First of all, I am so, so, so sorry for taking this long to post this chapter. I've suffered from a mini author's block that made me postpone beginning writing this chapter. Then, when it was finally over, I had to study for three exams – two of average difficulty and one that demanded you to make a pact with the devil to do well in. And because of them I had to postpone writing this for another week and… and… I'm so sorry! I received emails of your reviews and (despite loving hearing from you all) always beat myself up for taking so long with this. But now it's ready! And I truly hope you'll find it worth the wait. :D

Now, I's like to thank pitou77, AtM0sfears, Chiikaboom, KSHMR, Undersc0re, Nyu, AngelaNoche, Sol, Maya, doudouchinois, OoO, Sailor Pandabear, AlisterSeiyu, BK-201, Guest (1), Guest (2), Mayu and blvckwidow for reviewing to last chapter! I've never received so many reviews for just one chapter ever and I can honestly say that as I wrote all your names down not three seconds ago, I felt my heart start to beat a little faster. It is really amazing to receive the support of all of you. You're the best readers ever! I LOVE YOU ALL! (glomps)

And also a big thank you for all who have ever reviewed, fav/alerted and/or read this story so far! I hope you all enjoy this last chapter of To Retrieve Music. ;D

Kisses,

RedVoid

Music suggestion: Clair de Lune – Claude Debussy

The first thing Feitan noticed as consciousness began to return to him was pain, and he automatically remembered of his first days in Meteor City. Back then, before he had been pushed to discover and develop his Nen and had only his small body to defend himself, it was a common occurrence for the thief to wake up in such a debilitated state. Many times he had been beaten bloody by the city's disgraceful inhabitants and left alone and unconscious in a corner of its many dumping areas.

The current feeling of pain and confusion Feitan was feeling as his eyes began to flutter open was much similar to what he felt when he'd wake up after one of those beatings. However, unlike back then, when he'd wake up on a hard ground, smelling the rotting garbage around him and feeling the harsh sun burn his skin, he felt comfort. He was lying on a bed, large and soft, his nostrils taking in a pleasant smell of the recently washed duvet that was over his hurt body keeping the air conditioner's chill at bay. Feitan's memories were a bit hazy; he didn't know where he was or how he had gotten there, but he felt it was alright. He felt safe.

Senritsu watched the slow process of the man's awakening with a soft smile on her lips. Feitan's heartbeats were perfectly at peace and, despite the fact that it was most likely the morphine acting, she couldn't help but feel happy that, for the first time since they met, the Spider was feeling in his skin what it was like to feel comfort and safety. For a moment she considered just returning the morphine's dosage to its previous value and leave Feitan to rest for a few more hours, however before she could act upon such thoughts, the thief's head dropped to the side, allowing his sleep-blurred vision to set on her. His heart skipped a beat in recognition and Senritsu's smile dropped. Just like that, the Spider had gone from relaxed to edgy.

"Hello, Feitan." Senritsu spoke softly as her eyes settled on his.

Feitan didn't answer and Senritsu didn't speak anything else. For a long time, both remained still, staring at each other eyes as a river of emotions and sensations flooded them.

From the man's heartbeat, the Music Hunter knew he was angry with her – murderously so. But there was something else he was feeling that far surpassed his ire: relief. Feitan was completely and absolutely relieved at seeing her there in front of him, alive and, as far as he knew, unharmed.

From the woman's eyes, the torturer could also see what she felt and it all seemed to supress his anger even more. There was an immense relief in her eyes that rivalled the one he felt, but most of all, there was overbearing guilt. It was clear for anyone that she blamed solely herself for his injuries and he knew that if she could, Senritsu would make a deal with the Devil himself to alleviate him from his pain.

When tears started to fill her eyes, Feitan let go of his anger completely.

"No cry." The man ordered. "It's no your fault. More soon or more late I go there kill that pig and get hurt anyway. You just made it more quick."

Feitan had to wonder how true that was. In the back of his mind, killing Hei Àn had always been one of his "life-goals"; every time he tortured and killed a victim, Hei Àn's face would pop in his mind. However, between the Phantom Troupe's business, his own morbid past-times and the absolute aversion at the idea of returning to Cihan, the Spider had always postponed his visit to the General. For the longest time, Feitan had somehow accepted what had been done to his mother and sisters. His once burning desire for revenge had become nothing more than a dormant idea inside him; his anger had become his default emotion; the once sporadic and explosives bouts of violence against others had become a regular part of his routine. Without realizing, Feitan had allowed Hei Àn to become a part of him.

Until he didn't anymore.

All it took him was to hear Hei Àn's name one more time for the anger, hate and desire for revenge to flood back into him. As if being reminded of the General's existence wasn't enough for him, Hei Àn had returned to picture as again a threat to someone that was his. Just like a dormant tuberculosis acting upon his body after years of a silent incubation, those emotions soon took hold of Feitan and before he knew it, he was flying back to Cihan. He'd keep Senritsu safe and he'd kill Hei Àn.

Without realizing, the torturer scowled. He had indeed killed the General, but it had not been at all like he imagined it would be. And how he had dreamed about the moment. Dreamed of jailing Hei Àn in a dark, small and cold cell for weeks on a row, torturing until he was at the brink of death time and time again; dreamed of taking everything from him until the man was broken inside; dreamed to see the hate and anger he felt mirrored in Hei Àn's usual calm dark orbs.

Instead, the Spider had allowed his temper to get the better of him. As soon as he felt his Nen rush back into him, Feitan let all of his negative emotions and physical pain to explode in the form of his Rising Sun. He hadn't thought about all the pain he wanted to inflict upon Hei Àn, he had only thought about his urge for destruction. All he wanted to do was end all of that which was Hei Àn and watch it burn.

For that moment, Feitan was no longer the cold-blooded Spider and sadistic torturer that went out of his way to keep his victims alive long enough to satisfy his need for pain and violence. He was just the angry man that wanted to get even with the universe.

He hadn't thought, just acted.

Feitan brought no pain and misery to the General. The death he gave him was too swift; even before Hei Àn could understand what was happening, the boiling heat of Feitan's Rising Sun had burned him from the inside out and the outside in. And instead of taking everything from the General, the Spider had given him one last glimpse of the magic that was Nen.

Hei Àn had died in awe and without suffering. And he hated it.

"Feitan, I'm so sorry."

At hearing that, Feitan rose his eyes from the spot on the ceiling he was unconsciously glaring at to Senritsu tear-filled ones and, immediately, his gaze softened. The gentle woman was no doubt listening all of his anger and regret in his heartbeat and believing it to be her fault.

A part of him angrily thought "good!"; she deserved to hurt immensely for disregarding him like she had done. He had told her not to go to Cihan – to Hei Àn – but she didn't think twice before ignoring him. It angered him much more than it should, the fact that she was able to ignore him like that. She should suffer. Feitan realized that his anger at her was not due to her recklessness but because she had rejected him. When he called her, instead of letting go of everything to go to him, she continued on her way and, for some reason he couldn't quite understand, he resented her for that. That part of him wanted her to hurt because of him as much as he did because of her.

But the rest of him didn't like it, when she hurt.

The rest of him, the everything that got him to lose control and make Hei Àn simply disappear from his life, just wanted to let it go. He wanted the woman in front of him to stop crying and smile warmly and gently at him like she did in Greed Island.

As always, Senritsu made him feel torn between emotions he didn't fully understand. As always, she left him not knowing what to do.

And that was why, instead of responding to her apology, Feitan averted his narrowed eyes from the woman's tearful ones and changed the subject completely.

"Sonata of Darkness is destroyed?"

Senritsu's heart clenched at Feitan's blatant dismissal of her apology. She knew that he was confused and didn't know how to react to everything that had happened – not only between them but also between him and Hei Àn – but it didn't make it any less painful the fact that he rather not deal with her at all. It made her feel like she wasn't worth the trouble. In Greed Island, all she feared was allowing a bond to form between her and the Spider; the last thing she wanted was for her to care for the man that murdered Kurapika's family, but now… Now it was too late for that. The bond had been formed, accepted and cherished, and knowing that she had damaged it with her actions left a bad taste in her mouth. She was disappointed and angry with herself.

But, instead of showing that, the Music Hunter just smiled sadly and answered in a soft voice.

"I don't believe so. Your attack might've burned the mansion to the ground, but no doubts Hei Àn kept the solo in some sort of safe and that might've saved the pages from being destroyed. Tomorrow I'll speak to Nocturnal and ask if he could lend me one of his cars so I can return to the place and search it for the Sonata of Darkness."

"…I go with you."

Senritsu's eyes widened at Feitan's statement and all thoughts of unworthiness left her mind at once. His words were firm and his heartbeat was determined; he wanted to go with her. Despite having to go through hell and back due to her foolishness, he was still willing to protect her. They were still… friends?

"Feitan…" Senritsu breathed out warmly, prompting the thief to return his gaze to hers. "I'm… Thank you. Thank you for worrying about me. Thank you for trying to warn me. Thank you for saving me from Hei Àn. And thank you for… for not giving up on me-"

It was Feitan's turn to widen his eyes. He didn't quite understand where all of that emotional talk was coming from all of the sudden. The reason he had changed the subject was not to deal with his confusing and frustrating emotions, but somehow Senritsu always managed to have him thinking about them, trying to decipher what it was that he was feeling. It bothered him so much.

"-I know it might take a while for me to earn your complete forgiveness for being so reckless and putting you in so much danger, but I'm very happy in knowing that you'll allow me the chance to do so. You're important to me Feitan. I don't want to lose you."

Feitan opened and closed his mouth many times, before deciding to keep it shut. How could he respond to that? When was the last time someone had ever told him that they cared for him? That they didn't want to lose him? He knew it had been decades ago, when his mother and sisters were still alive, but he honestly couldn't remember the last time any of them told him anything like that. His memories about them had been tainted by Hei Àn and what he did; all of the belonging and warmth he had once felt were replaced by vengeance and cold fury. He didn't know how to deal with such honest feelings of care anymore. Sure, somewhere deep inside them, the other members of the Phantom Troupe held a degree of respect and worry for the Spider, but what the woman had just said went beyond that: Senritsu prized him; the man he was. It wasn't his power or abilities she cared about; it was Feitan she worried about. It wasn't the Spider, or the thief or the torturer, it was him.

Senritsu listened as the man's heartbeat became a whirlwind of emotions. Confusion, gratitude, frustration, contentment, hesitancy, longing, relief… It all made for a very chaotic orchestra, but she enjoyed it immensely. It was one of the rare moments that the Spider's heartbeat wasn't drenched in angry bloodlust and, while she understood that was part of him, she couldn't help but relish the occasional absence of that.

Absence that, when she really thought about it, was happening ever since he woke up. During their conversation, Feitan's heartbeat had its occasional spikes of anger, but the constant and sadistic need to inflict pain had been mostly gone. Could it be that murdering Hei Àn and his bodyguards had been that fulfilling for him? What was, after all, the relationship between the short man lying in front of her and the cruel General?

Before Senritsu could ask anything about that, a knock on the door reached both hers and Feitan's ears, making them both automatically turn their gazes to the bedroom's door.

"Excuse me." It was one of Nocturnal's butlers, pushing in a cart full of food. "Master Nocturnal asked me to bring you two some food. Also, Miss Senritsu, he asked me to bring you this." From the lower level of the cart, the butler retrieved a rectangular wooden box and opened it, revealing to the Music Hunter her precious flute. "I took the liberty of cleaning and polishing your flute for you, Miss. I hope it is to your standards."

With a thankful smile, Senritsu all but jumped off the chair and ran to take her beloved instrument from the box. It was as good as new.

"Thank you very much." The small woman spoke, wide eyes full of gratitude raising to the butler. "I thought I had lost it forever in the mansion."

The butler smiled and bowed. "I'm not the one you should thank; it was Master Nocturnal whom retrieved it."

Senritsu opened her mouth to answer but the angry spike in Feitan's heartbeat made her close it again. The man deeply disliked when her attention focused on someone else, especially if that someone was her childhood idol. The butler also noticed Feitan's displeasure by the way his eyes narrowed at him and quickly excused himself from the room.

Smiling warmly, Senritsu pushed the cart, which was almost as tall as she was, close to Feitan so he could reach for the food on it.

"Would you like to eat?" The woman asked softly as she sat back on the chair by the man's bedside.

"No." Feitan answered quickly, giving the food on the cart an once-over before settling his eyes on the instrument in Senritsu's hands. "I want hear you. Play."

At that moment, Senritsu knew she- they would be alright. She smiled warmly and truly to Feitan as she raised the instrument to her mouth. As she played, both closed their eyes and allowed their minds to be cleared of everything that involved Hei Àn.

For preciously peaceful hours, there was just them and music. They had their peace.

Nocturnal really shouldn't be as surprised as he was when, on the following morning, Senritsu and Feitan walked up to him and asked – demanded in Feitan's case – for a car to take them to the remains of Hei Àn's mansion. Both had spent the whole night in the same room and, despite not being an eavesdropper by nature, the male Music Hunter's keen hearing allowed him to pick up fragments of their conversation and some very beautiful flute tunes every now and then. He was glad that both had reached some sort of status quo, but he could hear in their heartbeats that such balance was still a bit frail and he worried that going so soon to the hell that caused them all such pain and chaos would only unsettle the couple's understanding.

However, Senritsu's pleading eyes, Feitan's threatening heartbeat and his own interest regarding the whereabouts of the Sonata of Darkness prompted Nocturnal to concede to the request. The tall Music Hunter didn't accompany them in their little quest – he was much too tired, and it was obvious from the thief's heartbeat that he didn't want anyone but Senritsu with him - but he did order Jean, his chauffeur, to take them to the deceased General's mansion and return there when they were finished with their business.

Senritsu's eyes were wide as she got out of the car and took in the destruction around her. Where once stood a beautiful and enormous mansion decorated much like a traditional Cihanese castle, now remained nothing more than pieces of concrete and steel, melted glass and burnt wood.

And bones. Bones that belonged to Hei Àn, Huo Chieh, Joseph Heier and all of their victims.

As he searched the debris for anything that might've been a safe, Feitan came upon a charred skull with two thin fissures in it; one in the back and one on the forehead, right between the eye-sockets. The torturer couldn't help but smile sadistically. It was Huo Chieh's.

Senritsu startled when Feitan's heartbeat sped up in an immense and sadistic satisfaction and couldn't help but turn her head until her gaze settled on the torturer. He was holding a skull in his hands and staring at it with glazed eyes, as if immersed in a sweet and tender memory.

For Feitan, no doubt it was. He remembered how sweet was the fear he had seen in Huo Chieh's eyes and how tenderly his half-melted blade slid into Huo Chieh's skull. Despite killing the bodyguard much quicker than he had planned, Feitan couldn't deny that it had been a good kill. His fight with the bodyguard was rushed due to his concern for Senritsu, his mind was set in a much bigger prize than Huo Chieh's life – Hei Àn's – and Nocturnal had appeared to interfere; but, even so, for a brief moment, the torturer had seen that delicious glint of fear in the bodyguard's eyes.

As he turned around to try and escape his death, Huo Chieh had finally seem some value in his life that went beyond serving as Hei Àn's little watchdog. The fear he had felt only once in his life, when those soldiers had shoved his face into the fire, came back to him all at once. But, by then, there was nothing he could do. Feitan killed him and enjoyed every second of it.

That, Feitan noted as he let the skull fall back to the ground, was a downside to such tough and treacherous fights like his and Huo Chieh's. He was much too concentrated on it to pay attention to his opponent's emotions and thoroughly enjoy the fear and pain they felt during the moment. Unlike his torture sessions, which allowed Feitan to live the fear in his victims' eyes, in such fights all of his sadistic enjoyment came from reminiscing and, while extremely satisfying, it would never be just as good.

"Feitan." Senritsu called softly, prompting the Spider to snap out of his cruel thoughts and turn his gaze to her. She was close to him, smiling sadly and he could see in her eyes how his sadistic heartbeat truly bothered her. "Can I ask you something?"

The short man didn't vocalize an answer, but the soothing of his heartbeat gave the Music Hunter the permission she needed.

"What made you hate Hei Àn and his men so much? What did they do to you?"

Feitan's eyes widened and, for long minutes, he did not answer. It was something he had never told anyone before, his past before Meteor City. Not one of the Spiders knew where he had come from or what had lead him to that city; the Phantom Troupe wasn't about the past or its members, it was about the future and the Spider.

This was the very first time someone had ever asked about him and Feitan didn't know how to feel. A part of him wanted to be angry - furious even –with the small woman for sticking her nose in business that weren't hers, however, for some reason, he didn't feel anything even similar to anger.

He felt confusion and frustration at Senritsu's ever-caring nature, something he would never fully grasp. He felt tiredness at being asked such a demanding question. And, most of all, he felt that strange warmth and sense of belonging that Senritsu seemed to bring to him whenever they talked; whenever she cared about him.

Always. She always care.

It was after much debate and inner-turmoil that Feitan reached his decision. Without a word, the man walked to a large piece of concrete and sat down on it before making a demanding gesture for Senritsu to follow his example. Once the gentle woman was settled by his side, Feitan scooted over a bit to the side and laid his head on her lap.

His eyes closed as his mouth opened to tell her his story.

Feitan told her everything.

From how he and his sisters had to work like slaves on the farms ever since they were old enough to walk and follow orders to how Hei Àn cast him away in Meteor City. He told her how his father was weak and allowed the General's soldiers to drag his pregnant wife away from him and his children to a truck full of other pregnant and scared women, all awaiting for the same fate. He told her how Huo Chieh killed Dan Chuern without as much as batting an eye just because his mother had had one-too-many children; how he and Bei followed the General and his men after that, determined to make them pay for Dan Chuern's death and free their mother. He told how they were found and beaten, how his sister – not yet 14 at the time – had been thrown on the muddied ground and raped again and again by the General's soldiers until she couldn't take anymore and begged for death. He told her how Hei Àn granted her wish immediately before deciding on his fate.

Then he felt droplets of salty water fall on his face. He felt a small hand grab the front of his black shirt tightly as another hid Senritsu's face from his view. Still, tears passed through her fingers and he felt them wet his cheek, and he felt her body rake as she cried like a small child.

Feitan didn't like it, when Senritsu cried; she was much too gentle and caring to deserve tears. He honestly felt guilty for making her shed them, but he also felt an unknown and strangely pleasing warmth spread in his chest as she sobbed inconsolably above it.

It was the first time anyone had ever cried for him.

If the setting sun behind them was any indicative, Senritsu and Feitan remained in that position for hours on a row. The woman didn't take long to stop crying, however when she made to stand up one of the thief's hands sneaked around her wrist, holding it in a firm but surprisingly gentle grip. It was all it took for Senritsu to smile kindly to the short man staring up at her with attentive eyes. Without exchanging a word, the Music Hunter retrieved her flute and started playing for her small and – dare she say it? – favourite spectator.

She had always enjoyed how her music – sometimes her mere presence – gave Feitan some peace of mind, but now more than ever she was very grateful for her musical talents. After everything the small man lying on her lap had gone through, he deserved it.

Somewhere in her mind, the memory of Feitan's cruel and blood-curling laughter was discarded. Senritsu would never understand how the torturer enjoyed hurting and killing people, but she wouldn't hold it against him. After everything that was done to him and everything he had to do to survive, it was expected for him to be angry at the world around him; he had lost too much, too soon and too unfairly. That anger had been present for so long that, undoubtedly, it was part of him now; his sadism and ever-constant bloodlust were traits of his personality and she doubted killing Hei Àn or anyone in this world would ever change that.

She just hoped that exercising his revenge would give him a little more peace of mind to live with himself. Even if just for a little while; until he realized that no matter who he kills, his family won't be brought back to life.

Pain can only bring more pain.

"Senritsu, here."

Feitan didn't need to raise his voice to get the Music Hunter's attention. A low whisper was all it took to get the woman to run to his side and look down at what he was examining. Not ten centimetres in front of Feitan's feet was a knee-high and rectangular metal safe, unscratched if not for the ashes covering bits of it here and there.

"Wonderful! Now all we have to-"

The woman didn't even finish her sentence before the Spider had kneeled on the ground and puled the safe's door open and out of its hinges. Senristu didn't as much as flinch at the sound of the small metal door falling roughly on the ground a few feet behind them. She could only focus on what her wide, wide eyes were seeing.

Inside the safe was a small pile of white paper sheets full of musical notations. There were only two sentences written in the universal language:

Sonata of Darkness

Solo for Harp

Once again, Senritsu felt her eyes fill with tears as she dropped to her knees and reached for the sheets. In the end, they had done it. All of their efforts, sufferings and sacrifices hadn't been for nothing. She, Feitan and Nocturnal had found the third solo of the Sonata of Darkness.

Once again, you brought pain and disgrace for those around you. But not anymore.

Blinking the tears away, Senritsu found Feitan already on his feet with his left arm stretched in her direction, offering her a box of matches. The Music Hunter smiled gratefully and reached for the box with one hand as the other one dropped the sheets of paper on the ground.

As night fell, embers rose in the air once again, fed by the sheets of paper that compose the harp solo of the Sonata of Darkness.

Five days later

"Hel-"

"You safe? No doing anything stupid this time?"

"Hello Feitan, how nice of you to call. And I'm quite alright. What about you?"

"No mind me. I always fine. You no being stupid to play hero and fight those things, right?"

Senritsu couldn't help but smile. Feitan had the funniest ways of showing concern for her well-being.

"No. I'm actually not doing anything that involves Nen for a while."

"Where you are?"

"York Shin. This month there will be a season of musical presentations of Nocturnal's works in many of Broadway's theatres, as a way to give him support for the loss of the movements of his left arm and encourage him to continue writing. I've sent you a message, inviting you to watch the performances with me. Nocturnal has provided a private box for both of us, for the whole season."

"I'm… busy."

"Don't tell me- Are you playing the hero and fighting the Chimera Ants?"

"No be stupid. I no play hero and save people. One of the things is in Meteor City and it look like it gonna be good fight. I just want kill it."

From Feitan's voice, Senritsu could see it wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either. However, she let it slide.

"Well, I could wish you good luck but I doubt you'll need it. So… good fight?"

"Tsk. It better be. Or I just wasting time." There was a moment of pause, as if the Spider was debating on whether to say something or not. "Until… Until when shows happen there?"

"Three weeks, counting this one."

"… Save my tickets. I get there in one week."

Before Senritsu could reply, the line went dead.

The woman couldn't help but let out a small sigh at Feitan's slight authoritarianism, but she also couldn't help but smile softly at his words. It would be the first time they'd get together just because, and it made her happy.

After burning the Sonata of Darkness, she called Nocturnal's chauffeur and asked him to pick them up to take them back to Nocturnal's home. However, mid-way there Feitan announced he wasn't returning with her and ordered the driver to take him to the airport before going to the Music Hunter's mansion. Jean just smiled and nodded while Senritsu gaped at the man sitting by her side on the backseat of the car.

"I have mine own things to do. But leave phone on. I call you."

Those were the last words he said to her before jumping off the car and disappearing in the airport's crowd.

And now, five days later he called her as promised. And he left her with a feeling of anticipation that, somehow, made more of an impact on her than his originalpromise: "Some day. I steal you. I steal you and music."

He left her with the feeling they'd build their own peace of mind.