A/N 1/27/2018: Updates will be coming every month or so now. I've changed my entire storyline because I'm not much of a gamer and both CA arc and GI arc are dreadfully long. So, we'll be getting a new arc. I call it the 'Saving Prince Rohan' arc. I hope you like it. Again, heavily inspired by Hanasakeru Seishounen.
Chapter 16:
Of Sundaes and Hatsus
Kurapika had been knocked out for four days and Gon was itching to just shake her awake so they could talk properly. But then, she noticed the purple circles under the young woman's eyes. The edges in her face, tired and worn. Kurapika had been suffering the most out of all of them. It'd be selfish to rob her off the little peace she gained through sleep.
And Gon knew she had a selfish streak, but she wasn't that bad.
So, for now, she let her sleep. Let her doze off into a dreamless sleep, because God knew she needed it.
That didn't mean she'd leave her alone for a second, though. After Mr. Lucilfer and Leorio, Gon, and Killua by association, had been the woman's most frequent visitor in that four-day period. It was hard to beat Mr. Lucilfer and Leorio in that regard, though. Leorio took the doctoring role and made sure Kurapika's fever would be kept under control. He found fatigue to be the reason for her unconsciousness, though the fever was a different story. Apparently, it hadn't been from any natural causes. Mr. Lucilfer had gotten a strange look on his face when they'd realized that, but Gon didn't dwell on that. She didn't really dwell on much of anything.
When Kurapika awoke on the fifth day, Mr. Lucilfer hadn't notified the three of them until much later in the day, around lunch time. He claimed it was because he wanted her to recover in peace from such a long sleep, but Gon thought it an obvious lie and that the man just wanted to spend some time sorting through their relationship alone. Gon didn't understand why he'd lie about something like that. They wouldn't mind Mr. Lucilfer stealing Kurapika away for a few hours if it meant they could steal her away for the rest of the day. Maybe it was just like Bisky used to say, some people lie for no reason?
Gon frowned as she sat staring at the entrance of Kurapika's hotel like a hawk waiting for its prey. Killua sat beside her, quiet while he practically swallowed his chocolate robots in one bite. A few feet away, Leorio was pacing a hole into the ground, lips thinned into a near-invisible line. Every now and then, he'd look up and cast nervous glances towards the door. They were both on edge. After all, Kurapika had run away from them before. Who was to say she wouldn't do so again?
They had nothing to fear. Just a few minutes after their nerves peaked, a young Kurta emerged gracefully from the outside with Mr. Lucilfer by her side, distracting her long enough for her to not notice Gon dashing towards her.
"Kurapika!" the younger girl squealed, tackling the woman to the tiled floor in a cage-like hug.
She pushed her off but made no move to get up, giving her a fond smile. "It's good to see you too, Gon."
Gon gave her a radiant smile, one you could light up the world with, and pushed down the urge to hug her again. It had been so long since they'd been together as friends, just friends with no evil people trying to kill one of them.
"Leorio!" Kurapika suddenly yelped as she was pulled into yet another hug. Her feet dangled in the air as she was lifted a few inches off the ground, two thin arms clothed in blue holding her close. Leorio stood behind her, a big, goofy grin on his face.
"You're still alive!" he cheered, happily, twirling her around a bit.
Kurapika squirmed around in his arms, legs waving around as she attempted to free herself. "Yes, yes, still alive, could you please put me down now?"
"Hmm," Leorio hummed, before tightening his grip and chirping, "nope! You've got to pay for all the times you ditched us."
Kurapika groaned, accepting her fate and crossing her arms childishly. "Fine."
She didn't need to even turn around to know that Killua was coming over. Gon could tell from his footsteps and aura and the general coolness that he effortlessly carried.
"Finally," he spoke, "do you realize how hard it is to be the only sane one in the group?"
"All too well," Kurapika said, still caged in Leorio's arms and levitating just a few inches off the ground. It was kinda funny to look at. "Can I come down now?"
"Nope."
A few seconds passed. "Now?"
"Nope."
"Leorio," Kurapika said, voice both calm and threatening, just like Kurapika most of the time, "if you do not put me down in the next five seconds, I promise you a world of hurt. Now. Put. Me. Down."
He dropped her without a second thought, and Kurapika nearly toppled over. She managed to catch herself, thankfully, and tossed her brother-figure a fierce glare. One he was pretty much immune to by now.
The blonde's brown eyes flicked to the side suddenly, to where Mr. Lucilfer had stood before Gon had taken her hostage. The dark-haired girl frowned at the strange look in those eyes, the disappointment that had twisted her face for just a split second, the little bits and pieces of the weakness and fading sanity she'd seen in the other Kurapika. The one that pushed everyone away.
As if she were her anchor, Gon grabbed onto the woman's arm and tugged her back. Kurapika jolted a bit, the way you sometimes did after fighting a particularly dreadful nightmare. The blonde twisted around a bit and faced the other girl, a reassuring tilt to her lips.
"So, what do you guys want to do?" the blonde asked, turning to the others as well.
"It's almost lunch time," Leorio offered. "We should get something to eat."
Gon gasped. "Ice cream! We know a place."
"But it's freezing," Leorio refuted.
"Ice cream sounds good," Kurapika agreed, earning a rather comical look of betrayal from Leorio. "I already had lunch with Chrollo. I'd say I'm in the mood for something sweet now."
Leorio muttered something about annoying psychopathic criminal masterminds and how they kept corrupting his best friend's mind. Gon found it silly. To her, it looked like Kurapika was doing the corrupting.
. . .
"One, two, three. Go!"
Gon started scarfing down her sundae, piled high with twenty ice cream scoops of different flavors and ten different toppings ranging from chocolate syrup to sprinkles. Killua sat beside her with an equally impressive dessert, gobbling it up like he hadn't eaten in days.
Gradually, the scoops disappeared, until there were only two. Gon's head started to ache a bit from the brain freeze, but she kept going. Kurapika's eyes flitted between them, soaking up every detail.
"Please don't choke, please don't choke," Leorio muttered under his breath all the while, hands clenched on the table.
Gon almost laughed, but then she remembered she had a sundae to finish. Just half a scoop left.
"Stop," Kurapika announced, slashing the air with her hand, as if it were a real race. "Killua wins."
Gon groaned in disappointment, her face connected to the cold, marble table, and she let the brain freeze win. Killua leaned back in the seat in victory, before catching sight of her mood and patting her on the back, though it was obvious he didn't really care.
"Better luck next time," he said.
Next time? Goodbye, brain freeze.
Gon picked her head up, eyes alit with determination. "Let's go again!"
"No!" they all called.
"That's the third time, Gon," Kurapika reprimanded, the motherly side of her showing.
"It's not healthy!"
"Besides, I've had enough ice cream for a month," Killua climbed onto the Boat of Naysayers.
Gon pouted at her boyfriend, before noticing a bit of ice cream in the corner of his mouth, left over from the chaos. She was probably even more of a mess than he.
Out of curiosity, the girl reached out and swabbed it off with her thumb. She licked it, swallowing and letting the flavor sink in.
"Hmm, chocolate raspberry," she decided. Looking back at the boy, she noticed something strange. "Killua, your face is red again."
Strangely, it was Kurapika who started laughing at them, quickly followed by Leorio, and then a few bystanders. Gon whipped her head around, wondering what was so funny. But then, she started to laugh a bit as well, scratching the back of her neck in embarrassment. She supposed it was sort of funny.
Killua didn't laugh, he only reddened further.
Kurapika glanced at her phone then, and Gon's mood was instantly crushed.
"Ah," Kurapika muttered, picking the device up in a slender hand. "It seems I'm needed elsewhere." She lifted her gaze to the two of them. "I'll come see you two later, okay?
Gon put on a bright smile for her friend. "Okay!"
The woman's eyes crinkled at the corners, but there was regret in that gaze. Then, she turned to the blubbering Leorio, offering him a tissue and a exasperated expression. Leorio accepted both and dabbed at his eyes.
"I'm not dying, Leorio," she chastised.
"Yeah, that's what you said last time," he snapped back, "and you joined the mafia and nearly died. What next? Are you taking a trip up the River Styx?"
Kurapika rolled her eyes. "I'll call you. Everyday. I promise."
"You promised every week last time," Leorio pouted. "Then you never picked up the phone again."
"I was busy," she pointed out.
"It takes two minutes!"
"Which I clearly didn't have," Kurapika replied, standing up now. "If something happens to me, Chrollo will call you."
"Heh?" Leorio complained. "You're keeping in touch with that bastard, but you won't agree to having lunch with me tomorrow?"
"Shalnark is 'looking out' for me," Kurapika reminded. "Don't tell me you didn't notice him sitting a few tables away."
Gon and Leorio looked over their shoulders at the boyish man just a little ways away. His nose stuck in his phone. He glance up, and then waved at them, a giant smile on his face.
"You agreed to that?" Leorio asked, frowning at his friend's plight.
"No, but I rather have him than Chrollo hacking into all the government's surveillance systems," she replied. "I'll convince him to loosen up eventually."
Leorio crossed his arms. "That guy doesn't trust you much, huh?"
"The mafia isn't exactly the safest profession," Kurapika replied. Her phone rang again and she excused herself one last time before walking out of the shop.
Gon sighed. She hoped Kurapika would be alright.
. . .
"Hello?" Kurapika answered.
"How does one night turn into four days?" Nico's voice berated. "I was really worried, you know? Neon was close to a mental breakdown when we couldn't reach you. What happened? Are you okay?"
Ah, so the man can be more than just annoying and careless.
"I'm fine. I was . . . sidetracked," she replied.
"It takes two seconds to make a phone call," said Nico, echoing Leorio's words just a few minutes before.
Kurapika smiled at the comparison. "I'm on my way now. I'm hanging up."
"What? Don't you dare, young la-"
"Idiot," she muttered, slipping the phone into her coat pocket.
"Who was that?" Shalnark asked, casually. "You seem pretty friendly."
Kurapika refused to look at him, jumping into a waiting taxi instead. Shalnark followed her inside with a wide smile.
"Nico. He's Neon's brother."
"Oh yeah, Danchou did business with him," Shalnark said. "Danchou called him after he woke up and told him you're taking a few days off. He didn't tell him why, though."
"Why not?"
Shalnark shrugged. "He thought he'd leave the explaining to you."
Kurapika clenched her jaw. Leaving her with the dirty work, huh? Bastard. "Anything else you have to tell me?"
"You have a leaf in your hair."
Kurapika reached up to her crown of golden hair, hands searching. The Spider reached out eventually, and removed the leaf himself.
"Thanks," she muttered.
"Don't mention it," he grinned, before a distracted look overtook his face. He was listening to someone. "Danchou wants to know if you want the Eyes delivered to your apartment or . . ."
"Tell him to keep them where they are. I'll come pick them up after work."
"So," the taxi driver suddenly interrupted, "is this Eyes thing a new trend you kids are into these day? What is that? Like a band?"
"They're eyeballs that have been gouged out and put in glass jars of formaldehyde. They're currently being sold on the black market," Kurapika replied, tone perfectly even. It was a common door-in-the-face technique. Tell them the truth, make it outrageous, then cover it up with something else.
The taxi driver glanced in the rear view mirror, eyes narrowing. "You serious?"
Kurapika snorted. "Nope, They're a new series of books. My friend found them overseas, so he bought them for me."
"That's mighty nice of the lad," the driver chatted.
"I think he's making up for getting me mad last time," Kurapika responded, not noticing the shift in her tone.
"Sounds like you two are quite close," said the man.
"We've known each other since we were kids."
"Aw, that's sweet. Nowadays it's hard to find people who've known each other for so long. We tend to cut of our ties as soon as we leave home." The man glanced in one of the side-view mirrors. "Those people friends of yours?"
Cars. Three of them, all following them. They probably had a bone to pick with her. How unfortunate for them.
"Sure are. Think you can outrun them?" she asked, flicking some hair over her shoulder.
"Sweetie, I've outrun a whole army of cars like that. Don't worry. I've got you covered."
Kurapika let out a small chuckle, before carrying on in a most threatening voice, "don't ever call me sweetie again. My name is Kurapika."
"I'm Basi," said the man, taking her threat as a cue to introduce himself.
Kurapika sat back in the leather seat of the car. "I'm not paying you more for this, by the way."
"I wouldn't expect you to, Miss. You look like a right miser to me." He sped up.
"What makes you say that?"
They cut a corner. "Because no Hunter wears clothes as cheap as that, Miss, unless they're hoarding their money away."
Kurapika gazed down at her clothes. She wore a simple cream top and blue jeans, both from second-hand stores where she knew the prices would be cheap. She looked up again.
"Point taken."
"Danchou says he can buy you a new wardrobe if you don't want to spend your own money on it."
"Tell him to mind his own business."
Shalnark, to her horror, actually did. "Miss Kurapika says you should mind your own business, Danchou." The man suddenly reddened. "I can't tell her that! She'll bite my head off!"
. . .
"Thanks, Basi," Kurapika said, as she waited for Shalnark to finish talking with Chrollo. "Let me know if those guys give you any trouble."
"Sure thing, Kurapika," the older man replied, placing his hat back on his graying head of hair. "Hit me up if you ever need someone to drive you out of a tight spot."
"Will do," she replied, and the taxi driver drove off into the horizon. She turned to Shalnark, who had just finished his phone call. "So, let me get this straight. He can see and hear everything you can?"
"That's how bugs typically work, yes," Shalnark replied, backing away a bit at the sight of those red-tinged eyes.
"Tell him to stop."
Shalnark's eyes widened in horror, smile temporarily falling off his boyish face. "But he's my Danchou."
The Kurta studied his face, looking for something that didn't fit in with the Shalnark of yesterday. He wore a suit, still, and his hair hadn't changed. But something was off. Her eyes zeroed in on his right ear.
"It's your earring, isn't it," she stated, before reaching out for the small, green stud. The man moved away, covering his ear with a hand. "Give it to me."
"I can't. It's Danchou's orders," Shalnark replied, skidding away from her, arms held out in front of him as if she was a feral animal instead of a young woman.
"You're a grown man, you can make your own decisions," Kurapika insisted, reaching out for the earring again.
"And my decision is to follow Danchou's orders." Shalnark backed away further, edging towards the entrance to the hotel.
"Kurapika!" someone suddenly attempts to tackle her to the ground, and a faceful of curly, blue hair. Nico pushed her away at an arm's length. "Oh good, you're not dead."
"We just talked on the phone a few minutes ago," Kurapika pointed out.
"Your life could've ended in those few minutes!"
Kurapika sighed. "Can you let me go now?"
Nico pursed his lips, before letting his hands fall to his sides. "Fine. What happened?"
"I was almost killed by my ex-boyfriend's older brother," she replied.
"Do you want me to go beat him up?"
"He's dead, but if you want to beat up a corpse, then have at it."
There was silence, and then, "Dead? Did you?"
"Yes."
". . . Shit."
"Language."
"You just killed someone. I think me letting a few swear words slip is the least of our worries," Nico said, crossing his arms. Kurapika ignored him, heading for the doors instead.
"He had it coming."
. . .
There was something different about the hotel. Something other than the fact that they were packing up to leave. There were more people, but two of their comrades were missing. Tocino and Baise were both gone. Prince Rohan and his entourage were there, except now, they looked like ordinary people. And Rohan, well, he wasn't a prince anymore.
"What is going on?" she asked.
Eliza, the maid, answered for her. "Tocino and Baise are still unaccounted for. We think they were killed by the Phantom Troupe."
Another thing to yell at Chrollo for.
"And Prince, well, Princess Rohan, she's been exiled from her country."
Silence.
"What?" Kurapika deadpanned. She left for five seconds and the world's gone to hell. Why was she not surprised?
Nico intervened. "Her family died, she's a suspect, and if she goes back now, she'll be thrown in jail and probably executed."
" . . . Shit."
"Language."
. . .
"Thanks, Basi," Kurapika sighed, tiredly, removing herself from the taxi.
"Rough day at work?" asked the elderly cabbie.
"You could say that," she replied, yawning. "Do you mind waiting out here?"
The man shook his head. "No prob, kid."
The Kurta gave him a grateful smile, before heading into the apartment building where Gon and Killua were staying.
"DAMN IT! I'LL MAKE HIM EAT HIS WORDS!" a voice shook through the building.
Oh dear. Gon was angry. Kurapika caught Killua outside the room, and wondered if Gon had kicked him out.
"Any words of advice?" she asked.
"Proceed with caution," he replied, before bringing out a taser and sticking it in one of his arms. The taser fell from his hands, but whether it was from the shock, or Killua's laziness, she wasn't sure.
"You okay?" she queried, remembering that the Zoldycks had been subjected to electricity since childhood.
"I'm great," Killua responded in a chilling tone. He held out his hands, and for a few seconds, she saw sparks run between his palms.
Right. Killua was a transmuter. It was certainly possible for him to change his aura into electricity. How clever. Kurapika felt a swell of pride fill her chest. It was a moving scene, really.
"Be careful," she warned, before disappearing through the doorway. Gon stood there, in a fighting stance, aura bursting out from her. Such determination.
"Look who's taking initiative," Kurapika teased, hand on the doorframe. Gon's head whipped around, aura dying off. A giant grin soon took hold of her expression. Kurapika responded with a small smile of her own.
The younger girl suddenly fell on the ground, losing her balance, but that didn't stop her from talking a mile a minute. "Kurapika! You really came like you promised! Is everything alright? You look really tired? You could take a nap over here if you want! I don't mind! Killua doesn't mind! Oh, wait. Killua!?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you mind if Kurapika takes a nap here?"
Kurapika could almost feel the begrudging smile on the boy's face seeping into his words. "No. Do what you want."
Gon beamed back up at her. "So, how was work?"
Kurapika collapsed on the couch, one knuckle touching her forehead for drama's sake, and Gon giggled a bit. The blonde woman suddenly broke off on a rant in a rather posh accent. "Horrible! Everyone keeps coming to me with their troubles. It's like we don't have a boss they could go to with all their grievances. Not to mention, they keep making me wear those tacky suits! Oh, goodness, I would rather to be tossed into a pit of snakes rather than to waste another day among those vultures!"
Giggling filled the room as Kurapika finished her rant, and the young woman secretly congratulated herself. Now, she could cut to the chase.
"So, what about you?" the blonde asked. "Did you get the game?"
She shook her head. "I wanted to help the winner clear it, but he said we were still too weak. Our Nens aren't developed enough yet. We're working on our Hatsus now."
Kurapika sat up, serious again. "I see. That's unfortunate. Have you thought of anything yet?"
Gon shook her head. "Say, what kind of training did you do?"
"Once I decided to conjure chains," Kurapika explained, "I did a lot of image training. I closed my eyes while feeling real chains. I drew hundreds of sketches. I looked a chains, licked chains. I also smelled and listened to chains. My master told me to do nothing but handle chains all the time. After a while, she took them away. That was around the time I started to hallucinate chains. Eventually, those hallucinations begin to feel heavy and cold, and I could hear them grating. Once I reached that point, I was able to conjure them." The woman smiled again, gesturing towards Gon. "Other than that, I did the same training as you. Ten and Ren."
"You licked chains?" Gon repeated, caught between being amazed by Kurapika's resolve and a sort of amused shock that she'd gone so far. Then again, this was Kurapika.
"It wasn't my idea," Kurapika insisted. "My master was getting back at me for a prank I might've played on her."
Gon giggled. "You played a prank on them?"
"Yes," Kurapika sighed, "she didn't seem to like it very much. It kind of hurt, honestly. I spent a lot of time on that prank."
"What did you do?"
"I switched her hair products with pastel hair dye," replied Kurapika, shrugging as if she found no problem in her deeds. "I thought it made her look younger. The worst part was that I had to make them from scratch. It's rather difficult to find hair dye in the middle of a forest, you know?"
"So, are you going home after this?" Gon asked.
"Yeah, I'll be going to pick up Komugi and Bahari from Miss Ayumi's house," Kurapika said. "Komugi's last gungi match is tomorrow, so she's leaving to go back home after that."
Her voice cracked a bit at the thought. She might never be able to see Komugi again. She'd be back in the Mitene Union, back to Gorteau, where no one treated her the way they should. She'd be alone again. And through all the that, she was willing to go back. In some ways, that poor girl was braver than all of them put together.
"I'm sure she'll find a way to keep in touch," Gon reassured.
Kurapika's face softened. Sometimes, she wondered if Gon could subconsciously read other people's thoughts. The youngest Freecss had a way of understanding other people's plights.
"About your Hatsu . . ." Kurapika trailed off.
An epiphany flashed in front of Gon's eyes, and the girl pressed her fist into her open palm. "I know! You can be my master! You know so much already! I'm sure you can help me find mine!"
Kurapika froze at the girl's proclamation. Her? A Nen teacher? The idea was almost laughable. Her own Nen had been made on a taboo of sorts. She broke every rule to safe Hatsu formation. She couldn't. Besides, Kurapika was needed elsewhere.
"I'm sorry, but I can't," Kurapika said, shooting her down with the sharp pang of rejection. "Neon is leaving soon. As her bodyguard, I am obligated to accompany her."
"You're leaving YorkNew City?" Gon asked.
"Yeah," Kurapika replied, running her fingers through her impeccably groomed, honey-colored locks. "It's my fault, actually, Neon noticed I looked tired when I came back and that I've been taking days off during the auction, and, well, she might have overreacted. So, we're heading back tomorrow."
Gon frowned, calculating the pros and cons in her head. "Yeah. That's probably a good idea. What about the Spiders?"
Kurapika's lips pulled into a line, as she thought about Chrollo and his friends. Where was Shalnark, anyway? Sure, she'd left him back at the hotel, but she would've thought he'd catch up to her by now. "I think I'll just wallow in my confusion and self-pity for a while. Five years of hatred is, uh, rather difficult to rub off."
"But you won't go hunting after them," Gon said, wanting as much clarification as possible.
"No, I'll just make their lives miserable every now and then. You know, use my influence over the Head to change things a bit," Kurapika confessed, hoping it didn't sound as suggestive as it did in her head. "Killing isn't a part of who I am. No matter what the reason is. I think I'll just focus on the Scarlet Eyes for now."
Gon grinned. Kurapika really was getting better. "That's great! But I don't think it'll be that easy to change things in the Spider."
"You'd be surprised. I can be very persuasive," Kurapika said, proudly, placing a hand on her chest.
"Especially when he still wants you back," the words spilled over, and Gon slapped a hand over her mouth, grinning.
Kurapika's eyes flashed red, the color fled her face before retreating and rushing back into it as a bright red blush, and her lips opened just a smidge in shock, and then, "Igonia Sonya Freecss! My love life is none of your business!"
Gon snickered despite trying to keep up a serious mask. "Sorry, it just slipped out. Personally, I think your eloquent speech and reason will definitely win him over!"
One pale eyebrow rose, doubtful. Why was it so hard for people to believe that Kurapika and Chrollo could be in a friendly relationship with no benefits? The only benefits here were enlightening conversations and mutual respect.
Goodness, even she didn't believe that crap.
Gon grinned in response. "It's true! I think you'll be great friends. You'll be like his right hand woman."
Kurapika scoffed, turning her face away as she fumed on the inside. "In other news. About your Nen. You should probably contact Bisky or Wing for that. They'd probably know better than I."
The Kurta stood up from the couch, still frowning slightly. "Well, I should be going. My charge waits. Call me once you figure it out."
Gon's face lit up at that last remark. Kurapika smirked, before bidding her goodbye.
Killua stood outside, electricity flowing between his hands freely now.
"Stay safe. Remember your boundaries. Don't -"
The Zoldyck rolled his eyes, still focused on his aura. "Yes, mom. Same goes for you."
Kurapika shook her head, fondly, walking down the stairs. As promised, when she got to the main entrance, Basi still waited.
"That was quick," he said. "Where to next?"
"Maybrooke Manor," replied Kurapika, taking out her phone.
Basi whistled, "rich part of town, eh? You have some powerful friends, Miss."
Kurapika smirked, "you have no idea."
5 new messages.
She clicked it open and was met with what could only be Chrollo, telling her to stop bullying his Spiders.
'Shalnark just came back to the base. He said you left him at the hotel - C'
'He wasn't smiling. Do you know how hard it is to get him down - C'
'Honestly, Pika-chan, you could've at least gave him a heads up - C'
'Be safe - C'
'I swear if I don't see back home by eleven, I'm tearing this city apart - C'
She rolled her eyes at the last one. Well, she rolled her eyes at all of them, but the last got the most eye-rolling.
'I'm fine. Please stop spamming my phone.'
She got an answer just a few seconds later.
'My point still stands. Eleven. - C'
Such tyranny. Kurapika wondered if he really would comb through all of York New just to find her. The woman wasn't about to test it out.
"Look at you, smiling and being happy. That your boyfriend or something?" Basi inquired from the driver's seat.
"Just a friend, albeit an amusing one."
. . .
Chrollo closed his eyes, as if to take a nap in the upper levels of the abandoned church they currently occupied. In his mind's eye, he could picture Kurapika, wearing those old clothes and her blonde hair let loose to cascade down to her shoulders. A small smile had made its way to her lips. His smile. Her arms were crossed over her chest, a smug spark to her eyes, as if she'd just solved a riddle.
And then his eyes opened, and Kurapika vanished, replaced by cold, gray stone walls.
Pathetic. What use would daydreaming give? It'll just serve to make you want her more.
Chrollo snapped the book shut. He could go see her now. After all, they hadn't cut things off, just changed them a bit.
But it was too early for casual chit-chat. She probably wouldn't except, "I wanted to see you," as a valid reason to see her so soon.
His phone buzzed again, and he dug into his coat pockets to retrieve it.
'I was five minutes late. Please tell me you haven't terrorized anyone yet,' read the text.
He smiled and then slipped his phone back into his pocket. Let her worry a bit. Chrollo stood up, that warm feeling still tugging on his chest. He did a quick head count. Everyone was there, circled around Phinks and Feitan, who were in turn circled around a JoyStation game console.
"What is this?" he asked, jumping down from the second story, and then walking on like nothing had happened.
"It's a game where you actually die," Shalnark answered, excitedly, memories of Kurapika leaving him behind forgotten for the time being. "It's called Greed Island."
Greed Island? The one the Freecss girl was looking for?
Phinks suddenly vanished.
"Looks like it works," Feitan whispered, before holding out his arms over the game and let his aura flow. And then, he vanished as well.
Chrollo raised an eyebrow. "This certainly sounds like something you'd be interested in."
"Are you going in too, Danchou?" Machi asked. The rest patiently awaited his verdict. If he was going, they were too.
"No, I have some things I still need to settle in reality. But if you do go, keep an eye on the Freecss girl. It doesn't seem safe for an amateur Nen user, no matter how skilled."
They nodded.
"What business do you have to settle?" Nobunaga asked, ready to help if he needed it.
"Ah, just cleaning up my brother's mess, as usual," Chrollo replied. "After all, his network spreads to every corner of the world. I need to get rid of it."
"WE CAN HELP!" they all said, ever so eager to help.
Chrollo smiled, fondly. "I think I'll tackle this one on my own, but I appreciate the offer."
They visibly deflated.
"But you can help clean the cargo out. You know, the thing you were supposed to finish doing yesterday?"
They all groaned but begrudgingly got to work. He shook his head like an amused but completely exasperated mother.
He felt a delicate hand on his shoulder. "So, Danchou, what else is keeping you here?" A second later. "Oh, you two are obsessed with one another."
"Paku, stop reading my memories, please," he sighed.
"Apologies, Danchou, but do you really think I give a shit if you want them read or not?"
"No," he sighed. "How much did you see?"
"Everything. Your dreams are adorable, by the way," she chuckled.
He clenched his jaw in annoyance. "Those dreams are my only escape, please leave them alone."
"Ah, don't be shy. I think they're pretty reasonable. Better than some others I've seen. You don't want to know what Phinks dreams about."
"HEY!" Phinks yelled. "You said you wouldn't mention that ever again!"
"I have no recollection of this occurrence," Pakunoda deadpanned.
. . .
Kurapika sighed, as the pristine water hit her. This was just what she needed after a day like this. A long, hot shower, and then she'd curl up in bed, and for once, go to sleep like a normal person. When was the last time she could go to sleep feeling so relaxed? Not since she finished school . . . not since Chrollo.
She heard a knock on the door.
"Yes?"
"Um, Miss Kurapika, your cell phone keeps ringing," Komugi notified, voice stuttering as usual.
"I'll be right out," she called. "Thank you, Komugi."
"O-oh, no need to th-thank me," the girl stuttered, and Kurapika chuckled to herself. Such a sweet girl. How could anyone be cruel to her?
Kurapika donned her pajamas. Made with lavender, silky fabric that was comfortable to sleep in no matter the temperature. They'd also been a gift from Chrollo, because silk was expensive and she wasn't spending hundreds of Jenny on clothing.
She walked into the dining room, remembering she'd left her phone on the table. Komugi was sitting on the floor, a gungi board laid out in front of her. She was playing against herself again.
Kurapika and Bahari exchanged a look, and the lion almost seemed to nod at her.
"Komugi, do you mind if I play a round with you?" Kurapika asked, gently, sitting down in front of the girl.
The girl stared up with big, blue eyes, the ones she only opened during Gungi matches, and shook her head fervently.
Kurapika smiled, before saying, "archer to nine five."
Komugi thought for a second, before making her move.
By now, Kurapika was aware she would lose. She posed no challenge for the younger girl, but having someone play with her made Komugi happy and that was enough of a reward.
They spent another half hour planning, before the girl finally started to drift off right at the table. Komugi made the last move to their last round, and then promptly fell asleep. Her self-proclaimed guardian smiled, before standing and moving around the board to pick Komugi up in her arms. She stumbled a bit, but managed to maintain her balance. A few meters away, Bahari made a laughing sound.
The Kurta pouted, glaring at the beast. "Conjurers aren't known for their superhuman strength, you know."
The lion yawned, as if telling her he didn't buy her excuse.
She almost responded, before catching and reminding herself that this was an animal she was talking to.
And so, Kurapika carried Komugi off to her bed, tucked her in, before shutting off the light in her room, all the while ignoring the lion's stare. Then, she strolled back to the dining room and grabbed her phone of the table.
"Goodnight, Bahari."
The lion growled in response. Kurapika felt her chest grow tight. This would be there last day in here. Their last day with Komugi. Undoubtedly, the lion knew that too.
Her phone buzzed again, and she strolled into her bedroom and lit up the screen.
Fifteen new messages. Five missed calls.
She clicked on the calls first and noted they were all from Leorio. Idiot, he should know she only responded to texts unless she was in a splendidly blissful mood.
The messages came from a variety of people: Nico, jokingly reminding her she still needed to come to work tomorrow. Leorio, mostly worrying about her wellbeing. And finally Chrollo, with just a single message.
'Are you there, Kurapika? - C'
She narrowed her eyes. What an uncharacteristically simple question.
'Yeah.'
His response came a few minutes later.
'What are you still doing awake? Go to sleep. I am not bailing you out with work tomorrow. - C'
She sniggered, smothering the laugh with a hand. Manipulative, cunning, magnificent little bastard.
Another message appeared below.
'And remember to shut the window before you go to sleep. - C'
How did he . . .
She thought it was better not to ask. The Kurta quickly made her way to the white-framed window, pushing it closed.
When she returned, yet another message was waiting for her.
'Sweet dreams. - C'
She quickly typed a response.
'Likewise.'
Kurapika pushed a lock of hair behind her ear, before placing the phone back on the nightstand. The Kurta turned on her side, to the wall, away from the phone, and for a brief moment, she wished she wasn't alone. She remembered a time when she hadn't been. It wasn't too difficult. The woman had to simply look back about a week, when Chrollo had taken her out to lunch, to dinner, and eventually let her spend the night. Nights with him had always been so much warmer, somehow.
The moment dissolved a second later. That was no longer something she was allowed to want.
. . .
(A/N: We're starting over! Alright, so "Saving Princess Rohan: The Best Princess and Neon's most beloved" has now started. I changed it because I was like "you know, Neon being in love with a princess would be ten times more interesting" and so Prince Rohan became Princess Rohan in disguise. BTW, this arc is 80% mutual KuroKura pining and 20% Rohan stuff. Don't worry, I'll include some Greed Island elements towards the end.)