Kuondo's eyes fluttered open. He was lying against the wall (or what was left of it) with an unconscious Illuko still wrapped tightly in his arms.
Brushing off the chunks of stone that had fallen on him, Kuondo looked around. The building hadn't completely collapsed, but it had certainly taken a lot of damage. Genkaku was nowhere to be seen.
Standing motionless in the middle of the room, with his good arm still poised, was Pirro. Looking closer Kuondo could see him slightly slumped over, trying to catch his breath. Pirro struggled to keep his glazed eyes open, but it was all in vain. His panting ceased and he collapsed to the ground.
"Kuondo!" Kuondo turned to see Pietro running towards him. "What on earth happened?!"
"I-I don't know. Genkaku was hurting Illuko, and Pirro just snapped." Kuondo replied shakily. He looked down at Illuko, whose face was smudged with dark bruises and bloodstains under his mouth and nose.
Pietro cautiously headed over to Pirro, and Kuondo followed. Pietro knelt next to his fallen friend, examining him, his expression filling with more worry by the second. "His arm is broken, and I think he might have a concussion. But most importantly…" he met Kuondo's gaze. "Severe overexertion."
"Huh?"
"He used too much Nen all at once. He's barely hanging on even now."
"Why didn't you say that first?!" Kuondo demanded, but was caught off guard when he heard a raspy voice.
"Kuondo…?"
"Pirro! You're awake! Get a hold of yourself, will you?"
"I'm so tired, Kuondo…" Pirro's eyelids drooped. "Let me close my eyes for a minute…"
"No! Don't close your eyes! Pirro!" he cried, but his voice was drowned out by a roll of thunder...
….
Kuondo ran alongside Pietro, carrying Pirro on his back. Luckily, he could still feel Pirro breathing, but it was very weak and slow.
Pirro was slipping away.
Crazed by the thought of losing his best friend, Kuondo looked around wildly, trying to see through the pouring rain.
"You gotta hang in there, Pirro!" he whispered urgently, then called, "Help! Somebody, please, help us! Our friend's dying!"
But nobody seemed to be around.
"I think I see a light down there!" Pietro yelled over the sound of the downpour. "We should go see if anyone's around there!"
"Right! Sounds good!" Kuondo yelled back.
They ran as fast as their tired legs would carry them down towards the light, which fortunately turned out to be a house.
Kuondo stepped forward and frantically rapped at the door.
The door was opened by a middle-aged man, who looked startled to see the drenched boys at his doorstep.
"Sorry, sir, but we need your help! Our friends are hurt and we need to get to the city!"
The man hesitated, then nodded. "Right, follow me."
…
Kuondo sat in the chair next to the window, looking down at his hands. How could I be so useless? I couldn't help Illuko, or Pirro…
His thoughts were broken by the door bursting open. He looked up to see Kurapika standing in the doorway.
"What happened?" he demanded in a tone that made Kuondo and Pietro flinch.
"Overexertion." Pietro replied, trying to keep his voice even. "He hasn't woken up yet."
"I see…" Kurapika stared at the floor, pulling up a chair and silently sitting down.
Kuondo had never felt such anguish before. He hoped he'd never know what that felt like, to have no idea if your son will even survive. And Kurapika has lost so much as it is…
"Kurapika?" he asked tentatively.
Silence.
"I… I'm sorry." Kuondo tried to keep his voice from quivering. "I am so, so sorry. Illuko and Pirro needed me, and I just stood there like a helpless child!"
Kurapika was still silent, but Kuondo could see his hands balling into fists.
Kuondo got up from his chair, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. "And if this was gonna happen, I wish I'd never become a Hunter!"
"Kuondo!" Pietro stepped forward, but Kuondo rushed past him and out the door. He sighed in defeat. Then, he turned to Kurapika. "Do you need some time alone?"
"...That would be appreciated."
"Alright, I'm going to go talk to Kuondo." Pietro said softly, leaving the room.
As soon as he left, Kurapika looked into Pirro's sleeping face, resting his hand on top of his. "Stupid boy...do you see what happens when you stake everything…?"
...
(Lol I'm bad with emotional scenes. Anyway, I can't think of a Curious Question today, so let's spice things up a bit. Do you have a question for me?)