It has been brought to my attention that I forgot to dedicate this story.

Sorry, Chris. I guess I just don't like you that much.

2

Kurapika opened her eyes and was instantly blinded by a beam of sunlight. As she turned away sleepily, grass tickled her cheek and jerked her awake. Fighting fatigue, she sat up and looked about. When she spotted her bag, she crawled over to it as fast as she could and opened it. She let the dirtied clothes drop away. The gold of the hourglass shimmered and the eyes floated up against the glass to stare up at her. The numbness in her body made the pressure building up behind her eyes more painful.

Who was this in her hands?

She slowly wrapped the eyes back up and placed them back into the bag. A few moments of absolute stillness passed, but she couldn't let herself dwell in it too long. Remaining in her kneeling position, Kurapika fully took in her surroundings.

Seven large trees encircled her, sunlight flooding into the gaps between their trunks. She was alone, but Leorio's briefcase told her that she wouldn't be for long. Feeling throughout her body was coming back and with it came a dull ache in her leg. Placing a hand on her thigh, the jumbled events of the night before came back: breaking into the large mansion, making her way to the eyes, a surprise jab from a guard. Everything after that was blurred.

"Well, look who's awake."

Kurapika spun around. Leorio came into the circle, his jacket thrown over his shoulder. He dropped to the ground and sighed.

"There's no water around here," He complained. He reached for the jug of liquor and took a sip. "How's your leg? I had to stitch it up, so you can't do anything else crazy for a couple of days."

"Oh, it's fine," Kurapika did another scan of the area. "Where are we?"

"I don't know. We got chased out of the city by a bunch of guys and ended up here. It's weird, but I haven't seen any sign of them."

Leorio's words and their hiding place suddenly made a connection in Kurapika's mind.

"I've heard about places like this. There are several cultures that believe these tree circles are the gathering places of spirits and demons. They're usually avoided."

Leorio's expression became grim. Kurapika became even more suspicious when he let out a nervous laugh.

"Well, that helps us out, now doesn't it?" His stomach growled loudly. He smiled sheepishly. "Did you bring any food?"

"You didn't bring any of your own?"

"If I had, I wouldn't be asking," Leorio replied.

Kurapika opened her bag once more, carefully holding aside the bundle with the eyes, and withdrew a small box from her bag. Inside, there was an apple, two hard rolls, and some strips of dried meat. The box offered to him, Leorio took one of the rolls. Kurapika did the same and pulled out a bottle of water from the bag.

"You don't happen to have another one of those, do you?" He watched lustfully as Kurapika took a sip.

"No."

"Then let's share it."

"I don't really want to."

Leorio bit into his roll while glaring at Kurapika. "If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be here right now."

Kurapika thought it over.

"You're right. Thanks." She then took another sip.

"That's it! I'm done playing this game! Give me some!"

000

Leorio hated to admit it, but they were lost.

Kurapika, on the other hand, had no problem pointing it out.

"You said it was straight ahead, right? I think we passed this log twice now." To Leorio, the tone screamed, "You're an idiot." He could feel his blood pressure rising.

"Can't you use that chain of yours to find the way out?"

"It doesn't work that way." Leorio mumbled. Kurapika continued. "Where's your nen ability?"

He answered by walking faster. He was tired, hungry, and frustrated. It didn't help that Kurapika had been in a bad mood since he knocked the water bottle out of her hand and most of it had spilled on to the ground. That had been her own fault. This whole mess was her fault.

"Why don't we try that way?" Kurapika suggested.

Leorio snapped. He was not going to take this.

"Why don't you try being honest with your friends."

"What are you talking about? That has nothing to-"

"When were you going to mention that you're a girl?"

A dark blush rose on to Kurapika's cheeks. Breathing in and keeping her voice under control, she asked: "How did you find that out?"

"Last night, when I was dealing with your cut."

"What? That wound is on my leg! Why were you looking anywhere else?"

"I got curious! I just peeked, you know! It wasn't like I was feeling you up or anything!"

"You want to know why I never told you?" Kurapika let some of her anger into her voice. "Not only do you have no control over your mouth, but you're a desperate man who will chase after any woman!"

"Well, I can tell you that's not true! Flat-chested boy-girls do nothing for me, so you were fine all along!"

Their eyes locked. It was Leorio who broke their tensed connection. He leapt onto a fallen tree and continued on. Behind him, twigs snapped as Kurapika followed. He tried to keep his attention forward, but as time passed, he started to feel guilty. Choking down his pride, he turned to face Kurapika. She was a few feet behind him.

"Kurapika, I'm sorry about what I said," He forced out, trying to make sure there was sincerity in it. Kurapika stopped and looked at him coldly. "I'm tired and I'm hungry. I'm just a little on edge."

There was a drawn out silence.

"I'm sorry, too," Kurapika finally said.

Leorio nodded to show his acceptance of the apology and turned around to continue. He slowed down so Kurapika could catch up. A few minutes later, he spoke again.

"Hey, what's your real voice sound like?" Leorio asked, looking back at Kurapika.

"This is my real voice," Kurapika answered flatly.

"Oh."

"Are you trying to start another argument?" Kurapika shouted. Leorio paid no attention. A break in the trees ahead revealed a blue sky and a roof top.

"We made it!" Both he and Kurapika picked up speed, weaving around trees to make it to the outside world. The noon sun hit Leorio as he broke through the tree line onto the dirt road. Just a short walk away was a town and Leoro started eagerly for it.

The first thing they came across was a bus stop. Leorio checked the schedule.

"Next bus leaves in a half-hour," He followed its route with his finger on the board, stopping when he got to Valise, the city he was currently living in. "Where are you going next, Kurapika?"

Kurapika came over and looked at the board beside Leorio. She pointed to Rond, a seaport town.

"I'm going there."

"Man, that's a long ride. What're you going there for?"

"I need to take a boat to get back to the Kurta village."

"I see," Leorio said quietly. He looked back at the map. "You know, Valise is on the way there. Why don't you stop there and stay with me for a few days? I want to make sure those stitches come out."

Kurapika kept her gaze on the board, thinking over the request. It was apparent she wanted to get the business of eyes over with as soon as possible.

"I can get the stitches out myself," Kurapika said after some contemplation. "But, I do need a place to stay tonight. It looks like the bus line would shut down before I made it to Rond."

"All right, now that that's solved, let's get some food," Leorio grinned as he slapped Kurapika on the shoulder. Kurapika flashed him an annoyed look. "I'll even pay."

"Good thing I've been in the mood for cheap food," Kurapika shrugged and smiled.

"Don't ruin it."

They headed for the town and found a stall selling beef and noodles. As they sat and ate at the stall's counter, Leorio spotted two men coming up the street. He wouldn't have paid them any mind except for the fact that they were exceptionally beautiful. Their dark, brooding eyes swept the streets. Leorio slurped in a forkful of noodles as he watched the men stop at another food stall and start talking to the man behind the counter.

"We'd better get going," Kurapika said. Leorio nodded and took in a last forkful of beef and noodles. They grabbed their things and immersed themselves in the crowd of people in the middle of the street.

"Stop!" A man shouted from behind. His voice was strong on the surface, but under it could be heard a soul tortured by its past. Kurapika and Leorio started darting past people in the crowd, going through any gap to get ahead of their pursuers. Once they were off the street and back outside the town, they rushed over to the bus stop.

"It should be here any minute now." Leorio said. In his hand was his long knife and he focused on the town's entrance. Kurapika had also armed herself, both hands surrounding a sheathed sword. They waited.

The bus made it to them first. They were through the door the moment it opened.

"You are supposed to stand back from the doors so that patrons may get off," Barked the driver, a thin, austere looking woman. She looked like she had escaped from behind a library desk. Leorio ignored her and stood before a seat, facing the door. Kurapika was in the row before him, also ready to attack. There was no one else on the bus. "Passengers must be seated except when boarding or unboarding."

"Are you going to shut the doors? There's no one else out there," Leorio told her. She turned around in her seat to face him.

"I am required to keep these doors open for five minutes so that any passengers running late may board and go to their destination."

"Look, lady, just shut the doors!" Leorio shouted.

"It would be very helpful to us if we could leave now," Kurapika added in calmly.

"Drivers do not take requests from passengers. We have a strict schedule to follow."

Leorio's teeth ground against each other. He was about to start shouting at the old woman again when the two men came up the steps and into the bus.

"Because of your actions, our master has been disgraced. We, his faithful servants, bring you his ill feelings. To win back his pride and his possession, we will not hesitate to kill you. This is your warning. We do not fear death, but only the thought of our master's unhappiness. Now, prepare yourselves," Having spoken, the man drew out a long sword and pointed it at them. The other did the same. Leorio rolled his eyes.

"Kurapika, you seriously got injured by a guy like this?"

"They're better fighters than they look," Kurapika shot back.

All four readied themselves for the moment they would strike. Leorio yelled and leapt from his spot towards the man who had spoken. The other man remained where he was, a small smirk forming on his face.

"All passengers should be in their seats," The driver said. No one paid attention to her.

They couldn't ignore her next action. As the bus pulled on to the road and quickly gained speed, all four were thrown off balance. Leorio fell onto the aisle floor.

"Seriously, lady? There's a fight about to break out and then you leave?!" Leorio shouted at her as he got up.

"I have to keep to the schedule."

The other man, who had gracefully fallen into the seat before him, straightened up.

"All right, let's try this again!" With that, Leorio charged once more for the man. Their blades struck. Leorio was surprised to find that the man had strength and had to pull back.

He then found himself thrown against the side of the bus as it made a sharp turn. The man he had been fighting also fell. This was because Kurapika had gotten behind him and hit him the back of the head with her sword's handle. Leorio rubbed his forehead and sat down.

"I was going to do that."

"You're welcome," Kurapika said, crossing the aisle and sitting down.

When the bus stopped a few miles later, Kurapika and Leorio used the five minutes to drag the two men off the bus. They arrived in Valise without further incident and walked to Leorio's home.

The sign on the old brick building said "Pons Medical Practice." The building itself was three stories and crushed between two taller ones. It had once housed offices for an unknown company, but now was converted into Pons' practice and three apartments on the second floor. Leorio opened the front door of the building and entered a waiting room. There was no one there except for an old man, smoking in one of the chairs.

"Ah, you're back," The old man said, snuffing his cigarette out into an ashtray. He gray hair was coming off in patches, but his face was remarkably free from wrinkles. He wore a white lab coat and black pants. "Did you manage to find them?"

"Sure did. I even got you a present," Leorio gave him the liquor bottle. The old man looked into the bottle and grinned. He sniffed it and finally took a drink from the bottle. He wiped his mouth and nodded his head in approval. His gaze then fell onto Kurapika.

"Looks like you picked yourself up a little something extra, too. I've got to say, though, I didn't know you were into young boys."

Leorio sputtered. "He's just a friend of mine!"

"My name's Kurapika," Kurapika cut in, extending a hand to the old man.

"Pons. Pleased to meet you," Pons took Kurapika's hand and shook. He then shifted a little closer, causing Kurapika to lean away nervously. "If he tries to do anything to you, just scream. We'll hear you."

"I'm not going to do anything to my friend!"

"Oh, calm down. Can I have your money sent up later?"

"Yeah, whatever. Come on, Kurapika."

Kurapika followed Leorio as he ascended a staircase to the left of the front door. They went down a narrow hallway and entered a one room apartment. Leorio dropped his case on the bed and rolled his neck around to stretch it. Kurapika set down her own bag carefully on a trunk at the end of the bed. Leorio sat and unlaced his shoes.

"I don't know about you, but I'm going to sleep," He pulled off his second shoe and lay across the bed, his legs still over the side. The sleepless night and the active day suddenly descended on Leorio, making him feel as if his body was being pulled into the bed. He shut his eyes and lost consciousness almost immediately.

000

Kurapika had stayed where she was, watching Leorio fall asleep, until someone knocked on the door. Opening it, Kurapika found a plump, middle-aged woman holding an envelope and smiling.

"Hello, I'm Mrs. Pons. I brought Leorio's money, but I can see he's already asleep. I guess you can give it to him for me," She extended the envelope to Kurapika, who took it. Mrs. Pons looked Kurapika up and down. "Xed was right, you are a cutie. Your clothes are dirty, though. Do you have anything to change into?"

"No, ma'am," Kurapika replied.

"Well, you go take a bath and I'll wash your clothes while you're in there. I can bring them right back in, I've got a key." She shook her pocket to emphasize that fact.

"No, I'm okay."

"Oh, don't be so polite. I insist. I've got a load to run, anyways."

The woman smiled so earnestly that Kurapika felt she had to let her do this. She went into the bathroom. Cautiously, she opened the door and left the neat pile outside for Mrs. Pons. She then started to undo the bandage surrounding her wound. Dried blood and pus made the final piece painful to remove. When she was ready, Kurapika turned on the water for a shower and climbed into the tub. It was a stand alone tub, with a shower curtain suspended around it.

Although she was getting used to the idea, she still couldn't believe Leorio had found out about her. She had managed to keep her true gender hidden for years and had never planned on having it revealed to her friends. But, she had misjudged how Leorio would react. Besides their spat in the woods, he hadn't really mentioned it again nor did he seem too bothered by it. For once, she was glad that Leorio was the same oaf as always.

Her mind then flipped over to more serious matters. The household she had taken the eyes from knew what she looked like. There was now more urgency to get to Rond and leave than there had been before. If she didn't leave the next morning, she risked being caught. It would also drag Leorio further in.

Kurapika turned the water off. After she had dried herself, she picked up the roll of gauze she had taken from Leorio's case and began to wrap it around her leg. As she wound the cloth around, something wet and sticky began to cling to her face, right under her eyes. She wiped at it with the back of her hand, but it didn't go away. She quickly tied up the loose ends of the gauze and stood up to look in the mirror.

Kurapika almost fell backwards into the tub, her breath caught in her throat. It was her image reflected in the mirror, but empty sockets stared back at her. Under the black cavern where her eyes should have been, blood had run like a waterfall and stained her cheeks. When she blinked, the image and the sensation of blood on her face were gone. The only thing in the mirror now was her flushed face and wide eyes.

She sat down on the edge of the tub and looked about the bathroom for anything that could explain what had just happened. When Mrs. Pons knocked on the door, she jumped.

"I got your clothes all done, dear. I'm leaving them right here next to the door. If you need anything else, don't be afraid to come join me, you coward," Mrs. Pons's voice was gone now. Kurapika stood up and faced the door. Her skin grew cold as the voice dropped to a pathetic, yet threatening, whisper. "I don't want to be alone."

Kurapika knew that voice. She dropped her knees, but couldn't look away from the door.

"Are you okay?" Mrs. Pons was back.

"Yes," Kurapika stammered.

"I'm going to go now. And you don't have to be so polite. You're a guest here."

"Okay." The front door shut. Kurapika stayed where she was. She was hallucinating, she told herself. That plant Leorio had given her wasn't gone yet and was causing her to experience these horrible things. She got up off the floor and opened the bathroom door, not feeling fully assured of her explanation. Her clothes in hand, Kurapika retreated back into the bathroom.

When she came back out, she went straight to her bag and took the hourglass out. The eyes bobbed up and down in front of her. It was all in her mind. She returned the eyes to the bag and went to shut off the lights.

Slowly, she made her way back to the bed through the darkness. The only light in the room now came from the front door, its outline framed by the white light of the hallway. Leorio was still stretched across the width of the bed, but she didn't care. She crawled over to the far side of the bed and leaned against the wall. Drawing her knees up towards her, she rested her chin in the little gap they formed and stared into the blackness.

000

Leorio snapped awake. As the scarlet tint that had taken over his dream world faded from his sight and his eyes started adjusting to the darkness of the room, he received another jolt.

A dark figure loomed near his head. The ghost had come for him now! As he tried to think of how to fight it off, it spoke.

"Are you awake, Leorio?" He blew out the breath he had been holding in. The ghost was just Kurapika.

"Yeah. I was just having a good dream, too. I had this gigantic bowl of ice cream and was about to eat it," He stopped before the part with the scarlet color. "You have any good dreams?"

"No."

Leorio propped himself up on his elbows. "What's wrong?"

"I'm just not feeling well."

"Anything I can help with?"

"Not particularly. I met Mrs. Pons while you were sleeping. She brought your money up."

Leorio laughed. "She's very friendly, isn't she? I swear, when I first got here, I thought she waited outside the door so she could ambush me for things to do."

He got off the bed and took the few steps over to his desk. Groping about, he found the cord and light filled the room. He opened a drawer and pulled out a chocolate bar.

"You want one?" When Kurapika nodded, he tossed it over and got out another. "I'm starving."

As they ate, Leorio found his envelope and opened it, counting the money to make sure Pons hadn't shorted him. Pleased with what he found, he put it back and looked over at Kurapika. She hadn't bothered to brush her hair and it had dried in a disheveled state. She looked pretty.

Leorio caught himself before he let his mind wander further. Kurapika had always looked like this. To acknowledge her looks now really did make him feel desperate. He hadn't admired her before when he thought she was a male, so he wouldn't now. To distract himself, he jumped back on the bed and pulled the covers back.

"I'm going back to sleep," He announced as he squirmed under the blanket to get comfortable. "You should try doing it, too."

"You're right," Kurapika said. She got under the blanket, but kept as far away from him as possible and faced the wall. Leorio clicked off the light and settled in. As he closed his eyes, Kurapika spoke again, this time quietly. "Thank you."

"Um, no problem."

It didn't take long for the red to come back. Once again, Leorio was wide awake and scanning the room. A pale figure stood at the end of the bed. His heart felt as if it was going to burst. He barely noticed when Kurapika's shoulder brushed against his side.

The figure pointed a finger at them. A face started to scratch itself into existence. Its eyes were red.

"Come out."