Kurapika turned to face Nobunaga, his white dress shirt and suit were spattered with blood. His hands were covered in it, the pale skin of his hands obscured by the dark crimson. He held them up and away from his body, in a peaceful gesture, and they trembled slightly from exhaustion. Having hidden his chains, one suspicion and the use of Gyo could ruin everything. His face was pale and his hair matted with sweat.

As Nobunaga approached, his face was lined with concern. Any animosity between them was temporarily forgotten. The question he wanted to ask was plain on his face, and before he could open his mouth, Kurapika spoke.

"It was touch and go for a while, but I know where the treasure is."

There was no way of knowing if the Spider's had a specific target Chrollo had been looking for, but it had sounded as if any of the princes were free game. Including the 4th prince, Tserriednich, who had the remaining scarlet eyes.

Slapping Kurapika's back with enough force to push him slightly off balance, Nobunaga gave a short laugh. "That's our boss for ya! Let's go tell the others the news." He paused. A hand went into his robe to scratch his chest mindlessly as he looked away. "You may wanna clean up first. You smell worse than home on a hot day."

Steaming garbage - Kurapika frown, he wasn't that bad. Pretending to wipe his forehead of sweat he sniffed near his bloodied cuff-link. It was an accurate description. Shit. "Right, bath first."

Following Nobunaga, they ruffled through the cargo creates in search of clean clothing. Peeking into the contents, he silently questioned the ability of Kakin to move the civilian passengers on to the false Dark Continent. Starting a colony was extremely resource heavy, but more of the creates seemed to be filled with odd electronics than necessities such as clothes or non-perishable food. It was unsurprising given how poorly they'd handled security, staffing, and medical care. When he hit the crate of Chocolate Balls, he closed the lid immediately. Toys and candy. The king of Kakin, Nasubi Hui Guo Rou, was treating exploring a new continent the same way Killua treated a camping trip.

A curt, but not unkind, grunt came from Nobunaga. "I found something." Reaching out, he handed over his find, it was a clean pair of slacks and a shirt.

Taking the offered clothing from one of his sworn enemies was unnerving, to say the least, but Kurapika managed to force a smile. Unsure of whether Chrollo would offer thanks or not, he hesitated before giving a small nod of acknowledgment. The gratitude was real even if the was joy not. If the only option had been to search Chrollo's belongings, he would have exploded. Walking a mile in Chrollo's shoes was enough, he wasn't going to wear the man's clothes too.

Moving again, they soon came to a door - the crew cabin for the 5th deck's workers. Opening the door, he corrected himself, it was the crew's tomb. With pale fingers, he pulled at the knot of his tie as if choking. The dead were covered in stab wounds, some were deep for efficient killing other were covered in long incisions - drawn out deaths. There had been two killers with swords.

"When did this happen?"

"Ah, Phinks spilled soda on Fei's robes. Fei turned freakin' red, you shoulda seen it. It was like if you gave a tomato a sword, a black robe, and the ability to kill us all, but at least now we don't have to go up to the public baths on the 4th deck."

Murdered for a damn shower when there were public baths just one flight of stairs away... Kurapika closed his eyes. "I've always wondered... what do you think about when you kill?"

"Hmm, nothing in particular. You know me, I just enjoy a good fight."

A shaky exhale came from Kurapika. Killing was not fun. It was dirty, despicable, and stained everyone an ever darkening red. Was the man beside him the samurai Gon and Killua had spoken of? A murderous monster that was kind to children. Almost assuredly, he owned this man their lives even if his argument had been geared towards their survival for the sake of recruitment.

Head tipping forward, too tired to be held up anymore, his closed eyes were hidden by his hair. The eyes, he had to remember the eyes. Laying his people to rest would be their justice, not killing the Phantom Troupe. The tribe would have preferred it that way, they'd been peaceful and moved the entire village rather than risk conflict. He was the only one stained and it'd be a wonder if they'd still be willing to welcome him once he saw them again on the other side. A decision - As long as Nobunaga was not involved he'd let him live. His stomach churned and he pushing out the words was like forcing a lump of coal up his throat. He was already sure of the answer.

"Your right, I know you well enough I should have expected that. My mind has just been stuck on Uvogin lately."

"Mine too after what happened to Shal and Kortopi. If I ever see Hisoka or that Chain Bastard again I'll kill'em."

Two more dead Spiders - Hisoka had killed again, but when? Recently from the sound of it, but Hisoka was dead. He'd seen the corpse on tv. Everyone had given the celebrity status of high ranked Heaven's Arena fighters. Yet, in Yorknew he'd seen the Spider's corpses in person and they'd been faking their deaths. The most logical conclusion was that Hisoka was the dead man chasing Chrollo intent on wiping out the Phantom Troupe. In response, Chrollo wanted his aid against Hisoka. Chances were Hisoka was also on board the ship then. Let them destroy each other, the enemy of his enemy was his enemy's enemy and no more.

He stayed by the entryway as Nobunaga entered the room, starting a battle didn't necessitate abandoning an exit strategy. Feigning a retreat was the best course of action given the environment, the room was long narrow and filled with sparse bunk beds for the crew. The advantage would belong to Nobunaga if they fought in the room. Kurapika's advantage of a longer ranged weapon would be counteracted by the limited amount of space. Additionally with only one direction to defend or attack from get his chains passed Nobunaga's guard would be more difficult than if they fought in an open area.

"Obviously, here's the bathroom."

"One last question: do you remember the Kuruta clan massacre?" asked Kurapika, opening his eyes to take in Nobunaga. He watched from behind red lenses the man's eyes widened and his hands dropped to his sword.

"What the fuck!?"

"Answer the question."

"I remember every moment I was at Uvo's side, we were always together, even as brats... Right up until you stole him from me, you bastard!"

Staring into Nobunaga's eyes, he could see the venom in them. That hatred was a familiar hatred. He had taken Uvogin, but they had taken Pairo first. He turned away. Running out of the room, away from the anger in those eyes and the tears, Kurapika laid out his Chain Jail around the room's exit. On enhanced legs, he jumped atop a pile of crates.

Below Nobunaga dashed out of the crew's room. Hand poised to draw and in low crouching posture, Nobunaga spread out his En. A half-sphere like bubble formed around him to cover everything within attack distance.

Kurapika took inventory, he had a gun his jacket holster, a switchblade in his pocket, his dual shortswords hidden in their usual place by tucking them into his pants waist, and his chains.

The .22 caliber was useless, Nobunaga would cut down the bullets and without being an emitter or having any emission training there was no way to give them enough punch to have a decent chance at making it through his guard. The best he could do is enhance the bullets, but without being able to extend his aura from himself it would offer little to no improvement.

Being mostly for intimidation purposes during interrogations the switchblade was even more useless. He wasn't about to bring a knife to a swordfight.

Shorter in length than Nobunaga's sword and lacking a protective hand guard he'd be at a heavy disadvantage if he went in with his short swords even if he unsheathed them. He'd need both to block Nobunaga's sword since being a longer and curved blade the center of balance would be further back. Their speed and overall weight would be similar, but the point of balance difference would allow Nobunaga to put more power into his swing. This would negate the advantage of him having a second sword and without hand guards on the hilt if the blades slipped he would most likely lose his fingers.

His Nen chains were his best chance against the Spider. Strong enough to hold Uvogin and longer ranged than Nobunaga's sword they offered him a clear advantage. If he could wrap the chains around the sword he could pull it out of Nobunaga's hands. Though, most likely Nobunaga would be physically stronger than him. Without surprise, the Spider could use the connection to throw him around by pulling or swinging his sword.

While he had an idea of the what strength the Spider's had, their speed was an unknown quantity. He knew from Gon and Killua that Nobunaga was able to nearly instantly detect and attack anything with his En within a short range of around 13ft or 4m. A quick glance of Gyo confirmed the approximate size of the circle remained unchanged since the encounter at Yorknew. It was unlikely Nobunaga was the fastest Spider, but he'd be a good test run.

He ripped the lid off a crate. Kicking it, he sent it and the contents crashing down towards Nobunaga.

In a flurry of slashes, bits of the box and dozens of electronic bits lay at Nobunaga's feet.

Kurapika pulled in his hidden Chain Jail, but as soon as it entered the circle Nobunaga reacted.

The sword sliced through the air.

His chain's snapped.

"Ha, did you see that! Your chains won't hold me."

"No shit, I'm seeing red, but I'm not blind."

As the metal links bounced off the ground in a series of heavy clink-clink-clinks Kurapika noted that there was an important distinction between Uvogin strength against his chains and Nobunaga's sword against them. Uvogin's raw strength had been tested against them with his Nen sealed, while Nobunaga had his Nen focused into enhancing his blade when it struck the chains. In order to ensnare Nobunaga, he needed to slip his chains passed the sword and force him into Zetsu. Once that had been achieved it would be Nobunaga's strength against the chains and the Chain Jail would win.

As a Kuruta warrior, Kurapika understood that a warrior's weapon was his soul. But he was out of options.

Pulling out his swords he tore off the wrappings off the scabbards. Weapons in hand he swung downward while jumping off the crates.

This would cause Nobunaga to block overhead. The importance being that edge weapons block with the flat side, not the edge. This allowed the weapon to flex as it blocked or parried. Edge to edge could cause the blade to fracture with a hard blow. Having the sharp end not pointing up also would keep him from getting skewered as he leaped down. Dropping his right sword it hung dangerously by the rope connecting it to its partner. As the left sword hit Nobunaga's weapon, his chains flew from his right hand wrapping around the blade's upper portion. He pushed on one side and pulled on the other.

Metal flexed.

The sword snapped.

Kurapika sent out his Chain Jail again as he punched. The punch failed to connect as a knee to his stomach forced out an unexpected wheeze.

He sailed across the room like a rag doll, and crashed to the metal floor horribly, bone cracked and metal creaked as he landed. Disoriented and dazed, but successful. Clutching the metal links between his slender fingers he was half angel, fallen and bound within the chains of his vengeance, and half grim reaper showing Nobunaga what few grains of sand remained before it was his time to pass on.

Sword blade broken at his feet, Nobunaga stood bound. Teeth bared, eyes wild, and breath quick, it was the stance of a man on the verge of hopeless insanity.

From the Arbitrating Little Finger flew the Judgement Chain. The blade made quick work of its target, passing between flesh and muscle and sinking deeply into Nobunaga's unsuspecting heart.

"I'm going to set two conditions if you violate either then my chains will crush your heart."

"Fuck you."

"Nowhere near what I was thinking," said Kurapika, rubbing his fingers almost affectionately over his chains. The bonds of his hatred. "...Sometimes I wonder why I'm even here. I grew up in a quiet village with a nice family. You'd know that after all, you saw it and met them. In a way..."

Mother, father, and Pairo, reduced down to objects to be bought and sold.

He dug his fist into Nobunaga's body. It was squishier than Uvogin's. "But you spared my friends, regardless of the reason. So I'll let you live as long as you follow my rules."

"Kill me."

Another punch.

His throat was tight. It felt like a sick joke to be saying the same words again: "Tell me everything you know."

Again, again, and again, he struck. Blood was spat on his shoes. Looking down his bloody shoes seemed fuzzy, this had all happened before, hadn't it?

The crunching under his left hand and the gurgle of pained moans.

It made him sick.

A rusty smell hung in the air.

Disgusting.

Calm, too calm he continued, "My Nen blade is within your heart, this is your only chance. What abilities do the other spider's possess?"

"Fuck you."

Blood splattered on his face as he watched Uvogin fall again before his eyes. At his feet Nobunaga was dead.

Red eyes dulled back to their normal color as their fire went out. There was only an empty nothing - a sad void - where his heart was.

He'd killed again.

Legs shaking, he slumped down to the floor. The use of the scarlet eyes had left him drained and the emptiness seemed so much deeper than before.

He hated the Spiders.

He hated the mob.

The chains around his fingers were cold and pinched, his hands were as numb. They were heavy and he couldn't feel the weight of anything else.

He wanted to go back.

The only thing he could remember was his tribe's prayer and so that one thing he did outpour. "I wish to share the happiness with all my comrades. Also to share their sorrow. Please forever bless the members of the Kuruta clan. Allow our scarlet eyes to bear witness."

A record of happier times on repeat.

When the loop finally broke how long he'd been there was a mystery. He saw the body at his side - Nobunaga.

There was no way to bury him, but was unacceptable leave a broken soul without rest. He shivered as he lifted the still warm body and carried it back to the crew room.

Nobunaga and the Spider called Fei had killed them all inside. A blood trail from dragging the body outside would attract attention.

Removing the bed sheets off the bunk beds, Kurapika covered the crew members and Nobunaga. Given the length of the journey, the Spiders would need to clear the bodies from the room at some point in the near future. Wrapped up like the others it was doubtful they'd notice Nobunaga. This way when they disposed of them he'd be put to rest by his comrades. The white fabric quickly stained and Kurapika turned away to take his shower.

Clean and redressed in new clothing, Kurapika explored the dark maze of cargo boxes. He walked with a slower gait than usual, the Holy Chain had only been able to accelerate his bodies healing enough to fix the major damage and broken bones. Passing under the tall shadows he occasional fingered the headband Leorio had loaned him which was stuffed into his pocket. Twisting along the thin pathways, he found the current hideaway of the deadliest group of criminals currently on the Black List: the Phantom Troupe.

Atop their own create were two Spiders on look-out duty. They sat back to back like mirror images proving them a full view of the surrounding area. One was a man dressed in white with dark hair and the other a woman who was his opposite reflection. They stared at him with empty eyes like broken dolls with painted smiles. From their hands the mark of the spider stared back at him, they were numbers eight and eleven, the replacements of Pakunoda and Uvogin.

Colored paper was scattered across the floor as Kalluto sat by Shizuku trying to teach her how to make paper cranes. Across the hideaway, Phinks kept opening and closing boxes as if searching for something.

Six Spiders - five now, just as Leorio had sensed. There was no relieve to be found in the revelation that the intel had been correct, however.

Each Spider was in their natural state rather than disguised as a random passenger. All his theories on the length of Covert Hands duration had to be called into question. His timetable had shortened considerably if they had come aboard one at a time. If that was the case, then one transformation at a time might be the limit. Therefore his only choice would be to make his move before Chrollo could pull off any scheme.

Phinks slammed his hand down onto the lid of a nearby box. "Who the fuck ate all the Chocolate Balls!?"

Popping one of the candies into her mouth, Yin, replied, "We ate them."

Yang rolled his eyes. "No, you're supposed to say 'I don't know, but it wasn't us.'"

"If he doesn't lie to us, I won't lie to him."

"Then don't say anything. You don't have to lie and I get to keep the Chocorobo. A net win for us."

Phinks' mouth clamp shut around what would have been a spew of angry and probably vulgar words – uncultured bastard. His lips twitched, it wasn't a smile as much as a baring of teeth. "He is right here."

"We know," answered Yin with a dismissive wave of her hand. "But we're not required to be friendly. Right, boss?"

Selecting a spot where all the Spiders could be kept to one side and within view, Kurapika sat down. Leaning over he rested his elbows on his legs and clasped his hands together in a silent prayer for strength. "I hate you all with great intensity."

Instead of acting affronted, Yang laughed. "See the boss agrees with us... I think."

"And I think you at least owe me that Chocorobo," said Phinks rolling his shoulder to stretch the muscles.

Shoving a hand into her pocket, Shizuka fished out a gleaming gold coin with the image of a spider. "Hey, remember the rules."

"Heads"

Flipping off Shizuka's thumb the coin went up and hit the ground with a clink. "Tails."

"Fuck."

Picking up the toy Yin cuddled it to her chest as Yang said, "Ha, Ha, the Chocorobo belongs to us and it shall be our squishy!"

"You can't name a robot squishy. It has to be something cool like Killbot, Murder Machine, Slaughter Cyborg, or Death Metal. Hey, Shizuku flip the coin again."

Kalluto picked the coin off the ground. "Are you going to make it a coin flip for every name?"

"Not every name. Just until it gets a cool one."

There was a huff from Yin. "It already has a cool name - squishy."

"Boss, how long till Fei and Machi get back? I'm going crazy stuck here with all these damn brats."

Kurapika ceased breathing for a second. There was only one reason why he'd be expected to have that information. The simple horrible reason being that Chrollo had been separated from his allies when they encountered each other, but he had not been alone. Machi was an unknown factor, but he'd seen the results of Fei's fighting style. The man was a sadist. "I can't give you an exact timetable, but whenever Fei is done playing around."

"Figures. They should still hurry up, even with Bono, Nobunaga, and Franklin patrolling the area who knows if that salt factory of a clown will show up."

Pulling out his fan, Kalluto tapped it against his chin thoughtfully. A smile, more predatory than childlike, spread across Kalluto's face. "If it will put your mind at ease, the boss and I can go check for them in the immediate area. After all, it would be a shame to find out someone was lurking about."

Slowly nodding, Kurapika rose. Caught, he'd have to play Kalluto's game for now. There was no chance he'd be able to take five Spiders at once should he refuse and Kalluto call him out on his identity. "We'll be back as soon as we've searched the parameter."

"Are you sure boss?" asked Phinks. "You look kind of wobbly."

Walking over to Kalluto, Kurapika replied, "I just need to get my sea legs. You and squishy can hold down the fort."

As they left, he could hear Phinks shout, "God damn it we're not calling it that!"

While Kurapika wasn't sure of the exact words, he recalled Killua saying his family had a strong stance on the Phantom Troupe: avoid them. Kalluto was doing this on his own. The Zoldycks were powerful, but he doubted Kalluto was at the same level as the other spiders. Most likely he'd been allowed in because of either having a unique ability or having one suited for thievery. Given his training as an assassin, the second option had the highest probability.

In theory, the practice of bringing in the strongest, the most useful, and those that killed previous members was a way to turn enemies into allies. However, in practice, it was terrible for unit cohesion.

Tracking down and obtaining the scarlet eyes had given him plenty of practice in taking advantage of systematic errors such as that. The first step was alway to learn who had access to the information he needed, then to find who among them was desperate or had an inclination towards betrayal. A little bribe or blackmailing would do; a little kindness, a little threat or turning on the charm was more than enough to get him into even the most paranoid of social circles. To be openly disobeying the Zoldyck family patriarch, Kalluto was desperate to find Killua. This made him the weak link in the spider's web.

Five or six rows were passed while neither made a sound beyond the tapping of their footsteps.

Then Kalluto came to a halt.

A ghost of a smile graced his lip as he said, "I know you're not the boss." He pulled a small human-shaped scrap of paper out of his sleeve. "This is my Surveillance Paper Doll. By attaching a piece of confetti to a person's body and creating a paper doll of that person, I'm able to hear anything being said within the vicinity of that person."

Face kept carefully neutral, Kurapika almost scoffed. This was nothing more than a kid with a toy, looking to show off for praise. It too much like Killua when he'd shown them his ability to turn his hands into claws.

Chrollo's voice came from one of the dolls. "Small acts of kindness do not make up for great acts of evil."

Eyes focused on the doll, Kurapika had to admit it was a useful ability. Acquiring reliable information about Chrollo was not an easy feat, let alone spying on him. It wasn't foolproof, however, since it only offered audio. If the target became aware they could communication through alternate means, such as body language or writing, while using the link to spread misinformation. Still, it would be an improvement over his current situation, with the Spider's scattered about he needed a reliable way to keep tabs on them.

A trade - Kalluto's information, but for what?

Kurapika stood still, scrutinizing the child before him. "You've caught me, but do you know who you've caught?"

"The Chain Bastard, I heard it from Nobunaga's doll. You're strong enough to fight the Troupe and they think you're the boss, that's all I need to know."

Kalluto was a child, foolish, proud, and not the least bit aware how close to potential death he lingered. While he hadn't revealed any of his combat abilities, it was likely from his Surveillance Dolls that he was either a manipulator or a conjurer who focused on paper. Additionally, from the feel of his aura, he wasn't anywhere near as powerful as the other Spiders and didn't seem half as concerned about it as he should be.

It could take Kurapika less than a second to capture Kalluto in his Chain Jail and use the Judgement Chain. Then he would be allowed to set two rules for Kalluto that if broken would crush Kalluto's heart. The first condition would have to be "You can not reveal my identity." For the second condition, he'd set "You can not attack me." However, placing restrictions on Kalluto ran the risk of the boy dying if he chose to break them.

While martyrdom went strongly against everything the Zoldyck's ingrained into their own, he wasn't going to bet Kalluto's life like a cheap poker chip. He'd already made similar bets before and lost.

Pakunoda.

Uvogin.

...And Nobunaga had all died for the Spider refusing to be the monsters his conscience needed them to be.

A dead child, a Zoldyck one especially, was the last thing he wanted. He'd never be able to look Killua in the eyes again. Or himself. Then there was the rest of the Zoldyck family. While was eccentric, it was unlikely they'd let the murder of one of their own go unchallenged. Dying on the job was one thing, being killed elsewhere was another.

"If you're aware of my strength coming out here alone with me was foolish."

"Your aura is almost depleted. I need control of the Troupe to find someone."

There was only one person who Kurapika could think of that Kalluto could have an interest in. The boss' orders were absolute and with their strength, he hoped to force his target to return home. Information for being Kalluto's puppet.

"Killua."

Snap - Kalluto flicked his wrist opening his fan. "How do you know that?"

"If you'd gathered more information, you'd have known I'm a friend of your brother. There's no point in hiding it as several of the Spider's are aware of the connection."

"One of Kil's friends," Kalluto trailed off. Bloodlust poured out of him as he tilted his head and gave a smile that was just a little too thin. "Are you going to take my brother away from me like Alluka?"

"Killua's life is his own and I have no right to dictate it." 'And neither do you...'

"Do you know where he is?"

"No." A half-truth. Kurapika didn't know the exact location of where he was, but he knew where he was going at least up until the time of the voyage.

Paper crinkled as Kalluto stuffed his fan away, lips downturned in a childish pout. Eyes downcast he was clearly speaking to himself as he said, "Of course, I shouldn't have expected it to be that easy."

It was a strange thought to Kurapika, Kalluto had to be around the same age Gon and Killua had been when he'd met them. "This is your first time out on your own, isn't it?" Neither of them had been entirely sure of what they wanted back then, perhaps Kalluto could be swayed towards another goal. "Is the wish to find Killua your own or your family's? If you're simply obeying orders without question, that isn't your wish, but your greatest tragedy."

"I want to find Killua. Get him to meet with me and I'll give you information on the Phantom Troupe members. Otherwise, Kil is going to have one less person to spend his time with instead of me."

Holding back a frustrated sigh, he wished he had Gon's ability to sway other's to his side. Kurapika, however, was not like that. He didn't befriend easily and most of his success at forging one-sided friendships to get what he needed came from other's appreciating his competency not his personality. Intimidation was his method of choice for a reason. Unfortunately, he was in no position to do more than bark. All the leverage was on Kalluto's side.

After battling both Nobunaga and Chrollo his energy was spent, even if he forced up enough to deal with Kalluto he'd be left defenseless while the other Spiders were nearby. Attempting to escape would likely end with at least Kalluto and possibly more Spiders on his tail depending on if Kalluto had any abilities able to contact the others through the pre-placed confetti. If the dolls could be listened through, there was a chance they could go both ways.

"If I die, you'll lose your only led. I'll talk to Killua for you when the expedition is over. It's the best offer you're going to get."

It was the only offer he had to make. The only alternative would be to agree to kidnap Killua for Kalluto, which was neither someone thing he was willing to do or something he was entirely sure he even could manage.

"Fine. I'm going to put a Surveillance Doll on you. If you remove the confetti I'll assume you've broken your end of our bargain. Disobey any orders I give and the deal is off as well."

With a nod of agreement, Kurapika was bound to Kalluto by a scrap of paper smaller than a 100 Jenny coin. All that mattered is that it would take him one step closer on his journey to reclaiming his appearance and the scarlet eyes.

Adventure was just a romantic word now for things never going as planned.


I just want to thank everyone that followed, faved, and reviewed. I've never gotten so many reviews! I confess to being total Kura/Chrollo trash, but I did mean it when I said no pairings for this. There's a huge difference in getting him to a point he could be compliant enough for a deal vs being in a position for a romance subplot. I do outline my stories beforehand so shifting around all 25 chapters of plotting would be a major pain, it's much easier to ship them in a different story. Ship teasing will happen, though, because I'm weak and it's just too good to resist. Hopefully, everyone got their Kurapika fix, next chapter we're catching up with what Chrollo and other characters were doing during this time because Togashi seriously stuffed this boat.