Chapter Text
"Hisoka Morow, you are declared guilty of all charges. Twelve confirmed cases of first-degree murder and thirty-two cases of second degree murder –"
Add one digit to that and you'll have it.
"...I hereby sentence you to death."
The silver wig of the judge glistened in the candlelight as she slammed her hamer down. The jury panel mumbled and gasped, giving mixed reactions to the decision.
Hisoka heard the judge’s voice, the crowd’s voice, and everyone else’s, but he didn't care to listen. His long, pointy nails scratched his table as he leaned his face on his other hand. The chains restraining him made it uncomfortable, but he smirked. This sentence was expected for a years-long serial killer, ordinary even, and because of that he knew he would find a way to get out of this. Eventually.
Vanishing with a magic trick was easy, just like slaughtering everyone in the room, but being on the run did not sound as appealing. While Hisoka considered his options the crowd started to exit the hall, leaving him alone with the judge and a handful of security guards.
The police chief of Padokea slowly approached him. Hisoka smiled as her blonde ponytail danced behind her like a waterfall of honey, contrasting her black uniform. As she stepped closer to him, she opened her mouth. "You behaved properly today. I'm surprised. Got some trick prepared?"
"You know me, Bisky. I always behave." A lie, and they both knew.
"Sure. Stand up. I will take you to the office." She unlocked the chains that held him to the chair. As Hisoka stood up she cuffed his hands and pushed him forward. "And don't try to escape."
I won't. Hisoka complied and walked towards the exit, Bisky pushing him forward from right behind his back. She was likely to take him with her to scold him for his umpteenth mistake. Or murder.
After spending a year in the country of Padokea, Hisoka had developed a weird bond with the highest boss of the police department. Despite his cold-blooded, ruthless nature, Hisoka was quite charming and handsome, making it easy for him to wrap people around his finger. Biscuit Krueger was no different. Despite – or because of – the many arrests, escapes, warnings and charges, she had developed a visible soft spot for Hisoka, resulting in several attempts to defend him during his many trials. Her failure in doing that today might have made her feel guilty, Hisoka thought. I'll make her get me out of this.
--
It was an early December morning. The weather was gloomy and cold, and the rather unstable frame of the carriage was barely enough to cover Bisky and Hisoka from the pouring rain. Occasional gusts of wind blew through the windows, leaving Hisoka with a layer of goosebumps. The deciduous trees had lost the majority of their leaves, leaving nothing but slender, ominous shapes. A sign from Mother Nature that winter was around the corner.
After they arrived at the police station, Hisoka was released from his handcuffs and thrown into a cell. Hisoka looked around the room and blinked as his eyes adjusted to the dark. Slowly his vision cleared, allowing him to explore the cell. Thick chains were hanging from the wall, surrounded by scratched stickmen and tally marks. An unstable, wooden bench was mounted in the corner and the only source of light was a barred gap in the heavy steel door. The anthracite walls made the space look like a dungeon rather than a jail cell.
Hisoka spent his time shuffling the deck of playing cards he always carried, doing some simple tricks, building card houses, all the usual – until Bisky returned.
"Hisoka?" A pair of pinkish eyes blocked the light source from the door. The image of Bisky standing on her toes to look through the window made Hisoka snicker, and he stood up.
"Officer Biscuit, what a nice surprise," he said in a smug voice.
"Come with me," she unlocked the heavy door and opened it, inviting Hisoka out. "I will take you to my office. There we can talk about the trial."
"Of course."
Bisky’s office was lighter than the cell, but still dark, brown and dull. The furniture was subtly decorated with pink ornaments, probably Bisky's own choice. A love for the color pink was something Hisoka shared with the police chief. After they sat down, Hisoka opened his mouth.
"So what's the deal?" His half-lidded, fox-like eyes beamed yellow, piercing Bisky's round, pink ones.
"What are you talking about?" Bisky asked sternly.
"Your offer." He tapped his long, pointy nails on her desk, waiting impatiently.
"There is no offer, Hisoka." She crossed her arms. "The judge has decided."
"I wasn't born yesterday." Hisoka chuckled silently as he traced his sharp teeth with the tip of his tongue. "I know death is not the only option, Bisky, and you know that too. Skip the lying and get to the point."
"Okay," Bisky sighed. She stood up and stepped towards her bookcase, shoved and grabbed and moved some files and books, and eventually sat back down holding a black folder. "There is indeed one thing. But it's very uncertain and risky."
Bingo.
"More risky than a death sentence?"
"Debatable. You'll probably die either way." Without making eye contact, she opened the map and started to browse.
"I'd rather die in an exciting way than be beheaded by some boring executioner."
Bisky stopped and unexpectedly raised her eyebrows. "If you were paying attention during your trial, you would have known you were sentenced to the guillotine."
"Same thing."
"Right. Anyway, more people have gone missing. Everyone is talking about it, but you probably don't care so here you go." She shoved a file forward with description and portraits of the missing people. Hisoka's eyes slid down the paper, observing the subjects. There was no obvious correlation between the victims, as they were all different sizes, ages and heritages.
"There's this family of suspected assassins. We have never seen them kill anyone, but they're extremely wealthy and nobody ever sees them work. They are said to live in a castle in the forest of Kukuroo mountain, but no one alive has seen their estate either." She took back her file and opened another page.
"Some of our police staff went out to find it years ago, but –" she paused and carefully put a blonde strand of hair behind her ear.
"But?"
"They never returned, neither dead nor alive. We don't know how many family members there are, either. There are a man and wife, but the number of children they have is unknown."
"So, assassins. What's so special about them?" Hisoka curiously tried to scan the paper as Bisky was holding it.
"The missing people are not the types of people who are usually assassinated. Children are among them, mothers, poor farmers. Not the rich, patriarch types."
Hisoka raised his eyebrows as Bisky's expression darkened, and when she continued, her voice trembled. "We hired other, rivaling assassins to help us investigate them. They all confirmed to look out for this family. They seemed terrified. I came to the conclusion these people are not normal assassins. Hisoka, please take this seriously."
Hisoka had been leaning back in his chair, arms behind his head, enjoying the story with growing excitement. "Always."
"Sure. But after doing some research, I found –" She lowered her voice, almost whispering now. "Hisoka, I think they're vampires."
"Oh? That's... exciting." Sharp canines, silky robes and blood baths flashed through Hisoka's mind. Sounds like a fun family. "And what do you want from me?"
Bisky inhaled, shaky. Scared. "I need you to take out their heir."
Hisoka's grin widened and Bisky was looking for the right words. "All of the assassins in Padokea refused, but you have nothing to lose. You’ve killed lots of people already, and we both know most of them were never found. You're the last resort."
Hisoka bowed forward to prop himself up on her desk. "You flatter me. I'll do it."
Bisky let out a relieved sigh. "I'll give you a month. Do you think you can make it?"
"I got you." Hisoka nodded and licked his lips. "What did you say their name was?"
Bisky handed him the file, hands slightly shaking. Silver letters were embroidered on the black, shiny leather.
The Zoldyck family.