The cold light from the fluorescent tube started flickering, leaving them in fluctuating darkness. Chrollo spread his arms and howled with excitement as he felt that powerful energy that enveloped him. It flowed out like cold flames, touched the ceiling and filled the office with incredible luminosity. He laughed like a child. He saw Kurapika, also with his aura alight and amplified, in a defensive position on the other side of the room. Chrollo had completely forgotten about him, he was so absorbed in feeling his Nen run through his body.
"Calm down," Chrollo said, with a smile. "I was just testing that it really worked." He lowered his Nen, until he only felt a slight tingling around him. He would have time to enjoy it later along with his wonderful powers contained in the "Skill Hunter". That reminded him of something. He took his phone and selected the timer. He turned to Kurapika, who was also turning off his Nen.
"I have a question for you," Chrollo said. "Why did you decide to become a hunter? You aren't heartless enough to be an assassin."
Kurapika frowned. "What an obvious question," his red eyes glittered again. "To kill you all, of course, and avenge my people."
"That's interesting," Chrollo murmured. "Well, you have ten minutes to tell me what you want. That's my promise. But..." He glared cold at Kurapika, "you bother me one minute more and I kill you."
Before ending the phrase, the "Skill Hunter" appeared in his hand and Chrollo summoned his favorite power, "Indoor Fish!"
Two huge Nen fish appeared swimming in the small office. Their long iridescence bodies shone as they floated with majestic movements above their heads.
"Use Nen and they'll kill you!" Chrollo warned Kurapika.
The boy opened his eyes in horror. The fearsome carnivorous fishes! Hisoka had told him about them.
"Liar! You promised it!" Kurapika shouted.
"And I'm keeping my promise!" Chrollo laughed, "Look at them. Aren't they gorgeous? They won't attack you unless I order them or... if you activate your Nen. I'm serious; don't even think about chaining me again." Chrollo said by seeing the furious glare in Kurapika's eyes. "Time is money so; think what you are going to tell. Your ten minutes start… now." Chrollo activated the timer on his phone. He sat on the couch and put the phone next to him; his finger kept marking the page where the "Indoor Fish" ability was.
Kurapika remained stood in front of him. His heart was pounding very hard. He regulated his breathing in order to calm down; He had to refocus on his goal as soon as possible: to warn Chrollo about his premonition; that terrible nightmare that didn't stop haunting him. Although it was very difficult to think clearly with those monsters floating around. Kurapika took a deep breath; he knew he had to be very precise and concrete. It was a matter of life and death.
"Yeah, well… Hisoka, you two…" began.
"Really? Are you going to give me a sermon on morality, Kurta monk?" Chrollo interrupted, laughing with sarcasm.
"No, no. Listen," Kurapika said. "The thing is... from what I know, Hisoka took you to live with him to the Heaven's Arena. Then, well... you got to know each other better and…"
"Oh, Come on! Have I to stand this? What is it? A kind of punishment or something like that?"
"Wait, please... It's important. Now you have your powers, right? I know you and Hisoka are going to fight and..." The annoyed face of Chrollo made him stop again. "What I mean is you have to stop that fight, Chrollo. You mustn't—"
"Again with that bullshit" Chrollo protested, then pointed Kurapika. "Be careful. I will enjoy watching my pets eat you bit by bit if you upset me enough. I hadn't planned any revenge, but I am already enjoying the idea."
"No! You promised, remember it. I'm serious. Well, I know it sounds crazy, but I had a nightmare. A premonition indeed." Kurapika ignored the loud snort of Chrollo and continued; the fishes swam a little faster this time. "Chrollo, that fight is a terrible mistake. It has to be cancelled. Something horrible is going to happen. A big slaughter."
"Are you kidding me? Do you want to cancel that fight because of your nightmare? You have balls to say that..."
"Listen to me! I swear that I saw it! It will be horrible, a real bloodbath; thousands of innocents will die..."
Chrollo burst out laughing. "Oh, my, this is so funny!" he said, "I will kill you and I'll enjoy every minute of it." His gray eyes shone with malice.
Kurapika shivered. "Chrollo, you have to believe me. I'm scared of what Hisoka might do if he kills you. He's really near to lose his mind, he...
"He's already a crazy nut!" pointed Chrollo.
"But he will go berserker if you die! He will be out of control, a killer monster! You don't know what I saw..."
"No! I don't know what you saw!" Chrollo yelled, his eyes sparkled with hatred, "but I´ll tell you what I saw. Hisoka won't go berserker because he can't feel anything. He's a psycho. He was planning this fight for years. All of us are his toys. Don't you get it?"
"Hisoka is not a psycho! You know that", stated Kurapika. Chrollo looked at him in disbelief.
"Stupid brat..." said Chrollo, he sighed and give him a glance mix of pity and contempt, "Are you really risking your life and your family's for him?"
"Chrollo, I'm very serious about it; these premonitions are no joke. Thousands of innocents will die if you don't stop him. Hisoka won't bear to kill you; he loves you too much..."
"Enough!" Chrollo yelled with a punch on the table. "I'm sick of this shit! Now you listen to me, damned! Hisoka is unable to love someone. You don't know him, I do! He planned all this from the beginning. The only thing he cares is to fight. He's not in love, he's a fucking psycho obsessed with a fight. Do you get the difference?"
"Hisoka loves you! He begged me on his kneel for your liberation. He humiliated himself for you. He even phoned me crying from the Neon's house when you left it. That's not enough love for you?"
Chrollo stood petrified by hearing this. Kurapika gained courage. "He loves you so much! He's really crazy for you. You are the big asshole that never realized. Because you're a conceited idiot!" shouted Kurapika, moved by his own frustration.
His face went pale, as he saw Chrollo flinging the table between them and advancing towards him, in a fury.
"Weren't you the one who ordered him to beat me to death? I'm going to kill you, you son of a bitch!" Chrollo yelled. He grabbed Kurapika by the neck and threw him hard against the wall. The two fish approached the boy, swimming fast and menacing.
"Please, don't! Stop them!" Kurapika screamed. He hit one fish with a chain; the creature disappeared in the air. He searched for the other one. He saw it when he swam back to Chrollo. The cold smile in Lucilfer's face scared him. He touched his arms and legs. Then he found it; a hole the size of half a tennis ball. A small piece of his arm was missing, but he hadn't felt anything.
"Stop it"! Kurapika yelled, while he rolled and dodge the bite of the Nen fish. The chain hit the creature and it disappeared as the one before. He tried to hit Chrollo but Lucilfer was faster and kicked him in the stomach. Kurapika lost breath. Four fishes appeared around Chrollo and two of them blocked the chains as a shield, before faded in the air. Kurapika crawled, his back stopped against the wall, just in time to see two more fishes. Chrollo was laughing out loud.
"I can prove it! I can prove he loves you!" Kurapika yelled desperate, as he killed one fish just in time to save his leg. A quick turn of another fish brought it close to his face. Kurapika covered with his hands and screamed in terror, expecting the worst. Seconds passed in silence, and then he opened his eyes.
The fish had stopped just inches from his face, and floated quietly. Kurapika looked at his hands and touched his face; everything was intact. The other fishes floated around Chrollo, who stood looking at him, his expression sinister and, at the same time, curious.
"What did you say, you fucking kurta?"
Kurapika was terrified. He didn't know why he had said such a thing. Something in his mind made him trigger the phrase that, until now, gave him precious seconds of grace.
"I... I can prove that Hisoka loves you," Kurapika stammered. He tried to remember how he came to that conclusion, but in the shock of the attack he had forgotten. "I can prove it, I swear. Besides, I am still within my time."
Chrollo looked at him. A few seconds passed in tense silence. A deep laugh filled the atmosphere. "Oh…! In that case, I would like very much to see how you do that. Convince me," Chrollo said. He ordered his fishes to circle above them again, away from the terrified Kurapika. He turned around and dropped in the couch. He leaned his head back, and exhaled a long breath. He laughed again with that grave and strange laugh, a mixture of madness, unease and joy.
"I'd almost forgotten how much I like these damn fish," Chrollo sighed. He reached up his free hand. The fishes approached and meekly brushed past his fingers like a caress. Chrollo smiled, his gaze lost in thought. He spoke in a low voice, as if to himself: "Yes ... he would have loved them... He always wanted to see them..."
He raised his head suddenly, and looked at Kurapika in surprise; as if he had just realized that he wasn't alone. For an instant Kurapika had the impression that the man was about to lose his mind. Chrollo fixed his cold gray eyes on Kurapika.
"You were going to tell me something, weren't you?" Kurapika nodded; "Ok; I'm all ears. You have three minutes left," Chrollo said. He crossed one leg over the other and grinned.
Kurapika got up off the ground and walked closer. He was blank; he couldn't remember what that important clue he had to say was. The grey gaze of Chrollo stabbed him coldly. Suddenly, the elusive idea appeared, lighting the way for him.
"So you're convinced that Hisoka doesn't love you, right?" he started.
"What's wrong with you, kurta?" Are you so horny with him that you insist so much?" Chrollo replied in exasperation. He smiled at seeing Kurapika's face blushing. "I already told you. Hisoka doesn't love me, he never did, and he can't love anyone."
"But you know him well", replied Kurapika, "So you know that Hisoka spends more money than he earns from his fights. And he would never turn down a good offer, much less a millionaire offer. Is that so or am I wrong?"
"You're right. He spends more than he has and he would never turn down a good job," Chrollo replied. "As long as there is plenty of blood and money, he will never reject it. But I don't get it. What this has to do with—?"
"Are you sure? Really sure?" Kurapika interrupted him, as he took his own phone and looked for something in it. "You say he wouldn't reject it for the world?"
"100% sure," Chrollo replied. "You have one minute left."
"That's enough time," Kurapika said. He handed his phone to Chrollo. "Here you go. Read it yourself."
Chrollo took the phone and looked at Kurapika with suspicious and curiosity. He began to read. Soon, his mocking smile turned serious, his gray eyes widening in amazement. He scrolled the messages up and down; he read them over and over. Then he stopped and left the phone. Kurapika waited with anxious. Chrollo leaned forward, rested his head on his free hand, and, to Kurapika's surprise, burst into tears.