Author's Note: Hisoka is life. How can that man be so beautiful like… guys. Guys. How? How is he so perfectly wonderful!?

raywolf shibelt: Oh good I'm glad that last chapter was interesting! I was worried it may have been boring since it focused on their sessions and what have you. This one has a little less going on like, action wise, but I hope you still enjoy it!

JigokuShoujosRevenge: Lol. I love how you put that. "It got real. Then it got real cute." But I agree! Kurapika/Hisoka scenes are pretty cute. And your question about Uvogin will be answered soon I promise! Lol. A few things should fall into place in the next couple chapters so I hope I can write it in a way that makes sense. Lol. And I hope you think this chapter is cute too!

FloralLover: Yeah, I always interpreted Hisoka to have a little bit of a kind streak to him. (Him helping the group on Greed Island, helping them in the movies, etc.) Lol. Although some could argue he only did that from boredom but I like to think boredom is an excuse to be secretly kind. Lol. And Kurapika is a beautiful man! How could one not comment on his looks?! Haha! Although Youpi only did it to purposely get under his skin that sneaky bastard. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

LaughingManShoryuken: I think humor is difficult to write for a lot of writers so it's nice to hear that you enjoyed my style. Lol. I like that you laughed at Hisoka eating Leo's cookie! Lol. Personally, it was one of my favorite scenes to write. Lol. Thanks for the review!

Kasper The Friendly Ghost: I'm so flattered that you enjoyed my story so much to leave such a detailed review! Lol. Also I'm glad you pointed out Kurapika diagnosing his parents at such a young age. I'm actually going to get into how he picked up diagnosing them in later chapters so I hope that'll clear things up! I'm glad you love my Hisoka by the way! I know he's a lot different than how most portray him and I'm always worried my version of him isn't as acceptable. Lol. Thank you!

Chapter 8: Once Upon a Time

Kurapika was sitting behind his desk with his nose in Youpi's files. He was updating the death of the King siblings' mother while adding notes from earlier today on the computer. "No."

"What? I didn't even say anything." Leo smiled.

Kurapika didn't bother looking up from what he was doing. "I know what you're going to say."

The tall doctor moved to sit on the edge of Kurapika's desk and lightly tapped his fingers over the blonde's name plate. "Only because it crossed your mind too."

The smaller male's brow furrowed but he tried to play it off as him being focused on what he was doing. "No. I just know how you think."

"Oh, of course." Leo made a show of dramatically bowing to the blonde. "A world renowned psychoanalyst such as yourself could easily pick apart my mind and see what I'm thinking."

Kurapika's expression was unchanged as he continued to type up more notes. "Yes, now get out."

Leo chuckled and moved to lean his head over the computer screen so Kurapika was forced to look at him. This earned a very stern glare from the blonde who did not appreciate these childish antics.

"Please~" Leo playfully whined like a young child.

Without moving Kurapika uttered a short, "No." Once more.

"Okay, fine." Leo stood up off the desk and crossed his arms. "But you know if you assisted me with his recovery it would be much faster."

"Actually I don't know that." Kurapika pointed out. "And neither do you, Baise, or Beans."

Leo looked taken back for a second. "Oh." He blushed a little. "So you heard us talking about you then."

Kurapika shook his head. "I didn't. Hisoka did."

Now the brunette was really confused. "Hisoka overheard us saying that you should assist in his recovery? Wait, so then how did you find out? It's not like he told you."

Kurapika avoided looking at the taller doctor. How was he supposed to answer that when he didn't have the answer himself?

"I just knew." Kurapika admitted. He didn't like acknowledging how in tune he was with Hisoka. It was almost impossible for him to not know what the redhead was thinking and feeling. It made the blonde pretty uneasy.

"You just kne- see that's what I'm talking about!" Leo beckoned to Kurapika, furthering his point. "There is something happening with you two. Look at the relationship you have." He began counting off his arguments on his fingers. "You're the only person he lets touch him, you're the only one who can pick apart what he's thinking, and more importantly," He tapped his third finger over Kurapika's desk for emphasis. "You are the only one he trusts."

Kurapika said nothing.

"He needs you." Leo concluded. In his head he silently added, 'And you need him.'

There was a short pause before the blonde spoke again and what he said made Leo's face fall in disappointment. "I'm sorry, Leorio." He truly was sorry. A part of him felt guilty for disappointing a coworker who had always been there for him, but another part of him knew that working with Hisoka was something he could not let happen.

When he was around Hisoka he was different. His mind could never stay focused like it was when he was by himself. Without Hisoka, Kurapika was an analytical drone carefully evaluating every situation before he acted. But with Hisoka, he was not that at all. That side of him wavered until it completely broke away, suddenly exposing his hidden emotions, thoughts, and feelings. Just as Kurapika could read into Hisoka's very essence, the redhead could do the same to him. And he did not like that.

Kurapika paused only for a moment before typing up more notes. "I just can't, okay. Please stop asking." His voice was steady and he was sure not to give away any reactions that could reveal his conflicted emotional state.

Leo looked to the ground and sighed. "Alright, Pika." He moved to the door to leave. "But could you at least do me one favor before you leave tonight?" It was the end of the workday, and usually when he received a new live-in patient he would show them to their room and give them a tour of the hospital. But if Kurapika were to do it, maybe seeing how well Hisoka responded to him would get him to change his mind.

"What?" The blonde glanced up from what he was doing, unsure what was going through the brunette's head.

"Show Hisoka where he'll be staying."

"What? Leorio I just told you I-"

"Yeah I know. You can't assist. But I've got other things to do before it gets too late. Like go out and find a replacement for the table he broke." Leo argued. Although the table thing could really wait. He just needed to use something as an excuse.

"Why can't you ask one of the nurses to do it?" But of course Kurapika knew why.

"You know why." Leo said. "He needs a specific type of care. Care that you seem more than capable of giving him." He could see in the blonde's face that despite his protests, he did agree with what Leo was saying. "You don't even have to stay long. Take him to his room and then you're free to never see him again. I'll handle all of Hisoka's needs by myself from then on."

Kurapika sat in silence as he watched Leo make his way out the door. The brunette's words lingered in the air as he left the blonde to himself.

'Then you're free to never see him again.'

That's what he wanted wasn't it? To never see or hear about Hisoka again? Yes, of course that's what he wanted. Hisoka had been nothing but trouble ever since Kurapika had the misfortune of finding him in the street. His life had been on hold, tending to the needs of a man who was practically a stranger to him.

'Then you're free to never see him again.'

"Damnit, Leorio." Kurapika covered his face in his hands and groaned. He did not want to do this. He did not want to do this. He did not want to do this! Fuckin' Leorio! What was he thinking? Did he think forcing Kurapika to spend more time with the mute was actually going to change anything? Life didn't work that way. Things don't just work out the way you want just because you will it to.

Kurapika slammed his hands down on the top of his desk then stormed out his office. Fine. If Leorio was going to force him to do this, then he would do it for the sake of Kurapika being 'free to never see Hisoka again' as Leo oh-so-elegantly put it. He would just take Hisoka upstairs to the in-patient rooms and leave. It would take 5 minutes at most.

Kurapika swiped his badge over the scanner that led to the examination room Hisoka was being held in. 5 minutes. That's it.

The moment he opened the door Kurapika was enveloped in a warm hug.

Hisoka lifted Kurapika up off the ground and held him tightly against his broad chest. His nose was buried in the doctor's soft blonde hair and he breathed in the scent of lemons and mint leaves. He could hear Kurapika's quickened heartbeat and hitched breath and the sounds made Hisoka hold the him even tighter in his protective, loving embrace. After a lifetime of unremembered torture and agony, his soul was shattered into thousands of painful shards cutting away at his very essence. But with Kurapika here he was at peace.

For a moment the blonde was almost lost in the hold. He almost allowed himself to close his eyes and let someone touch him that tenderly. Almost.

"Hisoka." Kurapika's mouth was squished in the mute's shoulder making his voice muffled. "Let me go." He lightly kicked his feet in the air as if the action itself would free him from the hug.

Hisoka held on for just a second longer before gently placing Kurapika back on the ground.

The doctor smoothed his shirt with his hands and refused to look at the mute as he spoke. "Come on." He beckoned for Hisoka to follow him as he carefully backed away. "Leorio wants me to show you around."

Hisoka started to follow Kurapika, picking up his speed so he was walking in unison with the blonde's unusually quick pace. Silently, the doctor ushered the mute inside the hospital elevator. He wanted to get this done as quickly as possible.

The doors closed and Hisoka noticed that there were 7 buttons. They were currently on the 1st floor. Earlier, Leo explained to Hisoka that live-in patients stayed on the 5th and 6th floors. He titled his head to the side when he noticed the button under the 1st floor. Instead of a number, it had the letter 'G' on it. He questionably hovered his finger over it.

"That's ground level. It's where I work." Kurapika answered as he pressed the number 6.

Hisoka then moved his finger over the number 2 button.

"Just another floor for the doctors to work on the patients." Kurapika stated.

Oh. Boring. Hisoka's finger hovered over the 3 next.

"The recreational floor. For when the patients need to relax playing pool or doing arts and crafts." He had never been on that floor before. But it's not like he's ever needed to. His patients weren't allowed on any of the upper levels therefore Kurapika avoided anywhere he wasn't professionally needed.

But that sounded pretty interesting to the curious redhead. He pressed the 3 and the elevator came to a sudden halt.

"Wh- hey!" Kurapika grabbed the wall to keep himself from losing his balance. He looked up at the redhead's stupid smiling face and scowled. "What the hel-"

"Hello, Dr. Kurta!" The painting instructor, Pariston Hill, was waving his hand in the air while holding onto a paintbrush with green stained bristles.

"Damn it." Kurapika muttered under his breath. He frantically pushed random buttons in an attempt to get the doors to close. But Hisoka was having none of that. He grabbed onto the sliding door frames and pushed them right back open.

"Oh!" Pariston grabbed Kurapika's arm and gently pulled him into the recreational room. "Better be careful. Those doors close much too fast if you ask me."

"Or much too slow…" Kurapika mumbled under his breath. He spoke so lowly that Hisoka was the only one who heard him and the mute silently chuckled as he followed the two blonde males.

"You caught us just in time." The art instructor said cheerfully. "This is our last class for the night." He beckoned to the small group of students who were all holding their own paint brushes and facing their own canvases. "It's so exciting to see one of our doctors here. I don't think you've ever visited before."

"Yeah, well I was just leaving." Kurapika said as he pulled away from the taller man's grasp.

"Oh no." Pariston shook his head in blatant refusal. "You haven't even had a lesson yet."

"Yes… that's true but I have to get Hisoka to his room." Kurapika moved beside the redhead and pat the mute's arm as if proving Hisoka's existence was real and not just a made up excuse to get out of art lessons. The touch made Hisoka light up and he pulled Kurapika into a tight hug.

"Oh!" Pariston's eyes widened in pleasant surprise, just noticing the large man who was currently nuzzling the struggling doctor. "The more the merrier then!"

Kurapika tried again, attempting to take a different approach. "Today's Hisoka's first day." He explained. "And he has amnesia." The little blonde reached up to lightly tap the center of Hisoka's forehead. "I'm sure this could be pretty overwhelming for him."

"Oh." Pariston turned to the muscular redhead in genuine concern. "I wouldn't want to overwhelm you. Would one class be too much?"

Hisoka looked down at Kurapika's pleading eyes then back to Pariston. The little blonde looked completely mortified at the idea having to sit through a class. It was very clear what Kurapika wanted him to do.

Hisoka flashed Pariston a cheerful smile and shook his head 'no'. Of course one class wouldn't be too much for him! He would love to stay!

Kurapika glared at Hisoka from the corner of his eye and the art instructor beamed. "I'm happy to see that you'd like to join us." He led the two to some empty seats. "Art is the window to the soul, you know. A lot of the patients here turn to art when certain matters become too stressful. Maybe it could help you recover something."

"That's not how amnesia works." Kurapika said flatly. "I don't think arts and crafts will have a major effect on his memory development."

Pariston only laughed. "Dr. Kurta don't be so skeptical." He gave the two some paints before moving to his own canvas at the head of the class. "You never know. By the end of this session Hisoka might just come face to face with a few recollections of his past." He was smiling as he talked, but his words were almost a warning. "Art reaches people in strange ways."

Kurapika opened his mouth to respond but was cut off by the instructor's cheerful voice.

"Alright class." He began. "Today I have something special in mind."

Kurapika inwardly groaned and covered his face. 'Art reaches people in strange ways.' He mockingly mouthed to himself. Yeah okay. If Pariston thought that Hisoka was suddenly going to have a psychological breakthrough by painting a picture he must have had his head in the clouds too long.

"We're doing dreams." The instructor continued. "I want you to paint one of your most vivid and pleasant dreams."

Painting dreams. It sounded so very trite to the doctor. He would have thought the assignment would have been a more unusual one.

Hisoka agreed, it was a little strange that Pariston assumed painting could help him recover his memories. Or… parts of them anyway. He was unsure how accurate that theory was but at the same time he didn't really care. Remembering where he came from was not something he was in any rush to do. In the past few days he'd remembered almost nothing but suffering and abuse. He truly believed that he would be happier if he never remembered anything.

Hisoka looked over to Kurapika who was defiantly glaring at his blank canvas. Yes, it was definitely true that he was much happier with his new memories and could do without the old. But he thought about his increasing blackouts. How he became someone else entirely whenever they happened. He had no control over the things he'd do and no memory of his actions. He was dangerous. Could he really continue to be around Kurapika when he was so unstable and unsafe?

Pariston mistook Hisoka's thought for timorousness. "Don't be coy, Hisoka." He lightly encouraged. "Whatever you paint will be magnificent. There is no such thing as flawed art."

Kurapika scoffed and leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed. They were wasting so much time. He was just supposed to be showing Hisoka to his room.

"Pay no mind to Dr. Attitude." Pariston laughed. "Please… paint a dream that means something to you."

Kurapika was grumbling next to him as Hisoka tried to picture a pleasant dream. He gently pat the irritable blonde on the head before picking up his paintbrush. He was pretty sure he had no artistic talent. Something told him that his talent laid in other places. Destruction. Not creation.

Kurapika still refused to touch his own paints. How does he always manage get dragged into these things?

"Dr. Kurta." A small voice spoke softly behind him.

Kurapika turned around and smiled in pleasant surprise. "Komugi." She was one of Baise's patients. Baise worked with battered women and children who suffered long term psychological damage. What made Komugi's case stand out was that just like Hisoka, the girl had a disadvantage to her recovery. She was blind.

"It's nice to hear from you again." She was working on some type of papier-mâché thing. She wasn't painting a picture like the rest of the class for… obvious reasons.

"I didn't notice you at first." He admitted. "You look well." Much better than the first time he saw her. When they first met, her face was covered in snot and tears and her skin was bruised from her father's abuse. Now she looked clean and happy. Content even.

Komugi nodded, her white hair fell in front of her face as she did so. "Baise is a good doctor." Her hands moved easily over the paper as she formed a shape of something that Kurapika couldn't quite decipher.

"She is." Kurapika agreed. Although Baise was a noisy gossip who was always butting into everyone's business, she was also very patient and very kind. She knew just how to make someone feel like she was 100% in their corner. And for the most part, she genuinely was. "I'm glad to see working with her is really helping you."

"Yes." Her grey eyes looked straight ahead as she worked. "And it's not just her. Pariston has been wonderful too. I owe a lot of my recovery to him."

At the mention of the annoying art instructor, Kurapika rolled his eyes. An action he was thankful Komugi didn't see.

Komugi softly laughed and shook her head. "Dr. Kurta…"

"What?" He smiled sheepishly, almost wondering if she knew what he'd done.

"Pariston is right you know." Her hands were covered in wet slimy glue as she gently rubbed her thumbs over the sopping paper project she was working on. "Art is the window to the soul. It's certainly revealed a lot about me. It might help your friend.

"Yeah, he's not my friend, and…" Art was simply a hobby. It didn't reveal anything that the artist didn't already know. Komugi was using it as an outlet to deal with her past abuse and that's all there was to the theory of it 'revealing a lot about her'. "I just don't think that painting a picture is going to help Hisoka figure out who he used to be."

To that, the small framed girl shrugged her shoulders and smiled. "Maybe not, but don't sell art so short. It's-"

"The window to the soul." Kurapika lightly finished. "Got it…" He turned around and looked at his blank canvas. The window to the soul.

Then… he started to paint a window.

Hisoka looked at his work and titled his head in disapproval. He wasn't very skilled with the paint brush. The tool was too small and fragile. It seemed to require steady, gentle hands.

He put down the little brush and instead, dipped one hand into the red paint, and the other into the yellow. His hands crisscrossed all over his canvas as he began to fix up the painting that he was trying to create. A swoosh of yellow there, a flare of red here. It was almost complete. And to his delight, it was looking pretty good.

"Ah~!" Pariston leaned over to get a better look at Hisoka's work. "That's very interesting. And it certainly looks like it would be a wonderful dream."

Hisoka eyed his work in skepticism. He had painted a red fox and a yellow squirrel sitting together under a tree. Pariston said that they should paint a dream but as the redhead looked at his painting he was beginning to become unsure if this was ever a dream he'd had. He couldn't remember where the fox and the squirrel had come from honestly.

"Dr. Kurta, your patient did some fine work. Maybe you should bring him here more often."

Kurapika looked over his shoulder to the art instructor and rolled his eyes. "First of all, Hisoka is not my patient. And…" The doctor's voice trailed off as his gaze landed on Hisoka's picture.

"And second of all?" Pariston smiled, waiting for Kurapika to finish.

Kurapika felt something strange flutter in his chest from the mute's creation. There on his canvas was a bright and colorful picture of a yellow squirrel tucked snuggly away under a red fox's bushy tail.

They were the animals from the story Kurapika told him.

The doctor's gaze did not go unnoticed to the art instructor, who seemed so pleased that you'd think Kurapika was staring at his work. "You seem to like it." Pariston happily noted.

He didn't know how he felt about it. A small part of him thought that the picture was dreadful. It was almost alarming that Hisoka saw that story as one of his most pleasant dreams. It only reminded Kurapika of why he was trying to distance himself in the first place. He and Hisoka had a very inappropriate dynamic.

And another part of him…kind of liked that.

"Yes well…" The doctor was trying to find the right thing to say. "I'm sure Leorio would be happy to hang it up in the examination room."

Hisoka looked to his painting then looked to Kurapika. To anyone else it sounded like Kurapika was saying, 'Leorio would love to see that painting.' But what Hisoka heard, and what Hisoka knew Kurapika truly meant was 'Let's put it somewhere where I can see it without people knowing that I want to.'

Pariston looked over to Kurapika's painting, visibly surprised that the doctor had bothered painting anything at all. "A window."

Kurapika turned back to his own canvas and shrugged. "You said there's no such thing as flawed art."

"Yes." Pariston nodded as he took a closer look at the large window painted on the doctor's canvas. "That's very true…" His voice trailed off in thought, then, "Tell me. Why did you paint a window? What does it signify?"

The doctor almost scoffed. "It doesn't signify anything. It's just a window." He was lying. It meant something to him, he could feel it. He just didn't know what. The assignment was to paint a vivid and pleasant dream. The only dream that came to his mind was one that he's had many times. One of himself looking through a window, trying to see what was on the other side.

"What's on the other side?" The art instructor suddenly asked.

"What?" Kurapika's heart began to speed up and he was suddenly feeling a little anxious. Why did that question bother him so much?

"Of the window." Pariston reiterated. "What's on the other side?"

Hisoka looked down at his paint covered hand. The thick red liquid slowly dripped to the floor and softly landed at his feet in a dark oozing puddle.

No matter! He was sure Pariston would clean up the paint before it stained. He shrugged his shoulders and merrily went back to his work not giving the paint another thought.

"I… don't know." Kurapika whispered. But there was something on the other side. He was sure of it. In his dreams he'd stand on the tips of his toes and peer into the window hoping for a small glance of what was behind the glass.

"But you know there's something." Pariston leaned down closer to the doctor. His voice was a hushed whisper only for Kurapika's ears.

"Yes." The small blonde almost choked on his words. "There's something."

He heard something, like the sound of a muffled voice straining to touch his thoughts.

'Smile, Honey.'

The doctor recoiled away from his painted window in shock.

'Are you smiling?'

Kurapika stood to his feet almost knocking over his artwork. "Hisoka." He sounded breathless. "C-come on. We- I have to show you to your room."

Hisoka had just drawn little red hearts over his fox and squirrel when he heard his name being called. He hadn't noticed before because he was too wrapped up in what he was doing, but the doctor's heartrate was pounding. It suddenly put the redhead on edge.

"Oh, are you sure?" Pariston lightly touched the doctor's arm. "We haven't even-"

"I'm sure." Kurapika yanked his arm away with more force than intended and he fell into another student's painting. He felt the wet paint soak through his clothes and he looked down at the smeared mess he'd made. The voice in his head was beginning to get louder and it sent chills up his spine.

'Yay! We're definitely keeping that one!'

Kurapika fumbled away from where he'd fallen, almost bumping into someone else. He barely heard anything over the sound of his own heartbeat pounding mercilessly in his ears. He didn't notice how cold his fingertips had gotten as his hands trembled against his sides.

Komugi was concerned. "Dr. Kurta…"

'Kurapika~!'

"I'm sorry Komugi." Kurapika mumbled as he moved past her. "I have to go, okay?" His vision blurred and the room started to spin. He grabbed onto the wall to keep his balance.

'Pika…Your hair. Be careful.'

"I am being careful." He whispered.

"Dr. Kurta." Pariston was cleaning up the mess the young doctor had made. "Are you alright? Should I call someone?"

'NO!' Suzuka cried out. 'Don't! Please! You'll let the magic out!'

Kurapika swirled around, half expecting to see his mother standing behind him. His palms were sweating and his chest ached in painful remembrance. He couldn't breathe.

Kurapika moved further away from the painting group and headed back for the elevator. He heard Pariston say something to him as he was walking away but his mind was too disoriented to make out the words.

A shrill voice shrieked in his head so loudly that he doubled over in pain.

'Bad things will happen!'

Kurapika frantically pressed the elevator button until the doors opened up. His hands were still trembling as he stepped inside and moved to stand in the corner of the tight little space.

Hisoka grabbed the doors just as they were closing and forced them open wide enough for him to pass through.

'He had to get the poison out.'

"Get out." Kurapika groaned, unsure who he was talking to. His legs felt weak under his weight and he leaned against the wall to keep from collapsing on the floor.

'I told him to wait...'

"Get out. Please... Get out." Kurapika clutched his hair and slid to the ground. He wanted her out. He wanted her to get out of his head.

The elevator started to move and Hisoka looked to the glowing buttons beside the door. He pressed the bright red 'Stop' button and the large machine groaned as it was interrupted in its movement.

'Daddy!' Kurapika rushed to his father's side.

"Why did you do that?" Kurapika ran his fingers over the end of his long blonde hair, instinctually undoing his braid. An action he'd done often as a child when he was upset. "W-why did you stop it?"

Hisoka bent at the knees so that he was eye level with the troubled doctor. He reached out to touch him and the blonde's eyes widened when he saw Hisoka's red paint covered hand.

In his rush, he slipped in a puddle of something wet and fell into drenched litter next to his father.

"D-daddy?" He looked down at Jin and a sharp cry caught his throat.

His father's skin was pale and his eyes were staring lifelessly into Kurapika's. The knife Kurapika used to cut his hair was lying in Jin's open palm. His wrists were slashed so deep that he could see the bone peeking from under the squishy pink flesh.

Blood. That's what he slipped in. He was soaking in his father's blood.

"Shit…" Kurapika moaned. Nausea hit him in hot waves and he coiled into himself. He had to stay calm. He had to push his thoughts back into the depths of his mind.

Hisoka inched a little closer and tried to pull the smaller male into his arms.

"Don't." He moaned, struggling to keep his lucidity. "Don't touch me." Imagines of his parents' blood flashed through his mind. His fingers were intertwined in his messy hair that now shielded his face from Hisoka's view.

The officer's flashlight illuminated Kurapika and his father. The small boy was soaked in blood as he brought up his shining eyes and looked towards the men. His lips trembled and his hands gently stroked Jin's cold cheek.

"My daddy…" He whimpered.

"My daddy…" Kurapika whimpered.

Hisoka grabbed Kurapika's wrist and the blonde's head shot up. His eyes were unrecognizable and his voice was shaking. "Don't touch me." He spoke softly. "Why do you keep fuckin touching me?"

Hisoka sat down and pulled the smaller male into his lap. It troubled him how much the blonde's petite frame was shaking. He rested his chin on the Kurapika's head and wrapped his large arms protectively around the doctor.

Kurapika felt so cold.

"W…we'll find some more magic soon… o-okay?" Suzuka's voice broke as she spoke through her gentle weeping.

"Okay..." He was sniffling when he titled his chin up to look at his mother.

Kurapika gently rocked himself back and forth. His trembling hands were running frantically through his hair. The room was spinning and he tried to close his eyes to block out the dizziness.

But the moment he shut his eyes he heard the echoed memory of gunshots.

Something thick and warm splashed across Kurapika's face and he tasted the metallic flavor of blood.

Was this his?

His eyes burned from the downpour of the warm liquid as he opened them.

And he saw his mother…

He couldn't breathe. He felt like he was choking. Choking on the blood of his parents. Blood that he caused with his own selfishness. He was the sole cause of their torturous death. He was the one who brought pain and sorrow into their house. He was the one who messed everything up.

He was a failure.

His body shook in silent sobs and he rubbed his hands over his arms, pretending that they were the hands of his mother and father.

Hisoka held Kurapika securely against him. He could feel the blonde's tears soaking through his shirt and it pained his heart in the most agonizing way.

Suzuka didn't fully understand why her son was upset. She felt like she was supposed to do something to make it better. 'Do you… want me to tell you a story…?'

'No!' The last thing he wanted was a story. 'I want you to be normal!'

Kurapika choked on his sob and tightly clung to Hisoka's shirt. He was so sorry. He was so sorry for everything he'd done. He wished he could take it back. He wanted to take it all back.

"Yes…" Hisoka heard the wretched whisper as it softly left the doctor's lips. "Please… tell me a story…"

A story…? Hisoka gripped the small male more intensely as a recent memory floated into his own mind.

"Once upon a time…" Kurapika rubbed his hands carefully over Hisoka's soft red hair. "There was a mischievous fox with silky red fur…"

A story. That's what that was. It wasn't a dream. It was… Kurapika.

Hisoka placed his hand on Kurapika's head and began to carefully rub his hair. The smaller male's shaking was becoming less severe and he started to relax under the touch.

'Here, Mommy.' Kurapika whispered. He placed her bloodied hand on top of his soft blonde hair and Suzuka's fingers disappeared into a mess of golden locks.

"Once upon a time…" As soon as Kurapika's childish voice filled the room he could feel both his parents relax.

Kurapika's sobs racked his body and his eyes were tightly closed.

Hisoka opened his mouth trying to force out the words, but then a voice snapped in his head with the viciousness of a whip.

'Shut up! You do not speak! Animals don't speak!'

He closed his eyes tried to force that voice away. He was not an animal. Not anymore.

Tears were spilling over the doctor's cheeks and his body flinched with each of his sobbing hiccups. He wished that he had died that night. He did not deserve to live after the way he treated them.

"I…" Suzuka's voice shook like she was about to cry. Kurapika was upset. She didn't know what to do. What was she supposed to do? She wanted to be a good mother. She wanted to make him feel better. "O-once upon a time…"

"Just stop, Mom!" He didn't want a story! He wanted her to tell him that she would change.

He was so worthless. So evil. So selfish. So…

"Once upon a time…"

The voice was raspy and broken… as if unsure of how it sounded. Kurapika's sobs quieted but his eyes were still glazed with tears as he tried to look up at the man who was holding him.

Hisoka's throat felt scratchy as he spoke and the concern of being punished almost made him stop talking. But it was the memory of the blonde's comforting voice that guided Hisoka through his next words.

'There was a mischievous fox with silky red fur…'

"There was a clever squirrel… with beautiful blonde fur."

"Hisoka." Kurapika's own voice was still shaking with so much emotion from his crying that it was almost unrecognizable. "You're…"

"Shh…" The redhead was still rubbing Kurapika's hair as he spoke. "You're interrupting…"

'Shut up! You do not speak! Animals don't speak!'

Hisoka leaned backed against the wall with Kurapika tucked safely in-between his legs. His voice, although cracked and damaged from years of neglect, was gentle and filled with loving affection as he continued his story. "Who although was very kind, was also very lonely."

"Hisoka…" Kurapika spoke in a shuddered breath as he settled deeper into the redhead's chest.

"Hm?" Hisoka could feel the little blonde male's breathing evening out and he knew that soon he'd be asleep.

"Wha…" Kurapika yawned and his mind was beginning to slip out of consciousness. "What are you doing?"

Hisoka mirrored the doctor's yawn before answering. "Telling you a story." He whispered. His throat stung as he spoke, still adjusting to the new vibrations of his voice. "To give you pleasant dreams."

Pleasant dreams. Ah… that's what this was. It wasn't real. This was all just a dream. "Okay…" Kurapika breathed, allowing himself to get lost in what he thought was a twisted fantasy. "Okay…"

And Hisoka pressed his lips on the top of Kurapika's head and continued with his story. His soft husky voice drifted around the elevator as he spoke and he did not stop until he was sure Kurapika had fallen asleep.

And soon he followed the blonde in peacefully slumber, never loosening his hold the only person he knew who was as broken as him.

^.~

A soft buzzing rang overhead and the lights flickered as the elevator rumbled.

Kurapika groaned and shifted a little from the annoying interruption of his sleep. When he moved he felt a pair of arms pull him deeper into a hug.

The elevator started to move and then previous events hit the doctor like a freight train. He tried to pull away again afraid of being caught like this once the doors opened.

"Hisoka!" Kurapika pushed against the redhead's face and wiggled as much as he could. How long were they asleep?! "Get up!"

Hisoka buried his nose in Kurapika's neck and whispered a soft. "Stop squirming." His voice was heavy with sleep and still a bit raspy from its newfound use.

Kurapika froze, taken back by Hisoka's voice. He had almost forgotten about that. "No we have to-"

The doors suddenly opened and they were faced with two maintenance men.

Being aware that they were no longer alone was enough to quickly rouse Hisoka. He sat up from his laying position and held Kurapika slightly away from the men's view. His expression was steady and unreadable but his eyes spoke a deadly warning. He looked like a vicious animal protecting an injured mate.

"Hisoka." Kurapika hissed. "Let go."

One of the men looked slightly embarrassed by the scene but he spoke up anyway. "Uh… yeah. Sorry about having you two locked in here so long. It took us a while to get the elevator moving again." He avoided looking into Hisoka's warning gaze. "I don't really know why, but the damn thing wasn't working. All the nurses were forced to take the stairs last night."

Kurapika knew exactly why the elevator wasn't moving and it made him feel extremely guilty and ashamed. "Um, yeah." He cleared his throat and tried to look as professional as possible while being held captive by the large redhead. "Thank you."

"Hope you two weren't stuck in here long." The other man spoke up, unbothered by what he was seeing. He'd worked in this mental institution for over 10 years. He'd certainly seen much stranger.

Were they here long? Kurapika wasn't sure. "What time is it?" Even as he asked he was afraid of their answer.

"Around 6-6:30?" The first guy guessed.

Shit. "Come on." The doctor stood up and quickly pulled Hisoka to his feet. "Your appointment with Leorio is at 7:30. I still have to show you your room and you need to get cleaned up." They both couldn't very well roam the hospital wearing the same clothes from yesterday! He pushed the 6th floor button and waved to the two workers as the doors closed. "Thanks for saving us!" He called.

Hisoka leaned against the wall and placed his hands in his pockets. He felt different. Free. Liberated. Like he wanted to take the world by the throat and throttle it. Nothing could stand in the way of him or his aspirations. The invisible shackles that held him down were broken and he knew now that he was released he was definitely a force to be reckoned with.

The doctor curiously watched the redhead from the corner of his eye. Now that Hisoka was talking there were so many questions they could ask about his memory. So many theories they could attempt in order to help him recover who he was. So many possibilities. "So…" He rocked back on the heels of his feet. "Are you… feeling okay?"

And Hisoka flashed Kurapika a confident charming smile before answering, "Yeah. I'm feeling pretty good."

Author's Note: Poor Kurapika. Looks like he didn't really get over being covered head to toe in his parents' blood as a child. Of course… it would be odd if he had gotten over it. Lol.

Originally for this story I had Hisoka speak in the next chapter. But as I revamp this I'm making a lot of changes. I'm quite happy with it.

ALSO! My English final was due today! The past few days my poor fingers were all over the place writing my final and then writing this! Lol.

Our villains join us in the next chapter! Until next time!