𝖌𝖚𝖒𝖚𝖘𝖘𝖊𝖗𝖛𝖎

f i f t y . o n e

the crowded, dim-lit bar buzzed with the giddy laughter and distant arguing of drunk adults. staff members paced around as customers entered and left. at the counter, in front of the bartender and the exquisite array of alcohol, was [name]. she sat with a leg over the other and her head rested on her hand.

"waiting for someone?" the bartender spoke, pushing a beautifully crafted cocktail in front of her. "on the house."

"is this a pity drink?"

"maybe."

[name] stared down at the drink. she outstretched her arm to pull it closer to her. she admired the mix of colours as the lights above her reflected off of the glass and made it sparkle in her eyes. her eyes suddenly darted to her left, where a man had took a seat beside her. his eyes met with hers.

"what's a pretty lady like you doing by yourself? did ya boyfriend dump you or something?" he slurred, clearly intoxicated.

the corners [name]'s lips upturned into a sly smile.

"yes.. you could say that."

"aww, that sucks.. hey, want to hang with me out the back?" he invited, a grin stretching his face. "the view's nice and i'll treat ya. time to move on from your boyfriend, yeah?"

"sure. actually, i'd like to somewhere a bit more private. my place isn't an option, unfortunately," [name] whispered, hands running down the man's leg. "how about yours..?"

the two then left the crowded bar and set off to the man's residence.

[name] pushed the taxi door open, whispering a 'thank you' to the driver before handing them money and exiting the vehicle. the girl's eyes travelled to the building in front of her. it was a normal house. nothing seemed out of place.

the man stumbled out of the car and began to make his way to the front door where he fumbled with keys messily. when he finally unlocked the door, he invited [name] inside, to which the girl accepted and entered.

[name]'s eyes moved around the house. nobody was inside and not a single noise was heard. she suddenly grunted when feeling the man throw himself onto her. she gently pushed him off of her before holding his shoulder and smiling.

"how about a drink, first?" she suggested, making the man obey and head towards the kitchen to pull out a large bottle of red wine and two wine cups.

the lights were off and the only source of light was the soft glow of the moon which spilled into the house through open windows. as the man shakily poured the wine into the glass cups, [name] steadily approached the man. she came up behind him, hand on his back, and spoke in a soft whisper.

"may this serve as salvation."

with that, the man gasped before his knees failed him and he fell to the ground. the bottle of wine smashed as it fell to the floor with the man. wine flowed out of the bottle, spreading out like wildfire and staining the man's clothes. she stared down at the now deceased man. her eyes moved to the filled cup of wine on the kitchen counter. she reached out for the wine glass and moved the cup to make the wine inside swirl. [name] lifted the cup.

"cheers to the victims who fell prey to this man, their families and apologies to this man's loved ones and those who loved him," she whispered, putting the rim of the wine glass to her lips.

~

the biting cold night air nipped at the man's skin as he solitarily walked down the empty street. he strutted in a poised manner and his eyes were unmoving as they stared forward. the tapping of his shoes seemed to echo down silent street as he advanced towards his destination.

suddenly, he paused. he turned his head to look up at a house. it was his destination, but the front door was slightly left ajar and the lights were turned off inside of the house. the man's eyebrows furrowed as he approached the open door.

as his fingers brushed over the wooden material of the door, the door opened to invite light into the dark house. there in his direct line of vision, was the motionless body of a man and a figure standing above it with a wine glass placed to their lips. the contents of the cup escaped from the corner of their lips and rolled down their chin onto their clothes.

the figure slowly turned their head to face the man. their eyes glistened as the light reflected in their eyes and their arm limped as it fell to their side. the man was speechless. the bewitching shine in their sharp, cold eyes, the crimson substance that rolled down from their lips, the same substance in which seemed to ooze out of the deceased man's body..

"i'm assuming you are another member of the phantom troupe?" the murderer spoke in a hushed tone. "what will you do? i'm curious. will you kill me?"

the man composed himself, before sending a friendly smile.

"no, rather.. i would like to invite you to the phantom troupe," he invited. "ways one can enter my organisation is either by defeating a member, or having been selected personally by me - the head. you have both defeated a member and caught my eye. i see something wonderful in you, and i see the potential of you becoming something beautiful."

"i do appreciate the flattery but, unfortunately, i have an occupation and am not interested in being a puppet of yours that follows orders without anything in return," the figure explained, stepping towards the man. "though, i must say.. i am rather interested in this organisation of yours..."

the murderer of the now deceased phantom troupe member strode forward to walk past and exit the house before pausing beside the man when he began to speak.

"how about a deal? i want you in my organisation and you want details on it, so how about you join in exchange for knowledge on the organisation?" he suggested, turning on his heel to head out of the door and turn back around to meet eyes with the murderer. "if you're interested even in the slightest bit, let me explain in detail someplace else; somewhere more private..."

[name] sighed through her nose as she rested her chin on her palm.

he always kept to his words, she thought, eyes travelling upwards to stare at the arguing boys who turned to look at nobunaga when he started to speak. i wonder how he'll react when he sees me.. will he get mad at me?

"ah!" gon suddenly exclaimed, making all heads turn. "i remember now! it was side-stepping! welding, exposing.. and the last one was side-stepping!"

gon and killua stared at each other until killua gasped. gon grinned.

"do you remember now?"

"yeah, i sure do!"

"see? how could we forget something so simple?"

gon turned to look at the girl behind them, who sent an understanding smirk. she's experienced in many areas, so she knew what they were getting at. she picked herself up and dusted herself off to meet eyes with nobunaga, as did killua and gon.

"now that we've figured it out..."

"let's go!" killua shouted, all three of the hostages activated their nen and taking a stance.

"are you serious?" nobunaga asked, standing up from his seat in front of the door and readying his katana. "you're just going to die. i'm not skilled or merciful enough to control my strength."

the three dashed forwards towards the man before nimby kicking their feet to scatter in different directions. gon to the right, killua to the left and [name] back to her spot near the wall. simultaneously, the three broke through the walls of the room.

if the exit is blocked... make your own!

~

i cry why did this take so long.