Leorio paced his room, going over the conversation in his head a million times. He had to get this right! He had to say the right thing, and he had to help out Kurapika! He was just a little nervous, was all. The blonde intimidated him, honestly. He got the feeling that Kurapika didn't take him seriously… and if he wanted to help him out in this way then he'd have to say everything perfectly.

I'll help Kurapika, and I'll drag him out of whatever slump he's in right now!

Leorio nodded, and then marched out of his room and down the hall to Kurapika's room. He stopped at the door, before taking a deep breath and knocking. "Hey, Kurapika?" he called. "I know it's kinda late, but now that the kids are in bed I wanted to talk to you about something. It's important."

The Goblin waited for several seconds.

Nothing.

"Kurapika? Are you asleep?"

Nothing.

That was odd, the Kurta was an insanely light sleeper. This would have woken him up had he been sleeping, and he would have opened the door and started lecturing Leorio about waking him up.

Leorio knocked again. "Okay, I get it. It's annoying that I'm here bothering you, but I seriously wanna talk."

Still nothing.

A sense of dread was starting to overcome Leorio.

"I'm coming in!" he announced, before grabbing the doorknob. He had expected it to be locked… but the fact that it wasn't made him even more concerned. The Goblin barged in, Kurapika's name on his lips–

Only to find an empty room, with a neatly made bed and an open window.

Leorio swore his stomach dropped to the ground.

His heart started racing a million miles an hour.

Why was the window open like that?!

They were really high up, what if–

He was at the window in a flash, in a state of panic.

"KURAPIKA!"

He gasped in relief, there was not a splattered Elf on the pavement way far down… but if he hadn't jumped then…

Leorio whipped around, and saw the note laying on the bed.

He snatched it up and read it in a rush, only to be filled with such a chill that he was surprised his heart didn't just stop on the spot.

To whom it may concern,

I have left to pursue my goals. Do not follow me. This is for the best, and I will return once all is said and done.

Best,

Kurapika.

Leorio just stood there blinking for a moment.

What… what? Kurapika had left? To pursue his goals? There was only one thing that could mean… and that was fighting the Phantom Troupe… but he had just fought on floor 300. He wasn't at the top yet. Then again… he had said that he'd been moved up more than expected. He hadn't said anything other than that though…

"No," Leorio whispered.

Those damned Spiders! One of them must have watched Kurapika's match and given him an insane amount of points to move him up way higher than he should! That meant that Kurapika would need to finish learning Sorcery in order to continue his rise, and that meant that he would be out there searching for his second stage master and holy shit–

There was no way Kurapika would just sit back and wait for his master to find him.

No, he would take matters into his own hands.

And if the Spiders had started this than that only meant–

"Fuck!" Leorio snapped, and then crashed out of Kurapika's room.

He sprinted to the other side of the apartment, and banged on Gon's door and then Killua's.

"Guys! GUYS!" he screamed, voice frantic.

The Valkyrie and the hybrid burst out of their rooms simultaneously, Gon with his fishing rod in hand and Killua with his claws extended. Both of them had their Ren shields activated.

"Leorio?" Gon asked, relaxing his fighting stance but only slightly.

"What's up," Killua asked slowly.

"Kurapika! It– it's Kurapika! He's fucking left, he's going out to fight a fucking Spider!"

The two boys gasped, and they turned on their heels in a flash. They were out a split second later with shoes on and hoodies over their swim trunks that they had fallen asleep wearing.

The three males nodded, and then ran into Kurapika's room. The window was still open, the curtains blowing about and a chilly breeze filling the space. Gon and Killua sweeped the space, scenting everything.

Killua cursed, "Fuck! Nothing! He masked everything with some stupid fucking perfume! I can't get his scent!"

The two of them looked to Gon, who was standing at the window. He pinched his nose, and then smelled deep. His eyes snapped open, amber glowing against the dark of the night. "I've got his scent! It's really light, but no one can conceal the traces of themselves they leave in the air."

How the fuck can he smell that?!

Even Dragonite Valkyrie's can't follow someone just based off of the air!

Killua nodded, and Leorio scrambled to follow the two of them as they leapt out the window. The Goblin activated his Ren, shielding himself and pouring power into his muscles. He followed Killua who followed Gon, and they leapt from roof to roof.

The two boys ran using only their natural strength, but Leorio didn't have the mind to be jealous right now.

They needed to find Kurapika.

And fast.

Why would he run off like this?!

Why now?!

Why when they'd finally gotten back together…

When everything had been so perfect and peaceful…

Gon growled as he scented the pavement.

Come on.

Come on!

There had to be something!

He snarled. "Gods fucking dammit!" he screamed to the heavens.

They'd followed the trail in circles for three hours now… but it had finally faded away.

Kurapika had known what he was doing. He hadn't wanted them following along, and he'd made a trail that even Gon couldn't follow. The hybrid fell to his knees in the middle of the street. Killua knelt down beside him, gripping his shoulder. Leorio was just standing off to the side. Gon could smell the intense emotions coming off of him.

Killua sat down next to Gon, and wrapped his arm slowly around his shoulders. With a frustrated sob Gon whipped around, turning into Killua's chest and burying himself into the Valkyrie's embrace. Killua "oofed" at the impact, but quickly squeezed Gon back.

The assassin was shaking.

"Why would he do this?" Gon sobbed into Killua's black hoodie.

The Valkyrie tightened his grip and buried his face in Gon's hair.

"I don't know."

Killua stood under a streetlight, watching Gon console Leorio. He knew that Gon was the only one who could really do anything for him at this point. Gon was close with Leorio, just like Killua was close with Kurapika…

Kurapika.

Why? Why was he doing this?

Killua knew why, but still. It felt like… a rug had just been ripped out from under them. Kurapika had been the bulk of Killua's support system. He had been the backbone of their group, of their family. Having him gone was like… missing a limb.

And the knowledge that he was out there picking fights with the Phantom Troupe just made it even worse. Was Kurapika even alive right now? Would he make it? Was it even possible to make it out of that type of fight alive?

Killua felt betrayed, but also hollow inside. He knew Gon and Leorio felt the same.

And now that Kurapika was gone… it was time for Killua to step up.

He'd assume Kurapika's place in the pack, and he'd give him hell for it when he returned.

Because he would return. He had to. Killua didn't want to think about the implications if he didn't…

Killua took a deep and shuddering breath, and looked up to the stars, now being covered up by a veil of clouds. He felt tears rising up in his eyes. He really was scared for Kurapika, worried about him. He'd known something had been off with him… but they had all been so excited to be back to normal that they hadn't considered that maybe all of them weren't all the way back to normal.

The Valkyrie didn't like betrayal.

He'd dealt with it his entire childhood… and even though he'd experienced it time and again, the pain of having the ones dear to you torn away and apart before your very eyes never hurt any less.

And he hated that Gon and Leorio had to go through this.

Killua was incredibly worried about Kurapika. But he was also really pissed off with him.

He was only thinking about himself. He should have fucking said something! They were a team! They'd followed him to Yorknew City for gods' sake! Without Kurapika there it just wouldn't be the same…

And that's exactly why Gon and Leorio needed Killua so much right now.

He'd be there for them and–

Killua turned to walk over to Gon and Leorio, but he saw something.

In the corner of his eye, perched on top of a building.

A tall and lanky figure with billowing black hair and enormous Dragonite wings.

Dread filled Killua to the brim in a split second, and the surface of his Blood Energy pocket shivered in discomfort. Killua snapped back in the direction of that building in a flash.

Illumi–

Wait.

There was nothing there.

But, how was that possible? Killua had definitely just seen Illumi. It had to be him–

It had to be–

Killua felt himself beginning to shiver. What had he been thinking just now?! What had been happening just now?! Holy fucking shit, Illumi was here– He swore he'd just seen him– No way it was just in his head, right?! No no no.

No!

This couldn't be happening!

Not Illumi. Not the person who had tortured his body and stolen his mind.

Not the one who had done all that– who had– to Alluka–

Killua had run away. He'd gotten away! Illumi couldn't be here now! Killua was– he was leading his own life now! Apart from the clan, away from the Valkyries, he wasn't like that anymore! He wasn't that person anymore!

But if Illumi was here and Killua had lost sight of him, then he could be anywhere at all!

Fuck, god fuck.

Killua's tail was rigid at his side, and his wings flailed against their bindings.

He frantically looked about, desperate to try and see that phantom figure once again–

"Killua?"

He jumped out of his skin. Gon had rested his hand on Killua's shoulder.

Wild sapphire eyes turned to meet concerned eyes of amber.

Eyes that were still red and raw from crying.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Gon asked softly, eyebrows drawn together in concern.

Illumi is–

No.

He's already dealing with all this stuff with Kurapika.

Killua glanced over at Leorio, who had a dark shadow over his face.

They both are.

Maybe it wasn't Illumi.

Yeah.

There's still the chance that this was all in my head.

I don't want to bother them with my shit when there's already enough going on. I have to be there for them, I can't burden them with my family drama.

"It's nothing," Killua lied. "I thought I saw Kurapika, but it was nothing more than a trick of the light."

Gon nodded, eyes turning downwards. He was too riled up and beaten down to catch Killua's lie. Leorio included. Good. The less they knew about Illumi the better.

Leorio walked up to the two boys, and rested a hand on each of their shoulders. "Come on, guys. Let's go back to the apartment. It's three in the morning… and we've gotta catch up on our training tomorrow morning. We can keep searching later."

The two boys nodded, and solemnly followed Leorio back to the apartment.

From the shadows of the rooftops, Illumi watched in pleasure. Perfect, everything was going to plan.

Leorio sat hunched forward on the couch. Gon and Killua were squished together into one of the reclining chairs, leaning against each other in their struggle to stay awake. Leorio was glad to see them so close… him and Kurapika had been all but cheering to the heavens after the change in their vibe today. But now…

There was a certain tension in the air between them.

They were still close like that yes… but it was kinda ruined now.

Rather than being able to focus on each other, they were worried about Kurapika.

This wasn't right.

Kurapika was supposed to be their mother! Their leader! He was supposed to hold them together, not rip them apart! What happened to having Killua's back?! Now him and Gon would be too worried about Kurapika to properly fall in love, get married, and have sixteen children for Leorio and Kurapika to dote on and be the grandparents of! There had been an entire fucking plan, dude… and now it was all shattered.

Leorio knew full well that Kurapika was going to become a master Sorcerer.

He would master his Hatsu, and he would bring himself to the level necessary to beat the Spiders. Leorio knew this for a fact… and with this knowledge there should be no reason to worry over Kurapika, but…

Unless he found his second stage master immediately… he would shit with the Spiders and get himself killed.

Leorio knew the only thing they could do was sit back and let Kurapika do his own thing… but it didn't just work like that. They cared about him, and were gonna worry like crazy. How could they just sit back and relax when they knew what suffering Kurapika was in?

What universe was Kurapika living in?!

Leorio re-read his note for the thousandth time that night.

"To whom it may concern," Leorio scoffed, before shredding the paper with his nails. "What the fuck, man. He knows good and well 'who it may concern.' It concerns us! The least he could do is put a little more thought into this…" The Goblin felt it coming, and did his best to hide it.

He buried his face in his hands and rubbed at his eyes, but it was inevitable. His shoulders shook with sobs. This was a dangerous world, and Kurapika had just abandoned all of them to immerse himself in it. Kurapika was out there suffering, and he'd pushed them all away as if he didn't care.

The couch dipped as Gon and Killua flanked his either side, wrapping him up in their arms and sharing the moment with him.

Kurapika, what the hell was he thinking right now?

Kurapika stalked down the sidewalk in the pouring rain.

The streets in this part of town were cracked, broken, and dangerous. Trash littered the ground, and addicts sat at every corner, bruises from needles peppering their arms like fine jewelry.

The Kurta patrolled the streets.

Chrollo had started this, he'd initiated this fight.

If he thought Kurapika would just sit back and wait for some old geezer to come drag their feet and teach him, then he was gravely mistaken. Kurapika was off to catch a Spider, and he'd pluck its legs until it talked.

He'd learn Hatsu, alright.

By any means necessary.

Gon pushed his pasta around his plate. It had been three days since Kurapika had run off on them… and as expected, there had been no sign of him. The initial frenzy had subsided now… and now the three of them were just left feeling empty and cold. It felt wrong without Kurapika there… and they were all hurt by him just leaving.

It made Gon really sad… they were supposed to be there for each other.

Didn't Kurapika know they cared about him and wanted him to be safe?

Gon prayed to the gods every night that Kurapika stayed safe, that he didn't challenge a Spider… but he couldn't help but worry.

Today had been another fight day, and all three of them had won and progressed. Getting off some steam had been nice, and now Gon and Killua were on the 314th floor. Leorio was on the 274th, he hadn't performed at his best, which was understandable. At least he had won, though.

Leorio had taken the hit from Kurapika the hardest, and even though they were rolling in more money than they could count, that carefree glint had left his eyes. It hurt Gon to see Leorio like this, and he couldn't help but worry about his two older friends.

He might have driven himself crazy worrying by now, but he had Killua.

And boy was Killua a gift from the gods.

Gon knew his silver haired friend was just as worried as they were, but here he was, acting like normal. It wasn't a bad normal, it was a welcomed normal. Killua made breakfast in the morning in Kurapika's place, he nagged at them to clean up after themselves, he even did the dishes.

Killua was really stepping up… and it was most apparent in his treatment of Leorio. There was no more aggressive bickering, only kind smiles and reassuring glances. Killua was being so soft, so incredibly nice. He could never hope to fill Kurapika's place in their hearts, but he had taken the role up with ease. Leorio was still the authoritative figure, but now Killua was the backbone of their little family.

It made Kurapika's absence a little easier to bear…

Another thing was that Killua had stayed close to Gon. If anything, he'd gotten a little closer since Kurapika left. Gon could tell he was trying to cheer him up, and it made the hybrid feel so warm inside to see Killua doting over all of them so much.

He had kept up the constant close contact, and was still talking playfully and frequently. Of course… there was that overlay of concern and comforting words, but Killua was still keeping close nonetheless. He'd reach out and touch Gon's hand while they were talking, he'd lean in super close to point things out, he'd sit almost on Gon's lap when they were together on the couch, and when they took light naps in the afternoons he really did lay in Gon's lap. He even managed to be closer while they practiced combining their Ren. He weaved his Magic so close to Gon's that he sometimes couldn't tell one mind from the other.

It almost made Gon dizzy sometimes…

He knew this warm feeling for Killua was here, and he wanted to inspect it. Killua acting this way made him so inexplicably happy, but he just couldn't focus on that right now. Not with Kurapika away. Not with Kurapika out there suffering…

Gon sighed, there he went. Back to worrying over Kurapika again.

It was always this constant loop of worrying about Kurapika, being pulled out of his mind by Killua, thinking about Killua, and then being unable to think about Killua anymore because of Kurapika's absence.

Really, this royally sucked.

Why couldn't they have just stayed how they were?

Why did Kurapika have to leave?

Everything had been so perfect.

If anything else went wrong, Gon honestly didn't know what he would do.

Killua laid on his back on the couch. Gon and Leorio were watching some television program about flying robot lions, but Killua couldn't focus on it. There was the worrying about Kurapika, of course, but he hated to admit that he had bigger things on his mind.

Illumi, Illumi was driving him crazy.

He was fairly certain that it had just been a trick of the light… but Killua just had this dread. Honestly, he was leaning against Gon in these trying times as much to comfort the other boy as he was to comfort himself.

Leorio was clearly in a tough place… and Killua was entirely grateful to have Gon here with him. Gon helped him console Leorio, and his presence was so grounding. Now the three of them were calming down and settling back into a new rhythm. But still. The rhythm felt incomplete without Kurapika there.

Not to mention the looming threat of Illumi.

Gon suddenly squirmed, adjusting his grip on Killua's waist and dragging him closer. The Valkyrie sighed, chest flowing with affection. He rested his head on Gon's lap, and fell asleep to the steady threading of Gon's fingers through his hair.

He knew that these moments were just filler… that Gon didn't truly like him back yet.

But when everything else was falling apart, it helped to be able to pretend.

He'd take anything Gon threw his way.

He wouldn't push Gon anymore with all this shit happening with Kurapika, but he'd certainly remain glued to his side. Now that he'd experienced this new level of closeness with Gon… he was never letting go. Besides, Gon needed him. He needed this support, this reassurance that he still had Killua there with him.

Killua would stay at Gon's side, and it would take an incredible force to drive them apart.

Kurapika drew his twin swords, activated his Ren shield, and enhanced the blades with his Magic. Right there, finally he'd found a Spider. He was hiding in the shadows of a dirty alleyway, the vomit of a stray drunkard stale and stinking in the corner. Kurapika was perched on a brick wall, and right there, talking with the owner of the speakeasy, was none other than Uvogin.

Kurapika hated Uvogin with a passion brighter than a million suns.

The Titan was loud, obnoxious, and absolutely obsessed with his power. He used it for violence, to kill. Chrollo could preach about the Spiders being "different now" all he wanted, but nothing could change a piece of shit like Uvogin.

"Yeah! I'll transfer the money to your account!" that horrid booming voice declared, scratching against Kurapika's ears like nails on a chalkboard. He gritted his teeth and adjusted the grip on his swords.

"Just don't spend it all in one place!" the Titan dissolved into an obnoxious belly laugh, slapping the speakeasy's owner across the back. "Bye, now! Tell the kids Uncle Uvo said hi, alright?" With a stupid ugly grin, the Spider shut the door and turned to exit the alleyway.

Finally.

After three fucking days it was finally time.

Kurapika felt his eyes burn scarlet, and stifled the intense Magical aura pouring off of him. Uvogin would cross beneath him in three, two, one–

A strong pair of hands grabbed Kurapika from behind, snatching him around the waist and clamping over his mouth to keep him from making noise. He was dragged over the other side of the brick wall, and wrestled into some dark basement place through a window. Kurapika bucked against his assailant, and was dropped unceremoniously to the concrete floor of some dank smelling basement.

He was on his feet in an instant, holding his swords up before him and snarling into the darkness. "Who's there?!"

A tall man with dark hair and a ruddy stubble over his face stepped from the shadows, arms held up in surrender. He was human, and dressed in gray clothing with a satchel slung over his back. He had a serious face, but a playful lilt to his mouth. "The name's Izunavi."

Kurapika snarled, and jumped in to attack, ignoring his surrender.

The human ducked out of his way, and sent Kurapika flying with a powerful kick to the back, Blood Magic sparking. The Elf coughed as he slammed into a nearby wall, getting the wind knocked out of him. The place the kick had landed burned, and Kurapika found himself stunned and unable to move.

He snarled and began to force himself to his feet, ignoring the pain–

"It won't do you any good," the strange man sighed, holding an empty bottle of what appeared to be Selkie blood for him to see. "My spell will have you stinging for a while, and fighting the pain will only make it worse."

"What the hell are you doing? What do you want with me? Can't you tell I'm in the middle of something?" Kurapika asked darkly.

The human crossed his arms, tucking the empty bottle back into his sleeve. "That's no way to speak to me. I am your second stage Blood Magic Master. You shall treat me with respect."

Kurapika frowned, allowing himself to collapse back to the ground. He eyed this man. "Izunavi, you said? Why are you here? How did you find me?"

The brunette nodded. "That's the name. I'm a master Sorcerer, and how I found you is irrelevant. All you need to know is that second stage masters are assigned to trainees. I have no choice but to teach you, and you have no choice but to learn from me. This stuff is serious business, and we've gotta do it right."

Kurapika blinked, gazing up at him through his blonde bangs. "How fast can you teach me Hatsu?"

"That depends entirely on you. Just know that attacking Uvogin will not get you anywhere. You may have a vendetta against the Phantom Troupe, but no amount of torture will get a Sorcerer to spill his secrets."

Kurapika glared, his stubborn streak surfacing. Now he had half a mind to ignore this bastard and go attack Uvogin anyways. "Are you underestimating me?"

Izunavi gave a dark chuckle. "No, not at all. If anyone is doing the underestimating it is you."

Kurapika spat in his direction, the pain starting to fade. He was starting to be able to move his limbs again.

Izunavi quirked a brow. "Rude."

"I have no obligation," Kurapika heaved himself to his feet, "To listen to someone like you."

"Is it because I'm human? Come now, no need to be racist."

Kurapika stiffened. "That's not what I meant." He marched past Izunavi, he needed to hurry if he wanted to catch Uvogin. Finding him had been hard enough, he didn't want to lose him now.

"Second stage masters are assigned specifically to certain rising Sorcerers. In order to keep our people in check, we have to be sure everyone is trained fairly and thoroughly. You could find some rinky-dink way of learning Hatsu, sure. But I'm telling you that nothing you do on your own will be able to foster your true potential."

"I don't need your charity," Kurapika growled, stopping before the window.

"It's not charity. It's my job," Izunavi drawled, clearly annoyed with Kurapika's stubborn behavior. "Tell me what power you want. I'm sure you have something in mind."

"...I need something to chain people down. For in this world there are some people who need to be chained to hell." Kurapika didn't know why he bothered answering this human, but something about Izunavi screamed power and wisdom. Perhaps it was his Blood Energy sensing the prowess of a Master Sorcerer, or perhaps it was something else.

"Chains, huh? We can work with that."

Kurapika stood in silence.

"Well, you gonna listen to me or go do your own thing and fuck this up? Demon Magic is nothing to sneeze at. You need my assistance whether you like it or not."

Kurapika took a deep breath, and turned to face Izunavi. His burning scarlet eyes bore into Izunavi's dark ones. "You can train me in one month's time? I have goals that I must attend to. I cannot afford to waste my time on the incompetent."

Izunavi crossed his arms, if he was startled by the wild look in Kurapika's eyes then he didn't show it. "As I said, that all depends on you."

Kurapika stuck out his hand, and Izunavi clasped it in his own.

The human smirked. "Shall we get started, then?"