Horticulture

13.

Saturnous

The bus terminal hummed with activity around them. Light cascaded onto the waiting area from the ceiling to floor windows, the heat of the sunlight warmed her back as she leaned forward, pouring over a map of the surrounding area. Hisoka sucked on a cherry lollipop in his seat beside her, sitting with his ass half on the seat and his hands wrist-deep in his pockets. He wore squared sunglasses and left his hair uncombed that morning, the pale blue strands falling messily around his head.

"Do you have a name? Some village? Town? City? Is Chrollo in the same continent?" asked Pandora, holding their bus tickets under the map. Hisoka decided on a destination providing little information on what the location would bring other than saying that it'd bring them closer to Chrollo with a deceptive smile curving his lips. "How far are we going to have to go?"

Hisoka grinned, the round popsicle clicking against the back of his teeth. "You only get to know what you need to survive."

"Wow." Pandora snorted, straightening in her seat, the oversized bomber jacket that she wore over a crop top slid off her shoulder. The chatter around them growing so loud it was hard to think. Her white hair was tucked into a black baseball cap. "I thought you were a lot of things, but petty was not one of them."

"I'm being petty?" Hisoka dropped his arm over the back of her seat and crowded her. He loomed over her, casting a wide shadow across her, and she strained her neck to stare at him. He drew the candy from his mouth with a pop and pressed it to her violet lips. "It wouldn't be any fun if you had all the answers, right Panda?"

She took the popsicle into her mouth, running her tongue around its spherical shape as his amber gaze narrowed with hunger. She pushed it out between her teeth and bit down on the hard candy. "You are by far the worst partnership I've ever agreed to entertain."

"That just means I'm memorable."

"Cute," she deadpanned, crunching on the candy shards.

"I'm glad you agree." He stood up and his long gray coat fell past his thighs. "Now, enough with the flattery, we have a long way to go."

She followed him. He definitely looked better without all the theatrical makeup and outfit, but she supposed he considered it a part of his charm.

Hisoka offered her no more than a vague direction and dragged her across several countryside towns until they reached a colorful city on the eve of a grand celebration. Large banners were being nailed into place, window decals on storefront windows displayed fireworks and bursts of flowers, and the people, as they decorated the streets in ribbons and paper lanterns, clamored in excitement.

The murmur of excitement vibrated in the air around them and Hisoka's face brightened. A part of him enjoyed all manner of festivities, adapted himself to their lively ambiance as though they filled a need in him—one she didn't understand through observation or conversation with an uncooperative party like him. But she liked the look of him. His amber eyes dancing, his mind running through thousands of ideas for their stay, and his body loosening in its tension, though his guard remained ironclad, aware always of the dangers biting at her ankles.

Pandora's own hyperawareness of the city's mass preparations aided her in digging deep enough into the vicinity to know that something was amiss. She had anticipated complications since their air ship landed in Deene city, but didn't act on it. She wanted her stalker to strike first because it gave her the advantage. Only few would be so cautious so as to not attack. This one was experienced, trained in similar arts. He knew her well enough to avoid the idiocy or temptation of a first strike.

The old warning around the Meljanac base whisper in her memory. "Medora is strongest when she is on the defensive."

No surprise attacks. No threats to her life. Best her without resorting to extreme measures.

They were wary of her ability. Always.

If she activated her power, without nen, even the strongest members of her family wouldn't have been able to challenge her. So, the distance between them grew wider than the faraway cities buried under desert winds that she traversed as a teenager, persistent behind Panos, growing stronger as he weakened like a black hole swallowing all of the natural events meant to shape a planet for its own. The world as cruel as their occupation.

Hisoka insisted on handling their overnight accommodations and guided her to a tall building after much wandering around the busy streets of the city, humming excitedly at the promise of more than just a game-filled carnival evening after confirming her suspicions that someone had been pursuing them—their killer intent finally giving up their intention, though their location remained isolated to a single direction. The interior of the snazzy hotel was black and white marble with a checkered floor that echoed with the clicks of Hisoka's heeled shoes. The other guests were drawn to their entrance. They were a strange sight compared to the richly dressed people, as if they were already in costume for the celebration—many whispers drifted to them like smoke drawn into a vent wondering if they were going to entertain them, Hisoka tall and blue-haired, face pale with makeup and dressed in impeccable white, and her, petite in oversized black clothes with colorless hair that framed her face.

"Your friend has such delicious killer intent," Hisoka commented, elated. "I'm getting excited."

"Maybe you should go greet them," deadpanned Pandora, feeling the full brunt of Hisoka's own killing intent directed at her. Dark, heady, and heavy it wrapped around her, from the top of her head to the tips of her toe, like a boa tightening its hold on a tree. Her breathing slowed, her lungs deprived of almost fifty percent of oxygen, and she parted her lips as she snatched Hisoka's wrist, squeezing until the bones creaked in protest and her knuckles blanched in effort.

Hisoka eased up his toxic energy, fidgeting where they stood in the middle of the paralyzed room with a sharp-pointed nail pinched between his teeth. "But I'm too shy to go alone."

Cute.

He noticed her staring at him rather appreciatively and grinned. "Ah-hah."

She furrowed her eyebrows, her defenses up, stronger than steel and capable of deflecting the chill of his disgusting intent. She folded her arms across her chest. "What's with that face?"

"Embarrassed?"

"About?"

"Finding me attractive."

Pandora laughed obnoxiously loud and stomped towards the front desk. Hisoka reached the center counter first where an older uniformed woman stood in front of a backdrop of mail slots, some full of letters while others sat empty.

"One honeymoon suite," he said, offering Pandora a victorious grin.

"Just married?" the receptionist queried, a smile spread across her ruby lips, brightening her wrinkled face. "You've come down during a lovely time. We get lots of newlyweds around this time."

"We tied the knot just yesterday," said Hisoka, delighting in Pandora's souring expression as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and crushed her body against his side. "We actually met here two years ago."

The woman happily typed away at the keyboard, searching for available rooms as Pandora prayed that she turned them away. With carnival in town, she expected most hotels to be booked solid for the entire duration which made her curious as to why they would come through this place when she suspected they weren't anywhere near Chrollo's actual location.

"Well, you're in luck. We have one suite available."

Hisoka entertained the receptionist with his strange charm while he gave her his payment details in exchange for a key card to a suite in the top floor. The old woman congratulated them on their marriage once more, commenting on what a lovely couple they made, as Pandora shimmied out of his hold to cross the lobby to the elevators.

"Is there an actual reason as to why you picked this hotel out of the rest?" asked Pandora as they ascended to the top floor.

"Carnival's in town and we're here short notice. The cheaper places will have been booked solid. Only more expensive rooms are still available the day before." Hisoka smiled down at her. "Aren't you excited?"

"This isn't a field trip."

Hisoka slid his fingers under her chin and turned her face in his direction. "I want to enjoy our final days together."

She understood the implication as she shoved his hand away. "Well, I'm a busy woman and want to get on with the next phase of my life, so this little detour of yours better not take more than a couple of days."

"Aren't you in a hurry to die?" he mused; voice infused with an undercurrent of sarcasm.

Pandora swiped his key card and stepped into the hallway beyond the elevator first. The room sat inconveniently in between two occupied suites. Hisoka had no sense of location—or, he simply didn't care as long as the resulting situation presented some level of exhilaration, which she sensed mounting with the way the energy around him began to tangle and corrode like a deadly poison.

She entered the key and with an approving beep, the locks turned and the door opened for her. She barely had time to put her bag down when Hisoka hoisted her up in his arms and grinned at her.

"We need to celebrate," he announced.

Pandora covered his face with her hands. "We had an agreement."

"And I'm bored."

His grip tightened as he strode to the edge of the enormous bed in the middle of the decadent room setting. The floor-to-ceiling windows let in plenty of light and the white furnishings offered a degree of elegance she'd thought unnecessary for their journey. Plush pillows cushioned her fall and though she resisted his advances after her positioned himself between her legs, grinding into her before he sank into her, removing the buttons of her blouse with his teeth, she relaxed into his strange indulgence, closing her eyes as she exhaled.

"Just watch the teeth," she said, feeling a surge of pleasure zip through her like lightning when he pressed his mouth to her crotch.

Someone followed them. She struggled to pinpoint the exact identity of their stalker, but definitely a member of her family. Dio wasn't foolish enough to approach her this recklessly, so it had to be another of his supporters. Not anyone as reckless as Carpo, but definitely not a smart assassin.

She flinched, a sharp pain on her thigh distracted her from her thoughts, and she grabbed a handful of Hisoka's hair, jerking his head back. "No biting!"

Hisoka grinned. "You weren't paying attention."

She squeezed his face between her thighs and he dug his nails into her skin, tiny pricks of pain coupled with a draw of blood. "It's called survival. I am trying to stay alive and all you want to do is fuck me."

"They're no threat," he said, "and you're not afraid."

Pandora huffed. "Don't you get tired of this."

"Why? You have great reactions."

She pushed against his shoulder with her leg. "Well, I'm bored of this."

Hisoka sat up, his bright expression unchanging but the energy radiating from his significantly darker. "Is that so?"

Pandora pulled her shirt down as she raised herself up. "We should do something other than try to fuck our brains out."

He grinned. "I've got just the thing."

She hated the sound of that.

"But first things first," he said, grabbing her by the ankle and forcing her on her back. "I want to finish what we started, so get on all fours and put your ass up."

She frowned.

"What? I have to loosen you up or something might tear."

"Didn't stop you from shoving it in the last time."

"I could do it again," he said, his voice growing huskier as he grasped her neck. "You like it when it hurts, don't you?"

A chill worked its way down her spine, the desire pooling between her legs. She hated how wet this asshole made her.

"How would you like it if some asshole just shoved their dick in your ass without warning?"

"That depends on the asshole," he said, leaning over her, his mouth centimeters from her, "and how good he's fucking me."

Pandora grabbed a handful of his hair in her hand and spread her legs apart, gripping his ass with her other hand. "Maybe you should let me pin you down one of these days."

He licked the seam of her lips and pressed the tip of his engorged cock to her tight ass, pushing in so slow that her breath hitched. "Do you think you're good?"

"I've never had any complaints before."

She groaned as he spread her open inch by agonizing inch before the serious lack of lubrication presented her with a difficult experience. She'd had a lot of dumb sex throughout the years with idiot men that wanted to experiment without complaint and they were willing to pay a lot of money to get that practice. A raw dick up her ass with no lube felt like someone was scraping at her insides. And by the grimace on Hisoka's face, she knew that he wasn't enjoying it any more than she was.

Pandora pushed his hips from her, forcing his cock out of her ass, relieved by the emptiness it left behind, and crawled to the nightstand beside the bed. She rummaged through the top drawer and tossed a bottle of lubricant at Hisoka's face. He caught it in one hand, but the pink-packaged condom slapped him over the chest, making him laugh. "Was that too much for you?"

"Don't you ever stop talking?" grumbled Pandora, snatching the bottle from his hands and squirting a handful into her hands. She leaned back into the pillows and spread her legs open, reaching between them to rub her slippery fingers over the entrance of her aching hole.

Hisoka rubbed his hands over his erection, massaging it as he greedily devoured her with his narrow gaze. She dipped a finger inside her, the strange sensation was hard to grow accustomed to at first, but as she relaxed, she spread herself open one finger at a time. She rubbed her tingling clit with her other hand, basking in Hisoka's unblinking attention. She loved the way he looked at her, as if she were the only one, as if he were calculating the different ways that he planned to enjoy her, as though with a promise of fantastic. No, none of those were really it. He wanted to eat her. Like a greedy predator salivating for its prey just before it took the first tantalizing bite.

She wanted to be consumed. Hungrily. Desperately. As if they were the first warm meal in years or the last one before their death.

Pandora arched when he slid his finger inside of her, moving it around with her own. She moaned into the space above her head, her eyes focused on the high ceiling and the light fixtures that hung over the giant bed. She felt the silk-soft fibers of the cushioned bedding merging into her skin as her sensory awareness expanded with the sensitivity engulfing her body in shuddering waves.

Once she had prepared enough, Pandora turned over on her stomach, a pillow cushioned beneath her hips, and wrinkled the pristine comforter when Hisoka entered her. He pounded into her mercilessly, spreading her cheeks wide to enjoy the view of her ass devouring his cock and watch the excess lube mingling with his pre-cum bubbling out of her, the slick, warm liquid spilling down her thighs.

He slapped her ass, the crack of his palm as it made contact with her left cheek rang louder than her gasp. The delicious pain went through her like a shot of Blue Paradise—a drug she had first experienced as a teenager with pervert her mother had sold her to and the euphoria it produced within her. She felt invincible. The second time he spanked her, she pushed back into him and asked him to do it harder.

Hisoka obliged, slamming into her. Their bodies ensnared in this ferocious dance; her body melted willingly under his mercy. She welcomed each violent thrust, the intensity of feeling so full, of his cock hitting her at just the right angle that it stimulated something completely different inside of her. She felt every draw of his cock so intensely it weakened her knees, she counted ever droplet of sweat that splattered across her back—the cold spreading like melting ice—and experienced the different pitches in his voice. The lower ones when her hole tightened with every violent slap, the excited hum at the sight of her reddened ass, and the deep, guttural moans that rose from deep within his chest as his thoughts grew darker.

Gods, he learnt her body well.

He put his whole weight behind every thrust and she gave him a broken string of moans, mixtures of pain and pleasure blurring the lines between them. Their colors mixing and becoming something new all on their own. He left bite marks over the nape of her neck and pinched her nipples, tugging at them hard until she squirmed. He pressed open kisses on her shoulders, his teeth grazing every so often that it chilled her. He teased her to the point of aggravation, but he enjoyed that. She heard it in his voice, the coy whispers against her ears.

"You're fantastic," he told her, pushing into her to the base. Her breath hitched. "You like it when it hurts, don't you? You get tighter, your voice grows sweeter, and your body is more erotic."

She buried her face in a pillow. "Stop talking!"

He took her lobe in his mouth, nibbling on it lovingly as her ear grew warm. She grabbed a handful of his pale blue hair and yanked at him, but hurt herself as well because he bit her ear. He turned her around and entered her swiftly. She pounded against his chest, but almost immediately busied herself with removing his shirt. She admired his well-sculpted musculature, the toughness of the skin where it molded into beautifully cut abdominal. She admired the bulk of his arms and the roughness of his hands on her breasts.

Pandora brought him down to a strong kiss. They knocked teeth, their tongues sloppily met, and his movements slowed. She wrapped her arms around him, the euphoria that had engulfed her minutes before cooling, slowly dissipating as the embers of their passion sparked a new fire in her as she drew to an intense orgasm. She begged him to quicken, to stir inside her, and watching the way he pressed into her, over and over again, drove her closer, but it wasn't enough. She reached down to rub her clit; the sensitivity of the small bud made her jolt. She pushed through the powerful sensations erupting throughout her body until her climax hit her like a punch in the gut.

She let out a strangled moan and quivered as the orgasm left her body cold and unsatisfied. Hisoka withdrew and peeled the condom from his glistening cock, rubbing his thick length until he came. An arc of white cum landed across her torso and it burned hot on her skin.

Pandora sighed as she draped her arms over her head.

Hisoka straddled her waist. "Don't tell me you're satisfied with just that."

"We had an agreement."

"And we've already broken it. What's the point in keeping up airs?"

"No," she stated, pushing him as she tried to sit up. "Now, get off."

He ignored her by wrapping his legs around her, keeping her in place. He draped his arms over her shoulders. She felt his half-hard dick against her belly and almost asked him if he had any shame, but decided against it, knowing the answer well. He raked his fingers through her white hair, drawing her head back so she stared him in the eyes.

Pandora brought her arms around him. "Kiss me."

"Do you want to cuddle?" Hisoka cooed. "Is that it?"

"I, like many sensible people, do enjoy being pampered," she played along, sounding serious.

"Your strange interest in domesticity is incredibly boring."

"Unfortunately, we can't all live a charmed life without attachments like you."

"You think it's charming."

"Very."

"I'll indulge you, but you owe me another round of whatever I want," he proposed.

Pandora shrugged, moving with him to lie together in bed with her body flush against his torso listening to the steadiness of his heartbeat. His fingers combed through her hair and she sensed the price that she'd need to pay for this would be high, but while he pampered her, she listened to the obvious pacing outside their suite.

Who was it? She had a knack for recognizing all of her pathetic siblings. Unless they had undergone some impossible growth to better hatsu enough that they'd successfully fool her into perplexity, she had no valid reason to struggle as she did. Dio would never be so foolish. He was too proud to—

Hisoka yanked her head back by the hair and she let out a curse. He ran his tongue from her neck to her chin and she shuddered, the ache of her scalp and the wet trail he left behind welcomed new pleasure in her throbbing insides.

"Why don't you invite them in?" asked Hisoka huskily against her lips, grabbing a handful of her ass with his other hand. His erection rubbed against her stomach, leaking pre-cum. "Maybe we can fuck you together."

Pandora laughed. "That what you want?"

"They're turning me on," he replied, "and I wouldn't mind a Pandora sandwich."

"You forget," she said simply, "that they want to kill me."

Hisoka pinned her down, he held her wrists so tightly that she could feel them bruise. "So do I. Now, stay in bed."

Pandora obliged him as he climbed out of bed and pulled on his pants. He headed for the door, his singsong voice echoing back at him in greeting in the hallway after he exited. "Hello~"

This ridiculous clown would get her killed if it amused him enough, so she tugged on his oversized shirt and waited for him to return. Hisoka's overbearing aura spilled like a broken faucet and intoxicated the air with a threatening malice that zigzagged down her spine like lightning. Her skin chilled, her teeth clattered, and her sex ached, wet and expectant.

She sensed two energies clash. Hisoka's ringing laughter haunted the halls. The ground rumbled in protestation as Pandora stepped down from the bed. She heard the smack of skin in the exchange, the powerful blows resonated within the building. The amount of power accumulating skyrocketed at once and the very foundation of the hotel began to creak, like an old timer pushing themselves to move—to run. She felt the cracks along the walls like a brand on her back, peeling up her skin like the harsh lashes of her mother's whip, and stepped out of the room as Hisoka toyed with the assassin.

His hand-to-hand combat had sharpened since she had last seen him. Ares. Dio's righthand man. His fists glowed with a mass of powerful aura that had cost him many strenuous years to master with the weight of his devotion and the overbearing presence of a mother that had so desperately longed to reach Gaia. He bore a powerful body, honed to perfection, and expressed his anger with a vicious glare.

Pandora leaned into the threshold of the door and grinned. "Pay attention, Ares, or you'll be dead in an instant."

Ares evaded Hisoka's attack, his body bending backward into a flip. He landed ungracefully in an attempt to block another of Hisoka's blows, his nen flickered as his concentration waned, and Pandora sensed that her stare weakened him. His fury towards her debilitated her. He wanted her dead—to bury his fists in her hollowed-out chest and laugh as he pounded the life out of her, until all that remained were ashes…until all that was left was a blackened outline of her existence to be washed away by the hotel cleaning crew the following morning.

It killed him not to be able to destroy her and his lack of concentration cost him dearly.

Hisoka's style had fascinated her from the start. No movement wasted, every breath measured, every muscle wound appropriately—very methodical, but ruthlessly beautiful. If savage were an artform, Hisoka was a master.

He sliced Ares' throat with one effortless swipe of a card. Ares fell to his knees, wide-eyed. His final words were a gurgled curse that stained the carpet red.

Hisoka turned, holding the bloody card between his fingers, and rewarded her with a disappointed frown. "You distracted him."

"That was the point, wasn't it?" she asked, a breeze snaked its way up her legs. "I thought you wanted a plus one."

Hisoka looked to Ares' corpse and pushed at his arm with disapproval. "We need someone sturdier."

Pandora laughed, but extended a hand out to him. "Come back to bed."

He accepted the invitation and sat back on the edge of the bed as she climbed him, reaching between their heated bodies to guide his cock inside of her. Ares was a distraction. Dio was in town. That was all the information that she needed.

In the evening, once the commotion settled, she ordered room service after getting out of the shower. She had several platters spread out in front of her. She ate a little of everything. The meat was tender and savory. The chicken had been well cooked and juicy. The sauces were thick and flavorful. The bread was fluffy on the inside and crisp on the outside. She hummed when she bit into a slice and twisted a fork into a spaghetti platter. She stuffed her mouth full; the rich tomato sauce was a perfect blend of herbs.

The bathroom door opened behind her, but she continued her adventure through that evening's dinner. Most of these were specialties. Like, they weren't served throughout the year, only on special occasions or certain seasons. The fish was exquisitely made, too!

"I've wondered," started Hisoka, coming into view as he towel-dried his blue hair, "by the way, you seem to have an odd fascination with food."

"Have you ever survived on a Gaia Diet?" asked Pandora.

"Never heard of it."

"If you had, you'd have a fascination with food, too."

He shrugged and pulled out a chair to sit. "So, tell me about your target. Why haven't you killed him before?"

"Well, he killed my father, so I wasn't strong enough." She switched platters, reaching over the center of the table for a potato platter with glimmering brown sauce. "He would've killed me, too, and you know me, I like living."

"So, it's revenge?" asked Hisoka, unimpressed. His mouth dropped into a frown. "How boring."

"I'm not hunting him down because he killed my father," she said, matter-a-factly. She reached for a piece of crispy bread and tore it open. Revenge never had anything to do with it. She witnessed the vicious slaying of her father. Never had her father seemed so mortal before an enemy that had appeared so god-like. "I want to kill him because nobody else can."

He arched an eyebrow. "You think you can kill him?"

"I can kill anyone," she responded with unabashed confidence and finished buttering the bread in her hand.

Thank you for reading!

I had emergency surgery, so I've been out for some time. I'm recovering well, but things are going to be a little slow.