Disclaimer: I do not own HxH
(A/N: BTW, this is a month before the auction. KilluGon came in a week before September 1st. This is also the only time I'll probably transfer an actual scene from the anime into my stories. It was terrible. I had to keep pausing the actual video. It was like a glitch, except it was intentional.)
Of Lions and Blonde Avengers:
Chapter 2:
Of Training and Interviews
Kurapika left the hotel a little too later than she'd planned, bidding Komugi a quick goodbye, and giving Bahari the order to watch the younger girl. The lion had nodded in understanding and then nudged her out the door. She kept shouting about all the things she'd prepared for them until she got back. She had made some onigiri and sandwiches for lunch, just in case Komugi got hungry or Kurapika didn't come back until later. The lion had growled, annoyed at her antics. She sighed and finally decided she should trust Bahari and get to that interview already. Something told her the Nostrades didn't take to tardiness kindly.
The blonde was fully aware that people were still staring at her. She didn't give a shit. People had always stared at her. This was no different. Now, what was Neon's address again? 7200 S Liberty Ave. It was the biggest house on the street.
"Hey, Luv," a deep, accented voice from beside her greeted. She turned to see a young man with blue hair sticking his head out of a limousine. "Need a ride?"
Did he think she was that stupid? Did she look that stupid? Was he that stupid?
She shrugged mentally and ran faster. It didn't matter anyway. She had an interview to ace.
"Typical," she uttered, once she finally got to the front of the gates. They looked to be made of iron. Beyond them, an expansive garden lay waiting, a path built into it, curving around a circular flower bed of roses and lilies. A coniferous forest loomed in the background, behind the grand grayish house. "The life of the elite."
One slender finger reached out to press the button for the intercom.
"Yes?" a gruff, old voice spoke.
"My name is Kurapika," she said, her voice completely steady despite the long run. Perhaps, she should've found a place a little closer to the Nostrade Mansion. But Komugi. The poor girl was here alone.
The gates slid open without another word. Kurapika accepted the silent offer. Her eyes darted around as she memorized the grounds. There were oodles of guard dogs everywhere. Two Dobermans followed her as she walked to the front door. If she weren't a guest, they'd probably tear right through her. Not that they'd actually be able to, but they'd certainly try. Kurapika didn't like the thought of having to kill so many innocent creatures.
"Welcome. Please follow me," the butler at the door requested, immediately heading up the stairs. She obeyed, still scanning the area. The man finally brought her to the entrance of a large room. "Please wait in here."
She ignored him, walking into the room without so much as a thank you. Four others awaited her. A young, pretty woman dressed in a purple tank-top, baggy lavender pants, and violet boots. Her dark pink hair was twisted into a gravity-defying braid by a yellow ribbon. Green eyes looked her up and down, and then returned to the desk in front of her. Another man sat on the couch. He had orange hair with strange sideburns that curled at the end and wore a green pinstriped shirt under a darker vest. Something about him was off from the get-go. She'd have to keep an eye on him.
There were two other men. One, a muscular man who would probably be about a head taller than her if he were standing, sported a ridiculous Auburn pompadour and a wide grin and dressed in a black vest jacket, jeans, and black boots. The last of them had coffee-colored skin and wore the most normal-looking clothes out of all of them. A simple fuschia-colored sweater and jeans.
No one said anything. Kurapika finished analyzing them and decided to take up one of the offered seats. The girl was clearly confident in her abilities, but Kurapika wouldn't classify her as a fighter. She had something else up her sleeve. The green one with the sideburns was hiding something, undoubtedly. Pompadour man looked harmless enough, though his Hatsu was probably potent enough. Fuschia looked kind of shifty in Kurapika's honest opinion.
"I apologize for the wait," the butler announced, coming to a stop next to a flat-screen TV. "Everyone has now arrived, so we will proceed to the subject of the contract."
The old man raised a black remote control, and the screen flickered to life. In it, sat a large built male with short, spiky black hair. He had tattoos under both his eyes and gazed at them with clear superiority. This was probably a video call rather than an actual pre-recorded video specially made for the interview. The man wanted to take a peek at the interviewees.
"I'll start with the requirements," his voice was a strangely calming tenor. Strange, because he worked for them mafia and probably killed people as part of his daily schedule. "I won't ask if any of you have a license. I'm only interested if you can retrieve the items we request. There's one month before the auction. Before then, you must find one of the items from the list we provide and bring it here."
Yes, yes, but where was the catch?
"These are the data cards," the butler cut in, before handing out the slick, black devices. Kurapika turned it on and flicked through the various photos of the desired items.
A lock of hair from the famous actress, Sara. Easy enough. Must suck to be a celebrity though.
Right arm of a mummy from an Egyptian tomb. Whatever happened to letting the dead rest in peace? No, we must collect their body parts instead. Scum.
An ichthyosis patient's scaly skin. Yes, not only did they have to deal with their sickness, but they also had to be subjected to people stealing their skin.
Skull of a one-horned creature. Humans were such assholes to other species.
Kurapika wasn't too surprised. They were working for a body collector.
Her thumb stroked the screen again, and the last item appeared. Her calm visage wavered for the first time, anger replacing every inch, every fiber of her being.
The eyeballs of a Kurta.
The room was suddenly tinted in red as if she'd put on a pair of rose-colored sunglasses. Her own eyes had triggered, no doubt, but her contacts hid them easily. A slender, pale hand tightened around the device, as she attempted to regain control of her emotions. But the fury continued to grow, fed by the grief and suffering it had replaced.
How dare they?
"What's wrong? You look pale," pompadour asked, concerned. He leaned down to gaze at her card. "Ah. Scarlet eyeballs?"
How dare they?
"A-rank obtainment difficulty. 'Preserve the scarlet hue immediately after death. Preferably with head attached.' I've heard rumors that when Kurta get excited, their eyes turn scarlet."
"Shut up." The arm holding the device fell limp at her side.
Kurapika's vision was suddenly filled with the memories of her dead comrades. Bodies limp, face pale and cold, eyes gone. Gouged out by the ones she was hunting, and sold to the scum who had caused them to be in such high demand. She remembered the ones who were beheaded as well. Their bodies so surreal without their heads. Ava. Cynthia. Her grandfather, the elder. Pairo. Pairo, because of his blindness.
How dare they?
"Not another word."
Pompadour's eye twitched in anger, and then he pursed his lips and looked away.
"I'll say it again," the man in the video continued. "You need to find one item on the list. If you are successful, you will be hired to begin training as a bodyguard and a collector. Best of luck, then."
The screen went back to the painting of a forest, and the rest of the applicants walked away, probably already planning how to get their items. They had better start praying for their lives if they used the Scarlet Eyes to become an employee to the Nostrades. In any case, this was her first step to getting into the body collecting business. She'd simply have to get closer to the boss. Curry their favor. After all, the only thing body collectors loved more than acquiring a rare item was having someone to boast to about it. Which meant he must have connections to others who shared his disgusting hobbies. A network of the lowest scum imaginable. She would worm her way in and then utterly eradicate them all. She might have to spare Neon's father though.
"Hmmm. The door won't open," Pompadour said.
Ah, here comes the catch.
"I forgot to mention something," the tattooed man reappeared. "The barest of requirements is that you are strong. Strong enough to leave this mansion alive."
How dramatic. Really, award-winning performance.
The wooden doors suddenly splintered and scattered across the floor as six things with swords crashed through them. They all entered defensive positions. Except for the other woman, who hid behind the poor, old butler.
Kurapika materialized her chains. They sung, eager to be used as the assailants charged forward. Three more appeared with guns, and the bullets pierced through the air towards them.
With the flick of her wrist, her chains flew forward to deflect each and every metal cartridge. She felt all eyes on her once more, and she felt the strange urge to admonish them for turning their back on the enemy. She refused to work with amateurs.
A few of the sword-wielding attackers slashed at her. She danced around them, landing in front and jumping up to crouch down on the banister of the staircase. Black eyes surveyed the battlefield. Three with guns. Six with swords. She suddenly felt a presence behind her and without so much as a glance behind, the blonde leaped onto the chandelier. Two more with swords above. Nice to know. Now, back to the fighting.
Pompadour was bragging to them. Ah, no, wait, he had just figured it out. Didn't look to be faking it either. Alright, he passed. The woman with gravity-defying hair easily disarmed them without even really moving. Kurapika still though she probably didn't have a combat nen.
Her eyes zoomed in on the weird-sideburn-guy.
He's the one. Called it.
The room seemed to freeze. All eyes turned to the man, who currently had a knife at his throat and a ruthless-looking blonde behind him.
"Call them off. I'll give you three seconds. One. Two."
"Okay," the man said, voice hoarse with fear. She wasn't kidding. "I get it."
The puppets fell to the ground, aura seeping out of them. The other three looked down at them in shock.
"W-what?" the gravity-defying hair woman asked, voice barely above a whisper as she stared down at the pile of clothes and swords and guns on the floor. Pompadour took the liberty of filling everyone in.
"How did you know?" the man in green asked her, looking quite indifferent at being defeated so easily.
"You did well to hide behind the others as camouflage," Kurapika admitted, coolly, "but when I observed you all from above, everything became clear. You were the only one who wasn't being attacked." Plus, he was a shifty little bastard from the beginning. Perhaps, she didn't consider that he was a plant, but it was easy to tell he was hiding something.
The blonde started explaining her discovery in detail, showing off just a little bit. She needed to prove her worth, as much as it pained her. Figuring out the order he gave them was an added bonus. Finally, she turned back to the others as she revealed how she knew the manipulator had to be inside the room. They fell for it completely. Pompadour even whistled.
"Nailed it," the man said, simply, before going into an unnecessary description of himself. His name was Shachmano Tocino, he already was working for the boss, and he was a manipulator just like she said. "Now that that's all clear. Could you, um, drop the knife?"
Kurapika sent him one last glared, before slowly lowering the small dagger. Tocino slowly sank into an armchair, and then looked back at her.
"Judging by those chains, you must be a manipulator."
Wrong, but that was why she always kept them out in the open. She didn't answer, simply tipping her head down slightly and glaring again.
"Well, I hope you don't hold a grudge."
Unfortunately for him, she was rather good at holding grudges,
"I was just following the boss's orders. 'Test them by trying to kill them.' Didn't expect you to figure me out so fast," he explained, shrugging. "Well, the three of you together should be able to escape the mansion."
This was taking longer than she'd expected. Now they were using these tasteless tactics as well. A dull pain formed in the back of her head, the call of a headache about to start.
"I suppose that was meant as a diversion." Though, if there was a plant, it'd probably be Fuschia over there. "I shall determine if there's another spy among us."
She lifted her arm and opened her previously fisted hand, the dowsing chain hung loosely from her ring finger. She whirled around and held it out in front of each of the suspects. Pompadour was fine, as was the woman. Which left Fuschia.
The chain swung.
"You are the plant."
After that, the man obviously tried to deny it, but alas, Pompadour proved himself useful with a strangely poetic Hatsu that could set people on fire if they lied. Still, Fuschia refused to tell them what his Hatsu was. Which led to the other woman revealing her power, which Kurapika later tried to banish from her mind.
And people always told her she was the scariest woman they knew.
"Are you going to tell us your name?" Basho asked as the four of them walked out of the mansion.
"No."
Perhaps, they had a point too.
. . . Flashback Training Time . . .
She was sure she'd sensed a powerful nen master somewhere in this vicinity.
"Bahari," she called. They were obviously in zetsu. The trail had gone cold minutes ago. In which case, she'd have to use Bahari to sniff them out. The lion crouched down as if it was stalking its prey, a low growl in his throat. It took him around eight minutes to find who they were looking for.
Kurapika ran a hand through his mane and crouched down.
"You sure?" she whispered, and the lion nodded. Kurapika's eyes fixed on the middle-aged woman, and then she took off, circling around to come up behind her. The woman hadn't noticed her either. Her attention was completely hogged by the magnificent beast on the other side of the trees.
Kurapika cleared her throat, and the woman's head whipped around to face her.
"Who are you? What do you want?" the woman asked, suspiciously, black curls falling haphazardly down her face and shoulders. Green eyes gazed at her threateningly.
"I'm a Hunter and I'm looking for a nen teacher who can help me reach my goals," Kurapika said, placing her hands on her hips, a large smile on her pretty face. Kindness first.
"Forget it," the woman replied, almost mockingly. "I'm not gonna teach some amateur the ways of nen."
And if needed, force second. Kurapika's friendly face dissipated into an icy, unimpressed stare.
"Let me rephrase that," she offered, and if winter had a voice, it would be hers. "I am a Blacklist Hunter and you will be the nen teacher who helps me develop a hatsu to reach my goals."
"Or what?" the woman asked, laughing.
"I'll let Bahari decide," Kurapika muttered, smiling darkly as the lion sneaked up on the older woman.
The woman yelped and quickly hid behind the blonde, as the lion drew closer and bared its teeth. "Alright, alright! Just call the crazy thing off!"
Kurapika smiled triumphantly. That lion might be of use after all. She'd thought it might be inconvenient to have it follow her around everywhere, but as it turns out, even the bravest of men cower at the feet of an adult lion.
"Well done, Bahari."
. . . Back to KilluGon . . .
"I can't believe we already lost so much money," Gon sighed, as the two of them sat down in a small cafe. She slurped her smoothie, a bit disappointed. "I told you not to go on those risky sites."
"I couldn't help it," Killua defended, crossing his arms over his chest. He wore a red tank top today, and these weird things that looked like leg warmers but he wore them on his arms so they couldn't leg warmers. Gon decided he looked really nice today, despite the leg-arm warmers. "Only the risky sites are profitable."
They both sighed, despondently.
"This isn't working," Gon muttered.
. . .
Next On Lions!:
Neon takes people shopping.
Question of the Day: What do you most want to happen in this story?
~ Replies to Reviewers ~
Sweets Dreamer: Me? Take a break? Pfft, nah. You're welcome. I do enjoy proving people wrong. Yeah, Chrollo, stop pretending you wouldn't jump off a bridge if she asked you to. He really does care too much. We might see that in the next couple chapters. I think you're onto something when you say that Chrollo somehow persuaded them to check on Kurapika. It sounds very Chrollo-like. That lion is the same lion from the end of chapter 36 of NAPP! I really didn't plan on having him here, but after a while, I figured it was too good a chance to pass up. And Komugi is here, so of course, you can expect Meruem. Not yet though. Meruem comes much, much later. Like Chimera Ant Arc later(which I'm gonna cut down a lot because I am not re-watching all of that.) Anyway, thanks so much for coming back to follow the sequel. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thanks so much for reviewing. It really means sooooooooooooooooo much to read your reviews. BTW, hope college is treating you better : )
MedusaLegend: Isn't Komugi cute? She's so pure and good. No wonder she won Meruem over in the anime. Kurapika didn't choose the lion, the lion chose her. No, really. It followed her around and she figured he might be useful. And yes, she will give the Phantom Troupe a ton of trouble, because they can't kill her but she wants to kill all of them. What's a group of murdering thieves to do? Thanks for reviewing. It means so much to me, you have no idea how much! I hope you liked this chapter.
guest: I swear, by the end of this trilogy, half the cast is going to be under Mamapika's care. And then there's Bahari who is practically the babysitter at this point. Three years? More like two months. I'm not that cruel to Chrollo. Yeah, Kurapika has a way of taming wild things. Chrollo, Bahari, maybe the Phantom Troupe. She's just got that mother-to-all thing to her. Ohohoho, I don't know, should you worry about Kura's Emperor Time? *Evil Grin* Oh, YorkNew is gonna happen. Just . . . not in the way we're all expecting. Phinks is awesome, no? So loyal. So fanboyish. So, so supportive of his Danchou's relationship with the devil woman. Aw, thank you! I try, I do. Writing is my passion, even though it can be a bit of a pain sometimes. Reviews like yours always give me the motivation to write again. So thanks for reviewing, AwesomeTheoryGuest. I hope you liked this chapter.
~ End of Replies ~
To Everyone: Hi, again. I hope you liked this chapter. If you would be so kind as to review, follow, and favorite, that would be much appreciated. My name is Chocoholic221B and I'll see you next time on Lions!