Anticipation surged like electric energy, coursing through every pounding vibration and crazy scream from the fans beyond the double doors to the two-hundredth-floor fighting arena. Yet to visualise them, Violet worried about the reception she would receive.

I know the other fighters said Hisoka's fans were insane—I've seen it myself. But the stadium sounds absolutely packed! Old habits returned, and she picked at the stretchy fabric on her black exercise leggings. Her other hand tugged at the mauve woman's tank top, forcing it to stretch further than the hip length it already reached. And the crowd will not be with me; they're here for him!

Light dust floated off the metal entrance doors as they rattled a touch. She stood a pace back, waiting for the light in the top left corner to glow red, indicating when she should enter. Her chest twisted like an old rag being wrung for the hundredth time.

What if he doesn't show? I know the chances are lower, given how hard he worked to get me here, but...

Hisoka possessed a well-known history—he'd never lost a fight that he'd bothered to show up for, killing all the competitors he faced, beyond Kastro, who he killed in their rematch. However, his no-show count for fights stood dangerously high. 

No, if he doesn't show tonight, it will be his fourth loss, and he'll have to restart on floor one. She sucked her lip into her mouth and nibbled the soft skin between tense teeth. But... I can see him doing it to avoid a boring fight. I don't know how much he wants to face a Floor Master or how soon, but he needs to win four to do it.

The sturdy light mounted on the wall remained dark, and she tossed a tense breath into the air in a huff. Tension riddled her whole body. Casting her mind back to days before, she went over the lessons Hisoka provided.

Harnessing her Ren properly took some instruction, but once completed, she had good proficiency. However, her Zetsu skills left less of an impact. Zetsu required her to shut off all the aura nodes in her body to stop the escape of her life force. Once protected, her presence would disappear. It was the reason she hadn't sensed Zanko in the hallway before he attacked. If she could improve it, healing would increase due to the extra life force available. 

But she struggled with the technique. Disappointment had coloured the magician's eyes, and remembering it sunk her mood—the opposite effect of what she desired when attempting to take her mind off what would happen in the next few moments.

Stop it. You took what he showed you and trained as much as possible. Brilliant red glowed and twirled inside the lantern above. She took a deep breath and released it slowly through her teeth as the door lock released with a snap. You've got this, Violet! You've got it.

The threshold led to a raised cement walkway leading to a single giant square ring filled with cement tiles dressed in white. The fans sat around in a Roman coliseum-style seating pattern. Above them and off to the side like a bird in the sky sat the red-hair smiling face of Kokko, the announcer ready to scream it all. Casting her gaze to the opposite side of the ring, she saw the beaming expression on Hisoka Marou's face, where he walked the same, but opposing path towards the ring.

Relaxation spread like a gentle breeze across her entire body. They stopped a distance apart, both holding solid Ten within the ring.

"I hope you're ready, darling." He stretched overdramatically, and she crossed her arms, frowning. "I have such high hopes for today." He ended with the most obscene moan.

It didn't slip her attention how his gaze never left her person from the moment he entered the stadium—a true predator in all his furious glory. She would leave nothing on the floor, knowing only death awaited if she didn't bring her best.

The referee called for the start. Like gladiators for the Gods, they rushed one another. Immediately, they dodged and avoided one another's attacks while trying to land their own. Violet reacted to the magician's physical movements and the air currents they provided as advanced warnings. Hisoka's speed pushed her limits from the start.

"Whoa! Look at this, folks!" bellowed Kokko. "Hisoka is well known as the fastest fighter here! But has someone come to match that speed skill?!"

Narrowly avoiding a punch from Hisoka, she turned her back to him to fake a somersault. Instead, her hands hit the tile, and her legs rose, throwing off his right-handed punch with a right kick, all while her left leg aimed for his jaw. She clipped it, and Hisoka backed off a step. Violet flipped, landing couched down, her back facing the red-haired sociopath. Dodging to the left, she fled with the reaper following.

"First point to Violet! She hit our loved Magician Repear. That's rare!" Kokko shrieked. "Go, Violet!"

Hisoka moved to lay another round of assaults as she crouched down, spinning with her Ko-infused leg stretched out. She evaded the attack while creating a half-circle divot in the arena tile with her heel. Gaining distance through a rushed backwards jump, she gave herself a moment's reprieve before continuing the task of randomly dropping to avoid assaults and lay half-moon depressions in the tile.

Despite clipping her once, he tired of the game of cat and mouse and rushed in to end it all. Shocked by the drastic increase in his speed, Violet gasped. Pounding her leg into the tile, a single semi-circular piece of floor lifted, and she spun, grabbing the weapon and launching it toward the magician.

It was an easy feat for Hisoka to dodge such a bulky weapon. Violet repeated the action and sent a second human-sized piece of tile in his direction; only this one possessed far greater speed and power. The weapons connected mid-air, bursting into a shower of projectile weapons raining in front of the redheaded predator.

"Whoa! She came with tricks to match Hisoka!" Kokko exclaimed in awe. "But our Magician is a pro! Look at him take out the tiles!"

He expertly avoided the pieces, punching through those he couldn't circumvent. Violet lept over several larger pieces until positioned above him. Just as he relocated her, she spun from above in mid-air to bring a straightened leg down hard against his head.

My Zetsu worked!

A dark smirk coloured his expression just before the attack landed with perfection. Before he could dodge out of Violet's range, she managed to clip his shoulder. She launched backwards out of arm's length before he could recover. The moment her feet met solid ground, she raced backwards, with the murderer hot on her trail.

"Holy! That's going to leave a mark! But it hasn't stopped Hisoka," Kokko screeched. "Run, Violet!"

After a few seconds of near-misses, Hisoka stopped, allowing Violet to recover her breath. Wiping dripping sweat from her brow, she considered her opponent while he similarly removed the blood dripping from her hairline.

Hisoka materialised several cards which stood in the air unaided. He launched all twenty at Violet. She moved forward several steps right into the card's path, before launching into the air. The ace of spades materialised from her back pocket while airborne, covered in Shu.

As the cards moved to riddle Violet's body, she spun while activating her Hatsu. Pulling water from the air, she covered the card and sent it flying mid-turn. The ace jetted into action, zig-zagging through the air as its mistress commanded, taking out enough of Hisoka's cards to allow her to make a second air roll through the torrent of weapons. She was left with cuts in her arms and legs, but nothing serious.

She touched down, her card landing securely in front of Hisoka. Embedded deep in the arena tile, face tilted toward the magician, it stood with three of his cards caught in its grip, warning its old master. Hisoka's face twisted into perverse excitement.

"~HOOoooo ~ ♥"

Not waiting for him to focus, she took to the air, laying a flurry of attacks. He moaned in a state of perverted ecstasy. Instead of pressing the advance, she backed off to safety before he could make her regret the decision to continue.

The move attracted Hisoka's attention. He didn't give her any opportunity and closed the gap. Violet launched more tiles at the magician. But he dodged and destroyed all the stones without losing a second. But he did lose sight of her long enough to activate her Zetsu again to appear at his side suddenly. She employed Ken seconds before landing a punch and kick to Hisoka's torso. He slid back along the arena floor ever so slightly.

"Shit!" she gasped.

Hisoka's gazed locked upon her with hunger and insatiable bloodthirst. Smiling, he wiped blood off his face before singing aloud, "My~ How much you've grown in strength in only fourteen days!" He locked onto her eyes while relaxing his shoulders and shrugging. "It's so good that you fought before Gon. My needs will be satisfied before I face him ~♣"

"Bullshit!" Violet spat aggressively.

"Hm? ♠"

"That threat of yours was a complete lie. You would never have killed Gon," Violet announced. "Maybe maimed him a bit but never killed. It would have been too much of a waste. Why even injure a boy if the woman you wanted to send that message to wasn't even watching?"

"Right, you are, darling. Why are you standing in the ring with me right now, then?"

"Because, Hisoka, I wanted to fight you. I plan to rip that smug expression of yours to shreds, literally!" Violet couched into a fighting stance.

"Is that so~ Let's put that skill of yours to the test, shall we? No more running~ ♥"

With that, the magician smiled and raised his fingers. Violet gasped as her right leg and left arm pulled toward the sadist. She activated Gyo in her eyes and was horror-struck. Not only were her left wrist and right ankle connected with Bungee Gum, but there were five other attachments in various body locations. Everywhere she struck Hisoka during the fight was now linked to him. To her complete revulsion, he even collared her with Bungee Gum around the neck.

Some of these must have been when we were speaking! You knew better than to let him carry on. Stupid!

When Violet looked toward Hisoka, he licked his lips and gave the most malicious expression. He pulled hard across all the attachments to bring her into his range.

She sprung into evasive actions. Sliding along the floor, she grabbed pieces of rubble and wedged them into the semi-circle shapes made during the fight. Bracing her legs and arms against the rock, she fought against Hisoka's pull.

"Ohoo~♥"

The magician released the pull and collected all his power into the pink string fastened around Violet's neck. He gave one final predatory look before raising his hand in preparation to put all the energy into that one band. She felt it tightening, readying itself for its master's command.

Panicked, the acidity of fear raged through her veins. She didn't have the strength to rush a direct attack. Well-timed kicks and punches with avoidance were where her power lay. To bulldoze through Hisoka, who outmatched her so heavily in strength, wasn't an option.

Violet coated her fingers with water after activating her Hatsu, but uncertainty plagued her. Hisoka initiated a light pull, which she resisted with overbrimming stubbornness, prompting him to tighten the entire line around her neck, cutting off airflow.

Shock riddled as she grabbed for her neck. Unable to relieve the tension, her hands passing through his Nen on every attempt, her eyes widened. Hisoka's lips spread wide and wicked.

No, no, NO! Stop it!

A cold darkness simmered deep within. She didn't understand it but instinctively latched onto the power. She brought her hand onto his line, and this time, the grip held. Just as Hisoka activated the strongest pull, a shot of dark power escaped her hand, and the pressure released just before her hand passed through his Nen again.

Short-lived relief met the realisation that Hisoka was airborne, and he flew towards her position. He appeared as shocked as she was by the turn of events. But he recovered swiftly, releasing his Nen and using the new momentum to his favour.

Violet gasped. The situation of the Magician Grim Reaper coming at her wasn't much improved from her hurling toward him. She grabbed rubble, once used to resist Hisoka's pull and spun to connect it with his head once he was in range.

Agility and speed aided Hisoka as he dodged downward and avoided her assault. She aimed a leg for his head, but he ducked away and centred himself behind her. As their death dance continued, Violet spun to meet him when she saw his fist aiming for her head. Bending forward and sideways, she simultaneously avoided the strike while attempting to knee the magician in the side.

"I-I'm speechless, everyone! What a fight these two are holding for us," Kokko's voice echoed between brutal strikes and the roar from the crowd. 

The taste of her failure was much like iron; Hisoka brought his leg upward, fully extended. It connected hard with her lower ribcage and upper abdomen. She flew a foot upward, immediately winded, coughing up hot blood that invaded her throat. Falling, she reached outward for stability and connected with Hisoka's shirt in one hand and his left wrist in the other.

Hisoka kept his leg raised, bracing her curved body over his bent knee. I'm at his mercy, and I haven't recovered enough to move. She coughed and gasped for air. And I'm certain he doesn't have mercy. Fuck!

He leaned down while lifting his leg higher to whisper in her ear, "If you agree to submit, kitten, I'll let you live~ ♥"

He wants me to surrender? I thought he liked fighting.

"You have a few seconds to decide, at most. Let me know your answer."

With that, the magician straightened his back, smiled and waved cordially. Just as he finished, she wrenched violently into the sky, hurling at breakneck speed for the hundred-foot-high ceiling with the pull of Hisoka's Bungee Gum. A shrill scream echoed from her mouth across the stadium, making the fans wave and cry with excitement. The moment of the next Hisoka kill was close at hand.

Just before impact with the ceiling, the Nen stopped, and she suspended momentarily in midair, her limbs desperately flailing before gravity started pulling her into the descent. It was only then that she understood.

She growled. I scream my submission like a pet, and he'll save me, or I die on impact! That's what he meant.

Violet swelled her Ren in preparation for the next move. Angling herself during the fall, she locked on the target distance and moved water from the air into a circular platform below her plummeting body. She focused most of her aura on the middle and slowed the movement of the water while keeping the rest below it moving upward to stabilise the centrepiece.

The water in the centre slowed to the point of building into ice. It was limited, but she landed on the two-inch piece of solid water and applied Shu to the patch to fortify it. The ice was thin and unstable, and, despite the bracing effect of the water current under it and Shu, fragments burst within seconds of her landing, followed closely by her aura's hold collapsing on it all.

It was enough to slow Violet's speed to a survivable level but far too little to avoid damage. Bracing, she prepared to strike the ground hard-- too hard. When she touched the ground, it was like she landed in a lover's gentle, protective embrace. 

The pressure of the impact hit her, but far less than what she knew was possible to avoid with normal physics. This doesn't make sense. I was moving so fast. I should have at least broken a bone. From her braced standing position, she stumbled onto her knees as her breath came harsh and loaded through her wheezing mouth. I'm nearing my limit. That used up almost all I had left.

Before she could understand or recover, Hisoka sped towards her exhausted form. She stood, readying herself for another flurry of physical attacks. Just as the magician neared, she collapsed to her hands and knees. Unable to avoid the attack she knew was inevitable, she tensed and clamped her eyes shut.

The impact never arrived.

When Violet searched, Hisoka stood over her with his lips spread in a relaxed and seemingly kind smile. Well, that's the most horrifying thing I've ever seen in my life.

She tried to rise again but fell onto her elbows and knees. Sweat glistened against her skin and dripped down her chin. The smell of it and iron invaded her nose.

Hisoka squatted down and rested one of his elbows on his knee, and his hand braced his chin. "That really was exceptional to witness, darling ~♥"

Violet growled in response. A part of her wanted to give in, but her stubborn nature couldn't and would fight right to the end, even if just with looks alone.

I survived too much. I won't bow to you like this. A snarl sounded across her lips. I fought the four demons that killed my family like a hell-beast as much as I fought against Jason that night. I will not back down to you! However, when she tried to stand again, her limbs and muscles shook violently in protest.

"Sadly, I think you're all but spent now. Such a pity. I was having so much fun, too ~♥"

Hisoka stood and kicked Violet in the ribs again, sending her sliding across the ring.

"Ten points to Hisoka!" called the referee. "Hisoka wins ten to eight against Violet."

DAMMNIT! 

Violet lay on the arena floor, trying to recover enough of her aura to stand again while the crowd bellowed and screamed in surging excitement. Hisoka's bloodlust didn't rouse, remaining quiet as his aura distanced from her pathetic form. 

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A/N: That's it. Did it turn out how you hoped? Any guesses on the Nen or hers? *sirens* lemons are upon us in the following chapters! Buckle up, ma sinners! It's your time.  

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