AN: I apologize for the long absence. I went to visit my best friend for a mini vacation and both times between flight transfers I got stranded in a foreign airport alone twice because of flight cancellations. My luck pretty much sucked and I lost a lot of time and energy that's for sure. But my trip went great and now I'm back in action (hopefully).
It's gonna be a bit of a slow start getting back into the groove because I didn't write as much as I thought I would, but I hope I will catch up soon. Again, I apologize for the inconvenience and lack of updates. I'm back now so I hope nobody gave up on me too soon haha. Thanks to all those still sticking around. NOW LIGHTS CAMERA ACTION the drama starts now suckas. (My writing got a bit rusty oops and excuse the oocness this time around.)
Enjoy.
Vchan: Thank you. I always see Killua portrayed as being the druggie but I was curious to see a version of Gon done before. I mean, the guy is curious and naive to a fault. It's easy for people like that to slip. So thanks!
MeowMeowChwan: Thank youuuu~ I'm glad you thought so. I always fret over how bad it might seem but that reassures me!
"You're better off."
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Biscuit stared numbly at the bleeping machine fastened next to the very hospital bed that Gon rested so peacefully in. The beeping sound was a mockery of the peaceful display of crisp white sheets laying folded and gentle over a frail, doll-like corpse. Or at least, that was how Gon appeared to her as he was fast asleep, tucked beneath the sheets that when she stared too long at; she saw flashes of what people looked like when declared freshly deceased and covered by that familiar white veil up to their flash-frozen faces.
It was haunting to thing about and Biscuit bet she'd have nightmares imagining her students cradled beneath a pure layer of white that was wrongly just for ever trying to represent death.
Wasn't something so light supposed to represent life? Or was it simply just the best cover-up, to lure something into that sense of falseness and hope believing that maybe, just maybe, it was all an act?
They weren't coming back so what was the point?
Biscuit prayed to never see the gruesome image happen to her two trainees, at least not until she was long since hidden behind it and her ghost was left to mourn in silence.
"Gon." She whispered meekly, to herself. It was lucky they had hospitals in Greed Island because she wasn't sure what she'd do otherwise to get him back to the real world. The second he had hit that cold pavement was the second she was at his side, carting him off to god-knows-where if it meant getting him to safety. It terrified her, to see a boy once so sunny and vagrant, fall to the gray slice of reality. Especially Gon; the pinnacle of brilliance in her eyes, a polished diamond gemstone ready to be molded into perfect form, pristine like porcelain glass.
Now he looked broken, rusted, rough around the edges and sharp and even Biscuit hesitated getting near enough to touch it for even looking made her eyes hurt. There was too many jagged points now and she didn't know where to begin, where to proceed with recovering her precious stone without damaging herself beyond repair in the process. He used to be a sunny grove and now he was nothing but a soured wasteland.
I've got to do something.
Picking up his backpack on the ground, she set it on her lap and stared. Biscuit placed on her gloves, careful to keep the contamination from spreading, and firstly plucked the needle from the side pouch. The one she found on the ground that day; the one Gon had used to inject himself with something unidentifiable and murky white.
Drugs. She knew them the split instant she got within sight of it.
Biscuit had been around the block enough to know what drugs were. She'd as well tried some herself, thinking they'd solve some long-time problems of hers only to find more issues arise because of it. Drugs didn't solve anything and they certainly didn't help, not even temporary on her behalf.
They made things worse and to find them in the clutches of one of her students on the pretense that it was helping him – Made her world crumble around the creases.
She pinched the bridge of the needle's opening and glared at it with sickening clarity, bringing it to her nose a few inches away to sniff. Chemicals; like aromatic bleach, burned her nostrils and she cringed, pulling it from her face with a grimace. It was certainly sweet smelling but the omnipotent allure that assaulted her senses was what made her reluctant to tread further then that. She set the needle on the nightstand and picked through the things in the side pockets, finding baggies filled with various kinds of contents like powder, pills, and crystalline shaped stones.
Biscuit spread them out on the bed side where Gon's prone form didn't occupy and started organizing the things one by one as they were brought out. All personal belongings were placed furthest away and the drugs took over the forefront, arranged by type in front of her.
There wasn't very much, surprising. She expected him to be loaded; especially if he was very far into addiction. But this was Greed Island and she guessed it might be difficult to safely and easily find a drug source, let alone do it under the guise of keeping her and Killua out of the loop.
First, there were four more needles filled with the now-grayish liquid. After wrapping them up in some paper towels, she pushed them into an empty bag to dispose of later, discreetly, without leaving a trace especially while in the hospital. As if she wanted to see another patient or person be caught with them.
Second, she bundled up all the bags full of crystals and put them into one big bag, set off to the side. That was the raw and purest form of what could only be Crystal Methamphetamine. She recognized it right off the bat; one of the only drugs she'd ever crossed paths with that she was actually afraid of. All the horror stories she heard passed around by her friends, her comrades, her old students and own mentors; were nightmares in themselves.
And that one person she had met; a Meth addict, was one of the scariest encounters she'd ever experienced.
Knowing Gon picked Meth of all things as his drug of choice, was going to be yet another nightmare to keep her awake for days; again. Biscuit dreaded the future that awaited him.
Lastly, were two piles of various kinds of pills; mostly in tablet form, and then a large portion of white powder placed in many baggies. With the more dangerous substances put away, it left her with the simpler methods that she was more knowledgeable and familiar with. Although they were no more dangerous then their purer counterparts, at least with these she knew what she was dealing with.
How you use and ingest powder and pills.
The rate in which you start taking them to how much you take until you overdose.
The side effects and eventual progression of health problems over time.
She researched enough to know that Meth was like a short ladder. The first step was instant addiction and the few steps it took to full-on dependence towards feasible death was as short-lived as the time it took to transcend there.
How far did that leave Gon, then?
As the door creaked open behind her abruptly, she clambered around to grab all the leftover drugs on the bed and shoved them into her purse right when the young nurse came waltzing up from behind, clipboard in hand with no amount of righteous privacy on her ignorant mind.
"And how is our little Gon-kun doing today?" She asked instantly, so sweetly, that her tiny little childish voice grated Biscuit's nerves. She kept her shaking fist down, pressed into her purse to keep it from looking too suspicious. This woman was annoying, nosy, and bossy. If only they could so kindly trade nurses, then she'd be much happier. But this was a game so they were stuck with whatever they got. "Is he doing any better this morning?"
"Yes." Biscuit answered immediately, "I've been watching him since I got here. Sound asleep like a baby."
"Has he eaten his breakfast yet?"
Biscuit's pinkish eyes glanced over at the tray still sitting, cold and stale and fully filled; left untouched. "No. But he hasn't woken up yet so I'll make sure he does as soon as he's able."
"Make sure that you do."
The nurse turned to leave and Biscuit hissed under her breath like a feral cat, fingers twitching over her purse handle. Oh how badly she wanted to flip the lady off; or worse if she could legally get away with it.
Sarcastic witch-
"And also," The nurse paused in the doorway, mouth etched in a frown, "Keep an eye on him. Since he's one of those druggies, who knows what trouble he can get into while here. I don't want to see the other patients get caught up in terrible affairs. Are we clear?"
There was no avoiding allowing the nurses and doctors to know Gon was a drug abuser, because that was exactly the reason why she had brought him in. The lab tests confirmed it, so it wasn't like she could hide the truth from them. It didn't mean they had the right to rub it in their faces about it, however.
"Crystal, ma'am."
The door shut and Biscuit's Nen-powered fist smashed through the plate of old food and straight down the center of the stand, crushing it to itty bitty pieces. She was not cleaning that up, not when that rude snob talked down on her like she was some kid. She most certainly was not but the intention of looking this youthful was to be attractive yet intelligent at the same time. Like a young adult; possibly an older teenager.
Not. A. Kid.
Gon didn't stir surprisingly at the clatter and bang of noise she made so Biscuit sighed and sagged back into her chair, pads of her fingertips keeping her head upright and propped on the bed.
"Oh, Gon..."
Ring, ring.
Her phone buzzed to life to some sappy pop song and she reached into her purse to get it out. It was flashing both the time of 8:37 A.M and Unknown Number over and over in repeat.
"Since when did phones work in a game?" She queried out loud, standing up to take the call. Her phone had yet to have reception since she entered and suddenly now it worked? It was a strange coincidence. Not wanting to wake Gon after all the noise she made earlier, Biscuit stepped outside while carefully shutting the door behind her to flip open the little cell phone and answer the call.
"Hello, can I help you?"
It was a masculine voice, estimated roughly in his mid-thirties plausibly, that spoke up on the other end; Biscuit raising a curious brow in response. Since when did her number wind up in the hands of a completely unknown man?
"Yeah- Uh- Sorry, but, do you happen to be someone named Biscuit Krueger?"
"That's me." Her lips pursed, sinking into the nearby plush bench beside Gon's patient room door, phone balanced between her shoulder and mouth with a hum. "Can I ask who this is?"
"Yeah, yeah." The man laughed, sounding nervous. But he cleared his throat, coughing a few more times, then said, "My name's Leorio Paladiknight. I want to talk to you about Gon and Killua."
"Hey, Zepile." Leorio said, somewhere around 6 A.M. in the morning while still rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He yawned, bitter and tired, and sagged into his creaky old desk chair with a sigh, speaker of his phone smothered against his five o' clock shadow. He had a cup of coffee in one hand and an open book in the other. "Tell me where you got that photo from."
"I told you this already." The slightly older male chuckled on the other end, "Some old man gave it to me."
"I still don't believe you. You're lying to me."
"No I'm not."
"How the hell does one just somehow magically get a picture of someone you know from some random old man?"
"Beats me." Leorio felt the guy's shrug all the way through their crappy connection and mumbled grumpily against the rip of his cup.
"When did it happen again? I mean, like, when did you run into this dude anyway?"
"It was actually after that incident in the alleyway with Gon and Killua. If I had to say so, I bet the man saw Gon and noticed me with them and that's why he gave the photo to me. I didn't go back when Killua and Gon left that night, so I ran into him after that."
"What did he look like?"
"Like an old man?"
Leorio face palmed himself with his own book. "That doesn't help."
"Why does that matter anyway? He gave me that photo of Gon assaulting the woman. Don't you think we should focus on finding the lady before we concern ourselves with whoever this old guy was?"
"Yeah, yeah. I guess."
"Any word from Killua?"
"Not yet since yesterday morning when he was headed out to get information."
"Well it is like 6 in the morning. I doubt he's going to call you all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this early to tell you if he's found anything. How are you even this alert so early in the dang morning?"
Leorio's teeth grazed against the glass of his cup and grunted out, venting his frustration in simple, disturbing noises that Zepile coughed loudly against the speaker phone to make him stop. "M' sorry." Leorio muttered, mouthing some coffee that was seeping off the side. "It's just frustrating, you know?"
"Yeah, I know. I worry about those two sometimes. Can't say I blame any of us for acting like a bunch of annoying parents or something weird like that. We're all so attached that it's silly."
"It's not silly. It's crazy. Those brats always getting into trouble, I swear. When will they ever learn?"
"They're kids, Leorio." Zepile reassured and Leorio shook his head in denial. "All kids get into trouble. But they're definitely one in a million, that's for sure. They've got something special in them and I don't want to see it get tarnished, yeah?"
"You're just as big of a sap as I am, Zepile." The man with the bushy brows laughed.
"Maybe. I blame it on Gon."
"I'd like to blame everything on Gon, too, but he just seems too naive and innocent for his own good."
"They do say the innocent ones get into the most trouble."
"True."
Zepile sighed as Leorio ripped open another pack of sugar with his teeth and poured into his glass, swishing it around until thoroughly mixed. "Leorio." He murmured on the other end, voice going quiet, "You've got to help them alright?"
"I will. Don't worry. I'm making plans as we speak."
"Tomorrow when I see Killua at the Hunter Exam I'll talk to him. Anything you want me to pass along in case you don't meet up?"
Leorio gulped a sugary lump of coffee mixture and snorted. "Nothing that he doesn't already know. The brat wouldn't take much of advice even if his life was at stake."
"Sounds just like him."
"It does-"
Ring. Ring.
Tugging the blaring noisy receiver from his ear, Leorio glared at his incoming caller with a look of absolute loathing. Who the hell interrupts my-
Kurapika.
"Hey, Zepile. I got another call. I'll talk to you later, okay?"
"Gotcha. See you, Leorio."
"Later."
He hung up then switched over, bringing the phone carefully against the side of his head with brows furrowed as static greeted him at first. "Hello-?"
"Leorio."
Kurapika's voice was soft, cautious, and much more subdued then Leorio remembered it to be. How long had it been since they talked? Weeks? Months? He'd guess a year with how fast time flies by but he didn't want to convince himself that Kurapika really wanted to keep out of contact for that long. This was Kurapika; the blonde Kurta they had befriended during the Hunter Exams and would have done anything for his comrades.
Consumed by the rage and undying need for revenge which tore him away.
"Kurapika-! How-? How are you?" Stuttered Leorio, almost flailing his arms so far that his cup clattered to the ground. But he barely missed hitting it and breathed a deep, sweet sigh of relief. "I mean- You know- Just, how have you been? It's been so long."
"Yes. Yes it has."
Leorio drummed his fingers on the desk, half-expecting Kurapika to continue the conversation and answer his questions, but all he got was silence. With a tick in his eye, Leorio clutched both hands over the beetle phone until they turned bone white and grumbled. "So. How have you been?" He repeated, hoping for a response. As if he wanted to be left in anymore of the dark then he already was with his Kurta friend. It was enough he was out of the loop with Gon and Killua but he did not need Kurapika packing the pounds on the side, too.
"I'm fairing well." The answer sounded more forced and strained then anything. Leorio grunted.
"That's good to hear then.. Sooo, why the sudden call? You haven't answered any of my texts or emails, let alone my calls. Is there some kind of special occasion I should know about?"
"No." Kurapika sighed. "Not really."
"Then why call? It's-" He checked the clock and tapped his semi-broken watch with a gruff whine, "-Piece of crap junk- It's almost 8 in the morning. When did you become an early bird?"
The blonde chuckled but it was the least bit gentle. "I should be asking that to you, Leorio. You are rarely up this early, especially with how lively you sound as well."
"Courteous of the coffee. Nothing like a dash of refreshing caffeine in the morning to wake you up, am I right?" He held up his mug in solitary cheer.
"You know coffee is bad for your health. Tea is a much better alternative with its natural affects and stimulants then what you find in processed coffee beans."
"Well excuse me, miss health-drink extraordinaire. Sorry I'm not as in tune with my liquids as you are. As long as it gives me energy, wakes me up, and does its job, then who cares what goes in? It's just coming out the same way in the end."
Kurapika went silent but the purse of his lips did not and Leorio easily heard the way he thoughtfully chewed on his lip, like he was debating on an answer but couldn't quite get it to pass his approval. After a short pause, the blonde sighed on the other end and chuckled. "Yes, yes it does, Leorio. You are right. As long as it helps keep you awake, then I suppose that's all that would matter."
"What's gotten into you?" Leorio huffed, "I mean, usually you're always scolding me about my health and dietary needs and suddenly you're agreeing with me? What have you been doing all this time, anyway? Do you know how worried sick we were? We were-"
"I know. You don't need to say it." Interrupted Kurapika.
"Then why-"
"Because I've been busy with my own life, Leorio. If you remember correctly, Neon Nostrade lost her Nen-fortune telling abilities which has put Light in a very precarious situation. Right now, he is still my boss, and he can use all the support he can get."
"But even if he's struggling, you could have at least called! Or texted once. Answered at least one of your god-damn messages. Come on, Kurapika, have a spine! We're your friends, too. Do we not matter?"
"You do."
"Then why?"
"Because-"
"Don't give me that bull shit Kurapika." Leorio's grip tightened around his phone, the feeble device creaking inside his fingers, "If I can take the time out of my busy studying schedule to reply to my messages and crap, so can you."
Kurapika mumbled but said nothing and Leorio took the initiative to continue. "I know you're busy and you got a job and you're still hell bent on defeating the Spiders and finding your people's eyes but you can't constantly keep pushing yourself to accommodate all these things without stopping to at least take one stinking break. Am I right? I know I'm right because you aren't responding and I can bet you're probably wasted tired and stressed and all sorts of shit that you won't even let at least one of your friends know about so we can help."
Kurapika opened his mouth to speak and although the air of his breath brushing over the speaker was heard, Leorio spoke over him some more. "We care Kurapika. We care so damn much. I care so bad it's stinking ridiculous but at least I make the time to check in on the people I care about. I don't know whether or not if you still care, since it has been so long, but you can at least try every once and awhile to talk to us and let us know how you're doing. Even just one word would be nice you know. One word! That's all you have to do. Seriously."
"Leorio-"
"No." The doctor-to-be grit his teeth, bite in his tone, "I don't want to hear your sorry-ass excuses. I just want to hear you tell me that you'll at least try and give it to some thought. Try to consider the people who desperately care and worry about you for a change and let them know that you're at least still alive and not brutally strung out in pieces somewhere from trying to fight a Troupe member or something. Like I want to be the one who's called to come clean up that mess. I don't ever want to see another person's blood on my hands again, do you hear me?"
The Kurta murmured something unintelligible before he sighed and nodded silently. "Yes. I hear you loud and clear Leorio."
"Good. Now, why the hell did you suddenly decide to call me anyway? What's the special occasion?"
"Well," Kurapika's fingers started drumming on some hard surface, or so it sounded like it anyways. "I caught wind of the incident with Gon through the Mafia. Something about illegal drug use. I wanted to confirm things with you on whether or not it was the truth."
Dark eyes widening, Leorio gaped openly. "What? Seriously? It's not the incident with the woman and the lab raid, right?"
"No. But I heard about that too."
Long digits went carding through dirty, unkempt locks in need of a shower as Leorio sagged in his chair, elbows on his desk keeping him propped upright from falling forward. There was an uncomfortable lump forming in his gut and it felt the least bit pleasant. "You're kidding.. There's more to it then just that one incident?"
"More? What do you mean? Where is Gon now?"
"Playing Greed Island. Killua is back here in the real world, just about to take the Hunter Exam. I found out from Zepile that Gon was using drugs and then Killua informed me of the rest. I just never knew the extent of the things he's done. There's seriously more?"
There was a little bit of static on the line, some shuffling, and then, "Leorio. There's a lot more that you don't know about then. You might want to go get Gon from the game yourself, before things get escalate and get worse."
"Why?"
"Just, trust me on this one." Kurapika sighed, resentment bitter on his lips. "Gon's done a lot of wrong things from what I've heard through the grape vine and if they're that bad, I can only imagine what may happen if he's left alone to fend for himself."
"Well, he's not completely alone in the game as far as I've been told. Apparently they met someone named..." Leorio tapped his pencil several times over, thrumming through his memory to remember. "..Biscuit? Biscuit Kruger. That's taken over as their mentor to teach them more Nen. Or so Killua told me. So she's probably with him now if Killua is here taking the test by himself."
"Then get a hold of her."
"Kurapika-"
"Leorio. Just do it. Please. I've got to go."
Leorio's mouth was parted, tongue on the tips of his teeth, and words in his throat ready to come out but the deadening beep of the other end repeating noisy in the background made everything dry up and die out in his mouth, swallowed down to join that aching pit in his chest. Kurapika had mumbled something that sounded faintly like 'I'm sorry' before the phone went dead and shut off, effectively cutting him from his friend and last vestiges of hope of reacquainting their broken relationship.
It hurt, more or less to speak.
"Damnit, Pika." He grunted out, slamming his phone down on the table before spinning his chair back towards his computer. Like a vent for his own frustrated emotions, Leorio ripped the keyboard over, slammed it down, and none-too-harshly pressed down hard on the keys a few times to wake the computer, open a browser, and type in Biscuit Kruger's name. Ironically, she showed up fairly fast listed under old associates of a group named The Zodiacs in league with the Hunter Examination, or whatever that was.
Leorio honestly didn't give two shits right about now.
He found her number quick and turned around, pulling up his phone and pressing it between the space of his shoulder and ear once she was dialed. Sitting and waiting for the phone to pick up was the least of his worries, but he fretted the capability of even reaching a strange woman trapped in a video game just as Gon was. Was it even possible to use your phone in a virtual reality world? God knows what kinds of things those two boys were experiencing. Leorio hated to admit, but his skepticism started the first time they even mentioned that the game physically sucked you into the machine. How was it possible a video game system to sustain any amount of human life, let alone have them survive and coexist in another world for years on end like many others?
'Nen is limitless. The possibilities that can be unleashed have no bounds, Leorio.' His mentor had said once when he just so happened to be barely be paying attention. 'It's unpredictable, variable, and beyond anything any of us can comprehend. Whatever you think we can't do or shouldn't be possible; Nen can probably accomplish it. Never underestimate Nen, because someday it'll probably surprise you. Heh, I know it surprises me all the time.'
Nen sure did surprise Leorio alright. One moment after another.
Just like a certain two boys he's been keeping tabs on, ever since the Hunter Exam.
"Hello, can I help you?" The woman's voice jostled his thoughts, like a leaf in a storm, and Leorio almost flew out of his chair if he hadn't known it was coming, but had been more focused and ready for it to sound the least. He fell forward in his seat, scrambled back up to re-position himself on his feet, and sat ramrod straight with a nervous laugh.
"Yeah- Uh- Sorry, but, do you happen to be someone named Biscuit Kruger?"
"That's me." She answered right away and he heard a bit of shuffling on the other end, like she was changing her seating arrangement. There was a faint beeping of a machine and noisy clinking that Leorio could only guess was from inside a hospital. "Can I ask who this is?"
"Yeah, yeah." Leorio laughed again, abashed, as he leaned back in his chair until it pressed into his desk and cleared his throat a few times to moisten the dryness from earlier. It was now or never for him. "My name's Leorio Paladiknight. I want to talk to you about Gon and Killua."
"Gon and Killua? Are you friends of theirs?"
"Well, yeah, I am, actually. We've known each other since the Hunter Exam and are pretty good pals. I've been in touch with Killua since he came back to retake the exam for his license and I wanted to check up on Gon, too-"
"I see." Biscuit interjected, a faint hint of pleased sadness there that Leorio faintly caught, "I see. That's good- Yeah- That's good to know. How is Killua?"
"Doing okay, actually. He's supposed to be taking the exam shortly as we speak and found his way pretty easy, that little shit." He chuckled and surprisingly, so did Biscuit. She must know them that well enough to catch onto his joke, to that he was glad to know. "Anyway, I wanted to know how Gon was. You're still in the game, right?"
"Well, apparently so. I didn't know phones worked in a virtual reality but strangely they do."
"That's really weird."
"Yes, yes it is." hummed Biscuit against the speaker and Leorio oddly liked the soothing quality to her voice, no matter how strained and melancholy it seemed right now. "But I suppose I won't question why my phone works if it means I can use it to call someone."
"How is Gon now?"
"Uhm," she muttered, "He's doing fine."
"Just fine?"
"Just fine."
As easy as it was for Biscuit to sound like she was lying, Leorio knew falseness when he heard it. He shook his head, slinking from his seat and moving to sit on his bed for a more comfortable spot. His back flopped onto the plush mattress, eyes closed while he held the phone to his ear and frowned against it, concerned. "The way you say it sure doesn't sound like it. Look, uh, Biscuit-"
"Call me Bisky. You don't need to be so formal."
"-Bisky then." He corrected himself. "Look Bisky, I know Gon is using drugs. I kind of knew before him and Killua joined the game. I just wasn't sure how to broach the subject to them and by the time I even had a clue on what I wanted to say, they were already gone and I was too busy with my medical studies to have the guts to say something. But now, I do, and I need to know how he's doing. I heard from another friend of ours about an incident that Gon was in concerning a hostage and a drug raid, which pretty much confirms how grave the situation is. Killua's told me a lot, too, but since I'm pretty much here and they're pretty much... well, wherever the hell Greed Island exists in, I don't know what to do to help. But I want to help. Shit, I am going to help no matter what it takes. I don't care if I have to hack the damn game myself to get there, I will help-"
Biscuit's voice trembled when she talked over him, shaky and . "That's so sweet of you. You sound like a really good friend to have, Leorio."
"Buh-?"
As flustered as Leorio became and unable to respond, Biscuit didn't stop the torture. "You sound like a very sweet man, Leorio. I don't know how old you are, but you seem responsible and you must care a lot about those two boys just by the way you say things. I can tell you cherish them a lot and well, that makes me really happy." Her voice cracked a little and Leorio stuttered in earnest, wanting to speak but could not. "I'm really happy those two have someone like you who still cares and supports them so much. Especially at such a time like this."
"I- Uh- Well, uhm, thanks, I guess? I think. I mean, I care a lot about those two brats. They're like family to me and well, you know."
"I know."
"Heh." Leorio rubbed the side of his head in an embarrassed gesture and chuckled. "Anyway, are you with Gon right now? How is he doing?"
"Actually, he-"
BANG. SMASH. CRASH.
Leorio bolted upright at the abrupt clatter and clang of something on the other end sounding, loud and thunderous that his ear drums were ringing. There was a lot of shouting roaring to life and Biscuit's breath squeaked over the line until a hard bang of a door being slammed open and heavy foot steps made Leorio wince and pull the phone away when the receiver fizzled out from the ferocity. There was a lot of static, more incoherent shouting and frantic yells from mostly women (he assumed might have been nurses), before Biscuit let out a big, panicked gasp that Leorio recognized as fear and he pressed the speaker to his mouth and called out frantically for an answer.
"Hey! Bisky, what's going on? Hello? Can you hear me? Bisky!"
"No- Oh, no- I can't believe it-"
"Bisky?"
"He can't be- He seriously just- Gon-!"
"Bisky!"
"Where did he go? Who let him out? Hey-"
"Bis-"
"Call somebody! Get somebody down here now. Don't let him-"
"Are you insane? You're an idiot-"
"I told you I was-"
"Well if you were, then why are you-"
"You-"
"Bitch-"
"Hey- why are you-"
"Gon, wait-!"
"BISCUIT!" Leorio all-but screamed into his phone, regretting his actions but the fear was gripping him, too, like a vice and he was afraid any moment he'd be thrown into a heart attack of some sort if he didn't get somebody to answer. "What the hell is going on?!"
Biscuit shuddered, her startled inhale making him feel sorry, but she gulped forcibly and said, "Leorio. He's- Gon is-"
"What happened to Gon?" He tried, really tried to seem calm, but he was wavering almost as much as Biscuit let off to be and that terrified him. "Biscuit, tell me what happened to him-"
"Gon- He-"
"Biscuit!"
"He's gone!"
"..."
"Gon. He-"
"Where did he go?"
"I don't know. Gon just- He just-" Biscuit sighed, finally evening out the tempo in her voice and quiet filled the empty spaces in the background of her words. Leorio felt the hollow, vacant void fit between the spaces of her slow, even breaths before she picked back up again, seeming more silent then ever. "Gon ran away. He broke out of the hospital room and fled through the window. He took all the drugs he had stashed with himself and ran. Gon is gone."
As much as Leorio wanted to bust out a laugh at the pun, all he could do was face palm and slide his hand down the front of his face, groaning.
And here, just Killua was the annoying brat. Now this made two.
"Well, damnit that little shit."