Hey guys, sorry im late!

In response to:

Rinrikapyon: Thank you so much! I really try to make the desdemona shadowmen at least realistic and at least fitting for the anime. It means a lot to me that you like them! And the rule of thumb is: No matter what, Chrollo is always right cx

Forbidden Moons: Oh my! Thank you for all the reviews! It really made my day to wake up in the morning to them! And don't worry, it's definitely not Malfoy aha.

SilverSapphire34523: yeah but Feitan is sorta a weird guy ahah

Also, I'd like to say that a portion of this chapter is dedicated to my best friend Sammi. She's always there for me when I need help.

She could most definitely tell that he was somewhat distraught when she found him right outside her door in the middle of the night. Although he seemed just as calm and demanding as he always is, Lucius swore that she could hear some sort of difference in the pitch of his tired voice. A small hint of desperation that only someone with sharp ears like her could notice.

So, she allowed him inside.

"Do it again."

With a curious eye, she watches him shuffle in the chair across from her and glare back at her.

She crosses her legs.

"Do what again?"

She knows very well what he wants, but she just doesn't know why.

"Play it for me." He nods towards the direction of her bed, where her violin sits. "Now."

"No."

His eye twitches and he seems to stiffen in his chair. Under the table, he clutches his cloak with a firm grip.

Nobody has denied him like that before.

When he talks next, it sounds as though he is speaking through clenched teeth.

"What?!"

She smiles lightly at his response, which only infuriates him further. But she is surprised that he does not lash out at her.

"Why don't you change my mind?" She asks, leaning in. "Explain yourself."

Kurapika has often found himself dozing off in the middle of the day, but at night, he can't even close his eyes for longer than five seconds. Melody noticed this, and decided to take matters into her own hands.

First, she sat him down on the living room couch after tugging him from his bedroom, instructing him to wait. Then, she leaves the room.

He sighs and tips his head back while reclining on the couch.

None of the tactics Melody have tried the past few days have worked on him. No amount of herbal remedies, medicine or Chamomile tea could help him fall asleep. So, when Melody came back with her flute, he knew immediately that she was stumped too.

"Perhaps this will be the only way… are you fine with this?" She asks as she sits on a chair next to him.

He sighs again. He has told Melody before that this method made him uncomfortable (and she's done all that she could to avoid it), but he cannot deny that he desperately needs sleep; and he isn't about to argue with Melody over it so late at night, so he nods.

"Kurapika… you know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

He nods.

"It's not just anxiety. I know what you're feeling, Kurapika."

He looks up, his tired eyes meeting hers.

"I know" He replies. "But… I'm not sure that telling you about it will make you feel very secure."

She nods and looks down at the floor for a moment. Before she gives a response, she reaches out to touch his hand which rests on his knee. She grabs it and swipes her thumb over his knuckles in effort to comfort him.

"I'll sacrifice my sense of security to help you."

He doesn't reply, and this saddens her.

She speaks again.

"I wont leave you to suffer in this alone. Even if my music cannot cure this depression, I want to help as much as I can."

He closes his eyes.

"I'm afraid…" He starts. "I'm afraid that I won't be able to protect any of you. I'm conflicted. Melody, I'm in pain."

She does not reply, she only urges him to continue by squeezing his hand gently.

His voice shakes as he speaks.

"Is it okay to risk your lives just so I can get my revenge? My entire clan…" He chokes on the need to sob. "I-It's wrong! I should hunt them alone! I should have never of gotten you all involved." He is trembling now. "But I can't stand being all alone! Am I selfish, Melody?! I remember wanting to do this alone… for a reason…" His tears begin to hit his lap and their hands. He tries to hide his eyes under his bangs under his bangs and Melody knows it's because he's getting too worked up. "I wanted to do it alone. I don't want you to get hurt… I'm selfish. I am being so-"

Melody pulls his hand, yanking him into an awkward embrace. He stumbles into an awkward position with his head on his shoulder, leaning with his back arched.

Her warm presence lulls him into a sort of silent trance. He looks up at her.

She smiles back at him.

"That's enough of that negative-talk." Now, she strokes his hair in a sort of motherly way. He is about to reply, but she hushes him. "We all think that what you are doing is truly amazing. Do you know why?"

He shakes his head.

"Because those people will do horrible things to anyone. And they won't ever stop. You're doing all you can to make sure that they won't be able to do what they did to you and your family to someone else. Now… how is that selfish? And how is it selfish if we are willing to help you?"

Kurapika shakes his head again and slumps onto his knees onto the floor. His head falls into her lap.

He knows he's being childish, but he doesn't care at this point. He's tired, upset and scared. And really, who wouldn't be?

Melody nods and laughs, comforting him. His eyelids get heavy as she strokes his hair. Under his breath, he mumbles something.

"Melody… I'm sorry."

She laughs again.

Beautiful.

Musical.

"You're just fine." She assures. " Everything is just fine."

Kurapika moves his head to the side.

"Melody… is it okay if I come to you like this more often…?"

He looks back up at her and she simply nods.

And for a long time, the two just sit like that. Once Melody sees that Kurapika has closed his eyes and hears his even breathing, she lifts her flute from the table next to her to her lips.

"...Is that so…?"

Lucius nods and sits back in her chair. She lifts a finger to her chin and closes her eyes.

Feitan hasn't felt so conflicted before. Usually, he gets just what he wants when he wants it; he isn't patient.

What if he can never feel that again?

He flinches at the thought.

"And you haven't been able to experiment on a larger organism… I understand your distress."

"Then do it."

She chuckles. "No."

Absolutely enraged, Feitan slams his fist on to the table.

"You no get it, woman!" He scratches at the table, his nails pulling back the polished wooden finish on the table. "I'll-"

"You'll kill me?"

He lurches back into his chair as if he has been shot.

"What would happen after that…?" She asks. "If I truly took that feeling away from you, and I may be the only one to give it to you, would that be…" She pauses to think for a moment before finishing. "reasonable solution?"

Feitan doesn't reply. He's too angry and shocked to speak. She takes this as an agreement.

"That's right." She says. "But you won't suffer."

He gives her a dark glare.

"Explain. Now."

"Well…" She starts. "I know that it would be impossible to torture the torturer."

He narrows his eyes, his impatience is overwhelming.

"And?"

"Eventually you'd get my cooperation by force. So, I do intend to help you…" She narrows her eyes at him as well. "But you should know… I won't do it for free."

Feitan almost laughs in her face. He is used to making deals. In fact, the Troupe has made deals with more people than he can count. But they've always broken those deals and betrayed those people.

But he might have to agree and go through with it. And he knows that she'll be stuck in the deal as well. He knows that she knows that she cannot back down on the deal. In fact, he knows that she knows that he controls this deal as well. He figures she must be afraid of the pain he may inflict onto her after the mission.

If he did refuse, he would have to wait until after the mission to torture her until she did eventually play for him. Even then, he would be running the risk of losing her to the Chain User during the mission; or even to herself. Easily, she could threaten to commit suicide to take a bit of his control. If she dies, and experimenting on humans won't work for him, he will have no feeling whatsoever.

...But with cooperation, he'd get what he wanted when he wanted it. But it would all be for a price. Depending on the price, he'd benefit more with the deal than without. He'd be running no risks.

But the price…

He cracks a wicked smile. "You think hard, girl." He lowers his collar so he can see just how amused he is. "Tell me what you want."

She seems only a little bit surprised by this.

"All I want you to do is to listen to the things I have to say. Regardless of what they are…" She pauses. "And call me by my name."