Chapter Text
“Yami, back so soon?” Hotaru canted her head as she heard the door ring.
“Not soon enough… my target had some annoying henchmen on him,” I replied, cracking my back with a sigh. I walked hunched over on the way here with my messy hair.
“You collected the head?” she smirked.
“No… nothing but a large strange lump in the bag for nothing,” I sneered as I pitched it to her. “Hotaru must’ve dealt with something earlier,” I thought. She looked a little out of shape as I examined her.
“Since you’re staring, some bandits attempted a robbery this morning,” she hummed directly. Hotaru seemed on edge about it.
“Sorry… Y’know what? It’s been a while and we should do something to catch up. Just like the old times,” I offered while leaning over her shoulder as I looked over the severed head.
“Maybe tomorrow mornin’. It looks legit, so here’s the jenny,” she smiled. I secured the bills in her hand and the slim woman strode toward the back. I looked around the store, and everything seemed normal. Hotaru brought out 4 new posters to place as I audibly sighed.
“Are there any high-stakes ones? The previous guy was nowhere near a challenge,” I questioned, and a smirk crossed my face.
“Hmm… Seems to be petty small accounts of theft or assault charges. I know they pay less, but they are safer. You should give one a shot,” the brunette responded before one of the flyers had fallen. I walked over to assist her with repinning it. The poster was yellowing and already had many puncture spots. Edges of the paper were crumbling and it looked like something that’d be protected in a museum.
“Hey, why does this one look so… ancient?” I asked, reaching the paper in Hotaru’s view.
“No name eh? This one has been up here for a couple of years. I should have taken it down ages ago since nobody has seen the guy,” she added then collected the paper.
“Oooh sounds intriguing.” The man on the poster possessed jet-black hair and eyes that glowed like embers. A skeleton bandana concealed his lower face while he was draped in a coal cloak. I grabbed the sheet back from her with a grin. “Finally, a challenge,” I thought.
“C’mon Ayami you can’t be serious. Don’t be stupid,”
“If anybody hauls him back here, it’s gonna be me! Dead or alive!” I excitedly shouted then sat down on a chair next to the board.
“It is not the time to be delusional. I’ve investigated rumors about this guy… He’s too much even for a Blacklist Hunter like yourself,” she muttered. Did Hotaru think I was meek? I’ve always thought of her like a sister since we knew everything about each other. Although I hadn't seen her in what felt like months, sometimes we would call.
“I want to hear the rumors,” I replied while setting my head in my hands after crossing my legs impatiently.
“Well, I’ve heard he’s a part of a vicious street gang. You don’t want to get involved with them,” Hotaru tried to reason with me.
“Psh- It’s not like I haven’t dealt with gang members before or the absolute group. Plus, he has some pretty numbers hanging over his head,” I fanned the air with the poster confidently with a smirk.
Carefully gathering some jenny, I passed Hotaru enough for a typical room. I decided to stay the night to research my target. My home was never stationary.
“Hm, I guess there is indeed no way of stopping you. I don’t know whether to wish luck towards you… or to him,” Hotaru chuckled as she pinched the bridge of her nose.
“It’ll be a fun one,” I grinned, then stood up to walk to the staircase. “Goodnight Hota,” I cheekily responded before continuing toward my room. She hated being called Hota, but I did it sometimes just to mess with her. I loved how we could always joke around with each other. Hotaru glared at me before I rounded the corner.
Not a sound occurred on the second floor. “It’s never been this quiet… I don’t like this,” ran through my mind. I focused Gyo around the area for any Nen presence and found nothing.
Swiftly, I latched the door and strode towards the closet. Maybe it feels off because housekeeping was recently here. As I flipped through the closet, I found an ordinary pair of sleepwear. I went back to bed and slept lightly so I could be on high alert.
“SEND HELP! PLEASE!!! SHE’S PSYCHOTIC!” he shrieked. I couldn’t see him, but I ran toward the sound of somebody banging on home doors. The man had been making me run for hours and it pissed me off. I knew my bloodlust had been trailing out behind me.
“STOP RUNNING! This is inevitable,” my hoarse voice rang through the streets until I seized him. I was dripping with sweat and had a satisfied expression as the man squirmed and begged beneath me. I knew others must’ve been on the way, so I turned him over so I could make a quick cut through his throat. His face… It wasn’t his face. It was my mother’s.
“A-Ayami, don’t hurt momma. Let me pr-protect you,” she gurgled, choking on her blood.
“WAIT… MOMMA? I'M SORRY! I AM SO FUCKING SORRY… H-Hold on… I can fix this… Don’t close your eyes,” I choked on sobs as I frantically tried to stop the bleeding. I tried so desperately to stop it but the blood was rising like a flood. I gasped, trying to find the surface.
Just as I was about to black out, I woke up. My body flung forward in horror, instantly realizing it was just a dream. Sweat beaded down my face and my lungs no longer had breath. “Just another one of those dreams…” I tiredly panted.
I brought my knees to my chest and gently rocked myself back and forth, trying to regain my breath. After calming myself, I walked to the connected living room and shakily turned on the TV. I was craving a distraction.
I leaned over to a counter behind the couch and reached for my laptop. An hour had passed as I filed through recent reports on a ‘strictly Hunters’ website. Nothing matched the visible appearance of the guy, unfortunately. I searched on regular reports of heists and robberies as well and still, not a trace. This man was so illusive and I was starting to lose hope.
Seeing enough time had passed, going downstairs to talk with Hotaru sounded like a pleasant break. Impatience had inevitably been a habit of mine and caused my downfall at times; although I always got the job done.
I got dressed in casual jeans with a sweater and strolled toward the oak staircase searching for the hotel’s cashier. “Afternoon Yami,” called out from around the corner. I instinctively went into complete fight mode and a blade point aligned to her jugular. Hotaru’s breath hitched and my eyes widened.
“Shit- sorry… I didn’t think you’d mask your presence,” I guiltily apologized before I lowered the blade back into my pocket.
“You got to get that fixed, man,” she replied in an angered tone, releasing a held breath. I sat at a bar stool placed on the other side of the counter she typically sat at.
“I haven’t secured any leads on this guy,” I grumbled into my hands. Frustrated, I thought about how I was lucky enough to find an interesting catch that was almost non-existent.
“I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so,” she snickered while taking a seat across from me. I shot her an unamused glance.
“I know… I think I’m going to ask around the shop in the background of the man’s photo. Hopefully, somebody there may know a little bit of intel. My ability can’t activate since the picture is older than 5 years,” I complained, letting my head hang back and closing my eyes.
The doorbell rang again and this time the energy in the room had completely switched into a mischievous feeling. Maintaining my head still, I unclosed my eyes to operate my ability known as Sight Stealer. This ability allowed me to witness what somebody else was presently as long as I could recall their appearance almost exactly. It traditionally worked better if I was grasping a picture but this would have to do.
Through the quiet brunette’s eyes, I saw a static vision of a tall clown. “ Creepy ,” I silently mouthed. I turned around to observe him walking leisurely toward the counter with a sinister grin.
“Good afternoon ma’am~, I was wondering about the price to rent a room?” he questioned as he glanced at the key wall.
Hotaru informed the man of the price and he hummed in agreement. He stared at me for a second as he leaned over the counter with his elbows. The clown delivered the money to her hand.
“Do you have a hunter’s license that I can put on file?” she asked.
“Indeed I do,” he replied, mysteriously.
“May I ask the name of who the room is for?” Hotaru politely added.
“Hisoka Morow,” he plainly said this, and it raised a red flag for me. It stood out from his usual mysterious and smooth voice.
“Alright, have a good stay,” she faked a smile.
“Mmm~ thanks dear,” he added before gently taking the keys out of her hand.
Once he held the keys, I retorted, “It’s rude to stare y’know.” He was taken aback by what I remarked with his glare turning more frustrated.
“Ayami-,” Hotaru mumbled as she gently backhanded my shoulder to signal me to stop.
“I do apologize for my behavior… Say, you’re a feisty one aren’t you?” he replied. My left eye twitched in anger at how annoying he sounded. “Hmm, sounds as if I’ve touched a nerve. I’ll be heading to my room now,” he smirked. The clown’s voice certainly felt smooth throughout that entire interaction like he was delighted to annoy me. My eyes coldly followed him to the stairs.
“Damn, you don’t know when to keep your mouth shut, do you?” Hotaru spoke up.
“There’s no way he could be somebody important. That’s just a creepy clown” I ranted.
“Just don’t fuck with him, Ayami. I am being serious. This guy has been here beforehand, and he never fails to give me the chills,” she explained. Naturally, I didn’t want to get anywhere near that musty clown.
“Jeez… I promise. Plus, I’m heading out soon. I’ll text you if something happens,” I grinned.
“Just be safe and try not to give me a heart attack,” she half-joked. I sort of felt bad for making Hotaru so worried but my nature couldn’t help it.
“I’ll try… Thanks,” I responded in a genuine tone before leaving out the front door.