(Warning: Slight Spoilers for latest chapters. But, honestly, if you haven't read it, you'll just be confused, and then forget about it completely until the DC arc. Probably. It'll be lost in the KuroKura moments. The rest of you who have read it will freak out.)

Of Lions and Blonde Avengers:

Chapter 13:

Of Rescues and Planning

His phone rang sometime that night. It was Shalnark reporting on Kurapika's whereabouts. She had gone back to her hotel after a phone call, but the blond tech expert couldn't figure out who it was. At first, Chrollo had planned on ignoring that fact. It was normal for her to go back home after such an ordeal. The person on the phone could quite possibly just be that little girl she'd taken under her wing. But then it started to bother him. Kurapika wasn't the type of person to avoid work for personal reasons. Unless something drastic happened.

But then it started to bother him. He reminded himself that Kurapika wasn't the type of person to avoid work for personal reasons. Unless something drastic happened.

So, naturally, he called Kurapika's other pseudo-children to check on her instead, ya know, just in case she was still fuming about his occupation as a notorious gang leader and him coming to her would lead to one of them getting hurt. Not feeling quite relaxed yet, he went back to his apartment because the Kurapika he knew was a sneaky Kurta who, if that phone call was who he suspected, would've left something behind as a hint. Perhaps, he was holding onto the hope she still trusted him to care for her well-being despite knowing who he was?

Sure enough, there was a note slipped under his door attached to a small circular device.

Roro. Got Komugi. Hotel. Tracker. I still hate you.

And so, his fears were realized. Perhaps, if he had been a lesser man, or perhaps, more human, he would've panicked. But he was Chrollo Lucilfer and he never let his emotions cloud his judgment, especially when it was Kurapika's life at stake.

Pressing the button on the circular disk, a hologram suddenly appeared. A blinking, green diamond signified the tracker's presence. A few seconds and he realized she wasn't in YorkNew anymore. The tracker looked to be in a clearing in the nearby forest. It'd take him five minutes to get there on foot. Which was an excruciatingly long time in terms of a life-or-death situation. He couldn't afford to waste any more time.

"You better not die on me, Pika-chan," he muttered, jumping off the balcony because the elevator would take too long.

. . .

Well, this could be a problem.

He counted fifty-three wells in all, each one identical to the next. And the map wasn't that specific. In the dark and in the middle of the forest, it was even harder to keep track of all of them.

Chrollo was a spectacular man, and he had a spectacular set of skills to go with his inhumanity, but even he couldn't look through each well to find a drowning woman in time to save her.

"Danchou ~" a sickening voice suddenly called. Chrollo debated acknowledging it, but then figured that it would make no difference.

"What do you want, Hisoka?" Chrollo asked, tossing him a glance over the shoulder. "I'm afraid I'm a bit too busy for that fight you've been vying for. Furthermore, you're still a-"

"Spider," Hisoka finished, rolling his eyes much like a child who'd been told the same old story for far too long. "Yes, I know. Phantom Troupe members aren't allowed to fight. Fear not, I'm only here to commit acts of heroism."

"You know where she is."

Hisoka smirked at his thinly veiled interest. Without a doubt, that Kurta was only becoming more and more prominent in his life. He wouldn't want her to go out like a short-lived flame before he had seen all she was capable of and all Chrollo would give for her. Who knew? She might become his trump card in winning a match with the man.

"And I can help you save her too ~" he sang, bringing up one sharp, well-manicured index finger to halt any signs of hope. "For a price."

Chrollo rolled his eyes and Hisoka almost swooned at the gesture. He was magnificent. "A fight, you mean. Alright. Which one is it?"

Hisoka tsked, "so impatient, my dear Chrollo ~ Are we perhaps getting anxious?"

No response.

"Very well, it's the one by that big tree over there."

More silence followed, but Chrollo made no move to follow his fabulous instructions.

"We're in a forest," Chrollo finally snapped, exasperated. "We're surrounded by big trees."

Oh dear, he had a good point. Hisoka wondered how else to describe the well where the beautiful blonde had been sent down into, but nothing came up. They were all completely identical.

"Alright, I'll take you to it."

"You walk in front."

Hisoka pouted at that statement. Everyone always assumed the worst about him. So what if he had a tendency to look at people's behinds and got off on violent battles? And so what if Chrollo was quite possibly one of the most intriguing of his victims and had every right to worry? It was hurtful. You see that? That was a tear rolling down his cheek? Oh wait, no it's just raining. Haha, what perfect weather!

"Well, here it is." Hisoka gestured grandly. "Shall I get you a -"

Oh my.

He just jumped in.

Was he shirtless?

Hisoka licked his lips as if he had just received a tasty treat. It was almost invigorating to see him so riled up. How much worse would he be if that girl got hurt? Killed? He couldn't wait to figure out.

But the Kurta had potential of her own. Should he kill the unripe fruit to gain the hatred of the ripe, juicy one? Or should he keep her alive and then force her to fight him as well? He decided on the second. Just in time too, because Chrollo had just resurfaced, soaking wet and clearly fuming on the inside. In his arms, lay an unconscious Kurapika, pale and equally soaked. He placed her on the forest floor gently and then coaxed her full, pink lips apart, and of course, Hisoka took in every detail. He never knew Chrollo was so experienced in CPR. Look at those muscles! How each kiss lingered! How his hands roamed her face in search of a response!

Oh, saving your lover's life had never been so sensual.

After about six rounds of kisses, the woman final breathed in a raspy, labored breath, and promptly started coughing. And coughing. And coughing. Hisoka started to wonder if she was trying to cough up her lungs. But then he saw that look on Chrollo's face. The look of relief. Of adoration. Of . . . the l-word. Ooh, how easy it would be to turn that into a look of bloodlust.

"Your brother is insane," she said, voice hoarse, and the man gathered her up in his arms. She didn't respond in any way, staying limp, her arms hanging in the air like they weren't sure what to do with themselves?

Trouble in paradise? Could it be? Had she found out?

"Thank god," he whispered, quiet enough for even Hisoka to miss.

The demented magician cleared his throat. "So, about our fight."

Chrollo summoned his Bandit's Secret, and for a second, Hisoka almost expected an attack. Instead, the two were spirited away and he was left alone . . . again.

Bloody hell, he hated that ability. It made him exceedingly hard to find.

. . .

Chrollo held her still, even as they arrived in his apartment. She welcomed the warmth unconsciously, but then quickly berated herself for doing so.

"I'm sorry," Chrollo whispered, breath hot against her ear. "I'm so sorry about bringing you into all of this."

Oh c'mon, how could you expect her to not try to comfort him. He sounded so guilty.

She threaded her fingers through his wet hair, wrapping her other arm around his shoulders and burying her head in his chest.

"It's not your fault. I was reckless in going there so quickly. I didn't expect him to throw me into a well," she murmured, ignoring the dull pain returning to her broken leg.

The two ex-lovers parted, and Kurapika brushed away the tears sliding down his cheeks. Chrollo had never been shy about this sort of thing. Crying was a natural response according to the man.

"I'm sorry about your face," she offered, trying to lighten up the mood as her fingers ghosted over one of the darkening bruises.

He gave her a weak smile for her efforts and replied, "I suppose I deserved it to some degree."

She bit her lip in deliberation. "Roro told me about your past. And what happened with the massacre."

He exhaled in an attempt to bite back his desire to change the topic, averting his eyes to add to the effect. "Kurapika . . ."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Her question came, deliberate and gentle all at the same time.

"You didn't seem like you were in the mood for a conversation," he answered, voice quiet.

She pursed her lips, before turning to her broken leg. Time to bring out Holy Chain.

The woman compartmentalized all her anger, mostly directed at the Phantom Troupe, and therefore Chrollo which she felt sort of bad about but you couldn't expect years of hatred to disappear overnight. Everything became tinted a blood red, as if she'd just been pushed into a sea of the diluted liquid and was fortunate enough to wear protective eyewear. She summoned the chain, imagined the cold metal, the smell, the glimmer of the moonlight, the silver cross with the little green gem in the middle. She remembered the taste as well, but that wasn't really necessary. To this day, she still thought her old Nen Master just wanted to get back at her for all those pranks she might've sometimes played on her. What? It was boring in there! And the forest reminded her of the times she had played pranks on the adults back in the Kurta Village, so she might have regressed a bit, but nobody got hurt. At least, not physically.

The bones in her leg snapped back into place and welded together, leaving behind no remnant of a time when they were broken apart. How much time did it take to fix that? Maybe eight, nine seconds? That was eight hours down the drain.

She shook her head. That was just the price she had to pay for more power.

Focusing back on the man, the woman folded into a seiza position.

"I meant before that," she answered. "Before I found out on my own. You could've told me yourself and given me your version of the story."

"Would you have believed me?"

She had to consider. Would she have believed him? "I don't know. I guess that's what trust is for." Because really, was it really a relationship, if they couldn't even be honest with each other? A bitter taste filled her mouth as she felt that same resentment bubble in her.

"Kurapika." He reached out to her. She stood up before he could so much as brush his fingers against her arm. Following suit, he continued, "you wouldn't have understood."

"I might've!" she cried, raising her arms, not sure where the sudden rage came from but at the same time knowing exactly why it had appeared. "Maybe instead of trying to control everything, you should've at least believed that I'd be rational enough to understand that your brother is a bloody psychopath who keeps manipulating you to do horrible things!"

So, she might've screamed a little and the fact that he had the gall to look guilty only made her curl her fists in frustration and seethe with unrelenting fury. She wanted to scream more, to yell, to for once, just get as angry as she felt on the inside. But she held back, averted her eyes and headed for the stairs. A cold shower would be nice right about now, and she was still drenched in well water. Most of all, she needed to gather her thoughts.

By the time she left, the Kurta's anger had only grown. She didn't doubt he cared about her, but that type of love . . . it was suffocating. And no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't regret being swept up into it. And she hated it. She hated the feeling of missing him, of wishing he was there, a feeling she had simply labeled as natural beforehand.

"Here," he said, walking up to her with a set of clothes.

"Those are . . ." He knew where she lived? Of course, he did. He gave Gon the address.

"Your friends dropped them off," the man answered, quietly, eyes darting in search of something in her expression. But she kept it stoic and cold, just like she should've from the start.

She took the clothes from him, muttered a, "thank you," and then went back to the bathroom to change. But before she could even take one more step towards the stairs, she was hugged from behind by thin, slender, copper-skinned arms.

"Gon," the older woman whispered, not even daring to look behind her.

The dark-haired girl sniffled and Kurapika immediately knew she was about to break into fits of sobbing. Her arms tightened around the woman's waist, and Kurapika felt her airway become blocked again.

"Gon . . . can't breathe . . . you're crushing me," she heaved with what little breath she had left.

Gon's arms loosened, but she refused to let go, and Kurapika resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She wasn't going to let her go until she reciprocated.

"Alright, alright," she said, exasperated, as she stroked the younger girl's head. "I'm sorry for worrying you."

"Worrying?!" Gon blubbered, looking up with trails of tears rolling down her cheeks and even a little anger flashing across her face. "We thought we'd never see you again! We're friends! Why do you keep pushing us away?!"

Kurapika gave the two men behind Gon a desperate look. What was she supposed to say to that? Killua just shrugged and made a spinning motion with his hand. The other one just looked amused. Bastard.

"I push you away to protect you," Kurapika started, but before she could go any further with her sincerest of apologies, she was cut off.

"I don't care about that!" Gon held onto her tighter. "Why can't we protect each other?!"

"Yeah, she's got a point," Killua chirped. "We might not have a Hatsu yet, but it's not like we have no idea what we're doing. I'm an assassin, remember? And Gon . . . well, she has good instincts, I guess."

"Aw," Gon said, with the look of lovestruck puppy on her face, but then she turned back to Kurapika with determination set on her face. "Help us develop our Hatsus, Kurapika! Please? So, we can help you defeat the Phantom Troupe!"

Oh dear, this was going to feel awkward to say. "Actually . . . I'm no longer chasing them."

"Huh?" Gon cocked her head to the side, confused. "When'd that happen?"

With her eyes avoidant and her teeth chewing at her bottom lip, Kurapika tried to put together the most rational-sounding response. "Well, you see . . ." How did one make this sort of thing sound rational? "It's like this. It turns out that the Phantom Troupe might not be the monsters I thought they were." There. That was a good explanation, right?

Gon continued to look at her with an expectant gaze, Killua raised an eyebrow, Chrollo gave her a nonchalant shrug.

She took a deep, calming breath, closed her eyes and then, "I found out the leader of the Phantom Troupe was sort of manipulated into it."

"What?" They clearly weren't convinced that was all it took to make her stop.

"And that he was," she cleared her throat awkwardly, "Chrollo?"

Silence. The truth sunk its teeth into them and forced them to jump back.

"WHAT?!" they yelled in unison.

Killua spoke again. "You mean you've been sleeping with your worst enemy this whole time?"

She crossed her arms and muttered, "I haven't slept with him."

"IT'S AN EXPRESSION! The hell, when'd you find that out?" Killua asked, looking like a concerned brother. He ignored Gon's innocent question of what it meant to 'sleep' together. It was just falling asleep next to each other, right? Chrollo and Kurapika did that all the time, though! Why would they lie?

"Yesterday," she murmured, strangely feeling a bit sheepish now that she was talking about it.

"RIGHT BEFORE YOU WERE KIDNAPPED?!" they both screamed, tossing the man a suspicious look.

Kurapika massaged her forehead, trying to keep a headache at bay. "Yes. Why are you screaming?"

"WHY AREN'T YOU?" It was almost surreal to see Gon yell at her as well. She was usually so good-natured

"I've kind of come to terms with it. Everything is mostly Roro's fault, anyway. So, all my hate hasn't disappeared, just transferred," Kurapika explained, shrugging nonchalantly.

Gon perked up at that answer. "So, you still have someone you want to get revenge on?"

"Yes?" Honesty was usually the best policy, but Gon was too unpredictable to follow the usual policies.

"We can help you!" Gon said, triumphantly, raising her arms in victory.

Her answer came almost instantaneously. "No."

"On the contrary," Chrollo intervened, stepping closer to them with a smug smirk on his face, "they might prove to be of some use yet."

Kurapika glared at the man. "No."

"And why not?" he asked, accepting her challenge to a staring contest.

"It's too dangerous," she replied, crossing her arms again, striking any possibility of letting her two younger friends fight her battle. She could handle Roro on her own.

"Perhaps if you trusted -"

Kurapika didn't even let him finish. "Oh, don't you dare twist my own words against me. You know this is a completely different situation."

The other two slowly edged out of the room to give the ex-couple their privacy, which Kurapika secretly appreciated.

"Is it? Our objectives are the same," he replied, coming even closer. "I wanted to protect you."

"I never lied to do that." The Kurta was getting angry again, her vision going red, but Chrollo didn't show any signs of backing down.

"And I'm sorry if that hurt you, but I really would've told you eventually," said the man, reaching out to touch her shoulder.

"So, what were you waiting for?"

"A time when you would be safe from my brother would be nice," Chrollo answered, voice almost desperate. It was so unlike him that it made the woman hesitate. "I was scared of him. What he'd do to you if I crossed the line. He's taken away everything I ever cared about."

"And before he set his eyes on me? What were you so afraid of then?" she asked, taking the initiative to come even nearer, Scarlet eyes burning into his gentle ones. "You didn't want to choose between us, did you? You thought you could keep your band of thieves and me all at once, didn't you?" And in his eyes it almost seemed like the real Chrollo shone through, and she cupped his face with cold, slender fingers, her face softening a bit. "Well, I have good news for you. You're not going to have to choose because I've already done that for you."

And she walked up the stairs to the bathroom, because she still had to change out of the Fluffy Bathrobe of Fluffiness. But when she came out, fully clothed in a green striped shirt and forest green jeans (clearly Gon's choice), she finally told him what she'd been meaning to tell him the whole time.

"Goodbye, Chrollo." She placed a chaste kiss on his cheek and then prepared to walk out of his life forever.

Or at least, until Roro showed up again, but the older brother didn't know that part of the plan.

. . .

Next on Lions!:

Kurapika has a plan.

(A/N: How long has it been since my last update? Two and a half weeks? I can do better. And don't give up on KuroKura just yet. And yes, Chrollo will learn that Roro 'kissed' Kurapika next chapter.)

Question of the Day: Do you think Kurapika's justified in getting mad at Chrollo for hiding the truth from her?

~ Replies to Reviewers ~

guest: You guys are reeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaly mad about that kiss, huh? May your shipper heart be healed someday. Chrollo's going to be friendzoned for three or four years (Greed Island - DC Arc), but is it really the friend zone if they're both pining for each other? Yes, yes it is. Oh, the suffering! The sexual tension! It will be so much fun to write as Chrollo regains Kurapika's trust and in turn, learns to trust her more as well. Only then will they be able to be a couple. Roro is a sociopathic murderer but there's a method behind his madness. Pika? Not being isolated? Pfft, which planet are you from? No, but seriously, this woman is going to start descending into very canon madness very soon. ALL HAIL KILLUGON! The break we've all been needing. I kept rewriting this chapter, and wasn't sure what was missing, but then I was like "huzzah, Hisoka. Where you at, you crazy, demented psychopath clown you?" Hisoka was what saved this chapter and possibly the whole book. That does not mean I forgive him for what he did to my babies Shalnark and Kortopi. Anyway, thank you so much for reviewing and I hope to see you soon!

MedusaLegend: Future? What future? Anyway, your hope will be heard as KuroKura isn't dead yet. It was a combination of Super Chrollo and Hisoka-dear, though KilluGon will play a larger part next chapter. Thanks for reviewing and I hope you liked this chapter.

Sweets Dreamer: As I said, you guys are reeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaly angry about that kiss, but I suppose that's justified. There's more to it than that. Roro really does care about his brother and Kurapika really is a threat to him in a way that I can't explain just yet. I'm glad this chapter made you sad. That was the objective. I feel like a horrible person for saying that though. Hopefully, the fluffy fluffiness of KilluGon will make you smile again. That's what Greed Island is for, after all. Half the cast thinks Chrollo and Pika have done it. It's because of the heated gazes and them always being together at night. Thankfully, they both have enough control not to go that far. They both respect each other too much for that. Also, backstory was inspired by Sherlock season 4 finale with Sherlock's crazy sister who drowned his best friend in a well because she was jealous of how much time they were spending together. It's a bit different this time, and Chrollo doesn't remember Cecilia as a dog in order to block out the tragic memory. Roro is kind of like Pouf now that I think about it. Glad you liked Kurapika acting human. I always worry about making her OOC, but then I remember this is a KuroKura fanfiction and she has to be a little OOC to fall for Chrollo. But not too much. Their personalities are compatible as they are. Bingo! Her "I love you" was meant for everyone, including her dead loved ones and her living loved ones. One YinYang arc comin' up. Also, I've decided I'll probably keep the last part at T, but there will be some implications of things. I want this to be accessible to most people, after all. Anyway, thank you so, so much for reviewing and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

~ End of Replies ~

To Everyone: Thanks for being patient and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter to some extent. Please review, favorite, and follow.