A/N: Wasn't planning on putting this out until December, but then, I remembered it was Thanksgiving, and I wanted to thank you all in some way for supporting me thus far. So, to all my followers, favoriters, my lovely reviewers Sweets Dreamer, MedusaLegend, guest, slyside, and Pandalion143, I give you this super long, slightly more detailed than usual chapter. You guys have helped me so much in terms of motivation and have been super in helping me grow as a writer and for that I'd like to thank all of you. Also, Happy Thanksgiving to all of my USA friends and a happy day to all of you who do not celebrate it, because you all deserve the best. Also, I've been listening to 'Let Me Make You Proud' from Tangled: The Series on repeat and I swear the reprise is a song for Kurapika. Every revenge song is for Kurapika in my mind. And that look after he said he'd make whoever stood in his way pay, that is a Kurapika look.
Of Lions and Blonde Avengers:
Chapter 15:
Of Dolphins and Nen Users With Awful Restrictions
Kurapika thought her performance had been worthy of any award. Even as her anger boiled to the brim and she felt she might just as well punch the little shit in the face for catalyzing her clan's demise based on a fake prophecy, Kurapika had maintained her temper, focused on seeing her plan through, and even with all that, he'd still managed to one-up her, taking Chrollo down with him. Sure, he sounded genuine enough when he despaired over his brother's illness, but that didn't discount the fact that he'd done it again. He'd taken and put someone she loved in danger and she'd been helpless to stop it. Heck, it had been her plan for Chrollo to get injured somehow, so his brother would focus on him instead. And look where it got her.
Of course, the fact that she was now a murderer lingered in the back of her mind, forgotten in the face of another being killed because of her. She didn't like it, she wasn't proud of it, it felt she might vomit every time she pictured it in her mind's eye. The light leaving his eyes, leaning against her motionlessly as heat rapidly abandoned his body, the strange tug on her own heart when his was crushed, letting her know that the restriction was broken. There had been an out. He could've taken it. That's what she told herself. But it didn't work.
The Kurta felt a weight on her shoulder and it snapped her back to her senses. She didn't even bother turning around to identify that weight. It was hot and clammy, just as you'd expect from someone with as high a fever as Chrollo, and even so, he was shivering against her. At least his hypothalamus was still doing its job, Kurapika reassured herself. It'd be worse if he was completely motionless. That fact put her mind at ease, knowing that his condition, while fatal, hadn't taken him yet. He was fighting it.
Instinctively, she took his hand, remembering something about physical contact and how it helped the patient stay aware a little longer.
As she tightened her grip, she heard Leorio say, "we're almost there, Kura," like she was the one in need of medical attention. With a curt nod and a small smile, she held her words close to her chest, not bothering to tell her best friend that a hospital wouldn't do Chrollo much good.
She turned off her phone with an impatient click, nothing was coming up in her research either. At this rate, Chrollo was as good as dead. If only there was someone who had more connections with these sorts of things. Someone who wouldn't turn them over to the police.
It was with that thought that Kurapika had a slightly insane eureka moment. The Spiders would know, or at least, would be able to help. Bringing up her contacts, she shakily pulled up Shalnark's number.
The fact that she'd had a member of the Phantom Troupe's number this whole time gave her a jittery sense of hilarity and fury because they'd known the whole time and didn't even treat her like a threat. She'd just been their Danchou's girlfriend. What a tasteless title. That couldn't be allowed to stand.
"Miss Kurapika?" came the young man's voice, filled with a strange nervousness.
Good. He should be nervous. "Roro's dead. Chrollo's been shot with a lethal dose of maitotoxin. How do I save him?"
"Maitotoxin?!" he yelled into the phone, making the woman lean away from the device. "How'd he get hit with that?"
She decided to twist the truth a little. "Roro shot him in the leg. He'd been trying to keep me safe."
"I see," he replied, seeming to have calmed down considerably in the few seconds it had taken her to explain their situation. "Where are you?"
"We're on our way to the hospi-"
He cut her off mid-sentence, "ah, sorry, Miss Kurapika, but we can't let you take him to the hospital."
"Why not?" she asked, fingers tapping the leather of the seat. In her hurry to get Chrollo the help he needed, she might've come off as a bit impatient, but perhaps that was precisely what Shalnark needed to understand the urgency of the situation.
"We can't leave Danchou out in public while he's in such a state," responded the man. "There are people after us. And now, thanks to the Mafia, our pictures have been released on the Net."
"How'd they manage that?" Kurapika asked, finding it hard to believe that those buffoons managed to catch anyone in the Troupe long enough to snap a picture.
Shalnark's answer came swiftly. "They brought in two of the Zoldycks, but Danchou paid them off beforehand to get rid of the Ten Dons, so the payment was void and the Zoldycks left us alone. We made copies of our bodies to fool them into believing we were gone."
"So, you're saying I should leave him without any proper medical attention?" Kurapika asked, incredulity seeping through her voice. Sure, a hospital would be of no use in curing him, but they could keep him alive for at least a little longer.
If he was there, he'd be waving his hands frantically to rid her of the thought. "No, nonono, I mean you should bring him to us and we'll take care of him. I'll send you the address."
A mere three seconds later, she received a text.
P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney
Sydney? That city was a few minutes outside of York New. Could they make it?
They would have to. The Spiders knew more than they did. She punched the address into the GPS on her phone and handed it to Leorio, who said nothing even as the doubt overtook his face.
"Take the one with the least traffic," was her only demand.
. . .
"Alright, now set him down," Machi said, as Phinks laid Chrollo down in what looked like a hospital bed. The rose-haired girl promptly set to work in stabilizing his condition.
Kurapika would be lying if she said she didn't feel at least a little bit dubious about the other woman's skills, but Shalnark assured that Machi knew what she was doing. Apparently, she was Meteor City's best doctor. Forgive her if she felt a little underwhelmed by that title. And the fact still stood that they didn't have a cure. It didn't matter how well Machi did her job, Chrollo would still be dead at the end of the day.
"The prophecy foretold the death of Chrollo Lucilfer at the hands of a Kurta."
Could this be it? Was this the death he'd spoken of? Would Chrollo lose his life thanks to her?
Well, screw that.
"Shalnark, may I speak with you?"
Smiling that sociopathic smile, Shalnark nodded, before following her out to the steps of the abandoned church. The attempt at isolation was simply for the sake of professionalism, though both of them knew that both of their respective groups of friends would be eavesdropping on them.
"Do you know any Nen users who would be able to heal him?" she asked.
Shalnark shook his head, apologetically. "But I could look for one. What will you do once you find them?"
"I'll try to convince them to help us."
"And if they say no?"
Chains pulsed on her right hand as if they knew they might have to be used. Well, one chain in particular. Strange, she'd conjured them to combat the Spiders, and now she used them to save one. The fact made her stomach churn. Even with the time she took to try to understand her feelings about the Spiders, her thoughts still couldn't amount to anything solid. It wasn't anything like the single-minded hatred and anger she used to feel, though the fury was far from gone, now it was nuanced and mixed in with all these other emotions. Frustration built inside her, the internal conflict reaching its apex and leaving but one conclusion in her mind: She had to save him. Of that, she had no doubt. That man would not be dying on her watch.
"Ooh, found one," Shalnark suddenly called. He'd gotten his laptop in the time frame it took her to go on her little feels trip into EmotionLand™ and was now surfing the web. "Carl Liviachi. He lives in Albany. That's just twenty minutes from where we are -"
"I know where it is," she cut him off, impatient and snappy. These were no longer Chrollo's friends, they were Spiders, and she was no longer required to be nice to them. Not that she had been before, but you know, now she could be a complete jerk and not feel guilty. The other Spiders had been completely aware of their actions when they annihilated her clan. "C'mon, we're leaving."
Before they could even get off the steps, Gon ran out after her and took her hand. "I'm coming with you!"
"No, you're not," she replied, sternly, but Gon held her ground. "We have no idea what kind of person this Leviacci is."
"It's Liviachi," Shalnark murmured. They both ignored him.
Gon grimaced. "SO? We've fought crazy psychopaths before! I fought Hisoka in Heaven's Arena!"
"You did what?" she hissed.
Killua stepped up to offer his own thoughts on the subject. "She lost."
"It was because of the Bungee Gum! He played dirty!" she insisted, waving her arms in the air as if that would help accentuate her point.
Chuckling made them look up to where a red-haired magician stood on the steeple of the church. "It was a Nen battle, my dear Gon ~! Anything goes ~!"
Gon's friends made a sort of protective wall around her. No creepy clowns would get past them.
"How cruel ~!" the clown drawled, placing a hand over his heart as if he'd been shot. "You wound me, my dear fruits! I am simply here to offer my assistance!"
Could you do it without creeping on everyone?
Hisoka's eyes fell on Kurapika, and his lips pulled into a gleeful smirk. Leaping off the roof, he situated himself in front of the girl, his back to her three friends. She didn't move away, choosing to simply stare him down. This just seemed to amuse him further.
"You," he sang, leaning down to her eye level, "have been verrrrry naughty~."
The tone of his voice made her friends and a few Spiders make their own wall around her. She didn't lower her gaze. She wouldn't let her ego be wounded in such a way.
"You seemed to have omitted a few details about the Spiders when we agreed to work together. Therefore, our alliance is now void," explained the girl, voice cool and perhaps a little belligerent.
He grinned. "Oh, I'm not talking about that ~. I'm talking about Danchou's unfortunate state. You've been putting the man through quite the rollercoaster."
"That seems to be the routine for us," Kurapika replied.
Placing a finger to his chin, he considered the girl before him. "Carl Liviachi is a recluse living on the outskirts of Albany. He's a volatile man with violent pets."
"You want to help us find him?" Kurapika asked, as if the idea itself was absurd. But then, after some mulling over his proposal, it wasn't so strange for him to want to help save Chrollo. He wanted to fight him to the death, and losing his chance to some poison probably didn't sit well with him.
"And make sure Danchou returns to his glorious self," he added. "See, little Kurta, we're not so different, you and I."
"Compare yourself to me and I hand you to the rest of the troupe to deal with," she threatened, before walking to the car out front. Shalnark followed her with a smile that was too pure, too good for this world, with Hisoka strolling in behind him with none of the hurry the other two felt. They lobbed him into the backseat, of course, but before Kurapika could even start the car, two more people joined them.
Kurapika took one deep breath to calm herself, massaging the bridge of her nose..
"I told you," she started, in that quiet, seething tone that told them she was trying not to snap, "that you couldn't come."
Gon's lips pulled into a determined pout as she was squashed against the window. "We're not asking for permission."
Kurapika glared, eyes flashing red. "Where's Leorio?"
"He's helping the needle girl keep Lucilfer alive," Killua said, fastening his seat belt. "Don't expect us to stay behind with those freaks, being useless."
"Miss Kurapika, we really should get going," Shalnark informed, tone taking on a pleading layer, as he finished setting up the GPS.
The blonde clenched her jaw. Letting things go had never been her specialty.
"Fine, but if you get in trouble, you run as fast as you can and forget about the rest of us," she compromised, quietly, finally accepting defeat.
The two bobbed their heads, brimming with victory. Kurapika took another deep breath, before finally starting the engine and placing white-knuckled hands on the steering wheel.
"Let's get this over with."
. . .
Of course, the place this guy lived in had to look like a haunted house filled with the corpses of the fools who'd tried to invade it. Rickety rooftops and broken windows were just some of the outstanding features of this stellar home. To the left, you'd find dead trees, dead trees everywhere, painted a rigid black by the cloudy night, leaning left and right, their limbs cracking like the bones of an army of old people. To the right, you'd find what looked like a dog-house, though it was fifteen feet tall and made of brick instead of the standard wood with the names Destroyer and Muffin written in a rusty copper color.
Our brave heroes currently stood on the other side of a wrought iron gate that in itself seemed formidable.
"Time to go in," Gon said, cheerfully, reaching for the gate rods and starting to stretch them. In the midst of a minor panic attack, Kurapika pulled her away from the gate.
"What are you doing?" she asked, that edge of panic still in her voice. "We can't go in without a plan."
Gon pointed to her silver-haired best friend, who was already on the other side. "But Killua's already on the other side."
Kurapika looked ready to scream, and probably was, internally, but she settled for a whispered, "Killua!" and a run through her golden locks. Hisoka chuckled, as he passed the gate as well.
"Let them go, Miss Kurapika," Shalnark suggested. "They can distract the guard dogs while we go search for Mr. Liviachi."
She grimaced, not liking the thought of sending Gon and Killua out into the paws of a violent wild animal with only Hisoka to protect them. Heck, Hisoka would probably stand by and watch them struggle for the fun of it.
"Would you mind staying with them, Shalna-"
The normally polite Shalnark interrupted her, still smiling, "yes, I would. With all due respect, Miss Kurapika, Danchou is my priority right now. You can't do this on your own."
He was right. She couldn't. She was still too weak to march into a battle of unknown proportion alone.
"Let's go," she sighed, walking through the twisted bars. The two of them made their way to the door. Negotiation was always the best tactic.
They didn't even need to knock for the door to open. Two blue eyes peeked out from the small gap.
"Who is this?" he asked, grumpily, looking them up and down with a permanent grimace on his wrinkled face.
"Are you Mr. Liviachi?" Kurapika asked, trying her best to appear harmless. "We're here to inquire about your ability to heal others of any disease?"
He opened the door further to reveal a dwarf of a man with a long beard and a full head of silver hair that reached his shoulders. His clothes were dark and dreary, all different shades of gray. "What d'you need it for?"
"My . . ." What was he again? Not an enemy anymore, obviously, but not her lover either. "Friend has been poisoned."
"With what?" he asked, still grimacing, but she could tell he was willing to help them.
"Maitotoxin," she answered.
He frowned, before stepping out of the doorway. "Come in."
Shalnark and Kurapika exchanged a suspicious look but followed him inside anyway. Cluttered was the word that came to mind when they stepped inside, but it didn't seem messy. It was a sort of organized clutter.
"Darling," a voice called. "Who was that?"
Another man came through the doorway, a tall, muscular specimen with dark eyes and a bald head and colorful clothes. In other words, the complete opposite of his shorter, thinner companion.
"These folks want my help with something," he answered, sitting down on the couch and gesturing for them to sit in the armchairs across from him. After some extensive Gyo usage on said chairs, they did.
"Oh," he said, shoulders slumping, "I suppose I should leave you to it, then."
The other man, the one with the ability, looked away, and Kurapika knew that look. Guilt, tied in with a sense of responsibility. It was one she'd worn so many times it was becoming the only expression she had other than a look of numbness and rage.
"So, how long ago did they receive the maitotoxin dose?" he asked.
Forming an approximation in her head, she answered, "around an hour and a half."
His eyebrows rose into his hairline. "And they're still alive?"
"He's," an evil criminal mastermind who grew up in a city of literal trash and was raised by a psycho brother bent on shaping him into the invincible savior of Meteor City, ignoring all proper childcare and pretty much abusing him both mentally and physically until he finally became the unfeeling, unregretful monster that is Chrollo Lucilfer, "surprisingly durable."
"Inhuman, I'd say," he said, eyes growing even wider. "No one's ever survived that long with maitotoxin running through their veins. It hurts like the devil for a few seconds and then it kills you by stopping your organs. Scary stuff. How'd he wind up with it?"
His brother shot him in the leg.
"There was a Mafia scuffle downtown, and he was caught in the middle," she lied, skillfully.
"Those people are nothing but trouble!" he said, holding up a nearby cane and waving it like the stereotype he was. "They're the reason I moved out here! Always, nothing but 'save them, Marlin', 'save him, Marlin', 'oh, you won't help us anymore? That's too bad, now we'll have to kill you, Marlin'. Nothing but trouble. Someone should get rid of the lot of them."
Yes, definitely a wise choice not to have said she actually worked for the Mafia.
"Back to the subject at hand," she interrupted.
"I'll help you," he said. "But I'll have to warn you that my ability isn't all sunshine and rainbows."
It never was.
"The pain this person feels will be transferred to me. That is the price for the cure," he said.
Kurapika frowned, she wasn't one who let other people get hurt for her personal goals, but since this was the only way.
"You almost died from the pain last time," the other man mumbled from where he was organizing some books.
What?
"Ignore him," he told them, eyes never leaving his guests.
Come to think of it, immense pain could lead to sudden death, especially in an elderly man. She couldn't let someone die just so she could save someone else. Weighing lives wasn't something any human had the power to do.
"I think you misunderstood me," she spoke again. "I am in need of your ability, not of you yourself."
His brows drew together in confusion. "I don't get it."
"I have a power that allows me to borrow other people's abilities," the woman explained, her voice containing none of the seriousness said power called for. "I can only use the borrowed ability once before it is returned to the original owner."
"You're asking me to give you my ability?" he asked, incredulous.
"That is correct."
"Do it," the man behind them said, the certainty in his voice almost tangible.
The healer still looked unconvinced. "You'll be put in immense pain, child."
"I am familiar with the sensation," replied Kurapika, her eyes turning Scarlet for just a second, but the torment reflected in those orbs stayed and it won him over.
With a pitying stare, he nodded. "Very well."
She nodded, standing up, and bringing out her chains, before shrouding them with In for a number of reasons. Mostly so neither man would panic, but also because Shalnark was also there and she liked having her powers be kept a complete secret. Also, because the technology expert would immediately babble about them to Chrollo, and knowing that man, he would want to know everything. And knowing her, she'd probably break eventually out of frustration. She was not looking forward to that conversation.
Though she did sort of hint at having a stealing ability, and Chrollo had already seen her Holy Chain. Having two completely different Hatsus was strange. They were intimately connected to one's personality, and her Hatsus were only made so she could properly combat the Spiders. He wouldn't be able to piece together that she practically sold her soul to get stronger right off the bat, but he'd be curious and she'd try to avoid him but he'd prove that, lo and behold, she couldn't avoid him because his Kurapika Sense always told him when something was wrong and when it was best to approach her about it. After that, she'd once again be reminded of how much better he knew her than she knew him and she'd be fifty different shades of rage for the next month or so.
But anyway, this was a good idea and anyone who thought it wasn't had never had the pleasure of meeting her wonderful ex-boyfriend.
"This may sting a bit and you'll be paralyzed and eventually lose consciousness. Don't worry, it is not in any way lethal," she reassured.
"That's okay," he reassured. "I have a high pain tolerance."
She nodded and then flung Steal Chain at him, the needle embedding itself in his chest. He keeled over just thirty seconds later.
The dolphin, whom she'd nickname Delphi, appeared shortly after, and she gave it the proper command. "Equip stolen ability."
Delphi came to her with a robotic voice, saying the thievery was completed and explaining the properties of the ability. You could cure any illness, but in return, you had to the bare the patient's pain during the healing process. It gathered in a cloud of dust which was then transferred partcle by particle to the Healer. The illness also had to be cured in one go, and if you get knocked out before it was complete, the healing was canceled and therefore so was the ability. Oh, and you could only cure a certain illness once, so if you cured maitotoxin poisoning now, you would never be able to cure it again.
It wasn't a selling-your-life-by-the-hour-for-power sort of deal but it was pretty extreme nonetheless. Given the nature of it, she wasn't surprised.
"Please find an appropriate sickly target to use 'Healer's Promise' on," the dolphin droned, monotonously. "As long as I am activated, Emporer Time will continue -"
"I know!" Kurapika interrupted as her patience thinned, ignoring the fact there were two other perfectly conscious beings in the room with her. "Go on standby for a bit."
"Acknowledged," Delphi replied. She should've taken her contacts with her. But no, she had to be all dramatic when she met with Roro.
Kurapika turned to the tall man. "Tell him thank you when he wakes up."
"Okay." It was clear he still felt pretty icy about the whole ordeal but was trying to be respectful. Or maybe he just thought she was insane for talking to herself.
Shalnark followed her out without the slightest gesture for him to follow, and once they reached the outside, where Gon had tamed her new best friends apparently, he finally started to talk.
"I didn't know you had a stealing ability," he noted, as the others came toward them.
"I wouldn't have expected you to," she replied, coldly. She wasn't sure why, she just felt cold.
Shalnark chuckled, still smiling. He was always smiling. It was kind of creepy, as if he could rip someone's head off and still smile at the end of the day. "It's just that Danchou has a similar ability. You two are really made for each other."
"I don't know about that," she said. Parallels didn't make you made for each other, they just made you too similar.
"Kurapika!" Gon yelled, even though they both knew the woman had perfect hearing. "Are you okay?!"
"I'm fine. Gon, why are the creatures of pure destruction following you?" she asked, eyeing the strange beasts behind her. They looked a bit like manticores, with the body and heads of lions, large bat-like wings, and a giant, definitely poisonous scorpion tail. They were also about the height of two Gons.
Gon pat one off their paws. "Aw, they're not that bad once they see you don't want to hurt anyone."
Kurapika narrowed her eyes at the creatures. They might've looked like Bahari, but they most definitely weren't. She wasn't falling for it. "I'll take your word for it. Let's go. We're losing time."
"Anxious to get back to your lover, little Kurta?" Hisoka suggested . . . suggestively. She didn't like what he was suggesting.
The five of them headed for the car, Gon waving goodbye to the manticores. Meanwhile, Kurapika was calculating how much life she'd lost now. She'd been like this for two and a half minutes. That was just one hundred and fifty hours. Not too bad. Now, just the fifteen-minute ride to the church. And then however long it took for Chrollo to be healed.
Kurapika wasn't a fool, however. The hours added up. But . . . she needed the power to fight on her own. That still held true, even without the Spiders. There would always be something standing in her way. She'd need something stronger to assure her victory. If it destroyed her in the process, then so beat it. She only needed to live long enough to get the Eyes back.
"Are you feeling alright, Miss Kurapika?" Shalnark asked, about ten minutes into the car ride. "You seem anxious. And your eyes are red."
Well, she was losing hours of her life by the second. "I'm fine."
He frowned but was eventually forced to maintain his gaze on the road. Kurapika would've preferred to drive, but the physical strain of Emperor Time might prove too great. It was her first time using it to such an extent.
The car suddenly stopped. No, it hadn't stopped, it was just moving exceedingly slow. She glanced out the window. Of all days to be stuck in a traffic jam.
"Aw man, looks like we'll be here for a while," Shalnark said, still smiling like it was the best day of his life.
Kurapika wasn't quite so well-adjusted. Traffic jams could drag on for a good hour. The longest traffic jam ever had lasted twelve days. She couldn't wait twelve days. She couldn't wait at all.
Biting her lip in frustration, the girl undid her seatbelt and ran out into the street. Her eyes were brilliant Scarlet, she didn't care. She had a bloody mini army at her disposal, they could certainly take care of some body part hunters. Not to mention she had herself. She had been planning on killing the Phantom Troupe members, after all, she was pretty badass herself.
She heard people following her. She didn't bother turning around. The church was just twenty miles from here, she could reach it in ten. Who needed a car, when they had amazing durability and speed.
"Kurapika!" Gon called, catching up to her. "Why'd you run out?"
"It would've taken too long," she replied, running ahead. Killua caught up as well, but he hadn't asked what made her drop everything and run off. He didn't think it mattered, most likely, Killua didn't often focus on motives.
They reached the church in about the time Kurapika had expected. It took her just under a minute to force everyone out, which wasn't easy thanks to their ridiculous overprotectiveness. She was trying to save the man, why were they acting like she'd kill him?
Slowly, the woman slid into the spot beside him. Delphi had said physical contact was preferable, and since she was probably going to be knocked out after this, she might as well avoid the fall and just deliver herself to the hospital bed immediately. She took hold of his clammy hand in her freezing ones, brushed the feverish sweat from his brow.
"'Healer's Promise' activate," she whispered, and the next thing she knew, the sickness was being gathered up into a spiral. It kind of looked like a galaxy. One by one the particles started disappearing. Her breathing hitched and her body felt like it was being pricked by a thousand singular needles. Nausea rolled over her, she felt cold, then hot, then freezing again, as tears formed in the corners of her eyes. Her muscles ached and her bones were being broken and repaired, only to be broken again. A sharp pain in her head, like a knife embedding itself in her skull, then several that followed, and she wasn't sure if it was because of the poison or because of Emporer Time.
It was getting tough to stay conscious, as her heart started to malfunction, but she could see it. The little specks of dust in the spiral slowly falling away, like stars going supernova, only to die off after their brightest moment. And his hand, slowly closing around hers, letting her know it was working. She could take this for a while longer. Just a while longer.
By the time it was gone, almost twenty minutes later, Kurapika was on her last thread, and when it snapped she went out like a light. That was just as well because otherwise, she would've had to listen to his lecture about her self-destructiveness.
. . .
The next time she came around, she wasn't on the hospital bed in the abandoned church, but on her bed back at the hotel. The woman shot up in bed, not remembering if she had managed to heal the man, but his name died on her lips as soon as she laid eyes on who was sitting in the chair beside the bed.
"Sleep well?" he asked, dark eyes boring into hers, even as the edges of his lips lifted upwards.
Kurapika managed a hoarse, "how do you feel?" Which prompted him to hand her the glass of water from her nightstand.
"I've never been better," he answered, voice sounding the most relaxed she'd ever heard it. She liked that tone. "How about you?"
After downing the entire glass of water, she breathed, "I've been better."
"Well, meet me downstairs when you're ready?" he suggested. "A walk will do you good."
He strolled out of the room, closing the door behind him. Kurapika picked herself up. Her head ached still, but she decided she could live with that. It was still a bit drowsy. Her body, that was. After being subjected to intense pain for around twenty minutes, it was ready to rebel, but she willed it to move across the room so she could get ready.
Fifteen minutes later, she was showered, clothed in freshly laundered attire, and ready for whatever Chrollo had planned when she walked out of the elevator. She made sure Komugi and her friend were alright, but Bahari cut her nagging short by pushing her out the door. Rolling his eyes because even he could tell she was stalling.
Chrollo was waiting for her, of course, in black slacks and a white dress shirt, and when she reached him he just offered her a short greeting and half a smile. Their path led them outside, into the city, and eventually to a small cafe for breakfast and, most importantly, coffee.
"God, I needed that," she whispered, in much better humor now that she'd eaten and had some of that miracle drink. The ocean came into view and she let the breeze catch in her hair.
Glancing over to her companion, she noticed Chrollo watched the waves as they lapped the edge of the boardwalk, and she suddenly remembered how water used to fascinate him back when they were in the Kurta Village.
"About Roro," she finally started, hating that she had to be the one to bring the subject back into play. "I'm sorry about -"
Chrollo cut her off. "Don't worry about it," he reassured. "Roro may have been my brother, and a part of me will always care for him, but he had threatened you and I don't blame you for fighting back."
"He raised you."
"Clearly, not very well," he quipped. "I seem to have adopted his strategy of needing to control everything I love."
She linked their arms all of a sudden, and when she did, she wasn't sure why. It just felt necessary to make her point come across. "I'm not forgiving you for not telling me, but I understand why you didn't. I wouldn't have believed you. Not without proof. And, I suppose, back then, it might have seemed like I wouldn't be able to take on a troupe member."
That brought up a whole new topic. "You've gotten stronger," he said, that analytical look in his eyes again. "It's incredible, really. I don't remember seeing anyone develop their Nen so quickly."
Grand, he was suspicious of her already.
"Well," she spoke, "there's a first time for everything."
"I suppose," Chrollo replied, but his eyes spoke volumes more. What was she hiding? They seemed to ask.
"Gon and Killua have grown as well," the blonde changed the subject, and he seemed to only grow more suspicious. "Apparently, Gon fought against your clown friend. Got in a punch, even."
He chuckled, "you sound like a proud parent."
"I prefer 'proud sister,' parent makes me feel old," Kurapika amended. "I feel I've made a few mistakes in dealing with them as well."
"Which are?" Chrollo trailed off, ready to listen.
"I pushed them away, thinking I was keeping them safe, but instead, I think I hurt them a lot more than any of your Spiders would have." The woman wrapped her arms around herself, as she often did when she was delving deep into her regrets and sorrows.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him shake his head. "Don't give yourself so much credit. My Spiders might seem harmless when they're simply trying to save one of their own, but they're far from it. Perhaps, keeping them close when Roro was around would've been a better course of action, but you did what you thought was best."
"Just as you did," she murmured.
Chrollo smiled, somberly. "So, we both could've done better."
"Hmm, well, Roro was pretty awful. Dealing with him alone had quite possibly been the fourth worst experience of my life. Especially since he kept flirting with me, I mean, what kind of brother kisses his brother's girlfrie . . ." Oh dear, did she say that out loud? She needed to work on that mental filter of hers.
She knew Chrollo had frozen in place ever since the last few words left her lips, but Kurapika had hoped he would snap out of it and follow her if she just kept walking, but alas, no such luck.
When she turned around, slowly, slightly dreading the outcome, but then calling herself silly because it was Chrollo and Chrollo was always cool as a cucumber.
He wasn't cool now. He looked quite hot. Wait, what? That came out wrong.
He looked angry, and yet Chrollo seemed to be trying to keep it under control. His brows drawn together, eyes dark, as a deep scowl found its way onto his face, but his aura, goodness, it was absolutely lethal. If anyone else was around this wouldn't turn out too well for them.
"Chrollo," she called out, and moved closer to him, despite the stifling aura. "You okay?"
He took one deep breath, closing his eyes to calm himself, before speaking again, "he did what?"
"It was more of a mouth-to-mouth poisoning," she reassured, trying hard to convince him it was really no big deal.
Chrollo sighed, massaging his forehead. "Shame he's already dead," he muttered, before glancing in her direction. "Are you alright?"
"It's not like it's the first - you know, I'm just gonna stop talking," she said, noticing his face darken. Lots of people tried to hit on her, sometimes they wouldn't take no for an answer, which would eventually lead them to a hospital and jail time because Kurapika knew some people weren't lucky enough to have learned mixed martial arts.
"Kurapika," Chrollo started, before trailing off, not quite sure how to continue. It was nice to see him at a loss for words for once.
She waved him off. "Don't worry. They learned their lesson. You know me, I'm not exactly kind to those who cross me. The lowest of the low have no chance against an angry Kurta."
Nodding, a shadow of a smile made its way to his lips, before morphing into a sneaky smirk. She tipped her head to the side, ready to ask what was the matter with him, but then he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers for just a few seconds, warm and chaste, before sidestepping around her smoothly.
"What?" she managed, frozen in place.
"I'm not going to let anyone else's kiss linger any longer than it has to," Chrollo explained, waltzing away from her.
That bastard.
Kurapika pursed her lips, not willing to let anything other than dissatisfaction slide onto her face. Good God, they weren't very good at this whole breaking up thing.
. . .
Next On Lions!:
Start of the Greed Island Arc. Main Squad time. Kurapika helping Gon and Killua with their Nen and building their Hatsus, Leorio being a supportive and amazing best friend. Feitan and Phinks stealing one of the GI game boxes for fun.
Question of the Day: I'm starting to think Kurapika is just too good at everything which is why I'm making her unreasonable on the subject of KilluGon helping her. Do you think she's becoming too amazing? I'm trying to bring in her compassion, which is his main character trait in the canon that everyone worries he'll lose, as well as her forced solitude, self-awareness, and her slight snobbiness (yeah, he's pretty insufferable in canon if you think about it).
A/N: Curse you Mobage Cards! Why did you have to come up with those damned School AU pictures. Now I want KilluGon and Bisuke to start a band, Hisoka to be the creepy chemistry teacher, and Chrollo and the Spiders to be in a band (that's more Hyde's fault for cosplaying as Chrollo) and then having Kurapika buy every ticket to their concerts just to observe his mortal enemies. Goddammit, why?! But, in any case. If I were to do that AU, fem!Pika or male!Pika?
~ Replies to Reviewers ~
Sweets Dreamer: Roro's not done being a pain yet, but he's dead for sure. Lucilfers aren't able to kill other Lucilfers intentionally. This will be explained in the DC arc. Besides, it's hard to nail down Roro long enough to kill him. At the moment of his death, he was just desperate to kill Kurapika, and she was able to use this fact to her advantage. Yeah, I tried to make chibi Chrollo both adorable and stoic when in the company of Roro, which is controversial to how we saw him in the flashback in canon where he was laughing and stuff, but let's awesome he didn't laugh like that until he met Cecilia (first friend and all) and Paku. Oh man, I should have Kurapika tell Chrollo about the bones of his dead friend. Next chapter, maybe? Or did I do that already? I don't remember.
Hahahaha, you really thought I wouldn't use this chance to have Kurapika use her Emporer Time? Mwahahaha, you sweet Summer child, you know nothing of Winter. I remember your birthday is in November. Good memory, I have. Happy B-day, Sweets Dreamer, whether it's belated or late. And Happy Thanksgiving if you celebrate it, and have a great day even if you don't! Meh, ship HisoMachi, it's saner the KuroKura honestly, at least Hisoka shows some interest in her. I figure Illumi's speech would be like Sherlock's speech at Mary and John's wedding, except without the comeback towards the end that made everyone cry because it was beautiful. I wonder if Hisoka just has a thing for people who use shiny, sharp objects as weapons. Illumi has his needles, same as Machi, and then Chrollo has his pens. I think that's something. You're welcome for the shameless marketing! I will support anyone who has potential and you definitely have it! Also welcome for the sneak peek. It turned out a little different in context because I figured that after the two of them talked about Roro practically sexually harassing her, kissing wasn't the way to go afterward. It's a serious issue and should be treated as such. Didn't stop Chrollo from stealing a peck, though. Silly Danchou.
MedusaLegend: Nah, I won't be killing off Chrollo (yet). Let's all take a deep breath for now we do not have to worry about Roro being a creepy killer anymore. This brotherly obsession is just going one step further. They don't have a father figure keeping Roro from going all-out insane on Chrollo and controlling every aspect of his life. And watching Chrollo get a little frustrated over not being able to be with Kurapika would be hilarious, especially if he resorted to taking Hisoka's advice (Danchou, there's desperate measures and then there's insanity). Unfortunately, they'll be taking the backseat for now, since Gon and Killua are heading for Greed Island and the focus will be shifting to them and their growing romance. I will be putting in a few short scenes with Kurapika just as there was in the canon GI arc when Killua called him, but other than that it's KilluGon all the way until the Election Arc. I hope you don't mind : ). In any case, thanks so much for reviewing, it's always a joy, and I hope you have a great day!
slyside: I'm glad you enjoyed it! I try my best to make it worth your while, and it always makes me happy to hear some verbal feedback letting me know if it's working. Also, what are you still doing awake? 1:39 am. Sleep is important! Thanks for reviewing.
Pandalion143: D'aww, I'm blushing. I'm glad you think it's cute. That's what I'm going for! Thanks for reviewing.
~ End of Replies ~
To Everyone: That's it until at least the second week of December. NaNoWriMo and school are trying to pull me in so many directions right now, I'm not sure which way to turn. But that's alright. A quiet life never really suited me. Anyway, thanks for reviewing and if you can find in your Thanksgiving heart, please review, favorite, and follow.