DISCLAIMER: HUNTER X HUNTER AND ITS CHARACTERS ARE NOT MINE.

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OF ARMORS AND EYEGLASSES

"Give me your bag."

I shivered. Why, the prediction came true! Immediately! Other cards came falling down. A two, a three, a four, a five, a six and a ten all diamonds. There was also a King of Hearts and a Jack of Clubs.

"…these persons are insignificant but you must be careful for meeting them might be a matter of life and death…"

I trembled upon seeing other men surround me. They were all armed either with guns or knives. How I wanted to shout at them for their cowardice! I'm just a little girl and they're all big burly men. How ungentlemanly! But I knew I couldn't. I'm simply too scared to do so.

"Hayaku!" said the big man still smirking. My facial muscles twitched. His whiskers looked terrible. "Ne, are you gunna give it to me or not? Don't tell me you wanna die—"

"No! I—I—I'll…" I tearfully handed him my precious bag which contained all my reserve clothes, my money and my jewels. "Here." He snapped it away from me. There goes my wealth-bag! Taken away by this—this filthy creatures!

The seemingly boss guy opened it and yelled at his comrades. "My! What a fortune! We're millionaires!"

"Majide?!" said another man as thin as a walking stick but armed with a baseball bat. The other men gathered around their leader.

"Aww! This girl is wealthy, ne? Can we kidnap her? We can ask ransom from her family later. Ne? Ne?"

"No way! She might belong to a dangerous clan. Think about the mafia."

The thin guy gave a toothless smile. "As usual, boss always makes sound decisions!"

And they went off laughing leaving me…so poor and desolate…aww! I heard myself fall to the ground with a thud. Then I cried so silently punching everything I could lay my hands on.

Those predictions! Why do they have to be so accurate? Oh! How I wish they won't come true at all! Eh? What about the Ace of Hearts? I changed my mind immediately. Well, I really want to meet that guy. I wiped my tears, stood up and started to walk. But I couldn't prevent myself from feeling so pitiful. Here I am, wandering and lost. Yes, I'm lost. I don't know which way to go. When would my knight in shining armor show himself up?!

A card fell on my hand. Oh no! Don't tell me it's one of those other people who will rob me of my possessions? If it was another thief, what more could I give? I don't have anything else except myself and my clothes! Oh! I hugged myself as tight as I could. My gosh! Will they strip me naked? Or carry me off and sell me in filthy auctions?

"…you will be purged…washed…cleansed…tested with fire…"

I stamped my feet. Nya! I don't wanna be tested by fire! I'm just a little lady trying to go to a restaurant to feed my rumbling stomach! What's wrong with that? Why do I have to be punished so severely? I got so emotional that I began to cry.

"Miss?" said a male voice. "Are you alright?"

My blood boiled like the waters of hell. (Hell doesn't have waters, ne? It has?) How dare him disturb my emoting moment! "Shut up, baka! Those filthy robbers took all my money away! How could I be alright? Idiot! Hey! Don't tell me you're a robber too!" My eyes widened in fright all of a sudden. This guy might be a— "Oh no! You're a robber!"

I looked all around. How unlucky! The place was a secluded one. There were no other people around except me and the man behind me. I wailed. "Have pity on me! I don't have anything worthy to be stolen." I quickly removed my jacket. "Here, take this! This jacket is from the Hyundae line, the most expensive clothing brand in the world." He did not take the jacket nor answered me. Seems like he wanted more! I removed my outer blouse. "Here, take this one too. This is worth five hundred thousand zenis." He remained silent. I cried all the more. "Yeah right! You can take all my clothes away but don't you dare touch me or I'll fight you to death!" I turned around and pointed my knife at him.

"Chotto matte kudasai!" he said raising his hands in surrender. "I'm not a robber!"

I raised my eyes and got a good look at his face. I saw a tall brunet with narrow yet not so narrow dark eyes. His skin was somewhat lightly tanned and shone in a bright bronze sheen under the light of the side street lamp. The formal coat-and-tie attire he wore fitted his obviously muscular body quite well. All in all, he looked ordinary. A typical man one would meet everyday. But there was something in his eyes which held me so enthralled and captivated. They were overflowing with indescribable kindness. And it was enough to make me forget my anger.

"I just met a group of gangster guys and recovered this bag. This must be yours," he said and handed me the big pink lacey bag he was carrying in his right hand.

"A—Arigatou," I whispered. I took the bag from his hand but dropped it later. I was trembling. He was…

"Hm? The bag was too heavy for you, ne? Do you want me to carry it for you?"

I felt all my blood rush into my face. Never in my life had I encountered someone like him. "Is—is it alright with you?" I asked.

"Of course!" he replied immediately taking the bag from me. "Where do you live?"

I turned my eyes into the ground. I couldn't face him with this blush painting my cheeks red. Should I tell him my address? Ya' da. I want to stay with him for a little while. "I—I actually ran away from home…" I began.

"Eh? Nani? Care to tell me the reason why?"

I heaved a deep sigh. But it didn't work at all. It won't get rid of the blush all over my face. "I…thought my father would kill me, that's why." I was surprised when he dropped the bag angrily.

"Kill you?! How could a father attempt to kill his own daughter?!" he yelled. Then his eyes widened a little while. He sighed. "I—I'm sorry." He calmed down a little and took my bag back. "I'm so sorry for reacting like that, ne?" He shook his head. "Aww! Calm down, calm down!" he said to himself.

"Daijoubu," I said. "I just acted out of paranoia. I don't think my father would really kill me. He's a good person. I just got scared when he yelled and raved like a madman."

He sighed once more but smiled a little. "Well, I think you need to go back home and confront your father about the problem. That's the only way to calm things down. But if you don't feel like it, you can stay at my place."

My heart began to beat wildly. "H-Honto ni?"

"Yup!" he said.

"Then…can I stay there tonight? I'm not used walking alone like this. I usually have bodyguards and maids around me." I couldn't understand why I am so honest with him. Well, it's his angelic eyes which made me tell him the truth.

He looked at me obviously astonished. "Maids and bodyguards?"

"Hai," I said. My happy expression changed into a slight pout when upon seeing the surprise written all over his face. "Oh, I can take care of myself! I even know how to brush my teeth! It's alright, ne? Ne?"

He smiled adjusting the dark glasses which fell back on the bridge of his nose. "It's alright," he said. "Just be careful next time you come here. Make sure to bring all your servants with you. And once you get back home, don't try to run away again like this. Robbers are everywhere and they won't spare anybody. Not even a girl like you." I was taken aback. If he were some opportunist guy, he should have asked my name and inquired about my family but he did not. "Yosh! Shall we go now?" I nodded still staring at his kind face. We started to walk.

"A—A'no, Mister..."

"Hn?"

"You're name is?"

"Ah yes, I forgot," he said with a slight chuckle. "I'm Leorio. Gouda Leorio. (I'm using his seiyuu's surname.) Well, it should be Leorio Gouda, ne?" he said. "But in my country, the surname is written or spoken first before the given name." I waited. He might ask my name this time. Oh well, he did not.

"And I'm Neon. Neon Nostrade," I told him voulntarily. It's alright. He must know who I am. I'm staying at his house in the first place. But hey! I shouldn't have told him my surname. He might know my father and I don't want to go back home yet!

"Nostrade?" he said. "I think I know someone with the name Nostrade." I trembled. This is bad! "But I think it's not Nostrade. Ah, yes. It's Nostradamus. Do you know that guy?"

Phew! That was close! "I don't."

"Eh? But your surnames sound almost the same. That guy's famous for his accurate prophecies, you know. He even…"

He talked on. We walked on. I wasn't listening to him. I simply grinned still staring at him. It was too late when I realized I slipped. Aww! I don't know what would happen to me. Fall in a ditch? Tumble like an idiot? It did not happen alright. He caught me.

"Hey, are you feeling dizzy?" I closed my eyes pretending to be unconscious. I heard him laugh. "Oh well, I guess you're tired, ne? Do you want me to carry you up?"

I opened my eyes in delight. "Honto ni?!"

"Uh-huh, so you don't have to faint," he said wearing the pink bundle like a packbag. Well, it can be carried like a packbag. I wanted to shout for joy when he finally carried me up like a baby. I leaned on his chest. It was so strong and warm that I felt so at home. And his scent. I knew it wasn't an expensive perfume but it smelled so good. And I suddenly remembered something. The card. Ah yes. Before he appeared, a card fell into my hand. But he mesmerized me so much that I did not have the chance to look at it at all. I opened my palms and looked at it. And my face grew even redder than before for in my hands lay an ace. The Ace of Hearts.

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Edited: 091209