Leorio lagged behind Kurapika as they walked through the streets. He had finished off an entire pot of coffee throughout the early morning hours, causing a fierce competition between alertness and tiredness to rage in his body. This was the least of his worries.
Putting aside the business with the evil spirit, he had two main problems.
The first was the note he had found in his textbook with the date for when the new semester at medical school started. When he realized he was supposed to be at school that day, he had cursed loud enough to wake Kurapika.
That was a problem he could deal with. The other involved Kurapika and was more complicated. He had finally convinced himself it was the boredom that made his eyes drift over to Kurapika as she slept. Boredom and the evil spirit that was adamant on stealing Kurapika's aura.
Leorio put his internal grumblings on hold as he and Kurapika began to ascend a set of old, cracked concrete stairs. They led to the door of a house, a building whose age and wooden structure made it out of place on the street. The structure sagged, as if the roof was too heavy for it to hold. Leorio could have sworn he saw house shake as Kurapika knocked on the door.
A young woman opened the door. Leorio could feel some of his interest in the world coming back at the sight of her. He took in the long, curly black hair and brown eyes. His attention inevitably made its way down. Her dress showed off her wide hips and large bust. Leorio instantly approved of her.
"We're here to see Mr. Gogolo. I'm the one who called this morning," Kurapika said. The woman nodded and gave an embarrassed smile.
"I am so sorry. My father didn't mean what he said."
"It's okay, ma'am. As long as there's someone as kind as you here, we'll be fine," Leorio cut in. The woman looked uneasy as Leorio beamed at her. Kurapika let out a small groan behind him.
He didn't notice either reaction.
"Oh, um, that's great. Well, you two can come in." She moved aside and motioned for them to follow her into a sitting room. Bookcases, packed with fading book spines, covered every wall. The room's air was stale and drenched with the odor of old pages. "My father's not ready yet, so can I get you tea or coffee?"
"Tea would be good," Kurapika answered as she took a seat on a small couch. Leorio took the spot next to her, resting his head against the stiff back of the couch and crossing his arms over his chest.
"If the guy knew we were coming, you'd think he would have hurried up and got ready," Leorio said, tapping his foot against the floor.
"We are early. Besides, we should be glad he even agreed to see us. You didn't help our case by ranting in the background while I was on the phone with him."
Kurapika shot him an accusing look. Leorio shrugged as he spoke.
"Well, it shouldn't have taken a ten minute argument to convince him to meet with us. I'm sure everything I said about him was true."
"I'm afraid you're right. That's why I'm going to suggest you let me do all the talking."
"Okay. I'll just stick with talking to the daughter."
"Maybe it'd be best if you just kept your mouth closed the entire time."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You know what it means."
Leorio kept his reply to himself as a door opened between two bookcases and the woman came back in. She set out three cups and poured the tea. She then sat down across from them in a cushioned arm chair. Leorio decided to go against Kurapika's advice.
"We never got properly introduced. My name's Leorio and this is Kurapika."
"I'm Benora."
A few lines of polite conversation were exchanged. Kurapika was in the middle of answering one of Benora's questions in the vaguest manner possible when the door to the room opened.
Leorio's temper began to flare at the sight of Yanki Gogolo. The historian wore an old robe and a pair of pajama bottoms. His long, graying hair was tied back, but strands escaped, showing the lack of effort the man had put into it.
Kurapika stood up.
"Hello, Mr. Gogolo." Kurapika extended a hand and was about to speak again when Gogolo interrupted her.
"Oh, you're the one who's responsible for ruining my sleep. Not once, but twice, I might add," he said, angrily.
"Daddy, it wasn't that bad."
"And for something as stupid as the Gateway," Gogolo continued. "Since you didn't seem to understand on the phone, I thought I'd tell you in person. I'm tired of you paranormal thrill-seekers bothering me for ghost stories. Go out and get a life."
Kurapika remained unfazed.
"We aren't here for ghost stories. It's important to us to find out about how to get rid of a spirit from the Gateway. We already know that you have to destroy the spirit's origin, but we want to know if there's a specific way to do it. As a local historian, I assume you know something."
"I may know something. According to the legends, most people die before they get to the ritual."
"Is that because they wasted their time talking to you?" Leorio asked. He sat up straight and stared at Gogolo. Kurapika shot him a look that told him to shut up before turning back to Gogolo.
"What's the procedure?"
"I don't think I want to tell you. Go find out on your own," Gogolo said as he crossed his arms. Leorio started to rise. Kurapika held out a hand before him.
"Benora," she said, looking over at the woman. "Could you get us some cookies to go along with this tea?"
"Uh, sure." She got up and hesitatingly went into the kitchen. Kurapika fixed her eyes back on Gogolo.
"I'm afraid we don't have time to investigate this. It'll be in your best interest if you tell us what it is now." Kurapika was still speaking in the same calm tone, but the threat was clear. Anything Leorio was going to add died in his throat.
Gogolo wasn't oblivious to the change in tone, either.
"I will not be told what to do in my own home. I'm tired of having crazy people like you using me for such pointless information."
The sound of metallic clinking filled the room. Gogolo watched it in awe as Kurapika summoned her chain.
"How did you do that?" Gogolo asked.
"Tell us what you know and we'll leave. There's no need to drag this out any more," Kurapika said, ignoring the man's question. Gogolo, his attention still on the chain, sighed.
"Fine, this isn't worth fighting over," Gogolo cleared his throat. "Local tradition has it that once you find the source of the spirit, you take it back to the Gateway and destroy it…what are you doing?"
Kurapika had moved closer and held the chain before Gogolo.
"I'm not going to hurt you. Keep going."
"Fire is the only way to destroy it. Along with whatever the spirit's used to get into the living world, you have to burn some of the moss growing on the trees there. That, and a drop of blood from the possessed. That's it."
The chain never moved. It disappeared as the door to the kitchen creaked open and Benora came back in.
000
"Asshole," Leorio said as the door was slammed behind them. "Was he lying to us?"
"No, the chains didn't move."
Kurapika's sounded distracted by her thoughts, which relieved Leorio. While Kurapika was questioning the old man, Leorio had been reminded of her behavior with the Spiders and her willingness to do anything to get answers. She had come no where close to her dealings with the Spiders in the house, but any step in that direction worried him.
"Have you figured out what the origin is?" he finally asked, glancing down at Kurapika. She kept her gaze straight ahead as they walked onto a less busy side street.
"It's the eyes," Kurapika said quietly. There was a slight pause. "We should get back to the forest as soon as possible. If we get a map of the area, I can use my chain to find where the Gateway is. That way we won't have to get lost in the woods again."
"Are you okay with it?"
"I don't have much choice."
"I guess not. It's just..."
"You don't have to worry about me, Leorio."
"Worrying is something I excel at. I have to do it."
Kurapika began to grin. "That's true."
"Somehow, it seems like a bad thing when you agree with it." Leorio eyed Kurapika suspiciously.
"It's not," Kurapika replied. She then pointed ahead. "Let's try that store."
As a bored shopkeeper watched, they picked out a map with local trails and a compass. When they came out, the street had become busier and louder. They joined the crowd for a few blocks before Kurapika led Leorio to an empty alleyway. There, the map was unfolded and Kurapika's chain hovered above it. It swayed back and forth over the illustration of the forest before coming to halt. Kurapika pointed to a trail lying under the steel ball.
"That's where the Gateway is? Right next to that trail? How did we get lost?" Leorio exclaimed.
"Keep it down, Leorio," Kurapika glanced down the alley at the entrance and the street beyond before going back to the map. "If we start on Shedufu Trail, we can take it until we reach…"
Leorio tried to pay attention, but the words no longer registered in his brain and his eyes were beginning to close. It took all his effort to not fall asleep on his feet.
He hoped this would be over soon.
000
"I knew it. We're being followed."
While Kurapika kept walking like this was a normal thing, Leorio couldn't help but look around. He hadn't sensed anyone and his sweep of the area around them didn't change that. All he could see were trees, which crowded in closer to the trail the further they walked along it.
"How do you know?"
"Their auras. And one of them is wearing perfume," Kurapika said matter-of-factly. Leorio started sniffing the air, but only got the smell of dirt and pine trees. "They've been following us since we left the town. I'm sure that they're here for the eyes."
"You're not saying it's those guys, are you?" Leorio groaned when Kurapika nodded. His could go his whole life without seeing another inhabitant of the Land of Beautiful Men again. He quickened his pace. "They're so annoying. Can't we just lose them by going into the woods?"
"That would get us lost. We should pretend we don't know they're here and wait for them to attack."
"Or to talk our ears off," Leorio mumbled as Kurapika came back to his side.
They didn't have to wait long for their stalkers to show themselves. The two Hunters turned, weapons ready, and faced three men. All three looked exactly alike and only the varying shades of their wispy gray hair differentiated them from one another.
A man with ash-gray colored hair stepped forward.
"Our comrades may have fallen, but we do not intend to lose. We will not let you escape this time." With their announcement over, the men revealed their weapons. The two on the sides had swords. The middle man had a fancy revolver. Leorio looked from his long knife to the gun, his eyes getting stuck there.
"Hey Kurapika, are you sure we can't run away?"
"Take the one on the right. I'll deal with the other two."
Leorio took a deep breath. Kurapika had already gone ahead and he watched in amazement as the chain was whipped about before remembering he had to move, too. He and his chosen opponent ran at each other. Leorio jabbed when he was close enough to do so, but was blocked. The blades hit each other several more times. The man was far more skilled with the sword and Leorio couldn't get a blow in on him.
After he had nearly been sliced across the upper arm, Leorio decided it was time to make their fight more even. Gripping the hilt with both hands, like he was holding a baseball bat, he swung the knife as hard as he could. The resulting blow sent the other man's sword flying into the trees. Leorio grinned and sheathed his knife. Without wasting another second, he punched the man in his perfectly curved chin.
Leorio made to punch again, but his hand was grabbed and he was pulled in by the man. Leorio saw the man's raised knee before it dug into his abdomen. Leorio punched again. This time, he hit the man and knocked him off balance. Both of them fell off the trail and on to the moss covered ground of the forest. They stayed down and continued their struggle, Leorio striking out against anything hard. The pretty man did the same and went as far as to bite Leorio. The sudden pressure on his arm shocked Leorio, giving the man a chance to get up and stumble off to get his sword.
He didn't get it. Leorio tackled him further into the woods and forced him to stay down. The fight dragged on. Leorio elbowed the man, then felt his tie tighten. The other man pulled on it and his eyes became wide with exertion and rage. Thinking fast, Leorio head-butted him. Immediately, the man let go.
Leorio got to his feet, holding his forehead. He found the sword and picked it up. Further into the forest was a section where the earth sloped steeply. The area below was littered with fallen trees and a few large rocks. Leorio walked over to the slope and threw the sword down.
He turned just in time to see the man charging at him. Leorio jumped out of the way, but was still caught by an outstretched arm. He was pulled, along with its owner, down the hill. Leorio felt his breath forced painfully out of his lungs as he fell backwards into a tree. He heard the other man cry out in pain. As he got to his feet and looked down at the man, he saw what had caused the cry. The man had stopped falling only after his foot got stuck under an exposed tree root. It didn't take a medical degree to know that the ankle had been broken; the foot was twisted in an unnatural direction.
Leorio groaned. He couldn't just leave the guy down there. Carefully, he made his way to the man.
He no longer resembled the confident man Leorio had faced on the trail. A mixture of blood and saliva stuck to his chin. His light gray hair was no longer in place and his face had become paler at the sight of his foot. Small whimpers escaped his lips.
Leorio kneeled next to the man, gently lifting the pant leg. He was relieved to find that the skin hadn't broken. With his inspection done, Leorio spoke to the man.
"Hey, I'm going to help you out of here. I need you to try and get up."
The man moaned in reply. Leorio got a hold of his arms and helped him stand. He wobbled and looked like he was about to faint. Leorio realized he was going to have to carry him out.
"Get on my back. I'll carry you up," Leorio said reluctantly.
With the man on his back, Leorio started to climb back up the hill. His level of discomfort, already high, was raised more as the man started crying.
"I just can't believe your helping me. You should have left me down there to die. I failed my mission. I'm a disgrace"
"It's not that bad."
"My brothers will never talk to me again. My master will never let me back into his home."
"Shut up or I'll change my mind and leave you," Leorio snapped. He jogged through the woods back to the trail.
The two men Kurapika had been fighting lay unconscious on the dirt path.
"My brothers have also failed. We can never face our master again," the man wailed. Leorio ignored him, looking up and down the trail. Kurapika was gone. Leorio gritted his teeth together.
"I'm putting you down now."
When he had gotten the man on the ground, his jacket providing a cushion for the broken ankle, Leorio went over to his discarded briefcase and pulled out a bottle of painkillers. He gave several to the man and then pulled out his cell phone. He paced up and down as he called for help.
"How can I ever repay you?" the man asked when Leorio hung up and was about to leave. Leorio looked over his shoulder at the man as he started down the trail.
"Stop coming after my friend."
000
The man with the sword had been disarmed and knocked out in two deft blows, but the one with the gun had managed to dodge the chain. Kurapika was alarmed to see him aim the gun at her and quickly took action. As his fingers prepared to fire the gun, Kurapika swung the chain. It snaked itself around the man's extended arms and forced them together. Kurapika pulled down, the hands obeying. The man made a move to correct himself and fire, but the chains tightened around his wrists.
Kurapika jerked on the chain, causing the man to fall to the ground. The gun dropped from his hands on impact. Kurapika kicked it away.
"I will not be defeated!" the man shouted, getting to his knees and trying to stand back up. Kurapika was about to answer with another movement of her hand when a small click reached her ears. It was the hammer of the gun being pulled back.
Both fighters forgot each other and watched the gun rise off the ground.
Kurapika's curiosity quickly turned to fear as hands materialized around the gun. Following the hands were arms and, like a construction of dominoes which fell in several directions at once, the whole body came to life. Kurapika could feel the muscles tense up throughout her body as she recognized it was the spirit who had been trying to feed off of her.
She could not let herself be afraid of it.
The chain unwound itself from the man's arms and shot towards its new target. The chain went straight through the spirit. The only effect it had was to make the spirit smirk, using the lips that rightfully belonged to Sokiri. Kurapika watched the gun rise slowly, her mind working fast to think of a way to stop the spirit.
The trigger began to creep backwards. Kurapika brought the chain up again and tried to knock the gun away. Both spirit and gun flashed out of sight, reappearing again in a different spot.
It was closer now.
Kurapika took a step away. The spirit followed.
When the trigger was squeezed backward once more, Kurapika jumped to the side. Nothing came from the gun. The movement did cause something to dig into Kurapika's hip. She was forced to find the source of the sharp pain. As she searched, her fingers touched the nail Leorio had given her.
Kurapika looked back up at the spirit, whose smirk had grown as it watched her. Putting all her hope into the nail, Kurapika threw it at the spirit. Like the chain before it, the nail went through the body. This time, however, a hole was left behind.
The hole expanded and the spirit screeched as its body was rapidly sucked into the gap. When it was gone, Kurapika cautiously went over to where it had stood and picked up the nail. She then took a look around her.
The owner of the gun had passed out and his comrade was still out cold. Seeing she didn't have to worry about her human opponents, Kurapika scanned the forest in search of Leorio. All Kurapika could see was a wall of blackness. Like a tidal wave in slow motion, it rolled over the trees, leaving nothingness behind. This was happening all around her.
Kurapika pulled her eyes away from the approaching walls. She didn't like the idea of leaving Leorio behind, for both of their sakes, but she had to get to the Gateway before the trail disappeared.
Taking another fruitless glance, she darted down the path.
000
Leorio had no idea where he was going.
He had been running down the trail, skipping trails he was certain Kurapika hadn't mentioned. Kurapika was no where in sight. His sense of being lost was made complete when he reached a fork in the trail. His eyes switched from one trail name to another. These names were familiar, but he couldn't remember which one he was supposed to take. Leorio tried to recall Kurapika's words, but nothing came back.
If only she hadn't gone off on her own, this wouldn't have happened.
Leorio was about to reflect on more reasons why his current situation was Kurapika's fault, but stopped them. He didn't have time to be blaming things on Kurapika. Instead, he concentrated to remembering the way she had planned out. Attempting to stimulate that memory, Leorio started to pace and to scratch the back of his head in an attempt to stimulate his memory.
Leorio's vision flashed red. He didn't panic as he had before, but looked around. On the trail to the left he spotted Sokiri. The boy raised one arm, his finger aimed at a spot further down the trail. Leorio understood and began to run again, Sokiri leading him. The ghost seemed to be standing still as he moved along, his hair and clothing never swaying to betray a running body.
When the two reached another spilt in the trail, Sokiri drifted to the left and stopped. Leorio joined the ghost, using the pause to breathe. At the place they stood, the trees were less dense, allowing Leorio to see the Gateway and a portion of its surrounding meadow.
"Thank you," he said.
Sokiri nodded. His color was beginning to fade out. Leorio knew this was the last time he would see the Kurta.
"Take care, kid."
The words had barely gotten out when Sokiri vanished.
Leorio blinked to get his vision clear and made his way off the path.
000
Kurapika stood in the center of the Gateway. At her feet were a small fire and a broken hourglass. She saw none of this. The eyes in her hands were her world. With the alcohol that had been preserving them evaporated, the eyes no longer glistened, but their irises were still a brilliant red. The scarlet circles filled Kurapika's mind and she almost didn't notice the hands close around her wrists.
With great difficulty, Kurapika dragged her gaze away from the eyes to look down. Sokiri kneeled in front of her, his eye sockets empty. They begged to be filled.
Sokiri's lips moved, but there was a delay before his whispers reached her ears.
"Please don't do it. I want to go back home."
Kurapika stared dumbly at him. Her mind tried to think, but getting to the thoughts was like walking in knee-high mud. Another voice broke in, bogging down her thought process further.
"Dear, you need to give those back to Sokiri."
She recognized the soft, female voice. Kurapika's lips trembled.
"Mother?"
"The sooner you give them back, the sooner we can go home."
Sokiri's grip, her mother's voice. Kurapika felt her body growing light despite the heaviness of her mind.
Home.
All she had to do was put the eyes back where they belonged. Sokiri smiled at her in encouragement. She bent forward, offering the eyes to Sokiri.
"Kurapika!"
The voice vibrated the small circle. Kurapika could feel her body shaking. The stupor was wearing off.
"Leorio?"
Saying the words cleared her mind and her thoughts started to churn again. Kurapika could feel the eyes in her hands, soft and warm. They were Sokiri, not the person holding onto her. As if to confirm this, Sokiri's form left. In his place was a dark shadow, its touch burning into Kurapika's flesh.
She knew was she had to do. She took her fingers off the eyes and her palms tipped down. The eyes rolled out of her hands and into the fire below. The demon screamed and let her go. Wasting no time, Kurapika reached down for a jagged piece of the hourglass and cut into her hand. As the blood seeped out, she held out her hand over the fire. Drops trickled out and off her skin.
As the drops of blood were devoured by the fire, the creature's screams grew louder. The flames from the fire latched on to its feet and raced up its body. It was soon enveloped in the flames.
Kurapika stepped back from it and ran into something solid. She didn't bother to see what it was. The demon gave a final cry and was drawn into the fire she had made. Its flames leapt up and down as if celebrating. The dance hurt her eyes. She let her head fall to avoid it while silent tears escaped down her cheeks.
Hands gripped her shoulders and turned her around. Kurapika didn't resist as arms wrapped themselves around her and pulled her close. She pushed her face against Leorio's chest and let his shirt soak up the tears.
Hesitantly, she brought her arms up and returned Leorio's embrace.