A/N: I'm always sorry, aren't I? Sorry for the most delayed update ever. To be honest, I'm feeling nervous posting another chapter after so long. It's not very long, but hopefully you'll enjoy it. As always, I'd be grateful if you let me know what you think.

Teeth and Bone

When she woke up, Aada felt tired. She didn't know how long she had slept, but the sleep had not erased the deep, exhausting tiredness that sinks into the bones. She knew what it was, remembered it well. Sadness. Helplessness.

Though tired and sad, she was warm, registering everything in slow motion – it was almost dark, as always, there were arms wrapped around her and she was pressed against someone, someone who was the source of warmth. When she moved, the two arms tightened their hold and the breathing pattern of the person next to her changed to an uneven one of somebody who was about to wake up. The scent… the scent wasn't right; but still, tired and groggy, Aada gave in to wishful thinking, a fantasy she'd nurtured, and pressed herself closer to the warmth.

"Hi-so-ka..."

"Definitely not." Chrollo's voice seemed half amused and half offended and only then did Aada realize she said the magician's name aloud.

Immediately remembering who she was with, she felt her body stiffen. At least, she noticed with relief, she was wearing the same clothes she fell asleep in. As for Chrollo, he was still in his leather pants and ridiculous fur trimmed coat. She could feel his skin underneath her cheek, so warm in contrast to his cold, calculating personality. How strange, she thought. Warmth, something so primal and coveted, felt good even though it was exuded by one she was afraid of.

"I'd rather you didn't say his name when you wake up next to me." Chrollo sounded nonchalant.

"I never asked you to stay." Replied Aada, making an attempt to move away, but as expected, he didn't let her. "Why did you?"

"I wanted to, so I did. If that's not enough, you were quite distressed last night... I thought perhaps you needed some comfort."

"Hypocrite. You were the one who caused it."

"That's not true. I only told you some truths you needed to hear. He was the one who hurt you, even though he wasn't here." Chrollo's hand found its way in Aada's hair, his fingers slowly massaging her scalp. If she could forget who he was, the caress would feel pleasant, relaxing. It both baffled and scared her, this audacity of his, the intimacy of his touch after all he'd said and done. She couldn't understand why he continued this charade, when he'd already admitted the way he had acted as Kuro was a lie. Maybe it was simply some twisted rivalry with Hisoka, to be able to play with a toy that the magician considered his. If only she could summon enough strength to be infuriated by it, she'd welcome it, but she was so very tired.

His other hand slowly moved up and down her back. Aada wondered if he was using his nen on her; she couldn't feel it, unlike those few times with Hisoka, but it didn't mean it wasn't there. It had to be nen, she thought, because against reason, against her wishes, her body slowly started to relax. It had to be nen, because she wouldn't forgive herself if it wasn't.

"What caused you to be this way?" she asked, surprising herself.

"What way? You say it as though I am terribly flawed."

"This way…" Aada sighed. "Not seeing difference between people and things. Taking whatever you want, and not even batting an eye if you need to kill to get it.

She paused, but surprisingly, no retort came.

"You speak of some connection we share but… I don't think you can connect, not really, not on a deep level. You said love was wasted on us. Connections to others are not flaws, Kuro. They can be strengths. But you don't see it."

Damn, she chastised herself immediately. There it was again, the nickname she wasn't supposed to use. She couldn't see his face, but was sure he was smirking, in his annoying, arrogant way.

"I want to know where you come from. Where this all comes from." She said, and found it to be true. Chrollo terrified her, but on the other hand the way his mind worked was strangely fascinating.

"Very well. I'll tell you."

That surprised her. She didn't expect him to simply do what she asked.

"Have you ever heard of Meteor City?" he started, and Aada shook her head, her cheek rubbing against warm skin.

"It's not surprising; not many have." He started, "Meteor City… is a wasteland, a giant junkyard; those who dwell there exist in no official records. A land of decay full of ghosts. I am one of them."

Aada didn't know how long he spoke, his calm voice sounding completely detached, as though he was narrating the life of somebody he knew or a character in a book he'd read. It sounded in fact like a story written by someone with cruel, yet impressive imagination. Aada found that she couldn't fault Chrollo for wanting to form the Phantom Troupe, and she couldn't fault those being its founding members for wanting to survive in a place that could swallow you whole without anyone to notice or anyone to remember. She found it quite impressive how Chrollo managed to steer a group with so many different and strong personalities, instilling clear rules to follow. He said their bond was thinner than water, yet thicker than blood (1).

The Meteor City built by Chrollo's words didn't seem like a place that fostered appreciation for human life, or life in general; instead, it encouraged killing to gain power or throwing lives away in the name of revenge, all under the guise of loyalty to one another. It had been his home, a home where you guard the door and sleep with one eye open. It surprised Aada greatly how little Chrollo valued his own life, putting the Spider above himself, a strangely selfless way of thinking for one who appeared so selfish. No, she didn't fault any of them for wanting to be together and strive for a better life. She understood how the environment he grew up in molded Chrollo into who he was today. She did not condemn the start of the story, but how it developed made her feel sick. She could understand a certain degree of ruthlessness needed to survive. She did not forgive murder.

"Is that what you wanted to know?" asked Chrollo quietly, and loosened his grip enough to move away slightly and look at her. Despite what he was, she felt sadness, thinking who he could have become with that bright mind of his if he'd been born elsewhere. Pointless musings... he was who he was, people didn't change, and that bright mind led its host to dark places, beyond the point of no return.

"And so there it is, the truth." Chrollo's hand brushed Aada's cheek as he finished his story. "It is easier to understand now, isn't it? The truth is that the kind of connections you spoke of are a hindrance. What counts is fully appreciating and enjoying what gives you pleasure. What counts is opportunities. Potential.

"You have so much of it. It's exhilarating."

"I thought I was just a bargaining chip." She replied.

"You are." The corner of Chrollo's mouth quirked, a ghost of a smile. "But you can become more than that, if you let go of the past, and of unnecessary attachments."

"You mean Hisoka."

"Mhmm. Yes, among other things." Chrollo confirmed. "You are a bit like him, I have to admit that. But you are more like me. You know it's true. He doesn't love you, and never will." The words cut into her mercilessly, and Aada wondered if repeating them gave him some kind of twisted pleasure.

"I will not care for you; but thinner than water, thicker than blood… I can give you that." He now held Aada's face in the palms of his hands, holding her gaze, his voice gaining deep, hypnotic quality she attributed to nen.

His hair got mussed during his sleep creating a strange, distorted image – the face was Kuro's, while the voice and demeanor belonged to Chrollo. In her current state, it only added to the confusion Aada felt. She was tired of cruelty. Tired of blurred lines. It had to be nen; her mind felt heavy and clouded and all of a sudden she found herself agreeing with some of Chrollo's words. They were alike... maybe. Maybe he was right, she thought absentmindedly. Was he right?

"Relax. Living in the moment is the best thing anybody can do. Why not enjoy it, and the kind of connection we have?" He continued, gathering her closer, the already almost-familiar warmth back beneath her cheek. "There's no one to hurt you here. No one to disturb us."

His last words sobered Aada up, breaking whatever trance she started to enter. Faces flashed before her mind's eye, reminding her of home she wanted to return to; Hisoka's face held a prominent place, but he wasn't the one who tethered her back to reality. Hisoka left. Hisoka didn't care. But there was someone who always did, a connection that would never be broken, one that wormed its way into the core of her very being, warm, steady, reassuring. Loving. She imagined kind eyes behind small shades, a smile that made her feel better, arms that always held her when she was hurt, even the stupid, cheap suit he insisted on wearing although she told him countless times she'd buy him a new one. Friend. No, more than that. The only family she had left.

Her mind worked on overdrive now. She had to get away from here. Chrollo said there was no one to disturb them. Aada hoped it meant that wherever they were, they were now alone. If they were alone, it was her only chance to attempt an escape. But how? They may be alone, but Chrollo had his nen, which made him so much stronger than her she couldn't begin to imagine. Those fish he showed her a few days back… would they tear her to shreds if she tried to escape and he caught her? No, there was no use thinking about that. She analyzed possible options as quickly as she could. What could she do without nen, unlike her friends? Leorio stood little chance against Chrollo, maybe Kurapika did. Hisoka… he'd have a chance. But if Illumi could incapacitate him to the point of taking his eyesight away, who was to say that… Oh. Incapacitate. Incapacitate… Yes. How? Hands… If she used her hands, he'd easily stop her, he was much stronger. True, but she could use something else. The pieces of the puzzle clicked together, but Aada didn't stop worrying; the thought of what she was about to do was nauseating. It felt degrading. No matter. If she had to degrade herself to get her life back, she would. She'd had worse things happen to her.

Can I lie though? She thought, Can I lie good enough to fool him? I thought not but…

'No, he didn't suffer.'

'No, she wasn't in much pain.'

'No, it was quick. They didn't even feel it.'

She now remembered she had lied many times, and was convincing, though she never enjoyed it. As good as she was, she couldn't save everyone, and dealing with victims of accidents or natural disasters made her face death more often than she wanted, and made her lie. Why would the ones left behind need the painful truth? It would only add to their despair. And so sometimes she lied, and now she had to lie just as good.

She was already close, and had to be even closer. She had to be precise. She forced herself to calm down and succeeded; after all, she'd been in life-or-death situation many times before, she'd held the lives of others in her hands, and the only difference now was that the life in question was her own. She got to know Chrollo a bit, and even if he didn't believe her, there was a good chance he'd play along just to use her actions against her later, or to play on Hisoka's possessiveness. His powers also made him very sure of himself, and he didn't consider her a real threat.

"Why so silent all of a sudden?" Chrollo's voice interrupted her musings.

"You have given me a lot to think about."

"And?"

"You may be right." She said quietly, happy that in their current position he couldn't see her face. "Maybe I need to forget."

"Good. Even if it's not completely true, it's a good start."

Chrollo pulled away slightly, tipped her chin up and kissed her. She didn't push him away this time. At first, she still felt guilt. Then came an angry thought that she shouldn't. Why feel guilt when Hisoka didn't even care? It wasn't important. Both Hisoka and Chrollo were using her, but she was better than that. She wasn't going to be part of tug of war between two men who cared nothing about her, like a mindless puppet. She wasn't a thing. She had a life to go back to, and a calling neither of them could follow. Feeling strangely empowered, she poured herself into the kiss, to the point of being aggressive. She didn't recognize herself, vaguely wondering if it was adrenaline. No matter. They both angered her so much. Hisoka. Chrollo. Thinking that, she bit Chrollo's lip and found perverse, distorted pleasure in the taste of his blood on her tongue.

Look what both of you did to me, she thought. No more.

He pulled away again, his usually emotionless face looking mildly surprised.

"I did not expect that."

"I told you; you don't know me as well as you thought."

"I guess I don't."

He kissed her again, and Aada didn't feel guilty anymore. She felt detached, concentrated only on what she needed to do to get away. She grabbed a fistful of Chrollo's hair and yanked his head back. She kissed his neck and felt his hands tighten on her shirt.

I cannot use nen, she thought, and almost smiled. But I know exactly how you are built.

She kept up her act, all the time looking for the perfect spot, tilting her head so she'd had better purchase. Then, she bit down, as hard as she could without breaking skin. Immediately, she moved away. The mere fact she could do so meant she succeeded. Chrollo's body went limp, his eyes rolled up in his head. Even though she couldn't afford to waste time, she had to fight off a thought she did not expect, because in this moment she understood she could kill him. She could kill him, and he wouldn't hurt anybody else. No more people like Kurapika, with their lives destroyed by loss and revenge. No more danger to those she loved. She could kill him and yet… she couldn't. She wasn't like him. She took an oath; and oath to heal, not to take lives.

Shaking her head, Aada quickly grabbed her glasses and shoes and ran for the door. It wasn't locked, just as she expected; when he was in the room with her, Chrollo felt too cocky, a proof of how little he truly thought of her. She hoped that her bet on them being alone was correct because she had to find her way through an unknown place and she didn't have much time. She bit down on Chrollo's vagus nerve, the one that Hisoka almost hit on her own neck the night they met. For a trained medic, it wasn't that hard to find; a long nerve running down either side of the neck. He'd be unconscious for several minutes at best, and most likely he'd feel nauseous and would have to crawl to move once he came to, which would buy her more precious minutes. A splitting headache would be an added bonus.

Quickly looking around she surmised she was being kept in a basement of some abandoned, decrepit building. The paint was falling off the walls and she could see patches of brick underneath in the cold, bluish light of several lamps that reminded her of the hospital she worked in. She ran down the corridor, and eventually found steps leading up. She didn't run as fast she could; she was still looking around in case there were more Spiders in the building, but luckily, so far she hasn't stumbled upon one.

It looked like there were two underground levels in the building and running up the steps was starting to take its toll. When she reached what looked like a ground floor, Aada stopped for a few precious seconds, heaving, but enjoying the daylight seeping from a glassless window.

First she had to cover as much ground as possible while attempting to identify where exactly she was. Find a phone. Then hide and hope Chrollo wouldn't find her, or try to reach home on her own. She took a deep breath, ran for the door, and then into the sunlight of a cobblestone street. She was grateful for the adrenaline that was still carrying her and ran, as fast and far as she could.

(1) "Thinner than water, thicker than blood" is a quote (sadly, not mine) - used to describe relationships between the inhabitants of Meteor City, as per Hunterpedia. I liked it.