A/N: [WARNING]: There is NO sex in this chapter. Why the lemon? It gets a bit hot in the beginning. It doesn't lead to anything graphic or heavy, but given the adult nature of the aftermath, I've opted for a lemon for safety. 

There is light swearing, fighting, violence, and gore in this chapter. 

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The bed creaked across from where Violet rested, her eyes shut while awake. Lifting her head, she searched for what caused the noise. Her eyes focused on the golden flames of Hisoka's predatory gaze.

With a gasp, she shot upright and pulled backwards. Invisible rope pinned her to the headboard as his Nen took control. He continued to stalk on hands and knees towards her position.

Her legs pulled together, bent at the knee, ready to defend as the magician's pace quickened. The haze of sleep cast around her like fireflies. She scrutinised Hisoka's approach while the sunlight cast a glowing halo of flame around his form.

Mesmerised, she watched him drop his head to gently touch the top of her knees with his lips. It played soft and sensual against her skin, raising goose pimples in a way she didn't dislike. A soft call escaped her lips as his nails traced the outline of her thigh, following it to her ass.

Exploding heat danced, lighting a sensual fire within her core and everywhere their skin connected. The ache was irresistible despite the toxicity, and her legs opened as an aroused whimper left her throat.

He whispered near her ear, "You're mine now. This will be rough; brace yourself, kitten ~♥"

"Fuck!"

The room swirled in disorientation as she awoke to true reality. Upright and alert, she searched and only found the empty extravagant room of her upper-floor apartment. Groaning, she flopped back into the cocoon of feather-soft bedding.

"A stupid dream... What is going on with my subconscious anymore?"

Heat and pressure assaulted her lower abdomen and pulsed between her legs, screaming for release. She covered her face with her hands and screamed into the bedsheets.

"I never lacked control with Keff. It's never been so... intense." Uncovering her face, she watched the ceiling with all its intricately carved designs along the crown moulding. "It's dangerous to be like this around him. Hisoka will surely take advantage of my arousal. And yet..."

The thought drove her hands downward, inching closer, aiming to relive what he'd done to her days before. To feel the heat. The touch. The incredible passion mixed with power once more.

"No!" Jumping to her feet in the middle of the bed, she broke from temptation. "You've never once done that! You're not starting now. This is getting out of hand! I was stupid to ever give in to him."

The burning didn't listen to her demands and pulsated through every inch of her skin. Years of celibacy did little to help contain the woken beast of her desires. It had rattled at the cage bars ever since meeting Hisoka. Leaping off the bed, she headed to the washroom to take a shower—one very cold shower.

-----

The crowd swelled and roared with happy excitement across the cement and cobblestone marketplace, a short walk from Heaven's Arena. Every block, a tan or silver fountain decorated the shopping district with stone-carved designs of flowers or small angels dancing through the spilling crystal blue waters.

Each shop hung signs that shone in neon or swayed in the breeze as beautiful carved wooden designs. Flowers with green leaves decorated shops as hanging pots and large front door basins. They exploded with purple, pink, blue, white and the occasional vibrant red. The breeze nipped with lavender, rose, and other sweet nectars, which she enjoyed with every breath.

There were more efficient shopping halls, but she loved the cosy atmosphere of the old-style shopping destination. If she walked far enough it led to an open market. The trip that day remained goal-oriented, not something to be taken off-course by pleasure shopping.

It had taken her a few days to translate everything from the professional hunter's, Goro, emails. They were due to meet in Yorknew on August 10th. In her search for air transport, she discovered aeroplanes didn't exist. They used Airships as an alternative. They were similar to World War hot air ships but had more advanced designs with fully plane-like seating areas, train-style bars, restaurants, and even the opportunity to pay for private rooms with beds for longer journeys. 

She grumbled as minor aches nagged from the various locations Hisoka left bruises and love signs. Her body was nearly healed, but some evidence of the sin and their arena battle remained. That man certainly knows the body inside and out—how to pleasure and destroy it. I don't think he sees the two as dissimilar...

A few hours into shopping, she carted around many shopping bags. They ranged in colours from white, black, red, brown, and yellow, all displaying the beautiful logos of their associated stores. Sitting on the edge of a fountain, she partook in a steaming hot sweet from a street vendor.

An audible hum escaped her closed mouth as the sweat and salty flavours of the steaming pastry hit her tongue. It's so good! I don't even know what it is.

Her shoulders slumped as she looked around, reading street signs. I still cannot understand more difficult written words. At least I've mastered the basics. I thought when I first came, I understood the language, but it looks like I'm at a lower reading level than I'd like. Taking another bite of the savoury treat, she moaned. I'm nervous to ask for literacy lessons, but if I'm stuck here much longer, it will be a problem without help... If the hunter fails, I'll need to hit up a library or some kind of written history to find answers.

A shiver tickled along her spine like cold nails as the feeling of being watched returned. She rose a Ten barrier and huffed with annoyance. Do people have nothing better to do than try to creep out competitors?

She stuffed what remained of the lukewarm treat into her mouth before standing and collecting her haul. Shifting and swerving through the growing crowd of the early evening market, she attempted to hide within the sea of people. Turning sharply, she aimed for an alleyway to take a well-known shortcut back to Heaven's Arena.

The buildings sat close together but with enough space for three people to walk side-by-side. Dumpsters and recycling bins decorated the sides of each door, leading to shops and the small apartments that sat above. Black metal stairways to the upper doors zigzagged along the walls, speckled in brown rust from the elements and age.

Orange and red danced in the sky as the sun began its daily descent. She turned again, following the path back towards the fighting hall. Two men appeared from a side alleyway, stepping into the middle of her path. They dressed in black and green with army boots and vests with several pockets. One man held two handguns, and the other a twelve-inch bowie knife. Scars littered the forearms of the square-jawed blacked-haired man with brown eyes. His weathered face wore a speckled stubble along the chin and cheeks. His companion was younger in years but just as muscle-clad. Despite his relaxed, oblong jaw and clean shave, she knew the severe nature of their threat. 

The sound of rubble moving across stone drew her gaze over her shoulder, where one woman with dark brunette hair tied up and brown eyes stood before two other men whose features remained hidden behind masks and glasses. They all dressed similarly to the men in front.

"Is there a problem?" Violet's lips curved into a harsh frown. 

One of the men in front stepped forward, and his short black hair shone in the fading sunset rays. "Sorry, sweetheart. You got yerself a bounty, and we're here ta collect. We can bring you in broken without hurtin' our cut. Think clearly." 

Violet scoffed, deciding to raise her gambit with words before wasting physical energy. "Are you sure I'm your target? I haven't pissed anyone off enough for a damn bounty."

The entire group laughed as she set her shopping down, readying for the inevitable.

"Honey, yer above floor two-hundred, somehow. Tha's more than enough to piss many off fer a bounty. Maybe someone who lost a bet because of you. It happens, but it's not our problem," said the black-haired man, appointing himself as the group's spokesperson.

He acts brazen, but the way the others move around him, he's not the leader. Violet continued to scan the people blocking her way in search of the answer.

"All that matters is you're the target. Be a quiet capture or one with a severe injury?" asked the woman behind Violet, tossing her head so her ponytail swung before continuing, "We don't care. As long as you're breathing on delivery, we get paid."

Bounty hunters are the same no matter where you go: a bunch of money-hungry morons. Violet growled. "I'm a top-floor fighter, and you think you can even touch me?" She cocked an eyebrow and crossed her arms.

"You haven't won a single match up there. Just had your ass handed to you," the woman mocked as she donned bronze knuckle dusters.

Violet flinched at the sight of the knuckle weapons. Jason's ice-blue irises and the screams of the night nearly a year ago echoed through her mind. She forced herself to recover swiftly. 

Condescension seemed the best method to hide her momentary insecurity. Chuckling, she half turned to stare at the group behind her. "Mom bottle-fed you dirt, huh? They say 'breast is best', but I doubt it would have helped you much."

The bounty hunter released a loud howl and sprung forward with rage, but her comrades held her back.

"You can let her go; I'm not going anywhere with you low-lives. Let the blood spill."

Life aura escaped their bodies, rippling away as a transparent, untrained veil under the lens of Violet's Gyo, and she knew none of them possessed Nen. Although it was a safe assumption they would be little threat, she didn't love that they possessed combat training and numbers.

In one motion, everyone took to movement. Two raced head-on while the rest kept short and long-range positions. Violet dealt with the direct attacks first with quick, efficient manoeuvres. Her Ken barrier handled any bullets from the long-range weapons she couldn't dodge. 

Their approach is balanced. Have I over-estimated? 

She held the two close-range fighters off and dodged most of the long-range attacks, even sending one back at them. The brunette from before screamed in pain, and Violet smirked, knowing the ricocheted attack ripped through her arm.

BANG

Violet cried as pain ripped through her right calf. Searching for the source of the Nen attack, she found a blonde man with dark eyes leaning over the roof of one of the buildings. He smirked as his long-range gun smoked from the shot that left blood painting her leg.

Found the leader. Not fast enough for my leg, dammit. She wrapped her hand around the wound to curb the bleeding. A long-range attack, so... Hisoka's voice echoed through her mind, explaining the Nen types, helping her recall the information. Emitter.

With a glance, she saw the gash through her ripped legging appeared superficial. The slight last-second dodge saved her a worse wound. 

While assessing the snipper, a fighter snuck close and laid a punch to her guts. She coughed, wrenching in pain and slumped over her assailant's arm. When he pulled back, she grabbed his forearm, preventing the return of his limb. Striking down without mercy, her elbow connected with his radial bone. The satisfying snap vibrated back through her arm, and she knew both forearm bones snapped.

A blood-curdling scream escaped the bounty buff's mouth beneath his mask before he crumbled, writhing. She continued to secure his body as the brunette-haired, clean-shaven man raced towards their position, his bowie knife at the ready.

Feinting to the right side, the man adjusted thanks to good reflexes. Not to be outdone, she changed the position of the man still within her hold, and as his friend slashed with the knife, the blade landed in the man's side.

"Shit! Marc," screamed the knife-wielder. "Marc, I'm sorry!"

Violet sidestepped the pair and built speed to scale a wall and escape physical weapons and the raining Nen bullets. While the enemies reloaded their firearms, she perched like a taunting alley cat atop a fire exit.

"Oooo! That's definitely in his lung, buddy. Remove the knife, and he's—" She moved her hand in the air across her neck.

The enraged comrades of the group fired upon her position. As she dodged, the bullets riddled the fire escape, and the metal gave way. Moving with the falling stairs, she shifted the object's fall to land in the middle of the group below. They scattered, but the injured Marc couldn't and was left under the rubble when his friend hurried away to safety.

She stumbled free of the chaos, zig-zagging to avoid the Nen bullets. Her leg muscles were wearing thin, and her guts agreed. Sweat laced her skin as she pushed through the pain.

The emitter followed her movements. She moved with precision, and two of the leader's men took bullets to the chest. Blood, intestines and lung tissue littered the walls and street of the alley.

"Thanks, buddy!" She waved cheerfully to the snipper.

He screamed and brought forward a bigger gun, aiming at her position.

He's annoying. I need to deal with him. Before she could move, she spotted the female bounty hunter closing on her position with what looked like a mini grenade in hand. Well, that's really beyond stupid in such a small space!

Violet jumped, landing a foot on the brick wall, and pushed off to flip over the woman. She spun, grabbing a long blade from the holster on the woman's left thigh. Once they were back-to-back, she drove the blade into the brunette's left side and twisted it. The woman shrieked in agony and doubled over. Violet snatched the grenade.

Blood spewed from the woman's mouth onto the dirty concrete while Violet grinned with sinister intent as a vicious plan formed. Dropping to her back, she hit the ground, hooking the woman's body with her legs on the way down. Forcing Ken along her legs for added impact, she sent the woman flying toward the Nen user.

The emitter couldn't fire his weapon while the woman obstructed his view. He ducked clean of the projectile body. Once the female comrade was over his head, he aimed for Violet, placing himself over the eyepiece to aim. She smirked, twirling the grenade pin around her index finger before pointing to the airborne woman.

Wicked satisfaction coursed through her veins, watching the colour rush from the emitter's face. He gasped and relocated the flying form of the brunette Violet had buried the grenade deep within. She activated her Ken and Ren for protection and dove for cover.

A resounded detonation sounded, and pieces of bone, flesh, and splattering soft tissue flew in every direction. The emitter threw himself from the roof. Rushing to meet him where he would land, she laid a solid kick. He took the impact and jumped back.

A flurry of physical attacks started as they danced and played off one another's techniques. Pulling on their sweat and condensation from the air, she formed water in her palm before driving it into his face. She manipulated the water, blocking his nose and mouth.

The man struggled, and Violet took several direct assaults as he fought to free himself from her determined grip. She took the injuries in favour of holding the water in place, suffocating the opponent. He faltered onto his back, but she remained overtop and kept the water in place until light left his dark green eyes.

The sound of a gun filled the air as a standard bullet ripped through her left arm. Pain stabbed, treading dangerously near the limits of her pain tolerance.

She stumbled back and grabbed her arm. Locating the last standing opponent, she growled and charged. He fired several more shots as she snatched a knife lost during the fray. She sent the blade hurling with Shu into the man's head. He flew into the far wall, dead long before the impact.

Violet leaned against the wall, heavily panting. She wiped the sweat from her brow. This was a lot harder than it should have been. She looked down at her stomach, throbbing with pain.

"Fuck you, Hisoka..."

"Now, now, what have I told you about swearing, kitten? ♥" The sound of clicking heels echoed as he made his way to her position.

"How. Long. Have. You. Been. There?" She trembled with rage.

Unbridled excitement danced across his hooded eyes. He slowly brought his hands together to clap three times. "What a marvellous show, darling. I'm still tingling." He looked over at a few pieces of the woman stuck to one of the walls and then to the man buried under the remains of the fire escape. "You've left one alive. Your record will suffer ~♠" Before she could respond, he released a card and ended the trapped man's life.

"Oh, real nice. Take out the one that cannot even move. So helpful."

"You looked to be having so much fun. It would have been rude of me to interfere."

Violet rolled her eyes but couldn't deny his words. I'm paying for it now. She sighed and tried to rise higher on the wall but slid down instead. "Why are you still here? The show is over."

Tearing her leggings apart, she ripped pieces apart to tie them together as bindings. The work proved simple for the leg, but her arm presented an awkward position to bind. She attempted to use her teeth to secure the tie.

Hisoka knelt by her. "Give it to me." He raised her arm and examined it. "It only clipped you; it just needs to be sealed." He applied the bandage with ease.

"I cannot leave the bodies here. Someone will have heard and—"

"If you report it, more bounty hunters will come to claim you as their prize." He finished bandaging her arm. "Head back to your apartment. I'll take care of the bodies."

"Why do I feel like you're an expert at this kind of thing?"

He beamed cheerfully. She sighed as he helped her stand.

"Can you make it back?"

"I'm not a child," she snapped, pulling back her arm. Grumbling, she grabbed the only two shopping bags she could locate and walked away without glancing back, even as he chuckled. 

----------

"He could have at least taken out one! Or just a distraction. God!" Still fuming as she reached the elevators for the upper floor fighters, she smashed the button to call the carrier several times. A near-permanent scowl disgustingly twisted her face as it shone back at her through the door's reflection. 

A pleasant chime from the door rang as the device opened, allowing her access. She seethed in silence as it ascended before dinging again once she reached her floor. Dark electricity zapped around every nerve, drawing her from annoyance into another fight response. She activated her Zetsu while her hair stood on end.

Light shone pleasantly in welcome on the floor lobby as she peered out. All appeared right in the world beyond the doors. From what she could see, nothing indicated anything paranormal or otherwise threatening. 

Still, her instincts screamed to leave. And fast.

She shook her head and whispered, "This is so stupid..." Still, she didn't exit the elevator. She looked at the panel and, against her better judgement, pressed floor tow-hundred and forty-five, and the elevator ascended once more.

After leaving the lift, she ambled to Hisoka's room and knocked. When he didn't answer, she tried again with no luck. Her agitation rose, prompting her to reactivate her Zetsu. 

She gasped and covered her face. He isn't back yet. You dummy. She reached for her phone and found it missing. Absolutely perfect...

With limited options to select from, she sat with her back against Hisoka's door and pulled her legs into her chest. Hugging her limps, she rested her face against her bent knees. Adrenaline dwindled as it drained with the ticking of time, inversely matching the rising of her searing pain from the new battle injuries. Unsure what else she could do, she waited. Her imperfect Zetsu aided for the time, but she struggled with the technique and couldn't hold it indefinitely. 

Exhaustion nipped at her body and mind. The passing of time was lost to her when she heard the familiar clicking of Hisoka's heeled shoes. She kept her head down with her legs pulled into her chest.

"A little lost kitten. Want to come in for a saucer of milk? ~ ♥" Violet didn't respond to his teasing tone or words. "I told you to go to your apartment. Why are you in front of mine?"

She peered skyward to find the brilliant golden eyes that attracted her in ways she couldn't comprehend. Her eyes widened at the horror that met her gaze. Hisoka stood with arms at his hips, smirking with a maniacal look in his eyes, made more striking by the fact that he was covered in bright red blood splatter across his face, forearms and chest. It stained the white of his overshirt irreparably. 

"Dear god, Hisoka. Did you send the bodies through a wood chipper?" 

His look darkened while his lips stretched to widen the smirk. "They put up somewhat of a struggle. It was quite stimulating."

Violet raised an eyebrow. "They were dead."

His smirk widened further, sending a cold shiver through her spine. 

When he refused to respond to her question, she answered his. "I don't know why I came to your place. Something... wasn't right on my floor..." Embrassement assaulted her chest, and heat invaded her cheeks. I should just go. I was stupid not to consider getting a hotel room. But her mind was calmer now and functioning better since his arrival. 

"Smart girl ~ ♥"

Standing, she shifted to move past him. But her exit was blocked by his arm against the wall.

"Come in and have that drink."

"No. I'll go." 

Hisoka leaned in and whispered, "The blood is from the four men camped out by your room. You're best to come in for that drink."

Violet froze as shock flooded across her body and mind and turned to consider the magician. His features were still coloured with hints of madness, but less darkness invaded his eyes, replaced by the softness she'd grown accustomed to seeing. Reaching around her, he opened the door and gently guided her inside without force. 

"I don't understand," she muttered. 

"They were likely friends with the ones you destroyed earlier."

He snaked his arm around her right side and held the missing shopping bags for her to reclaim. Hesitantly reached out and took the merchandise.

He whispered, "I loved the green ones. They'll be so fun to rip off you." He licked the shell of her ear. She pulled away, and her gut tensed as heat grew within her core, realising he'd spied her lingerie selections.

"Hisoka!"

He smiled, the soft way she found herself attracted to seeing, while gently offering back the phone she lost during the fight. She grabbed it possessively and hugged it as her lips quivered. 

His hand ruffled her hair before he said, "Make yourself at home. Runaway, and you won't enjoy the outcome as much as I will, kitten~♥"

With that, he moved into the washroom. She flipped the phone case open and peeled the back of the cardholder to see the edge of the picture hidden within. She could never mistake the worn side but refused to pull it free. Her emotions were already on the verge of a break, and she didn't need further help. Turning, she activated Gyo to find the front door completely covered in Bungee Gum.

It's not like I could leave if I tried.