably have you producing diamonds for them, day in and out.” Illumi noted, placing the box down on the ground, both of you satisfied with the other's trade. You removed your robe to reveal your silk black teddy bodysuit, ruffled with fine lace. “Well now that we both have what we want, the question remains on what we should do now~” You giggled, flopping onto your bed, his eyes never leaving your body.“What should we do?” He asked intently.“I mean… you could leave… or you could spend the night with me~?” You smirked.Your situationship with Illumi was a strange one. You wouldn’t call him a friend but it was clear he found you and your power a fascinating one. It started off a week after the kidnapping, just like now. Mr Zoldyck in your window, gazing upon you like a vampiric entity with lascivious eyes despite his melancholic facial expressions. As Koe had guessed, like Chrollo, you had ensnared Illumi into your web unknowingly.He wanted to know more about you and Koe, the being from somewhere else. At first, you wondered why his morbid curiosity but he said he would tell you in due time. Not much is known about the Dark Continent, other than the V5, a treaty established by the world nations exactly 200 years ago that prohibited the act of traveling to the continent. Supposedly, everytime man traveled to the continent, it unleashed disaster among humanity whenever they returned.According to the notes, the hunters who went to the Dark continent knowingly admitted that they were breaking the law and yet still set sail, why? Because that’s what hunters do, explore the mysterious unknown. No one knew they had set sail so when they returned, it surprised many people, the only proof the journey existed lay documented in your book. The question was how did Scarvoski know they were coming? How did he get there before the Hunter association?But back to the matter at hand, you believe Illumi had more than the morbid fascination, that was what he said but you knew that gaze of his well enough, you had seen it in the eyes of many men and women who watch you, either when you strutting down a runway or when your out and about. In the club, the mall, on the street. People are naturally enraptured by your visage and it was foolish of you to expect that Illumi Zoldyck would be any different, but then again, he had left you with a taste of desire too.As you lay in your bed, he lays right next to you staring you down like a predator, his hands wandering to your body, laying a hand on your shoulder, his arm going down and down before reaching your hands. “What is that smell?” He wondered, pulling your hand to his own face before giving it a small whiff. A look of satisfaction and relief overcoming his features.“Jasmine?” He pondered.“A balm I use for my hands, I apply it every time I finish washing my hands, do you like it?” You asked.“It's a scent that suits you, everything about you just seems right….” He muttered as he laid his lips upon your hands, kissing them softly. A gesture that touched your heart, a kiss for each finger and knuckle, kissing the back of your hand before turning over and kissing the palm of your hand. An action that seemed so intimate, an experience you’ve never felt before. He was just kissing your hand but it was so sensual and close, you didn’t know what to make of it, like it was touching the deepest parts of your soul where no one had ever ventured before.“Your hands are so soft.. So supple, I’ve never felt such hands in my life.”“What am I to you, Illumi?” You asked, gazing back at him. “A curiosity.” He merely answers as he scoots himself closer to you on the bed. “If you get too close to me like that Illumi, I may not be able to find a boyfriend.”“Don’t be ridiculous.” He sneered. “Boyfriend? Like you’ll ever find someone who's good enough?”“Are you good enough for me then Illumi?” You asked.“I’m an assassin, I don’t do romance.”He was saying one thing but his thoughts and actions were another. The assassin moved, climbing onto top of you and caressing your face. “What use is romance to either of us anyway? It is a useless thing, you and I both know what we want.” He whispered before leaning his lips down to yours.It was a kiss unlike any you had ever received. Dark and passionate, sliding his fingers under your head and lifting it up so he could kiss you more deeply, you feared you could not help but concur as you reached under his arms and grabbed at his shoulders, lifting yourself up and reaching him. His skin was hot against your long hair tickling your red ears and in that moment, everything in you screamed to abandon common sense.“Besides, if you were to ever take another lover, I’d kill them…”“Illumi-”“Sugar plum- you in here, come join me in the lounge, it's been some time you and I have shared a Charcuterie board-” Your Grandma barged into the room. “Oh my.” She replied.“Granny- get out!” You barked, Illumi getting off you quickly as you wrapped a throw around you.“Since when do you have boys over? You better not be having sex without protection- I’ll kill you if you get pregnant!” She barked as she looked over at Illumi before looking back at you. “Then again, I can see why you sneaked him in, your mother would have been all over him.”“Granny! I was in the middle of something!”“Clearly.”“Perhaps this is a bad time, I shall rejoin you another night.” Illumi suggested before he picked up the box and stepped out the window. “Illumi, wait!” You cried, rushing over, only to find he was gone.“Wasn’t that the assassin boy who rescued you?” Your Granny huffed.“Thanks a lot Granny- you just ruined my chances of getting laid! I hope you're happy!” You sneered.“Oh come on Sugar plum- surely he isn’t the only boy in your contacts- in fact when I was younger, I had many boyfriends at a time, to limit a beauty such as yourself to one man is simply ridiculous.”“If that's your way of telling me you were a whore back in your day, thanks.”“I will beat you child.”. . .*Splash!**Splash!**Splash!*

‘Come now (Y/n)! One more and that’ll be one hundred.’

‘I know!’ You thought as you kicked yourself off the side of the pool to continue your backstroke to the other side of the pool, you had been going at this for quite a while and you had not yet needed to catch your breath. This exercise wasn’t just about cardio and strength building but stamina. Stretching your arms out and kicking through the water until you made it to the other side of the pool. ‘Okay- and you are done!’

You let yourself sink to the bottom of the pool where you cross your legs and look up at the sky, the light filtering through the pool and touching your skin, little diamonds shining brightly across your organ. ‘I’m hungry, what say you?’ You asked Koe as you relaxed against the pool’s tiled wall.

‘I desire meat. Doesn’t matter what type- something filling.’

“(Y/n)! (Y/n) darling! Alexander is here!” Your mother called from beyond the waters of the pool. “You got to your feet and pushed yourself up, reaching the surface, you came face to face with your mother and Scarvoski. “Mom, Uncle.” You say monotonously.“I must ask, how long have you been in there for my dear?” The designer asked, you shrugged your shoulders. “Thirty minutes, I think? Breathing isn’t really a problem for me.”“Hahaha! Oh you know her Alex- my princess thinks she’s a mermaid-! Hahaha, now if you’ll excuse me- I need another martini, hahaha!” Your mother laughed, the denial in her voice as she wandered back into her house. You put your hands up on the ledge and pulled yourself out of the pool, servants immediately coming to your side, one wrapping a towel around your waist while another put a cigarette between your lips and lit the end. “You are glistening!” Scarvoski commented, completely awestruck as the sun’s rays made your skin sparkle and shine.

‘We are so fucking cool.’

‘We really are.’ You noted mentally, facing the designer. “Now then, shall we sit?” You asked. The old man nodded his head as you both went over to the outdoor fireplace, another towel set on your designated seat, your Grandmother waiting for you both. “There you both are, shall we get started then?” She asked, smoking her own cigarette.You sat down facing Scarvoski who sat opposite of you. “Gloria, you look radiate as ever.” Scarvoksi nodded towards your Grandma, however, she in turn looked entirely unamused. You put your cigarette out before crossing your legs. “Uncle… Why did you do this to me?” You ask again, but this time, a lot more calm than you were previously confronted.“Because- dear (Y/n).” he began. “You are a work of art. As a designer, it is my greatest pleasure in life to work with young and beautiful woman. Selling a dream of fantasy, beauty of fantasy. I’ve worked with so many young models before you who at one point or another reach the peak of their careers- only to be forgotten. They either die you or outgrow your career- starting families, growing all… no longer radiating the youthful beauty they shine on the stage- of course, not you Gloria.” Scarvoski said quickly as your Granny shrugged her shoulders. Although she was in her sixties, at her last checkup at the doctors, they told her physically, she was in her forties.“So your response was to turn me into a monster?” You snarled, folding your arms.“You are not a monster!” He exclaimed, in turn, you held up one of your arms and in a seconds, thousands of tiny eyes manifested, making him jump back a bit in surprise. “My goodness!”“Oh yeah, by the way, I eat people now. Did my Granny tell you that?” You asked, looking between the two senior citizens. “S-She didn’t mention that…. But I had a feeling such a problem might arise…” He squirmed.“What?” You granny asked, looking in your direction. “I did not want to scare him off.” The eyes on your arm soon disappeared and you put it back where you previously placed it. “My appetite has gotten bigger, I have to drink blood now because if I don’t, my hair goes all frizzy and dry, I break out and I get all sweaty and gross- I can’t stomach anything else until I’ve had blood.”“That is the price… for a long life.” “I never asked for a long life or any of that! I know you have other necklaces- things that can do the same as me- do you plan to blindside me like the others?”“No- if anything- I was making sure the necklace works first!” He exclaimed, catching you off guard. “What do you mean by that Alex?” Your Grandma sneered.“Others have made the foolish mistake of touching the gems with their bare hands, stated by testimonies of the rock clan themselves- only those who meet the requirements to fuse my touch with them and live.” “So- let me get this straight, you put that necklace on me fully well knowing I could have died- knowing what would happen to me?”“No.” he reaffirmed. “I knew you would meet the requirements, that's why I had faith when I put it on your neck- and I wasn’t trying to blindside you. I had every intention of taking the necklace off you before you fused- right after the show, it was meant to come right off, I had no idea the Phantom Troupe of all people would come and break in and take you!”“So- you were planning to tell me then?” You asked.“Of course!” he exclaimed. “I was gonna tell you from start to finish- tell your mother and Gloria here and have them pressure you a bit…. But at the end of the day, it was meant to be your choice.”“Who are the other candidates then?” You ask, sitting up properly. Scarvoski then took a folder from his satchel and got up. “I had a feeling you would ask, so here you go.” He smiled, handing it to you, opening it up, and you felt a shock course through you. Most of the candidates were friends of yours, fellow models who knew what it was like to have everyone be jealous of you.No that was not arrogance, that was the truth, plain and simple.“I’ve already assigned what gems each should receive- of course, I have had you assigned as the diamond, the highest within the system. The rest would be under you. You would have your sapphire, a ruby and an emerald by your side and under them would be the garnets, beryls, pearls, Quartz- but we have no granities.”“Why not?” You asked.“Please, who wants a necklace made of granite?” He chuckled. Fair point. “If I could have the book back, I haven’t made anyone into a gem like you yet- i wish to have it so I and the others can make an informed decision.” “You can, Me and Koe have already remembered everything in the book.”“Who is Koe?” The designer asked. He doesn’t know that the souls of the previous gems were still in their designated rocks? Interesting, best to keep this to yourself for now? “Just a new assistant I’ve hired, don’t worry, they’ve signed an NDA.” You lie.“Ah, I knew I could count on you. If possible, I’d like you to meet with the girls before hand-, tell them what to expect before they come to decision-” “I will do that, but before that- I’d like for you to put that on pause for a moment, i’ll be going away in a month's time.”“Oh to do what?” He asked.. . .“THE HUNTER EXAM!?” Your father bellowed at dinner time.“DON’T YELL AT US!” Koe bellowed back before giving you back control, he gets really touchy when people try to talk down to you. Your mother just stared at you with a disturbed smile before looking over at the butlers. “Edgar- more caviar please!” She laughed, trying to ignore that you had become someone else at that moment.“I tried to talk them out of it, they’re as stubborn as you Phorenzo.” Your Granny huffed, cutting up her salmon.“What on earth are you going to do as a Hunter? And for crying out loud, how do you plan to pass the hunter exam? It's a test that could mean life or death and you young lady can barely look after yourself!” Your father scolded.“Hunters are respected professionals Daddy. Besides- Me and Koe have been training all this time, he knows a lot more than me so I won’t entirely be on my own! It's not like I’m seriously gonna get hurt!” You smiled, making sure he saw your puppy dog eyes. ‘This is humiliating.’ Koe growled.‘Shut up- anything to get him to go along with this!’ You argued internally.“Oh my little girl- a hunter! What an idea!” Your mother laughed before downing another glass of wine.“Being a hunter isn’t just all about fighting! You have to be smart- you- you have to be a million things!” He argued some more.“If I get a hunter’s license- I can get away with killing people.” You shrugged. “Hmm?” He was all ears.“Yeah- I’ll be allowed other places normal civilians aren't and I easily kill someone and just say it was self defense.”You knew your dad was tired of having the mafia clean up your messes- but if you get the next time with a license- you can just say it was self defense! “Okay, Fine, I will allow it. Hear me young lady- despite your powers- you can not let anyone know what really happened!”“Yes daddy.” You smiled.“Does this mean you’re gonna give up modeling?” Your mother asked, half way through her own dinner as you shook your head. “No, in fact- Jean Raul has asked me to take part in his show in February-”“That's my girl.” Your Grandmother winked, sipping her martini.. . .“Where are we going today Madame?” You chauffeur asked as you stepped into the back seat of the car. “The Yorknew Library.” You answer firmly, setting your bag down and putting on your seat belt as he begins to turn on the ignition.Today’s outfit was an asymmetrical black and white bandana style dress with black chunky platform sandals with your black pirkin and a pair of chunky sunglasses. Yoru driver looks at you and hums. “Are you sure you wish to wear that madam- it's quite cold outside.”“Tony, A hoe never gets cold.” You state firmly, shutting him up as he proceeds to drive. Taking out a notepad and pen, you write at the top of the page, ‘BOOKLIST’. ‘These libraries you speak of, if you are correct, we will find everything we require there. Before we attend the hunter exam, we must brush up on our knowledge on what we must expect, for example, beasts, botany and our problem solving skills- I understand you may be lacking in those areas…”

‘Thanks for the vote of confidence Buddy- but wouldn’t you know all this by now? You are the ancient almighty diamond warrior.’

‘I know many things, but the Dark Continent and Islands of Lake Mobius are two entirely different things. I am going to look up the plants and beasts we are most likely to face depending on the geographical locations we find ourselves in.’

“That's a lot of words….” You mumble.“Say something madame?” You chauffeur asked.“Nothing.” Finally, Yorknew City appeared in the distance, it had been a long time since you found yourself back in the city, after all that fiasco that went down with the Phantom troupe. While on the road, you remember the exact spot where you faced them with Koe- possibly one of the scariest moments of your life. That whole night you spend hiding and running, wondering if you would ever make it home. Things will be different the next time, they have to be….“Madame, we’re here.” Tony said as he pulled up by the entrance. Yorknew national library, available to the public and used by the most esteemed scholars and hunters alike. “Call me when you’re ready to be picked up Madame.” He hummed as you stepped out and he drove off.‘Come now, let us get going.’ Koe said as you walked up the steps and walked through the revolving doors, however, once you stepped inside, you had already garnered a myriad of looks- and not the good kind. ‘What is going on? What are these feelings of insecurity and anxiety that are bubbling up?’ Koe demanded.‘I think they’re giving me judgemental looks.’ You say to him as you pull your bag upon your shoulder. ‘For what nonsense reason? We are so beautiful and pretty and they are vermin- why should they be at our feet worshipping us.’

‘That's the thing, my kind and they’re kind don’t mix. The only time I’ve ever interacted with these types of guys is when I convinced those nerdy kids to do my homework for them in exchange for a photo with them.’ You take off your sunglasses and stuff them into your bag.

‘Who cares?! We are here to learn just as much as they are! Let us continue on our quest.’

You walk up to the librarian who greets you with a warm smile despite your attire. You ask her which would be the best books if you wanted to study botany, beasts and ancient puzzles. “Up on the third floor dearie- you should find the puzzle book in section 678, however, I warn you not to go if you have any allergies… it's been quite a while since I’ve dusted up there..”“I’m sure I can manage…thank you Miss.”The Botany book was easy enough to find as was the beast's book. They had multiple copies of the same book, more than likely there were many people who needed to study said book. You held them both under your arms as you entered an old elevator and allowed it to carry you up the even older third floor. The area seemed quite barren which was strange.

‘It is early in the morning, is it not? I suppose it won’t fill up till later.’

The place was dimly lit, very few windows in the room on the upper floor, most likely to protect the books from deterioration, the occasional ceiling light would flash on but only for a short while. ‘Thank god for technology..’ You thought as you turned on the torch on your phone and began to search through the dense third floor.Cobwebs covered the areas between the ceiling and the bookcases which were littered with dust. “Jeez, the librarian wasn’t kidding.” Holding up your phone, you mumbled each numbered section, until you found the one that the librarian told you to go to. “What was the name of the book she told us to look for?”

‘Otherworldly puzzles and secrets- the mystery of the unknown.’

“That's the one.”You stopped in front of the bookcase, your eyes searching through the titles until you spotted it. “Ah! Here it is.” You reached up to grab the book, however, your fingers were just out of reach. “Are you kidding me?”

‘What's the problem? Just climb up and grab it.’

“No! I can’t just climb the bookcase- that's barbaric!”

‘Who cares? No one else is here.’

“I’m not climbing the bookcase Koe, I just gotta reach up higher!” You groaned as you used your platforms to stand a little higher. “Almost there- almost-” And it was still out of reach. “Come on!” You whined.“Here, let me get that for you.” A hauntingly familiar voice said from behind you as he reached over your head and took the book with little effort. You were frozen in place, an intense shivered coursed through your spine as it erupted through your body, you dare not look back at the source of the voice- not wanting to believe he was really there. ‘How is this possible?! There is no way he could have snuck up on us like that…!’

Your first nights after arriving home were filled with nightmares. Nightmares of the very man behind you, coming for you chasing- hunting you down- holding you tightly- squeezing the breath from your lungs as he held the diamond dagger against your throat, softly yet painfully cutting your skin and letting your crimson blood drain from your neck. Why was he here? What did he want?!“Come on pretty girl, don’t you want your book?” You could hear the smile in his voice, the gentleness and charm that once drew you in, the very same gentleness and charm that now scared the hell out of you. ‘(Y/n)- you know what to do.’ Koe argued, but in truth, you were terrified, you didn’t want to go through what you did last month, you couldn’t, you wouldn’t!A smooth hand was placed on your shoulder, slowly shifting you around. “Let me see you.” In an instant, you were met face to face with the root of your fears- the very man that made you feel true terror. There he stood in a long purple coat with white fur trim, closed with gold buttons. His onyx hair remained down and free, his dioptase earrings remained as did the strange cross tattoo on his forehead. “There she is.” He smiled.“C-Chrollo…” You choked, staring up at him, keeping your hands defensively to your chest. What the fuck do you do? Do you fight him? There was no way you could actually beat him! Flight? You tried that multiple times before and he always caught you! “Hey now, why are you looking so pale? Don’t tell me you’re unwell.” He began to reach his hand towards your head. “Perhaps you got a fever-”“DON’T TOUCH ME!” You squealed. In an instant, your body hardened and crystallized, within that moment, you began to project your aura outwards in an attempt to drive him away, yet he remained but had stepped back a bit. “You know that only works on non-nen users, right?”“LEAVE ME ALONE!” You cried, throwing both books at him before running off in a random direction.“Hey! These are precious books- it's rude to throw them at people!” Chrollo retorted, but you didn’t give a damn about no fucking books, you were getting the hell out of there! You rush through a set of dusty bookcases, panic erupted from you as you ran mindlessly through the area- for the life of you, you couldn’t remember where the damn elevator was!You made a right turn and just ran from that point onwards. “(Y/n)!” Chrollo said, appearing right at the end of the row, making you fall onto your butt. Your platform became loose and you had no choice but to shake it off. “Come now, let's talk! We have some catching up to do.” You scoot back further on your back, kicking off your other platform as you stare at him down.“No way!” You shout, getting back to your feet and running as fast as you can, daring not once to look back at him, making a turn to your left, you spotted the elevator in sight and bolted for it. You slam your finger on the elevator button a myriad of times. “Come on!” You wail.You look back, Chrollo isn’t there. You hear the elevator door *ping* open and you quickly step inside. “Close damn it!” You say, pressing the button to make the doors close, and close they do.You take a sigh of relief.“(Y/n)?” A hand sticks itself between the doors and they halt automatically. “No..!” You cry, Chrollo pries the doors open and allows himself in, all three of your books under one arm as his other hand went to the top of the elevator’s buttons and chose the very top floor. “I take it you don’t want to see me.”“What do you want?!” You squealed, backing yourself into the corner of the elevator, never losing his gaze. He kneeled down and set your required reading on the floor before pulling out your forgotten platforms. “Don’t you remember my note? You forgot your shoes, you must want me to carry out my promise.” He smirked, before taking hold of your leg and forcing it forward toward him. Your crystalised foot in his hand, he slowly looked all the way up towards your face.“You really are so beautiful, you know that (Y/n)? I’ve been so eager to see you again.”“What do you want…?” You asked again, your fingers gripping the railings inside the lift.“I thought it was obvious, I wanna be your friend.” He purred, caressing your crystalised limb before sliding your platform onto your foot. “It's really brave of you, wearing sandals and a dress like that in December- but I like this dress on you, it really suits you.” “What the fuck is wrong with you…?!” You gasped. “One minute- you’re trying to butter me up, then you fucking kidnap me, chase me around all night and then give me back the diamonds you intended to steal from me the very next day!”“Oh that!” He laughed, putting your other platform back on your foot before standing up. Despite your elevated shoes, he easily stood over you. “You remember that attack you gave me and the guys! You nearly took us all out in one fell swoop- I have to say, it was really impressive. There are alot of blacklist hunters after us and none of them could stop us- but you nearly got us in one night!”“What's your point?!” You squawked which took him back a bit. “Well- that attack where you shot diamond projectiles at us- it was a lot of diamonds! Shal says that each one goes for two billion jennies a piece and there are plenty of buyers on the blackmarket who want one so I guess thanks are in order.” “Sir, I was trying to kill you that night- because you tried to kill me that night!” You shouted, your exterior vanishing, leaving you in your bare flesh. “How dare you try to play the suave guy with me when we both fully know what you and your goonies tried to do to me that night!” You harshly poke your finger into his bare chest.“There she is, your diamond form is exquisite but you are so much prettier when you’re… you.” He smiled. “I wasn’t planning on killing you. Sure the others were suggesting that but we would have found a way.” He grinned, trying to play it off, but you weren’t a tool.“Oh- yeah. Sure! Like I’ll believe you for a second! You bastards are the cause of my nightmares- and I never wanna see you again!”“Oh come on, don’t say that.” He smiled, taking your hand and pushing you back into your corner, you were taken aback as he leaned his forehead against yours. “It hurts you don’t wanna be around me- I would like to get to know you (Y/n). That night was nothing more than a job, nothing personal.”“You're a disgusting pig.” You say bluntly. Now that really surprised him. “You think I have so little respect for myself that I’ll just bow down and forgive you? Giving me a pretty smile and holding my hand like we’re just a pair of star crossed lovers? Fat chance- if you don’t let me leave, I’m going to scream ‘rape’ at the top of my lungs.”He remained quiet for a minute and only a minute. But when that minute passed, a grin cracked from his lips as he began to chuckle darkly. It was ominous and horrible- like something that only a monster born from absolute despair could muster. “Hahahaha! Haha- Hahahahaha!” He broke out into laughter as if what you just said was the funniest thing you had ever said to him, you of course, did not find any amusement in this. “What's so funny Jackass?!”“You are, (Y/n)!” He chuckled. “It's amazing you can go from friendly and carefree girl to this stone cold and icy person. You say the most cruel and malicious things and if I didn't know any better, I would say you actually meant it- but you really aren't, despite your persona you show off to the rest of the world- you’re hiding who you really are.”“What the hell do you even know about me creep!? You don’t know a damn thing about me-”“I know you’ve had to turn off all your social media notifications because of all the rumours spreading about you.” He smiledYou froze.“I also know you don’t have many friends- just those… three girls you meet regularly- supermodels like yourself- women you’ve known for so long you feel no need to compete with them and they you.”You push past him reaching for the button to open the elevator door as quickly as possible but he quickly grabs your arm and pulls you back into his chest, his lips ghosting your ear. “Stop!”“You're the type of girl that other girls love to hate on (Y/n). They hate you because they are jealous of your success, of your beauty… of your background. They know they can never be you so they go to ridiculous lengths to bring you down however they can. Such as rumours about you being sexually assaulted by the group that kidnapped you. Anything to ruin your perfectly crafted image- but I see you, the real you.”“Let go of me!” You cried but he grabbed your chin, making you face him through your tear stained eyes..“Wasn’t it you who once told me you’d give anything to throw it all away one day? You don’t want to be hated- it hurts you that people could hate you for such ridiculous reasons, isn’t that right? After all, what did you ever do wrong?”“SHUT UP!” You screamed, grabbing his hand and biting down as hard as you could.“Agh!” He gasped trying to reef his arm away but you had made a grave miscalculation on your part.You bit down on his skin and drew blood. His crimson fluid had made its way into your mouth and you felt the sparks fly on your tongue, pleasurable and ecstatic sparks that tingles your insides. It was amazing- it was.. “Tantalizing…” You moaned.“(Y/n)?” Chrollo asked, but you could not answer him, you needed to have more of his blood- it set your veins aflame with desire and joy. You held his wounded hand closer to your mouth as you sucked on the wound. Your back still to his chest but you cared not. Licking and sucking at the wound you made on his hand- his blood was exquisite in taste- you’ve already eaten six people- but their flavor didn't even come in comparison to the the flavor of Chrollo’s blood.“I’ve heard a lot of things.” Chrollo murmured, holding your body closer to his as he watched a stray drop of blood drip from his chin. “Journalists, photographers and reporters- news seeking wanderers sneaking into your home to try to get an exclusive interview for you- only for no one to return. Although when the police launched an investigation- there was no credible trace of anyone there so it eventually led to a dead end and their disappearances completely forgotten about.”He used his finger to drag the droplet of blood back up to your lips, only for you to take hold of his other hand, practically sucking on it like you would an ice lolly. Your mouth was a mess, your lip gloss smeared with blood and yet you couldn’t care less. “Now you’ve gone and done it….” You snarled.A *pop* sound echoing the elevator as you remove your mouth from his finger.“You’ve made me ruin my mascara- you bastard!” You cry. Once you hear the elevator door open, you stomp out, finding the nearest table in sight before setting your pirkin down. “Fuck my life, fuck my life, fuck my life.” You mumbled, taking out a compact mirror to see the damage done. Mascara run, lip gloss and blood smeared all over your mouth. You ran your hand through your bag, taking out some wipes and cleaning up your face.“I just pointed out some of your greatest insecurities- and yet you're more concerned with your makeup right now- you really are funny!” he laughed and you shot a look back at him.“Shut up! I just don’t want people getting the wrong idea, jerk!”“And what might that be?” He smiled.“When a girl has runny mascara and smeared lipgloss- it usually alludes that she’s been sucking dick- so yeah- not a chance I’m leaving with my face like this.”“But aren’t you the one who drank my blood? You’re the one who chose to do that.” He asked, taking out a handkerchief and wrapping it around his hand as you finished cleaning up your face. “Ugh- I can’t help myself. It's like an automatic response that happens when I smell blood- why am I telling you this?!”“Can I ask you one more thing?” He smiled, you scoffed, dumping all your stuff back into your back before folding your arms. “Fine- what is it?”“The last time we saw each other- your eyes were pitch black and the one who spoke wasn’t you. Who was that?”You felt a cold sweat drip down the back of your neck. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”‘Oh what? So you’re ashamed of me now?!’ Koe demands internally.‘You’ve been awfully quiet all this time.’ You scolded me.

‘Woman, I was trying to give you space- no one wants to hear someone elses voice while they’re trying to fuck.’

“I was not trying to fuck him- what are you nuts?!” You shouted.“Who are you talking to?” Chrollo questioned, making you freeze up. “No one!”“Me bitch.” A look of horror overcame you as Koe took it upon himself to possess your hand. Two eyes and a mouth as he looked directly in Chrollo’s eyes. “And you’re the son of a bitch who tried to kill my host not even an hour after she put me on.”“Oh, well I apologize. I had no idea there was life inside the diamonds- what is your name?” Chrollo asked oh so courteous like he wasn’t just harassing you.
“Like I’m gonna tell you! You are the reddest of red flags- your not even a flag- you’re just the color red! Stop chasing my girl and find someone in your own league homo sapien.”
“Wow!” You gasped,not believing Koe just said all that.“Oh? You don’t believe I’m good enough for Miss (Y/n)? Please elaborate.” Chrollo asked, pulling up a chair and sitting down, his posture poor as he watched your hand speak. “NO- we are not doing this now-”
“First off- their is a smell of public transport from you!”
“Oh my god!” You cried.
“I caught the whiff of peasantry the minute you walked in! Sure you may dress nice in clothes you stole from the rack- but I can tell when someone is trying to play off their origins. Once a commoner- always a commoner.”
“Koe stop! You’re gonna get me killed!”“We’re practically immortal you dumb bimbo- how is he gonna kill us!?” Your face dropped, he realised what he said as you broke out into the tears. “Koe- how could you…?!” You wept, little sobs escaping your mouth.“No- (Y/n)- I didn’t mean it! I was angry-” Koe tried to back up on what he was saying but it hurt you nonetheless. Bimbo, you hated that word. You’ve been called that since by girls and boys alike since you grew a pair of tits and became curvy- since your grades went down because your mother and Granny kept pulling you out of school to do photo shoots. So what if you weren’t the sharpest tool in the shed- you still had feelings!“Wow- that is such a terrible thing to say to her.” Chrollo said, taking your free hand and pulling you towards him. “She can’t help it if she’s prettier than everyone else- jealous people will do anything to bring her down, I think you may be one of them Koe.” Chrollo noted before pulling you into his lap. “H-hey, what are you-” You squeaked.He wiped away your tears, smoothing out your cheeks with his thumbs. “You look pretty, even when you’re crying. But I don’t like seeing you upset.”“You’re a liar.” You pouted, looking away from him.“I can be whatever you want me to be (Y/n).” He smiled, licking at his tear stained tumb.“Don’t listen to him (Y/n)! He is a frog and you are a swan!” Koe argued. “Besides- who needs him when we have Illumi! He’s much better that this gutter trash-”“Zoldyck?” Chrollo’s voice went dark. His eyes that had a bright and friendly shine now seemed a lot darker than they were before, no shine in it, just danger. “Illumi Zoldyck… you still have contact with him?”“So what if I do?!” You huffed, pushing away from him. “I owe Illumi everything- he’s the one who saved me!”“Oh please.” Chrollo snorted, as if it were funny. “The Zoldyck’s are a family of assassins. You think Illumi gets out of bed every morning to save helpless girls? If your daddy wasn’t a millionaire- you can bet he would have left you to fend for yourself.”“You’re wrong!” You shout, getting off his lap and putting your bag over your shoulder. “Illumi told me about his dad. That he was once hired to kill one of you but the money wasn’t worth it in the end. That he told him to stay clear of you guys- so tell me this, knowing all that- why would he stick his neck out for me knowing that you guys were involved and the money my dad was paying wasn’t enough to warrant my rescue?”“I’m not sure what Illumi’s intentions are- but I can assure you they’re not good ones.” He smirked. “I’ve only known Illumi a while now and I can tell you he’s more sadistic and ruthless than any other assassin I’ve met. So much so he was passed over in the line of succession in favour of his younger brother- if you had any sense of caution, you would stay as far away from him as you can.”“Oh- and you’re the pinnacle of innocence and safety? What a joke.” You scoffed, picking up your books and stomping over to the elevator, pressing the button and waiting for it to arrive. “Now that you’ve been entertained- do me a favour and leave me alone. I don’t wanna see you or your psycho friends again- you’re bad for my health.”The elevator doors opened up and before you could enter, you were turned around- lips pressing against yours in a sweet kiss that took you completely off guard, his hands lightly grasping your face as he pulled away, a smirk playing on his face,“Smoking is also bad for your health (Y/n), but it feels so good when you do it, doesn’t it?And with that, the elevator doors closed, separating both you and him as he vanished from your sight and only then did the panic set it. “OMG! Oh my god- oh my god- he freaking kissed me!” You blushed looking around, hoping there weren’t any CCTV cameras anywhere.“He knows I’m a smoker…” You paused, humiliation filling you as the elevator doors opened and you were back on the ground floor. You weren’t gonna press your luck anymore than you had this morning! Time to check out and get out! . . .

‘What is this place?’

The car rolled up through the row of palm trees as it stopped in front of a large building.that was spread out. “This is the Beach Springs Country club- this is the only place me and the girls can meet where there won’t be photographers. Besides- we always meet up here.” You noted. This time, you were wearing your dry ‘wet’ top. A white top that looks wet but is actually dry with a black bra underneath, coupled with a black mini skirt and knee high heeled Yivechy boots.

‘Country club… this is where the elite come to play, am I correct?’

“Yup.”

‘Yes!’

“Madam, talking to yourself is not healthy, is this something I need to bring to Mr Devereaux’s attention?” Tony said from behind the wheel.“Tony- I have to. Because if I don’t talk to me- who will?! Besides- my daddy doesn’t pay you to ask questions. You're paid to drive me places and shut up!”“Yes Madam.” He muttered.You stepped out of the car, bag in hand as you slammed the door and walked up the stairs. Old ladies chatted around the table for tea, old men at the bar were smoking cigars and boasting about their investments and power moves. The rich boys were down by the beach on their surfboards while other girls played volleyball.But you were here, for the pink room.“(Y/n)!”The pink room was an exquisite and luxurious lounge made of soft baby pinks. Pink tufted walls, pink cushioned chairs, marbled tables, pink curtains, pink carpet and only the most refined tableware you could ask for, white china and golden cutlery. And of course, your only friends.“Girlies!” You squealed. They squealed as they all rushed you, squeezing you tightly as they all hammered you with questions and dragging you to the table. You couldn’t hear them over the other as one of them yelled. “Waitress! Four glasses of Prosecco!”“We can’t have prosecco! It's twelve in the day!” You cried.“It's 10 pm somewhere.” Another laughed.

‘(Y/n), can you run me through who all these girls are again.’

‘Sure.’ You thought. With you at the table where three girls you have come to know fondly, fellow models like yourself who like you come from a long line of actresses and models, women of wealth and status- people were always jealous of you and they knew what it was like to have others jealous of you.“(Y/n), oh my god- how have you been? We haven’t heard from you in weeks since the incident!” She scoffed, lighting a cigarette, offering you one before you held up your hand. “Don’t worry, I brought my own.” You smiled, taking out your own cigarette but allowing her to light it for you.Edytha Harlow, a classy lady. Long mahogany hair that reached the end of her backside and bright rose coloured eyes that shone with grace and fair skin. She decided to wear a bedazzled red corset that brought up her chest nicely, paired with some black flared skinny jeans and chunky Valentina heels. She knows everything about everyone, knows every deep dark secret about everyone in the club- stuff that has come helpful to you all when things don’t go your way. But you’ve always loved that about Edytha.“Girl- you missed out on soooooo much! Last week- Jonni finally left Zosia!”“What, really? Why?” You asked.“For me! Obviously!” She laughedLilibette Jones, the serial flirt of your group. Champagne blonde hair she had that was always curled. Cornflower blue eyes that sparkled with an innocence that did not exist and you noticed that she had gotten her tan on since the last time you saw her. She wore a crystal beaded mini dress decked out with royal blues, gold and white, patterns depicting a midnight sun with fairies scattered around with a cute pair of Niu Niu heels. This girl had more charm than she knew what to do with- men and women alike were helpless against her and she was usually the cause of many break ups.“I keep telling her it ain’t nothing to be proud of.”“But does she listen?”“What do you think?”Abishola Ite, someone you like to think is the voice of reason within the group. She possessed Sacramento green eyes and a cool tone of dark skin. Like always, she wore a perfectly styled Afro that she refused to let anyone touch but herself. She wore a long cream coloured off the shoulder dress that had a slit in the side and bell sleeves, fitted with a black corset belt and Tim Gord Heels. While her mother was a famous and well known actor, her father wanted her to pursue a practical profession like political science and business- that was until your mom and Lilibette’s mom and Edytha’s mom and her mom talked her dad into letting her be a model because a face like hers would be wasted on politics.Your prosecco came and you all knocked your classes together. “Cheers!”“You have no idea how much we missed you (Y/n), after everything that happened- we thought the worst.” Abishola said before Edytha cut it. “With all those ridiculous rumors spreading- we did our best to tell everyone to shut up and mind their own business- which didn’t work…” “It's fine, I appreciate you guys sticking up for me online- I;ve had so many creeps trespass on the property trying to get an ‘exclusive’ interview with me.” You smiled.“Honestly- all paparazzi are just voyeuristic perverts- like they would happily film all of our sex tapes for us if they could.”“Lili- that's so creepy to say!” Abishola exclaimed as lilibeth shrugged her shoulders. “What?! It's true though, we’ve all had our fair share of stalkers, I wouldn’t be surprised how much their creep levels rose after what happened to (Y/n) here.”“No, for the record, they weren’t trying to rape me- they were theives. After the diamonds I was wearing.” You sighed, sipping your prosecco.“You mean to tell me they had one of the most beautiful women in the world in their grasp and didn’t lay a hand on you- yeah now that sounds creepy?” Edytha scoffed.“What do you mean? We should be thankful they didn’t touch her like that,”Abishola said.“Yeah, I know that- but they definitely had thoughts about it- all guys do. If you hadn’t escaped, they certainly would have tried something sooner or later.”“No, but life has been different since that night-”“Ah, look at that sun, isn’t it so beautiful!” Lilibette squealed as the sun came into view at the window taking out what looked like a new camera. “This baby has such great lenses- we have to take pics with the natural lighting while we still can.“Don’t be rude- (Y/n) was just speaking!” Edytha barked.“You have to admit though, I will never get tired of the view of the sun from here.” Abishola smiled as the sun’s rays lowered and filtered through the window, landing on your figure. Your fingers began to sparkle, then your arm arms, up your neck before finally reaching your face. Through the little pores in your skin, diamonds shone and glittered, catching the eyes of all your friends who looked on in amazement.“Is that some new body glitter you’re wearing?” Lilibette asked, sticking up her camera in your direction and taking a quick picture.“My goodness- you look amazing (Y/n)!” Abishola gasped.“What's your secret- no secrets between friends!” Edytha barked.“Lets just say- I’ve had a life or death experience that changed me.” You muttered, lifting up your arm and crystallizing it within the second. Your friends gasped, Edytha nearly fell out of her chair and Lilibette and Abishola quickly got closer to examine your arm. “Oh my god! What the hell happened to you!?”“Your arm is made of diamond!”“How is that possible?!”You turned it back to normal before downing the rest of your prosecco. “You guys might want to get comfortable, it's a long story.”And so, you began your tale about how Scarvoski had chosen you to wear diamonds from a place called the dark continent. Diamonds that held the deceased souls of a group of people who could harden their bodies and crystallize them into pure rock, that they were beautiful and a monstrous society that feasted upon any and all who they deemed fit to feast on. How Hunters stole the diamonds from their final resting place and brought them back here where they were turned into necklaces. That anyone who they deemed ugly or average were deemed not worthy of the diamonds and only those of true beauty may wear them.The night of the runway, Scarvokski put that diamond necklace on you, knowing you would not die. That he was meant to take it off after the show before it fused with you but by then, the Phantom Troupe had kidnapped you, intent on taking the diamonds, unaware of their true power. While you were escaping, the necklace had fully fused with you, granting you the body and powers of the Rock people which aided you in your escape.“So- what do you mean to say- you’re some diamond encrusted vampire?!” Edytha gasped.You shook your head. “No, I wouldn’t say that. While I do require blood- the rock people by nature are natural cannibals- or carnivores. They require three times the protein of a normal human and we do need sleep- just not as much as a human. If you gave Koe the chance- he would eat a whole man alive.”“Who is Koe?” Abishola asked. You poked at your head. “Koe is the soul of one of the rock people who fused with me. He doesn’t remember his name but he has been a great help at helping me navigate the ways of a semi immortal.”“Is he? The same guy who you just said would eat a whole man alive if given the chance?” Abishola retorted.“Hey- No one said he was perfect. He has his flaws like anyone but-” “I'm a flawless woman- what are you talking about?!” Koe manifested his eyes and mouth onto your hand once more and that was what sent everyone reeling. “Who is that?!” Lilibette cried as she backed up on her chair.“What is that thing?!” Edytha cried, holding Lilibette in front of her. “Come one- he doesn’t bite!” You called, although unsure if he would actually or not.“When are you gonna tell me about the offer Scarvoski is going to make?” Koe asked which took them off guard.“What is he talking about (Y/n)?” Abishola asked.You sighed, leaning back in your chair. “When the diamonds were placed on me- needless to say, I was blindsided. Before I realised what was happening to me- it was too late to stop it. This is what I am and what I’ll be for the rest of time. Scarvoski wants to make similar offers to you guys. He wants to give you necklaces to fuse with- turning you into well… something like me.”“I- I don’t know….!” Abishola trembled, her hand shaking as she covered her mouth. “Cannibalism- immortality? I don’t want to live forever!” She gasped.
“We are not immortal, like you, we are still capable of dying- though in our case, it's just a lot harder for us to die naturally or be killed. Besides- thanks to this society- you no longer have to hunt or kill for your food. The blood we drink mostly comes from healthy donors.”
“And- despite all the protein and food we have to ingest- we can make great diamonds that naturally burn the fat from ourselves so we don’t need to take calorie deficit into account. We can literally be young and beautiful forever if we want or we can let ourselves wither away if we choose.” You shrugged. “Either way, I came to you guys first so you could see for yourselves what has happened to me. So you could see first hand what you're signing up for before you decide.”“Well I….” Edytha hummed, a look of uncertainty, but Lilibette stood up quickly, placing her hands on the table. Her eyes sparkled, awe written across her face. “I want it.” She answered.“That was quick.” You reply.“You’re not even gonna sit on it?” Edytha asked her to which Lilibette snapped her head in the redhead's direction. “What's there to sit on? Long lifes- a way for us to enjoy eating without gaining weight- to be young and beautiful forever?!”“Is your beauty all that matters to you Lili?” Abishola asked.“It's ALL we’ve ever known!” She barked, startling even you. “We’re fucking models, being beautiful is part of the job and if we’re anything less, people hate on us for it! Besides- my mom told me I have to settle down soon because I’ll be 25 in less than three years so I’ll have to stop flirting.” “A goddamn miracle.” You muttered.“I fucking LOVE my life the way it is, I don’t wanna settle down- I don’t want to worry about finding a guy whose at least ten digits! I don’t want to get married- I don’t want to grow up- I want to be the centre of attention everywhere I go. I want time to have more fun and live life on MY terms and I don’t care what that says about me as a person- sure it might seem shallow…. But I don’t know any other way.”“She’s perfect.” Koe said, a smile forming on your hand as he gazed upon her. “Beautiful women like yourself should be allowed to be free and live your life the way you want it. To take as many lovers as you want and to take what you please.”“(Y/n), I think I have a crush on your little hand friend.” Lilibette said, tears in her eyes like she’s finally been seen.“Thanks.” You said through tight lips. “I have some questions.” Edytha asked, raising her own hand. “So like- we’re not immortal- just extremely hard to kill and able to live long ass lives. Does this mean we can still live among humans and stuff?”
“There is nothing wrong with that, however I should warn you though, you average human tend to find us unbelievably attractive, the fusion will make you even more so, just to keep in mind if you have any more people stalking you.”
“And- just to be clear- we’re not vampires? Like we can still eat normal human food right?”
“Naturally.”
 “And I can still have kids, right?”“Wait- you want kids?” You asked, this was the first, from Edytha of all people. “What? I’m just asking. I don’t want kids right now but say in the future?”
“If anything, your fertility will be heightened in your new forms. You could even wait until you’re a hundred years old before having children.”
 “Sweet.” Edytha smirked.“So, we’ll always be fertile? But what if I’m having coitus with my boyfriend? I’m on Birth control right now, will this affect it?” Abishola asked, concerned in her voice.
“One thing you must know about our species is that the females are the dominant sex, do you know why this is?” Koe asked, you had read about it before so you knew the answer to this.
“Because the females have absolute control over their bodies. They can control their own fertility and they can cut off access to their ovaries so they don’t have to worry about pregnancy.”
“Very good.”
“Okay, I’m sold.” Edytha responded.“Can I have some time to think about this? A deal this good can’t not have any hidden cons.” Abishola asked, a nervous look on her face.“Hey listen, I understand. If you want, I have all the known notes about it in a folder, I can send it to you if you want.” You smile, pulling up all the saved documents on your email.“Please do.” Abishola smiled.“Scarvoksi should be sending you all invites soon. I’m the only one with the diamonds so don’t get your hopes up. Since you guys are my friends, he’s given me permission to choose my ruby, my emerald and my sapphire.”“What do you mean?” Abishila asked.“Naturally, Diamonds are at the top of the ‘hierarchical’ system of the pyramid- well, in their culture. Below them are- emeralds, rubies and sapphires and everyone else is below them. You guys will have to discuss amongst yourselves who will have what necklace because that’ll be for the rest of your life.”“Well- obviously- I’ll have the ruby necklace! Just look at me!” Edytha joked.“Abishola, if you decide, you have to have the emeralds- it matches your eyes.”“So you can have the sapphires I take?”“C’mon! You know blue is my colour, it only makes sense!” These guys, you hope they never change. . . . Today was the day.You had gone to bed earlier that night so you could have an extra lie in. You woke up at exactly three in the morning where you did your morning stretches before proceeding to the shower. You practically shrubbed your skin raw before taking extra precaution with your hair, after all, it would be a while before you showered again. You brushed your teeth and did your facial routine before grabbing a prepared cucumber salad for breakfast and eating it while catching up on some of the reading.

‘It's hard to believe the day has finally come! Will you tell your family goodbye before you leave?”

“Nah, I’m not gonna bother waking them up, they’ll probably be pissed if I did. I’ll just text them later.”

‘Fair enough.’

You dried your hair and began to pull on your selected wardrobe. A periwinkle high neck bodysuit, sleeveless of course with a boob window that showed the goods. Black leather low rise pants, very, very low rise pants that barely covered your navel because you were a hot bitch like that, white heeled boots that reached below your knees, exactly 4 inches and and a cream coloured polyester band jacket that you hung around your waist

‘We are sexy.’

“We are sexy bitches.” You smirked, putting in some hoop earrings and looping a one strapped backpack over your shoulder that was filled with survival essentials. “Vitamins, blood bottle, hair brush, toothbrush and toothpaste, sunscreen, spf 50 lip balm and of course- sun glasses.” You smiled, placing them in the loop of your low rise pants.

‘Let's get going.'

After putting your jacket on properly and then your bag, you left the quiet of your home and to the garage. ‘I still can’t believe your sire purchased this vehicle for us, quite generous.’ The vehicle Koe was referring to was a motorcycle, bright red in colour with an added helmet for protection- not that you needed it. “Well, if I ever do get into a car accident, I can always just put up my shield and I’ll be fine- but I can’t let law enforcement pull me over.” You swung a leg over the bike and turned it on. It roared with life as you put on your helmet for safety.The garage door opened and you zoomed out of there, the gates to the estate opened and you sped past waiting paparazzi who still hadn’t taken a hint to fuck off. Yet some of them still got on their own bike with the hope to catch up but your motorcycle was one of the fastest models yet- so it was easy enough to speed away and not get caught.“Next stop, York New city harbour!” You chanted as you drove past the six o’clock traffic, cars everywhere as they were trying to get to their jobs and stuff. You remember getting up at six everyday when you went to school and driving through all the traffic in the heavy rain. Driving through the city now on your bike give you a strange sense of Deja vu.‘Should we stop for a snack?’ Koe asked.“Now, we can’t! That boat leaves at eight, we can’t be late.”You pulled up to a garage building where you rented a spot to keep your bike safe until someone came to pick it up. Once that was done, you hurried through the bustling streets of York new, people setting up shop and hurrying to work, students hurrying to get to their first class of the day, quickly hopping onto a bus jam packed with students, hoping to take it straight down to York new harbour.“Oh my god…!” Gasped a voice. You turned around and there stood two girls, dressed warmly in their school uniforms- you recognised those uniforms. “Y-y-you’re (Y/n) Devereaux! Thee (Y/n) Devereaux!” the blonde girl chirped as the brunette looked you up and down in excitement. “And she’s on the bus with us!”“St Sierra Academy.” You said, looking them up and down.“You know St Sierra Academy?” The brunette asked.“Duh dummy! Everyone knows she used to go to St Sierra’s!” The blonde scolded.“Is Miss Polly still there?” You asked.“Oh my god- you know Miss Polly?” The Blonde asked.“Ugh yeah- pretty sure she made both mine and everyone’s lives hell she did.” “Yeah- she just came back after having her second child.”“Wow! Someone actually wanted to bang Miss Polly? there is a god after all.” You joked making the girls laugh their butts off. After some back and forth conversing, answering questions for your loyal fans and taking a few selfies- you almost missed your stop to which you delightfully waved them goodbye and you practically skipped from the bus and hurried along down to the harbour.“Alright, alright, alright. Let's find this…. Boat.”You could already guess which boat it was. The one being lined up with scary looking characters all gnashing their jaws and impatiently waiting to get on the boat, each shoving the other with weapons of every kind hoisted on their shoulders.“Hehe- whose this little girl?” “Does she actually think she’s getting to the exam dressed like that?”“I swear, they’ll let anyone in these days.”“Hey sweetheart- you can’t pass by getting on your knees!” one man in a striped shirt called, making everyone laugh. You clenched your fists and bit your lip. How dare they speak to you like that? ‘Perhaps we should eat everyone on this boat- that way, there will be no competition when we land.’ For a moment, you wanted to agree with Koe and just go ape shit. You’ve never been talked to so disrespectfully like before- but before you could act on your dark urges, the very same man who insulted you found himself launched right into the ocean- no warning as he practically belly flopped in.It took you by surprise as you looked over at who did it.“My word, don’t you all know it's utterly abhorrent to speak to a lady like that? I suggest you all watch your mouths before you find them ripped off~”“Hisoka?” You pushed a piece of hair behind your ear before approaching the jester. All other characters flinched away at the approaching man.“Shit, don’t you have any idea who that is?!”“That’s Hisoka the Magician!”“Hisoka the Magician? One of the floor master’s at heaven’s area?”“What the hell is that psycho doing here?!”‘Ah, it's the clown man. What a pleasant surprise.’ Koe said as you stopped before him.”What are you doing here? I didn’t know you wanted to become a hunter.” “I didn’t know you wanted to become one either- yet here we both are, perhaps we were destined to meet here~”“Don’t tell me… is that chick with Hisoka…?” One of the bystanders mumbled before the sound of coughing emerged from the ocean. The man in the striped shirt had dragged himself up the ladder, spluttering all over the place, his eyes red from sea water. He looked terrified as Hisoka laid his eyes on him once more. “And that poor bastard just insulted his girl.”“There sure are a lot of people making assumptions today.” You scoffed, placing your hands on your waist.“Well, we might as well give them a show.” Hisoka smirked as he strutted over to the man, crouching down to see him, face to face. “You really should know better than to talk to a lady like that- especially one who has never met you, be a good man and apologise to her.“I’M SORRY! I’M SO SORRY MADAM! I’m sorry for insulting you like that, please forgive me!” The man cried- it was so pathetic, tears flying from his eyes while snot dripped from his nose.“Ewww..” You winched. “No way I’m getting on the same boat as him.”“You heard the lady- looks like you’re swimming to the exam.” Hisoka chuckled, getting up and walking from the sniffling man.“Alright- alright! Come on you louts- time to get moving!” The captain barked as the passengers began to load themselves onto the boat, removing your coat. You hold it about your shoulder, looking back at the sniffling man kneeling in a puddle of water left behind by his drenched clothes.The board was lifted as soon the boat set sail.. . .Your relationship with Hisoka was a strange one- sure you had each other's numbers but you two didn’t do a lot of texting. More or less he checks in every now and again to see how much strength you’ve gotten. Still, it wasn’t like you wanted to be all that close to Hisoka, you recalled the last time you two met- he got a boner watching you drink blood. A little much for a little old you who has never seen a penis in your life except for the times randomers would d.m. you dick pics hoping it would catch your interest.It never did, yuck.“Four of clubs”“Five of clubs”“Five of hearts”“Six of hearts.”“Seven of hearts.”“What?!” You gasp as you look down at the pile of cards, the seven he placed down. “Does seven skip you?” He asked, you sighed before nodding. The fucker then places a King of hearts on the deck. “You piece of shit!”“Pick up ten cards.” Hisoka chuckled.“This game is rigged!” Koe yelled, taking control of your hand to face down Hisoka. “You’re cheating somehow! I know you are!”“For an ancient being, you sure are a sore loser~” Hisoka teased.“Koe doesn’t like losing- or rather, he’s not used to losing.” You say.“Woman, don’t give away my secrets!” He yelled. “And you! Me and you right now- we’re fighting!”“Oh~?” Hisoka hummed, a dark glint sparkling in his eye. “Koe! No!” You shouted as you bit down on your hand- him in particular. He squealed in pain, looking up at you. “Ow! Woman that hurt!”

“Get back inside now!” you hissed- making Koe retreat, his eyes and mouth vanishing from your palm. “The last thing I need is you egging him on!”“Don’t be such a bore, (Y/n).”“I have to ask, why are you taking the hunter exam? You don’t seem like the type of guy who has any interest in hunting treasure or riches or being a hunter in general.” “Oh, I don’t!” Hisoka smiled.“Huh…?” So what was it?“But I am interested in having a hunter’s license. To have access to the more restricted parts of the world, to be given free rooms to any hotel you want, free transport, and….” His smile became more devious.“The freedom to kill indiscriminately and not be punished by the law, that's something you can’t pass up.”“Somehow- I knew you’d say some shit like that.” You sighed, picking up ten cards. The two of you continued to play until the captain and some sailors cried out that there was a storm coming. Both you and Hisoka gather your bearings as quickly as possible because the next thing you know, the room begins to flip about. Men cry out as they hit the walls on the right before being flung to the walls on the left.“This is a pitiful showing, would you say?” Hisoka asked as he hung onto the ceiling, not as bothered nor sea sick as the others who were being flung about like rag dolls. “I’ll say- can’t say it's a luxury cruise though.” You also hung to the ceiling, although you had crystallized your hands and stuck them deep into the wooden ceiling so you would not move.. . .“So, you two were the only ones who made it through the storm in one piece aye’?” The captain asked as you and Hisoka sat on the floor, looking up at the captain with relatively content moods. Everyone else around you looked absolutely defeated. Many threw up while the others passed out. You didn’t know about Hisoka but you’d like to thank Koe for your sea legs. “I guess.” You shrugged.“These lot failed- but what about you two? I’d like to ask about you two. What's your reasoning for taking part in the hunter exam?” The old captain asked.Hisoka on his part was silent. The captain was looking at you. You crumbled under the pressure.“I’m twenty years old and my momma told me once I’m twenty five- no ones gonna find me attractive anymore. So I’m hoping if I become a hunter- I won’t have to worry about not being financially stable.”“Your mother really said that?” Hisoka asked and you nodded your head. “I don’t wanna end up marrying some fat older guy! I’m too pretty for that.”“You certainly are.” He responded.The older captain didn’t know what to say, other than to scratch his beard. He looked to Hisoka who simply repeated to him what he did to you. However- the older man didn’t look taken aback by his reasoning.“Well, in any case. You two have passed. You’ll be able to pass through to the hunter exam once we reach the mainland.”“Oh joy.” You smiled, clapping your hands.“I’ll give you both a hint, make your way to the rabbit's den and ask for a basket of carrots, there you’ll both find a guide.”Soon enough, the ship reached the harbour where you and Hisoka disembarked. There were different ships docking as well, most likely from other places coming to take the Hunter exam. There you saw the mini bus, the one loading up all the contenders to go to the hunter exam.“Why would the captain tell us that when the bus is there?” You say.“Don’t tell anyone I said this- but I heard that minibuses are just a diversion. If you’re dumb enough to think that a mini bus will just take you where you need to go, you’re not going to get far as a hunter.” Hisoka smirked.“Fair enough.”You both set off in a mindless direction, looking for any clues towards a rabbit’s den? “If we’re looking for a rabbit then- shouldn’t we be looking for one in a forest?”“I think the good captain meant metaphorically- besides, I doubt a rabbit is just going to have a basket of carrots.”As you and Hisoka wandered towards the forest, you stopped hesitantly in front of one place- Hisoka did as well and he smirked. “Well- what do we have here?”In the very front was a cafe- quite literally with a headboard saying- ‘The Rabbit’s den’, “I think this is what the captain was trying to lead us to” You say as both you and Hisoka enter the establishment. A quaint little place, people sitting about, enjoying their tea and cakes. You and Hisoka sit down at a barren table, it did not take long for a waitress to come up to you both. “What may I get you both?” “A basket of carrots.” Hisoka smiled as he leaned back on his chair.She blinked before standing to the side. “If you both could follow me then.” She smiled sweetly.She led you to the backroom where an old man sat at a table. “Welcome dear travelers, you both have come a long way, have you not?”“I guess you could say that.” You sighed, folding your arms.“If either of you wish to pass, you must ask simple questions, depending on the answers you give- I will allow you to continue on towards the exam” He answered.“Uh- wait, is this part of them-”“Sir, we got one more coming through!” You were interrupted when another young man came in through the room, a cocky smirk on his face. “What's up?” He asked, although it felt less like a genuine question when you noticed him looking you up and down.“I’ll explain again, I will ask you each a question and depending on the answer you give, I will allow you through to the exam. You will have five seconds to answer and afterwards, I will expect an explanation for your answer.” The old man said, You nodded your head but the men didn’t seem to give any gesture to indicate they were listening.“Here is the first question, young man, will you answer it first?” To which he smirked. “Sure.” “If you had a wife and child whose lives were endangered, who would you save and who would you let die?”“What the absolute shit?! What?!” You gasped. What kind of fucked up questioned were these- here you thought they were gonna give you puzzles, riddles- questions on history or geography- not that kind of question.The man looked at you, the smirk still laid across his face. “Don’t act so shocked babe- these are the kinds of decisions hunters gotta make and if you’re that shocked- then maybe you ain’t cut out to be a hunter!” he laughed before stepping forward to answer.“I would save my wife and I would let the kid die.” He said confidently.“Oh? May I have your reasoning?” The old man asked and the guy shrugged. “Sure, I would be upset if my kid died and all that, but If I still had my wife, we could easily just have more kids.”“With that kind of explanation, I doubt any woman would wanna be within ten feet of you.” You gagged as the old man nodded his head. “Alright then, off you go.”They headed toward the door and gave you one last grin. “Better luck next year babe.” He disappeared outside as you gritted your teeth, they seriously allow pigs like that to become hunters? That was terrible, if you ever saw that guy again- you would devour him, hunter or not.‘He didn’t pass you know.’ What Koe said confused you. ‘What do you mean?’

‘If he passed, he would have said so, no he just let him go. There are no logical answers to these questions, the measure of life can’t be weighed depending on your relationship to him. My guess is that these questions are to trick the contestants- next question, wait until the five seconds are out.’

‘If I fail Koe, it's on you.’ You said as the old man looked to you next. “You next young lady, are you ready?” You nodded your head as he began to speak. “You are in a situation where both your son and daughter are in a perilous situation and you can only save one, who will you save? Your son or daughter?”Now this was some bullshit. The man began to count down and Hisoka looked at you with curious eyes, wondering what you would say- but you kept your lips tight as you folded your arms strongly against one another, hoping that this would be the correct solution.When he finished counting, you felt a bead of sweat drip from your forehead. “You did not answer young lady, why did you not answer?”“Because it's a bullshit question!” You bark. “You can’t expect someone to choose between their son or daughter, it's like asking who I love more. I would want to save them both but if I had to choose,I would still be losing a child and that's horrible.”He hummed before looking at Hisoka. “And you, here is your question.” Did he move on from you?“If you found yourself in a situation where only your mother or father could be saved, who would you save?” He asked. To your surprise, Hisoka didn’t answer and when the five seconds up, his explanation was-“I don’t actually know either of them. To me it's not a question of sentimentality but rather preference and I don’t prefer either because they are not know to me- but if I had to save one- I go for the one I can get to the quickest and not because I love one over the other because as my friend has just said, these are idiotic questions.”The man sighed as streamers came out from the attendant's hands. “Congratulations, you’ve passed!”“Oh-thank god!” You huffed, leaning over and grabbing your heart- for a minute, you thought Koe might have screwed you over. ‘Hey!’ He barked. “But, can I ask, what's with these questions?” You ask.“Like you saw before, there are many contestants that come through here- many who don’t have the right intentions or morals to becoming hunters. These are just small trials to test your metal, trials to weed out the bad seeds from the good seeds. I don’t know about you sir but you young lady, I can see clear as day that you’re exactly the kind of hunter we want to see succeed.”Just then, a secret passage opened up in the wall beside you, leading to a tunnel below. “Good luck to both of you.”You and Hisoka smirked at each other before you both passed through the secret passageway and into the tunnel. The lights turned on, illuminating your way forward- filling you with determination.You were gonna pass this exam no matter what- even if it killed you!