A/N: Alright, it's time for the writer's excuses for procrastination again!
1)I'm plunging into a gacha hell that is Fate Grand Order (NA server) since August 2018. Please halp.
2)I went to a 5 days vacation at El Nido, Palawan this January 30 and got home by February 4 in hopes to alleviate my writer's block. It was my first time riding a plane and island hopping. Had sunburns and scratches from corals. Every second was worth it.
3)I'mapublishedwriternow. Shhh.
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HXH
BETA: Aesclapia
Chapter 27: A Revised Contract.
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"I-It's just like what you said," the voice of a man from the other end of the line. "The boy handed in his resignation just now."
Smiling, he pressed the phone closer to his ear. "I see. How did it go?"
"I did just what you told me!" The voice was indignant yet frantic. "I went easy on him and approved the resignation. He's going back to his former boss and his other companion here is likely coming with him."
"When is he going to leave?"
"I said he can move out anytime as long as the necessary turnover is done so he won't think I wanted him out of my house as soon as bloody possible. I think he'll leave by tomorrow."
"As for my other instructions?"
"Yeah, yeah. I didn't forget it. Promised to sell the eyes exclusively to him for 2 billion each pair. He seemed relieved."
"Very well, I am glad. You're not a bad business partner, sir."
"Yeah, right. Whatever. Now, will you leave me alone?"
"Sure, sure. As promised, I'll spare your life as long as you abide to my requests."
"Don't come after the Kuruta, keep my mouth shut about Meniandro, keep my promise about the scarlet eyes and act as if this whole damned bullshit never happened. You have my word."
"You forgot not to tell anyone about his identity."
"Fine. His secret is safe with me. I'll move away from York Shin as soon as he leaves. I'll hand over the eyes as soon as the payment is made. Are we done here?"
"That is very nice of you. Yes, I also hope that this will be our last conversation. Be good, and so will I."
"Yeah, right."
"It is a pleasure doing business with you, Dmitri-san. Have a good night."
The man from the other end cut the line without another word. Slowly, the smile on Kuroro's face faded, suppressing a relieved sigh as he did so. He pocketed his phone with a lingering worry tugging at the back of his mind. Yes, that restless feeling in him that was pestering him for days had subsided, but it hadn't completely disappeared. He knew the boy would make a big deal out of this again, him meddling with his personal matters again, once he finds out but he figured he would rather face his anger than his bland submission.
This was everything Kuroro could do for him. The next steps were for Kurapika to take.
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As soon as Kurapika fulfilled his promise to Mami and thanked Dmitri for his 'treat,' he shortly carried out the complete transfer of his duties to Mitsuhiko and later announced his resignation to his co-workers.
He was relieved that Senritsu decided to come along with him the next day, saying that she didn't think that staying with Dmitri would lead her closer to the Sonata of Darkness, the cursed musical score she was looking for. As Dmitri mentioned, he didn't raise any objection about their sudden resignation, and even thanked them for their service albeit only for a short while.
Kurapika soon contacted Nostrad to give him the good news, he and Senritsu talked over the phone to confirm her decision of working under him again. Nostrad instructed them to go to his hotel and meet up once they were done with Dmitri and were even invited for a dinner meeting of sort for further discussion about his business project.
Mitsuhiko and the other tried to get them into a one-last-drinking party before they leave, but Kurapika had to turn it down with a reason that it wasn't needed and guarding the boss was the utmost priority. Dmitri didn't see them out and just passed down his goodbye to Mitsuhiko. With words of thanks and grateful bows, Kurapika and Senritsu left the Dmitri household, both set to begin their new journey.
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Nostrad was full of excitement and optimism as he informed Kurapika and Senritsu that he managed to secure his prospect location for the upcoming agency's headquarters. He had also found potential investors for the company and with Kurapika now joining him, he merrily said over their drinks that this was a very good start.
Unlike his disorientation while under Dmitri's suspicion before, Kurapika was very clear-headed over the dinner meeting. He already had his plan for screening the applicants ready and even suggested to consider amusement and gaming as a secondary source of fund as he pointed out that the hotel didn't have a casino. This could somehow help them attract more clients (Nostrad suggested the potential of offering escort services to the clients which Kurapika adamantly objected to, saying that while gambling was legal, prostitution was not and he didn't want to taint the company's name, which Senritsu agreed with as well. Nostrad later on gave up with his suggestion and moved on like he never spoke of it. This greatly eased Kurapika; he wouldn't stoop that low to selfishly get what he wanted, especially not after meeting Mami.)
Their discussion ended rather productively with Nostrad a tad bit drunk, and he announced that they would leave York Shin in a week's time and go back to their mansion once he settled his affairs. He added that Kurapika and Senritsu were free to spend the days however they liked, noting that they should enjoy this much needed break because the days ahead were sure to be very busy. He provided them their own rooms in the hotel as well. The two looked at each other at Nostrad's drunken generosity, and smiled before thanking their boss with a toast.
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A set of good books and two days' worth of leisure and relaxation in the hotel later, Kurapika was then reminded that he still had an unsettled matter that he ought to face before leaving York Shin: Kuroro.
He idly fiddled with his phone with a thought in mind. It was weird thing coming from him, but he... wanted to give Kuroro a call. It wasn't just because he needed to make another transaction sooner or later, or that he had to inform him that he would be leaving York Shin so they could arrange for a new time and place to meet up. He wanted to speak to him properly, face to face, with his head held up high again. He knew Kuroro didn't want this either, he said himself that he wasn't pleased with what was happening, and they had to talk. His conversation with Mami enlightened him in more ways than one; he was reminded of a few small things that he forgot, and learned a bit few new ones. He had to face this one way or another, but the big question was how.
'This bastard really did rob my confidence,' Kurapika glared at the familiar digits on the phone screen he was holding up above his face as he laid on his bed. 'Tss, I'm better than this,' he turned to the side, slid the call button then pressed the device against his ear.
The call was picked after the second ring. That was quick.
"Hello?"
"Where are you?" Kurapika's voice was airy and hinting anger, the usual tone he reserved just for Kuroro whenever he had to speak to him. Good start, so far.
"At the condo," came a timid reply. Strange; was it only him or did Kuroro sound slightly hesitant?
"Still?"
"Yes."
"I see," tsk, this was really awkward. "Are you... free tonight?" Kurapika could feel himself blushing a bit, hearing himself asking such thing for the first time.
"I am, but first things first; I don't want a repeat of that last time."
"It won't be," Kurapika didn't want that either and he would make sure it wouldn't.
"Are you sure? As I said, I'm not rushing you."
"There are things you need to know and we have to talk about."
"Yeah, there certainly are. Alright, come anytime you want. I'll wait here. See you later."
"Right," Kurapika didn't expect this to be this easy. Or rather, he didn't expect Kuroro to make it easier for him to make the short conversation. Moreover, there was a... lightness in his tone and way with words that were making him feel not intimidated, or at least he wasn't being authoritative. If anything, Kuroro sounded awkward, too. He ended the call, placed the phone on the covers and stared at the ceiling for a moment. He suddenly remembered that dread for his life that he felt when Kuroro summoned him last time via text message. None of that fear was present now. He might be feeling reluctant, but he wasn't scared. Kurapika breathed in deeply. This was more like it. He was improving, and this had to keep going.
He got to his feet, quickly washed up and left almost hurriedly.
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Kurapika didn't know what to expect to see upon his arrival at the condo, but it surprised him to see the man plopped on the living room floor while leaning against the couch, one hand propped on one knee while holding a can of beer, while the other was rummaging inside a bag of chips. The plaid shirt he donned and his messily ruffled hair completed his slacker look. He looked like he just woke up, showered and didn't bother to comb his hair. This was the first time Kurapika saw Kuroro being normal, not to mention his guard was so down that he almost looked very lethargic. Their eyes met as soon as Kurapika entered the place. The lights were out except for one dim lampshade next to the couch where Kuroro was lounging.
He ambled closer to the man and wordlessly sat on the floor as well, right across Kuroro. This visibly surprised and amused Kuroro, but he didn't say anything.
They let the silence settle between them. It was awkward and heavy at first, but when Kuroro went on with munching his snack (he emptied the chip bag then took a small gulp from the beer can), it turned awkward but more comfortable.
From their past meet-ups, alcohol had been their seldom companion to kindle things up, to help Kurapika forget a bit and gather courage, so Kurapika immediately assumed that that one remaining unopened can of beer on the coffee table was purposely left for him. Kuroro seemed to have finished another can aside from the one he was holding. He eyed it, already dreading that he had to get drunk again, and was about to reach for it when Kuroro spoke.
"You don't have to drink if you don't want to."
Kurapika stilled for a while, but went on with taking the can anyway. He read its label.
"Also, don't take my words as a challenge. You don't need to force yourself."
Like he didn't hear a thing from Kuroro, Kurapika snapped the beer can open and took a sip. It was bitter and kind of tasteless at the same time. Not liking the taste, he braced himself to endure it and gulped down the entire can in one swig.
It was a light drink; he didn't feel any sort of dizziness even after he finished it. He put the empty can back on the coffee table and heaved a sigh.
"Do you have anything stronger?"
Kuroro made a face as if asking if he heard it wrong, but instead of voicing it out, he answered the question. "I don't, but I can buy some from the nearby convenient store. Is there anything else you want?"
"Snacks, maybe."
"Alright," Kuroro got to his feet, irresolute but compliant, and ran a hand on his hair in attempt to comb it. "I won't take long. I think I have another can in the fridge of you want. I'll be back."
The bastard was trying to hide it, but it was all over his face. He was excited. He strode to the door and slid one hand inside his pocket, seemingly checking if he had his key and wallet, before hurriedly stepping out of the condo.
Kurapika heaved another sigh. Yeah, he definitely wanted to grab the beer in the fridge because he needed to work out this night.
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Kuroro was damn sure he was being transparent but he couldn't help it; this was the very first time Kurapika made a move for them to do something else other than sex so his excitement even coloured his expression that he went an extra mile and needlessly bought assortments of alcoholic drinks since he didn't know what Kurapika's preference was. And so far, he had been favouring a lemon flavoured vodka since he already consumed three bottles of it, and a bag of cheese flavored potato chips. It also seemed that he had low tolerance with liquor because the vodka quickly started to kick in. Kurapika was in apparent attempt to get drunk. Really get drunk. He was quiet all the time and Kuroro let him be. He didn't say anything at all and left Kurapika on his device, letting him choose any drink or food that he liked. But as he noticed the reddening of his face up to his ears, he decided to break the ice.
He shot him his first question.
"How are you feeling now?"
Kurapika remained silent for a moment, sighed then pinned his gaze on the bottle in his hand as if scanning its label.
"Bad."
"I can see that much."
"And you seemed to be enjoying it very much."
Kuroro took the can back and swirled it before gulping its remaining content. "Not really."
"Liar."
"Believe what you will" he wouldn't insist. "So, how's the deal with Dmitri? I'll bet he demanded a huge amount for the eyes."
"2 billion each pair."
Kuroro whistled. "Inhumane."
"I don't want to hear that from you, hypocrite."
Kuroro gave a hearty laugh. "I thought you wouldn't tell me?"
"Don't play dumb I know you'll find out whether I tell you or not."
"You already know me so well. What are you going to do about it, then?" Kuroro wouldn't offer his help and would just let him speak and decide on his own.
"I resigned since it's useless to stay. I'll be back to Nostrad. My former boss. The father of the girl you stole that fortune telling ability from."
Kuroro offered him a small smile, choosing not to comment as to avoid the subject to be brought up.
"It's related to why I want to talk to you. I'll leave York Shin soon and maybe be sent to various places for my bodyguard duties. There will be disruptions with our meet-ups, and it won't be as often as before."
"I see," Kuroro only replied, thinking that he would just think about how to adjust with this change later. "Though are you confident that you'll earn that 2 billion each pair under his employment?"
"Don't be ridiculous. I can, but it will take ages to get that much and I don't think Dmitri will be willing to wait that long. I want to acquire them as soon as I can, before he slips away from my grasp. That's why I..." Kurapika left the sentence hanging, face beginning to be etched with hesitance, fear and pain, and he couldn't finish what he was meaning to say.
"I won't kill Dmitri," Kuroro cut him off, disliking the way Kurapika's eyes began to be filled with anxiety again.
Those eyes widened, and Kurapika cast him a very stunned look. Kuroro repeated so he could make himself clear.
"I promise not to kill Dmitri no matter what happens."
With that, Kurapika slumped and averted his eyes from Kuroro. He must be interpreting what Kuroro was trying to say.
They both knew that Kuroro's offers came with a taxing price.
"In exchange of me being exclusively yours?" Kurapika sardonically assumed, eyeing him with disgust. "Or you want to have another kinky play just like before? Because... either is fine with me now. Just please, no more sketchy drugs. This drink will do. It tastes good, too," the boy gave the bottle another hearty gulp.
"Is that why you wanted to get drunk? Because you thought I'm going to harm you again?"
"There isn't a night I spent with you that wasn't harmful. But that last one, at Meniandro's, was the most extreme so far. Kept me wide awake at night for a week or two."
Kuroro was disarmed at this sudden confession. "Were you scared of me since then?"
"Conceited as ever, arrogant bastard. But as hard as it was to take, yes. I was scared of you. Happy?"
Kuroro should be. Kurapika was admitting to his face that yes, he was afraid of him, just like what he wanted.
But he wasn't, as far as he was concerned.
"It's been haunting me for quite some time now, since you mentioned it. About my clan. How they died in your hands. You love to see me suffer so much, don't you?" Kurapika's voice cracked. It trembled and the words seemed stuck in his throat. His scarlet eyes were activated... with brimming tears. Kurapika pursed his lips and looked down, avoiding his gaze. When he spoke again, his voice was back to normal, but not without a little hiccup. "So why not fill me in? How did you kill them? Did you use Indoor Fish on them, too? On how many? Were there children? Did you count?"
"There is no need for you to know that."
"And why?"
"Because I don't see a good reason why I should hurt you more than I already have."
"Bullshit. C'mon, you've been itching to tell me about it the other day, right? Why forfeit now? In fact, why didn't you tell me while raping me? That must have made it more exciting for you. If you're worried about my mental stability then don't. I've told you many times before not to treat me as a weakling. Oh, and just so you know, I don't forget the things I say, hear or do when I'm drunk, so feel free to subject me to your torture schemes again. Go on, I came prepared. Let's hear it from you first hand."
Kuroro understood why Kurapika was acting this way. It was his pent up frustration. He was trying to get used to the pain. If he was speaking to him this much while crying like that, he likely didn't tell his feelings to anybody, maybe because he was afraid of its outcome. But it was all too much for him and since it was just between the two of them, he had no choice but to let it out to Kuroro. He was baring his heart out there, masking his fear with anger and feigned courage.
"Stop it. I didn't agree to meet up with you tonight to talk about that. Forget that I ever mentioned that. I said that just to incite and immobilize you. It was part of the plan. Stop blaming yourself for everything I do. I killed Meniandro and his men because I wanted to, not because you ordered me. Lash it all out at me tonight, hate me all you want, but I'll say it again. I don't want a repeat of that last time."
'He's hurting,' Kuroro saw as tears slid down the boy's cheeks. Kurapika didn't make any effort to hide or suppress it, and he just repeatedly wiped them away.
At that moment, Kuroro was overwhelmed with the urge to take away the bottle from Kurapika's hand and wipe away the tears for him, but he didn't have the guts to make the smallest move to get closer. He felt that if he moved even just a bit, Kurapika would get hurt even more. He settled for just listening. He wouldn't say sorry this time. It wasn't needed.
When it seemed that he had cooled down, Kurapika breathed in deeply, put down the bottle and swiped his fingers under his eyes one last time before casting Kuroro a long stare. He gave a heavy sigh.
"You're being uncharacteristically considerate tonight. Fine, I won't insist. Telling me or not doesn't matter anyway. Finding out how you did it or not won't stop me from killing you and your happy little friends," Kurapika grabbed the bottle again and finished the vodka.
"I've been thinking about this for a while," since they were having this kind of conversation, he thought he would give his piece of mind as well. "I think it's time for us to revise our contract."
Kurapika paused then stared at him with reddened, puffy eyes, mildly surprised. "At this late of the game?"
"Why not?" Kuroro moved towards the coffee table and reached for a notepad underneath it. "We didn't set our conditions formally at all, won't hurt to do it now," he rummaged inside the drawer for any writing tool but found nothing.
"Here," Kuroro turned and caught the sight of something being tossed his way. Kurapika threw a pen at him then went back on chugging another bottle of beer.
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Kurapika didn't expect that being drunk was... pretty good.
Not entirely good as his head felt funny with his vision spinning and he was bloated, but it wasn't that bad. Not only he didn't feel a shed of fear towards Kuroro now, this was also the first time that he was able to freely speak what was in his mind. To be not like himself was unexpectedly fun, he guessed. Maybe he'd try and get drunk again sometimes.
He wasn't able to hold back his tears, though. But wasn't that the whole point of him drowning himself with this sweetened alcohol? To get the message across once and for all? It was embarrassing yet he felt a bit better after it. At least Kuroro didn't laugh at him, which was nice, and he didn't answer his question about his clan, which was nicer. Looked like the bastard was holding back his bullying. So he wasn't the only one wanting to get over this drama, at the very least.
Kuroro sat back down on his spot, opened the notepad which had a cute brown bear cover, and poised his hand with the pen on it.
"Really? A notepad?" He pointed out. "Don't you have even a blank photocopy paper?"
"This will do. I don't have any kind of paper aside from this."
"You steal millions' worth of artifacts and you don't have a single sheet of decent paper at home?"
"Damn it. Just for one night, Kurapika. Stop making a big deal out of everything," it didn't show on his face, but Kuroro sounded a bit annoyed. That didn't stop Kurapika from making silly and snarky remarks.
The sight of the man waiting with his cute notepad in hand struck him a weird impression. "You look like a waiter taking my order."
"I'll be jotting down our orders to each other, so... Kurapika, do you know that you're noisy when drunk?"
"I'm noisy on bed and you're okay with it. Why an uproar now?" Kurapika casually spat before he could stop himself.
He saw how Kuroro's shoulders shook in a barely controllable laughter which he somehow managed to hold back. Still, the mirth was etched on his face.
"Alright. For your peace of mind, I will transfer the notes to a neat, pristine paper, digitally printed with folder, tomorrow morning before we sign. Is that fine?"
"You do that," Kurapika gave the apple beer a shot and pursed his lips. Even if flavoured, beer still tasted horrible.
"Okay. For the first condition—"
"'Kurapika is not allowed to date, have sex and be in a relationship with anyone but Kuroro Lucifer for I am yours...' is what your first rule is gonna be, right?" Kurapika slurred.
"No," Kuroro cast him a stern, patient look.
"But why? Isn't that what you've been going on about all this time?"
"That will come third."
"Oh," Kurapika shrugged.
"Number one: I will give you an authentic, intact and in good condition pair of Kuruta eyes in exchange for a whole night but not limited to that time frame. In instances of incompatible schedule, I am entitled to have eight hours to spend with you during the exchange, and I am allowed to do anything I want with you during that duration."
"Eight hours?" Kurapika gasped, incredulous. "Can you even last that long? I know you're a fiend of sort on bed but eight hours?"
"Kuruta eyes are very expensive so I have the right to make the most out of them. Besides, we'll have breaks."
"Too much of doing the deed is a dumb way to die, y'know. I don't want to die like that. Just slit my throat, it'll be faster."
"Don't exaggerate. It's not every day that we'll do it. And just like what you said, it's not like I can last that long."
At that, Kurapika choked on his beer.
"So, do you agree or not?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"Yes."
"Huh?"
"You have a choice. You can disagree if you deem the condition unfair. That's going to be included in our revision. If you think you can't handle that straight eight hours, then we can just divide it into two separate sessions, four hours each."
"That's worse," Kurapika ran a hand across his forehead. "Why does the revision seem to favor you?"
"I'll insist on my time frame. So, what is your choice?"
"Can you make it just seven?" Kurapika tried to haggle.
"I'll have to remove the promised break, then."
"You greedy creep," Kurapika wished he didn't agree with this revision. "... We'll have breaks?"
"We're going to rest, drink and nap, of course."
Kurapika silently sighed. "I'll go with the eight hours, then."
Kuroro wrote down the first rule on the handy notepad.
"Number two: you can turn me down."
That took an embarrassing five full seconds to sink in.
"What?"
"You can turn me down as long as there's a valid reason. If you are not available, or not in the mood, or too tired or sick, or you simply don't want to see my face on that particular day, it's alright. Also, you can contact me first in case you are free since you're getting annoyed whenever I bug you. It's going to be a give-and-take process from now on, given that you're moving out of York Shin and it'll be harder to schedule because you're away. All in all, you can say yes or no. Just give me a reason why and I'll concede, no questions asked."
"Is that... alright with you? I mean, I can cancel it anytime I want and leave you frustrated just because I like it."
"You won't get the eyes if you do so. It'll be your loss, not mine."
"Why... are you suddenly giving me options now?"
"Just like what I said earlier," Kuroro... briefly had this warm look in his eyes. "I want to make this a proper give-and-take process."
It was vague, but it was sufficient.
First were rights, the second were choices. What would Kuroro grant him next? "I agree, then."
"Number three," Kuroro resumed. "As you quoted: you are not allowed to date, have sex and be in a relationship with anyone but me for you are mine, and I am not allowed to date, have sex and be in a relationship with anyone but you for I am yours."
That almost lifted the mixed alcohol's effect on Kurapika.
"Hold on. What are you talking about?"
"You will not see someone else, and so will I. That way, we'll have equal rights to each other and this will avoid us from dragging other people in our mess."
"But I don't care if you date every single human on this planet—"
"Regardless if you care or not, I want to impose it so this won't be purely one-sided and the revision doesn't just favor me. I'm allowing equality, so to speak."
"Fine. It's your foolish assumption and unreasonable possessiveness that lead us to this in the first place. Whether you impose it or not, I won't drag other people into this. Do you think I have time and right mindset to enter any form of romantic relationship now? Do I look like that kind of person?"
"I think you are mature enough not to get others involved into trouble just because you're into them, but you might be desperate enough to use other people to get closer to your goals. But let's leave it to that," Kuroro dismissed the topic and jotted down the third rule.
"Number four: from now on, there will be cooperation from the both of us."
Kurapika put down the bottle on the floor. He paused, gazed blankly in the air, and remained silent.
There was a heavy moment of silence.
"What does that entail?" He heard himself ask.
"That you can't always act so reluctant whenever we do this. I may not be able to convince or entice you to enjoy it as much as I do, but at least learn how to work along and cooperate. Be forward at times. Take the initiative when you really want to, or whenever you think the mood calls for it. Demand and practice returning the favor. Get used with the touch."
"Absolute submission, in other words?"
"Not absolute. But submission, yes."
Kurapika fell into silence again. Kuroro let him be.
He knew it would come to this one day. In fact, it surprised him that Kuroro demanded it just now.
His conversation with Mami the other night had him contemplating over a lot of things, one of those was what pushed Kuroro to act that way back then at Meniandro's place. Possessiveness might be the root cause of it, but his excessive demonstration of power just to paralyze him meant another thing.
Mami said she used to get beaten before whenever she resisted, and it only subsided when she gave in. When he asked what she would do at times she had to sleep with someone she feared or absolutely didn't like, she answered that it depended on the client. If she was angry, annoyed or disgusted with the customer, she would observe what they like and play that role so it would end soon.
This suggestion of total submission didn't go along with his principle and he commented that this must have stung her pride, but she replied that she lost her pride long time ago, but not her will to live.
"I won't blindly agree and sign a waiver just because I'm drunk, if that's what you're trying to do."
"I don't, but I guess it sounds like that with how I said it. You want to rephrase or add something on it?"
"How about..." Kurapika straightened up and reflected on some tips from Mami.
'It was very hard at first, but I got used to it in time. For starters, I had to give in. There's no way around. In due time, I learned to enjoy the touches. I started to reciprocate it, little by little. Then I began to demand requests in exchange for extra bonuses. Until I noticed that there were guys who liked not only my service, but my companionship as well. They slowly opened up to me, giving me gifts, teaching me things, taking me to some places. Those men must have realized that I have something special, unlike the other girls who only liked their money. From this, I learned that letting them feel that they dominate will make everything much, much easier.'
"If you promise me that you won't harm or kill anybody over the duration of our exchange, I swear to do my best to tolerate you. If there is something you want to try or do, I will be open for discussion and won't simply refuse. If you..." there was the urge of wanting to cry again, but he held it back this time. "If you can promise me that Meniandro will be the last, I'll give my full consent and try to please you in return. I'll try harder to endure. I'll be lesser of a brat. Just please... I don't want others to get hurt and die anymore."
"That's going to be the fifth rule."
Kurapika widened his eyes in confusion.
"I was about to swear not to involve anybody else in this as much as possible. I can't really promise that nobody will get hurt because I know there will be times that I'll have to crack some bones, like for self-defense for instance, but there will be no more unnecessary killing. I've seen enough of its consequences on you, and I'm not having any of it again. You have my word. I won't kill for you or for the eyes again."
Kurapika absently relaxed at that. He didn't understand why but Kuroro's words and his placid voice reassured him. It must be the alcohol's effect, but he found them believable. The tears that brimmed on the corner of his eyes slid down and he didn't hide it. For the first time in a while, he felt genuinely at ease.
'This way of life is sickening, that is true. These people kept stealing everything from me. They deprived me of my freedom, dignity, pride, and even my desire to dream and get out of this hell.'
"I need help in retrieving the eyes from Dmitri, but I don't want him dead. My aim is to get them with a lower price, as soon as possible. If you manage to get them for me, I will pay two nights for each pair. He currently has four pairs in total."
'They all thought that they had taken my all from me. They claimed every inch of my body, and had my soul sold to the devil. They took away my pride as a woman, and my rights as a human. But I stood still because they were mistaking something about me.'
"I'll have the needed amount by tomorrow, then," Kuroro decided, still writing on the notepad. There was hastiness on the way he scribbled.
Kurapika took the chance to crawl closer to him. Kuroro was caught-off guard as Kurapika sat right in front of him. Kurapika pulled the bravest face he could make.
'Yeah, this body doesn't belong to me anymore. I'm filthy beyond repair. But my thirst to keep living is still in me. I am still hoping. I believe there's a better future waiting for me ahead. I know this will all end someday. Yes, they could take my body—"
"I promise not to harm Dmitri," Kuroro looked him in the eyes, and Kurapika saw sincerity in those dark orbs. Kuroro's hands went for his cheeks and wiped away the tears. "I won't hurt you like this again."
And courage bloomed in Kurapika. Suddenly, it wasn't scary to touch. All the doubt dissolved into nothing, and he eagerly whispered against Kuroro's lips before he lunged for a sweet, long kiss.
'—but not my heart.'
"Thank you."