Title: Luminescence
Author: Cherrie ([email protected])
Chapter: 1/5
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimers: Hunter X Hunter © Yoshihiro Togashi, Shounen Jump Weekly, Shueisha and Nippon Animation. This fanfic is written for entertainment purposes only.
Summary: A sequel for Yours Truly, Hisoka. A better explanation of their story, and what happened after the letter. I suggest reading the letter first to better understand this story, but one can still find it understandable by just knowing that there was a letter involved ^^;
Notes: Hurray, I'm back to the multi-chaptered fanfics! I'm expecting to finish this one as soon as time permits me. Also, I checked out my HxH manga lately and I could've sworn that I never noticed that part when Illumi mentioned that he hasn't known Hisoka for a long time yet. Which means that he and Hisoka just met. Oh my...*sighs* This is what I get for buying Chinese manga.

* * * * * * * * * *

The halls were busier than usual. Hisoka wasn't one who'd care much about gossip, or any other unnecessary thing that happens around him for that matter. But the subject that somehow grabbed everyone's interest was definitely far too widespread that the conversations reached even the magician's indifferent ears.

"Yes, that pale one who jumped immediately from platform 1 to 95. I heard the last opponent was so badly disfigured that his body could barely pass as human after the battle."

"The technique he uses can twist muscles as he wills them to. The skill is far too advanced to be taken lightly." This next one came out a whisper, but Hisoka's ears were sensitive enough to catch them. "Do you think he uses nen?"

"I doubt that he doesn't. I've seen his battles before. There were times when his opponents don't move at all, and he'd just walk to them to cut off a body part. Some even looked like they ran to him just to get stabbed. Do you think he knows how to do mind control?"

It wasn't everyday that the Sky Arena was like this. Supposedly, this place was filled with arrogant bastards who are stupid enough to think that they can claim victory in every battle they take up. But for them to talk about an applicant here and say things about his strengths and his skills, that truly meant that there really is a challenge ahead.

This was very interesting.

Holding the form in his hand tightly, Hisoka stayed a while longer, just in case he might be able to catch any useful information about this 'pale one'.

But the two gentlemen he was listening to were proving themselves more and more useless as time passed by. Completely fed up with their, "I wonder if I could take him?" and "If you have a fetish for pretty boys who bite, then be my guest", Hisoka turned his back to go on with what he was supposed to do. He was just about to go to the registrar's window to confirm his last victory when he heard it.

"A member of the Zoldick clan? So that's why he kills so easily."

Zoldick? Now why did that name sound familiar?

"I heard that he's the eldest child. Very quiet, nobody ever heard him speak before. He's on his way to the top floor, I'm sure."

That was when everything finally fell into place.

The sudden chill of remembrance that ran past Hisoka came as a surprise. But a second right after that came a sudden burst of warmth, then a shaky feeling inside of him that made the hair on his arms rise. Excitement. When was the last time he's been this excited? Now, if only he could remember his name...

Illumi.

A slightly manic grin began to spread on the magician's lips. He had to get to the top floor as soon as possible.

* * * * *

Sheer ecstasy.

That was what he felt when the look of recognition crossed that pale face. Yes, the young man remembered him all right. For months, Hisoka had watched Illumi's progress, whether through the monitors that adorned the hallways or by being a part of the audience, it didn't matter. And never did he disappoint him. In every battle, Illumi reveals a part of his skills that a novice wouldn't catch so easily. But never did the ivory-skinned man use an advanced technique twice, which made him all the more interesting.

Watching Illumi had grown into a habit over the past few weeks. So much that even in his fights, he sees that haunting face instead of those of his opponents. He even dreamed frequently of a time when he'd grasped that slender neck in his hands, the pale one on his knees, begging for air in a silent voice, with the utter grace and delicacy that was so natural to him.

And during some rare times, these dreams would get out of hand, and he would see himself leaning closer, close enough to feel the other tremble in his fight against unconsciousness. He'd watch himself hold down the other's struggles, a certain fire mirrored in the intoxicated state of his own eyes. And soon, he'd find his lips lightly brushing that smooth skin, tasting the saltiness of sweat and blood, a yet tasting also a certain sweetness that made him drunk by just thinking about it.

Since then, his thoughts had been filled with him. And he always kept his eyes on him. Watching him.

"You."

A small sneer. "Me," he said. "Fancy meeting you again."

Illumi's face held no emotion. He merely fixed his intense gaze upon the magician, which all the more thrilled him.

"So," Hisoka started, flipping a single card in his fingers. "Shall we begin or would you prefer a few more lines of camaraderie?"

Illumi's face darkened, and with a single turn of his hand, three silver pins stood in the spaces between his long fingers. That was clearly a 'no'. Not that Hisoka expected otherwise anyway.

Illumi attacked first and took a step back, as if he expected Hisoka to dodge his first attack. And with a single swipe of the hand that held the card, the magician avoided the pins - as expected - and skillfully manipulated the movement to will Illumi's weapons to return to the attacker in a fatal pose. The card joined the three pins in a quarter of a second, all four flying towards the eldest Zoldick.

But it was Illumi's turn this time. One with his weapons, a white hand flew to quickly snatch them out of the air, gracefully dipping down for a moment to let the lethal card run past him. The card, now dodged by its target, soared straight for the barrier that separated the audience from the ring. Upon contact, the strength and speed of the card allowed it to pierce halfway through the wall, creating a large crack, to the amazement of the spectators.

But the two who were battling it out in the ring were oblivious of these minor things. In the process of avoiding the card, Illumi also slid forward to attempt a kick on the magician. Hisoka evaded this by jumping back, landing on a single hand, then on his feet. He landed fluidly and without sound, quickly crouching down on the ground to help his momentum as he leapt forward for his own attempt on hitting the assassin as well.

A series of attacks were executed back and forth, without one scoring a single point. One attacks and the other evades, who then counterattacks, which, would also be evaded by the other. This went on for quite some time, and Hisoka found himself more and more frustrated with how things were going. Well, part of him was frustrated, while another was just plain amused just as well. Illumi was even better than when they last met.

In an instant, Hisoka had a hand around Illumi's wrist, which was poised just a millimeter away from his hair and could grab at him if he willed, while Illumi had his own grasp around the magician's other hand, which somehow balled a fistful of the material of Illumi's clothing just around the assassin's hip.

They quickly pulled back, realizing the danger of their proximity, but not before Hisoka could take note of the sudden warmth that crept around his limbs and cheeks at the lingering touch of the Zoldick's skin. There were a few safe feet between them, and both their labored breaths graced the ring, together with their unwavering gazes fixed on each other.

"This is fun, isn't it?" asked Hisoka, breaking the rising tension. The referee was a few paces away from them, eyes still intent in watching their every move. He had strained his eyes to catch a movement that may earn one man at least one point, but had found none. But Hisoka could care less about the poor man's job. The point was that he was enjoying himself despite the new revelation that there was one who could last this long against him.

A small ghost of a mischievous smile graced Illumi's lips, and a faint light sparkled from his dark eyes. "Must I really answer that?" he asked, spite, sarcasm and amusement trickling in small concentrations to still retain his cold reputation.

"Not really," answered Hisoka, who was now stretching his strained hands. He moved his wrists around to ease the stress, knowing that Illumi's not going to move unless they resume their battle. "The answer's quite obvious anyway," he said, and gave the other a knowing grin.

A small smirk adorned the assassin's pale face. "As articulate as I remember you to be."

By this time, their audience - quite a large one for some reason, perhaps because it was the battle of two of the most feared ones that prowled the Sky Arena, Hisoka thought - had noticed the pause in the battle, and we're making their protests known quite impatiently. But neither of the two could hardly care.

Thinking back on their fight, a thought crossed Hisoka's mind, and he decided to play around with Illumi for a while. Wearing his most innocent facade, he spoke. "Say...isn't that a wolf-rat?" he asked, pointing a finger somewhere in the audience behind Illumi's back.

A slender brow rose, Illumi's dark eyes bearing an expression that reflected the magician's own. "You mean like that behind you?" he asked, pointing somewhere behind the magician.

Carelessly not expecting that reply - because nobody in his history has ever done so - Hisoka instinctively turned around before his rationality kicked in. He cursed himself and willed his body to move. But before he could jump away from the expected attack, something hard and rough landed on his temple, hard enough to throw him slightly off back.

"One point, Illumi!"

How could he have been so stupid? He was surprised. Actually, more than surprised. There was yet a word to be discovered that could describe what he felt when he finally heard the voice of the referee, whom they just made to look as if he was mute for not making him speak for the last half hour.

His eyes widened slightly, and shifted from the triumphant smile of the referee to the dignified smirk that Illumi held in his face. He was supposed to be insulted, infuriated even, for being the first one to be scored a point from. But there was no mockery in Illumi's expression, no sign of victory. Only that of an invitation, a call for him to do him the same harm.

And Hisoka never refused a challenge.

* * * * *

Illumi won the first battle by one point. It was the very first recorded loss that Hisoka ever received in his whole lifetime. But it didn't bother him as much as he expected it to be. To him, it was the best battle that he has ever been in.

But Illumi didn't share the same sentiments. The night after they went back from the stadium, the two met in the halls just a few distances away from the registrar's window. Illumi asked Hisoka for a rematch, for clearly, that one point that he had received to win the battle was a useless point. He explained that the pattern of their receiving points alternated perfectly. Right after Illumi threw that fist-sized piece of concrete on Hisoka's head, Hisoka successfully landed a blow on Illumi, causing himself one point. During the course of the battle when Illumi finally landed a two-point blow, Hisoka countered it with his own two-point attack.

Plainly speaking, if Hisoka had not started the whole trickery in the beginning, thus, earning him a point, and if the pattern would've been followed throughout the battle, Illumi's last point would merely create a tie. And since they alternated in points, there was a great possibility that Hisoka could've won.

What is it with men and their pride? Hisoka saw the clear dissatisfaction etched on the assassin's face, despite the fact that he wasn't supposed to feel that way - something that Illumi had said himself. Illumi, like Hisoka, doesn't have a recorded loss, but he said that winning the way he did somehow counted in a hollow victory that left far too many unanswered questions regarding the differences in their skills. He said that he was in the Sky Arena to train himself and to learn, and if he let Hisoka go free without satisfying his curiosity of the many possibilities that could have happened, he would be letting an important lesson go without him learning anything.

"Ever the hardworking one, aren't you?" Hisoka had asked playfully.

"Oh, shut up," came Illumi's uncharacteristic reply.

But nevertheless, he had complied, and they scheduled another battle a month from then. This time, true to Illumi's word, Hisoka emerged the victor. But he hadn't really considered it as his victory, for whether by coincidence, fate, or by the sheer equality of their strengths, he had also won by a single point. And he found this extremely amusing. Both he and his opponent were sprawled on the ground. He had glanced towards Illumi, whose exhausted gasps of air seem to cut right through the cheer of the crowd. And when their eyes met, Hisoka's lips tugged into a grin, which resulted into violent spasms of laughter soon after. Beside him, Illumi finally betrayed his reputation in the arena and let out his own amusement, albeit hesitantly.

Despite Illumi's talk of similarities between the two fights and the possibility of Hisoka winning the first one just the same, the magician knew that his view of his disposition and the assassin's own is not going to change.

He had found his match.

Right after the battle, Illumi met with Hisoka again in a nameless place around the building of the Sky Arena. It seemed to be coincidence well enough that he found Illumi there. The assassin didn't seem to mind him distracting his peace, for though his face didn't betray the emptiness of his emotions, he extended a hand to him, which the magician took without hesitation. The warmth of the handshake brought him comfort, and a strange understanding as to what it had meant.

A truce.

"To never fight each other again," said the assassin, his voice merely a tone above a whisper.

Hisoka allowed this offer to linger in his mind. Did he really want to give up the thrill that he feels whenever he was faced with this man? To give up the chance of knowing what it's like to be in death's grasp, and to actually savor such cold yet exciting feeling?

He stared back into those blank eyes and saw himself in their depths. And what he saw almost surprised him. He wore an expression that he had never seen in himself before. Peace. Fulfillment. Satisfaction. He knew that they were going to be short-lived, but the fact that they were there proved them well enough.

There was a small smile in him, the first in many years. It may not have been obvious even, but he knew it was there. And that was when it hit him. For the first time since he could remember, the man who stood in front of him was not an enemy.

They let each other's hand go a moment later, but none of them made any move to leave. Illumi resumed his silence, his arms crossed contemplatively on his chest, his back to the other. Hisoka looked around him to see what his newfound ally found so interesting enough to keep him out of the safety of his luxurious room.

But it was Illumi who broke the silence. "Have you heard of the Hunter Exam?" he asked, his back still on Hisoka.

Hisoka shrugged. "Of course," he said dismissively. "And I failed the exam this year."

Illumi turned around, his expression and posture unchanged except for a slight rise in his eyebrow. His expression ranged between disbelief - very mildly - and curiosity.

Knowing the question in Illumi's gaze, Hisoka grinned. "I lost my temper, almost killed a judge and got myself kicked out," he explained.

Illumi nodded, a small smile of amusement on his face. "Figures," he said, earning himself a mocking glare from his companion. He then shook his head and turned serious again. "But that exam changes their judges every year. You can join again if you want to."

It was Hisoka's turn to raise an eyebrow. "What's your point in telling me this?" he asked.

"I believe the point is obvious, Hisoka." That was the first time Illumi ever uttered his name, and Hisoka of all people wouldn't dare let that go unnoticed. But if he found it amusing, he didn't show it, and just listened quietly. "There's still a year ahead of us, but as early as now, I want to ask you if you'd like to take the exam with me."

For a moment, Hisoka just stared at Illumi, blinking back a mild surprise. "Aren't you being a little bit too trusting here?" he asked the other to make sure that he wasn't just being delirious.

But Illumi just shook his head. "I need that license card as soon as possible, it will make things a whole lot easier for me to go around. You know what my occupation is, and frankly, to wrestle with the attendants of a travel agency just to go around the world to plant a measly pin on some old geezer's nape isn't very amusing."

That was the longest statement that Hisoka has heard from Illumi yet. But instead of nodding in understanding, he merely laughed. "You wrestle with flight attendants?"

Noting the mocking sound of the magician's laughter, Illumi just rolled his eyes and dismissed him. "Look, the point is that I need a trump card that will help me make sure that I get that license," he explained.

Hisoka's laughter died down, and this time, he returned Illumi's expression with the seriousness of his own. "And if I betray you?"

Illumi shrugged. "I've fought with you twice. That's enough for me to know how you execute your moves. If ever I die taking the exam with you, it will be blamed on my own careless stupidity, not my taste on companions." He then cast Hisoka a glare. "And what about you? I'm an assassin. What if this is all just a part of some assassination plan to kill you? Surely you've got enemies."

"So...we don't trust each other then." It wasn't even a question.

"Not unless you actually want to," said Illumi. "Trust is a dangerous thing. For all we know, the truce we made earlier could've been just a bluff from both sides. I might be poised in killing you for beating me on the second battle, and you might be fixed on killing me for goodness knows what reason."

"Now you're being paranoid."

"I'm an assassin, thank you very much."

An amused laugh escaped Hisoka. He didn't know why, but he knew he could trust Illumi. But the assassin was right. Trust, when given to somebody, can be likened to a scene where one hands somebody the key to end one's life.

But he wasn't really worried. For him, it was Illumi who should be thinking twice. He himself didn't know whether his intentions were good or not. There's always that lust factor, given the fact that one cannot control his dreams. Much as he tried, he couldn't get rid of them, even after their battles.

"I have a reason for you not to trust me though," he said. Whether he meant it playfully or sincerely, he himself did not know. But at least, someday, he could say that he had given his warning. "From the very start, I have always been watching you."

If Illumi had been surprised, he didn't show it. Instead, there came that rare sparkle again, and in turn, his pale lips tugged into a small smirk.

"No, Hisoka," he said, and fixed the magician with a gaze so strong that it almost suffocated him. "I was watching you."