A Series of Simply Adorable and Confusing Things

by lunartick

Twoshot. In which Kurapika meets Midoya, survives an explosion, and learns that there are some people who can be downright scary.

2. Simply Adorable

A/N: This is not the sequel to "The Series" with my OC Midoya. This is a separate short story (probably two chapters), because I am still stuck writing the sequel. Apologies! The sequel got out of control, and I had to try to reign it in and put it back on track.

This short story is simply the result of the question "What would happen if Kurapika met Midoya?". The answer is, of course, "A lot of deception and lying on Midoya's part". This story takes place on the same day Kuroro and Midoya invaded the Hunter Association York Shin HQ to hack into the Jyonen-user database. If you don't know what I mean, you have to read A Series of Bizarre and Mildly Humourous Events to understand this story. My intention was to provide a view of Midoya from someone who would judge her actions a lot harsher than Kuroro (the one of dubious morality) would. Also, I wanted to explore more of Midoya's character, Kurapika's character and the Hunter Association in general. Kuroro makes a cameo in the next chapter, for those missing him.

Though I'm not necessarily very happy with how this story turned out, I hope you still enjoy this story and please leave a review at the end of it! Constructive criticism is always welcome.

Hunter X Hunter does not belong to me. I do not own the copyright to any of these materials. This is a fanfiction written solely for the purposes of entertainment. If you wish to host this story on a site outside of , please contact the author for permission first.

---

Simply Adorable

For the longest time, the two of them trekked through corridors and office rooms wrecked by fire. Walking through corridors with scorched, blackened walls, turning through the maze-like corridors of the HQ and breathing in the smoke was disorientating enough even for skilled hunters like themselves. It was hardly any surprise when they encountered several people staggering around blindly, unable to find their way in the building they have worked in for years. With as much time as they could afford, they had pointed the lost souls in the right direction and hoped they managed to find other people who could get them out of trouble. They also encountered other even less fortunate souls, nothing more than darkened husks lying where the fire had washed over them.

Not for the first time, Kurapika rubbed at his eyes which had become dry and irritated within minutes of exposure to the air in the building. Blinking away the tears that now overflowed onto his cheeks, Kurapika glanced at the woman next to him. She strode along looking absolutely cool and unflappable, as if she walked through fire and brimstone every other day. Maybe she did. What did Kurapika know about this woman anyway, other than what he had heard about her and the little she had been inclined to tell him herself? It was surprising, he mused with sudden self-awareness, that he had been so willing to come along with her on this. For all he knew, she might be the one in charge of the attacks on the HQ. Rationally-speaking, it was possible, but his instincts said no. He did not doubt that this woman was capable of extreme, destructive violence, but somehow, this attack seemed too crass for her. There was no style to it, only brute force. And this woman, Kurapika could tell from his brief association with her, did everything with style. It may not be instantly recognised as style, but it was there. One just needed to squint a little and think like a twisted, deranged maniac to see it.

"Kurapika, look," she murmured, snapping him out of his daydreams. She was kneeling by one of the office doors, peering at something on the floor.

Quickly, Kurapika moved to her side. What she was examining appeared to be a starburst of black, perhaps about the size of a melon. "An explosion," he observed.

"Indeed," Midoya agreed. "Curious, isn't it? I have seen several of these already, as we walked through the corridors. Perhaps a good twenty or so."

She had? Kurapika felt his face flush with embarrassment. He hadn't noticed those starbursts at all. The corridors were so trashed it all just looked like… black to him. Midoya must have noticed the look on her face because she smiled kindly and said, "It takes experience to spot these things. What do you make of it though, these explosion marks?"

Kurapika pursed his lips and thought about it. Explosions at several points along the corridors of the building? A shiver ran down his spine. "Someone planted bombs there," he said quietly. "To have so many planted along the corridors… it must have been an inside job."

"Perhaps," Midoya conceded. "It is an interesting location for a bomb though, isn't it?"

Was it? Kurapika peered at the starburst again then looked around. Immediately, it struck him. "The bomb would have been planted right in front of the office door," he said with dawning realisation. "But… that doesn't make sense. People would see it, even if it was only a small bomb. That means…"

"That means that the bombs were planted almost immediately before they were set off," Midoya finished, getting to her feet and brushing her pants down. "Very interesting, isn't it? How does one plant a bomb and set it off immediately without killing oneself?"

"By Nen," Kurapika said immediately. "Perhaps it is not the only way, but it is the explanation that jumps to mind. Occam's razor."

Midoya smiled with approval. "Very smart. You should be a hunter or something," she said. "Now we have learned something about our opponent. Either he can produce a Nen-shield so powerful it can shield him from the explosions, or, more likely given the bombs all went off about the same time…"

"His power is explosives," Kurapika reasoned, frowning. "We are talking about someone who can Materialize explosives or Manipulate actual explosives."

"Possibly," Midoya agreed. "It's not a rare ability by any means. I've met several Nen-users who can manipulate or materialize explosives; undoubtedly they all watched the same movies. These abilities are not necessarily as impressive as what we're looking at here, though they can still be pretty nasty to deal with. Once, this guy actually managed to plant an explosive on me. Apparently, the only way I could get rid of it was to catch hold of him and say some phrase. It took me all of five seconds to catch him. I was so impressed he lasted that long that I just let the guy go."

And she wasn't boasting. Kurapika kept his mouth shut as he stared at her back, torn between being impressed and being wary. She wasn't boasting about her abilities; she was merely stating a fact that she knew to be true. That made her scarier than any of the scum Kurapika had met who shot their mouths off like it was nobody's business. It suddenly occurred to him that many of the more exaggerated rumours he had heard about her powers might actually be true.

He decided to test that theory. "Did you once kill a cave troll with a single blow to the back of its skull?" Kurapika asked casually. When people think of cave trolls, they think of the massive ten feet monsters found in fairy tales and folklore. Kurapika, who had once followed his father on a troll hunt knew that was not the case. Cave trolls were not ten feet tall monsters that were as strong as twenty men and as swift as the wind. No, cave trolls were twenty feet tall monsters, as strong as thirty men, capable of breaking the sound barrier when they wanted to and had armour-plated skin so tough spears could not penetrate them. They were also only the baby form of a much more terrifying monster: the titan. No one had ever seen a titan and survived to talk about it ever. Legend has it that they were massive monsters so big they could not walk the surface of the earth without shattering the continents. Many religions adopted the titans as earth gods of sort and offered annual sacrifices to them in caves through which they supposedly foraged for food by extending a massive arm two miles long out and grabbing the nearest living thing.

"Hmmm?" Midoya murmured, peering at the walls idly. "No, I don't think I've ever done that."

"Is that so?" Kurapika asked neutrally. "I heard rumours that on a trip to the continent of Hun, you once encountered a cave troll that killed and ate your team. You subsequently killed it with a blow to the skull."

"Continent of Hun?" Midoya shook her head. "No, I've never encountered cave trolls there. I have a feeling they don't like how the climate there is either too wet or too dry. I certainly didn't like it." She bit her lower lip suddenly in thought. "Come to think of it, I did encounter a monster that killed my team and I did crush it with a single blow. But, despite the similarities, I don't believe it was a cave troll."

"Oh? What was it?"

"Well," Midoya said thoughtfully, "It looked kind of like a gigantic arm that extended out of a cave. Those are called titans I believe."

Correction: only one person in the world had ever encountered a titan and lived to talk about it. Kurapika stopped gaping, only because the smoke in the air was grating at his throat and making him cough. "A… titan?" he gasped. "Why didn't you tell anyone about it? No one has ever seen a titan before! This is… this is important information!"

"Oh, I did tell someone about it," Midoya said cheerily. "I told Netero of course. We went to take a look together. It was rather fun, this mentor-student bonding session. Oh, I was still his student then, if you didn't know."

"But…!" Kurapika spluttered. "If that's the case, why was nothing written about it?"

"Oh, there was something written about it, just not much because it was kind of boring." Kurapika stared. Midoya shrugged. "It was just this gigantic thing lying underground doing nothing much. Both Netero and I took turns poking at it, but it couldn't even turn around to get at us. It was really kind of boring after a while. So we renamed it 'Gigantic Underground Primate' and gave it a brief entry in the Hunter Association New Beast Encyclopaedia."

Gigantic Underground Primate. Kurapika had read that entry. It had read, "Strange ape-like creature that likes to just lie underground and do nothing. Weird huh?" Out loud, he said, "How interesting."

"On the contrary, I found it incredibly uninteresting." She winked at him and held out her arms in front of her. "Come here, Kurapika."

Kurapika eyed her suspiciously. "Why?"

"Because," she said cheerfully, "there is an explosion coming your way and you need my protection."

Kurapika barely made it into her arms when the explosion roared over them.

---

When the fire and thunder died down, Kurapika was aware of only two things. First, that he was still alive and (he did a quick check) mostly intact. Second, that he had his arms wrapped around Midoya and his face pressed into the crook of her neck. In the wake of the explosion, with the stench of melted plastic in the air, she smelled incredibly nice, like soap mixed with sweat. And she felt… holy blazing sun that shines benignly on the Kuruta clan and makes the crops grow healthy and strong. Kurapika's eyes widened. Underneath a decent layer of soft, deceptive fat was muscle, hard, solid, unyielding muscles of steel. She was like Genei Ryodan Member Eleven hidden under a layer of fat and make-up and breasts. Good lord, he was hugging a female Genei Ryodan Member Eleven. Good lord, he was hugging a woman!

"Are you scared?" a quiet voice whispered in his ears.

Kurapika blinked, partly out of surprise and partly to get rid of the grit in his eyes. "No," he mumbled confusedly. "Why?"

"You're still holding on to me."

Making an extremely unmanly noise that did not do wonders for his young teen ego, Kurapika leapt out of her arms. "My apologies," he stammered, straightening his outfit and trying to regain composure, "I was merely… shocked in the aftermath of the explosion and…"

"Of course, I understand," Midoya said, looking amused. "But we should get ready."

"Get ready?"

"Our enemy is right there."

Kurapika's head snapped around to look at the direction she was pointing at. At the same time, he leapt backwards, the Dowsing Chain whipping around him, poised both to defend against an oncoming attack and to attack the enemy.

It was just as well he did. A slim, petite woman stood at the far end of the corridor. Short, messy red hair framed a cute pixie-like face, complete with a heart-shaped face, delicate features and large green eyes. The glossy lips spread in a smile. "Nice reflexes, boy. Are you hunters?" she asked in a lovely lilting voice.

"Yes," Midoya confirmed.

"Oh good," the woman said. Then the pale skin at the sides of the mouth split and the delicate jaw unhinged, revealing a large, cavernous mouth lined entirely with huge, shark-like teeth. With a feral scream, she bounded forward, bouncing off the walls and ceiling as she lunged for Midoya.

"Watch out!" Kurapika shouted, swinging the Dowsing Chain forward. In mid-bounce, the woman lashed out at his chain, kicking it away before it landed a blow. Flipping neatly, she landed back at her original position, mouth parted slightly as she panted. In the dying flames, her teeth gleamed red.

"Oh no, little hunters," she said, her voice as lovely as a bird's song. "Do not fight back. This wouldn't have to hurt as much as it will if you do." Her laughter echoed down the corridor as she threw herself forward again, wide green eyes fixed on Midoya.

Immediately, Kurapika swung his chain again, aiming low this time in an attempt to snare her legs. The fanged grin widened and the next thing Kurapika knew, she was barrelling towards him, claws flashing forward to rent flesh. Cursing, Kurapika drew back the chain as hard as he could, trying to wrap it around her torso this time. Girlish laughter bubbled out of the deformed mouth as she skipped over the chain like a child jumping rope and her claws tore the front of Kurapika's top. If he hadn't fallen onto his bottom when he did, she would have eviscerated him.

Then abruptly she vanished, darting away with impossible speed. Kurapika scrambled to his feet, looking around wildly. The green eyes were no longer fixed on him though; they were fixed on the woman standing a little away from him. Kurapika risked a glance in Midoya's direction to see what she was doing. She wasn't doing anything. Her Nen was still a smooth thin barrier just an inch away from her skin. She was still leaning on one foot, watching the battle. If anything, she simply seemed to have… paid more attention to the battle. Kurapika could not think of a better way to put it. However, the simple fact that Midoya seemed to be taking note was enough to put the weird woman on guard.

"You're not an ordinary hunter," the woman said, sniffing the air like a wild beast. "You smell different."

"That would be my apprentice's cologne. I used some this morning. It's supposed to have stuff in it that smells manly and sexy… in a manly way."

"It's not that," the woman said, eyeing Midoya warily as if unsure of whether she was joking or not. "You smell of blood. You smell of death."

"Never knew they put blood and corpses in colognes these days. The definition of 'sexy' has changed some since my time…"

Something pale and wet-looking shimmered, and Midoya vanished abruptly. The wall behind her creaked and groaned as sharp claws ripped through the plaster.

Snarling, the woman flipped in mid-air, landed, and lunged at Midoya again, fangs and claws gleaming red. With a careless gesture, Midoya disappeared again and reappeared further down the corridor. "Violence is not always the answer," she quipped before darting away from another powerful slash. That gave Kurapika the opening to attack the enemy.

With an efficient movement, he snapped the Dowsing Chain towards the strange half-beast half-woman, snagging the chain around her ankle successfully. The woman tumbled to the ground with a frustrated howl. Before Kurapika could secure her properly, she twisted around like an eel, ripped the combat boot on her foot off and leapt away nimbly from Kurapika's chain. "Annoying brat!" she hissed, her voice somehow still melodious and lilting despite the rage burning in her Nen. Then she gave an incongruous squeak of shock when Midoya casually tossed a slim throwing knife in her direction. The blade missed her as she scuttled about on all fours like a spider.

"Nice reflexes," Midoya said, and Kurapika couldn't tell if she was mocking the woman or being sincere. Another throwing knife appeared in her hand and she flicked it towards the enemy. The enemy leapt back again and growled.

"You are dangerous. Those are just normal knives, not even reinforced by Nen, but I feel threatened by them when they are in your hands," the woman said softly. "You must be killed." The woman's lips parted in a snarl and she jumped at Midoya. Two things happened at the same time. A dagger magically appeared in Midoya's hand and she raised it, pointing it at a non-vital part of the woman's body. At the same moment, Kurapika shouted a warning and lashed out with the Dowsing Chain. The ball of the chain rocked into the woman's side, thrusting her sideways and forwards – and slamming her throat into Midoya's dagger.

Midoya's mouth parted in a little 'o' of surprise as she staggered backwards to take the sudden dead weight against her. Kurapika dropped the chain and stared at the unmoving woman. "Is she…?" he asked hesitantly.

"Quite dead," Midoya confirmed, pulling the dagger out. "I severed her windpipe entirely. Her lungs collapsed. Death was instantaneous." She looked at her bloody hands and sighed. "Well, that's one of them. She might be the woman our dear guard told us about." Wiping her dagger and hands on the black skirt she was wearing, she added, "I would have liked to question her, but there's no point crying over spilled milk…"

"I did not mean to kill her," Kurapika said quietly. "I do not hesitate to kill when needed but that… that was… unnecessary."

"Who knows?" Midoya said casually. "If you haven't done what you did, I might be the one who is dead now."

Despite the nonchalance in her voice, Kurapika could hear her pity from a mile away. It made his jaw set with stubborn pride. "I made a mistake and I take responsibility for my own mistakes," he said sharply.

"Touchy, touchy," Midoya teased with no real hostility in her voice.

"I don't need your charity."

"I never give charity." She tapped the side of her face thoughtfully. "Unless it's for puppies and kitties. I like puppies and kitties. If my house didn't get attacked so often, I would have bought a puppy or a kitty a long time ago. Or a hippopotamus. Hippos are so adorable."

"What does that mean? That I'm a little puppy that needs to be coddled?" Kurapika snapped, trying not to bristle at her dismissive tone. It was better than being thought of as a hippo, he supposed.

"It means that shit happens, boy," Midoya replied firmly but not unkindly. "Deal with it." Without waiting for a reply, she turned and continued down the corridor. After a tensed second, Kurapika followed her.

"Thank you," he said hesitantly, and not a little gruffly. "I… I may have needed that." He gritted his teeth and added, "My inexperience makes me… makes me… well. That."

"No problem. I have an apprentice, a little older than you, but probably just as experienced, and I was a rookie myself not too long ago." She rubbed her chin in a strikingly masculine manner that was strangely reminiscent of a certain mass murderer. "Okay, it was pretty long ago, but I have an excellent memory of how silly I was as a new Hunter. For the first two years or so of my career, I kept killing my bounties simply because it was easier. I only found out later that live bounties are worth more in many cases."

"Is that why you became a bounty hunter? For the money?"

"No, but more money is always better than less money. Noble goals are all fine and well, but you can't do much with just noble goals. Money, connections and power help, no?" She looked at him from the corner of her eyes with a smile that was more knowing than he liked.

Well, he was the one working for the mafia, though he hated them, because their money gave him the ability to take revenge and locate the eyes of his tribe people. It wasn't like he was in the position to throw stones. "True," he admitted then forced himself not to say anything more.

Still, he was starting to understand why Wing reacted so negatively to this woman. No one who was that callous and cold about death, so suspiciously knowledgeable about other hunters, and so powerful was as white as the driven snow.

Something buzzed in the background. Then a low, masculine voice, sensual and compelling despite the static murmured, "You killed Kitty. I'm impressed."

Both of them stopped in their tracks and look around. "Cameras and speakers," Kurapika whispered, nodding at the offices which had remained largely untouched by the fires. "He's hijacked the security systems in the building." Midoya's eyes flicked briefly in the direction he nodded at and she gave a barely perceptible nod.

"Indeed, boy. I've been watching the two of you for a while. If I may make a guess, the two of you are potentially the most powerful hunters in the building at the moment, other than the other one who is in the Chairman's office," the smoky voice said with a low chuckle. "It seems rude to refer to you as 'boy' and 'girl' though. May I have your names please?"

"It's only polite to introduce yourself first," Midoya said primly.

Genuine amusement seeped into the chuckle. "Ah, where are my manners? I am known commonly as Raven. You are?"

"Midoya, and this here is Kurapika." Midoya rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "So, why are you contacting us, Raven?"

"To make an offer. I see that you are hunting me, which is not good for my plans. Work for me instead. I will pay your standard rates."

"I hardly believe you can afford me," Kurapika barked, bristling. "Do not think that because we are hunters we are driven by money. I will not give in to you no matter how much money you offer."

"Ah, a rookie," the voice said, condescension and laughter bubbling in it. "How about you, Midoya? Will you consider my offer?"

"I would like to," Midoya said, smiling, "but I'm afraid you wouldn't be able to afford me either."

"Try me."

"My standard fee is thirty billion zennis a week plus one male sex slave who will satisfy me for the duration of the job," Midoya said smoothly.

"Thirty billion zennis?"

"Sex slave?" Kurapika exclaimed, sounding horrified.

"That is an exorbitant price."

"That is… wrong!"

"A girl's got needs, darling," Midoya purred, looking maliciously gleeful. "Killing people makes me terribly aroused." Her hand brushed his and she tapped a quick beat against the back of his hand. Kurapika's mouth closed slowly around the heated comment he had been about to make.

"I never said I needed you to kill anybody, Midoya," the voice said slowly. "That is not my purpose here. I have no interest in killing indiscriminately."

"Oh really? I apologize; I should have known you are the type who kills discriminately, given how I have a handful of dead employees in this place, all of whom are here only because they responsibly dragged themselves to work this morning." There was a deep sigh and Kurapika got the sense the speaker was about to say something, but Midoya talked over it. "So tell me, Raven," she said coolly, "what exactly are you here for?"

"Revolution." The voice was no longer appealing or sensual. It had turned into an ugly hiss, hateful and angry. "Too long have the Hunter Association lived above the rest of the world, thinking they are better than the rest. Too long have they stuck their greedy fingers in every industry, sucking privileges out from them and making things difficult for others. It is time to prove they are not perfect, that they can be brought down, that their arrogance has made them weak! It is time to remove their corrupt influence and create a new order! A new order of justice!"

"Noble reasons," Midoya said. Her voice was neutral, but Kurapika thought he saw something scornful in her expression. It was hard to tell with the way she was smiling. "So what exactly are your plans then?"

The ugly hiss disappeared and the voice laughed. "I can hardly tell you that now, can I? You haven't even pledged your services to me."

"And I can't agree to work for you unless I know what you're up to."

"That is either a genuine offer or a very poor attempt at subterfuge."

"Consider me an honest and upright person."

More laughter echoed from the speaker. "This has been an interesting conversation, but alas, it is going nowhere. My offer ends soon, Midoya. What is your reply?"

"Well, darling, first, tell me, do you know why the Hunter Association is so arrogant, so uncaring of the weak and downtrodden?"

"Because they are corrupt."

"Incorrect. That's only looking at the middle of the equation." Midoya's cheery smile vanished to be replaced by a cold, cruel skull's grin. "It's because we are that powerful. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely, and we, darling Raven, have absolute power. So tell me, darling, how do you want to stop someone with absolute power when 'absolute' power means the non-existence of any weakness or vulnerability?"

Silence. "Your arrogance will be your downfall," the voice hissed. "I look forward to killing you."

"Ah, you wound my fragile heart. Oh wait, I don't have one." Midoya wriggled her fingers at the nearest camera. "Toodles sweetie pie. I'll see you in hell, because, believe me, it doesn't matter if you kill good guys or bad guys. In the end, you're still a murderer and there's a special place in hell for people like us."

There was a loud clonk from the speaker then it fell into a moody silence.

Midoya snorted in a way that was strangely elegant. "Amateurs," she said, not quite sneering but almost there.

"Amateur?" Kurapika demanded. "They blew up parts of the HQ, killed numerous people and are almost in control of the building. How is that considered amateurish?"

"How is that not considered amateurish?" Midoya replied dryly. "The York Shin HQ is by no means the most prominent or well-defended Hunter Association HQ in the world. That any of the Zodiacs are here at all is in itself a great coincidence brought on by the tiny fiasco dear Kuroro Lucifer caused. Now, in this placed fill with mostly administrative staff and non-combat employees of the Hunter Association, what has this Raven (a horribly clichéd name too I might add) accomplished? A twenty-odd person casualty statistic, the destruction of parts of a building, and nothing else. He still has not taken command of the building, since Cheadle is still in the Chairman's office, he has failed to take out the dangerous people like us and the guards, and he is thus still being hunted by us. Amateur, I say, and again, amateur! If it was up to me, I would have taken over the entire building by now, with zero casualties, without anyone realising the building has been compromised."

And that, Kurapika mused as they continued down the corridor, was the difference between a powerful person and an absolutely powerful person.

---

"… and this is why I hate you," Cheadle concluded calmly then gently put the phone down. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath then opened them and regarded the bedraggled group before her. The group consisted mostly of the guards who had survived the attack. Mostly, they were well-trained but low level soldiers who wished to gain prominence in the Hunter Association by working their way up from the bottom rungs to the top. Most of them were good people and good soldiers, if not as startling powerful as some of the more well-known figures in the Hunter Association. At the moment, wearing blood-stained, torn uniforms, and looks of fear on their faces, they did not look that impressive, but Cheadle was aware that they had been actively gathering survivors under Midoya's orders and bringing them to safety. That took guts and a commitment to their duties, which she could respect. It was more than some truly powerful Hunters had.

"Ma'am, what did the main base say?" one of the guards asked anxiously.

"I just got off the phone with Vice-Chairman Pariston," Cheadle said crisply. "He has deemed the attack on our HQ a small issue that does not require reinforcements. He has tasked us with the duty of hunting down the intruders and ending them ourselves."

A murmur of unrest spread through the guards and one of them said, "But… they blew up the cafeteria! And some of the office buildings! Some of our colleagues are dead!"

"Indeed," Cheadle agreed evenly. It was tempting to put Pariston down in front of the guards, but if there was one thing Cheadle knew, it was that no hunter wanted to see the cracks and conflicts in the top management. "This attack has struck a blow against the Hunter Association, and we will respond with extreme prejudice to this. However, if Pariston believes that we can handle this little event ourselves then it is likely that we can."

"But…" The murmurs rose as discontent spread through the guards. Cheadle could hardly blame them; they had to bring severely injured colleagues to the first aid room, had to carry the corpses of friends to another room for future arrangements; none of them were happy to deal with the intruders themselves. "But Ma'am…"

Cheadle raised a hand until the murmurs died down. "Do not worry," she said, "I am not the only high-level Hunter in this building. Two Star Blacklist Hunter Midoya Kito is here too, and is at the moment actively hunting the mastermind behind this attack."

The silence grew almost oppressive. "Erm…" a guard said, raising his hand hesitantly, "not that I do not think highly of Hunter Kito or anything like that… she's uh… she's a really uh… uh… exotic person and all that… but erm… is it… is it safe leaving this matter in her hands?"

She had asked herself that question many times in the past hour. "Why do you say so?" Cheadle asked.

"Erm… because… well… she's a really skilled hunter and really powerful and all that… but… erm… isn't it just as likely that she will bring the building down on us? Not that… not that I'm saying she's a bad fighter or…"

"This will not get back to her, so don't bother twisting your words like that," Cheadle said with a sigh. "Midoya… that is Kito… well yes, she does have a track record of causing quite a bit of collateral damage during her missions. However, she has also shown before that is perfectly capable of handling things… quietly. I trust her to deal with this matter as she sees fit."

"But what if the way she sees fit is to blow up the whole building?" another guard asked anxiously.

"Isn't it safer to order her to leave the building instead?" the first guard added quickly.

Indeed, that was the question, but no. Cheadle had great faith in her own ability, but in situations such as this, it was always good to have powerful backup at hand, and few hunters in the world could match Midoya in terms of sheer power. "I trust that she will do her best to see to the safety of the remaining survivors," Cheadle said firmly.

At that moment, one of the video screens in the office screeched and Midoya's face appeared on it. "Cheadle-san," she said, beaming.

"Good lord, she's psychic," the first guard who had spoken stammered in a voice distorted by terror and turned green.

"Indeed, and I trust you were just saying wonderful and admirable things about me," Midoya said wryly. "Because if you weren't, I'll have to do strange and disturbing things to your spleen."

The guard drew in a quavering breath, gasped a terrified prayer then fainted. The rest of the guards edged warily away from the prone body and avoided looking at the face on the screen.

"It's so hard to find good help these days," Midoya sighed to someone off screen. "People are just so sensitive . Why, back in my day, threatening to kill each other was the only way for all us emotionally dysfunctional Hunters to express love for each other, you know? My first love proposed to me by carving a heart and his initials into my stomach with his dagger while I was tied down, still conscious and screaming with agony. It was like the most romantic proposal ever in the history of the Hunter Association and it even made it into the newsletter. It's too bad we didn't work out and I had to kill him, but what can I say? Things work out like that. I should have known he wasn't the most faithful man from the beginning when he didn't even bother to carve his proposal deep enough to scar permanently."

Cheadle cleared her throat. "Midoya, are you here for any reason other than terrifying the guards in our employment?" she asked coolly. God, that woman could be as bad as Pariston sometimes. If she didn't detest Pariston as much as Cheadle did, Cheadle wouldn't even be on speaking terms with her.

"Of course I am, dear Cheadle-san. Things have happened, and I am sure you want to hear a report of it."

"Report," Cheadle agreed. She did not bother making it sound like a command, even though she was technically of a higher rank than Midoya. One orders Two Star Blacklist Hunter Midoya Kito who was also, as the rumours go, June Kito, infamous heir to the Kito estate and owner of well over half the red-light district in York Shin, at one's own risk. Cheadle, though a prideful person, did not consider the risk sufficiently rewarding enough to take.

"My partner, young Kurapika, and I have encountered one of the intruders. She is a Nen-user by the name of Kitty. She is reasonably dead after I slit her throat. Just in case, I decapitated her corpse. You can never be too careful these days."

"Excellent. And?"

"And, we made contact with a person who appears to be the mastermind behind this attack. He must be someone who watches too many bad vampire movies, as can be seen by how he goes by the horribly clichéd name of Raven. He contacted us over the building's speaker system and attempted to bribe us into working for him. He failed of course, because Kurapika is a deliciously moral person and I am too bloody rich to be bribed by an unknown male of dubious hotness with delusions of grandeur."

"How fortunate for us all. Did you find out his reason for attacking us?"

"Revolution, or so he claims. He wishes to wipe the corrupt Hunter Association off the face of the earth and replace it with a much more upright and just one. One can only imagine how disturbed his mind must be if he believes the Hunter Association is corrupt. We are, of course, nothing but just, moral, intelligent, powerful, caring, loving…"

"Your sentiments about the organization are very touching," Cheadle said dryly. "But this Raven person… if he was contacting you via the speakers, he must be in the Public Announcement room. Head there and apprehend him, with extreme prejudice if need be."

"A step ahead of you, Cheadle-san," Midoya said cheerily. "We are already in the PA room, and it is empty."

"You were one step too slow," Cheadle said, trying not to let frustration seep into her voice. "Continue to hunt this Raven down."

"Ah, that's the thing. See, the PA room is a floor below the fiftieth floor, right below the room next to the Chairman's office."

"And?"

"And, there's a hole in the ceiling of the room."

Cheadle froze and her throat clenched up. "He's on this floor already?"

"No, Cheadle-san. I can see the corridors of the fiftieth floor on the cameras here and they are empty. I believe he is IN the Chairman's office already."

And that was when the guard lying prone on the floor raised his machine gun and opened fire on the rest of the room.

---

People died. As Cheadle leapt behind the sturdy desk that belonged to Netero and drew her Nen around her like glowing armour, guards fell, screaming horribly as Nen reinforced bullets ripped through their defenceless bodies. The guards furthest from the shooter managed to raise shields, but they were not strong enough to withstand the bullets. Soon, they fell too, gurgling on their own blood as they died.

The bullets stopped and the figure climbed to his feet, gun trained on where Cheadle was hiding. "Come out," a cold, smooth voice demanded.

"Or what?" Cheadle shot back.

"I set up explosives in the conference room where the survivors are. Come out or I will detonate them. Lose the Nen shield too."

Sighing, Cheadle stood up with her hands raised, and eyed the shooter. He was of average height and average build, with pale, flawless skin and black hair. Piercing blue eyes, framed by dark, smoky lashes, glared at her from behind orange-tinted shades. "You must be Raven," she commented.

"Yes, I am," the shooter said with a sharp nod. "Get out from behind the table."

Slowly, Cheadle inched out, careful to keep her hands in sight. "So, what do you want?" she asked calmly.

"I want you dead," the shooter known as Raven replied dryly, "but that wouldn't solve issues. You are a member of the Zodiac, are you not? Contact the Zodiac and that Chairman Netero."

"What for?"

A grim smile spread over the shooter's face, turning a rather striking face into something ugly and cruel. "I have with me Cheadle of the Zodiac as hostage, along with a good fifty other employees of the Hunter Association in this building. I wish to negotiate with the Chairman and the Zodiacs."

"About what?" Cheadle demanded, trying to keep the sting of humiliation out of her voice. She was a Three Star Hunter for god's sake! How did she end up in this situation? But… reflections were for later. Right now, she had to deal with the crazy guy holding the detonator to explosives hidden in a roomful of people Cheadle felt responsible for. "What are you negotiating for?"

"The disbandment of the Zodiacs and the resignation of Chairman Netero," the shooter said coldly.

A bark of disbelieving laughter escaped Cheadle's lips. "Are you insane?" she snapped. "There is no way the Zodiacs will disband and Chairman Netero will resign because you took me and a few low level employees hostage. We are not as important as the existence of the entire top management of the Hunter Association."

"Precisely," the shooter said, the ugly grin on his face widening. "That is precisely how they will react, no?"

A frown creased Cheadle's forehead, but not for long. She wasn't considered the most intelligent of the Zodiac for nothing. "The negotiation will be on public channels," she deduced. "The public will witness Chairman Netero and the Zodiac leaving their own people to a gory fate in order to, as it would appear to the common man, protect their own privileged positions."

"Yes," the shooter purred. "That is right, Cheadle-san."

"The Hunter Association is powerful, but with enough public pressure, it might be enough to turn politicians against us."

"Yes."

Cheadle eyed the shooter. "For a man with such a clichéd name, you are pretty intelligent," she said.

"Indeed, he is." An amused, charming voice said from behind her. Cheadle hid the flinch that came at the sound of that voice.

The shooter's eyes darted to the video screen behind her. "Who are you?" he demanded.

The handsome young man on the screen with the perfectly coiffed hair beamed back. "Pariston of the Zodiac and Vice-Chairman of the Hunter Association. We guessed that you would want to communicate with us, so here I am. I have been nominated to speak with you on behalf of Chairman Netero and the Zodiac."

The shooter blinked in surprise then he glared at Cheadle. "Make this negotiation public, now," he snapped.

Cheadle hesitated but he waved the detonator at her meaningfully, so she did as he said, pressing the button that would make the conversation public to anyone within York Shin City. She could only hope Pariston had something up his sleeve. Well, he usually did, but she hoped what he had up his sleeve would actually get her and the employees out alive.

The shooter cleared his throat and addressed the camera. "Citizens of York Shin. My name is Raven and I have taken the Hunter Association York Shin HQ hostage. I have taken Cheadle of the Zodiac and fifty other low level employees hostage. I am now going to make demands on the Zodiac and the Chairman of the Hunter Association. If my demands are not met, I will kill the hostages in as violent and as gruesome a way as I can manage. Is that clear, Pariston?"

"Perfectly," Pariston said, sounding eager to be of service. Grudgingly, Cheadle had to admit that the Zodiacs had chosen well. No one was as good at sounding good as Pariston was.

"Good," the shooter said, smiling cruelly. "I hereby demand the immediate resignation of Chairman Netero and the disbandment of the Zodiacs."

"And we accept."

Cheadle's jaw dropped. The shooter's jaw dropped. Pariston beamed. "E… excuse me?" the shooter demanded weakly. "You accept?" Cheadle echoed his sentiments with the glare she sent in Pariston's direction. What was he thinking? If the top management was dissolved, the Hunter Association would fall into chaos! Powerful hunters with the knowledge of Nen could go rampaging around freely without a governing force that would clamp down harshly on any such activities. Society could be overthrown by just a handful of powerful Nen-users. What on earth was he thinking? He was setting society up on the track to destruction! Good lord, things could not get worse than this!

"Oh yes. Of course. We, that is, the Chairman and the Zodiac, feel extremely responsible for the well-being of our employees. The hostages you have taken are purely administrative staff, clerks and secretaries, with little to no combat experience. They did not ask for this to happen to them, are not paid to endure such brutality, and as such, we cannot cling on to power and let them suffer. Furthermore, Cheadle-san is one of us, one of the Zodiacs, and a close personal friend of mine. I would be devastated if anything were to happen to her. Are you alright, Cheadle-san? Have you been hurt?"

"No," Cheadle grounded out through gritted teeth. "I am perfectly fine, Pariston. I thank you for your concern." Close personal friend her ass… the nerve of that bastard…!

"So…" the shooter said, licking his lips, "you are disbanding the Zodiacs, and the Chairman is resigning, for real?"

"Of course."

"And this will be permanent?"

"As soon as the paper work is done. I hope you will grant us some time to set the procedure in motion. Some paperwork must be done to formalise this, as you must know. Fear not; it will take no longer than half an hour for your wishes to be granted." Pariston's eyes suddenly flicked to a different part of the room and his smile widened just enough to put Cheadle on guard. "And since we are all agreed on, I shall be on my way to carry out my promise. Good day, Cheadle-san, Raven-san. I trust we shall resolve this issue speedily." The video screen flickered and turned black as the connection was cut.

"Resolve this issue speedily huh," a chilling feminine voice, as warm as arctic ice, said from behind them. "Just like Pariston, leaving the crap work to me. Guess that gives me less than half an hour to resolve this issue."

The shooter spun around quickly with a nervous sound. Cheadle turned around more slowly with a resigned sigh.

Two Star Blacklist Hunter Midoya regarded the two of them with a benign smile. "Hello Cheadle-san, glad you are looking well. And you must be Raven. Is that a machine gun or are you just happy to see me?"

And of course, things have just gotten worse.

---

It was definitely a machine gun Raven was pointing at Two Star Blacklist Hunter Midoya Kito, and he was definitely not happy to see her. Things were seriously not going to plan. First, Kitty had ended up dead. Then the stupid Pariston had failed to take the bait. Now, he was being faced by two competent hunters, one of whom (he had heard from the whisperings in the conference room) was not a woman to be trifled with if one intended to keep one's balls firmly in one's pants. Things have gone tits up in a great hurry, and though Raven prided himself on his intelligence, he truly had not thought this far.

"Don't you dare move," Raven snarled, trying to point the machine gun at Cheadle and Kito at the same time. "If anyone moves, I blow up the hostages in the conference room."

"Try to calm down," Cheadle suggested calmly. "We can still talk things through."

Talk? What else was there to talk about? This entire plot had been based on getting the Zodiacs and the Chairman to shoot themselves in their feet. Now, it was all for nothing. Kitty had died for nothing. Raven snarled at her in response, trying to figure out what the fuck he could do now.

"Quite a conundrum you're in, my dear," Kito said casually, as if she were making an observation about the weather. "I do wonder what your next step will be. Will you try to get out of this alive? Or will you simply blow us all up? Perhaps you would like to commit suicide and save us all the trouble?"

"Please don't give him ideas," Cheadle interjected, sounding mildly alarmed. "There is no need to blow anyone up…"

"If he blows us up," Kito went on, as if Cheadle hadn't spoken, "he would have proved that he is not a man of his words, that the Zodiacs are more honourable than him, that he is the morally lacking one. That would only strengthen the Hunter Association's position in society for the next couple of years."

Raven stared. He honestly hadn't thought of that, but now that she put it that way…

"It was really a rhetoric question," Kito finished with a shrug, "he only has two options. Try to survive or kill himself." She smiled, pink, glossy lips spreading over her hideous scarred face. "So, are you a brave man or are you a smart man? Show me, Raven."

Show her? Oh, he will show her, that fucking hunter whore. Fuck the Hunter Association and fuck the bloody morons who support them. If he was going down, he was bringing everyone down, fuck what the history books said of him. He knew he was morally superior to the Hunter Association and that was enough! Snarling, Raven raised the detonator and pressed down on it.

Nothing happened.

Shaking with rage and disbelief, he pressed the button again. Still nothing. "Wh…?" he exploded, shocked. "That's…"

Kito smiled. "At this moment, my very competent partner has disarmed all the explosives you planted in the conference room and is probably leading the hostages out of this building as we speak. I have no idea why a young teenager like him has knowledge on how to disarm explosives. I suspect the internet is to blame for expanding the frontiers of his knowledge much further than most parents are comfortable with."

"Oh good. Well done, Midoya and your young assistant," Cheadle said and put her hands down. Folding them, she turned and gave Raven an even look. "I strongly suggest you surrender now," she said firmly. "I promise you will be given a fair trial and your cooperation will count towards something."

Slowly, the tip of the machine gun lowered until it was pointing at the floor. Then stonily, Raven let the gun drop to the ground.

"Thank you," Cheadle said. "Midoya?"

"But of course," Midoya replied, drawing a pair of handcuffs out from the purse hanging at her hip. "Arms please, my good sir."

Wearily, Raven held his arms out, head lowered in defeat. Even though he was not looking at her, he felt it when she put a cold, soft hand on one of his arms. The cold steel of the handcuffs pressed against one of his wrist and then wrapped around it with a sharp click.

And it was at that moment Raven materialized the most powerful explosive he could and shoved it against Midoya's chest.

The explosion, when it came, blew the entire roof of the building away.

---

Even outside the building, the explosion was strong enough to shake the earth and bring several of the survivors to their knees. Grunting with effort, Kurapika threw his arm around the nearest survivor and pushed him to the ground as debris started to fall around them. The man under him screamed with fright as flames shot up into the sky, turning the world red and orange. Thunder shook the air around them, threatening to put out Kurapika's ears. It only lasted a few seconds, but it was enough to shake him to the bone.

"Is everyone okay?" Kurapika shouted, struggling to his feet as the thunder died down and hot air flooded the grounds. "Is anyone injured?"

A cacophony of voices met his question, too muddled to make sense of, so Kurapika ignored it. Instead, he looked around, watching for anyone who wasn't climbing back to their feet. "Injured there!" he shouted, pointing at a middle-aged man who was lying motionless on the ground. "Help the injured!" Around him, people started to dazedly congregate on the fallen. Sobbing and agonized groans filled the air as the confusion, terror and pain set in the aftermath of the explosion.

Pulling the man under him to his feet, Kurapika stumbled towards the nearest prone body. It was a young woman, perhaps not much older than him, the entire front of her pale pink blouse drenched in blood. He felt for her pulse and got a weak, erratic rhythm. All sense of modesty abandoned in the face of so much destruction, Kurapika tore open her blouse, trying to find the source of the bleeding. The deep gash that was gorged into her shoulder was too obvious to miss. Quickly, Kurapika tore more of her blouse, forming strips of bandages which he started to wrap tightly around the wound. The temporary dressing wouldn't do much for her though. He needed to get her and the other injured survivors to a hospital immediately.

"Wh…" the bloodless lips mumbled and her eyes started to flutter open.

"Stay down, stay still," Kurapika said, putting a hand on her uninjured shoulder. "You are hurt, but we're going to get you to a hospital. Just stay still. You're hurt real bad and I need to dress your wound or you could die."

The eyes started to clear. "H… hurts…" she gasped, starting to hyperventilate. "It hurts… oh my god… it hurts…"

"Calm down," Kurapika said sharply. "Pull yourself together. You still have a couple of minutes before you bleed to death. There's still time to get you to a hospital."

"Oh god…! Oh god…! I don't wanna die… help me…! Help me! I don't want to die!"

"Stop! Time is of the essence. I need to fix your wound up now or you will die in less than five minutes…" A hand touched him and the young man he had protected just now knelt tiredly next to him.

"Hey Liz," the young man said wearily. "Hey. It's me. Sam. Hey."

"S… Sam…! I'm… I'm hurt… I'm hurt…"

"I know," Sam said, holding her hand, "We're going to get you to a hospital soon, okay? I know it hurts, but it'll be over soon. Just hang in there. I'll stay with you, okay? Take care of you. So don't you worry, kid. I'll patch you up so you'll hold out till we get you a real doctor, okay?"

Tears ran down the worryingly white face, but she nodded weakly. "Okay," she whispered breathlessly. "Okay."

"Thanks," Kurapika murmured to the young man as he finished the dressing. "Stay with her. I'll go help others."

"Okay," the young man agreed. "I'm real grateful for your help, kid. Just a little piece of advice; try being a little more tactful. Not that I'm complaining. You saved our lives. I'm going home to my kids tonight. That's more than I dared hoped for earlier today. Just… you know, it wouldn't hurt to be a little nicer. It just makes things easier, you know? And your head is bleeding too."

Kurapika blinked and touched his head. His hand came away with blood on it. "Just a bleeder," he said awkwardly. "And uh… thanks for the advice."

"No problem." Sam nodded tiredly and turned back to soothing the young woman on the ground.

Kurapika, in turn, climbed to his feet and looked around wearily. Some of the uninjured survivors had started to move the injured further from the burning building. In the distance, sirens could be heard wailing towards them. He estimated that they would arrive within the next ten minutes. That might be too late for some of the more severely injured. An injury like Liz's could go bad very quickly in that span of time. He had to do what he could now.

Dragging his sore legs, he stumbled towards a gasping man. "Hey," he said, trying to sound soothing and gentle and Sam-like, "are you hurt? Let me help you."

The man met his eyes with pupils that had shrunk to pinholes. "My… leg…" he stammered breathlessly, "I… I don't know what happened. How did this happen?" He pointed at his right leg which was now only a jagged stump bleeding out onto the ground. "How do you think this happen?" he gasped, shaking violently. "It doesn't make sense, does it? My leg is supposed to be here. It's… I lost it somewhere. Do you think I should go find it?"

Kurapika eyed the blue lips and sweat pouring profusely down the man's face, and made a quick diagnosis: shock. Not good. "Stay still, let's stop the bleeding first," he said. He reached down and pulled the man's belt off, using it as a makeshift tourniquet around the stump.

The man put a cold, clammy hand on his arm and stammered, "But my leg is still missing. What if someone else finds it and keeps it? I'll never get my leg back."

"We'll find it, don't worry," Kurapika said briskly. He touched the man's pulse and was not surprised to find it beating rapidly but weakly. "Lie down and don't move. I'll… I'll find your leg for you."

"Okay," the man said after a pause, "I'm kind of… I'm kind of tired… anyway."

"Lie down and rest," Kurapika urged.

"Okay," the man said faintly. "Say, did you know you are bleeding?"

"It's nothing," Kurapika said with a sigh.

"Okay," the man repeated then slumped down on the ground with a heavy plop, his face entirely drained of blood.

Kurapika did not like to leave the man alone like this, but there was no one else nearby to help him. He did the best he could, propping the man's legs up and trying to make him as comfortable as possible. Just as he was checking the man's pulse again, someone screamed in a distance.

Quickly, Kurapika clambered to his feet, allowing the Drowsing Chain to drop onto the ground in preparation for battle. There was a brief explosion, nowhere as big as the previous one had been, but big enough to kick up dirt and dust. From within the dust cloud, Kurapika caught a glimpse of black hair and pale skin and a chill ran down his spine. It couldn't be…

Abandoning the dying man, Kurapika ran towards the dust cloud. It couldn't be… or could it? How many dark haired, pale skin men in the world would dare to attack the Hunter Association like this? He had to know, and if it was him… Kurapika's eyes glowed red… he was going to kill him.

---

The explosion roared around her, threatening to deafen her, but Cheadle stood firmly in the centre of her Nen. Despite the grit and debris being flung against her Nen, she kept her eyes open, trying to watch for signs of action within the centre of the explosion. With the fire, smoke and debris thrown up, it was a fruitless gesture.

But the smoke cleared. The debris stopped falling. The flames continued to burn around her, but they did not obscure her vision anymore. That was why she could see the man known as Raven standing over Midoya's prone body, a triumphant smirk on his face.

"I killed her," he said, grinning widely.

"Perhaps," Cheadle agreed.

"You're next," he hissed, jabbing a finger at Cheadle.

"If you had your way," Cheadle agreed. "But I fear it will not come to that."

Raven's face froze in mid-snarl as he processed her words. Slowly his head turned to look over his shoulder and he saw what Cheadle saw.

Death, with silver eyes glowing red in the flames, gazed at him over a wide, maniac smile. "That tickled," Death said and giggled girlishly.

Raven screamed and ran. Death went after him, howling gleefully.

Cheadle frowned at the ruined Chairman's office and started to plan the reconstruction of the building. There was no need to worry about Raven anymore. She already knew he wouldn't make it far.

---

People ran, rushing past him in a panicked frenzy as he in turn ran towards the fight. Through the debris and the mindless mob surging around him, Kurapika couldn't get a good look at the man. All he could see were dark hair and pale skin that immediately reminded him of Kuroro Lucifer, the man he had sworn to kill. Was it him or not? The man wasn't using any Nen, so Kurapika couldn't tell.

Finally, Kurapika burst through the mob, driven to his knees by the force of his action. Gasping, he lifted his head to get a good look at the man before him. The debris cleared briefly, Kurapika's eyes widened and he stopped breathing from sheer horror.

The man didn't have a face. His eyes, nose and ears have been ripped off his face, leaving a bloody, formless mess behind.

"K… Kuroro Lucifer?" Kurapika managed to ask.

The torn face whipped towards him and a long howl of terror and pain wailed out of the black hole within the rivulets of blood. "I'll kill you!" he screamed, gurgling on his own blood.

It wasn't Kuroro Lucifer. The voice, even if mutated by pain and fright, was too different. Kurapika swallowed hard as he backed off from the thrashing figure. He didn't know who this was, but he had no wish to engage the poor creature.

Then another figure emerged from the dust cloud and Kurapika froze in his tracks like a deer caught in the gaze of a stalking tiger.

A woman emerged from the dust. At first sight, she appeared to be a perfectly normal human save for the blood splashed all over her. But Kurapika saw more than that. He saw the way her eyes were orbs of pure silver metal, gleaming red in the flames. He saw the wide, maniac smile on her face as she advanced towards the screaming figure. He saw the way her right hand held a blood-stained silver blade that grew out of her flesh. She looked like a fallen angel emerged from the flames of hell.

A shock ran through him as he abruptly recognised her. Good lord, it was Midoya.

Kurapika remained rooted to the ground as the monstrous figure, glowing with Nen and gleaming with silver gripped the man's collar and raised the blade, laughing with breathless excitement like a teenage girl after her first kiss. The dark-haired man plunged to his feet, a violent gesture driven by absolute terror. That was enough to break Kurapika's stasis.

"Stop!" he shouted, rushing forward and lashing out a warning shot with the Dowsing Chain. "That is enough! Stop! Midoya!"

The gleaming silver eyes snapped towards him and the smile widened. The figure took one step towards him, soft limbs flowing with a sensuous, predatory grace, and Kurapika whipped the chain in her direction in a desperate attempt to ensnare her before she made her move.

She vanished.

Visions of the fight with the intruder known as Kitty flashed through his mind and his throat clenched up with fear as he spun around, instinctively raising his arms in defence. Powerful hands sneaked past his defence and gripped his throat tightly. For a moment, he couldn't breathe, couldn't think clearly. Then he was put back onto the ground gently.

"Why on earth did you attack me for? Did you get everyone out safe?" a low, sane feminine voice asked.

Breathing hard, Kurapika forced his eyes open and stared at her face through a haze of red. He took a deep, shuddering breath and tried to force the Eyes away. "Yes," he snarled, shaking with adrenaline. "Everyone is safe. You need to stop now."

She nodded, and he realised her eyes were back to normal. "Of course," she said softly. "Of course I have to." She looked around and Kurapika's eyes followed hers. The survivors were standing a good distant away, staring at them with a mixture of horror, revulsion and (Kurapika shuddered) guilty satisfaction. "My apologies," she added, inclining her head at him, "this Raven person almost got me, and that… incensed me enough that I attacked him with more vehemence that I normally would have."

Incensed? The look on her face when she lifted the man to execute him hadn't been rage; it had been glee, sheer, malicious glee. But Kurapika nodded anyway. "Of course," he said. "Well, at any rate, I think you have regained your reputation as a hunter to be reckoned with now."

"Perhaps," she replied with a smile. "Did you know your forehead is bleeding?"

"Just a bleeder," Kurapika repeated with a sigh.

"Don't be stubborn, dear Kurapika. Any blow to the head is cause for concern. Let me take a look at it."

As Midoya took a step towards him, she turned her back on the intruder. Thus, she didn't see it when the bloodied figure rose to its feet and fixed sightless eyes on her. The gaping hole that used to be a mouth let out a gurgling, feral howl of rage.

"Watch out!" Kurapika shouted in alarm as Midoya spun around, instinctively dropping to a defensive crouch.

But the bloodied figure did not attack her. Instead, it turned towards the crowd of survivors staring at him with horror. Screaming with rage, the bloodied figure clenched torn hands into fists and started to burn with Nen.

The smell of gunpowder reached Kurapika and he jerked in realisation. "He's turning himself into a bomb!" he shouted at Midoya over the howl of Nen being drawn towards the figure. "He's going to blow up the survivors! He's going to take them all with him!"

Just as he said that, the bloodied figure started to run towards the crowd, screaming hysterical laughter. Midoya immediately ran after him, moving even faster than he had seen her move previously. But even so, Kurapika knew she wasn't going to make it. Raven was too near the crowd, and she too far. The crowd, sensing the danger, started to run, but it was too late. Kurapika stood frozen to the spot, watching with agonized clarity as the blood-drenched figure reached the crowd and…

"Freeze, evil villain!" a high-pitched voice shrieked.

The figure froze. The crowd froze. Even Midoya froze in her tracks.

A skinny, stooped figure in a guard's uniform leapt from a tree onto the ground. Dull grey eyes fixed themselves on the bloodied figure with an enraged glare. "Cease and desist, evil villain!" the same high-pitched voice cried. "In the name of the benevolent Lady Midoya Kito, Goddess of All Things Beautiful and Furry and Fertile, I shall slay thee!"

Then with a loud screech of disapproval, he flung himself bodily at the intruder.

---

After separating from the beautiful vision of femininity that was the lovely Lady Midoya Kito, East Wing Guard had spent some time patrolling the damaged corridors of the Hunter Association, desperately seeking out survivors, just as the Lady had instructed. To his dismay, most of the corridors he scoured were empty, and those that were not were already occupied by guards moving a steady stream of survivors up to a safe room. East Wing guard could not have been more bitterly frustrated. The Lady had honoured him with such a grand task, yet these stupid survivors refused to cooperate and wait around for him to save them! How was he to accomplish the Lady's task if these stupid people were so damn rude?

East Wing Guard said as much to a man of some Middle-Eastern descent, lovely chocolate skin turned ashy with blood loss and pain, and got a shaky middle finger in return. "Damn rude, I say," East Wing Guard said, shaking his head sadly as the dying man was shuttered away, "damn rude." He continued to repeat that to the survivors streaming past in an attempt to get them to work with him, but he was steadfastly ignored. Eventually, another guard, some burly, brainless type that Lady Kito would never have entrusted any tasks to, came up and told East Wing Guard, in very clear terms, to help or get lost.

"Help or get lost," the guard said brusquely.

Of course they would want his help since he had been anointed with Lady Kito's blessings, but surely there was a better way to ask for it! Just to spite the guard, who was surely the spawn of a gorilla and a tractor, East Wing Guard had given him a very definite no, and trooped off back into the battlefield to continue his noble mission.

Unfortunately, the corridors continued to be stubbornly empty of human life. Still, East Wing Guard carried on, his face set with determination. It would be a poor soldier who would give up just because most of the survivors managed to escape. Surely, with time and patience, and a good deal of intuitive detective work, East Wing Guard would surely find a survivor holed up somewhere!

An indeterminate amount of time later, East Wing Guard happened on a prone human form. Quickly, he scurried forward and crouched before it. He tried to feel for the pulse at the neck, but the form had the disagreeable infliction of a missing head and neck. So East Wing Guard felt for the pulse at the wrist instead. There was none. Sighing at this regrettable turn of events, East Wing Guard dropped the wrist carelessly, frowning at the sharp, bloody claws lining each finger as he did. Honestly! Women and the ridiculous things they did to be fashionable! If only all women would be like the lovely Lady Kito, the world would be a much better place!

Jaw set, East Wing Guard continued to troop down the corridors. Still, no survivors presented themselves to him and East Wing Guard started to feel quite desperate. Just as his mind started to descend into panic, it suddenly occurred to him that if all the other guards were searching the corridors, there was no one searching the outer grounds. East Wing Guard brightened up at that thought. Surely there might be survivors out there, severely injured but still alive!

Panting with excitement, East Wing Guard did a quick turn and headed for the nearest window. (He thus completely missed a roomful of frightened, injured people, who would be killed in the subsequent explosion that almost levelled the entire building.) Quickly, he scrambled through the window and dropped all five feet of it to the ground where he landed and rolled to his feet like the true soldier that he was. Following that, it occurred to him that he was now standing in an open space and thus an easy target for anyone sniping out of any window in the building. Hence, he immediately dropped to a crouch and rolled to the cover of the nearest tree.

Looking around from his newly acquired cover, East Wing Guard immediately spotted another problem. The outer grounds of the building were designed to resemble a pleasant, neat park. This meant that any trees were placed a good distance from each other to give the park a good balance of space and shade. The only way East Wing Guard would be able to remain in cover was to roll from tree to tree – so that was what he did.

After rolling for a minute or two and still not finding any survivors, East Wing Guard was forced to stop and take a break. As he sat on the ground with his back to a tree, he wondered how he was going to explain his failure to the lovely Lady Kito. Surely she would forgive him for his failure! She would understand that it was the survivors that were being uncooperative! After all, she was such a beacon of kindness, gentleness and mercy!

Come to think of it, East Wing Guard mused in that deep and philosophical way he sometimes lapsed into (the curse of a highly intelligent brain, undoubtedly), Lady Kito seemed almost too good to be true. Could there truly be a woman such as she; so full of love, kindness and mercy? Could there truly be a woman so powerful, so noble, and so honourable? Could she truly be of the same species like those sad creatures scuttling about, trying to escape the danger instead of waiting for him to save them? He tried to imagine Lady Kito being rude and failed. There can only be one conclusion drawn then.

Lady Kito wasn't human.

She was a goddess.

It was the only explanation that made sense. She must be some divine entity, come down from the heavens to separate the chaff from the wheat, to choose the special from the common. Surely that must be the case! One need only to gaze into her beautiful (black… blue… green…what colour were they again?) eyes to see her divinity shining from within!

But if she was a goddess (and of course she is), what was she goddess of? Well, East Wing Guard mused, she was a woman, and so surely she must have something to do with Beauty and Fertility. East Wing Guard knew enough about religion to know that female deities are always about beauty and fertility. He supposed it's because women liked babies and makeup and all that stuff, and surely female deities are the same. But, Lady Kito was surely too special a goddess to only be about beauty and fertility! Well, other than being a woman, she was also a powerful Hunter, a rich heiress, and kind of fat. East Wing Guard thought about that but couldn't see how those things could have anything to do with divine-hood. Well, she was a woman above all, he supposed, so she probably liked animals too. Like… kittens and puppies and… and… squirrels. Perhaps she was a goddess of animals too? But wait! Didn't women like teddy bears and other non-animate furry things too? Ah! It seemed he had divined the whole of her true nature.

Lady Kito was obviously the Goddess of Beautiful, Furry and Fertile Things.

Excited by his discovery, East Wing Guard drew his legs to his chest and hugged himself, giggling. That was the only reason he managed to keep his legs when a powerful explosion shook the earth and a giant piece of shrapnel buried itself into the ground right in front of him.

Screaming in panic, East Wing Guard shot to his feet and scrambled away, staring in terror at the shrapnel as if he were afraid it would claw out of the ground and come after him. When it didn't, he sank back to the ground, gasping from the effects of adrenaline.

Then the sounds of screams and moans filled the air. Immediately, East Wing Guard was back on his feet again. He knew those sounds! Those were the sounds of people dying! There were survivors! He could accomplish the mission after all!

Panting like a dog on a scent, he raced towards the sounds of pain and terror, eager to drag someone, anyone, to safety. When he burst out into the clearing though, it was not the injured he saw; it was a featureless man launching himself at the survivors.

Hence, with an outraged cry, East Wing Guard, the Chosen One, High Priest to the Goddess of Beautiful, Furry and Fertile Things, launched himself at the enemy to complete his mission or die trying.

---

Kurapika made an incredulous sound as the tiny, scrawny man with the wispy goatee leapt at the faceless intruder, arms wind-milling as he pummelled at the intruder with weak blows. If the intruder hadn't been so greatly weakened, blinded and deafened by Midoya, the scrawny man who was barely using any Nen would be dead by now. However, the intruder, blind and deaf, disorientated from summoning so much Nen, and too confused by the strange attacks that did not feel like attacks, was too distracted to actually retaliate other than with some feeble blocks. Hence, the scrawny newcomer pressed his advantage, flailing uselessly at the intruder as he screamed, "I will slay you in the name of Goddess Kito!"

The intruder actually stopped moving, his body language expressing confusion as the newcomer struck feeble blow after feeble blow on the unrelenting body.

"Good god, what am I watching?" Kurapika muttered, rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. "Is this real?"

"I fear it is, Kurapika," Midoya replied, sounding as astounded as he was. "This is rather… rather bizarre, I must say, and coming from me, that is saying a lot."

"Do I dare ask why he called you a goddess?"

"I confess to being as thoroughly confused as you, Kurapika. I always thought that if I were to be a supernatural creature, I would be a leprechaun." At Kurapika's questioning glance, she added, "Short, fat and has plenty of gold buried at the end of a rainbow."

"You do?"

"It's an island called Rainbow Island. Seek the gold there at your own risk. Given your level of intelligence and power, I give you two hours before you end up dead."

"I wouldn't," Kurapika replied wryly. "I'm not the Genei Ryodan."

Midoya laughed then turned her attention back to the, for lack of a better word, fight going on.

The intruder was standing stock still, head tilted slightly as he tried to make sense of the situation. The newcomer was still pounding on him, screaming violently. It was the most remarkable stalemate any of them had seen ever.

"Huh."

"If anything, I must applaud him for his vigour. I would not have expected it in a man of his age."

"I guess. His energy is quite… quite impressive."

"Still," Midoya said firmly. "This cannot be allowed to go on. I am going in to apprehend the intruder. Watch my back."

"I will."

Swiftly, Midoya made a beeline for the pair. As she did though, the intruder's head snapped towards her. He sensed her Nen, Kurapika realised. With growing dread, he watched the intruder's body tense with anger. Then the intruder howled with rage and shoved the newcomer away from him. Immediately, Midoya sped up, zooming towards the intruder faster than the eye can see.

Kurapika started to run forward too, sensing the intruder's Nen start to swell.

Before either of them could reach the intruder, the newcomer leapt to his feet, glowing with Nen. "I'm a sucky Nen-user!" the scrawny man screeched. "But if there's one thing I'm good at, it's hiding!" Then Nen swelled up from the newcomer's body and he leapt onto the intruder.

At the same time, the explosion went off.

---

For a moment, all Kurapika wanted to do was keep his eyes shut forever so he wouldn't need to look at the damage that was done. Midoya had been so close to the centre of the explosion. No matter how powerful she was, it was unlikely she would survive a second dose of the intruder's Nen unscathed. He did not want to see her innards lying on the ground. He did not want to see her blood staining the grass.

But in the end, Kurapika was a brave man, and he forced himself to open his eyes.

The first thing he noted was that Midoya was unharmed. She was standing right next to a prone form, her expression one of mild surprise as she looked down on it. Kurapika's eyes followed hers to the figure on the ground and he too blinked in surprise. It was the newcomer. He had, it seemed, at the last moment, formed a thick layer of protective Nen around the intruder which had absorbed the force of the explosion. The human parts held within the protective Nen proved that point.

Even as Kurapika watched, the Nen, never very strong or stable to begin with, dissipated, and what remained of the intruder splattered to the ground. Moaning deeply, the newcomer raised his head to gaze up at Midoya with a gaze full of love and adoration.

"My goddess," he groaned. "Oh… I am dying… take… take my hand… please…"

With a good deal more composure than Kurapika, who was struggling not to smile, would have expected, Midoya calmly knelt beside the man and gripped his hand. "Hi," she said cheerily.

"Ah, Goddess of Beautiful, Furry and Fertile Things," the man moaned, causing someone in the crowd to giggle and Midoya to blink. "You are so beautiful… up close… Oh, for you to be the last thing that I see before I pass is… is gratifying."

"You're not dying," Kurapika said, having knelt next to Midoya to examine the prone figure. "Your wounds are quite superficial, if anything."

"Alas I lie on my death bed," the man groaned, ignoring Kurapika with great dignity. "Please, before I go to your Castle in the Sky Filled with Teddy Bears and Beautiful Virgins, please… tell me one thing."

"Yes?" Midoya asked, her eyes darting around, starting to look slightly uncomfortable.

"Please… tell me… that I have met your expectations… that I have completed my mission as you have… ordered me to."

"Erm… yeah, sure. You totally completed your mission."

A relieved smile spread over the man's face. "Good. Then I can rest in peace," he whispered. "Till we next meet…" His eyes abruptly rolled back into his head and he lapsed into a dead faint.

Midoya immediately dropped the hand and Kurapika looked at her with raised eyebrows. "Who on earth was that?" Kurapika asked. "He sounded like he knew you."

"I have no idea," Midoya replied, still looking quite bemused. "And how on earth did I become a goddess of beautiful, furry and fertile things? Has anyone seen my face? And, yes, despite what that rumour circulating the Net says, I do shave my underarms and legs. And, if you must know, I've never ever been able to keep any potted plants without them wilting out of self-defence in a week or two."

"Perhaps it's one of those mysteries we'll never solve," Kurapika said, struggling to hide a smile.

"Perhaps," Midoya admitted, with a careless laugh. "Though this has ruined my reputation a lot more than letting Kuroro Lucifer escape has. Now, I need to do something scary and terrible again, just to prove I don't live in a castle filled with teddy bears and virgins."

"I have no idea what you mean," Kurapika said innocently. "You have upgraded from Hunter to Goddess after all."

"Oh bite me, rookie," Midoya replied with no real heat in her voice as she climbed to her feet and regarded the police, who had finally arrived, coolly. "The medics and police have arrived, so the survivors are fine for now. Let's go find Cheadle."

"What for?"

Midoya's lips quirked. "So we know what story to tell the police of course."

As she started to walk away, Kurapika said, "I apologize."

"For what?"

"For doubting you."

Midoya glanced over her shoulder at him, an eyebrow raised. "Doubting me?" she asked curiously.

"I thought you were insane, that you were immoral; but I was wrong." Kurapika inclined his head slightly. "You are a respectable Hunter. You have managed to salvage this situation and save many lives."

To his surprise, she burst into laughter.

"What?" he demanded, annoyed with her amusement.

"Oh darling," she said finally, reaching over and pinching both his cheeks. "You are really too cute."

---

In Pepeka's apartment, preparations for their boat trip the next day were finished, and Kuroro found himself sitting rather unwillingly in front of the television with Midoya and Pepeka, eating from a large bowl of spiced nuts. Given a choice, he would have been reading a book in the room by himself. However, Pepeka's apartment proved to be disagreeably lacking in books, so unless Kuroro wished to spend his time in bed staring at the ceiling, he had no choice but to watch the television with his new help. At least they had the sense to watch the news instead of some of the more appalling movies Midoya sometimes did.

"Newsflash!" the screen screamed and a pretty woman appeared above the words. "Good afternoon. This is Milly from the York Shin Daily News," she said. "We come to you today with shocking news from the Hunter Association, York Shin HQ."

"Let's change the channel," Pepeka said, sounding bored.

"No, let's watch this," Midoya said immediately, smiling mysteriously at Kuroro. Kuroro raised an eyebrow at her but she ignored him.

"Earlier today, a terrorist by the name of Raven attempted to take over the HAYS HQ and hold the employees hostage in exchange for the disbandment of the Zodiacs and the resignation of Chairman Netero. Details are scarce at the moment but from what we gathered, the terrorists have been neutralized and his requests nullified. My colleague, Jenny, on the scene, brings us more news. Jenny, what can you tell us about the situation?"

"Holy shit!" Pepeka gasped. "Terrorists attacked the HQ? What the fuck?"

Another pretty face appeared on the screen, framed by a building that looked entirely too familiar to Kuroro. The last time he was there, it hadn't been in ruins though. "Thank you, Milly. This is Jenny, live from the HAYS HQ. As you mentioned, Milly, details are scarce at the moment. However, from what can be seen, it seems that the terrorists have been apprehended and the police and Hunter Association are now cleaning up the HQ. They have also released a statement just a few minutes ago."

The pretty face disappeared to reveal another pretty face, this time male. Midoya snorted and Kuroro glanced at her curiously, but she ignored him. "Greeting, Citizens of York Shin. I am Pariston, Vice-Chairman of the Hunter Association." A smile as lovely as a sunrise and as sincere as a whore's practically leapt from the screen. "As all of you must have heard by now, the Hunter Association HQ in York Shin was attacked by terrorists earlier today. The terrorists have been neutralized and the hostages rescued. We have suffered a number of casualties, though we are unsure of the numbers just yet. Investigations are still on-going as to how the terrorists got into the building in the first place. With his death, his requests for the disbandment of the Zodiac and the resignation of Chairman Netero have been cancelled. Hence, the Zodiac and Chairman Netero still run the Hunter Association. We hope to continue to be of service to you and we send our condolences to the victims of this mindless attack and their family."

"Fuck," Pepeka breathed. "That was huge. Why didn't you say anything when you got back, sensei?"

"Because I have a surprise for you," Midoya sang with too much cheer. Kuroro stared at her even more suspiciously and she grinned widely at him.

The pretty face in front of the burning building reappeared. "Great news, Milly, we have found the three people that the Hunter Association representative here, Cheadle-san, has claimed are the ones primarily responsible for the neutralization of the terrorists." The screen zoomed out suddenly and Midoya appeared on screen, recognisable despite the mask on her face by those who knew her, next to a put-out looking pretty blonde boy and a scrawny, stooped man.

Kuroro's jaw dropped despite himself and he stared wordlessly at Midoya. She grinned widely at his shock.

"Now, Madam, I understand that you are the one who led this efficient strike team in the successful mission of neutralizing the terrorist."

"Yes," Midoya replied shortly.

"Could you give us some details, please?"

The scrawny person on screen gripped the microphone from the reporter immediately. "It was entirely due to Lady Kito that we are alive and victorious! She is a Goddess you know? Of Beauty, Furry things and Fertility."

An awkward silence fell over the trio as Pepeka joined Kuroro in staring at Midoya.

"Apparently I've upgraded from Hunter to Goddess," Midoya quipped.

"You met the chain-user," Kuroro said.

"I did," Midoya agreed, looking entirely too pleased with herself.

"You fought alongside him, leading this… this task force."

"Oh yes."

Kuroro eyed her carefully. "So what did you learn about him?" he asked.

Midoya grinned and replied, "That he is simply adorable."

---

A/N: And that is the end of this short story! I hope you, my dear reader, enjoyed it. It definitely did not turn out the way I wanted it to. The reason was of my own failing. I could not, literally could not, write Kurapika's character without it degenerating into pure emo-ness. So, I changed this story into an action fic. What can I say? I failed miserably at what I first set out to do, which was to make a humourous fic about the moral, upright Kurapika encountering the chaos that is Midoya. Still, I hope it was a good read and not an utter waste of time.