Chapter Text
“Hup!” she threw herself over the edge of the steep slope.
Sesoine’s hands sat comfortably in her pockets as she skidded down the side of the mountain to the village entrance. She hopped on the paved roads when she came to the mouth of the forest, just to avoid an awkward landing. The birds sang about her head in the dawn, she leaned forward to dust off her knee-highs. When she straightened herself she blinked once, then again. A person sat arched over, a little distance from the forest. The sight wasn’t unusual to her, this was the mouth of the Monsters’ Forest.
The Monster's Forest place teeming with the dreadful beast who ruled the night. She trotted over to him and crouched. Although he was hunched over Sesoine could tell he was tall. She didn’t resist brushing his shiny black hair that curtained his face. Strangely, a bandage covered his forehead. Is this a fashion choice or was he self-conscious of something? Her eyes drifted to his broad shoulders. White shirt ribboned with red, making him seem worse for wear, but her eyes would not be fooled, his wounds were light. By his breathing she could tell he was still conscious.
"Good morning", she smiled. His eyes slowly open to reveal onyx gems. Sesoine couldn’t recall seeing eyes this dark but so beautiful. “You’ll be fine”, she reassured him.
Blue flames gushed forth and engulfed his whole body. Little did she know he watched the flames that "healed" him with intensity. Sesoine noticed a small detail as she poured her nen into him. A chain around his heart. Was he afflicted by another nen user? The flames died down and she focused on his chest, she could get that off. The flames converged at her finger tips and you pressed into his chest. Your finger grazed the chains as a test, it resisted her touch and coiled tighter.
His expression pinched. "Sorry", Sesoine apologised quickly worrying over him.
He nodded slowly. Eyes fixed on her rapidly distorting features. Black filled her sclera, her pupils became elongated. A reptilian pattern decorated her ultramarine iris that seemed to glow. His lips parted in a small gasp, the chains were coming loose. On the last loop, Sesoine felt ominous energy and immediately stopped. The blade mimicked the cross, a sign of salvation but also judgement.
She pulled away from him immediately, not allowing the chain to come loose, "why is there a chain in the first place?”
They held each other's eyes. “Why?” he panted.
“Next time let your buddies patch you up when you play too close to the forest”, she looked in their direction. Although she could not see them she knew the male and female’s exact location. She rose to her feet and dusted herself off, “I gotta go so… bye.” She rose to her feet unusually hurried, she’d wasted a lot of time and it was a long trip to Heaven’s Arena.
Sesoine jogged into the building and immediately shivered, someone had their eyes on her. She did a slow 360 but couldn’t find the owner of the intense stare. She shook off the fear crawling under her skin and headed to the waiting room. Today would be her last fight on the lower tier, Sesoine would move to the 200th floor. That meant no money. Sesoine considered giving up this match to keep earning, she’s done it before. When her number was called she entered the arena. The crowds cheered wildly Sesoine was a fan favourite under the name “Phoenix”. She considered all the variables and decided this would be her final fight. Too many people knew her face it would only be a matter of time before her true identity was discovered.
The body hit the ground with a resounding thud and the area erupted in deafening roars. “Pheonix is the victor!” The announcer screamed. Sesoine was out of the ring before he could finish his tirade and explanation about her advancement.
Sesoine hit the hall and skipped it to the nearest ATM, she wanted to know if the number got any more zeroes. The whispers told her people were wary and curious. Her nen was hidden in every fight, victory was claimed in one hit K.Os. More skilled fighters didn't go down after a single hit but they weren't enough for her to even break a sweat. Slow applause sounded as she turned the corner. Sesoine looked to the man resting against the wall, his hair was red and gelled up. His skin ebony with a star and teardrop painted on his cheeks.
“Who's the clown freak?” her inner voice quipped. Sesoine was quite curious herself.
“Aren't you interesting ♥”, he started towards her, “like a little mystery.”
Sesoine stood still watching him curiously, “and you are?”
He invaded her bubble with a wide smile. “Your next fight”, the glint in his eyes struck hot fear into her core.
Her nen flared for a nanosecond as she got her emotions under control. Those were not the eyes of the cocky fighters she usually dealt with. He had the eyes of a killer and she had the presence of mind to be wary. Sesoine’s eyes narrowed into irate slits, she forced nen into his body as she did in her matches but he hadn't reacted.
"Something's up with this guy", no cough or a twitch of discomfort. His smile never faltered. “You didn’t give me your name”, she frowned.
“Hisoka.”
“Ah”, she nodded, “Magician. I’ve heard of you.” She ruffled her hair with a sigh. Of all the bad names she had to get this guy’s attention, "I have no interest in fighting you. Enjoy your afternoon."
Hisoka frowned as she calmly walked past him. When Sesoine disappeared around the corner a single drop of blood escaped from Hisoka's nose. A sinister smile stretched his lips. His signature hum of interest resounded as he walked away. Sesoine, on the other hand, booked it to the nearest information table. “Oi”, she offered as a form of greeting. Sesoine had made friends with most of the employees, “a creepy clown mother-“
“Oh, you've met Hisoka”, the attendant nodded understandingly. “I'll send his matches to your email. He's inevitable.”
“I'm sorry, he's what?” Sesoine paled a little.
“He’s your first match on the 200th floor”, she gave Sesoine a meek smile, “you have 14 days.”
Sesoine wasn’t a fan of this verdict but decided to give him what he wanted. He struck her as the persistent type anyway. “14 days huh?”, she nodded to her friend before leaving, “thanks.” She moved from the desk to the nearest ATM.
The numbers that greeted her made her smile. Who knew taking out weak, overconfident, sometimes sexist, fools with the few exceptions could be so profitable. Sesoine then withdrew a large sum of money from her account. She withdrew under the precautionary motive she had no intention of stepping back into the city before the 14 days were over. She exited Heaven’s Arena and headed for home. Sesoine originally intended to leave maybe 3 days from now, predicting the fight that passed to be her last. There was a minor change of plans but the end was the same, she would leave the small village. She was the eldest of the Kurosaki siblings, while the younger twins were obedient they would be upset. Out of all the places they’ve settled as a group they seemed to have liked this quaint village the most.
The sleeping village she had passed through at dawn now bustled with life. She pretended as if she couldn’t hear the whispers as she passed the stalls. Sesoine turned into the local bakery, the patrons cleared the building before she could reach the cashier. She tried not to roll her eyes. The people of this village lived by the monsters’ forest and were a superstitious bunch. From their perspective, Sesoine was a monster who had the form of a human.
At first, they counted her as a silly human who appeared one day and desired to hike the Monsters’ forest at dusk. Despite their warnings, she did it anyway, yet to their surprise, she was unharmed and roaming the village the following day. This reoccurrence caused the people to believe there were no monsters in the forest. They ventured in during the night, only to find they had been very wrong. Beasts of all kind breathed along with the forest floors and moved in its shadows. Comrades one by one were slaughtered until she appeared. Ultramarine eyes pierced the darkness as she ripped the Python in half. Sesoine brought the survivors back to the village covered in blood but the villagers became pale. A person stronger than the beasts of the forest was a monster themselves. The survivors knew the villagers fear was misplaced and would treat Sesoine kindly for the good she did for them.
“Kurosaki-san”, the teen behind the counter smiled, “didn’t we tell you to place your order before hand and collect around closing. You know the patrons are scared of you." The family who owned the bakery was a part of the group of survivors.
Sesoine leaned against the counter, her cheek rested in her palm as she nodded. “Okay”, she understood scaring away their customers was bad for business. “One of everything”, ordered without looking at the day’s selection.
“46 items coming up”, the teen smiled. This occurrence wasn’t out of the ordinary, Sesoine never seemed to know or care about what she ordered, she just ordered a lot.
Sesoine nodded as she waited for her order to be packaged. “Huh?” the café and bakery weren’t empty. In a secluded booth, beautiful blond hair twinkled in the sun and rolled down the individual’s shoulders. The person was invested in the newspaper they were reading and her eyes were drawn to their hand. “Are those chains?” they were probably an edgy person. Seeming to notice her stare they glanced up from the newspaper. In the nanosecond, their eyes met Sesoine's senses became acute. She could see behind the coloured contacts, a distinct yet familiar scent flooded her nostrils.
“Sorry for the wait”, the teen returned with three boxes.
“Thank you”, Sesoine straightened herself and collected the goods. She left a heavy tip with her payment, “next time I’ll send Sie or Karu so the customers’ won’t run away.” The teen nodded satisfied with the compromise. Most villagers didn’t know the twins were related to Sesoine, apart from their eyes, they looked nothing alike. Sesoine left the bakery and ventured into the Monster’s forest. It was still early afternoon so they wouldn’t be very active. As she came to the first large glade familiar curls caught her attention. “Sie!”
Three figures faced Sesoine at the sound of her voice, “Nee-san?”
“Who’re you?” she asked the boys the moment she got closer.
"Onee-sama, these boys helped me", Sie quickly interjected, "this is Gon and Killua."
Sesoine paused to survey the surrounding area and sure enough, unconscious thugs like dead flies littered the floor. She invited them to the cabin where she would serve them pastries and drinks as thanks. The evening fell and Sesoine bid the boys stay and so they did.