That morning Kurapika went out early for a walk around York Shin city. He didn't want to get much attention, so he decided not to wear the traditional kuruta clan costume. Even so, a couple of girls stared at him as he passed by. He continued his way to nowhere in particular, looking dor something to keep his mind busy. First, he went to a library to get some books. Then, he sat in a cafe, and stared for a long tim the sun rising behind some black clouds. At that moment he thought about the hunter's exam as something that had happened far away in the past. All the events involving the Genei Ryodan came across his memories. Like strange pictures, as if they were taken from a movie. The fact of killing someone seemed so unfamiliar to him. His thoughts where suddenly interrupted by the sound of his chains shaking impatiently as his anxiety grew stronger. He took a deep breath, and the chains on his hands faded.

As far as it seemed in time, just a few weeks had passed since those events took place. This was the first day he came out after recovering from his wounds. Leorio had just left a couple of days ago to continue with his studies. Gon and Killua already had started the quest for Jing's whereabouts. Kurapika thought about how much his friends gave up to help him, and a strange feelingtook over him, something between guilt and gratitude.

That's how he decided to pay Leorio a visit to thank him.

With his hunter's license and his outstanding intelligence, he could easily find Leorio's location.

"You really aren't very careful" he thought, disappointed yet happy to find him. He expected to see him in his home town, but surprisingly, he was renting a small apartment in the outsides of the city. He headed to the address he had found, and when he entered the building, Kurapika realized that there wasn't much people living there, and most of them were elders. "Now I get it, it sure is a quiet place to study", he thought as he entered the elevator.

He looked for the correct door number, and hesitated for a few seconds before knocking. He finally knocked, twice, but no one answered. He knocked once more, this time harder, and a voice came from inside the apartment, which didn't really sound like Leorio.

-I'm busy! Go bother someone else!-

-Leorio? It's me. Kurapika- he raised his voice so his friend could hear him

After a moment of silence the door opened just a little. He could barely see Leorio's face, who looked tired, but surprised to see him.

-Kurapika, what are you doing here? You should be resting. Look, I'm sorry, I'm a bit busy right now, but you should stop by some other time-

-is that how you greet a friend?- he answered, firmly, and then pushed the door - step aside, I'm coming in-

-Hey, wait a minute, I said…- suddenly the strength holding the door was gone, and it opened wide. Kurapika could now see his friend's face. He was in pain and exhausted, barely able to stand up. A second later, Leorio collapsed into Kurapika's arms, who reacted just before both ended up on the floor.

-Leorio! What's wrong? Leorio, Leorio! Answer me-

But he was already lying unconscious in his arms, breathing heavily. Kurapika noticed his friend's naked torso was all soaked, feeling the extremely high temperature of his body. He managed to take him to the couch in the living room, and quickly took out his phone to call an ambulance. But just second before dialing he stopped…

"We have made many enemies…If I call now we could be tracked and our location would be exposed. This is more dangerous than anything. I must figure out how to help him by myself". He put away his phone and began to look for a first aid kit, but the place was a mess.

"Come on Leorio, you are doctor, you must have medication somewhere in here…What would I do if I were you?" He thought, searching between tons of papers and books spread on the floor. "Ok, first, water. And try to lower the temperature. Then, some painkillers".

He brought from the kitchen a bowl with cold water and a towel, and gently placed the wet towel on his forehead. "It's not enough" He kept looking into the mess, and found Leorio´s suitcase.

He found a lot of flasks with labels on them, which he couldn't recognize, and read them all until one sounded familiar. "I remember I read somewhere that this was used in case of fever". He took a pill and dissolved it in a spoon with water, helping his friend to swallow it. He wasn't sure how long it would take to be effective, nor if it was going to be effective at all. Meanwhile, he could only wait and refresh Leorio's face and neck with the towel. He was begining to feel tired, so he sat on the floor, resting his back against the couch. That way he could feel Leorio when he woke up.

A few hours later Leorio opened his eyes, still dizzy because of the high temperature and the headache. He couldn't see clearly. He just saw a delicate, blonde figure sitting next to him. And in his feverish hallucination, he pictured himself in the hospital with a sexy blond nurse. Even sick, he had the strength to stretch his arm and touch his butt, taking advantage of the situation.

-ah!- Kurapika woke up instantly- what the hell do you think you are doing, you pervert…- he turned to him qith the intention of punching his face, but he regretted it when he saw his friend sleeping peacefully, all sings of the pain gone. Kurapika sighed and stared at him. "I'm glad you are ok now, you idiot". And then he went back to his position, closing his eyes with relief.

The next morning Kurapika opened his eyes and saw a roof that he didn´t recognize. A scent of coffee and toasts woke him up. He suddenly realized he was lying on the couch, and that the nice smell came from the kitchen. He got up, and saw Leorio wearing an apron, making breakfast.

-oh, you are up already! Good morning-

-good… morning- Kurapika was still sleepy. He stared carefully at him cooking. He didn't know his friend was such a skillful cook. But then…

"wait a minute"

-hey!- he pointed at Leorio – what are YOU doing out of bed?-

- umm… breakfast? Isn't it obvious? Leorio looked at him, puzzled

Kurapika slowly walked towards him, with a threatening aura. His face showed anger

-wow, take it easy, I'm ok now. Really, I'm a doctor. I don't need anyone to take care…-

Kurapika interrupted him, placing his hand violently on his friend's forehead, almost burning himself by the heat.

-GO TO BED!- and with a kick he sent him flying away to the bedroom.

-I feel worse than ever- said Leorio from the bedroom, but resigned to obey his friend.

Kurapika put the breakfast Leorio had made in a tray, and took it to the bedroom

-you are unbelievable- he stood by his side in the bed- being a doctor and not knowing how to take care of yourself

-you are annoying- he said, as he took a bite from his toast and scrambled eggs- but at least I'm glad you're back to normal

There was a moment of silence. Kurapika was not sure what he ment by that

-Leorio.. you, Gon and Killua helped me so much. I know a lot of your plans were delayed… all this mess, and the lack of time for studying. It's my fault. I'm sorry. And… thank you.

-don't be ridiculous, you don't need thank me. Otherwise, what are friends for? By the way, don't you have business to attend with the Spider? There are still…

-I'm going to stay here for a while- he interrupted him

-what? No…no way-

-why not?-

-because...-

-because what?... that's a stupid answer-

-well, this is my place, and I say no-

-this is your place, alright… but this can't be anybody's place! It's a complete mess, no one can live here. You don't even know how to take care of yourself.

-oh, and you do? Tell me about how you didn't risk your life going after the spider. That went well…- he said with sarcasm

-what does that have to do with any of this? I don't care, I said I'm staying here-

Kurapika looked at him with determination, his arms crossed against his chest. Leorio stared at him for a moment, and then sighed. Experience had taught him that arguing with that boy lead to nowhere. He was just too stubborn.

-oh, what the hell…do whatever you want- he said looking away when his friend smiled. Then he looked at him with a serious expression- but seriously, what are you going to do about the Ryodan?

-hate and revenge have not yet abandoned me… but this time I want to make things right, think calmly. There are other important things left to do…- as he spoke, the chains of his hand shaked. Then he closed his eyes and the chains where gone.

Leorio looked at him, relieved. He preferred to change the subject

-actually, I'm studying to apply for a scholarship in a foreign country, to continue my medical studies. Admission test takes place in one month, so I've been studying like crazy. Sometimes I spent all night reading, and with the low temperatures we've been having, my body defenses have fell. In fact, I think I caught some virus or something the other day. That's why I didn't want you to come in. But I've already taken antibiotics, so there is nothing to worry about.

-well then, it's been decided. I'll help you during these days so you can study. But first, you need to rest a couple of days, and don't be stubborn about it.

-yes, yes- he answered waving his hands as he didn't care. em"Look who is talking"/em he thought.

The next 3 days seemed to pass fast, and Leorio obeyed Kurapika, staying in bed. He spent the rest of the week in his desk reading and writing, while Kurapika took care of all the cleaning and tiding. He went out only to get supplies. Kurapika was in charge of the kitchen, but his efforts always ended up in a mess. He simply didn't have his friend's cooking ability. Even so, Leorio ate gratefully every dish he cooked for him.

Leorio stopped for nothing more than eating and going to the bathroom… and when Kurapika forced him to go to sleep.

-it's enough for today Leorio-

- but I'm not finished with this unit yet! Just a few more hours…-
-it's 3 in the morning already! Go to sleep, or do you want to catch a cold again?-

-ok, fine. I'll go to bed. But with one condition… you sleep in my bed today and I sleep in the couch-

-that's not acceptable-

-why not?-

-because I know you, and you are going to get up and study as soon as I fall asleep!-

-umm, no… I wasn't planning on that…- but he was

-besides, this is your place, and your bed. And you need much more energy than me to study. It's logical that you need to rest in the most optimal conditions-

-but I still can't let you sleep on the couch-

-and why is that so? I don't get it, what's wrong with it?-

Leorio looked at him, not knowing what to answer. As much as his friend looked like a woman (and sometimes acted like one), he was still a man. Leorio couldn't say that it would be rude to let him sleep there. Not without getting beaten by Kurapika, for considering him as a delicate girl

-answer me… or are you imagining weird things already?-

-forget it, I'm going to bed-

"Damn it, he acts like my mom, or like a hysteric wife" he thought on his way to the bathroom. He felt awkward about that thought. "God, I need to stop referring to him as a woman. After all, he is a man just like me. But… now that I think about it… I've never seen him getting undressed. That's weird, there's no need for being shy between men. I wonder if…".

When he came out of the bathroom he saw Kurapika sleeping peacefully in the couch, wearing just a thin white t-shirt. Curiosity took over him. "What am I thinking?" he shook his head side to side, like that helped to vanish his thoughts… "but… just this time"

He silently approached the couch, and once he was close enough to touch him, he hesitated for a few seconds to stare at him. "I never noticed how cute he is" he blushed a little…

"WHAT THE HELL AM I THINKING!?" He grabbed his head with his hands, surprised by his own thoughts. "But I need to make sure…"

He slowly began to pull up his friend's T-shirt, until his trunk was completely exposed. He sighed when he found a firm, hard man's chest, a little disappointed in a certain way. But also, he felt somehow relieved, for he could stop thinking weird things about his best friend.

Even so, something prevented him from moving. He remained there, frozen. He knew he was a boy, but still he couldn't help wanting to feel his skin. It looked so smooth, that he felt he had to touch him. He gently rested his hand on his friend's chest, making circles. The warmth coming from that boy's body made him feel so good. He wondered how the rest of his body would feel like, wishing he wouldn't' wake up. He slowly draw a line with his fingers down his stomach, and enjoyed watching his friend's facial expressions, still asleep. "This is wrong in so many ways" he thought, but we couldn't stop. He caressed his abs, which made Kurapika groan a little, and Leorio was awkwardly turned on. Sudddenly, Kurapika stretched, making a noise, and Leorio quickly took some distance.

-Leorio?- he rubbed his eyes

-oh, ummm… I…I just came for a glass of water. So, Bye- and he rushed to bed

-hmm. I was having a weird dream, very weird. It was Leorio, but… nah, It can't be- he said to himself raising an eyebrow- well, that's why dreams are dreams