Adultrio

"What? You want to be a hunter, brat?" His laughter hit me with the stale stench of tobacco, and his saliva directly hit my face. I wiped it off slowly, holding back the disgust curling at my lips.

"Why? Why? Is it because you admire this uncle of yours?" His grin stretched wide, his teeth stained and yellowed.

I stared back, face blank. "No. I just don't want to see your face anymore."

His eyes flashed, then narrowed, and he let out a scoff. "What an ungrateful brat..." He rolled his eyes, pausing. "...if it weren't for me, you wouldn't even—"

"I know, Emilio." My fingers clenched tighter, nails digging into my palms. "But I'm twenty now. Old enough to decide what I want."

He let out a mocking hum, smirking as though I had given him such a world-class joke. "Fine. Just don't die, brat. And remember, don't trust anyone."

-

What a horrible nightmare.

I groaned softly as I felt my back hit the grass. My throat felt dry and I winced at the sharp pain when I tried to swallow.

What the hell happened? I need water.

My eyes snapped open, widening in alarm as I found the clown facing me.

That's right. I fought this cunt. My mind scrambled to piece everything together. But, didn't he try to kill me?!

I froze when Hisoka placed a finger under my chin, gently tilting my face upward to inspect my neck. A sharp pain shot through my throat, and I had to bite back a wince.

What the fuck is he doing?! My instincts screamed at me to move, but my body was still sluggish.

"Hm, what a nice mark I gave you. The red suits you." His voice was low, almost teasing, as his fingertip traced the bruise. Then he pressed down, just enough to make it sting. "You should thank me for this."

I clenched my teeth, my throat still raw. "G-get your filthy hands..." I rasped, forcing the words out despite the pain. "...off, clown."

The word rolled off my tongue with satisfaction. If I was going to suffer, at least I could piss him off in the process.

"My~ You have such a foul mouth. Do you need another lesson~?" His grin stretched wider, eyes shutting as if he found this amusing. Then his fingers tightened around my throat.

My breath hitched. My eyelids drooped, my body locking up with something I refused to call fear. No one... no one had ever made me feel like this before.

Then, from behind him, a low voice cut through the tension.

"Is she the reason you're late?"

A tall figure with needles sticking out of his face turned toward us, his expression as lifeless as his monotone voice.

"Hm~ I found this feisty doll in the middle of the forest~" the clown cooed, not taking his eyes off me.

The guy with pins stared at me with a creepy intensity, sending shivers down my spine. I quickly looked away. 

Nope. Not dealing with that. This one's just as bad.

…Also, how the hell does he sleep with all those pins?

My eyes snapped wide open. I turned to look at him again, but this time, my narrowed gaze carried a silent challenge.

Oh, hell no.

Who the fuck did he think he was? Ordering this clown to "get rid" of me like I was some disposable trash?

If he thought I would just roll over and accept that, he had another thing coming.

"Or do you want me to do it for you?" he asked monotonously, accepting my challenge. 

I squinted even harder, unwilling to back down.

But then... I immediately became a scared puppy when I felt the clown's bloodlust.

"She's my new plaything, Gittarackur. You know how possessive I can be with my toys," he threatened.

Gittarackur, aka creepy guy, just turned his head and left us without saying anything. I didn't breathe easy because of his departure, though. The sudden drop in the clown's bloodlust gave me a little room to think.

Hisoka's eyes locked on mine, that twisted amusement lingering in his voice. "What's your name, doll~?"

I fought to keep my voice steady, but my hands clenched at my sides. I wasn't stupid enough to give him anything, even my name. But I couldn't help the tremble in my chest, or the part of me that wanted to just shut up and not draw his attention any more than necessary.

His lips curled into a slow, amused smirk.

"Still stubborn, even after all that~?" he mused, tilting his head. "How adorable."

I looked away instead, biting back the words. Let him think whatever he wanted. I wasn't giving him anything.

Hisoka chuckled. "Fine, keep your little secret. It makes the game even more exciting~"

As soon as Hisoka walked away, 

The moment he turned his back, I yanked myself up, my gaze snapping to Gon, Kurapika, and Killua as they neared. There was something in my chest that shifted, but I couldn't put a name to it. Maybe it was the fact that they were safe.

Not that I was going to admit I cared.

"Mei!" Gon called out enthusiastically.

I scowled, pushing that strange feeling aside. I wasn't about to get soft. They were fine. And that's all that mattered.

Gon pulled me into a hug. "I'm glad you're okay! I was so scared when Hisoka strangled you!"

I tensed up for a second, not used to this kind of physical closeness, but then I gave him a smile to ease his worry. After all, it wasn't like I owed him an explanation.

I looked around to see Leorio and stopped at Gon when I couldn't see him. "Where's Leorio?"

"Yo! Already missing me, Mei?" Leorio called out, approaching us with an ice bag pressed against his right jaw.

"I-is that–"

Gon leaned in closer to me, his voice barely above a whisper. "He doesn't know what happened earlier."

I nodded quietly and didn't ask further. There was no point in dragging it out. Gon explained what happened after I blacked out, how the clown let us pass.

At first, I frowned, but then it clicked.

So that was it. We met his standards.

I mean, who the fuck cares about his liking? Did he really need to fight everyone just to stroke his oversized ego?

Satotz's voice cut through my thoughts as he congratulated us for finishing the first phase.

The massive gate ahead creaked open, leading us inside, where the second phase awaited.

We stepped inside and found two examiners waiting for us. One was a huge man sitting cross-legged on the floor, while a woman in revealing clothes lounged on the couch. She barely spared us a glance before introducing herself as Menchi and the guy as Buhara.

The second phase turned out to be… cooking.

I blinked. Seriously?

Judging by the grumbles around me, I wasn't the only one caught off guard. A bunch of people started whining about how tedious the challenge was, but I just crossed my arms, unimpressed.

Please. Living with a psychopath meant knowing how to cook or starve. This might actually be fun.

"Why the hell do we have to cook?" some blonde guy grumbled.

Menchi smirked. "Don't you know? Because we're Gourmet Hunters!"

The crowd burst into laughter. I frowned. What the hell was so funny?

"So, you're a Gourmet Hunter?" the blond guy scoffed, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "What exactly do you want us to make?"

Menchi rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed, before turning to Buhara.

Buhara stood up, his massive frame towering over us. "Today's ingredient is pork. You can use any meat you find in this forest. Let the second phase begin!"

With that, he punched his belly, creating a loud noise, signaling the start of the challenge.

We sprinted into the forest, scanning the area for any sign of the pigs. Gon, being Gon, was the first to find their territory, and we all crept down to get a better look. We noticed they were meat-eaters. Leorio started complaining loudly, and it caught the pigs' attention.

A drop of sweat rolled down my forehead as I took in the creatures up close. "Seriously, those pigs are ugly as—" I stopped myself, glancing at the kids. Right. There were minors here.

Unfortunately, the pigs also seemed to take offense. Snorting aggressively, they stomped the ground like bulls ready to charge.

"Looks like I made them mad. Should we run?" I nervously asked.

"But we need their meet!" Gon yelled.

"Then how are we supposed to—" My words caught in my throat as I saw the pigs pick up speed. "Run!"

We scrambled back to our spot. The participants looked at our directions, their expressions turned to wide-eyed shock when they noticed the creature behind us. 

Screams filled the air as panic spread like wildfire. People bolted in every direction, but not all of them were fast enough. Some of the pigs caught up, knocking contestants over and trampling them without mercy.

"Climb on the tree!" I shouted.

They did as I said, and so did I. The pig chasing me slammed into a tree, but its giant, ugly nose saved it from knocking out.

I scowled at the damn thing and pulled out a handful of coins. I threw them at its face, but they just bounced off its nose. Frustrated, I aimed for its eyes instead but ended up getting hit on its head instead. Surprisingly, the pig fell to the ground as I struck it.

Maybe hitting on the head was their weak spot. That's why they have ugly noses.

I crouched down and kicked the pig's body to check if it was still alive. Once I confirmed it was already dead, I turned to the others and shouted, "Hit them on the head!"

I mentally cursed myself, realizing that I just helped everyone here. What the fuck I was thinking? I could've just walked beside them and whispered it.

Fucking idiot.

As expected, everyone grinned and immediately followed my instructions. I clicked my tongue, annoyed, but whatever—at least it saved us some trouble.

Then, I felt it. Someone watching me.

I turned my head, only to lock eyes with a pair of golden orbs. He stared at me like he was amused by something. Then, he gave me a seductive smile, which made me cringe.

Rolling my eyes, I snapped my head away, ignoring him completely.

We headed back inside, each of us dragging a pig behind us. The two examiners looked shocked, but I ignored them and went straight to the kitchen assigned to me.

I got to work, cutting up the pig and gathering ingredients. Since I had a choice, I went with curry—because if I was going to cook, I might as well make my favorite dish.

Hours passed, and my curry was finally done. I plated it neatly with rice, setting two dishes aside. Then, out of curiosity, I checked what everyone else had made.

That's when I noticed something odd.

They were all just roasting their pigs.

"What are you guys doing?" I asked the trio, including Killua, staring at their so-called dish.

"We're Roasting a pig since they asked us to cook for them!" Gon replied cheerfully. I had to resist the urge to facepalm.

"But everyone is doing the same as you guys."

"Eh? That's pretty cool! We have the same mind!" he responded, clearly pleased with himself.

My expression went blank, and I shrugged and didn't speak again. I forgot I was talking to Gon.

My expression froze. I blinked at him, then just shrugged. No point in wasting breath. I forgot who I was talking to.

Note to self. Just keep your fucking opinion in your fat mind, Mei.