A Series of Simply Adorable and Confusing Things

by lunartick

Twoshot. In which Kurapika meets Midoya, survives an explosion, and learns that there are some people who can be downright scary.

1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is not the sequel to "A Series of Bizarre and Mildly Humourous Events". This is a separate short story (probably two chapters), because I am still stuck writing the sequel. Apologies! The sequel got out of control, and I had to try to reign it in and put it back on track. At the same time, this short story is not entirely unrelated to the sequel, but only in the form of 'background' information.

This short story is simply the result of the question "What would happen if Kurapika met Midoya?". The answer is, of course, "A lot of deception and lying on Midoya's part". This story takes place on the same day Kuroro and Midoya invaded the Hunter Association York Shin HQ to hack into the Jyonen-user database. If you don't know what I mean, you have to read A Series of Bizarre and Mildly Humourous Events to understand this story. My intention was to provide a view of Midoya from someone who would judge her actions a lot harsher than Kuroro (the one of dubious morality) would. Also, I wanted to explore more of Midoya's character, Kurapika's character and the Hunter Association in general. Kuroro makes a cameo in the next chapter, for those missing him.

Though I'm not necessarily very happy with how this story turned out, I hope you still enjoy this story and please leave a review at the end of it! Constructive criticism is always welcome.

Hunter X Hunter does not belong to me. I do not own the copyright to any of these materials. This is a fanfiction written solely for the purposes of entertainment. If you wish to host this story on a site outside of , please contact the author for permission first.

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A Series of Simply Adorable and Confusing Things

The grounds before him were raging with activity. Dangerous-looking men and women, humming with the steady glow of experienced Nen-users, scuttled about focused on one task or another; less dangerous-looking men and women in uniform, armed to the teeth with various weaponry jumped to orders barked at them by tensed commanders; dogs of various breeds and sizes sniffed furiously at the churned up soil, wandering here and there as their noses led them on wild chases through the shrubs.

Kurapika knew none of them would find the missing Ryodan leader.

Standing at the entrance to the Hunter Association HQ (York Shin), Kurapika slowly scanned the frenzied activity before him as he reviewed in his head the information he had obtained just an hour earlier via the Hunter website. Kuroro Lucifer had been brought in to the Hunter Association HQ (York Shin) by Two Star Blacklist Hunter Midoya. At first he had been sceptical. Yes, he had heard rumours about how powerful this Blacklist Hunter was. Anyone who was anyone in the Blacklist business must have heard of Two Star Blacklist Hunter Midoya. Rumours about her included her involvement in the assassination of Klon, head of the terrorist group that took over the small country of Bunne, her annihilation of the entire cannibalistic tribe of Quar and her love affair with the crown prince of Jorke. But surely Kuroro Lucifer, even weak and defenceless, would not be captured so easily. That Kurapika had even managed to snag the man in the first place had been a piece of sheer luck. Surely, Kurapika was right to think this piece of information was just a rumour. But he was not. Surveillance footage from the guard post had showed him Kuroro Lucifer's bloody, battered face.

Immediately, Kurapika, who had been on a blimp leaving York Shin, ordered the captain to turn the blimp back or face the wrath of a thousand chains. The trip back had barely taken half an hour, but he had been too late. Kuroro Lucifer had escaped.

Still staring at the chaos before him, Kurapika frowned. He had to stop doing this; had to stop acting on impulse the moment he heard news of the cursed Spiders. If Kuroro Lucifer had been successfully arrested by the Hunter Association, he would undoubtedly get his just deserts without Kurapika having to lift a finger. If the Hunter Association failed to hold on to him (as was the case), there wasn't much Kurapika could do either. He had no doubt Kuroro Lucifer was far away by now. What had this trip accomplished, other than give him another cruel reminder of how unjust the world could be?

Well, not totally unjust. He had heard what the Blacklist Hunter named Midoya had done to Kuroro Lucifer. It was hardly enough to make up for the massacre of the Kurutas, but surely having his balls slowly snipped off with a pair of nail scissors would have given that drug-addled, sex maniac murderer some of his own medicine.

(Yes, Kurapika was aware that he had absolutely no evidence that Kuroro Lucifer was a drug addict or a sex maniac, but surely someone as immoral as the head of the Genei Ryodan was probably all that and more. He probably watched porn too.)

"Good day," a soothing tenor murmured next to him.

Startled out of his thoughts, Kurapika's eyes flickered towards the owner of the voice, cursing himself for letting his guard down.

A young, boyish face framed by glasses and an unruly mop of black hair smiled back at him. "I apologize for startling you," the unassuming man murmured with a slight bow of the head.

Shaking himself out of his surprise, Kurapika shook his head and replied, "No, I was daydreaming." He looked the man once over again. "Do I know you?" he asked warily.

"No," the man replied, looking amused by Kurapika's bluntness, "but I know you, Kurapika. My name is Wing, I am Gon and Killua's Nen master, assistant master of the Shingen-ryu school."

Gon and Killua. Kurapika felt a sharp jab of guilt at the way he had put their lives in danger with his recklessness. "Pleased to meet you," he replied, trying to sound at least the tiniest bit friendly. He wasn't in the mood for socialization, but this was his friends' master. The last thing he wanted to do was cause them more trouble by being rude to someone they obviously liked and respected, if he was any judge by the way they talked about the man.

"Pleasure to meet you," Wing replied, smiling kindly. "Why are you standing out here by yourself?"

"I…" Kurapika hesitated, wondering how much the man knew.

"Silly question. You must have heard about Kuroro Lucifer's capture," Wing continued as if Kurapika hadn't paused. "Chairman Netero has told me all about your vendetta against the Ryodan. I'm afraid you have come a little too late though; the man has escaped."

"Is anyone aware of how?" Kurapika asked. He had been thinking about it. How had the Nen-less, battered Kuroro Lucifer escaped from a building full of guards and powerful Nen-users? Either Kuroro Lucifer was a lot more cunning than Kurapika anticipated (which was perfectly plausible) or someone inside had helped him (yet again, perfectly plausible).

"That's what we are all trying to figure out now," Wing said with a small shrug. "It's quite mysterious the way he simply disappeared from within the building. No one wants to jump to conclusions but most people I have spoken to think he had some kind of help from the inside. Not necessarily from a hunter, mind you, but perhaps from one of the administration staff or sanitation staff. The ruthlessness of the Ryodan is quite well-known; I wouldn't be surprised if he managed to bribe or intimidate a clerk into helping him."

"That thought had occurred to me," Kurapika confessed. "How about the hunter who brought him in, in the first place? Has anyone checker her out?"

"Ah." Wing's face darkened suddenly, the change in mood from jovial to angry so abrupt Kurapika took a step back in surprise. "Her."

"What's wrong?" Kurapika asked cautiously.

Wing blinked and his face cleared. "Apologies," he said quickly. "It's just… I have a… problem with the hunter who brought the Genei Ryodan member in. Midoya isn't… isn't the most… She can be quite…" Wing stopped suddenly, looking confused and slightly frustrated. "She is too much like Netero," he finally concluded.

"Is that not good?" Kurapika asked, bewildered. "Chairman Netero is a highly respected and powerful individual in the Hunter Association. Surely being similar to him is not a bad thing?"

"Ah, you probably don't know Chairman Netero very well." Wing shook his head. "It depends on what way Midoya is similar to him really. And she's just like him in terms of…" He took a deep breath then in an angry rush, growled, "Sexual perversion, irresponsibility, immaturity and pure evilness." A gentle smile lit up his face and he added, "But don't let me bias you against her…"

"Too late."

"At least meet her for yourself before you judge her," Wing urged, looking slightly worried. "I wouldn't want you to think ill of a person just because I said so. I… it pains me to think I might have just blackened her reputation… even if she deserves it. She did… I mean, she did do that thing to the President of BNE, which I know is true because Netero told me and… but well now! It's not good to spread bad rumours about other people! Gosh, I am so ashamed of myself now. Please, you have to meet her before you decide."

"No, I don't…"

"But I thought you would want to. This is the second time she has fought the Ryodan." Kurapika stared with sudden interest and Wing grinned knowingly at him.

"Second time?" Kurapika asked, astonished. He had never met anyone who had encountered the Ryodan twice and survived (well there was Killua's family, but he wasn't exactly on speaking terms with them after trying to break into their stronghold and take their heir away). The sort of information he could obtain from her… Kurapika swallowed hard, trying not to salivate all over the front of his tunic.

"Oh yes," Wing told him. "The first time, she actually fought the entire Ryodan. She defeated three of them before she was forced to retreat." Kurapika inhaled sharply and tried not to choke on his own saliva. "The second time… I'm not too sure what happened as she is still being interrogated. I'm sure you can ask her. Whether she tells you or not really depends on her mood though. Midoya can be very fickle."

"Right," Kurapika muttered, already losing interest in Wing. "Yes, this… this Midoya, I would like to meet her. Where can I find her?"

Wing laughed and Kurapika felt his face flushing with the sudden awareness that Wing knew exactly what was going through his mind. "I think the Chairman is speaking with her now," Wing said, hiding his chuckles with a cough. "He should be done soon; Midoya hardly gets scolded as much as she should be." The boyish face darkened then brightened. "But then, she's a grown woman so…" Wing shrugged helplessly.

"Of course. So… the Chairman…?"

"Fiftieth floor."

"Thanks." Kurapika actually ran a good ten feet before he realized how rude he had been. He spun around, offering a swift bow at the same time. "My apologies…"

Wing was laughing. "Just like Gon and Killua," he chuckled, shaking his head. "Exactly like them."

Kurapika clenched hands that felt wet and warm with blood. "Not exactly," he said coolly.

Wing smiled. "Perhaps. We're all different individuals after all. Go."

Nodding, Kurapika turned and left, this time at a more dignified pace. Just to prove he wasn't like them.

---

Papers on the desk rustled. "You are a powerful Hunter, Miss Midoya. I expected better of you. To bring such an infamous criminal into the organization and not secure him properly is…" The clock ticked by slowly. "… the damage done is great. Now no one trusts anyone; no one trusts you, everyone is second-guessing everyone, trying to figure out how Lucifer escaped…" The tick of the pen stopped. "Miss Midoya, are you listening?"

Midoya blinked as her eyes re-focused on the round face before her and she beamed. Her cheeks ached from smiling. She had been holding it for the better part of an hour; quite a personal record. "Yes, of course Beans," she said politely. The urge to yawn was powerful but Midoya kept it down. After sitting through countless board meetings listening to idiots who thought they knew how to run a brothel, Midoya was good at pretending to be interested.

"Really?" Beans asked, staring suspiciously at her over the pile of papers on his desk. "What did I just say to you?"

"You were reprimanding me over my failure to secure Kuroro Lucifer of course," Midoya replied casually. She didn't need to pay attention to know that; the man had been on the same subject for the past hour.

"Right," Beans muttered, mollified and continued again.

Glancing above the round, bald head of Beans, Midoya caught Netero staring at her from behind his desk. He winked knowingly and she smiled back (not that she had a choice; her face felt rather stuck by this point).

"… and poor Kraus is so badly traumatised I wouldn't be surprised if he drops dead. The poor man could probably lose some weight and I must admit I do admire Kuroro Lucifer's ability to lug that much baggage around but still…"

Netero raised a finger and a thick bushy eyebrow. Midoya recognised the gesture immediately. It was a little game Netero liked to use to teach his students Gyo. Not that Midoya ever needed teaching that particular skill, having developed it naturally as a child. If anything, she had needed teaching on how to stop using it. Ah, such painful memories, but for now… Midoya gathered her Nen to her eyes.

"Did you deliberately let Kuroro Lucifer free in the building?"

Hah. Not good. But that was to be expected. Netero knew her like few did. Midoya pursed her lips in thought. There really wasn't any point in lying; Netero could sense a lie a mile away even from a deceitful little hussy like herself. Trying to lie would only make him more suspicious than he already was. She offered a quick nod, pretending to be responding to something Beans was saying.

A smile flickered over Netero's aged face, bringing deep wrinkles to the surface. "Why?" his finger demanded.

Midoya shrugged and raised a finger of her own. "Because I thought it would be fun." Which was technically true… just not all the truth.

Netero laughed out loud, effectively stopping Beans in mid-rant. "You are a hopeless child," he said, chuckling. "If you didn't do as much good as you do evil, I would probably have to kill you myself."

"That's the only reason I ever do any good; so you wouldn't come after me," Midoya replied with a genuine smile. She was hardly worried by Netero's words; things like that were what passed for affection and camaraderie in the world of Hunters. If she spent a day in the HQ without anyone offering to kill her, Midoya would have been truly offended.

"Sir?" Beans asked warily. "Is there something you needed to say? Because if there isn't, I would like to…"

"Oh, I think you've said enough," Netero replied cheerily.

"But sir!"

"You have repeated the same point over and over again for the past hour, Beans. I'm sure Midoya gets the message. She does have a genius IQ you know?" His eyes twinkled. "Whether she actually heeds your words is of course entirely up to her at this point, so saying anything more would be rather pointless, no?"

"Sir, if I may remind you, this is the reason why Miss Midoya has turned out the way she has!"

Midoya turned her smile on Beans who blanched. "And what way would that be, Beans?" she asked sweetly. Beans made a very unmanly sound and darted with surprising speed behind Netero, his hands cupped firmly over his nose. It seemed her still remembered her pranks from her early days as Netero's student, when she had taken every opportunity to test the limits of her Nen.

"Immature, irresponsible, with the intelligence of a genius, the power and authority of a Two Star Hunter and the self-control of a baby," Netero replied in Beans's stead with a snort. Beans nodded furiously from behind Netero.

"It is very true indeed. I love you too, sensei. Let this baby give you a kissy," Midoya grinned, climbing to her feet and offering Netero a kiss on an aged cheek.

"You only ever call me sensei when you get into trouble and want me to help you wriggle out of it," Netero complained half-heartedly, his eyes on her chest. "Did I ever tell you that your breasts have developed magnificently?"

"Chairman Netero…!"

"Every single day of my life from age thirteen to eighteen, and every time I see you after that." With the smile still plastered on her face, Midoya gently rotated her jaw to relieve the pressure on her cheeks. "Am I free to go now?"

"No…!"

"Go ahead. There's not much I can do if you want to leave since no charges have been raised against you - yet."

"Sir…!"

"Oh, I'm sure you can think of something." Still moving her jaw subtly, Midoya smiled at her old teacher then turned and headed for the heavy doors of the Chairman's office. "See you around, sensei, Beans." Perhaps not for a while, she admitted to herself. Not until Kuroro's curse was lifted and…

Abruptly the door slammed open almost hitting her in the nose and a beautiful blonde boy rushed into the room.

---

In hindsight, Kurapika had to admit that simply bursting into the Chairman's office was probably not the most polite way to inform the Chairman of his presence. However, he had been flustered by Wing's reaction to him and anxious to meet the infamous Blacklist Hunter Midoya. He had barely been thinking when he walked up to the heavy oak door before him and shoved it open.

The moment he did though, his rational mind decided to come back, along with his ability to feel totally, utterly humiliated.

"Erm…" Kurapika stuttered. He could barely raise his eyes to look at the old man sitting at the far end of the room with one bushy eyebrow raised. "Good day… sir," he finally managed to say.

"Good day," Netero replied, sounding more amused than offended. "You are Kurapika, are you not? I remember you were from the last round of exams… or was it the last, last rounds? My memory is not what it is these days."

"Yes sir, I am a recent graduate from the exams," Kurapika mumbled. With an awkward cough, he took in a deep breath and raised his eyes to meet the Chairman's. "I apologize for bursting in so abruptly. I hope you will forgive me."

"Not a problem," Netero said, sounding kind and gentle. "Is there a reason you came in like that?"

Was there? Oh right. "I wished to meet the hunter who brought Kuroro Lucifer in," he said eagerly. "I heard she was with you and was hoping you could introduce me to her." Was he too late? Had she already left? "I understand it is very rude of me to presume you will have the time to entertain my unreasonable request but…"

Netero held up a hand, interrupting him and nodded understandingly. "That's not a difficult request, boy. She's right next to you."

Startled for the second time in under an hour, Kurapika's eyes flickered in the direction Netero was pointing at. Immediately, he leapt backwards, trying desperately to suppress a horrified sound.

Wing's description of an immature, irresponsible and evil pervert had given him the impression of a tall, beautiful Valkyrie of a woman, scantily-dressed with seductive eyes and dark smoky laughs. The woman next to him looked nothing like that. For one thing, she was short, even shorter than Kurapika, and plump, not quite obese but half way there. Her hair was a wild, frizzy mess of curls of indeterminate length. Her skin was extraordinarily pale and her face was marred with severe acne. Though she was dressed in a conservative black dress, her eyes were painted a brilliant peacock blue. There was a smile on her face, but it wasn't a friendly smile. It looked… wrong. Kurapika realized why; her smile didn't move. Genuine smiles always moved with the micro-expressions on a person's face; they shift, widen or fade continuously with the fluctuations of emotions. The smile beaming down at him was frozen, static, like a clown's painted face. For a moment, Kurapika thought that was the most disturbing thing about this woman looking at him. He realized he was wrong.

It was her eyes. Black, eerily calm eyes looking at him with interest, like a lazy, sated tiger wondering if the tiny bunny skipping past would make a good plaything. Black eyes filled with knowledge, intelligence and an utter lack of emotion, conscience or morality. Déjà vu. Kurapika's jaw clenched. Kuroro Lucifer had looked at him exactly like that.

"You were looking for me?" a feminine, soft voice asked, demure, quiet but firm with authority and confidence.

Kurapika shook his thoughts of that night off (he wasn't a bunny, this woman wasn't Kuroro Lucifer and he wasn't a woman no matter what that bastard said damn it). "Yes," he said quickly, offering a nod. "My name is Kurapika. You must be Two Star Blacklist Hunter Midoya."

"Indeed, I may be her," the woman known as Midoya acknowledged, tilting her head as she observed him. "Why are you looking for me?"

"I…" Suddenly, it struck Kurapika that they were still standing in the doorway to the Chairman's office with both the Chairman and his secretary watching them. "It's a long story," he said. "Perhaps we can sit somewhere while I explain myself?"

"Of course," Midoya agreed. "The cafeteria here serves the most disgusting coffee, so it is always empty. I'm sure we can find a seat there."

"Yes, of course." Turning to face Netero, Kurapika offered a slight bow. "Good day to you, sir. Thank you for your patience."

"Not an issue," Netero replied.

"Bye, sensei," Midoya chirped with so much cheer it bordered on maniac, and Kurapika blinked. Was this woman Netero's student? It… explained a lot.

"Goodbye, Midoya," Netero replied with almost as much cheer. Then in a much more serious voice, "Be gentle to the child."

Kurapika blinked. Midoya's smile became even more maniacal. "But of course, sensei," she purred, suddenly reminding him a lot more of Hisoka than Kuroro, "I'll be… gentle." Still beaming that frozen, too-wide smile, she turned and left the room.

Hesitantly, Kurapika met Netero's eyes in question. Netero looked back at him gravely. "If she offers to have sex with you, don't accept it, no matter what your hormones tell you," the old man said sternly.

Horrified and flustered, Kurapika managed a brisk bow before fleeing.

---

Despite his longer legs and apparent fitter physique, it surprisingly took Kurapika quite a while to catch up with the departing woman. She had actually descended two flights of stairs, walking with a feline grace made jarring by her plump appearance, before he finally caught up, flashing a much more natural and genuine smile at him when he did. "Did dear Netero warn you against the evil cannibal you are about to have coffee with?' she asked whimsically.

"Uh…" Kurapika felt his cheeks redden and tried to pretend it was due to the tremendous exertion of running down a short corridor and two flights of stairs, "He warned me about you, just not about… uh… cannibalism."

"Ah, about sex then." Midoya shook her head sadly. "Really now, that Netero. I have only killed one person in bed before, and it wasn't even because he wasn't that great in bed. The person was an assassin sent to kill me. Of course I killed him. What did Netero expect?"

"Maybe he expected you to arrest him instead of killing him," Kurapika replied just a little more sharply than he had intended to.

Midoya glanced at him with a lop-sided smile on her face. "It was a little difficult. He was in me and holding a knife barely an inch from my eye. There wasn't enough leverage for wrestling, much less handcuffs. I didn't have much of a choice. It was between tearing his neck out with my teeth or letting him stab me in the eye."

Kurapika opened his mouth to retort, suddenly realised what she meant by "in me", and found his mouth clamping shut from sheer embarrassment instead. "I do not have to respond to that," he said instead, trying to look dignified and matured about… about… ("sex", his conscience whispered in a scandalized hiss).

"Of course you don't," Midoya replied, her smile widening. "You said your name is Kurapika, isn't that so?"

"Yes, that is my name."

"Well Kurapika, why don't you start telling me what you need from me as we walk to the cafeteria?"

For a moment, Kurapika considered walking away. He had heard rumours about this Blacklist Hunter before, some of them good, some of them bad, and he usually felt most of it was largely exaggerated. The real person however, proved that at least some of the rumours were true. It wasn't hard seeing what Wing meant by immoral, irresponsible and… and… sexual perversion. On the other hand, Kurapika had known enough hunters by now to understand that personality had little to do with power. If this woman had information about the powers of the Ryodan members… Kurapika gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. For his dead friends and family, he would sacrifice his pride and… speak with this woman.

"Yes, thank you for listening to me," he said stiffly. "As you know, my name is Kurapika. I am of the Kuruta clan." He watched her nod. She didn't look surprised. Maybe she had already heard about him from Netero. "If you know of the Kuruta clan then you must know that the clan is… extinct. I am the last survivor as far as I know. We were killed by the Genei Ryodan… killed for our eyes."

"Scarlet Eyes," Midoya murmured.

"That is correct." A sense of relief flooded his chest; he was so happy he did not have to explain that. It always reminded him of his dead comrades… their empty eye sockets… "I am hunting the Genei Ryodan."

"A dangerous hobby," Midoya commented, her lips quirking in a smile.

Kurapika stopped walking. "It's not a hobby!" he said hotly. "It is revenge! I will kill the Genei Ryodan, destroy them for what they did, even if it costs me my life!" He gritted his teeth as he felt his eyes start to flood with red. Not here… not now… not to a powerful member of the Hunter circle…

"Of course. My apologies. I did not mean to make light of your life goals. Please forgive me." She sounded absolutely sincere, even concerned. Gently, she laid a hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright?"

Inhale. Exhale. "I'm fine," Kurapika muttered, suddenly unable to meet her eyes. He really had not meant to explode like that and the concern she was now showing him was… embarrassing him. "It's fine. Forget it. You don't know anything about me; I can hardly expect you to know what matters to me."

"Still, I apologize."

"It's fine!" Kurapika awkwardly but gently extracted his shoulder from under her hand. "It's fine." Another deep breath in… another deep breath out. "I heard you have fought the Ryodan before. Twice."

The amused smile that was almost a smirk, but not quite, came back. "Yes, I have," she acknowledged. "Once, two years ago, and another time more recently. You may have heard of how I failed utterly to secure Kuroro Lucifer? Yes, I see you have. It was the most stunning failure of my career. I'll probably need to hunt down a good dozen A-list criminals just to wipe that stain off my reputation."

"Is it that bad a failure? I heard…" Kurapika cleared his throat. "I heard you… unmanned him."

"Unmanned? Oh. Oh, yes, if you meant I castrated him then yes you are right." She chuckled, a soft, almost inaudible laugh. "I thought it was amusing."

Amusing? Not exactly the word Kurapika would have used, but still… "I thank you," he said firmly. "Kuroro Lucifer is my enemy. Any harm inflicted on him rebalances this injustice done to my tribe."

Her smile widened. "You are most welcome, dear. Take a seat."

Kurapika looked around in surprise. He hadn't realized they had reached the cafeteria already. In that moment, it struck him how unexpectedly charismatic Midoya was. While he was walking next to her, all his attention had been drawn to and fixed on her. It was so strange to find such charisma in one as… unattractive as her. Not that Kurapika was superficial or anything… he just hadn't expected this annoying, rather plain and boring-looking woman to be so… magnetic.

As Midoya had predicted, the cafeteria was largely deserted, except for small pockets of people here and there. The smell of stale food and coffee lingered in the air, making him feel slightly nauseous. But the seats were clean – probably because no one used them.

"Thank you," Kurapika said, sinking onto a grey, metal seat.

"You are welcome," Midoya replied. "Wait here; I'll get some hot water. I always carry tea satchels with me when I come to HQ. We shall have something pleasant to drink at least."

"Thank you," Kurapika said bemused, as she put an entire box of tea satchels on the table before him. "Let me get the…" he began but she was already gone.

---

"Two cups of hot water," Midoya said at the counter. The dear man behind the counter took one look at her, shrieked, and ducked behind the counter.

"Hot water is there! Take whatever you want! Just don't hurt me!"

"A fair trade," Midoya agreed and slid over the counter. Ignoring the quivering, whimpering man curled up in a foetal position on the floor (he did that every time she came by; she really had no idea why; she only blew up his stall once and it was purely an accident caused by her inexperience with Nen), she examined the various containers at the back of the stall before finding the vacuum flask that contained heated water.

As she decanted some water into the two cleanest cups she could find, Midoya thought back on the lovely blonde child waiting for her in the cafeteria. A smile spread over her face. Kuroro was right; the boy was absolutely adorable. Such a sense of justice, such high morals… goodness, Midoya just wanted to pinch his little baby cheeks. Moralistic people were really just too funny, kind of like puppies barking at their own reflection.

It was also extremely obvious what the dear boy wanted from her: information on the Ryodan. Midoya pursed her lips as she wondered just how much she should reveal to the little darling. Of course, the rational thing to do would be to keep her alliance with Kuroro a secret. It wouldn't do if the little sweetie told Netero; she would have to kill the dear boy, and wouldn't she feel so guilty killing the last survivor of the Kuruta clan (or maybe not; it's not like she knew about the Kuruta clan before Kuroro told her about them anyway). Anyway, she was sure Netero would not appreciate knowing she was currently helping the evil leader of the Genei Ryodan regain his powers. It wasn't like she could help it; Kuroro had asked for help. Of course she had to help. That's what nice people do. Dear Netero wouldn't understand of course; he felt that Hunters should only help people who actually deserve it, as if Hunters have the right to decide who was worthy or not. Midoya certainly didn't trust herself to know for sure. Besides, unworthy humans were still human, no? At any rate, Netero probably wouldn't think much of her helping Kuroro. So, that would have to be a secret from the dear boy. Common sense really, but Midoya always liked articulating her thoughts clearly.

The question of course was how much she should reveal about the other Ryodan members. That was the iffy bit. Kuroro had mentioned that the little baby had some knowledge of the powers of the Ryodan members, so lying would be dangerous. If what she said differed too much from what the boy knew, he might be able to guess she was invested in keeping the Ryodan alive and well. The dear sweetie had managed to trump Kuroro once; that was surely a clear measure of his intelligence. On the other hand, Midoya was pretty certain Kuroro would not appreciate her telling the dear little thing about his Ryodan members. There was already one dead member after all. Sweet little baby had such a nasty bite; just think of what he could do with more knowledge. The best thing to do in such a situation, Midoya mused, was to feign ignorance. However, the details of her fight were already well-known. No one would believe her if she claimed she fought the Ryodan members, defeated three of them, and never got to see any of their powers.

Ah, decisions, decisions, decisions. Midoya smiled as she picked the cups up and slid back over the counter without spilling a single drop. This was far from the hardest decision she had ever had to make, but perhaps also the most fun. She wondered how far she could push the boy till he discovered something was wrong with her. Probably not very far, given that stubborn idealistic personality and brilliant mind. Goodness, that cute little sense of justice… he probably believed in the value of chastity as well.

Midoya wiped the smile off her face as she approached the blonde boy and schooled her face into a mask of maternal affection.

"Here you go," she said, pushing the cup of hot water in front of him. "Just drop a tea bag in."

"Thank you," Kurapika said, standing up and waiting for her to sit.

Goodness. Chivalrous too. He needed to be friends with dear little Pepeka. The two of them would get along fabulously. Pepeka needed some friends anyway; dear boy hardly talked to anyone but her and surely that was not good for a child's social development. Oh wait, Pepeka wasn't a teenager anymore, was he? How old was Pepeka anyway? The last she checked, he was fifteen, but surely that was some… time ago. Midoya tended to forget. Time was such a flexible concept after all.

Smiling sweetly at the dear little blonde child, Midoya slid onto the surprisingly clean chair. "You remind me of my disciple," she informed him. "All sweetness and good manners."

"Thank you," Kurapika repeated, his tone brisk and business-like. "I'm sure your disciple is a very pleasant person to be around."

Nope. "Yes, he is an absolute darling," Midoya agreed, sipping at the tea. "Now, where were we? Oh yes, castrating Kuroro Lucifer."

She watched the conflict skitter across the lovely face with the beautiful blue-green eyes and rosebud lips. "Is it… is it true you used a pair of nail scissors to… to castrate him?" the boy finally whispered hopefully with a look of shame on his face.

Awww. How cute. He was feeling guilty about wishing the worst on his enemies. Midoya smiled around the rim of the cup and wondered how she should reply. Should she make this little baby happy, or should she make Kuroro happy? Well, given that Kuroro had pretty much said he didn't trust her after she went out of her way to pluck his lovely ass off a plateau… "No," she finally replied. "It wasn't a pair of nail scissors."

"Oh." The dear boy looked so crestfallen.

"It was a nail file."

Those pretty green eyes widened. "Nail… file?" he asked, horrified. "Is that… is that even possible?"

"Oh yes. It just requires a lot of patience and a strong stomach. I lost my knife somewhere along the chase. Fortunately I had my manicure kit with me. The nail clipper didn't work because it was too small, so the nail file it was. It took an awful long time because my nail file isn't made of metal; it's made of plastic and sandpaper. Made a bloody mess too, but it was worth it what that bastard made me go through just to capture him." In truth, Midoya was thinking of a different 'bastard' that she had castrated with a nail file. He deserved it too, for cheating on her.

"Sandpaper." Now the dear boy looked both horrified and guiltily satisfied at the same time. "It must have hurt."

"I wouldn't know. You might have to ask Kuroro Lucifer yourself."

"One day I will," the boy muttered. The faintest shade of red glowed around his eyes before fading. Lovely. It might be worth it provoking him till his eyes glow the shade of red so beautiful that Kuroro Lucifer massacred his entire tribe just to obtain it.

"Good for you, child," Midoya replied, beaming. "Now, is there anything else you wish to know other than the method I used to castrate dear Kuroro Lucifer?"

"Yes," Kurapika said, eyes wide with an emotion Midoya wasn't able to identify. "I want to know how you chased him down."

Ah ha. Time for more story-makings.

---

Being the youth that he was and what with the tragedy of his past, Kurapika had never had a chance to meet girls and do the normal things boys of his age do. Hence, he was rather inexperienced when it came to the birds and the bees, and all those things people hear are on television and are corrupting the moral fibre of our youths. However, at that moment, Kurapika was pretty certain that if he ever fell in a love with a woman, it would be one like Midoya.

Yes, he was put off by her amorality. Yes, he was put off by the crazy clown-smile on her face. Yes, he was put off by her sexual openness. Yes, he was put off by the thick layer of make-up on her face. But she castrated Kuroro 'The Bastard' Lucifer. She castrated HIM with a nail file. Kurapika could not think of a more beautiful trait in a woman than that. (His conscience squeaked indignantly with horror at that and scolded Kurapika into flushing with guilt and shame.)

Still, despite her many flaws, this Blacklist Hunter Midoya was surely a good person beneath it all. As a blacklist hunter, she had made it her duty to rid the world of evil criminals like the Genei Ryodan. Surely that proved she wasn't as immoral as the rumours said. Besides, she was kind enough to sit with him and share her experiences with him. That surely proved that she wished to nurture the next generation of Blacklist Hunters that will carry on her duty of righting injustices in the world. She had a disciple too, didn't she? That was evidence that she was an educator, and only people who wished to help others became educators. Definitely, Kurapika felt, she was a good person beneath it all.

"Now," Midoya (Miss Midoya, his manners, having affirmed that this was a woman worth respecting, corrected) said, smiling gently at him, "is there anything else you wish to know… other than the method I used to castrate dear Kuroro Lucifer?"

Turning admiring eyes on her, Kurapika said, "Yes. I want to know how you chased him down."

Midoya smiled that enigmatic smile she had as she sipped more tea. She looked like she was thinking, but Kurapika could not tell what she was thinking. Perhaps she was merely reliving that wonderful moment when she had finally caught Kuroro Lucifer (who was, undoubtedly, on the wanted list of any blacklist hunter with a sense of morality), perhaps she was merely organising her thoughts to better tell her story. Kurapika could hardly wait.

"It's rather anti-climatic," she finally said with an apologetic smile. "I'm afraid he didn't put up much of a fight. It was almost like he couldn't."

Yes, of course. Kurapika glowed faintly with pride at that. "But you said he put you through a lot before you caught him."

"Oh yes, he did. Turns out this Kuroro Lucifer is quite a sneaky man. Horribly, horribly sneaky."

Damn right he was, that devious, sneaky, arrogant mass murderer… "What did he do?"

Midoya played with the tea satchel in her cup and smiled. "Well, I found him in the deserts near York Shin. Are you familiar with the area? It's actually more accessible by blimp than by car."

"Yes, I am familiar with the area."

"Oh good. At any rate, I found him, stuck on top of a plateau as it happens." Kurapika choked on his tea. "For some reason, he couldn't jump off the plateau or fly off, or however it is the infamous Dancho of the Genei Ryodan travels. I happened to have been flying overhead in a blimp and I spotted him. It's quite remarkable how visible fur coats in a desert are from the sky. Anyway, I dropped down to catch him. There's quite a lovely bounty on his head as you know."

"What happened next?" Kurapika asked, still distracted by the idea that he had stranded Kuroro Lucifer on a plateau and hadn't realised it.

"He offered to have sex with me."

A gush of tea erupted from Kurapika's mouth and Midoya calmly dodged it, still sipping tea from her own cup. "H… he what?" Kurapika demanded once his lungs have expelled the tea he had accidentally inhaled.

"He offered to have sex with me," Midoya repeated, looking amused by his reaction.

"That is… that is… horrible! D… did you…?"

"Oh, it was extremely tempting. Have you met the man? He is extraordinarily good looking, all dark eyes and pale skin and washboard abs. And his voice is so smoky and seductive. One can only imagine how he would sound when reaching the peak of…"

"No!" Kurapika interrupted loudly, hands pressed firmly to his ears. "I do not want to hear anything about that man and his peaks of… peaks of… peaks… of…. Peaks." He lowered his hands and glared fiercely at Midoya. "Tell me you did not take him up on his offer or I will lose any respect I have ever had for you."

Midoya laughed out loud and Kurapika's face heated up with anger. "I did not take him up on his offer," she said, grinning. "For all I know, his ability is to kill during sex. He's good looking, but really not to die for."

"Right." Now Kurapika's cheeks were red with embarrassment. What had he been thinking? Midoya was a Two Star hunter; of course she wouldn't be dumb enough to fall for a trap like that. "I apologize."

"Nothing to apologize for, dear. Now, where did I stop? Oh yes, he offered to have sex with me. I told him no and he just stood there staring at me. I did not dare to approach him since I have heard he is a very powerful Nen user and I did not want to underestimate him."

"That is the smart thing to do," Kurapika admitted, half-wishing he could tell her what he had done to Kuroro Lucifer.

"So, we were just staring at each other across the plateau for a while then the oddest thing happened. He surrendered to me. He told me that he was, in fact, trapped and he did not foresee defeating me. So he simply surrendered. I suspected a trap, as you can guess. But he came quietly with me onto my blimp. It was all rather strange." A smile flittered over Midoya's face. "Turns out it was all a trap after all. Once the blimp landed in York Shin, he made a break for it."

"He was successful?"

"Very. I left him with the five guards I always have on my blimp, but he defeated them all and ran off into the wilderness that surrounds the airfield. I was forced to give chase through dense vegetation, muddy grounds (it rained that night apparently) and all manners of squishy, unpleasant stuff. I spoiled my favourite pair of pumps and ruined a new coat."

"How did you catch him in the end?" he asked.

"My powers, which I will not tell you about." She smiled, and now her smile was cold and unfriendly. "It's a trade secret."

"You are not obliged to," Kurapika agreed. In his mind, he checked off the information he had acquired. Kuroro Lucifer was smart, cunning, a powerful fighter even without his Nen and comfortable with moving through natural habitats like the wilderness surrounding the York Shin airfield. The more he learnt about his enemy, the more he detested him. That was good; it meant the rage within him at the injustice against his tribe had not faded.

"So, how would you fare in a fight with Kuroro Lucifer?" She smiled. "You have met him before, haven't you?"

Startled out of his thoughts, Kurapika stared at the woman across him. A chill ran down his back and eyes narrowed. "How do you know I have met him before?" he asked, chains starting to vibrate.

Midoya's eyes widened as she looked at the chains shuddering around his hand like a tangle of snakes. Her eyes flicked back to him, calm, inquisitive, and glowing with Gyo. Then she shrugged and put her empty tea cup down. "Because you didn't ask me how he looks like."

The chains stopped vibrating. "What?" he demanded.

"If you were hunting the elusive Genei Ryodan, I would have expected your first question to be how he looks like," she said. "That wasn't your question though; you wanted to know how I managed to catch him, almost like you tried once and failed. I assumed that meant you had encountered him before but he got away."

"Oh." Kurapika forced his shoulders to relax. There was, he supposed, a very thin line between being careful and being paranoid. "Yes, I have encountered him before," he admitted. "He is…" He paused in thought, "Intelligent and unnaturally cool under pressure. Brave, I suppose. I have to give the rat his deal. Immoral, a total bastard. I… I have no idea how I would fare in a fight with him. It wouldn't be easy I suppose." A thoughtful pause then Kurapika asked, "What do you think of him as a person?"

---

Oh, the little baby definitely had brains. Midoya put down the empty tea cup and eyed the lovely boy across from her (he could have stepped out of a Shakespearean poem or an Oscar Wilde novel). She hadn't meant to let slip that she knew he had met Kuroro before. She had let her guard down because the dear little thing looked so sweet and innocent sitting across from her and staring at her with those wide eyes. That was rather stupid of her, she had to admit. She had to remember this was the same person who killed Ubogin, who managed to actually trap Kuroro and put a curse on him. Looking at his chains, Midoya could tell that was some Nen; so much rage, so much hatred. There wasn't a lot of finesse to his Nen perhaps, but that would undoubtedly come with age and experience. What he had now though was pretty powerful for a kid who had just learned about Nen a year or so ago.

Now, how was she going to wriggle out of this? She could lure the boy somewhere else and get rid of him quietly. How would she do that though? Sex? Oh wait, at his age, maybe candy would be a better lure. How old was he anyway? Netero did mention he was a teenager. A little too old to be taken in by candy, not that Midoya had any on her at the moment. Maybe porn would be a better lure, since this was a teenage boy she was staring at? Ha, that's amusing, but horribly stereotypical of you, woman. Focus, Midoya, someone's waiting for an answer. Ah wait, maybe…

"Because you didn't ask me how he looks like." Midoya beamed inside at her own brilliance. "If you were hunting the elusive Genei Ryodan, I would have expected your first question to be how he looks like. That wasn't your question though; you wanted to know how I managed to catch him, almost like you tried once and failed. I assumed that meant you had encountered him before but he got away." Oh wait. Wasn't Kuroro's dead face all over the internet for a period of time? Well… no worries; if the little baby caught on to it, she would just lie and said she lived in a cave: me no heard of internal-net, only fishing net. Ook ook, ah ah.

"Oh," Kurapika said, obviously relaxing. Good, he took the bait. "He is… intelligent and unnaturally cool under pressure." True. Kuroro had the emotional fluctuations of a rock, especially when it came to dangerous situations like this. "Brave… I suppose." True again, if the rumours surrounding him are accurate. "Immoral, a total bastard." Very true, but who knew about the bastard bit? Kuroro mentioned once he didn't know who his parents were. "I… I have no idea how I would fare in a fight with him." Not too well, Midoya guessed. "It wouldn't be easy I suppose. What do you think of him as a person?"

Midoya tilted her head in surprise as she regarded the boy. That was an interesting question coming from him. When most people decide to kill another human being, the very first thing they do (assuming they aren't psychopaths or seasoned murderers) is to dehumanize their victims. The most prominent examples could be found in a study of war propaganda. Declare the 'Other' a threat to the community, claim they will rape and murder your wives and daughters, insist that they are somehow morally degenerate sub-humans who do not deserve to live; make like killing them makes You a war hero. It was a cruel practice, but ironically, driven by the fact that most peoples' consciences can't deal with the idea of killing another human being, another person who has family, who has friends, who has feelings. Morality was at the basis of it all, and given how moralistic this boy was, Midoya would have expected him to attempt to dehumanize the Ryodan as much as he can.

"Are you sure you wish to know?" she asked curiously.

"Why wouldn't I want to know?" the boy demanded in a reasonable tone. "Know thy enemy, know thyself. Whatever knowledge you can give me will only help me, not hinder me."

Oh, the dear baby. He had no idea what he was asking for, was he? Midoya clasped her hands together and regarded him thoughtfully. For this entire period, she had been treating the encounter with this boy like a game. However, the game had become a little too serious. Was she going to shake his conviction to kill the Ryodan? Was she going to cause him more pain by pointing out to him that no matter how much he hated the enemy, the enemy is human and that killing the enemy is murder no matter how much he wanted to justify it? Well, she couldn't decide for him now, could she? She had spent enough time mentoring Pepeka to know that sometimes, it is best to let students decide for themselves. The truth, in this case, she realized with a sudden jab of pity, was the best answer.

"My first impression of him when I found him standing on the plateau was anger." She watched those lovely eyes blink in surprise. "Oh, I assure you it was extremely difficult to tell, but I watched him with Gyo and his aura was vibrating with rage." Not quite the truth; Midoya had learned how to read Kuroro during the year he spent with her and she hadn't needed Gyo to realise he was incredibly upset about something. "Something had pissed him off; being stranded on a plateau would do that I suppose. Or perhaps…" Midoya wondered how far she could push this before the boy realized she knew more than she should, "because he was betrayed?" Kuroro had spoken of both Paku's betrayal of the Ryodan and Hisoka's betrayal of all of them. She couldn't tell which bothered him more, though if she had to guess, she would say Paku's. The green eyes were staring at her. She could not read the expression behind them suddenly. Boy had a quite a poker face when he put his mind to it, it seemed. "His Nen expressed hurt too," she explained. "Pain. Grief. It was like an open wound that had been sutured close then torn opened again"

"Pain?" the boy whispered, his voice hoarse. "Grief? What would he know of such things?"

Oh, to not just stab the knife in but twist it as well. Midoya was only glad she had a pretty large streak of sheer, utter meanness. "He's human too, you know," she said. "A bad person, yes. Immoral, cruel and cold, but still human. There must be people he cares for. Things he cares about…"

"Money, expensive items," the boy grounded out. Ah, there was the dehumanization process now. "Profits. His own welfare. His own well-being."

"I disagree," Midoya said quietly. Damn if she felt a little sorry for poor Kuroro that people actually thought he was nothing more than a greedy bastard. There was so much complexity to an amoral genius like Kuroro that reducing him to a mere manifestation of evil capitalism was quite the sin against humanity in Midoya's opinion.

"Why?" the voice came out in a painful, hurt hiss.

"I asked him where the rest of the Ryodan was, tried to torture it out of him as a matter of fact. Did you get the chance to do the same to him? Well, I can tell you this, he refused to say a word. Why do you think I castrated him in the first place?" Midoya's mind continued spinning more lies as she joined her knowledge of what happened in York Shin with the rest of little lies she had spun previously. "Truth be told, it was hardly as satisfying as I claimed previously. He didn't even squeak. How much determination do you think that needed?" There, that was for you, Kuroro; a little of your dignity restored.

Abruptly, the boy's eyes were red. Midoya stared. They weren't as pretty as she had hoped; if anything, they just looked confused… sad. They looked like a child who had felt pain for the first time and couldn't explain why it was happening to him. "Why are you defending him?" the boy grounded out between gritted teeth. "He's a criminal! A murderer!"

"Even murderers are human, boy," Midoya told him with gentle harshness. "You can't pretend he isn't. If you ever kill him, you must recognize that you are killing another human being. If you are just going to pretend he's nothing more than a dangerous animal that needs to be put down, you aren't accepting the full consequences of your actions." The boy's head jerked back like he had been slapped. Was this enough? Well, if he had enough, he would probably start screaming at her. She will just continue till he did. "If he dies by your hand, there will be people who mourn his passing. His friends perhaps, his colleagues, the other members of the Genei Ryodan. And fans. Believe it or not, the Genei Ryodan, like every other legendary, mythical group out there, actually has fans; crazy people who create websites speculating about how the members look like, claiming they are members, insisting they are married to members. Even I might mourn his passing." The boy's head jerked again, this time in shock. "It is not every day I find prey as exciting and challenging as this. As a Hunter, I would be quite sad to lose the opportunity to hunt him." Midoya smiled as tenderly as she could at the child staring coldly at her with eyes full of tears that refused to fall. "Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?" she asked gently.

At first, the boy didn't reply. His mouth parted. Hesitantly, he licked his lips then closed his mouth. Midoya eyed him with an intense stare. The boy took an inaudible breath in and said, "I…"

And that was when all hell broke loose.

---

The explosion could not have come at a more opportune time.

If it wasn't enough that this woman was lecturing him about his vengeance, she had to treat him like a child, like he was ignorant and didn't know what he was doing. Of course he knew what he was doing. Of course he did… right? No, there was no doubt; he was just… confused by what she was saying. What was she trying to say anyway? Was she trying to say… Well yes, of course Kuroro Lucifer and the Ryodan members could feel pain. Of course he knew that. They were fully functioning macro-organisms; undoubtedly they had a proper nervous system, perhaps mutated by their Nen, but surely capable of feeling pain, which is an important sensation that tells the body when it is in danger. Why was she harping on about it?

"Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?" she asked suddenly, her voice soft… caring. Something clenched at his chest and tore away at his anger at her. She sounded… kind. He hadn't heard anyone speak to him like this in a while.

Kurapika's throat joined his chest with a painful spasm. Did he understand what she was saying? He didn't know. Her words grated on his nerves like nails on a chalkboard, but her tone was… concerned, motherly, soothing, like a cold towel on a heated face. Was he supposed to respond to her words or her tone? He had no idea. But she was staring at him, staring at him so intensely. She expected a reply. Kurapika licked his lips and drew in a deep breath. "I…" he began hesitantly. I what?

Fortunately, at that moment, the far wall of the cafeteria exploded in a roar of flames, concrete and burning organic bits. Startled, Kurapika leapt to his feet, staring at the wall of flame coming towards them at an alarming rate. "Watch out!" he shouted, making a move to grab the woman who hadn't even turned to look.

Her eyes met his. They were calm, amused, and dark as a black hole. Because he was right in front of her, he felt it when her Nen swelled and… good lord… Her Nen wrapped around the both of them, a heavy pressure that shoved him roughly onto the table. It was like being wrapped under layers of thick rugs then thrown under water with an anchor wrapped around him. His breath came in pained, desperate gasps, and his body shook with the weakness coursing through his veins.

Fire roared around them. The heat was a tangible thing, burning his throat when he inhaled, deafening him with a thunder that he felt to the bones. Wind whipped his outfit around roughly, threatening to tear him off the table and drag him into the inferno raging around them. In the confusion, Kurapika thought he might have screamed. He wasn't sure; he was never the screaming sort, but then he had never been trapped in an explosion like this before. There was always a first time for everything.

Then it was over. The pressure on him lifted and Kurapika inhaled deeply before choking on the acrid smoke around him. Coughing and gasping, he lifted his head and looked around. The entire cafeteria was a mess. Tables and chairs were now tiny bits of metal scattered around. Walls were black and scorched. The whole area smelled like how Kurapika always imagined hell would smell; of fire and burning flesh. Groaning, Kurapika lifted himself off the table, the only one that had survived the explosion and looked at the woman in front of him.

She was still sitting in the same position, a lipstick tube in one hand and mirror in another as she applied a slick of something pink and wet-looking on her lips. "Ah. You're back. Feeling better?" she asked as he wobbled to his feet.

"Uh," Kurapika mumbled because there were some things he just had no response for. "Whuh…?"

She checked her lips in the mirror and smoothed out the edge of her lips before giving a satisfied nod. "Take your time recovering," she suggested, dropping her lipstick and mirror into the purse on her lap. "Not too long though. I strongly suspect we are under attack from unknown forces."

Wiping sweat out of his eyes, Kurapika thought about that for a confused second. "Kuroro Lucifer?" he asked weakly.

The now pink and glossy lips pursed in thought. "Highly unlikely," she said. "What good would an attack on HQ do to him? He barely got away the last time he was here."

That was true. Kuroro Lucifer didn't have his Nen; there was no reason for him to put himself at risk by attacking the Hunters' Association HQ. If his brain wasn't so fried, Kurapika would have seen that earlier. Trying to shake it back into working condition, Kurapika straightened up and looked at the mess around them again. "We need to check for casualties," he said shakily. "If we are under attack, we need to fight back too."

"Ahead of you, dear boy." Smiling, she pulled out a phone and pressed a number. "Hello? Is Netero around?" He watched her brows furrow slightly in a frown. "How long ago did he leave? Ah. The attackers must have waited for him to go before starting the attack. He is too far away to be of any help by now. Are any of the Zodiacs around? I know some came down when they heard Kuroro Lucifer was here. Ah. Excellent. I'll contact her as soon as I take a look around." She stood up and nodded at him to follow her. "Anyone figured out the identity of the attackers yet? No? Hmm. Casualties? That's not too bad considering how big the explosion was and how few people in the building actually know Nen. How many guards and hunters do we have in the base? Ah. I see. Why so few? Oh. Okay. Never mind. And no hunters at all? Goodness me. Well, I have one hunter with me, the dear boy you met just now. I'll go take a look around with him. I'll speak with you later, Beans." A pause then a wicked smile flittered over her face. "I'll try my best, dear, but who knows what I have to do to avoid more casualties? Goodbye." Chuckling, she hung up and looked at Kurapika.

"What is it?" he asked, though he could guess from her side of the conversation.

"A long story short; we don't know who is attacking the HQ, but whoever is in charge of this is very smart. They waited till Netero left the building along with the guards and hunters he had brought along when he first heard Kuroro Lucifer was free in the building. The York Shin HQ of the Hunters' Association does not necessarily have the best trained guards because there is no point to it; the mafia pretty much runs this city, and Netero is happy to let them do so as long as they do not cross certain boundaries." She pressed the tips of her fingers together in thought. "Fortunately, as the attack came after the building emptied, casualties have been kept to a minimum. Twenty people, dead, injured or missing. I promised Beans I'll go take a look." She smiled at him. "Well you help?"

Kurapika nodded immediately. "Of course," he said.

"Good." Midoya nodded in return. "On me then." Without waiting for him, she turned and strode for the exit.

Taken by surprise, Kurapika followed her. She had a swift gait, gliding over the marble floors with a grace that was entirely at odds with her short, plump appearance. But her gait was different from previously. When she had walked to the cafeteria, her gait had been fast too, but it had also been relaxed, casual, as if she had a goal in mind but did not care if she reached it or not. This was different; this was focused, alert… predatory. She was on a hunt.

They stepped into the corridor and stepped in chaos. Kurapika looked around and frowned. He had thought the building was in chaos when he had first reached. He was wrong. What he had seen previously had been contained chaos; people knew that there was a mess in front of them, but there was no direct threat. People felt safe, felt in control. What he was looking at now was truly chaos. People were running about frantically, not just guards and hunters, but the numerous clerks and secretaries the Hunter Association hires. Some people lay on the ground, injured. Others were trying to drag them to safety away from the panicked mob. A young man fell, crying out as he was stomped on by the frightened mob. Someone screamed in pain further down the corridor. Kurapika had seen scenes like this before, during the auction when the Genei Ryodan had struck. However, the difference was that the mafia had been, ironically, far more organized ("That's why they are called organized crime," Gon's voice said with childish reason in his head and he smiled despite himself.). They had anticipated the attack, knew it was coming, and knew how to deal with it, even if they failed. None of the people here had thought the Hunter HQ would be attacked in such a manner.

Kurapika gritted his teeth. With the mob as frightened and as panicked as it was, there was no way anyone could control them, no one to stop them from hurting themselves…

Next to him, Midoya took a deep breath and snapped, "Everyone stop moving." She didn't raise her voice; she didn't need to. The entire corridor froze; even Kurapika froze, in response to the sheer authority in her voice. Midoya folded her arms and looked down the corridor, the expression on her face letting everyone know how ridiculous she thought they were being. "There are injured people on the floor. You, you and you; start getting the non-injured administration staff together and move the injured people to the forty-seventh floor where the conference room is." The three people she had pointed at leapt into action, their faces filled with confusion and relief. "Don't take the lifts; use the stairs. We're only a few floors down so it shouldn't be an issue." Midoya strode forward and looked at the nearest guard who quailed under her stare. "You. Report."

"Uh…" The guard scrambled to stand at attention. "Yes Ma'am! We were attacked five minutes ago, Ma'am! There was an explosion that came from the cafeteria. It swept through the entire corridor. Luckily not many people were in the corridor; most of us were in the offices and the fire didn't enter the rooms. Then erm… uh… we tried looking for the source, but uh… a lot of people were running about and uh… we kind of… no one told us what to do and…" He faltered, giving Midoya a guilty look.

"I see," Midoya said with a brisk nod. "How many guards are here?" Through the crowd milling about, a couple of hands raised. "Five. Six, including you. Right." She looked at the guard next to her again. "Who's in charge of your squad?"

"Erm… me… Ma'am."

"Excellent, Squad Leader. Gather your men together and provide protection for the people going to the conference room. Are you in contact with other guard squads?"

"Yes Ma'am."

"Good. Get them to gather the injured and the unarmed, and bring them to the conference room. For those who, for whatever reason, cannot make it to the conference room, tell them to find the nearest safe room and hole up in there till this is over. If they are in any immediate danger from the intruders or the fire, contact me and the squad nearest to their location immediately and we will go assist them. And try to get some idea of what is happening."

"Yes, Ma'am!"

Kurapika stared, impressed, as the people around him leapt into action. Their faces still carried traces of fear and confusion, but they also looked focused and relieved. That reminded him. "Do you need me to help the guards?" he asked. "They do not seem to have much knowledge of Nen in general. If they are attacked, they might have difficulty fending off the attackers."

Midoya smiled at him. "It is kind of you to offer, but they will have to do by themselves. You're with me, dear. We're going to find out what is happening." Her phone rang. Her ringtone was the children's nursery rhyme Ring a Ring of Posies. Kurapika wondered if she knew that song had been about the Black Plague. He suspected she did. "Hello? Ah, I was just about to call you, Cheadle-san. I assume you are in command now? Excellent. Hmm? Yes, a wall in Netero's office can be slid open to reveal security footage of the entire building. Could you… Oh. I see. And you can't see anything? Right. Yes, I was the one who told the guards what to do. I hope you don't mind. The conference room is a fairly big room and quite easy to defend, so I thought it was a good idea. Ah, yes, I heard we are the only two high-level hunters in this building. That is not a very happy situation, if I do say so myself." Midoya pursed her lips and held out a finger to Kurapika to indicate that he was to wait. "Yes, I believe that is a fair division of work. It was my intention to hunt down the intruders myself anyway, redeem myself of the ah… previous incident today. I'll update you when I can. Goodbye."

"So there's someone in command now," Kurapika commented as she hung up.

"Yes," Midoya agreed, smiling widely. "Cheadle-san is a brilliant woman, and an excellent tactical general. We can leave her in control of the situation. In the meantime, our job, as I mentioned earlier, is to hunt down the intruders and stop them from causing more damage to the HQ." Her eyes met his and her smile turned feral. "I assume you are up for this, rookie."

Kurapika felt his jaw set. He had never cared what others said of him, but he was still a prideful man, and any doubts about his ability stung. "Of course," he said firmly.

"Good," Midoya purred, her smile widening with approval. "Let's go hunt down these bad, bad people then. Ah, isn't this fun? It reminds me so much of my youth spent in the savannahs of Gunk. Blood and death everywhere, and not a single drop of anything pleasant to drink. The water, I tell you, was filthy with corpses. But that's just an old woman reminiscing about her past. Let's get started. This is going to be a long, long day…"

---

East Wing Guard was hiding in a janitor's closet when the metaphorical shit came down.

When East Wing Guard first applied for a job as a guard in the Hunter's Association HQ, he had expected it to be a relatively pleasant and easy job. After all, who would be dumb enough to try something stupid in the Hunter's Association HQ? Undoubtedly, everyone was scared enough of Netero, so no one would dare attack the Hunter's Association HQ. In that case, being a guard in the HQ simply meant standing around with a gun looking menacing for a couple of hours before heading back to the mess room to have a coffee or play some cards with the rest of the guards. It sounded like the ideal job for East Wing Guard, who didn't ask much of life, and so expected life to not ask too much of him.

Hence, when the front of the HQ suddenly exploded in a burst of flames, shrapnel, body parts and, for the strangest reason, brilliant red fireworks, the first thing East Wing Guard did was hide in a closet. It was only while sitting among the brooms and pails did he realize his mistake. Yes, the HQ was quite frankly impenetrable what with being guarded by some of the most powerful Hunters of all times. That meant that whoever did decide to attack the HQ was more powerful than all of these Hunters combined.

Fortunately, though East Wing Guard was not terribly powerful as guards go, he was still capable of some basic Nen. Using Zetsu, he had been able to avoid detection by the crazy bastards attacking the HQ. All he got was a vague impression of blackness and fur (a giant cat maybe?) before a lone figure had glided past, leaving a trail of blood and guts in his (her?) wake.

Even after the intruder had left, East Wing Guard continued to sit in the closet. It was time, he decided, to ponder upon his future, and the closet was a wonderfully quiet and safe place to do so. One of the great things about working for the Hunter's Association (other than the easy job) was job stability. Given how established the organization was and how powerful the people behind it were, the organization had become quite immune to little things like economic crises and all the other little things that came with that (downsizing etc). Anyone being hired by the Hunter's Association could expect to have a job for life, unless he was so bad at his job people actually noticed.

Then this Genei Ryodan guy got loose in the building. Not only did he escape from the One-Who-Must-Never-Be-Named-In-Case-She-Takes-Notice, there were rumours that he stole something from the HQ, though no one knew exactly what it was. And now? The HQ had gone up in flames, attacked and brought to its knees by unknown intruders. The stocks for the Hunter Association had dropped dramatically over the past hour (East Wing Guard peeked at his phone; yup, that was another point down). The ship was sinking and it was definitely time to jump overboard.

"… anyone… there?" East Wing Guard looked at the walkie-talkie on his lap and briefly considered picking it up. "… fire in Office A… help not… claws….". Or not. He did feel sorry for the poor soul screaming into the walkie-talkie, but what could East Wing Guard do even if he went over? He would just get killed trying to help a, probably, already dead person. It was safer and smarter to just stay in this closet and…

The closet door flew open and a powerful hand gripped his collar. With a shrill scream, East Wing Guard was yanked out of the dark closet into the burning corridor. Wailing and begging for mercy as the heat from the flames scorched his skin and throat, East Wing Guard shut his eyes tightly and waited for the end to come.

"Are you a guard?" a feminine voice asked.

Startled, East Wing Guard opened his eyes and peered at the person standing before him. Immediately, he screamed and shut his eyes again. It could not be… of all the people… it was the One-Who-Must-Never-Be-Named-In-Case-She-Takes-Notice! "Please! Please don't kill me!" he screamed, throwing his arms in front of his face to protect it.

"Why does everyone you run into say that to you?" a slightly more masculine voice asked.

"I honestly have no idea," the One-Who-Must-Never-Be Named said, sounding genuinely puzzled.

That his head had not been removed from his neck yet sent a tiny ray of hope through East Wing Guard's body, and he opened his eyes to peer at the painted face of the creature before him. "Puh… puh… please…" he begged weakly.

"Please what?" the horrid pink lips asked, twisting slightly in a grimace. "Goodness, get a grip of yourself, man! You are a guard in the Hunter HQ! I am cynical enough to believe you were not hired for your battle skills, but optimistic enough to believe you must have some good qualities. Show some guts!"

Oh god, she was going to eviscerate him. Blubbering, East Wing Guard reached out his hand towards the young teenage girl next to the One-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. "Please… don't let her kill me," he pleaded, pawing at her dress. "Please… I'll do anything for you. I'll be your slave, just don't let her hurt me. Please… Ma'am…"

The teenage girl stiffened and glared at him as the One-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named started to laugh. "And why does everyone you run into say that, Kurapika?" she asked, sounding amused.

"I honestly have no idea," the young girl growled then to East Wing Guard, "For your information, I am a man. We are looking for the intruders who are attacking the HQ. Do you know anything?"

"No! I don't! I don't know anything!" East Wing Guard shrieked. "I was hiding! I hid away when they came! I didn't see a thing!"

"Rubbish," the One-Who-Must-Never-Be-Named said sternly. "If you ran when you saw them, you must have seen something. Pull yourself together and report."

"I didn't! I swear I didn't see anything!"

A stony silence fell over them then in a poisonously sweet voice, the One-Who-Must-Never-Be-Named drawled, "How curious. Why are you so reluctant to tell us what you saw?"

"I'm not…"

"Could it be because you are in cahoots with the ones attacking the HQ?"

East Wing Guard's eyes shot open in horror. "No! I'm not!" he protested, hyperventilating. "I'm not! I swear I'm not!"

"Huh. Is that so?" Cold black eyes regarded him like he was a disgusting bug that had climbed up her rather fashionable pumps. "What do you think, Kurapika?"

"Information is too limited. I am not sure."

"Just to be sure, we should just kill him." East Wing Guard's voice caught in his throat and he whimpered fearfully. "Stay here, Kurapika, I'm going to toss him off the building. If the fall doesn't kill him, the fire below will."

East Wing Guard screamed. The blonde boy (or so he says) looked hesitant. "Don't let her kill me!" East Wing Guard wailed. "Don't let her kill me!"

"Maybe…" Kurapika began.

"Oh, don't worry!" the One-Who-Must-Never-Be-Named interrupted cheerily. "It will be a quick death. Wouldn't take more than a couple of minutes. Of course, that might feel like a life time. But there are worse ways to die. For example, I could start chopping him to pieces, starting from his extremities. That will be very messy and very painful, but utterly satisfying."

"No! No! Save me…!"

"Or I could tear his heart out of his chest with my nails while he's still alive. I was always curious how long the body remains alive in that state."

"Oh lord, no! Please! No!"

"I could feed him to my pet crocodiles. They're getting so sick of eating beef every day."

"Please! Please!"

"Or I could eat him myself. I've always been curious how human flesh tastes like. I heard it's better than steak."

"No! No!" Hope suddenly surged through his veins, making his heart flutter in a way that was definitely cause for concern. "I remember!" East Wing Guard shrieked. "I remember what I saw! It was really dark and smoky and there was a lot of fire, but I saw something!"

The cold, black eyes turned back to him and he shrieked with terror. "Is that so?" she asked casually. "And what would that be?"

"I saw a black figure," East Wing Guard gasped, stumbling over the words to get them out before his heart failed him completely. "I… I couldn't see clearly. It was alone – male I think. Average build. Dressed in black with fur or some kind of feathers or something. He was just walking through the fire like it was nothing."

"Male, average build, dressed in black with fur," she murmured. "That's hardly exciting news. I can name many people like that, guard." She said his title in the same voice people used to talk about war criminals being put on trial for genocide and paedophilia.

His stomach lurched. "Uh… uh…" Then it struck him. "He went that way! I heard him talking to someone… a woman! Yes, it was definitely a woman!" He pointed down the corridor. More memories came back. "Then I heard something on the walkie-talkie about a fire in Office A! And something about claws!"

"Claws. Office A." The pressure around his neck decreased as he was lowered gently onto the floor. "I see." Her eyebrows drew together in a frown briefly. Then her expression brightened up as she smiled fondly at him. "Well done, Guard. I am very impressed with your observation skills."

"A… are you?"

"Of course," she said kindly. "It will be a terrible shame to kill you, I must say, a terrible shame indeed."

"Is… is that so?" Guard stared at her, confusion and relief making him feel light-headed. No one had ever, ever told him his life was worth living before. He tried to remember the last time anyone had ever said anything as kind as this to him, and failed.

"Oh yes. It's amazing how much detail you actually managed to capture even through all the fire and chaos. You must be a very valued member of your squad."

An unflattering blush spread over East Wing Guard's swallow complexion. "It was nothing," he mumbled, dragging a foot behind him.

"Oh, I am afraid you are too modest. A man of your talents is extremely valuable to me." Her smile, much gentler and kinder than before, widened. "My dear Guard, I need you to do something for me."

East Wing Guard's stared at her in disbelief. Was she… was she asking a favour of him? Was this infinitely powerful, omnipotent, respected blacklist hunter actually asking him for help? This was actually… actually… quite… an honour. "Yes?" he asked tremulously.

"I need you to search these corridors and all surrounding areas for survivors," the woman before him said, her voice firm with authority and confidence. "If you find any, bring them to the conference room. Protect them. Can you do that?"

"Of course, of course," East Wing Guard said, trying to blink away the tears in his eyes. Emotion swelled in his chest and he impulsively said, "I will protect them with my life."

The kind smile returned to her face. "Very well said, Guard, though I would much prefer it if you protected them with the carbine in your hands instead. Now, my companion and I must be off. We have some intruders to hunt. I am sorry you wouldn't be able to join us on this exciting quest. But I am sure your own little adventures will be marvellous tales to tell."

East Wing Guard nodded emotionally. He was very sorry he couldn't join her on the quest too. "Goodbye, Miss Midoya," he mumbled shyly. "I'll… see you later."

"Of course." She nodded benignly at him. "In a while then."

East Wing Guard watched the two figures depart down the hall way with a sigh of regret. How he missed the kind, gentle mistress that was Miss Midoya already. But it wouldn't do to stand around for too long. He had survivors to find. He had to protect them with his life. That was what Miss Midoya would want of course.

With a grim smile on his thin lips, East Wing Guard turned and strode down the corridor bravely. What had he to fear? He was a guard of the great Hunter Association after all – one with Miss Midoya's trust. Ah… how wonderful it was to have such high goals in life, such great things worth dying for…

---

Kurapika bit his tongue until they reached the next corridor before he asked, "What was that?"

"What was what?" the enigmatic woman before him asked absent-mindedly as she peered into a room.

"That… that guard. I mean… what did you do to him? He went from being terrified of you to being your devoted slave in a split second."

She laughed out loud, a merry, genuine laugh that made Kurapika feel like smiling despite himself. "It was a variant of the Stockholm Syndrome. There is no greater loyalty to be found than the one created by first threatening a man's life then letting him live and giving him a direction in life." She smiled sunnily. "I've heard it works particularly well on people with extremely low self-esteems."

The desire to smile was replaced very quickly by a sudden apprehension towards this woman. "You are a very scary woman," he told her accusingly.

"So I've been told dear," she replied, obviously flattered, "so I've been told."

---

A/N: And that was the first chapter for this story. Genuinely hoped you enjoyed this story! I hope Kurapika wasn't too OC. I did my best to keep him in character, but at the same time, I wanted to bring out that kind of overly-serious, somewhat awkward teenage side to him that was so evident during the Hunter Exam. It was difficult balancing that aspect of him with the too-matured, too-tortured side of him that came out during the Genei Ryodan Arc. I hoped it turned out well! Anyway, please leave a review if you have the time!

Sorry for the lack of trivial this time round. I didn't have any inspiration for it, so I just left it out. The next chapter might have one!