Black Butterfly {Hisoka x OC ~ Hunter x Hunter Fanfiction}

Chapter 10: The Art of Disappearing, Part Two

Disclaimer: I do not own Hunter x Hunter; only my plot and my original characters belong to me.

Author's Note: Yeah, yeah, I know that this chapter is horrendously late. I'm sorry! Please have mercy! So this chapter is the second in a series of three that focus on Rhea experiencing Hisoka fighting in the ring at Heaven's Arena for the first time. I didn't mention this in the first chapter notes, but each chapter focuses on a different facet of "disappearing" and I spent a lot--A LOT--of time trying to figure it out. Last chapter dealt with Rhea dealing both with the angst of no longer being an "easily-forgotten, inconspicuous nobody" and with wanting to disappear from her newfound fame. This chapter deals with disappearing in a more literal sense. I hope you enjoy reading it! We finally get to see Hisoka fight! I hope I do him justice! Thank you again for reading!

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Chapter Ten: The Art of Disappearing, Part Two

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Hisoka lived for this moment.

The first fleeting moments of every fight were intoxicatingly, achingly addicting. The crackle of electric tension between him and his opponent, the reactive stirrings of the crowd, his own simmering bloodlust--it all combined beautifully and formed the most blissful, chaotic ambience imaginable. He wanted to breathe it in, to allow it to saturate every pore, to cement it into his memory to relive over and over again.

He also loved the first seconds of a conflict for one other reason: It was then that he truly didn't know what to expect from his opponent, before his keen senses kicked in and revealed his opponent's weaknesses, patterns in behavior, and exploitable fears. The unknown was much more appealing, but nothing much seemed to surprise him nowadays.

Well, there is that one thing...

The magician turned his head and cast a furtive glance over his shoulder towards the press box. A small, hooded figure stood just beyond the barrier, clutching the edge with her bandaged hands like her very life depended on it. Her lips parted slightly in a frightened gasp as she met his gaze, and Hisoka felt a small twinge of satisfaction ripple through his body before he turned away.

The referee said his piece, including an added bit about not attacking the official, and Hisoka had to stifle a childish giggle before responding. He recalled that in his early days at Heaven's Arena, before he'd risen to fame and the 200th floor, that he'd maimed a referee who'd made a call that he didn't like. They were hospitalized, he was nearly permanently banned from competing, and now all of the other officials at the tower gave him a wide berth.

Regardless, he agreed to the rules of the play, the ref threw up one hand, and then came that final moment of anticipation--that deliciously stretched-out moment before the official began the competition, where silence fell over the arena, a thick blanket of tension enveloped the ring, and his opponent practically hummed with energy.

Hisoka was careful not to get too excited. In his younger, more reckless days, his arousal had often gotten the better of him, and he had not fully relished or appreciated the last moments he'd spent with his victims. Now that he'd matured, he knew that he needed to carefully ration his pleasure, restrict his strength, and delay that orgastic last moment before he dealt the final, devastating blow. It would all begin in just seconds.

The official dropped his hand, and his voice boomed in Hisoka's ears. "The match begins--NOW!"

There was a flash of black curls and suddenly Lilith was mere meters away, and closing the gap that remained with remarkable speed. She leapt far above his head, cocked back a fist, and descended upon him, determination burning in her dark eyes. Hisoka waited until she was closer...closer...and then--