Disclaimer: Hunter x Hunter ain't mine. It's belongs to hiatus king Yoshihiro Togashi.

One

Slowly.

That's how his days seemed to pass by. Slowly and Kurapika felt that his time could be better spend anywhere else, doing anything else.

He made his way through the Nostrade's mansion, slowly shuffling down the ornately decorated halls in search of the only person who could out-slow him any day of the week. Senritsu. She'd been busy pretending to be busy, because lately there had been nothing to do in terms of work and Light's bodyguards were more or less free to go and do as they wish. Not that any of them did anything other than drink and lament their misfortunes. It was an easy job though, guarding a man who never stepped off his front lawn.

His search for Senritsu was not an attempt to pass the time however, or find something to do, or even someone to talk to. A lead on a pair of the Eyes had caught his attention, another lead hopefully not a dead-end this time, and since she had previously helped him look for some a few weeks ago it felt only right to tell her he was going to leave to look for another. No one else would, but she would notice his absence and might even come looking for him.

She sat in the living room, next to the piano. She wasn't playing it, wasn't even looking at it. Her bored gaze rested on a silent bird perched on the windowsill.

"Another lead?" Her eyebrows went up. She didn't turn to look at him, but continued to stare at the bird.

Kurapika nodded. "Another lead."

"Where? Who?"

"You know, the usual he-said, she-said." Not exactly the truth, so he decided to be less vague. "Apparently a pair was spotted in a museum not too far from here so I'm going to at least verify it's not there."

Her brows came together in a thoughtful expression. "Really? Must have been recently moved there, because I went there not to long ago." She turned to him and grinned. "When are we leaving?"

He cleared his throat. "I think I'll look for them on my own."

"On your own?"

He nodded. It wasn't that he didn't want her company, he didn't want any company honestly.

There was a strange mixture of disappointment and annoyance on her face, and suspicion, which confused him because she of all people had no reason to be upset. Just yesterday, she had reminded him about his goal to collect the remaining Scarlet Eyes. Don't be discouraged, you'll find them eventually. And just yesterday he had remembered how many he'd managed to collect in the last few months: zero.

"Sure, well at least let me know if you need any help," she said. "How long will you be gone?"

He shrugged and told her he'd be back shortly, before the end of the week, and that he wasn't leaving for good, she looked at him sourly as he shoved his cell phone in his pocket and bid her goodbye.

As he shuffled towards the exit, he wondered if he should just leave for good. Maybe not permanently, but at least for a little while. The Nostrades could do nothing for him anymore, with Light's fortune and Neon's Nen ability, had also gone most of his connections, and Kurapika would rather part on relatively amicable terms with his teammates, which in his mind meant not saying anything to them before leaving. His leave wasn't a permanent thing; Light Nostrade probably would notice his absence, but not for a while. The man had been in disarray since Neon had lost her Nen, and much of his fortune was dwindling down to nothing. He scarcely left his room anymore and when he did, it was usually just to see if they were still there protecting his nonexistent fortune.

He exited through one of the mansion's back doors. Though he wasn't trying to be sneaky, he felt like a child stealing cookies in the middle of the night as he stepped into the cool morning air. It was strange, leaving with only his phone, wallet, and chains, but he also felt oddly at ease as he made his onto the main road. He had no debts to anyone, no obligations to anyone; not even his friends. His life was his own and he would use it to collect the remaining Scarlet Eyes and give his clan rest.

His phone buzzed. Senritsu already?

No, it was Leorio. The two hadn't spoken in a few months, though the fault of that rested solely on Kurapika's shoulders. His finger hovered over the answer button.

"Hey!"

Kurapika looked up, his phone still buzzing angrily in his hand. But the large man ahead of him who'd just yelled wasn't looking at him. The voice belonged to a rather rotund individual standing in front of a lithe, hooded figure in the middle of the road.

"I asked for your wallet," the portly man said, fist still raised.

The hooded figure gave a shrug. "And I said I don't have one."

The man clenched his fist and raised it. "Let's see if—"

Kurapika swung his chain somewhat without thinking; it wrapped itself around the man's fist. A look of surprise crossed his face as Kurapika jerked his chain, causing the man to tumble to the ground. Somehow, he fell on his face and let out a yowl.

"My nose!" He cried. "I think my nose is broken!"

Kurapika pulled his chain away. The hooded figure delivered a kick to the man's head that would have knocked an elephant out, and the man went silent and still. Kurapika winced, but he couldn't say the gesture wasn't deserved. Maybe. The man was a thief and a coward. But hopefully he's not dead.

"Thanks for the help," the figure said.

"Sure." Kurapika looked at him, before crouching down to inspect the prone body lying on the ground. Still breathing. He stood up. There was something oddly familiar about the hooded man's voice, and his face…" Have I met you before?"

"Have you?" The man pulled down his hood, revealing his face. "I don't think we have."

A swell of emotions poured over him; the strongest of which was confusion. What is he doing here? Why is he dressed like that? The second emotion that hit him with more clarity was anger.

"…Kuroro?" Kurapika said.