Disclaimer: Don't own HxH.

(A/N: It took me a little longer to finish this one. It's because of school coming in a few weeks. Don't worry though. I'm not going to simply disappear because school comes. I'll probably go back to my usual schedule of posting every week or so. It takes me a few hours to write a chapter, so it should be fine.)

Of Lions and Blonde Avengers:

Chapter 3:

Of Older Brothers and Shopping Trips

They were all hired in the end, unfortunately. She couldn't say she was looking forward to working with these amateurs. Nevermind the fact that she was probably the least experienced of the group. Their first job would be the underground auction, where the Spider would undoubtedly strike next. Not to mention, the Scarlet Eyes were going to be sold off there as well.

"I'll take you to the boss now," Dalzollene announced, as he opened the door and let some light stream in. The four of them followed him to Neon's bedroom. The familiar blue-haired girl instantly brightened when they arrived, but she showed no signs of meeting Kurapika beforehand. She didn't want them thinking that Kurapika had received her help in the interview.

"Hello, everyone," Neon said, smiling as if she'd just reunited with some long-lost friends. "It's nice to meet you."

Clever girl.

Kurapika displayed the same silent shock of the other bodyguards as they stared at the young girl. She certainly hadn't expected her to be the actual boss in the end. Did that mean she was the one who collected body parts, then? Kurapika blamed the parents. Neon was such a sweet girl. There was no way she was simply born with her fixation. No, it was made.

"Neon, I'm home," a deep, strangely familiar accented voice announced happily as footsteps approached the door. They all turned to face the stranger, and this time, Kurapika didn't have to feign her surprise.

"Nico!" Neon squealed excitedly, jumping up and falling into his embrace. The man laughed lightly, wrapping his arms around her and placing his chin on the top of her head. One of his hands went up to stroke her matching blue hair.

It was that guy. The one who hit on her the day of the interview. Who was he? Going by the similar coloring, Kurapika could easily make the assumption that he was a relative. A brother, maybe, or a cousin.

Neon stepped back, gesturing to the man in introduction. "Everyone, this is my older brother, Nico. He's the real heir to daddy's business, though he's almost never here. He grew up in Londres which is why he's got an accent."

Nico continued to smile, and Kurapika couldn't believe how similar it was to Neon's. His eyes stopped on the blonde, their eyes met, and Kurapika could practically see the curiosity in them. Dammit, she couldn't simply beat him up like the rest if he tried something. The man turned completely towards her, a gentle smile still on his face. He walked over to her, kissed her hand, and started speaking, eyes still gazing up at her.

"I'm sorry if my behavior earlier this month caused you any discomfort. Believe me when I say I was simply trying to be courteous."

Slap!

"Sorry, my hand slipped," Kurapika said, smiling sweetly, though her eyes burned. Kurtas liked to keep their personal bubble well protected. He didn't fool her for a second. There was clear desire in his actions, his movements. She might not be able to hospitalize him, but a few accidents wouldn't land her in the unemployment office.

In the background, Neon snickered mischievously, before coming up and linking arms with Kurapika.

"I like you," she said, still putting on the I've-never-seen-this-girl-in-my-life act. "Though the same can't be said for your clothes."

"My clothes?"

Neon nodded. "Nico can take us. He'll also be paying, of course."

Was that a hint of vengefulness Kurapika detected?

. . . A few hours later . . .

"No," Kurapika said, voice cold and face void of emotion. Her eyes were fixed on the vivid, red dress, trying with all their might to set it on fire. At least it was long and flowing at the ends, but the cleavage certainly left less to the imagination than Kurapika was used to and the back of the dress dipped all the way to her mid-back. All in all, Kurapika would rather join the rest of her clanmates in heaven than wear that monstrosity.

"C'mon, please?" Neon pleaded, big blue eyes wide and insistent. Unfortunately for her, Kurapika had spent an entire year in the company of Gon.

"No."

Neon pouted, but then her hands reached out, pressed against Kurapika's abdomen and pushed, sending her back into her cage and tossing the dress along with her. The door slammed shut and Kurapika felt just a little bit intimidated of the shorter, younger, altogether-harmless girl.

"I'm not letting you leave 'till you put it on," her voice perforated the wood.

Kurapika massaged her abdomen. For such a slight girl, she was surprisingly strong. The blonde's eyes fell back on the object of all her troubles: The dreaded red dress. Reluctant hands reached for the silky, soft fabric. The hem of the dress was covered with crystals that licked up in a motion similar to fire. Beautifully done, this was undoubtedly the work of a genius. Slender, pale fingers gripped the tag at the waist.

Cordelia's dresses - Handmade, homemade, custom-made.

Kurapika concentrated her nen on her eyes, and sure enough, the dress was shrouded in an aura of passion. The blonde couldn't help but feel some respect for someone who had such talent and dedication to create something like this, no matter how revealing and risque it was. Her teeth chewed on her bottom lip, as she pushed her bangs out of her eyes.

It would be disrespectful to the owner if she simply turned her nose up at it.

Kurapika sighed heavily, despondently resigning to her fate. She slipped off her tribal attire and slipped into the dreaded red dress. It fit perfectly, of course, even though the neckline dipped far below the actual neck. The red fabric fanned out against the floor, and even in the terrible lighting of the dressing room, it looked like a flame.

Neon nearly fainted when she walked out, and Kurapika rolled her eyes fondly. The younger girl's crush was rather endearing in her opinion, though she felt a bit bad that she hadn't brought it up yet. The girl deserved some closure. Unfortunately, Kurapika wasn't too good at giving others the gentle type of let-down that Neon deserved. She was more used to glaring and scaring them away. None of Kurapika's suitors had ever doubled as valued friends. Except for Chrollo, but his feelings were actually reciprocated.

"You look wonderful, Miss," a feminine, almost motherly voice spoke to her, as Basho and Baise tended to the unconscious Neon. Kurapika, who was still wearing the dreaded red dress, faced the taller woman.

She was older than her by a few years, Kurapika guessed anywhere from her mid to late twenties. Her eyes were brown, duller and darker than Kurapika's natural eye color. The purple suit revealed a little too much of her cleavage and stopped at her mid-thigh. Her most prominent feature would be her rather large, aquiline nose. Despite that, she was still quite pretty, and somehow motherly despite her revealing attire.

"Thank you," Kurapika finally answered, suspicion still crouching in her like a lion ready to pounce at any second. After all, most strangers wouldn't go out of their way to speak with anyone, no matter how good-looking the other person was.

The woman smiled. "No need to be so on guard. My name is Paku. I'm another one of Danchou's friends."

Again? And no, Kurapika was certainly not holding back a smile.

"Should I be expecting more of you?" the younger blonde asked. "I can't see why he keeps sending you to me."

"He's not," Paku answered. "Not really, anyway. It's pretty obvious he wants to check up on you himself, but at the moment his work is rather demanding. We need him back at Headquarters right now."

"I see," Kurapika said, not quite sure how she felt about any of that. Bright, black eyes focused on the ground below, the gray and white tiled floor. It was chipped here and there, in clear need of repair, but well-kept otherwise.

"Don't worry. He's all yours again after this project," Paku said, ruffling up her hair. "You really are as cute as everyone's been saying."

Cute?! She was a ruthless avenger, not a beagle! She was certainly not cute.

"I'm sure if Danchou was here, that dress would've already come off," Paku added, a sly smirk on her face.

"Excuse me?" Kurapika finally whispered, hardly believing what had come out of the woman's mouth. She did not need that mental image.

"He really does care for you," Paku continued, face turning serious, eyes boring into hers. "I want you to remember that."

"Okay?"

A smile spread across her face, and this time there was mirth in her voice. "I never thought I'd see the day Danchou actually fell so hard for someone. I'm glad he found you. Though, it would help if he stopped being so moody all the time. Call him, or something, okay? I'm sure just a word from you would suffice."

And then, the woman walked out of the dressing room. Kurapika turned back to her colleagues, who were still trying to wake up Neon. The blonde shook her head of any lingering, unnecessary thoughts of Chrollo and waltzed over to help them.

. . .

"Call him, or something, okay?"

No, not okay. Kurapika had promised herself she wouldn't make any contact with anyone from her past, especially not Chrollo. She had a path now, and they would only prove to be weaknesses and distractions in the end.

Her hand tightened around her phone.

Well, it wasn't like she could simply ignore him. He kept sending his subordinates to check on her. In a way, he had never really left. Wouldn't it make sense to tell him to keep his cronies under control?

A text. A text wouldn't hurt. She wouldn't hear his voice or see his face, or anything that could tempt her to fall back into his arms and never leave. But, with shaking hands, she realized his words would be enough. A reply, a sign that he was really still there for her.

And with that conclusion, pale hands placed the phone back on the coffee table. She felt something furry nuzzle her cheek, and she wrapped her arms around its neck, stroking its mane.

"Thanks, Bahari," she murmured. The lion nodded subtly.

She didn't need anyone when revenge was the only thing she was living for. They didn't need someone who was only living for revenge. This was a darkness that she would face alone.

With Bahari, of course, but Bahari was a lion. He didn't count.

"Miss Kurapika?"

And Komugi, but Komugi had almost nothing to do with her at this point. She was just a lovable roommate that really needed her help. She couldn't just let her fend for herself in YorkNew of all places.

So, in essence, she was facing this alone.

. . .

"Did you get what I sent you?" his second-in-command asked, sitting down next to him on the makeshift chair.

Chrollo nodded. "Her boss forced her to wear that, didn't she?"

"Pushed her into the dressing room and everything. She looked beautiful, wouldn't you agree?"

"She looked uncomfortable," Chrollo amended, closing the book in his hands. "But I'd be lying if I said she didn't look beautiful as well."

"Wishing you were there, hmm?"

"Naturally," he sighed, pouting slightly. The tall woman laughed. Pakunoda was easily the closest to their Danchou, and not just because she was his second. The slender blonde had been the older sibling Chrollo could never find in Roro ever since they met over twenty years ago. She was the first person he truly considered family.

"Ah, Franklin and Nobu are fighting again," Pakunoda noted, looking at the monster of a man lunging at the hot-tempered samurai.

"Let them," Chrollo said, returning to his book, "neither are serious about it, anyway. Call it brotherly love."

"Men are so strange."

"Aren't we just?"

They both sighed simultaneously, despondent.

"By the way, I checked her. She loves you. Deep, deep down under all those layers of guardedness, hatred, vengeance, and general numbness," Paku reassured, patting him on the back encouragingly.

"Why thank you, Paku," Chrollo answered with mock gratefulness. "That's just what I needed to hear."

"That's what I'm here for, Danchou," she said, sophistication and professionalism dripping from every word. "Please tell me you didn't let Shizuku drink. She's such a light weight, and I'm not dealing with her hangover when she wakes up."

"Of course not, I gave her some non-alcoholic champagne. Not that she knows," Chrollo said, pouring her a glass of wine.

"Thank God. So, what's the occasion? You never let us drink, mother," Pakunoda added mockingly, earning a chuckle from Chrollo.

"I thought you could all use some time off before we go all out at the auction next week. I'd also prefer they all be under supervision while they drink themselves silly. They could get into trouble otherwise," Chrollo reasoned, swirling around his own glass.

"You really are like their mother," Pakunoda laughed, taking a sip of the wine, expensive, probably stolen. "I wonder what you'll be like if you ever have any children."

If he was a lesser man, Chrollo would've probably spat out his drink or choked on it, instead he swallowed and said, almost bitterly, "I doubt I'll ever have children."

"What? You don't want to have kids someday?" Pakunoda asked, a bit surprised. She's always taken Chrollo as the type who would want kids but never had any because he either hadn't found the right person or didn't want to bring them up while he was a thief.

"That's not it. I just doubt the fatherly role is really up my alley. I never really had a father figure in my life. Other than Roro, and we both know how that turned out," he said, giving his glass another swirl.

"I always thought you had the father role down. I mean, you're already keeping track of eleven children," Pakunoda said, gesturing to the other Spiders. She, of course, was not included in the list of Chrollo's pseudo-kids.

"Shalnark, you keep that away from Shizuku," Chrollo warned. Shalnark yelled something back. "I don't care how much she begs. If she gets drunk, you will be the one dealing with the consequences."

Pakunoda chuckled to herself again, taking another swig of the alcoholic beverage in her glass. "Not up your alley, eh?" He certainly had the nagging part down.

~ Next on NAPP ~

The days leading up to the auction. Day 1 of seven.

Question of the Day: How's Chrollo the mom/dad doing?

(A/N: Why do I keep putting Chrollo and Kurapika in situations where they have to talk about possible future children? I dunno, I just think that they both have experience in their parenting roles. Chrollo with his Spiders. Kurapika with practically everyone she meets. It's just fun putting them in situations where they have to think about such normal things.)

~ Replies to Reviewers ~

Sweets Dreamer: Boss Kurapika is back at it again. And her resolve to ignore everyone she once cared for is stronger than ever. I know, Bahari is the most supportive lion in the world. And he's not going away. Back when Kurapika first came to YorkNew, she found her new nen teacher in the forest. Her new Nen teacher taught her how to come up with a powerful enough Hatsu to beat the Spiders. I wish I had a photographic memory so I wouldn't have to pause. Mind palaces! Sherlock! I love Sherlock! Neon actually did faint in this chapter. You're welcome. Gravity-defying hair styles? You could probably get them with enough hair gel. You could ask Chrollo for some. There you go, Kurapika getting loved advice from Pakunoda. I'm glad college is getting easier for you. Best of luck in your future endeavors : ) As usual, thanks for reviewing. It means so much to me! And I hope you liked this chapter!

guest: I'm glad I got the lesson across. Kurapika has always been the master of sarcasm, especially around Leorio. Not so random now, is he? The random stranger hitting on Kurapika ended up being her boss' older brother. How will she ever get rid of him? Agreed, that time skip would've been far too hard on our beloved lover boy. He's already visibly sour in front of his spiders. And he's not depressed! He's . . . um . . . introspective? Okay, he's a little depressed. He's still the best Mama Spider ever. Passive Aggressive Neon does sound fun! Does her making Nico pay for all her many shopping trips passive aggressive enough? For Phinks, she's a devil woman. For Feitan, she's Danchou's woman. For Pakunoda, she's like a little sister/daughter (or at least she will be). I shall write an actual thing for your clown scenario 'cuz why not.

"Danchou ~," the magician purred as he inched closer to his target, keeping his gift hidden behind his back. His gift which was wrapped in colorful, rainbow wrapping paper, complete with a big, red bow.

"Hisoka," Chrollo replied, emotionless as his eyes darted from one side of the page to the other. The clown felt a delicious shiver climb up his spine at the clear disinterest in his eyes.

"I heard someone was going through a bad breakup with his little girlfriend," Hisoka said, pouting slightly as if trying to recreate Chrollo's current expression. The man still didn't look up. The clown cleared his throat. "So, I brought you a little present to make you feel better."

The magician finally unveiled the package, but before either of them could move another inch, the present was ripped out of his hands by a suspicious Machi. The beautiful, pink-haired woman tore off the wrapping paper, and Hisoka couldn't help but admire her hands. They'd look even more clutching . . . oh dear, he was getting excited again.

"What. Is. This?" Machi asked, shoving the cover in his face. The picture of two people caught in rather compromising positions stamped on it. The anger radiating off her was almost tangible. How wonderful!

"It's my get-well-soon present to Danchou," Hisoka said, innocently, placing his hands behind his back.

"Danchou has no interest in such vulgar things," Machi hissed, eyes narrowed into a delicious glare.

"Breakups do strange things to a man's psyche," Hisoka reasoned, placing a hand on his chest to show his sincerity. "Think about how sexually frustrated he must be right now, without his little blonde to have and to hold."

"Machi," Chrollo spoke for the first time since they started this little banter.

"Yes, Danchou?" she replied, every bit the good, little, gorgeous soldier she always was.

"Burn it."

"Yes, Danchou."

Thanks for reviewing as usual. I hope you liked this chapter and the little drabble!

MedusaLegend: Hi, again! It's nice to see you back here. Sorry, there isn't much KuroKura. They'll come in later. Here, have an imaginary lion as compensation. Poor Neon. She doesn't mind that much anymore. Having Kurapika protect her is enough.

~ End of Replies ~

To Everyone: I hoped you liked this chapter. If you would be so kind, please review, favorite, and follow. Thank you for supporting this series thus far! Chocoholic221B out!