"Stop... Leave me alone! Get away..."

Shrill screams filled the dark master bedroom, doused in glowing lamplight. Violet jolted in tensed movements as she continued to fight even while unconscious. Her hell-bent aggression would not relent on its task of keeping her freedom.

It was not a behaviour Hisoka disliked, but given Violet's physical state, the dysphoria was not aiding her healing. The instinct to fight continued in her subconscious movements where she lay in a giant bed dressed in royal blue sheets and a deep red cover. The bed sat against the opposite wall from the bedroom door. Curtains were drawn on the far wall to keep the light from neighbouring buildings and streetlights from reaching the exquisite room where they rested from disturbing her rest.

To curb the battle-ready behaviour and calm his kitten, Hisoka reached over where he lay in the bed behind her. He wrapped his arms around Violet's toro, locking her in a tight hold. She settled for a short moment, but her breathing was erratic.

Come now, kitten. You need sleep.

A sharp cry escaped her throat, and Hisoka grumbled, surmising secure pressure alone wouldn't be enough to calm her. It worked for the last couple of times the drugs confused and riled Violet into a fit. The sound of a dry swallow from Violet caused Hisoka to wrap around her more. Her legs kicked out in a slow, stiff manner. He worried even those drugged movements might open the wounds on her right side.

The entire medical team slept several floors below the penthouse suite where Hisoka brought Violet after the fight. He abandoned his room at the East End Hotel to hide in the comfort of The Saphire Spires Hotel. They would wake to check on Violet later, which is why he paid for their rooms, but he didn't want them around her longer than needed.

Hisoka held his position and waited. Her body temperature was lower than normal, and he could feel as much everywhere he connected with Violet's chilled skin. As body heat began to reach her, the once panicked movements slowed until they halted.  

"You're fine," Hisoka cooed to her softly. "You already killed them. Rest, darling ~♥"

Violet forced anchor-like eyelids open. The high she rode from the drugs laced her normally bright lenses with with a deep glazing. Hisoka knew she couldn't see straight, if at all, but it was further evidenced by the way her gaze shifted about the room. Drugs were necessary to keep the pain at bay as well as infection. 

Poor darling, so confused~ He nestled his face into her hair to rest his mouth by her ear. 

"Hiso—"

"Shhh. Sleep. No one will touch you. I'm with you now ~♥" he reassured. 

Violet whimpered. "It hurts. I'm cold..." Her words dragged and slurred but were laced with deep emotion.

"I'll warm you~ ♠" Hisoka whispered just above her ear, lulling her back to rest. 

Hisoka touched her neck with a light kiss before trailing his lips along the natural curve of her shoulder. Another light peck was deposited on her shoulder before lifting his mouth from the skin. Moments later, she lost her battle to remain aware of the unstoppable cocktail of sedatives, painkillers, and anaesthetics. 

All the better for you, darling.

Lifting Violet in his arms, he carried her fully nested in the rich comforter through the bedroom door. He unhooked her IV infusion and rested on the comforter while they travelled. He walked down a dark hallway, passing a closet on his right across from the master bathroom on the left. As the hallway ended, the hotel room opened into a large open-concept room. A spacious kitchen positioned on his left side with a beautiful breakfast nook leading to a large living room with two armchairs facing a coffee table and ceiling-to-floor windows that lead to a balcony. A small bar sat in the past the open space between the living room and balcony off to the far right corner of the room. Another alcove sat on the far side of the room, with another armfair and floor lamp, and bookshelves were built into the wall to create a cosy reading nook. 

Medical supplies littered the coffee table and granite bar top. A second discarded IV machine sat in the living room of the penthouse hotel room. He carried her over to the far couch facing the kitchen and laid her tenderly onto the soft, deep cushions before reattaching the fluid bag to the IV stand. The room already held heat from the hours it took for the doctors to surgically stitch her wounds. Luck stuck with Violet once that most were superficial, but the infection worried Hisoka as much as the doctors, as did her malnutrition. Beyond that, no internal or more serious injuries affected her. 

Once he was certain she was settled, he moved towards a large wall-mounted television facing the other couch, with its back to the open room space behind the living room before the balcony. The thermostat was mounted on the wall beside the TV. Hisoka raised the room heat further. Gazing at the comforter-buried Violet from across the dark room that only bathed in starlight, he smirked. You've worked hard with your training. It was right to seek you as hard as I have. Let's hope that training will help you heal faster.

The medical team hadn't agreed with his refusal to allow her transport to a hospital. He wouldn't be separated from Violet so soon, and deep down, he knew too many had escaped, including Marcy. He wasn't certain how far their underground tendrils reached into society. He couldn't risk sending her to a hospital without his protection. He paid three times the going rate for every professional's help. Still, of the three doctors and two nurses aiding Violet, only one doctor openly fought Hisoka's desire to keep her comfortable in the hotel. He stopped once his colleagues insisted.  

They stitched her right leg, both hands and left arm and bandaged many other areas. Medical salve had been applied to her burned face and arms. Beyond the leg, her hands were the worst affected. The same weapon that injured her right side had run across them. The same sensation of guilt racked his system as when he lost control in her room at Heaven's Arena many months before. He should have noticed and sealed her hands on the battlefield with her right side. Somehow, he missed it, and she suffered for it. 

Above everything, Hisoka's biggest concern was the muscle price Violet would pay for using those cursed techniques of hers and whatever happened with the Nen user's aura blast. She once informed him that death would await her if she took in more energy than her muscles could handle. 

She lost so much muscle mass from malnutrition. Is that power of yours going to overwhelm the system, darling?

The drive to lay on the couch with her was strong, but there were eyes on them both now—familiar ones. Hisoka didn't want to give anything away about his relationship with Violet, particularly how drastically different it was from the others he collected. She was no toy anymore—she was something more, but he didn't know what. 

Instead, he moved behind the bar in the far right corner of the room, where the cupboards were above and below. He opened the top hanging cupboards and found two shot glasses, then opened the bottom cabinets to retrieve a bottle of Yamazaki single malt whiskey. He brought the drinking necessities to the breakfast nook and set them down on the marble countertop. 

"You found her on your own. It appears my services are no longer required?"

The new guest's body was still hidden within the shadows of the hallway that led to a small tiled entryway and exit door. Hisoka tuned with a deliberate posture to where Illumi Zoldyck stood in the threshold where the entry hallway entered the living room. Through half-lidded, predatory eyes, Hisoka regarded Killua's older brother, a well-established, world-renowned assassin. His lips curved, and he cocked his head before waving the killer inside. 

"Yes ~ ♣"

Illumi stood for a moment regarding Violet recovering on the couch, his facial features devoid of any human emotion. She continued to breathe in and out at a steady rate with the occasional involuntary shudder as heat escaped faster than her body could prevent. The breathing was laboured as abdominal muscles worked as hard as they could to keep automatic processes moving without interruption.

Hisoka's dark expression slipped across Violet's form on the couch before moving back to the most prominent threat in the room, Illumi. The steady sound of the IV feeding Violet played as background noise, the only sound breaking the pressure in the room. The sound of Violet's breathing indicated she was strong enough for the moment, provided she was left undisturbed.

Illumi took a slow step toward Violet's defenceless form, drastically spiking the room's tension. Hisoka was all too aware of the killer's complete lack of understanding of human emotions and his drive to ascertain the emotional desires that drove others. It was never for pure curiosity, although that played a large part in the reasons. His curiosity itself stemmed from his need to control and better understand people to improve his already near-perfect killing record. But Violet was not at all open to experimenting upon, not while she held whatever pedal stool she did for Hisoka.  

A slight air movement preceded Hisoka before he stood between his kitten and killer, like a silent panther guarding his prey. Hisoka extended one of the glasses of malt scotch towards Illumni and provided a fake, innocent, closed-eyed smile. 

"I expected a call or text. No need to go out of your way, but I am flattered~ ♦" he said to break the tension, but the slight strain and emphasis on certain words conveyed the clear threat. 

The message was received by the tall killer clad in green clothing who stood just shy of Hisoka's own towering height. Illumi paused and regarded Hisoka with an almost empty look in his deep, black eyes. There was no way to know if he was a life-sized doll by his looks only. He blinked once, then turned to face the breakfast nook, providing Violet with a distance Hisoka deemed comfortable. Illumni's full-length, straight, raven black hair swooshed silently through the air as it gleamed in the dim apartment lights and followed its master's path to the stool.

Hisoka followed a mere half-step behind and offered Illumi his drink upon takin his seat by the killer's side. 

"I had a job in town. It just happened to work out. I didn't know you already found her," Illumni replied in his typical monotone, emotionless manner. 

Hisoka sat next to him, hyperaware of his movements and needle weapons. Yellow orbs accented every area of his clothing, disguising his needles in plain sight for those unaware of the terrible Nen he possessed. The weapons adored his clothing across his entire green, sleeveless jacket and the cuff and end of the sleeves of his pale green shirt. Hisoka knew Illumi wouldn't kill someone unprovoked without the promise of payment, but he could strike Violet down with ease anywhere within this room.

Hisoka witnessed the effects of those needles on the victims. Illumni, who so much resembled an emotionless doll, regularly made victims into literal dolls themselves. 'Needle people' as Illumi referred to them. Hisoka grinned in excitement, thinking about the horror of Illumi's Nen. The minds of living victims could never be recovered once the manipulator at his side struck, at least not without the protection of Nen. A few could survive but would be paralysed for life. 

He could also control corpses, so they acted, spoke and moved without alerting anyone to their lack of life. The final ability Hisoka knew of was highly useful. Illumni could use the needles on himself to alter his appearance to look and sound identical to another person. Hisoka could use for that in the future and would willingly pay if the need was right.

"I only collected her a few hours ago. There have been other pressing tasks. I would have contacted you soon ~♦" Hisoka's words were truthful without revealing much, a transmuter trait.

He regarded the well-seasoned assassin for his response, knowing little to none would appear. Still, he looked to see if the killing doll of a man would reveal anything, primarily for perverse amusement. He enjoyed trying to get responses from Illumni and kept him alive for that and one other reason.

Illumi was useful.

"Hm." Illumi maintained his emotionless speech and expressions as he brought the liquor to his lips. 

No concern that Hisoka poisoned the concoction ever struck across Illumni's face. But Hisoka was all too aware all Zoldycks in the family were immune to almost every poison and toxin. A trait developed from extensive training as children for their roles in the family of assassins. Pouring his own drink, Hisoka swirled before taking a sip of the expensive liquor. 

 "Why have a drink then? I take it you have something to discuss?" Illumni asked, perceptive as always. 

Hisoka always admired Illumni's attention to detail, as he did with anyone who showed such aptitude. He answered, "Yes~ I'd like you to locate a different woman for me. She would make an excellent addition to my list of fruit but works with people who seem quite adept at hiding ~"

Illumi sighed, offering the first sign of near-human emotion since the beginning of the interaction. "That is far more trouble than a typical assassination request."

"Naturally. I expect to pay more, but I have a few pressing questions for the woman," Hisoka sang with amusement, but his aura maintained dangerous levels of threat.

Illumi raised an eyebrow as he regarded him. Hisoka continued to provide the smallest of smiles and look at the assassin with half-open, ever-calculating eyes. As always, he hid behind his eccentric, deliberately off-putting personality and fake cheer.

When Illumni failed to take the bait, Hisoka continued, "Nothing complicated. I just would like to know why they put so much effort into going after the toy behind me and how many they number. They seem to be holding quite a few interesting people that may be fun to hunt~♦"

Illumi nodded as he took another swing of whiskey before responding, "I need a name and description. I can start surveillance and finish it shortly after the current jobs are complete."

"That will be fine," Hisoka agreed. "I don't have the last name, but the first is Marcy. She is either a manipulator or a specialist. She can control minds. It seems eye contact or direct touch is needed." Hisoka finished before taking another taste of whiskey. "My informant wasn't able to give me much more on her abilities~" He glanced at Violet's unmoving form on the couch. Her breathing had changed; she was awake but faking unconsciousness well. Either that or the drugs were still hindering her awareness. "I'll text other details if they give more information~" 

"Alright." The assassin stood and regarded the sleeping Violet once more. He'd noticed she was awake, too. 

Violet had relaxed into the couch as the room heated. She ceased shivering but maintained a protective, curled ball-like position. Hisoka sidestepped in front of his guest again, with very subtle indications of the direction of the door.

Illumi turned and walked in the direction of the exit, easing much of the intense pressure starting the moment he'd taken notice of Violet again. Hisoka stopped a few steps away from Violet's position standing in the assassin's line of sight of his sleeping kitten. He continued to hold his glass of liquor to complete the nonchalant façade. He offered another cheerful fake smile, and the raven killer left without so much as a further word.

Once Hisoka felt his aura reach a safe distance, he finished off the alcohol left in the glass in one gulp and allowed his expression to become cold and cruel. He heard a frail, weak voice, prompting him to return to the sofa.

"Who was that?"

A smile lit his lips, and softness overtook his demeanour. He mused how her instincts were second to none. Illumi's deadly presence likely disturbed her rest, but she had maintained the disguise of unconsciousness so as not to draw undue attention. Both killers knew when she roused, but she would have fooled less skilled people.

Violet maintained her protective curled-ball sleeping position. She released the posture while staying with him in Heaven's Arena, and pressure tugged lightly at his chest, seeing its return. 

"No one for you to worry over. Your job is to rest ~♥" He responded in a hushed tone. 

Violet's breathing became deeper and more rhythmic. Hisoka played with a few stray strands of hair as she fell victim to the effects of the drugs and her exhaustion yet again. He ran his hand over a few points of singed hair that now missed most of their length. His expression soured for a split second.

"Not fair... you have a drinking party in front of me, but I have...to...sleep." 

She passed out near the end of the quip. Hisoka smirked, admiring her stubborn nature right to the end.

"I'll take you out drinking once you're healthy, darling ~♥"

Hisoka bent down but abruptly stopped himself mid-way through the movement and widened his eyes at his instincts to kiss her forehead. He stood to full height, returning to the bar to grab another, far stronger drink.

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She is safe and sound with Hisoka now! What do you think these two killers are up to now?

Don't forget to vote and comment :)