Author's Note: I already thought of an idea for my next story. I'm pretty excited! It will be Hisoka themed of course. Once I finish this one I will be able to tackle my next one!

JigokuShoujosRevenge: Your guess is correct. I love Hisoka too much to kill him off by Franklin! Lol. And aww, cut poor Kurapika some slack. He's had a life tougher than most people. It's only natural for this type of stress to get to the blonde baby. Lol. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Raywolf Shibelt: Oh gosh I LOVE your enthusiasm so much! It made me enthusiastic as well! Lol. I'm glad you're enjoying everything so far and I hope this chapter makes you happy!

FloralLover: I think Hisoka has an inkling that Kurapika has issues (He saw a little bit of that in the elevator scene) and it made him see Kurapika as 'the only person as broken as him'. And yeah Franklin had to die, the poor thing. I like Franklin but his time was cut short. And thank you for your prayers. I'm not religious but I appreciate it either way. Enjoy this chapter!

Blue Lightning Fox: Thank you! I'm glad you love this story! The last chapter was one of my favorites to write since I do better writing agony than I do joy. Lol. Hope you like this chapter as well!

Chapter 12: Those Words

"Kurapika!" Leorio waved at his friend from across the hospital lobby. Even though Kurapika had only been gone for a little over a week, seeing the lanky doctor this morning felt kind of strange. Leorio's hair was in its usual spiked mess and although he was wearing one of his signature blue suits, he didn't even try to maintain a professional demeanor as the suit was unbuttoned and slightly ruffled from his running around all morning. He was holding a stack of files in his arms and Kurapika worried that if Leorio was any more excited, he'd drop all his paperwork.

"Good morning, Leorio." The little blonde did not slow his stride as he headed towards the stairs with his clipboard pressed against his chest.

"Hey wait." The lanky doctor matched Kurapika's pace as he walked beside him. "Slow down, I thought that we could catch up."

"Catch up?" Now why in the world would he think that would be a good idea?

"Yes." Leorio nodded. "In all the years you've worked here you've never used your vacation days. It must've been nice finally getting a break from work." He rambled. "I like taking off a few days every couple of months just to keep my sanity." There was a small laugh in his voice. "So it's been almost two weeks. Did you go anywhere?"

Kurapika glanced at Leorio out the corner of his eye then looked away. "No."

"Oh, then I guess spending time at home is good too." Leorio brushed off the blonde's short answer and continued talking. "I do that sometimes."

Kurapika suddenly stopped walking and turned to face the taller male. "Leorio." He breathed out the name in a sigh. "What are you doing?"

Leorio smiled a very large Leo-like smile. "What do you mean?"

"This." Kurapika beckoned to him. "Why are you doing this?"

If Leorio wasn't holding all those papers he would have put his hands in his pockets. "You mean talking to you?"

Kurapika silently nodded. That was exactly what he meant.

For a brief moment, the lanky man considered lying to Kurapika. Maybe coming up with some lame excuse as to why he was acting so friendly this morning. Yes, he considered it, but in the end he couldn't help but say the truth. "You're lonely." He began. "I'm trying to be there for you since…well you know."

"Since Hisoka was moved." Kurapika finished lowly. He gave Leorio a small stiff smile. "I'm not lonely. I've never been lonely working by myself."

"That's true but," Leorio shifted the papers in his arms a bit. "You never knew what you were missing before either." Kurapika had spent so much time with his new friends, he must feel empty without that friendship being there anymore. And Leorio only knew this because he himself was feeling lonely without his old companions.

"I'm fine Leorio." But Kurapika could not bring himself to look into the taller man's eyes. He knew that his own eyes would give away the truth. He was not fine.

Leo exhaled. "Well I'm not." He admitted. "I miss being around you two. Obviously I can't get that back with Hisoka but I was hoping me and you could still try."

Kurapika was a little stunned by the forwardness of Leorio words. He never considered the fact that Leorio might have missed the dynamic they all had.

"You're not the only one who lost someone, Pika." Leo softly added. "Hisoka was my friend too."

That's right. Hisoka and Leorio had their own bond that excluded Kurapika. One filled with jokes and teasing. One that was playful and dripping in loving compassion. Kurapika was so wrapped up in his own hurt that he had forgotten all about Leorio… "I'm sorry." He said. "I was being selfish."

Leorio quickly shook his head. "You weren't. Please don't apologize. I know how hard this has been on you. You guys were really close." A sentiment that had once brought a twinge of jealously in the lanky doctor's heart. For a while he wondered what was it about Hisoka that was so special. Why was he able to bring out a side of Kurapika that Leorio always wished he could see? What had Hisoka done to heal the little doctor's heart that Leorio could never do? Yes, for a long time he was so envious of this, but right now all he wanted was for the three of them to be reunited once more. "It's just… like I said. I missed your company."

Kurapika's eyes fell to the ground. "I'm not good company."

"Nonsense." Leorio lightly nudged his friend's shoulder with his own. "You're great, Pika."

Kurapika eyed the slightly grinning man. It was unusual being missed like this. Before he'd found Hisoka laying desolately in the road, Kurapika prided himself on having no friends. He never needed them and he saw companionship as pointless and time consuming. But now… now everything was so different. "I guess… I kind of miss you too." He admitted.

"You do?" Leorio smiled with a slight blush. He did not expect Kurapika so admit that so freely. What he expected to happen was for Kurapika to brush him off and leave him standing alone in the lobby as he'd done many times before. "Maybe after work we can meet somewhere and catch up then?"

Kurapika paused in thought before speaking again. "Are you asking me out on a date?"

"W-what!?" Leorio's face was beet red.

"It feels like this is an invitation to a date."

"We don't have to call it a date." Leorio explained. "It would just be… two friends having dinner." Oh damn what did he do? Kurapika would be furious. He should not have even brought up the idea of them hanging out after work. Not so early on anyway! Kurapika is going to think this whole thing was Leorio trying to lure him into a date!

"I'll…" Kurapika moved past Leorio and headed towards the stairs. "I'll think about it." He said. And he was telling the truth. He would think about it. But not just for Leorio's sake. Kurapika really needed to get out of the house. The haunting visions of his parents were becoming increasingly more terrifying and he hadn't had a healthy amount of sleep since he first left the hospital. The main reason he came back when he did was because he was truly afraid of being left alone with his thoughts any longer.

"R-really?!" Leorio called. "That's great! I'll meet you here after work then. Around seven?"

Kurapika didn't turn around as he waved to the doctor. The gentle clicking of his shoes echoed in the stairwell as the blonde doctor descended. The fluorescent lights mockingly flickered above his head as they swayed to a rhythm he couldn't hear. The walls were dark ominous and the further the doctor traveled into the cold abyss, the more it felt like he was falling into a dark bottomless hole. It seemed like it had been so long since he was here… Yet it was like he'd never left.

"Hey."

"Hm?" Kurapika raised a brow to the head of security sitting once again behind the restricted area front desk. A job that literally just required the guard to check ID before buzzing someone through. "Uvogin?"

Uvogin held up his hand before he spoke. "Welcome back."

"Thanks." Kurapika put a hand on his hip. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Uvogin scowled. "Right, I forgot you're not big on small talk."

"Neither are you." Or at least… not that good at it. "So just tell me what you want."

Despite Kurapika's visible attitude, Uvogin didn't seem to be as bothered by it as he usually was. He just smiled and leaned his chin casually on the palm on his hand. "Are you seeing Hisoka today?"

Kurapika raised a brow before slowly nodding. He was in fact seeing Hisoka today along with two of his other patients later on this afternoon. But why did Uvogin care?

"And have you talked to the boss yet?"

"No." He answered. "I was going to after all my sessions. I was meaning to ask him if he had a copy of Dr. Franklin Gun's files. I understand he was taking over my patients during my leave of absence but he never emailed me any of their notes." Kurapika was actually planning on talking to Chrollo this morning but he got a little sidetracked by Leorio.

"Right." Uvogin sat up straight and nodded. "That's what I wanted to talk about."

"You wanted to talk about Dr. Gun's files?"

"I wanted to tell you that Franklin is dead."

"What?" Kurapika shook his head in disbelief, almost thinking that he must have heard Uvogin wrong. "Shit, that's really sad. He was a good doctor." Though he did have a certain… harshness about him that always made Kurapika a little uncomfortable. Still though, he never actually wished for the man's death.

"Hisoka killed him." Uvogin's voice pulled the blonde out his thoughts. "We couldn't believe it at first. Franklin went in to bathe him and the guy just snapped. He strangled the poor doctor and then laid next to his dead body as if it were nothing."

Kurapika lightly chewed on his bottom lip and his brows furrowed. For a while he didn't say anything. What could he say? Other than… "Why was Franklin in the same room as him?"

Uvogin shot the little blonde a disgusted look. "Your little psychopath murders a doctor and your first question is 'why was he in the room'? Way to be fuckin' respectful." He crossed his arms over his large chest and spoke in a low growl. "Like I said, he was giving the guy a sponge bath."

"In his cell? No that's not right." The little doctor's voice was dismissive of Uvo's anger. The wheels in his head were turning like a machine being powered on. His mind was like a microscope zooming in and out as it tried to focus on the signs behind his suspicions. "High risk patients don't get sponge baths. Not even low risk patients get sponge baths. They are moved into the back where they bathe themselves under maximum surveillance."

"Why does it fuckin' matter?" Uvogin practically yelled, throwing his hands up in the air. "What matters is that while you were on your little fuckin' vacation, an innocent man died."

Kurapika tapped his finger over his clipboard. It matters because it's shady. There is zero reason for Franklin to be giving a patient a bath, especially a high risk patient. If anything, there are plenty of reasons not to. Hisoka is considered so dangerous that he has to be chained up. He was measured to have such remarkable strength that he was able to crush someone's skull with his bare hand. Not to mention, bathing a patient, high risk or not, is extremely inappropriate. What was Franklin thinking? "I'll speak to Chrollo about that when I'm finished here." Among other things. Kurapika had a lot to think about while he was away and had several questions for their boss pertaining to Hisoka's incarceration.

He didn't even look at the guard as he moved past Uvogin. He needed that absence of leave. He needed some time to gather his thoughts and put his emotions in the back seat. Right now was not the time for him to completely lose it. There were too many things that needed to be done and so many holes that needed to be filled. His mind wasn't as muddled as it was all those weeks ago. He was thinking clearer and the high powered computer that was his brain was working in full throttle.

His thick blonde bun lightly bounced on top of his head as he walked and his focused chocolate eyes were sharp and alert. It felt like it had been years since he'd last seen Hisoka yet everything seemed so familiar.

He stepped in front of the glass and looked at the man who was chained to the ground. He readied a lot of questions for his once companion and he thought that he was perpared for whatever was to come. However, no amount of mental preparation made him ready for this.

Kurapika's lips parted and his limbs went numb. For a moment, he stopped breathing.

Hisoka's body looked broken as he slumped lifelessly against the wall and his skin was discolored from the harsh beating he had gotten earlier that week. It was torn and peeled in a very gruesome way. It looked like someone had tied him to a car and dragged him naked through the streets. He was covered in dried blood and scars and Kurapika could see from the bruising patterns on his sides that his ribs were damaged. There were deep dark rings around his eyes like he had not slept in days and his hair was a tattered dirty messed around his shoulders.

This didn't look like Franklin tried to give Hisoka a bath. It looked like torture.

Hisoka slowly lifted his head and stared ahead. He was unresponsive, like he was looking straight through the doctor. His golden orbs were cold and distant.

"Hisoka." Kurapika's clipboard clattered to the ground and he took a small step towards the glass.

The redhead slowly dropped his eyes back into his lap.

Kurapika's heart lurched. It was clear to him that his suspicions were correct. Franklin was not just here giving Hisoka a bath. He was hurting him. "Hisoka…" Kurapika pressed his hand against the cool glass. His knees shook and his head was filled with questions and fears. He felt so much at this moment as he gazed sorrowfully at the man closest to his heart, but the one emotion that was the most powerful was guilt. Pure, untainted, guilt.

Kurapika almost doubled over as Hisoka's aura slammed into him. It was dripping with so much rage that Kurapika could taste it like bile that defiled the back of his throat. Hisoka's heart was blackened and his soul was corrupted. It was like he was a poisoned version who he once was. A ghost of his former self.

Kurapika wanted to look away in shame. How could he let this happen? "I didn't know that Franklin would hurt you." He said softly.

The darkness around Hisoka deepened and his vile hatred grew more powerful. He could feel the agony rolling off the small blonde's body in waves and it only added to his own wretchedness. Who was this little person before him? Why could he feel the pathetic creature's sorrow and guilt? Why did his presence feel so painstakingly familiar?

"Hisoka?" Something was different. Hisoka's aura was so hollow and void of depth. He gave off the same worryingly unoccupied atmosphere that one would feel around a sunken corpse.

Hisoka's muscles tensed from the continuous use of his name. He didn't like it being said by the blonde visitor before him. The word was too heavy with emotion and sentiment. It made him uneasy.

He decided that he wanted to kill this person.

"I don't know what to do…" Kurapika pressed his forehead against the glass and ignored the tears that threatened to form. He was so unsure, but he was a psychoanalyst. He wasn't supposed to be unsure. He was supposed to know how to handle these things. He was supposed to know what to do. So why did he feel more confused now than ever? Why was he questioning everything that he thought he knew?

Kurapika slowly reached over to the door.

Hisoka steadily watched the frail little doctor talk quietly to himself. The sound of the blonde's heartbeat made him feel oddly calm. He didn't understand this feeling, nor did he enjoy it. It was a vulnerability being around this person. He made him feel weak.

Yes…please, little blonde. Come into this room so that your blood may be spilled over this cold stone floor.

Kurapika was trembling and he bit his lower lip as he shakenly moved his hand over the lock. Who was this dangerously quiet man staring into his eyes? Whose murderous aura was entering his body and poisoning him from the insides? Was this Hisoka? It couldn't be. His hard golden orbs were not filled with playful warmth anymore. They were like ice.

Hisoka's eyes darted to the keypad that the little blonde was gently grazing with his fingertips.

Yes, pretty thing. Come into this room so your screams may echo throughout the halls.

Kurapika's hand would not stop shaking as he typed in the code to unlock the doors. The soft beeping of the keypad then the quiet hiss of the lock becoming undone seemed louder than usual as it danced around the doctor's ears.

He was afraid. Yes. He was afraid.

The door slowly opened as Kurapika gently pushed. His legs felt weak under him and he was unsure if he'd be able to stand much longer without collapsing. He never missed the hatred in the redhead's eyes as he stood silently in the doorway.

Run. He should run. He was in danger. What was he trying to solve by coming in here?

Hisoka licked his lips.

Come, little blonde. Step closer and play.

Kurapika took one cautious step towards Hisoka and he felt a chill run down his spine. The memory of Hisoka's loving words drifted encouragingly in his mind.

'What are you afraid of?' Hisoka's voice was a low whisper.

'I'm not afraid of anything.'

'Liar.'

He was afraid. He was always afraid of Hisoka. But not because he thought Hisoka was dangerous.

"Let me…" Kurapika spoke in a broken whisper as he bent down in front of his damaged patient. "Look at your injuries."

He was afraid because he knew Hisoka wasn't.

Hisoka grabbed onto Kurapika's wrist and forced him to the ground. A low dangerous growl rumbled from the back of his throat and the thick aura of bloodlust exploded into the room with so much power that it knocked the breath out of Kurapika. Hisoka's nails dug deeply into the smaller male's skin causing blood to run down his shaking forearm.

"Hisoka." Kurapika's face was millimeters from Hisoka's and his knees were pressed on top of the larger man's legs. He could see the bloodlust dancing gleefully in the stony redhead's eyes. He could feel the anger and confusion writhing off his body in heavy waves.

Hisoka's confusion grew and his hold on the doctor tightened. A word escaped his lips without his permission and the memory of who this person was filled him from the insides. "Kurapika." The name tasted bittersweet.

"Yes." Kurapika nodded and brushed away the stray tears that fell down his own cheeks. He ignored the steady stream of his blood that dripped off his arm. "I'm sorry." He whispered as he cupped the redhead's bruised cheek. "I'm so sorry."

Hisoka closed his eyes and leaned into the touch. Something else snuck up on him from the back of his subconscious.

A memory of a realization that he had come to understand while the blonde was away danced around in his soul. What was it? What were those words? Those words trying to desperately claw their way out from the most hidden part of his mind. Hisoka furrowed his brow trying to concentrate. It was on the tip of his tongue. The edge of his mind. He had forgotten something important and his brain was struggling to remind him. A notion. A single conception lingered on his tongue and left the sweet taste of vanilla and strawberries.

What was it?

Hisoka felt a soft invisible cotton wrap around his head and whisper gentle encouragements.

You know the words. Yes. You know the words that you are forgetting.

"Please." Kurapika's eyes darted down to Hisoka's hold over his arm then back to the redhead. "I want to look at your wounds."

Hisoka let go of the small fragile wrist of the doctor. "Kurapika, I'm sor-"

"Don't" Kurapika interrupted as his rubbed his bleeding wrist. "Just don't, okay?"

Hisoka silently nodded as he watched Kurapika rub his injured limb. His muscles strained against his restraints as his adjusted his body closer to the smaller male. "Here." Hisoka held Kurapika's hand. "Let me…"

The doctor gently pulled away and shook his head. "Don't be a fool. I'm here to help you, remember?" He softly scolded. Kurapika sat up on his knees to look at Hisoka's head. His hair was caked in dried blood and it made the doctor cringe.

"I'm fine." Hisoka turned away.

"You know neither one of us is going to get any better if we both keep denying help."

And for the first time in a long time, Hisoka allowed himself to laugh. The sound was so warm as it filled the room with comforting fondness. "I suppose that's true." He admitted before leaning back and closing his eyes. "Go ahead and examine me then, doctor."

Kurapika was careful not to hurt his companion further as he tenderly moved his red hair to the side. He winced when he saw the large scar from the ugly gash Franklin put on the back of his skull. The longer he looked at Hisoka the more it pained him with guilt. What made it even worse was that he knew that it was his actions that did this. He wished he had never left.

His soul still longed for him to be near this dangerous patient of his.

"This looks really bad but… you're healing fast." Faster than expected actually. It was kind of shocking to see Hisoka's body recovering so quickly. Kurapika carefully forced Hisoka to lean forward so he could take a look at his back. The marks were faded but still there and still very noticeable.

"I'm fine." Hisoka lightly waved off the doctor's worry and leaned back against the wall again. Suddenly, that feeling from before started to creep up on him again. What was this feeling? What was this soft fluttering over his heart? What was this heavy weight on his chest? What was the name of the melody his soul kept playing over and over? What were those words that kept slipping through his fingers like soft beach sand?

What were those words? Those words that eluded him.

Kurapika sighed and tucked a stray piece of blonde hair behind his ear before sitting down flat on the ground with his legs crossed. "Would you like to talk about… what happened?" He tried to keep his voice steady, but it strained under his heavy heart. Even knowing everything that Hisoka had done, Kurapika still cared about him. And seeing Hisoka look so broken and hurt made the doctor feel like his soul was being ripped out of him.

Hisoka's eyes followed the doctor's actions and a tired smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "Your hair."

What were those words? Those words that haunted him.

Kurapika resisted the urged to touch his hair again. It was thrown on top of his head in a messy, yet somehow still elegant, bun. "Yes? Does it remind you of something?" He wished he had his clipboard and pen with him to write down some notes.

Hisoka's shoulders lightly shook as he chuckled. "Yes." He breathed out. "You wore your hair like that before and I told you liked it."

What were those words? Those words that strengthened him.

He lowered his head so his lips were next to the young doctor's ear. "Kurapika~."

This was the first time he'd heard Hisoka use his name. It was electrifying. "W-what?"

"Your hair looks lovely today."

Kurapika raised a brow. "And…?"

Hisoka wasn't even trying to hide his amusement. "And I can't help but notice you're wearing it like that again."

Now Kurapika really wished he had his clipboard so he could pretend to write notes down in order to hide his blush. "And you think that I decided to wear my hair like this just because you said it looked nice?" He did. But he wasn't going to admit that.

The grinning redhead's chains rattled as he lightly trailed his nails over the doctor's jawline. "Yes."

What were those words? Those words that left him breathless.

The little blonde looked away and lightly scoffed yet the embarrassed twinkle in his eyes gave him away. "You're so full of yourself."

"You missed me." Hisoka's smile was so arrogantly mischievous. "It's very cute."

He swatted the man's hand away and scowled. It didn't take much for Hisoka to find the more exasperating side of himself again. "Don't try to distract me. What happened while I was away?" Kurapika quickly changed the subject back to the original topic.

And to his annoyance, Hisoka laughed.

"What's so funny?" He put his hands on his hips, a very non-threatening notion since he was sitting on the ground with his legs crossed like a child.

"You." The redhead nodded forward. "You're beautiful when you're bossy."

What were those words? Those words that excited him.

"You think I look beautiful no matter what I do." The blonde rolled his eyes to the ceiling and leaned back on his hands. "So forgive me if I don't take that compliment to heart."

Hisoka's warm laugh danced through the walls and hugged the young doctor's shoulders. "Yes that's true." Then his voice trailed off as if he were thinking about something. With Kurapika so close to him, his darkness cleared and his mind was less scrambled. But it still bothered him that the blonde was so near while he was still so dangerous. "Why are you here?" The question was unexpected even to him.

What were those words? Those words that frightened him.

Kurapika scoffed. "Why would you even ask something like that? I'm your doctor."

"Ahhh… I see." Hisoka closed his eyes again.

"What?" Kurapika leaned forward and pressed his forehead against Hisoka's. He was frowning. "What do you see?"

A deep chuckle rumbled in his chest as Hisoka wrapped his arms around the little blonde's waist. "Nothing." He forced Kurapika into his lap and rested his cheek on the doctor's head.

Hisoka's skin smelled like blood and dirt and it felt so cold. Kurapika rubbed his hands over the larger man's sides to try to share his warmth. "Tell me."

What were those words? Those words that revived him.

Hisoka shuddered under the doctor's soft touches and held him tighter. He was being selfish. He shouldn't be allowing Kurapika so close to him. Not when he knew how dangerous he was. "Is that all you are?" He lazily twirled a finger through the smaller male's hair. "My doctor?"

No. Of course not. "Yes."

Hisoka grinned. "Liar. Such a bad liar too."

Kurapika bit the inside of his cheek as he gently pulled away from the embrace. As soon as he did that he suddenly felt very cold. Why was Hisoka always in his head? "Don't be a jerk." He mumbled.

"Don't be a liar. " Hisoka lightly tapped the doctor's nose. "You can't hide anything from me."

Kurapika shook his head. "Right. And you can't hide things from me either." Why was it so hard for him to talk to Hisoka without getting caught up in his emotions? Why can't he ever just think without feeling anything anymore. "I want you to tell me what happened." The idea of Hisoka being abused sent wrathful chills up his spine. "So I can help."

"I know." Hisoka mumbled. He distressingly adjusted himself on the wall and bit back a groan. He didn't want Kurapika to see how much pain he was still in.

What were those words? Those words that reformed him.

But Kurapika could see. And it hurt him from the bottom of his heart. "Please…" He sounded desperate. He didn't like seeing Hisoka like this. "Try and remember."

"Why do you assume I don't remember."

Hisoka grabbed onto his chains and his muscles flexed as he screamed in writhing pain. The bloody soap bubbles ran over his sides and onto the floor. He yelled out as he felt the sharp metal dig into his skin and rip apart his flesh. The world seemed to darken.

Kurapika could hear something strange in Hisoka's voice and a part of him wanted to let the whole thing go, while a stronger part of him only wanted to dig deeper. "Then why won't you tell me?"

Hisoka was frowning as he rubbed his thumb over the blonde's trembling lips. "Because you care too much. I don't want to upset you."

What were those words? Those words that spellbound him.

The answer caught Kurapika by surprise. "You're my patient. I'm supposed to care."

And Hisoka shook his head at the beautifully foolish genius. "No. You care much more than that."

"You think so." Kurapika stated as he grabbed Hisoka's hand and placed it in his lap. "Only because you're trying to grasp onto something to keep you sane."

"No." He said again. "I can see it." Hisoka lightly tapped the doctor's head. "In your eyes."

What were those words? What were those words…?

Kurapika looked away suddenly self-conscious of his eyes. "You're only seeing the reflection of your own emotions." But that wasn't true. His heart had run away from him a long time ago and it was much too late to catch it.

Hisoka's soft voice gently pulled the blonde out his thoughts.

"I can see that too…"

What were those words…?

Kurapika's chocolate eyes bore into the redhead's deeply golden ones. "See what?"

What were those words…

Those magical words…

"You love me." Hisoka softly breathed out.

"Hisoka stop."

"It's okay though..." Hisoka's warm whisper caused Kurapika to be motionless

"...because I love you too."

Ahhh, yes. Those were the words. Those magical words. Those words he'd forgotten.

I love you.

And as he muttered them, he felt like his heart was shattered and then put back together around Kurapika's.

He finally remembered those words. Those words that completed him.

Kurapika sat in silence for a few moments before he slowly leaned forward and affectionately brushed a few stray red hairs from Hisoka's face. Hisoka's words frightened him but at the same time they relieved him. He felt like a fog had been cleared from his conscious and a weight had been lifted from his heart. All of his confusion and all of his worries were fading away and everything was just so… clear. All from those words. Those magical words.

Hisoka smiled while carefully pulling Kurapika into his lap. His voice was low and tired. "I'm ready to talk about what happened now."

And Kurapika placed his hand over Hisoka's chest and deeply exhaled. "I'm ready to hear it."

^.~

Chrollo and Machi were walking inside the hospital together side by side. Machi was holding her digital scheduler with her nose pointed downward.

"You have a lunch meeting with the co-owner of Kite Bank of Loans and Investments tomorrow at noon." She read off rhythmically. "And one of the King siblings had to be reprimanded earlier today."

"Which one?"

Machi clicked a few buttons before answering. "The youngest, Meruem King. He was having a violent outburst once we removed his visitor."

"Visitor?"

"Yes." Machi held the little tablet against her chest as she spoke. "Baise's patient, Komugi, has been a regular visitor for quite some time now." Since they encouraged high risk patients to have visitors, it was perfectly within protocol for her to do so as long as she stayed behind the glass.

Chrollo nodded. "What happened?"

Machi clicked her tongue in thought as she remembered the details written in the notes. "She fell, I believe. So security removed her before visiting hours were up to get her medical help." The fall wasn't bad, just a few scraps here and there. But the girl was blind and they had to be careful with her when she got injured. "Meruem wasn't very happy about that."

Briefly, Chrollo wondered how the nature of Komugi and Meruem's relationship even came to be but he quickly pushed those unnecessary thoughts away. Though he'd be interested to find out how they became so close, those matters were not very pressing right now. "And Hisoka? Any updates?"

Machi shook her head 'no'. After Hisoka killed Franklin, he was left alone for most of the day unless someone had to go in there to give him his injections and pills. When that happened, several security guards would have to be present in order to make sure everyone was safe from any harm the redhead could do to them.

Honestly, Franklin was supposed to have someone in the room with him when he went in there the day of his death but the big brute took it upon himself to handle it alone. It's a good thing Hisoka killed him because it saved Chrollo the trouble of firing him for his recklessness. "No changes with him." Machi said. "Though Dr. Kurta had a session with him today. His first one since his leave of absence actually."

"Interesting." Chrollo was very curious how Hisoka would react to Kurapika returning after all this time. The mutated protein that they were giving him was the exact same dosage they would give him before he ran away and lost him memory. It affected his moods and definitely changed him from the harmless fool that he had been when he was in Dr. Kurta's custody. A part of him kind of wished he could observe the two once they were reunited. "How many more injections before he's prepared?"

"Hmm…" That was hard to say. Hisoka had amnesia so he would not remember the years of obedience conditioning he had undergone his entire life. Granted, should he see Chrollo he might remember more of his past and revert back to the way he used to be but that was a gamble. The best bet they had was to continue to give him his medications until he eventually reverted back into his old self. "If I had to guess, I would say… 5? Maybe 6 to be safe."

That wasn't the best news. In order not to put too much strain on Hisoka's already weakened body, they would only be able to give him the max amount of medications once a day. Which meant they would not be able to remove him until at least 6 days from now. If Hisoka gained his memory while working with Dr. Kurta, then he could ruin everything that Chrollo worked so hard to achieve. Everything that his father worked so hard to achieve.

Including all the work that Kuroro put into their experiments, they had been through a total of 43 other weapons before Hisoka. All of which responded to the protein extract and vigorous training in different ways. Most died from the treatments, while others merely lost the very parts of them that made them human. Hisoka was without a doubt the strongest weapon they'd successfully created and there was no way that Chrollo could simply let him go. He needed him back and he needed him back as the killer he once was. Calculating, powerful, and most of all, obedient.

"Is Feitan still running tests at the lab?"

Machi nodded. "Yes. He and others have not stopped working since the incident. We all understand our main objective."

Chrollo nodded as he opened the door to his office. "Keep me informed on any new developments."

And before Machi could respond, a very chipper and unexpected voice came from inside the boss's office.

"Good evening, Dr. Lucilfer. It's absolutely wonderful to see you again."

Chrollo's eyes narrowed in slight surprise when he saw his guest sitting prompting across from his office desk. "Dr. Kurta. I didn't expect to see you until tomorrow."

Kurapika smiled a very charming smile and sat with one of his legs elegantly crossed over the other. "I had some time. I thought I'd stop by."

Machi silently waved the boss farewell and closed the door behind her as she left the room.

"Alright then." Chrollo moved behind his desk and sat down. He didn't say anything as he waited for the young doctor to continue. It was unusual for Dr. Kurta to arrive unannounced. The little blonde was a very prompt and scheduled being. It made the boss a little suspicious.

"I was just curious if you had a copy of Franklin's files." His polite smile never wavered and a twinkle of something unrecognizable was in his eyes.

Chrollo doubtfully eyed his employee. "Yes, of course." He reached in his desk drawer for the papers.

"It's a shame about Franklin." Kurapika tsked, carefully watching his boss pull out the files.

"Yes but admittedly, he brought it on himself." After he gave the blonde what he was asking for, Chrollo leaned forward on his elbows. "Entering a high risk patient's cell isn't very wise."

The image of Hisoka's wounds flashed in his mind and Kurapika clenched his fists in his lap, still wearing his smile. "I hear he was giving the patient a bath."

Chrollo managed to look surprised. "Oh? How uncalled for. I never got into the details of why he was in there."

Of course he'd say that. "Though Hisoka didn't look very clean when I saw him." His words were stiff and he was trying not to let his anger show, though it was failing. "He was covered in scars."

"Consequences of their fight I imagine."

Kurapika bit the inside of his cheek to keep from yelling. "He's still dirty. It's not very sanitary of a patient to sit in blood for a week."

Chrollo's finger lightly tapped over his desk and he could sense that the little doctor was becoming upset. "Yes of course. But I must think of the safety of my staff. I can't have any of them taking Hisoka to the showers if I fear he'd harm them too. Please don't forget he's much stronger than your other patients." He pointed out. "He broke his chains in that scuffle with Franklin and we were only able to restrain him with new ones when he was passed out from exhaustion after murdering the doctor."

Kurapika cringed. He wanted to hit something.

Chrollo noticed the stiffness in the young doctor's shoulders and he spoke in a tone that was soft and caring. "Are you alright, Kurapika? You seem upset." A pause then, "Though it's quite understandable. I know that the death of a co-worker is hard."

Kurapika almost winced from the casual use of his name and he hated that the concern his boss offered was almost comforting. "I'm fine." He quickly grabbed the papers off the desk and shoved them in his folder. "Just curious about a few things."

"Such as?"

"Such as, how did you find that video of Hisoka?"

If the unexpected question shocked Chrollo, he certainly didn't show it. "The police gave it to me of course."

Kurapika raised a brow in question. That answer did nothing but puzzle him more. "Why?"

"The day after Hisoka's admission I filed a missing person's report in the hopes that someone who knew him would contact us. I attached a photo of him along with his documentations and turned them in to the police." Chrollo rattled off the explanation as if it didn't need to be stated.

"So…" The young doctor sighed. "When the police found the video of Hisoka, they recognized him and showed you the evidence."

"Correct." The boss nodded. "Usually they'd arrest someone in Hisoka's position but since he was admitted into the hospital for amnesia and… other mental issues, they left him in my custody with the intent that I'd take care of it."

"Such as move him to the high risk section…" Kurapika quietly finished. Chrollo's explanation sounded very logical and it cleared up a lot of questions that he'd been mulling over these past few days…But still… Nothing felt right. Every time Kurapika asked him anything about Hisoka, Chrollo would have the perfect answer.

To another doctor, maybe this would be enough to put their minds at ease but to Kurapika, this just made his mind buzz with even more unfounded suspicions and worries. He felt like he was going crazy. He wished he could just let it go. Though he and Dr. Lucilfer never really saw things eye to eye, admittedly, if it wasn't for Chrollo's kindness, Kurapika might never have gotten this job.

Not many people were in a big rush to hire the arrogant prodigy 16-year-old with a muddled past a cynical attitude. Chrollo extended himself to Kurapika and saw the potential that lay in the little blonde. Was it right for Kurapika to start questioning his motives now after all these years of being a trusted, albeit, annoying mentor?

Kurapika deeply exhaled and closed his eyes. The image of Hisoka covered in dirt and blood filled his memory.

'I'm sorry.' He whispered as he cupped the redhead's bruised cheek. 'I'm so sorry.'

No, he couldn't just let it go. Not after seeing Hisoka so injured and broken. It didn't matter that Chrollo had once done him a kindness. That didn't change what was happening now. It didn't change the suspicions that he had for the man. He knew that something was off about Chrollo's story and he was going to find out what.

Chrollo spoke, interrupting Kurapika's disarrayed thoughts. "Well, Dr. Kurta. If you don't have any more questions concerning your patients, I need to get to work. And should you need anything else please let me know."

Kurapika stood up from his chair and slowly headed out the door. "Of course. Thank you Dr. Lucilfer."

^.~

Kurapika entered the lobby with his nose in Hisoka's files. Franklin was a horrible note taker. He did not write anything of his patients' progress or failures. The only things that were scribbled on all these notes were dates and times that the big man would visit them.

Damn it. It's not like he could go and talk to him now that he's just a beaten corpse. If Kurapika wanted to find anything to incriminate Chrollo. He certainly would not find it in Franklin's notes.

"Oof." Kurapika suddenly hit a soft surface and he dropped all his files.

"I'm sorry." Leo said as he picked up the papers.

Kurapika noticed that the brunette sounded a little different than usual. Nervous maybe? "It's okay, Leo." He offered a small smile.

Leo handed the files back to Kurapika. "I should have been a bit more careful I guess." He paused for a moment then, "Listen, about our date…"

"Our… date?" What was Leorio… oh right. Their conversation from this morning. He had almost forgot about that. "Yeah, dinner tonight. I remember now."

"I was thinking maybe this isn't such a good idea." His voice was rushed and filled with guilt. He had been thinking about this all day it seems. It just appeared to him that he was taking advantage of Kurapika's heartbreak and he certainly didn't want to do that. Not while the blonde was still mourning the loss of a deep friendship.

This all really took Kurapika for surprise. With everything that happened today, he had completely forgotten all about Leorio's dinner invite. Now he felt guilty. "Um…"

Leo shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "I mean you're probably busy and it's not very appropriate for coworkers to date anyway."

"I'm not busy." He said, surprising himself with his forwardness. But what could he say? He kind of missed Leorio. Plus… "This isn't a date." He reminded him. "It's two friends having dinner, remember?"

A large relieved smile flashed across the doctor's face. "I remember." Two friends having dinner. He didn't miss the fact that Kurapika called him a friend. It gave him a sense of happiness that he couldn't explain. He had his friend back.

"So we're still on for dinner then?" Kurapika asked as he adjusted his papers.

"Yeah. We can go after work." Leo tried not to sound too excited but he just couldn't help it. What had gotten into the little blonde? He was like a different person from this morning. More confident and sure of himself.

Kurapika could almost hear Leo's smile as he walked away and started to head down to the restricted zone for his last appointment.

Leo's dinner invitation still lingered in his mind as he descended downstairs.

Author's Note: I'm unsure what to say here… hmm… Oh! I recently watched Brokeback Mountain for the first time! It's such a poetic and beautiful movie. It's also sad. But I swear that Jack Twist makes my heart ache in the best types of ways. Hot damn, I love that sweet fool so much.

Anyway! The next chapter is just lovely guys. Absolutely lovely~

Until next time!