This chapter has: silly stuff, angst, subliminal messages, etc. Seriously, it was one of the coolest things to write. Before starting the chapter, I will already warn you that since we do not know (or at least I did not find anywhere) the specific date of the massacre of the Kurta Clan, I wanted to make EVERYONE depressed and now my headcanon is that it happened on Kurapika's birthday. LET'S ALL SIT DOWN AND TALK PEACEFULLY, PLEASE DON'T KILL ME LMAOOOO
I SUGGEST YOU TO REREAD CHAPTER 9 TO REMEMBER AN IMPORTANT FACT AND CONNECT THE DOTS MY GUYS! But if you don't want to, it doesn't make any difference because I'm going to make it very explicit in a few chapters.
ALSO, SHOUT OUT TO USER MaZaNaM FOR MAKING SUCH A SWEET DRAWING OF DHEA, THANK U SM DEAR!
P.S.: I'm not writing Asian wrong, okay? For Heaven's sake, don't think I'm that dumb! XD In HxH it's indeed Azian, please don't come for me!
Hope you'll like it :)
—Cherry
"So, Dhea..." Killua started eating a piece of pancake. "Did you like to have such a big thing in your mouth?"
Medea choked on her grape juice, coughing for a moment before turning to the teenager with wide eyes. At her side, Kurapika was as red as a strawberry, opting to just take the cup of coffee to his lips to avoid showing any more reaction.
"I'm sorry?"
"The donut." He explained as he pointed to the plate that the waitress had just collected from the table.
She felt Alluka stare at her in confusion as the blond next to her ate another piece of his chocolate waffle.
"Oh, y-yeah! Yeah, it was, was good..." She replied, taking the glass to her lips.
Killua threw her a mischievous look and smirked, the heat automatically rising to her cheeks and she lowered her eyes to her plate. She was not exactly a prude, quite the contrary, she was used to talking about sex freely. However, something about that situation seemed extremely embarrassing to her, probably because Killua had arranged everything on purpose.
"I bet!"
"Anyway Dhea, when are you going to receive the instructions of your... trip?" Asked Kurapika, changing the subject entirely. He couldn't speak clearly on the issue of the Order in public, Medea had warned them that the walls had ears everywhere, so it was better not to risk it.
"I think by the end of the day." She said as she began to pull herself together once again. "My boss should ask me to come back before the phase of the Moon changes."
"Can we go with you, De?" Pleaded Alluka. "I never had the opportunity to visit the Azian continent, it must be beautiful!"
Medea laughed. "I was counting on it, actually." She ate another slice of bacon and a bit of her scrambled eggs before she went on. "It's the least I can do to thank you for coming to rescue me in Padokea, without you I would have..." She shook her head and smiled again. "Anyway, thank you very much."
"Just don't get used to it, I'm not gonna save your ass every time you get in trouble." Warned Killua. "Especially with my family, they're not normal."
"I definitely realized that. By the way, what's wrong with your brother?" She asked while she took the last bite of her food.
"Which one?" He retorted, laughing a bit. "Feel free to pick one, each one is worse than the previous."
She rolled her eyes.
"Illumi, obviously." Alluka made a face of disgust and Medea could swear that she'd make gestures to protect herself spiritually if she knew any.
"Honestly, I don't even know, he was already fucked up when I was born." He sighed. "I was surprised he didn't try to make me stay at the mansion yesterday, it's very unlike him."
"What do you mean?"
"Big brother is the heir to the family, he's the one who must inherit all the fortune and property when our father dies." Told Alluka and Medea frowned, confused.
"But isn't Illumi the oldest? Shouldn't it belong to him?"
Kurapika snorted. "Dhea, did you not notice anything in common between Killua, his father and his grandfather?" Medea took a finger to her lips in a thoughtful way.
"All of them have light eyes and hair..." The woman replied. "But that's genetic. What does it have to do with being the heir?"
"Not only that, they're all Transmuters." he put a strand of hair behind his ear and turned to face the young woman. "It's like a stamp of approved or disapproved when it comes to the position."
Killua nodded as he finished drinking his hot chocolate. "My brothers are all manipulators, so they're not considered fit. Illumi was trained to be one until I was born, after that the position became mine."
"So I guess you don't want to be the heir, and that's why you ran away." She said slowly, absorbing the information little by little as the boy nodded. "Now I get why your brother is always so angry, I'd also be pissed if I lost my title to a child who had barely been born." She shrugged.
"Angry? Illumi?" Killua gave a loud laugh that caught the attention of other people in the hotel restaurant, and Medea smiled at them embarrassed, trying to apologize for the act. "Illumi has no emotion, trust me, I know my brother better than anyone, unfortunately."
Medea opened her mouth to say something, but soon closed it. She vehemently disagreed with Killua; she had seen a lot of emotion in the assassin, mostly anger. Still, it seemed strange to explain that to someone who had lived part of his life being cared for by that man, he knew almost everything about his own brother whereas she had only met him four times. She certainly didn't have the right to say how he behaved or not. However, she knew she'd seen something in those eyes.
Of course, there was plenty of hatred and contempt, but there was something darker in there, something that Medea was sure she wouldn't want to find out what it was. She could remember and practically feel his gloomy aura imposing itself over hers, it was suffocating; had he done that on purpose or had that strange glow in his gaze been the responsible for it? She took her hands to the side of her neck and massaged the skin, it was almost as if she was still being asphyxiated by that man.
The woman felt Kurapika's hand cover hers and, realizing that he looked at her with concern, she turned to face him.
"Is everything alright?"
"Sure, why wouldn't it?" She asked with a fake smile.
"Dhea, I need to ask you something." Killua declared with a serious face while his fingers toyed with the knife on the wooden table. "You said you hurt someone important to you, his name's Kite right?" Medea arched an eyebrow, but nodded. "Is there any chance that this Kite is Ging Freecs' student?"
"Yeah, it's him! Do you guys know each other?" She asked excited. It had been years since she'd received the last news about the man, the mere possibility of knowing something new about him made her body shake in anticipation.
"You could say that." He answered in that serious tone. "Tell me, you haven't seen him in how long?"
"About three years, why?"
He whistled and looked to the side, slightly scratching his nape. Medea didn't like that. If Killua wasn't making eye contact with her, then there was something wrong, maybe he was hiding something. She looked at Alluka, but she didn't seem to sketch any reaction at all, she just watched the two chatting while she drank her strawberry smoothie. Sighing, he looked at her again, blue eyes filled with a strange glow. Yeah, there was definitely something that he didn't want to tell her.
"... In a month, it's Gon's fourteenth birthday." He spoke up. "And Gon happens to be Ging's son."
"Wait, wait, wait, hold the fuck up!" She took her hand to her face in shock. "If you're Gon's friend and you know Kite, that means he knows Kite, too, and if Kite knows Gon, who's the kid of the guy he's been looking for years, then that means that... Oh, shit, Kite's gonna be there!"
Killua nodded.
"Medea, a lot has changed since you last saw each other. And I do mean a lot." He stated. "I really don't know how Kite will react once you meet again, so please don't get your hopes up."
"Killua!" Reprimanded Kurapika.
"What? I'm being honest! I'm not saying that because I want to hurt you, but Kite is way different now." Medea sighed.
"I just need to apologize." She ensured them. "If he wants to be my friend again, great, but I just don't want to die with a guilty consciousness…"
The boy nodded and got up from the chair, taking Alluka's hand, and she stared at him in confusion.
"Having breakfast with you guys was nice and all, but I want to go to some cool places and you're delaying me. See ya, losers!" He said while he pulled his sister towards the door.
Medea laughed bitterly and sighed. To think about the possibility of Kite rejecting her apology and simply sending her away was... Well, it was painful. She'd understand if he wanted to stay away from her though, she knew she had hurt him and honestly didn't think she deserved forgiveness. He'd be in his right even if he slapped her in the face. He had practically raised her for almost six years and in the end had heard horrible things from her; he definitely deserved someone better in his life.
"A penny for your thoughts." Joked Kurapika as he embraced her.
"It's just ... Kite, basically." Medea admitted.
"Hm. Is he one of your exes?" Medea couldn't help but laugh at the question.
"Dude, no! He's kind of an older brother, we met after I became a Hunter because I tried to steal his wallet. It was hard to be a novice with no mentor or relatives, you know, and I was completely lost after..." She restrained himself before she talked too much. She didn't want him to see her differently if he knew about her past, it was still too early to talk about what had happened in Proyca.
"After...?"
"Nothing, after nothing." Medea declared. "Anyway, you don't have to be jealous, we never had anything, it's disturbing to even think of it." She got up slowly and put a hand on her waist, looking at him mischievously. "Now get up so we can leave because someone has a late birthday to celebrate."
Kurapika arched an eyebrow and crossed his arms.
"Do you really think I'm gonna let you get away with that?" His eyes were soft, but the tone in his voice was deliciously harsh.
"Perhaps." Answered the girl as he approached her and intertwined their hands.
"Did you forget that I'm a Blacklist Hunter? I'm used to dealing with unwilling people..." He reminded her. "Give me one good reason not to get what I want from you, whether you like it or not." He whispered next to her ear, making her shiver.
"Because I'm a cutie?" She said as they left the restaurant and followed to the hotel lobby.
"That's not enough, babe."
"Because I gave you an incomparable blowjob as a birthday gift?" She tried again, making him gasp in surprise and eye her reproachfully. "What? You know I did! You will never forget the day you turned twenty! " She bragged, laughing victoriously.
"How could I not? You almost got yourself killed, it'll be kind of impossible not to remember." He defended himself, a slight blush spreading across his face as he looked away.
She leaned her face against his shoulder, feeling the musky scent invade her nostrils. "Admit it, you will remember the blowjob..." Medea teased, making him turn his face and throw her a censorious look.
"Don't say that! Someone can hear you!"
"By the way, there's something I wanted to ask you!" She said, changing the subject. "Why did your eyes become red when we...?"
"Medea if you finish that sentence, I swear I'll leave you here alone." Kurapika warned and she laughed. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "It's something related to my clan, it happens when a Kurta experiences intense emotions." Medea realized that his posture had changed when talking about the subject, he seemed strangely serious all of a sudden, like when they met in the Emerald Kaniv.
Trying to him cheer up again, she smiled mischievously before saying: "So it means that you really liked the way my velvety tongue felt around-"
"MEDEA!"
"Chill, I'm just teasing you. " She laughed. "But tell me, do all of you have those eyes?" He shook his head.
"Just the ones whose blood is purer."
"They are so beautiful, I have never seen anything like that before..." She said affectionately. "Oh, and speaking of clan, I wanna meet yours, okay? Because I don't have either that or a family, so I want to see what it's like to live in such place and, of course, I want to hear your mom talk about the stuff you did as a kid." She said. Kurapika turned to her with sorrow in his eyes, something that made her heart hurt, and Medea frowned. "What, did I say something wrong?"
"No, you didn't..." He replied and took a deep breath. He pulled her to himself in a side hug. "Just... Thank you. For spending my birthday with me, I mean. I haven't had good memories of this date for years. It's something... cursed."
She didn't like to hear Kurapika's sad voice, she liked to see him happy and relaxed, even though most of the time he looked serious among other people. Medea took advantage that the sidewalk was empty because it was still early and pushed the man into a partially lit alley, looking deep into his eyes. He seemed confused for a few seconds before he felt her soft, sweet lips touching his. Unlike the night before, that kiss was sweet and delicate; it was nothing more than an affectionate gesture, a way to reassure him and chase the pain that Medea saw in his eyes away.
She placed her hands on his cheeks, gently touching him while allowing her thumbs to caress his cheekbones. His hands wrapped her waist tightly, as if he feared that the woman would slip through his fingers. Suddenly, Medea felt something salty invade her mouth and a tremor run through his body, which made frown at the strange situation. Moving away slightly, Medea opened her eyes and finally realized that he was crying.
"What happened?" She asked worried, fitting his face in the palms of her hands.
He shook his head, an indication that he didn't want to or couldn't talk about it, and leaned against the wall, more tears rolling from his closed eyes. His chest went up and down in a frantic, unregulated rhythm as he tried to keep his sounds within himself, as if he didn't want to let her see him in such a vulnerable state. Medea placed her head below his, his chin touching the top of her head as he leaned over it.
"Kurapika, please talk to me." Medea insisted, feeling her heart tighten painfully when he pressed her against himself.
"Y-you w-won't..." He seemed to choke on his own tears and hugged her more intensely before continuing. "They're all d-..." He muttered and Medea closed her eyes understanding what he was trying to explain.
Not knowing what to do, she snuggled him tightly, leading his head to the crook of her neck and feeling him sob as he clung to the dark blue sweater that the young woman wore. He was shaking like a child who had just woken up from a nightmare and, perhaps, that really was the best metaphor to describe Kurapika's grief. Medea ran her hand over his back in an attempt to calm him down. She kissed the top of his head and pulled him tighter against herself.
"It's gonna be okay, Kura, I promise." Medea felt something wet her cheeks and looked up, waiting for the raindrops to continue to roll down her face.
There were no clouds in the sky.
/
The smell of whiskey, cheap cigar and, oddly enough, popcorn was strong, but Illumi didn't mind it. He had bigger problems to deal with and only had one goal in mind at the moment: finding the person he needed to talk to. He didn't like amusement parks, they were useless places for someone like him. Illumi didn't understand the reason people paid to spend time eating junk food and riding strange toys just to feel the adrenaline of losing control over themselves; if they wanted to experience that feeling so badly, then it was easier and cheaper to play Russian Roulette, but of course not all people had the courage for such a thing.
It was thanks to these and other reasons that he saw people as leaves carried by the wind as he started to grow up. They had no control over their own life, but they liked to believe they did. They could be crushed by stronger people at any time, however they didn't seem to realize or care about the fact. It was confusing to him to try to figure out what was going on in their minds.
Leaning against a pilaster in front of the carousel, Hisoka stood with a bucket of popcorn. Illumi arched an eyebrow as he approached the ally, looking at him from head to toe.
"Why am I not surprised that you chose this place?"
The redhead laughed and threw some popcorn into his mouth. "Because my friends know I'm an open book~" He teased.
"I already told you I'm not your friend. We have a contract, you know I'll kill you someday." The assassin reminded him, receiving a malicious smile from the magician in response.
"And I can't wait to fight you~" He threw the now empty packaging of popcorn in the trash and wiped his hands. "But I'm afraid that's not why you wanted to meet me, right?"
Illumi nodded and began to wander aimlessly among the crowd, being followed by the man. He looked up at the sky. At night, it looked like a huge tapestry, with its ebony color and light navy-blue hues, and the stars seemed to be diamonds and pearls attached to the fabric; it reminded him of the tapestry he's seen on a mission many years ago. He was about nine years old when his father and him were hired to assassinate a major slave trader, and obviously the contract had been fulfilled. As they left the place, they passed through an extensive corridor that was entirely covered by the smoothest and most beautiful velvet tapestry he'd seen in his short life, replete with multicolored jewelry and drawings in different shades of blue.
He had never forgotten its soft texture and the sweet smell that it emanated, nor the punishment he had received for leaving his bloody digital on the fabric after the event. He never repeated that mistake again.
"My family organized a sort of selection to find a suitable bride for me." He started.
"And you didn't invite me?" Asked Hisoka, looking at the brunette with a dramatic look on his face. "You're breaking my heart, dear Illu."
"You're don't have blood ties with any of the candidates, I had no reason to invite you." He stated objectively. "Anyway, that's not the problem... Remember the girl from The Mongrel Chameleon?"
"The one you're dying to kill? Of course I remember." Hisoka raised an eyebrow, studying him carefully. "What's does she have to do with it?"
"She broke into the mansion."
"Pardon moi?"
Illumi frowned momentarily before letting an "Ah!" escape from his lips. "True, you do not know, I did not tell you. She also works as a thief for an Azian sect." The man responded as they passed the roller coaster, a line of people encircling the attraction. "She tried to steal an item that belonged to my grandfather and since Killua intervened in her behalf, we gave her a chance to choose between the Whispers of the Abyss and immediate death."
Hisoka laughed. "Basically, it was six of one and half a dozen of the other... How cruel~" He sighed maliciously, taking a hand to his neck and slowly descending it down his torso. "Did you fill her with despair, Illu? Did she cry before she died? Oh, I want all the most exciting details!~"
"She survived."
The magician turned to the ally immediately, his golden eyes wide and his lips partially open. "Come again?"
"I don't know how, but she survived the drug." Illumi reiterated, sighing heavily.
"Heavens, I knew she'd have enough strength to entertain me, but that?" He moaned and Illumi glared at him.
"Do I need to remind you of our conversation in Ileack?" His voice had a serious tone when he addressed the redhead, it was clearly his last warning, but the other just shook his hands in disinterest.
"Don't be silly, I won't do anything with the cutie." He said. "But it's doesn't kill to imagine it, right?~" He provoked, taking a gum out of his pocket and offering the dark-haired man. "Want some Bungee Gum?"
Illumi remained impassive as they walked, not even caring to answer his companion. "Medea."
"Hm?"
"Don't call her cutie, her name is Medea." He repeated.
"Now her face has a name, how interesting... Anyway, why are you telling me that? Don't you want to kill her yourself?" The magician reminded him.
"I don't know. Part of me was elated to see her between life and death, but another part was... confused." Illumi admitted with frustration.
"Confused?"
"Yeah, I feel completely weird." He explained. "And after she left, one of the two selected by my family, Himari, came to my room to-"
"I know, to thank you for the incredible opportunity using her attributes."
"Exactly, but the thing is, I couldn't get Medea out of my head." He confessed with a frown. "I could smell her perfume, feel the texture of her skin under my fingers; all I thought about was her." He huffed and turned to the redhead with a serious countenance. "I fucked Himari while fantasizing about Medea and, even worse, I called her name when I came."
Hisoka stared at him with neutrality for exactly ten seconds before his face began to twitch in an amused expression. A loud, strident laugh escaped her throat, only being muffled when the cart full of people on the roller-coaster passed near them shouting. He bent his body forward, taking one hand to his abdomen and holding the arm of the assassin with the other one, receiving a look of irritation.
"Fucking Hell, Illumi, do you want to fuck your target?" He laughed again. "Holy shit, I should have suspected by your reaction! Damn, I think I'm crying!" The redhead took his fingers to his eyes to dry some tears as he recomposed himself.
"Are you done?"
"Holy fuck, that's hilarious!" He put his hands in the air, as if he announced a new movie title. "Illumi Zoldyck gets hard for a thief he barely knows, coming soon… Or better, cumming soon."
Illumi snapped his tongue, he was regretting going to that place to talk to the magician.
"Hisoka, I'm not here to hear your bullshit."
"Of course you aren't, you came to ask your beloved ally for love advice because you just found out that you want to take the cutie. Oh, sorry, Medea." He pouted teasingly and poked the man's shoulder, receiving a slap on his hand. "Does little Illu want to get down and dirty with the hot thief?"
"You know what, I'm leaving, I don't have to keep listening to that kind of thing." Hisoka held his arm, preventing him from moving away.
"Okay, sorry, I just couldn't resist." He said, but he still kept the smirk on his lips. "But what's the problem then?"
"Actually, for the first time in a long time, I don't know what I should do nor what I want." Illumi declared. "If I kill her, will I feel normal again? Or should I try to ignore her existence? So many thoughts go around my mind, I'm confused."
They passed by the Ferris wheel, both extremely quiet. Illumi felt annoyed that he had finally expressed his thoughts aloud, it was as if he was doing something wrong and could be discovered at any time. He felt like a child again, when he began to learn about the correct posture of a member of the Zoldyck family and still made mistakes. He felt that, at any moment, his father and grandfather would decide to punish him for his disobedience, for focusing on something other than his responsibility as an assassin.
"Do you want her?" asked Hisoka after some time.
"Intensely." He admitted.
"Then go after her." His voice was entertained. "You never stopped going after Killua, even after everything that happened, you should do the same now. Think ahead of her, plan a situation, gain advantage... You need to play if you want to win." Hisoka advised him.
"That's different." Illumi pointed out. "Killua is the heir, he is my family."
"And who said she can't become your family either?"
Those words caught him by surprise, causing him to stop walking while reflecting on what he had just heard. Why couldn't Medea be part of his family? As a matter of fact, his family had organized an event to select the women with the greatest potential to become his bride and she had participated, so that validated her as an option, right?
Of course, she didn't come from an influential family – she didn't even have one, actually – and had grown up in a brothel (to think of how many men had slept with her irritated Illumi deeply), but she had passed the challenge imposed by his family, just like the other chosen women. She was alive after using that lethal drug! This meant that not only she had a high physical capacity, but also had a remarkable intellect considering all of her scientific feats as a Hunter. Medea would be a nice addition to the family, he'd only need to train her a little more to shape her skills properly and she'd become the ideal wife for him.
His wife. Illumi liked the sound of that... If he had her as his wife, he could finally satisfy the desire that clouded his mind, he'd be able to tame her. The man smiled briefly. Yeah, he definitely liked that idea.
"I can't believe I'm gonna say that, but you're right, Hisoka."
"I always am, but you simply choose to ignore my magnificent wisdom." The magician responded.
Suddenly something caught his eye. It was a small, colorful cabin and a woman around his mother's age was sitting on a stool in there, surrounded by various mystical items. Illumi walked to the place and Hisoka, though confused, accompanied him, curious to know what he wanted to do there. She turned her face towards the two men and smiled sympathetically as they approached.
"Would you like to know your futures?" She asked.
"How much will it cost?" Illumi asked. He didn't believe in clairvoyance nor in religions, but something was certainly drawing him there. He wanted to, no, he needed to know what.
She shook her head.
"I don't usually do this, but it won't cost anything. I have a feeling this is a warning from the gods to both of you." She told them.
Hisoka arched an eyebrow.
"Oh, the gods want to talk to us?" He laughed mockingly. "I doubt it very much, but feel free to tell me my fortune, it's not like it's really going to affect anything in my life other than make me have a good laugh."
The woman just rolled her eyes, probably accustomed to that behavior. She took a handful of white sand and threw it up, closing her eyes while waiting for it to fall. When she opened them again, she saw the lines it had formed on the dark wood and frowned, murmuring words in a language unknown to Illumi. The seer blew part of the dust and looked at Hisoka again, her once green eyes were now red as blood.
"What you wish for will happen soon, but not in the way you expect. Arrogance will be your downfall." She warned and the magician laughed, rolling his eyes.
She again blew the remaining part of the powder and stared at Illumi, who remained calm as always.
"Before Sunset, the Dragon lurks his prey, but when the night comes, he shall devour it." The woman stated. "The Morning's over, prepare to attack."
He frowned, but immediately understood what the Oracle was saying, so he just nodded. Hisoka pulled him by the arm to the exit of the amusement park, murmuring things about charlatans and how he couldn't stand that kind of people. Illumi, on the other hand, was sure that the past message was true, which surprised even himself.
He looked at the Ebony sky and smiled victoriously. He was ready to start hunting.
HISOKA U CAN'T JUST COME UP AND GIVE ILLUMI SHITTY IDEAS, FFS MAN, I CAN'T EXCUSE THAT. Jk, come here, let me pretend it didn't happen bb, u clearly didn't know what u were doing... Right?
Medea is about to discover secrets that can change her whole life. How will she react? What is the role of the Order in all this? To find out these and other questions, stay tuned for the next chapters~