Pride of the Kuruta Eyes
By Christine Lennoire
Chapter Seven: Into the Depths
The man who would be reading off the lots was a small old man who fit the typical stereotype of a historian. Next to him, was Hideki, the man Kurapika had gone to when he first heard about the book. Looking about, Hideki looked much older than he did when Kurapika met him. However, he smiled, having spotted the colorful group. Kurapika smiled in return and nodded his head in silent acknowledgement. "Welcome everyone, to the Seventy-Fifth Annual York Shin Auction. Today we will be seeing the greatest of the latest up for auction. We will see pieces of history and some that aren't. But to us, the value is all the same."
"But first!" he said, smiling warmly towards the audience. "I would like to introduce Hideki Sousu, another avid Historian like myself. This man has made quite a name for himself by trying to uncover the truth behind the greatest mysteries of history. He's supported and led many expeditions, and today, he will be bidding on items alongside the other guests here today. Please give my hero a nice round of applause as he takes his seat." the man said, smiling. "My name is Yakidori Omiha and I will be your guide for the day."
Kurapika leaned over on both sides, attempting to see exactly where Hideki was sitting. If Feitan or any of the spiders came after him, he wanted to be able to come and stop them from hurting Sousu AND retrieve the book if need be. Unluckily, Hideki was sitting two rows and three seats away from Feitan, who was eyeing him curiously, looking back and forth from him and Kurapika, which he spotted easily. Kurapika growled, unsure of what to do, when a comforting hand patted his shoulder. "Don't worry. If anything happens, we're here to help you track him AND the book down." Leorio said confidently.
Smiling warmly, Kurapika nodded. "Yes. Having you three here does make me feel much better." He said, relaxing slightly into the seat and waiting. To him, all the rambling that was going on meant almost nothing. To some people, these were priceless treasures, and yet he couldn't bring up the energy to even look interested. All his energy was focused on one thing, and the longer it took, the more rigid and fidgety he became. Gon and Killua didn't seem to notice Kurapika's unhappy aura, as the chatted lively about some television series they had been up watching last night.
Leorio wanted to say something more, but he had nothing. The man never had a way with words. He wasn't a writer, or even a very good speaker, and he never knew exactly how to express what he was feeling when he needed to. It was so frustrating to know what you are feeling, and be unable to express it. All he could do was sit and wait by Kurapika's side, and hope that was enough. Finally, Leorio noticed something that looked very intriguing. He grabbed Kurapika's arm and shook him lightly. "That's it, isn't it?" he asked, looking down at the Kuruta.
His eyes were bright red, and Leorio knew that this was it. The announcer held it up for everyone to get a better look at it. For such an old book, it was so well kept. Its binding was still in tact, and though the edges were fraying, it still looked glorious somehow. Color-wise, it was a magnificent darker blue color with gold embossed lettering. "This next item: lot 72 is quite an interesting and rare artifact. From what I am told, this book is filled with all sorts of history and knowledge. Supposedly, it is the book kept by the leader of the Kuruta, and now extinct, tribe. Quite a collector's item! Let's start the bid at a thousand…"
"Two-thousand!"
"Four-thousand!"
"Five-thousand!"
"Ten-thousand!"
The insane betting went on for a great deal of time. Hideki was obviously winning, and Feitan hadn't even made a move to bid on it. Kurapika was sure now that Feitan would try taking it by force. And without them being there to help Hideki, he would most certainly get it without much trouble, no matter how hard Hideki fought. One was a fighter, the other a historian… it doesn't take a genius to figure out who would win such a one-sided battle. The men had brought the book down to walk it over to Hideki and were standing on the far right, far away from Hideki, when Kuroro snuck right in and stole the book.
Kurapika, who had been making his way towards Hideki alone, froze. It was a simple plan. By making them think Feitan was the one who would get the book, when they knew that he could get it by himself, they diverted their attention, and Kuroro just snuck right in. Leorio, Gon, and Killua made their move though, too, and blocked Kuroro at the top of the stairs, while Kurapika hurried to help them as fast as he could. Kuroro knew he couldn't fight back if the chain-user attacked him, so he made to cut right through.
He cut right through Leorio, and took the opening as his exit. The book was gone and Leorio was losing blood fast. Soon, he watched everything get blurry, and he fell to the ground before Kurapika could even reach them. Hideki had gone to the front to calm the riot. In his eyes there was a deep look of sadness as he watched Leorio fall. "We really lost…" he said sadly, walking towards the group of people huddled around Leorio.
Everything was going wrong. Just when things had been going so well, Kurapika had to lose it all. Pushing everyone away forcefully, without a care as to who he hurt, he quickly grabbed Leorio and with a lot of strength he didn't realize he had, forced the guy back onto his feet and supported him until they could get back to the car. "I will make you pay, Kuroro." Kurapika said, his eyes a dangerous shade of red, as he reluctantly let Leorio be taken away by two men who put him on a stretcher and helped him into the ambulance.
Depression never seemed so deep. Kurapika stayed at the hospital, at Leorio's bedside, knowing that if he left it, he would probably do something rash and stupid and it probably wouldn't make Leorio too happy. Leorio never did like that irrational side of him. So he contented himself by sitting there and occasionally humming some old tribal songs until Leorio would wake up.
But the longer he stayed there, and the longer Leorio was in his deep sleep, the further Kurapika fell. Many thoughts floated in the depths of his mind. It all came back to just how much he wanted that book. He wanted it now more than ever, and he wanted to make people suffer. At the same time, he felt himself being ripped apart by the reality of what his desire for this object has done to his friends. Not just with the book, but even before, with the eyes. All this time, his friends kept supporting him, although they told him it wasn't right. Looking at Leorio now, he couldn't help but feel that Leorio was right and he was wrong.
Still – after coming so far, he wouldn't go back. Protecting his friends… that he would do. But he would also plunge himself into the deepest, darkest depths to retrieve what was rightfully his. And with his friends at his side, he would not lose again. He would not shun them again. If he was going to plunge himself so deep, he would ask them to hold his ankles, reason with him, and as usual, keep him from drowning, as they always did.
That was a fast update, but I have to watch myself to make sure I don't fall behind again and forget about it. Besides, this chapter just flowed after a certain point, although a few parts were difficult to write, having very little knowledge of how auctions work. Hope it was good, and I'm hoping to get plenty of reviews! So please do that! Thanks!
Christine Lennoire
