Who Says A God Can't Be A Hunter Too?

Chapter 8

                  

I trailed behind Hisoka, still too shaken to get close to him.

"Do you think I'll bite little fruit?" he hummed, glancing back at me over his shoulder with a smirk.

"In all honesty, I have no idea what to expect from you," I answered, my expression clouded. He snickered quietly, causing my brow to furrow even more so than it already was.

"It seems we are in the same situation. First, how you managed to catch up with everyone even though you were left behind and by any normal means should not have made it, and second, that little spectacle back in the clearing there. I'm very interesting in what that was."

"What's the point of spilling my guts to you? I only promised to tell you the answer about Jōki, not anything else. And until it proves worthwhile to tell you everything about me, I plan to keep my lips sealed," I bit out bitterly. I didn't know why I was being so snarky with him; I was already painfully aware that he could kill me in the quarter of a second, but it seemed I was unable to keep my mouth shut and not speak my mind in his presence.

The magician shifted his captive over his shoulder, chuckling quietly to himself. "Well, I suppose I can be patient for a while longer. Now tell me, what is this form you call 'Jōki'?"

I drew the vial that held Jōki from my pocket and uncorked it, allowing Jōki to flow out. Hisoka stopped and turned to watch, his expression one of mild interest.

"Jōki...is a cloud, to put it simply."

"A cloud?"

"Mhm. While clouds usually don't have a solid form, Jōki is different because it's infused with my Nen. Nen helps keep it in a solid form that's strong enough to carry me, as well as directing the cloud to rise, fall, and drift like normal so that I can travel. But my Nen isn't the only thing sustaining it. Clouds need moisture to maintain their form, so I have to keep Jōki constantly hydrated or it'll disappear," I explained, giving Jōki a small push so that it lazily drifted towards Hisoka.

"So the more energy you put into it, the faster it travels?" He inquired, reaching down to touch the cloud.

I gave a curt nod.

"Interesting..."

His sharpened nails sunk into Jōki, and I frowned lightly as I clicked my tongue to draw my cloud back. Hisoka raised his head and gave a teasing smile, before standing to his full height and turning away from me. I drew Jōki back into the vial and placed him safely away as Hisoka began to walk away, seemingly satisfied for the moment with what I had showed him. We continued on our journey in silence, and I wonder if the magician actually knew if we were headed in the right direction or not. What heightened senses did he have that he could so confidently lead us through this swamp, despite Satotz's warning of certain death if we got separated from the group?

Not too long and we were on a grassy forest path, the fog left behind us. Although the route we took was sunny and bright, I could still hear the dwellers of the swamp lurking just beyond my sight in the cover of the underbrush, and began walking closer to Hisoka. Not expecting him to suddenly stop at some random point, I collided into the magician's back, nearly falling before his hand shot out and gripped my arm.

"S-Sorry," I murmured, shifting uncomfortably in his grasp, hoping he'd let go.

Hisoka merely smiled, but not in a friendly, reassuring way. "I suppose you're going to stay by my side until this is over." Strangely, his words sounded more like a statement than a question, and I hesitated in giving him an answer. He regarded me with those piercing amber eyes, and I began to squirm under his gaze as it slowly swept me from head to toe. What was he playing at?