"You've been out here quite a while. Why don't you come back inside?" A soft voice whispered. It was Mito - the girl who gave hell to the infamous Killer Killua. She'd snapped at him, too, before, but now that he was in such a sorry state, he thought maybe she was less inclined to be harsh.
Still, Kurapika cradled his broken heart and refused to look at the girl.
But she was insistent.
"You've been out here all day. Come, I insist."
Mito grasped his arm, and while Kurapika wanted to smack her hand away, her grip was firm, and he was hoisted up from his spot next to the mansion. He'd chosen a nice patch of grass up against the side of the manor, had sat there for hours trying to piece everything together. To come up with some other explanation as to what was going on, but he couldn't stop thinking about it.
About Leorio being inside him.
He hadn't surely? But he'd been doped up for too long - it seemed just too long of a time to need that much morphine all at once, and he became resigned to the fact that it had happened, and had since gone numb with the realization that he was completely moronic to believe that anything good would happen to him. Just because he'd escaped the harshness of his parents didn't exactly mean he was free of everything. He was simply... all alone.
And he'd considered, all the while, to ask Killua to end his life by the day's end.
If he had nothing to look forward to in life, no friend, no one who cared, no legacy or house to return to, then it was almost as if he were dead already. Perhaps this Gon person was trying to do him a favor, perhaps he was given the false information that Kurapika was evil, perhaps it was this higher being's way of putting him out of his misery in an nontraditional way.
He lowered his head, letting Mito sternly guide him into the building - but not the same way he'd entered before with Killua. She rounded the corner of the building, then rounded it again. This brought them to a grand entrance he hadn't seen before. The other side of the manor - which he probably figured was the back right part of the building - was full of just grass and hills. But this... This entrance was like nothing he'd ever seen. Even his parents' fancy front yard didn't compare to this, and they lived a life of luxury with all the money that had been coming in.
The front yard was stunning; everything was perfectly lined, trimmed, and pruned - down to the very skin of each branch. A cobblestone path ran up directly to the mammoth front doors, each side lined with trees the same height, and flowers of patterned color. It was evident, down to the clean cut grass, that there was someone that cared about the appearance of the mansion. It awed him, even the cobblestone was neatly placed in a line directly leading up to the front doors.
Despite being in the middle of nowhere, this mansion - or whatever kind of abode it was - was certainly spectacular to say the least.
It's surroundings were nothing but fields of grass and forests as far as the eye could see. He could safely say he had no honest clue where he was - only that a narrow dirt path just beyond the rows of trees that lined the cobblestone walkway was the only way back to civilization.
But it was to the double doors that Mito was pulling him to, and he had little time to admire the patterns of flowers and shrubs before she was shoving him down (ever so lightly) onto the steps.
He yanked his arm free, plopping down less than gracefully, turning his body away from her as she took a seat next to him. He had this feeling that Mito wanted to talk about it. About what he was thinking about - and he really didn't want to.
Her next words proved him right.
She turned to him, her knees bumping into his thigh, not minding the least bit of their close proximity.
"Talk to me. I may not be a therapist or a psychiatrist, but maybe I could clear up some confusions you might have."
Kurapika turned his head, eyes flashing like lightning behind stormy clouds. "I've got nothing to say at all. I'm not confused, I'm just upset. And you're the last person I would want to share the 'why' with."
Mito's lips fell flat, a smile she'd been trying to show with her friendliness fading. But he knew it was only for show to begin with.
"Ouch," she remarked lowly. "I know you don't know me, but that's certainly no reason to be cruel."
Kurapika rolled his eyes, shifting away from her slightly. "Look- Mito. You're the doctor, I get it. Cool. But I'd really like to just be by myself for a while."
"And what, wallow in your self pity?" She snorted. "You're really going down that path?"
Kurapika shrugged, standing abruptly. "Yeah- why not? I'm upset. I'm not allowed to be upset? I think I have a right, after all. You guys want to kill me for no fucking reason. My family - for some god awful reason - ended up dead, and no one is willing to tell me why. Not that I should really be affected by that much."
Kurapika tucked his hands into his pants, stepping down onto the cobblestone path. "If I have three months left to live, I think I deserve a second to pity myself."
Mito rolled her eyes, huffing loud enough for Kurapika to hear - he could only assume she thought his words utterly ridiculous.
"If I had the answer to why they want to kill you, I'd tell you. You think people let me in on that shit? Seriously? I only hear the gossip."
"You seemed to know what happened in the cafe yesterday." Kurapika accused. "I'd say that's more than gossip."
Mito stood, stepping onto the cobblestone path to stand beside him. "Killua and the patients, and sometimes even Gon, fill me in when I ask. But I'm a doctor - I stay here at the house. It's not like I go anywhere, so none of it really matters to me in the end. The spiders - you heard Killua talk about that last night - they're the people that took Komugi from us. It's important that, where they are concerned, everyone is filled in. We don't need another loss like that."
Kurapika turned slightly, brows furrowing. He remembered that name... wasn't that... the girl? The girl that Leorio couldn't save? He didn't know how he remembered that so quickly...
"As you might have guessed from their preference of guns at the cafe, they'd shot her. They're big on the AR's and heavy machinery. I can't tell you why or how, but I can tell you that she was a shy, fragile, happy kind of person. Had she not been born into this group of people, she might have become a kindergarten teacher. Maybe even a stay at home mom with more kids to watch than she could have counted." Mito shrugged. "She was younger than me, and it hurt all of us to see her take her final breath. It destroyed Leorio especially, but... he wasn't really phased too much. She was his friend - I expected more of a reaction to be honest, but it was Gon who declared war on the spiders. We've been chasing after them for years, but we've never really gotten any leads or upper hands. We have no real reason to fight them except to avenge Komugi."
Kurapika frowned and crossed his arms. For lack of anything better to say, he remained quiet, hoping she'd continue to fill the awkward silence.
"Everyone that comes in here now is often hurt for one reason or another, but the only times any of the wounds are really serious is when it involves the spiders. I know a lot about them because I've had to deal with them on my end - I've heard so many last words from our own members, telling me of the faces of people that shot them. So when Killua came in, I asked if it was them - the spiders. Sure enough..."
Kurapika remained still, but after she stopped speaking, he let his arms drop. A sigh left him.
"Alright - but what would that have to do with me?" He asked. "I heard Killua - I heard them. They want me, but I can't grasp why. I have nothing to provide them. What purpose would I serve?"
Mito looked him up and down, taking the longest minute in history to reply to his question - if it was even a question to reply to. It left him shifting nervously from foot to foot, wondering if maybe he should say something to break the awkward air he was starting to feel.
"Killua told me about the scope."
Surprise lit up his features, and he swallowed thickly. That? That couldn't be the reason... he remembered, only just, that his father had wanted him to present it at the gathering, but it wasn't his own work. He didn't hardly know anything about it.
"The... scope? What about it?" he said slowly, trying to factor in the existence of such a thing with his own existence.
Mito folded her arms close to her chest and looked at him squarely. "The scope we found - the creator of such a device was your family, right? The underworld has been raving about it's existence since your family drew up the plans. I guess everyone has been waiting in anticipation for a mass production of it so that it could be incorporated to the guns we already have - except, your father only made one. Just one. And now that he's dead, there's only one - and no one but you was left alive. My guess, if you want it, is that they might suspect you having the plans in your head or somewhere else where you could have hidden it. They might want that so that they could make scopes like that themselves."
Kurapika winced at this, and nodded slowly. "That... put that way, I can see that... but being associated with my father is the only thing significant about me that I know of... and maybe this idea is what makes me dangerous, then?" Kurapika suggested, eyes drawn in concern.
"Could be." Mito shrugged. "That could definitely be the reason that our leader wants you dead. If you're deemed dangerous with information you might have, it'd be in the underworld's best interest to just do away with that information- or kill you- in order to keep down the death toll. If you're a threat to us, you're a threat to everyone... and with information, you don't have to be trained or carrying a weapon to be dangerous. Your very existence would be dangerous."
Kurapika shivered and immediately turned towards the stairs. "Let's... drop the subject. That's too much for me to comprehend at the moment." He hugged himself tightly as fear spiked through him, and he started up the stairs towards the double doors. If that was really the reason everyone wanted him dead, it would make sense, but it was definitely unnecessary. His father was a private man and didn't share anything with anyone out of fear of replication and betrayal. Even he wasn't privy to the information or details when he'd asked at the gathering, and even that was just for presentation purposes.
Mito started up the stairs after him, hands tucked into her white coat.
"Alright, consider it dropped, then. Now what? You all better or was that what you were sulking about?" she asked, stepping in front of him to open the door.
"I wasn't sulking!" He exclaimed, immediately taking offense. "Don't you know better than to go sticking your nose into other people's business?"
She huffed, "No, actually, I don't."
She plopped down onto the step, and slammed her boot on the bottom step. "So why don't you spill your guts before I torture it out of you anyway?"
Kurapika crossed his arms and frowned. "Listen - I'd just rather not talk about it."
Mito shook her head, having none of that. "Tell me. Right now. Or I'm going to pester you until you explode."
"I'd rather you not..."
"Too bad. You're not out here sulking over something stupid are you?"
"No - I'm just..."
"Then tell me."
Kurapika tore at his hair, his fingers cinching his blond locks to his head. "I really, really don't want to talk about it."
"If you don't talk about it now, you're gonna explode anyway. Better to just tell someone - you don't even really know me, it's not like it's gonna matter much."
Kurapika sent a glare her way. "I just. Don't. want. to talk about it."
"Well, I'm saying too. Fucking. Bad." She pulled herself over to him, hip to hip, clawing at the hands in his hair. "Just fucking tell me, you big baby. I doubt it's really as much of an issue as you think it is."
Kurapika clenched his jaw, silence enveloping him for a moment while he stared at her. His heart hammered in his chest, wondering if he should actually tell her - he really didn't want to, but he'd never been forced to say anything before, either.
With a heavy sigh and noting her insistence, he reluctantly came to the conclusion that she really wasn't going to leave him alone unless he said something- and she was right, anyway... they didn't know each other too well. Surely, maybe, she could bring some clarity? If she was Leorio's apprentice, surely she'd know more about him than he did... Maybe Killua was just being mean for no reason other than he could.
"I'm just... trying to wrap my head around the idea that I might have been... ugh, raped while I was, you know... drugged."
He didn't think about what he said, only that he'd said it. It wasn't until after Mito stood abruptly that he realized the gravity of what he'd said.
"Raped?" Mito bit out. "By whom? What do you mean by 'might' have? Are you accusing one of us?"
Her questions were rapid fire, and as he stood, she got so close to him that he could feel her breath on his shoulder. She might have been a head shorter than him, but her fierceness had him shying away from her.
"I just- Killua told me that-"
"Screw what Killua says, he's an ass!" Mito practically hissed. "If you're so nonsensical that you listen to that moron, you might as well leave."
"No - no, it's..." Kurapika winced at her harsh tone, and for some reason, felt like he could relate Mito to his mother. Or, rather, relate Mito's fierce side to his mother. "He just... explained it to me, is all." he said in a low voice.
"What could he possibly explain?" Mito huffed out, her hand falling to her hip in a snarky, frustrated gesture. "Killua is a bastard no matter how you look at it. I doubt he's got one decent friend. Only Leorio and Gon seem to mind him anymore, but the rest of us fucking hate his guts. Even if he works hard as hell to protect this place, I don't understand it. His motivations are vague, and he's a shallow person. Whatever he's said to you is probably just some bullshit to get you riled up."
Kurapika thought long and hard about it, but her retaliation only seemed to make him wonder even more. "But... it's still a possibility." Kurapika murmured softly. "I don't remember all that much from when I was drugged... I couldn't even comprehend my surroundings all that well..."
The girl threw her hands up in the air, total frustration evident on her pretty face. "Are you fucking serious, are you hearing yourself? Listen, that's a wild accusation and you better be careful with it. That's a serious offense, even for us- if you're so sure that you were raped, then why stick around? Why even bother trying to stay?"
Kurapika wrapped his arms around himself and bit his lip. "I have nowhere else to go - my family was killed. I have no relatives. I have nowhere to be and no real reason to even be alive. I don't even know how I got out of that place alive. Leorio is the only person who's really been nice to me. He took care of me, he nursed me back to health, and he's been on my side defending me all this time... I really don't know what to do."
Mito placed her hand on her hip, a rough sigh escaping her lips as she shook her head in disdain. "Then what's your issue? If Leorio has been there for you, I'm certain he'll jump to your defense if you'd been raped. That's nothing to joke about."
"N-no, I mean... he's been here all this time for me, and I always wondered why..." Kurapika stuttered, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "He just... and then Killua started off by telling me that he's not who I think he is..."
Mito's brows furrowed, and it seemed his phrasing of the words were enough for her to piece together what he thought.
"You... You think Leorio raped you?" She said, disbelieving.
Silence passed between them, and when Kurapika appeared to have no intention of responding to him, she shook her head. "That's... that's not feasible. Leorio wouldn't do something like that- he's a kind soul. He's serious sometimes, and he does anger quite easily, but... he'd never do something like that. Impossible. Out of the question."
There was something about her response that tugged at Kurapika's heart; maybe it was the way she backed up into the door, fearful, that made him think it. Or, perhaps, maybe it was the fact that her voice had quieted, as if a whimper of disbelief made her consider that he might really be a predator.
In either case, Kurapika found himself asking for the truth.
"He... he could have... isn't that true?" He asked in a quieted, broken whisper.
Her eyes met his, fear and disbelief still swirling around in her eyes. Her bottom lip protruded, as if she were about to cry, but he said nothing.
"He... before he left, he was popular with the girls." She said, her swallow so thick he could practically hear it. "I really liked him- he... he was my mentor. He was so sweet, so kind to us... and I thought maybe he might like me. He hugged me a lot, touched me kindly, he even... when I got upset, sometimes he'd... he'd brush away my tears..." she clasped her hand over her mouth as a ragged sound escaped her. "He couldn't possibly - Leorio is the nicest man I know. He's been warned before about getting too close to some of his patients - both inside the group and outside of it. He swears he just wants to make sure they're okay, but... I don't know... I love him- I do. I thought I could wait for him to come back. I'd accept him as he was, no matter what anyone thought of him. He made me feel..."
But her words crumbled with a gargle, and she turned to face the door. Kurapika's heart broke from it, and he took a step back.
"But-" She continued, "I... I've never known him to force his advances on anyone. He can't possibly have raped you- he likes girls. He likes me. If ever someone didn't want to be touched or talked to, he was quick to abide by their wishes. Leorio would never force himself on anyone, drugged or not. That's the... the stupidest accusation I've ever heard."
She whirled around on him and stomped over to him, the harshest slap resounding through the courtyard.
"Don't you ever accuse someone who's innocent!" She hollered. "You're a sick, twisted, disgusting human being! How could you turn on the one person that's cared for you all this time! He doesn't deserve that - you don't deserve him. When he wakes up, you'll see. You'll feel how dumb you are."
Kurapika doubled over to hold his cheek, the sting intense, but not something he wasn't used to. Perhaps it hurt a bit more because she swung harder than his mother did, but even so. He blinked away a tear that had formed in his eyes from the contact, and glanced up at her furious face. She didn't seem the least bit remorseful of the act, and she turned away from him like it, too. With authority she yanked open the double doors, the tears in her eyes streaming but furiously wiped nonetheless.
He swallowed hard when she disappeared behind the double doors, leaving him once more alone.
After standing on the front steps for twenty minutes, dumbfounded by what happened and unsure what to do next, he decided to enter the grand mansion before someone saw him gawking.
He didn't throw himself into the entrance the way Mito did, rather creaking open the front door just enough to squeeze through. The room was grand, huge even, and the space was so wide that he didn't know where to look first. He knew that the vast columns that lined the main walkway were there to not only hold up the top floors, but to also guide whoever entered to one central area.
But beyond the columns, both to the left and the right, the room gave way to hallways. Like the hospital wing he was in before, signs were stamped above them, but they were so far away from the double doors that he couldn't make out what either of them were. Instead, his eyes were drawn down the main walkway, a beautiful red carpet practically screaming for him to follow in that particular direction. He just wanted a quiet place to think. To digest all the new information he was given.
Directly down the walkway was a grand staircase. It was beautiful, golden bars lining both sides, gorgeously decorated with symbols he couldn't quite make out. The staircase split in half, one to both the left and right, providing two different ways to ascend to the next floor.
Purely out of curiosity, and because he saw no one there, he decided to walk down the main path and mount the steps.
It was a little nerve wracking, climbing up each and every one of those elongated steps. Some steps creaked and made him wince, and some didn't. It was a wonder how such a huge place was maintained. Even he had to admit, for a place that didn't seem to have too many servants running about, it was miraculously clean and tidy. He didn't see any webs or dust on the rail, nor did he think the walls were dingy from lack of maintenance. He had to wonder how such a beautiful place could exist on such a grand scale.
When he finally did get up the steps, he was brought to a hallway. It wasn't narrow, in fact it was quite wide, tables with flowers lining the hallway and a plethora of paintings and photographs, even maps and glass cases hung on the wall. When he turned to take a look behind him, he saw that the opposite staircase that he didn't take also led to the same floor - except, to a hallway on the opposite side. He also took notice that the hallways seemed to bend into a square, a small section of railing next to the stairs the only indication that this was the second floor. He could clearly see, as he looked down over the rail the space he had only just left - the front doors of the mansion downstairs. He also was able to look across the way to see a railing opposite of the one he stood in front of. This confirmed to him that the top floor was a square shape.
Glancing down the halls again, he noticed that the doors on either side of the hall were spaced in varying lengths. Nothing was left to the imagination other than the idea that they could all be bedrooms.
He shivered a little, unable to help the intrusive thought about which one might have been Leorio's - and if he'd done anything in there.
He squeezed his eyes shut and braced the rail as he was swamped with the unwanted, intrusive feelings. He'd only admitted to Mito his fears just a half an hour ago, and yet here he was, thinking about the way Leorio had kindly handled him, kissed him, and told him how beautiful he was.
It couldn't possibly be all a lie. Leorio looked so sincere and so honest when he'd told him that. When he'd asked him to kiss him back.
He raised his fingers to brush the pads over his lips.
He could still feel the other there. The impression of it made his knees weak, and he found himself stumbling away from the rail and to the wall.
Leorio had been nothing but kind. He'd been gentle, and even Mito said that it was preposterous to make such an assumption. Hell, she'd slapped him for it.
But she'd also told him that he preferred women. Girls. Perhaps there was a chance that Leorio had been hallucinating while he was with him, but... there was also the fact that the man had used his name. His name. Lie or not, that was something he could fight with the man over later.
The longer he thought about it, the more he found himself not too bothered by the idea that Leorio had lied to him about liking him. He'd already resorted to keeping his feelings in a bottle where Leorio was concerned, and if he didn't remember, then Kurapika just had to think of it like an opportunity to show how he felt with little repercussions. What bothered him the most though was the fact that Leorio might have used his body without permission to get some kind of pleasure. Or maybe it bothered him more that he considered himself a virgin, and to suddenly be faced with the idea that he actually wasn't was a little more than devastating to him. Leorio, taking something so precious away from him... Without his knowledge or consent, even. Never mind that the man was drop-dead gorgeous, handsome as hell - something like that was just not okay. And Kurapika had been saving that... had thought, with time, he'd be the one to make the decision to give that to someone instead of it being taken away like everything else he'd ever had.
Kurapika's brows cinched, and unwanted, nervous emotions welled up in his gut. To link such two things - the fact that Leorio had been lying about being attracted to him and the fact that he might have touched him inappropriately while he was too drugged up to be conscious... it didn't add up. Either he had to be attracted to him and had raped him, or he was lying about liking him and Killua had only said it to get under his skin.
That was what it came down to, right?
And he honestly didn't think, the way he remembered Leorio kissing him, whining, begging to be kissed back - it just... it didn't seem like something someone who disliked men - or him - would do. It didn't add up at all.
Would... it be so bad to admit that maybe there was a chance the doctor liked him, even just a little? But it didn't seem like he could have both. Mito's answer had squashed any hopes he might have had of the unwanted touches being false. If Leorio had the potential to do something like that, and if someone like Mito who knew him well could think or consider him capable, did that not imply that Leorio was guilty?
The only thing he could really think to do in order to get the honest truth was to ask the man directly- but going back to him now seemed pointless. He'd be asleep, and even then he'd continue to spout lies. And, he had to be honest with himself, it'd be awkward to talk to him after all he'd considered, too... He didn't think he'd be able to look him in the eye after today.
And that tore him to shreds, because Leorio was only in this state because he had protected him from getting shot.
A low groan wafted from his lips, a sound of defeat, a sound of remorse. A sound so filled with disdain and hopelessness that he-
"Hey! Whatcha doin' up here in the main hall?" A friendly voice chirped from behind him.
A voice that had him releasing a small scream, startled by the sudden loudness of a voice that easily invaded his thoughts and brought him back to reality.
When he whirled around, he saw the dainty little girl, salmon eyes staring at him, practically glittering in both admiration and intrigue as her fingers twirled around two blonde pigtails. She giggled when Kurapika startled and immediately hooked herself onto his arm.
"You alright there? Fancy seeing you here. I thought for sure those guys at the cafe had gotten you or something," she mused. "Of course, you had Leorio and Killua, so I mean, I shouldn't be surprised."
Kurapika looked the girl up and down, swallowing when he noted that, despite the shooting at the cafe, she seemed perfectly unharmed.
"Biscuit... I see you're well," he remarked absently.
"Hm? Oh! Yeah, I am. I'm really small, so I was actually able to hide behind the bar when everything went south. You look a bit pale, though - have you been by the nurse's office? Mito is super nice, I'm sure she'd take to you right away." She chirped with a smile.
The mere mention of the name had him paling even more, and he nervously laughed. "Ah, no actually that's quite alright. I've already met her."
"You have?" Biscuit asked, "Whatever for? I mean, she is super nice, but she never leaves the clinic. Have you already been down that way to get checked out? Did something happen?" She twisted, giving him a once over, but when she found nothing notable, her eyebrows raised in concern.
"Yes... Well, Killua and I had to take Leorio in. He got hit pretty bad..." Kurapika murmured softly. "But he's perfectly fine, now. I was with him not too long ago, he's really drugged up, and I think he's sleeping now, so... yeah."
"Oh?"
Kurapika raised a brow; her lack of reaction was a little concerning. It didn't seem like she cared all that much.
"Well," She continued, "I mean, I guess it's good that he's alright."
"You... You guess?" Kurapika inquired.
She shrugged, tugging his arm gently in the direction of the hall to the left. He followed with little protest.
"I don't really know him all that well- I don't hardly see him. I think, maybe, I've seen him around while he was training. Mostly, his hands were full with Mito. She was such a crazy person when it came to him, you know? Always wanting his attention." She giggled. "I didn't pay much attention to him, he was mostly a loner. After he left the main house I just never saw him, and he doesn't visit. The only thing I really know about him is that he's the doctor that everyone goes to for serious injuries, and that Killua and him bicker more than anyone I've ever seen."
Kurapika huffed out a small noise of agreement. "Killua is something else. He's so crude and obnoxious... I don't mean to speak so freely, but if he weren't all crazy scary I'd punch him right in his annoying mouth."
A loud laugh Irrupted from the girl, her other hand raising to hide her mouth. "Oh geez, doesn't everyone? I mean, it's not my place to speak ill of him. He's one of the founders, but I agree, he's certainly annoying. You know he called Leorio out once for being gay? He didn't even do anything wrong! The poor guy was sitting in the library reading a book, then all of a sudden Killua walks in all pissed off and starts going off on Leorio about relationships. Poor guy didn't deserve such a tell-off - especially since all he was doing was reading a book."
Kurapika chuckled, rounding a corner with her and offering her a smile. "That does seem like a wild accusation." He agreed. But, the more serious part of him wanted to know...
"Hey- do you think it might be true, though? Just, you know, out of curiosity."
Biscuit, bless her soul, thought nothing of the question and proceeded to shrug. "I dunno. I think it certainly might be possible. I don't really know his preference. I do know that when he was here he was a terrible flirt. Flirted it up with everything that had a face. God, it was funny. I might not have seen Leorio often or really had many interactions with him, but I found it positively hilarious every time Killua would walk up to him all smug looking for a fight - only to race for the doors a flustered upset mess because he didn't want to deal with Leorio's bullshit."
Kurapika stopped, mouth agape in complete surprise. "Really? Killua and... and Leorio? Like - we're talking about the same people, aren't we?"
She giggled and her forehead wrinkled, nearly doubling over as those light, precious sounds floated past her lips. "Oh god, I witnessed that only once and it was the best thing I'd ever seen. I can only imagine what Gon must have thought when Killua came running back into his office with his tail between his legs. It's funny, and most everyone remembers Leorio like that. Of course, he was never actually serious about anything he did except his job- it was all for laughs, really. That man really knew how to relieve some tension in a room."
Kurapika smiled at the girl, unable to imagine the idea of Leorio flirting with everyone that passed by, nor the fact that Killua was capable of being completely flustered. It was certainly a stark contrast to the people he knew. It felt... nice. Hearing these kinds of things. For some reason, it eased the tensions and reservations he felt about both people.
"I can't imagine that, I'm sorry." Kurapika let out a laugh. "The people you're describing are vastly different from the people I know. Leorio is always so serious, always so into his work, and Killua doesn't know when to shut his mouth. I doubt he even knows what the definition of 'nice' is."
"Mm, probably not - but then again, who really knows? There's a lot of different sides to everyone. We all have this front - this personality we want other people to see. I'm sure he acts a lot different with Gon than he does with everyone else, you know? Leorio, too. I know for a fact that that man clams right up when Gon speaks to him."
"Gon? I'm sorry, you keep mentioning this person... I swear I've heard his name before. Who is he, exactly? If you don't mind my asking, that is." Kurapika inquired.
"Oh, not at all! Gon Freecs is our leader. He's the one that organizes us, makes sure we're fed properly and taken care of. He keeps track of shipments, all the paperwork and processing, and he decides which missions have priority, which ones are too dangerous... that kind of thing. He does a lot for us, and I'll have you know- he's saved us all in some way. Sometimes he saves us from trouble, sometimes he physically stands up for us... but I tell you what- you do NOT want to get on his bad side. Whew- been there done THAT, and I tell you - never again. NEVER AGAIN." She let go of his arm to cross her hands in an 'x'. "Jesus, he freaks me OUT. He has this way of acting completely innocent and nice and looking down on you and making you feel so small and insignificant and worthless. It's terrible. He could tell you you're doing a good job, but the aura around him, fuck - oh, sorry, I shouldn't cuss but- He's so... SCARY!"
Kurapika grimaced. "Remind me... Remind me not to meet him."
Biscuit laughed and latched onto his arm again. "Oh no, I mean, he's a good guy, but he's real intimidating. And don't think I don't know about the target on your back, because we all know about it. Killua said not to get too close to you and make friends with you but blah! He's so dumb. So mean. He's borderline cruel. I think that knowing you're gonna die is bad enough, but going on without a friend? geez, being completely alone would make me want to just off myself as soon as possible." She patted his arm and dramatically sighed. "Not to worry! You have a friend in me, and it seems like you have a friend in Leorio, too, with how well you two get along."
"ah- I... I wouldn't..."
"No? I think so. Leorio seems to like you a lot. I mean, he's a doctor that cares for his patients, right, but I don't think I've ever known him to bargain with Killua, of all people, for a life before."
"S-still, I think-"
"For real, Kurapika, I think he considers you a friend. I'm not sure what you guys talk about, but whatever you do talk about seems to make him happy. Don't think I didn't notice that bit at the cafe! He was all leaning into you and stuff! He was teaching you and helping you, he bought you coffee-"
"Buying me coffee doesn't make me his friend!" Kurapika exclaimed, pulling away from the clingy girl.
But She didn't seem upset or phased by his outburst. "God, Kurapika. Isn't that a little dramatic? Can't a guy BUY HIS FRIEND COFFEE?"
"He isn't my friend!" Kurapika exclaimed again, but saying it made him feel a little queasy. Like something about that statement seemed completely, utterly wrong.
"Of course he's your friend! God, and I thought I was the dramatic one." She laughed outright before halting their steps. "Oh, crap- hang on a sec."
Kurapika turned to her in question, but his attention was caught by a door to the left opening. But it wasn't just one door, no- it was two. A double set of doors, the wood carved with a fancy design around the borders swinging right open. The person emerging was certainly a sight to behold. It made him pause to wonder if this was the Gon that Biscuit was referring to.
Strutting out of that office walked a tall figure, both hands swinging at the hip in frustration as the man started their way. His long silver hair flowed lightly behind him, his eyes shrouded by a cap he wore atop his head. Surely this thin giant wasn't the scary man Biscuit was talking about? Or... Or was this a she? He couldn't quite tell...
But the man stopped only for a second, eyeing the two of them up and down, eyes narrowed and carefully calculating as he sized them up.
Biscuit didn't say anything, but did offer a wave.
The person let out a rude huff before taking his leave and continuing on down the hall- at quite a fast and furious pace.
Kurapika's eyes followed the man- it had to be a man despite his physique- down the hall until he rounded the corner he had passed not too long ago with Biscuit.
But his eyes turned back to the heavy set double doors, watching them slowly close.
"What was that about?" Kurapika mumbled, barely noticing the way Biscuit had secured both her arms around bicep.
"Not a clue." She said, shrugging. "I thought for sure it was going to be Killua coming out of there- when he gets all pissed off he's usually a bad person to come across. If it had been, I would have taken him." She said, chin lifting as she practically oozed confidence.
"Taken him?" Kurapika questioned.
"Yeah. Taken him. To the GROUND that is." She cackled.
Kurapika immediately rolled his eyes. "Alright- obviously it wasn't Killua. Was that Gon, then?"
"Hah, no. That was Kite. Or, that's what we call him, anyway. HIGHER THAN A FUCKING KITE IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN" She doubled over, slapping her knees and laughing hard. "God- I'm on such a roll."
"O... Okay?" Kurapika stuttered out, "Kite, then... but what about Gon? Was that his office?"
"Gon?" She inquired, lifting her head. Her eyes narrowed before she choked out a loud "His office? no- you know what's funny: HE'S GON WITH THE WIND! Oh god, have you ever read that book? It's a good book but, you get it right? Gon? Gone with the Wind? No? How about HE'S GON GET YOU NEXT TIME!"
She continued to laugh, unable to hold back the wave of snorts and cackles, hanging onto her own stomach because it just didn't cease.
Kurapika only huffed out a small hum of amusement, watching the girl nearly joke herself to death.
"They're so easy to mess with- god, their names." She stood, wiping her eyes. When she looked over at Kurapika she gave him a tiny scowl. "What's up with you? So dense- do you not like my jokes? They're FUNNY! Come on!"
Kurapika raised an eyebrow, but shook his head dismissively.
"Jeez, what were you doing up here? Brooding?" She accused, swinging her arm through his and yanking them back down the hall the way they had come. "Let's not explore now. I was gonna take you to the dining hall, but damn if you're in no mood to joke, then you certainly wouldn't feel great going in there."
"I wasn't BROODING-"
"Hun, you're either brooding or you have a resting bitch face. I'd be thankful that everyone assumes the former. You know how hard it is to want to be by yourself and everyone thinks you're pissed off? It SUCKS!"
Kurapika offered a small chuckle. "Are you telling me that you have a resting bitch face?"
She shoved Kurapika against the wall and groaned. "UghGOD. If you ever see me all pissed off, assume I'm not. Unless I'm yelling - then yeah, I'm pissed off."
"I'd think that if anyone was yelling they'd be pissed off."
"Well, yeah, no that's what I'm saying. If I'm yelling then I'm definitely pissed off... maybe. Depends on the tone."
"The tone?"
"Yeah tone- like, teasing, play yelling-"
"What the fuck is play yelling?"
"Oh... uh... KURAPIKA GET YOUR FUCKING ASS OVER HERE-"
"Okay! Wow, not so loud!" Kurapika interrupted, grabbing the girl by her shoulder. A laugh escaped him at that. "Do you not have any volume control? Where's your volume button? I need to turn it way down."
"Hah, you don't want to touch my volume button. It's in that no-no square-"
Kurapika flushed and cut her off with the flapping of his arms in her face - to which provoked a spouted giggle to collapse the rest of the sentence he did not want to hear.
"Hah- I guess you could say that I'm OUT OF CONTROL"
"Uh what? No- um, I don't think that fits..." Kurapika mused.
"Shit, you're right. PICK A DIFFERENT SUBJECT!"
"What?"
"'WHAT' IS NOT A SUBJECT"
"I'M TRYING MY BEST HERE"
"THAT'S STILL NOT A SUBJECT."
"OH COME ON!"
"Ugh, you're not even helpful. I give up on you."
Kurapika rolled his eyes, finding a smile on his face because he just couldn't help it. Having experienced Biscuit outside a tense environment, he could safely say that she was a hell of a lot different than what he'd imagined her to be. She seemed so shy and so... oppressed. Maybe that wasn't the right word. Maybe quiet and tense was more the accurate description. Well, but considering that she was picked to go on a mission- that was call for some seriousness. He wondered if she was nervous about it. Getting a mission... If she was this chatty during work, he wasn't sure if she would be the right person for the job, but... then again, he hadn't seen her all serious like that yet. Would there be a time where he would?
"Hey, Jesus what the fuck are you like, pouting? Is that a pout?"
"What?"
"Your face is all frowny and depressed- are you sad? I mean, I give up on you in Pun-city, but not like, in the real world. Like, you haven't even done anything." She tried to clarify, giving him an abrupt shove to his arm.
"Ngh, no. Sorry, hah, I was just thinking about what happened at the cafe, is all."
"What, you mean the shooting?"
"No, actually, I was thinking about the missions. About the mission I gave you- I was wondering if you're nervous for it."
Biscuit shrugged, "Actually, when I first saw you up here I was gonna thank you for it. Not many people have faith in me like that, and you did what I've wanted everyone else here to do: Look at my credentials and see what I'm qualified to take, regardless of my age. I don't know if Leorio influenced you to make that choice- actually, I doubt he did, since he objected so quickly, but... you were so calm in the explanation why... All joking aside, I wanted to seriously thank you for giving me a chance even after you met me in there."
Kurapika blinked, a little surprise at the turn around. From joking to serious, Biscuit was quite the character indeed.
"O-oh?" he stuttered, "I mean, I... you're welcome...?"
She only smiled at him and scuffed the tip of her shoe against the floor. "Was that what you were up here thinking about? Were you nervous for me? Or was it something else?" She asked. "I was the youngest one there- or was it Leorio? I was going to say something earlier, but you looked so upset that I thought maybe I shouldn't mention it."
Kurapika shrugged and continued on walking, hoping that the act would help ease his mind.
And he was surprised and relieved to realize that he didn't feel as cautious around Biscuit as he did around Mito- was it because of Biscuit's personality? For interacting with her for such short a time, he didn't think that he would feel so easily comfortable around her.
"I... I was thinking more about Leorio..." He admitted slowly. "I was trying to think about all I've been told. There's so much for me to think about- and with Leorio drugged up and unreliable, not to mention asleep, I can't really... you know... I don't really know what's true..."
He glanced over at Biscuit out of curiosity, wondering how she would react, but he only found her looking up at him. Her eyes were centered and focused, and it startled him a little when he recognized the interest in her eyes that he often saw in many men and women when they looked up at his father.
"What you were told? You mean, what you were finding out about Leorio?" She inquired, her pigtails draping neatly over her shoulders as she tilted her head to the side.
"Ah.. Yeah..." He said slowly, "I mean, I know not everyone is gonna just tell the truth all the time- even I've lied to my parents about where I've been when I was little... or about treats I wasn't supposed to have... So, I guess, I'm realizing that I'm not exactly as upset about anything he could have lied to me about concerning, you know, what he does and all... It's just all the other stuff I'm hearing."
"Other stuff? What do you mean?" she asked. "What exactly where you told?"
"Just... stuff. Stuff I didn't really... expect to hear. Or want to know..."
Biscuit only stared at him blankly, but provided a response anyway, much to his surprise. "Well, Kurapika, think about where you are. You're in the center of a mansion run by one of the greatest underground families. None of us here are without sin- and whatever Leorio did in the past is just one of many burdens I'm sure he carries. We all carry something- Hell, me? I was a child born to a prostitute. I wasn't exactly wanted, but that doesn't bother me now like it did when I was younger. Just like Leorio - he has his demons, and I'm sure you do, too. We've all done things and said things we're not proud of, and we don't exactly flaunt those features. We hide parts of ourselves to maintain a reputation, but the people who do know about our darker selves are the people that stick around, you know?"
Kurapika held himself in his own arms, stopping when they reached the banister to the stairs.
"I guess... but... what if one of those things personally impact you?" he asked softly, brows pulled together as he got upset about the matter all over again.
The girl only huffed in response. "If what happened to you bothers you so much, then its your job to speak up about it. If it personally impacts you - in act or in word - then you need to make it known that it's not appropriate and you don't like it. If it bothers you so much that you can't take it, then the only duty you can do for yourself is to walk away. I don't exactly know what this is about, but you either need to get the fuck over it and deal with it, or you can take it personally and walk away. And I'm not gonna lie, if you walk away what does that say about you?"
Kurapika clenched his jaw and clutched the banister tightly. She sent a swift smack to his back to urge him down a step.
"Do yourself a favor and go see him. If he's still asleep, be with him. If he's awake, talk to him. All his jokes and ridiculousness aside, I think Leorio is the kind of person that would listen and take you seriously if something was really on your mind. I'd talk to him first before you make any rash decisions, okay? And when you're all cheered up then come back and we can gorge ourselves on food and raid the chocolate fountain with all the strawberries I found in the garden yesterday." She mused.
Kurapika wasn't sure what to say in response to that, but... his heart really did feel a little lighter because of it.
He started down the steps, but before he rounded to the central stair, he whirled back.
"Biscuit!"
A head peeked over the rail, shiny blonde strands of hair draping over.
He glanced up at her and smiled. "Thank you..."
Her salmon eyes sparkled and she giggled. "Silly- you're welcome."
"- and, um... I also wanted to say sorry."
"Sorry? For what?"
"About your, uh, your mom. That's pretty awful of her, and I'm sorry you had to go through that."
She only shook her head in disbelief. "It happened 16 years ago, Kurapika- I got over it. Besides, I had a mom here, and she took good care of me, and that's what matters, right? Now- go kiss and make up with Leorio before he wakes up and gets sad."
Kurapika winced at that, but laughed. Imagining Leorio looking around all sad for him was... certainly a sight he'd like to witness, even if only in thought.
And as he climbed down the stairs, he found himself thinking about what the girl had said. He could get over it, he supposed... he was still upset that it was taken away from him- that something so personal was stripped of him, but if it were true, then that meant that Leorio had to like him, right? Could he overlook such a thing just to see a future with the man? Even if it was a short three months, wouldn't it be worth it? He could be held in those strong arms the way he was when they'd first met. Even if it was only platonic and for a short while for comfort, wouldn't it mean so much more to be held in love and affection?
He only vaguely recalled curling up on the couch with the man- and hadn't he been the one to wrap his arm around him to secure him to his side? Or was that a figment of his imagination?
He stopped on the last step and glanced toward the looming double doors that he'd entered a while ago. The same doors he'd come in here so downcast, so unsure and so upset about what might have happened.
And yet, it was still a might. Perhaps Biscuit was right, perhaps once Leorio was off the morphine, he could have a civil conversation with him to discover the truth. All in all, he didn't really think Leorio was capable of such a thing. To assault someone or cause them pain or discomfort- a doctor, who very obviously took his work seriously and went out of his way to make sure that each and every patient of his was taken care of just didn't seem like the kind of person who would be capable of raping. Let alone one that was drugged from wounds received at a mass shooting.
Leorio had talked to him once before, and Biscuit had been right - he really did listen, then, and he really did try to give him the straightest answers he could. If Leorio was willing to provide him answers then, then wasn't it only logical to assume that Leorio would do the same this time? He was sure, if Kurapika assured him that he was only upset but not angry, Leorio would speak up about anything he might have done.
Leorio hadn't done anything to put his life at risk - he'd protected him from strangers, had bargained for his life, and had jumped through a lot of hoops to provide for him- and to walk away after all that over something like this seemed silly, especially if he'd be walking away from the only person who'd willingly taken care of him. Leorio, his corporate supplier, now the doctor that had nursed him back to health. It seemed uncanny that such a link of familiarity would get them to where they were today- and this was only the beginning.
Three months wasn't very long, but he was certain that it wouldn't go by fast. Just knowing what there was still left to do, and all the mess that they had gone through in one day was certainly action-packed, scary, and just short of unbelievably outrageous.
His feet started in the direction of Leorio almost right away, wanting to see the man, wanting to talk to him and be in his presence. He was the only one that made him feel safe and secure- and while Biscuit was certainly material for his inner muse, he found himself unable to stop thinking about Leorio. How he'd looked down at him and smiled when he'd handed him coffee in the cafe, or the way he'd held fast to his body, pressed against the front doors as they were being shot at. He saw flash after flash of Leorio smiling, of his deep voice telling him that everything was going to be okay- and how he'd carefully taught him all he needed to know in order for things to run smoothly with introductions and mission assignments.
His legs carried him swiftly, each thought sending force to his toes, pushing off the ground harder, faster, until he was running, sprinting down halls he'd never been down, pushing past people and crowds, ignoring a startled Killua who tried to catch his arm but landed face down on the floor in his attempt.
And it wasn't until he'd pushed past some nurses in the hospital wing and yanked open one too many doors until he found the right one that his feet stilled, and relief washed over him. Was it relief? It had to be relief.
Because Leorio was still there, that stupid, unfailing smile still on his face, eyes still closed but twitching as he dreamed.