Disclaimer: Don't own HxH.

(I know the whole Zepile nonsense didn't occur until after the auction, but I needed to give KilluGon something to do. So, FYI, we're still three days away from the auction. Also, Hiatus x Hiatus, but it's supposed to come back before the year's out. I don't know if I believe them.)

Of Lions and Blonde Avengers:

Chapter 7:

Of Old Friends and Helpful Boyfriends

Igonia S. Freecss stared at the strange red-haired man in front of her.

"Put that statue down!" he repeated, and she turned back to the nice old man who'd been appraising the things they'd bought at the Bull Market. The statue was still in his hands, but they were shaking now.

"Wh-who are you?" he asked, voice coming out high-pitched and squeaky.

The tall guy just glared at him, before facing Gon and Killua again. "Don't let him scam ya, kids. He's offering a fair price for the doll and painting, but he's lying 'bout the statue!"

Heh, was that true? Gon and Killua kept their eyes fixed on the red-haired man. He didn't seem to be lying. But then, how did he know that the other man was? That was so cool!

"I - I never lied," the appraiser stuttered. By then, both Gon and Killua had come to the conclusion he was.

The man scoffed. "Really? No one would offer up eighty thousand jenny for wood. You're interested in the contents inside that statue."

Inside? So, it was like a surprise statue?

"It's a wooden trove."

"A wooden trove?" they both repeated, curious to know more.

The man nodded gravely. "Three hundred years ago, this was a popular way for the wealthy to hide their money. If it's real, there should be treasure inside."

Treasure! That would be worth a lot of money, right? She could get one step closer to Greed Island!

The man continued, still glaring at the appraiser, who was now sweating profusely. "You were planning to steal the contents while pretending to check its age."

"I - I would never do that," he defended, but it was clear he was hanging by a thread here. So, there really were people who tried to scam others like this. Gon had really thought he was a nice man.

"Wait," another voice interrupted them. A large man came out from the door behind the merchant. He was kind of intimidating, but Gon had seen worse. "Can you prove it's a real wooden trove?"

He continued explaining his reasoning. For one, the wood, while it was three hundred years old at least, wasn't a good indicator of the statue's age. The material might have been old, but that didn't mean the statue was. It was called hoodwinking: The act of fooling an appraiser by using a counterfeit.

"That isn't what I'm doing," the man in pink insisted, pointing to a line at the top of the statue. "There's a seam right here that an amateur would never recognize. It's an adhesive that was only used in that period."

The big man smiled, smugly, cocking his head to the side and raising an eyebrow. "You're insisting this is a real wooden trove?"

"Yeah," he replied, simply, not at all fazed by the muscleman. "But it is possible that it's already been opened once to swap out the contents and was then reassembled."

The muscleman looked back at Gon and Killua, surprisingly willing to give them another lesson on cheating. "We'd call that a dud, or double-dipping. Placing a new adhesive atop the old to create a dud." He faced the pink man again. "But only an amateur would do that. A pro would melt the adhesive with a flame, before resealing it once more. That way it would appear as if the statue was never opened in the first place. That's called welding."

Her head was starting to hurt again, but she forced herself to focus. This stuff was really cool, after all! She wanted to know more!

"It hasn't been welded," the pink man said. "If it had been, then there would be scorch marks from the fire and the adhesive would've been discolored."

"Even the pros have a hard time weighing those details," he retorted, still grinning. "I can't trust you."

"I'm a pro appraiser! I swear by my eyes . . ." He placed a hand on the statue. "This is a real wooden trove. It's never been opened and the treasure inside hasn't been removed."

"Okay," the man said, the promise of a challenge in his voice, "let's assume this is a real wooden trove. What would you do?"

A few seconds of staring, and the pink man's lips curved into an easy, friendly smile.

"I'll be your slave for the rest of my life."

Heh, that was a bit extreme! Was he really that confident?

The other man smiled as well, but his was the smile of someone who'd been defeated. He placed a hand on the old appraiser's shoulder. "Give up."

Reluctantly, the man placed the statue back on the table. Their new friend took it and put it on the floor, and then bust it open with a special tool made especially for this sort of thing. Gon felt the excitement well up in her, and then, the statue broke in half and the jewels poured out. There were so many! She'd surely get Greed Island soon at this rate!

"Woah!"

. . .

"So, your name is Zepile?" Gon asked, adorable as always. Killua still wasn't sure if he trusted the guy, but he hadn't done anything too stupid yet so he let him off easy. "Thanks a lot for what you did!"

"You don't have to thank me," the man said. "Consider it a give and take."

Choose your next words carefully, old man.

"Twenty percent sounds fair," he continued, raising two fingers and smiling like it was already settled. "My cut when you sell the treasure."

Killua glared. There was always something.

"What?!" he shouted, annoyed. "You're gonna rob us?" Filthy, old man, get your money elsewhere, instead of preying on teenagers. Killua considered throwing the package in his arms at him, but then he might damage the merchandise, and then what? Gon might not be able to get Greed Island.

Zepile looked almost insulted. Dirty, old man. "That's uncalled for. It's my fee for providing advice."

"I don't see a problem with that," Gon cut in. Killua immediately softened up at her voice. She really was too naive, too nice, too pure. "He really helped us out back there."

Killua was having none of it. "Now, look here. We need as much jenny as we can get. I might be willing to buy him lunch or some shi -" Gon's innocent look cut him off. He couldn't swear in front of Gon. "Thing. Something."

"Really?" Zepile asked, surprisingly interested in his offer. "Then I'll settle for that."

Huh? Didn't he just say . . . oh, nevermind.

. . .

"Zepile seems nice," Gon commented, as they walked through the city after lunch. It was still light outside, so they had some time to kill.

Killua glowered, wallowing in his quiet anger. He didn't like Zepile very much. "If by nice, you mean crooked."

"He kind of reminds me of Leorio."

"They're both drunkards, perverts, and useless more often than not. I can kind of see it."

Gon jabbed him with her elbow. "Don't be mean. Leorio has a lot of good traits. He's nice, caring, he always looks out for his friends, and he's a great doctor."

"He's not a doctor yet."

"But he will be soon."

Killua was ready to make a witty comeback when he noticed something from the corner of his eye.

"Is that?" he trailed off, eyes still fixed on the window of the coffee shop.

Gon followed his gaze to the familiar dark-haired man sitting at a table, sipping his caffeinated beverage and reading a book. "Mr. Lucilfer? What's he doing here?" And Gon, being the reckless person she was, decided to get her answers as quickly as possible and approach the man. Killua stopped her before she could even begin to cross the street.

"I don't think it's a good idea to just go up to him like this," he warned. Lucilfer might not have done anything to harm them while they were at school, but Killua knew a murderer when he saw one. That guy was dangerous, and if there was one thing he didn't like around Gon, it was danger. Especially when Kurapika wasn't around to give it a conscience.

"But it's Mr. Lucilfer," Gon said, as if that was the answer to all his problems with this situation. "Kurapika trusts him, and so do I."

Killua pressed his lips into a thin line, debating his next words. "I know that, but to be honest, Kurapika might be a little biased."

"What do you mean?" Gon asked, eyes wide with curiosity. She clearly couldn't fathom the idea of Kurapika being anything but impartial.

"I mean, Kurapika is head over heels for the guy. Not to mention she's only ever seen his good side." His explanation was met with silence, and when his patience finally reached its peak, he cracked one eye open. Gon was gone. "Hey!"

He caught up with her with ease and asked her what the hell she thought she was doing, because really, what the hell was she doing?

"But he waved," was her answer.

And so, a few minutes later they were sitting across from a handsome man with teal, globular earrings dressed in a black suit and slacks. He looked like the respectable business man he probably had never been.

Just how many suits did this guy have?

"Fancy seeing you here," the man said, smiling easily. He looked so harmless, Killua was almost fooled. Almost. "Choose anything you'd like. I can pay."

"We don't want anything from y-" he was cut off.

"Really?" Gon said, picking up the menu on the table, and edging closer to Killua so they could share. Killua stiffened. She smelled so nice, warmth practically radiated of her as their shoulders touched. "There's so many things!"

"Have you visited Kurapika yet?" Lucilfer asked, casually, but Killua wasn't fooled. This was the real reason he'd called them over. He wanted to check up on her from the start.

Gon pouted. "Not yet. She hasn't been answering our calls or texts. I guess she's too busy." Then she brightened up. "But I'm sure she'll be in Central Park on September First!"

"I'm sure," Lucilfer agreed, though it was obvious he had reached a completely different conclusion. "I could give you her address if you'd like."

Gon considered. "I don't think she'd like that very much. We'll just wait."

"I think she could actually use your help," Lucilfer insisted. "She's probably stressed with her new job. You two showing up would lighten the mood."

"I guess you're right," Gon said. "We could bring her something sweet to eat too. Kurapika likes sweet foods." She turned to Killua in askance. After all, they were partners.

He shrugged. "It wouldn't hurt to visit, I suppose. We could just all meet up with Leorio on September First like we planned."

"There you go," Lucilfer said, passing them a white, square piece of paper. "Kurapika likes blueberries, so I'd recommend the pie."

And then he left.

Hey, wait a minute! Wasn't he supposed to pay?

"Ahem," someone behind them cleared her throat. They turned to see a pretty waitress with pink hair looking down at them with a dazed smile. She was blushing for some reason. "That man over there just told me to wire your bill to his account. What would you like?"

Gon had an entire list ready.

"And a slice of blueberry pie please," she finished.

"Coming right up," the woman said, still daydreaming, no doubt. He almost felt sorry for her. Lucilfer was pretty ruthless. "By the way, that man, is he . . . I mean . . . you wouldn't happen to know . . . if he was . . . single?"

What?

"Sorry," Gon said, looking genuinely apologetic, "he's dating one of our best friends right now."

"You dodged a bullet in my opinion," Killua grumbled. Gon jabbed him with her elbow again.

. . .

Gon knocked on the door thrice and then waited for the light sound of shuffling feet. Only seconds later, they arrived and the door cracked open. Two brown eyes peeked out, a flash of blonde hair and pale skin. Kurapika.

As soon as she realized who it was, Kurapika attempted to slam the door closed, but Gon used her foot as a door stop.

"Please let us in?" she pleaded. Gon could see it in Kurapika's eyes. The blonde had already changed and it had only been a couple months. She didn't like this change. "We brought pie? It's blueberry."

Kurapika's eyes lit up, and for a second, Gon saw that child-like woman she'd sometimes seen in the presence of puzzles or libraries or Chrollos.

The door was practically flung open. "Alright, but just for a second."

Gon smiled triumphantly. So that was why Chrollo had told her to bring the blueberry pie. It was Kurapika's weakness.

The interior of the apartment was pristine, as expected. Kurapika was a bit of a clean freak and liked keeping things orderly, arguing that if there was no order things would get out of hand too quickly.

"My roommate is sleeping now, so we'll have to talk quietly."

Gon somehow felt that comment was directed at her. Strange. She wasn't loud all the time.

Kurapika led them to the dining room, where they sat down in chairs of mahogany and were met with a plate of sugar cookies.

"Ah," Kurapika whispered, noting where their gaze fell, "one of my roommate's friends came over earlier. I decided to make them some cookies. You could try some if you'd like."

The younger girl was suddenly flooded with a sense of relief as she realized her friend hadn't changed that much. She might be deadlier, more intimidating in every sense of the word, but she was still Kurapika deep down and nothing was going to change that. Fretting over every little thing.

"So," Kurapika started, opening the box with the blueberry pie and digging in with a silver fork, "how's your search for Greed Island coming along?"

Her face fell.

"No luck, hmm?" Kurapika chuckled, placing her chin on her hand. "You've found it, I suspect, so it's the money that's the problem."

Gon nodded, solemnly.

"I could lend you some if you'd like. How much is it?" Kurapika asked.

"5.8 billion jenny," Gon mumbled.

Kurapika's eyes widened almost comically as if she was trying to decide if she should laugh or cry.

"For a video game?" she breathed out. Gon nodded, eliciting a chuckle from the other girl. "My, you have your work cut out for you. I have around three billion saved up on my account."

"Thanks, but I don't think that's the way Ging wanted me to win this," Gon declined, politely. Right, she had to win this with her own power, not Kurapika's.

"Understood."

They entered a comfortable silence, each within their own thoughts until Gon's reached a rather unsettling topic. A topic that had been haunting her, drowning her in its ominousness. Something she was sure she shouldn't bring up but felt the urge to much stronger than any common sense could be. Gon needed to know.

"You're still chasing the Spider, right, Kurapika?" she started, cautiously. The other woman's eyes grew scarlet just at the name. Gon knew she was walking on thin ice, still she walked on.

"Yes," Kurapika answered, voice low and dangerous, almost a hiss.

Gon bit her lip. "They're here, aren't they?"

The blonde nodded.

"I want to help-"

"No."

"But Kurapika." She stood up at the same time the Kurta did, ignoring the shivers that crawled up her spine at Kurapika's angry stare. It wasn't meant for her, after all.

Kurapika inhaled through her nose, trying to calm down. "I think it's time for you both to leave."

Killua stood up as well. "We're just trying to help."

"Well, it's unnecessary," Kurapika snapped, herding them back to the door before they even knew what was happening.

"We won't get in the way, Kurapika," Gon pleaded, taking her hand. "Let us be there for you!"

She snatched it away, temper flaring. "Do you have any idea what these people could do to you? I know you want to help, but there's nothing you can do at this point."

"But -" She had to. Kurapika . . . Kurapika was always there for everyone. Kurapika didn't deserve to face this alone . . . no one did. Now, if only she would stop being so stubborn.

"Enough, Gon," she almost begged, and the young Freecss knew that if it wasn't for her roommate in the other room, she'd have screamed. "Thank you for checking up on me, the both of you, but I'm not going to put you in anymore danger than you have to be."

She pushed them out the door where a lion stood with a basket in his jaw.

"Bahari," Kurapika sighed, voice returning to normal somewhat. "Come in."

They both ignored the fact that their friend had apparently made friends with a possibly dangerous wild animal. They had seen stranger things. Gon opened her mouth again, but nothing came out. She couldn't say anything all of a sudden, as her friend glared at her with the anger she saved for her enemies. She knew she couldn't convince her. Killua gripped his girlfriend's hand.

"We're not useless, you know," Killua said, sounding almost insulted at being thought of as such. "With our help, you would definitely beat them."

"Or you could die!" she finally blurted out, voice shaking. Neither of them had ever seen her so distressed. Not even when she'd been plagued by nightmares of her dead clan. Probably because she knew they were fake visions. The possibility of them dying because they tried to get her out of a tough spot was very real.

And she was terrified of that possibility.

"Goodbye."

The door swung shut, leaving them to contemplate their failure.

"Bye."

For now.

. . .

Next Chapter:

Two more days! Kurapika's working. Nico's being obnoxious. Neon's being . . . Neon. Gon and Killua have plans.

(A/N: So, yeah, we're getting there. I hope you liked it. Let me know if you notice any problems with the plot. The timeline's sort of messed up, I know.)

Question of the Day: How was that confrontation between Kura and KilluGon (mostly Gon)?

~ Replies to Reviewers ~

guest: They're always so close to each other and yet so far. They're both constantly obsessing over one another though, so that counts for something. Chrollo's gonna throw all his tricks at her and hope one of them successfully keeps her away from the auction house for a few days. If that means sending KilluGon to her, then alright. 'Lovesick' is the only thing I could describe either of them as. I miss them together too. Fashion model! Kurapika and photographer! Chrollo. Oh dear, they'd kill each other. Well, Kurapika would kill him, and Chrollo would just smirk like this was all part of his master plan. I know! It's so hard to choose a favorite disney movie. There's too many! The frickin' dolphin is literally as bad as any villain for me right now! It's gonna be the true villain of the DC Arc, screw Tserriednich! I'm so worried for Kura. And now it's hiatus season again! This isn't good for my heart, but I guess it just means we go another chapter without Kurapika or Chrollo dying again. Always look on the bright side, eh? Paku is definitely the president of the KuroKura fan club. She'll see those two get married if it's the last thing she does! See ya next time, friend. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked this chapter!

Sweets Dreamer: Your wish is my command. Auction prep, it is. Though, there isn't much of it here. It's just Kura and KilluGon and a bit of conniving Chrollo. Those two should just get married already. Kiss and make up, skip the drama. OMG, Komugi is my second favorite female character too! I liked Palm and Senritsu as well, for what they were worth. There's a few female characters in the manga that are making there way up the list as well. I won't say who though, since I believe you haven't read the recent chapters yet (I wish I were you, I wouldn't have to suffer hiatus season). Oh, and in the original Hunter Exam, the first phase made them run 50 miles. Crazy stuff. They didn't even break a sweat (except for Leorio). I hope writing Feitan gets easier. I'm not sure if I should like him or hate him. He's like the edgy little brother of the Phantom Troupe, but he's also a murdering thief who tortures people for fun. At least Chrollo's a classy murdering thief. Maybe, I'm setting up a double standard? Anyway, thanks for reviewing and I hope you liked this chapter. I'm willing to fangirl over Moriarty anytime.

MedusaLegend: I know right? They were so close to making up, getting married, starting a family . . . and now it's ruined. Don't worry, though, if all goes according to plan and I don't get the sudden urge to kill one of them off, they'll be married within a five-year time period. Thanks for reviewing and I hope you liked this chapter. I hope to see you next time.

~ End of Replies ~

To everyone: Thanks for reading. Please review, favorite, and follow.