A/N : For anyone who wants to see if their guesses are correct (or those who don't want to spend time guessing), I've got a Naming Cheat Sheet up. Click the second link in my profile. Cheers.

After Claws and Shooting Star had left, most of the hunters left the canteen as well. The excitement was gone and the night was growing old fast. Soon it was just Kurapika, Dollface and the unconscious body of Doc. A solitary candle burned slowly on the table between them, smoke rising into the dark corners of the tent.

"Did you notice?" she asked.

"His mental wards? Yeah."

"Very strong, aren't they? Some of the strongest I've seen." Doll was leaning with her elbows on the table, one hand nesting her cheek, the other rubbing the rim of her glass, slowly, exhausting seeping in.

"He didn't seem aware of them though."

"They're not his. In fact, they seemed to belong to his sister. Raises an interesting question, doesn't it?"

"Don't pry, Doll."

She sighed. "How's the investigation on Boar going?"

"Magician's taken over and there's still been no progress. As expected, he's hidden his trail frustratingly well. We still have no clue what he was up to."

The story everyone had been told was that Boar had been found literally dead-drunk in a nightclub in a desert town in Apharika. Naturally no one in the Association had believed the story. It was known fact Boar had been scum but he was no inebriate.

What was disconcerting was that no one could figure out what killed their captain. There'd been no thaumic traces on the body except his own and there'd been no physical wounds inflicted. For all present evidence it appeared that he had randomly dropped dead. The room he had stayed in had been wiped clean leaving no clue to what he had been working on.

Kurapika massaged his temple. The Association was dying and recent events were digging their grave deeper. Hell, they already had a whole foot in it. Any little push would send them tumbling in.

"Chains, get some sleep." Doll's voice pulled him back into the present moment. "This is everyone's job to worry about so don't go taking it all on yourself. I'm sure Magician will breakthrough with something, and we'll all laugh at how obvious it is later."She gave him a rare soft smile, and pushed herself up. "I need to get ready for round four tomorrow. I doubt Claws can work that fast. "

Two days later, Claws delivered and he delivered beautifully. Goldeye was found in his personal tent, a silver arrow lodged in his heart.

Doll whistled. "Looks like I'm the captain now then." She had assumed a stern, businesslike demeanor and Kurapika couldn't tell if she was displeased or angered or otherwise.

The only people in the tent were him, Doc, Dollface, Canine and of course, the cadaver. It was a large tent, spacious, and there was enough room for all of them to stand with respectable distance to each other. The body was slumped over the desk, the arrow sticking out his back. All things considered it was a very neat job, barely any blood anywhere but on his person. Kurapika was actually impressed.

Doc finished his examination. With unspoken permission from both Canine and Dollface, he tugged the arrow out with gloved hands. He held it out to Canine, who stared at it like it was a diseased toad, equal parts disgust, distraught and anger on her face. She left without touching it.

Doc sighed sadly. "It has his name on it." And let Kurapika look at it. Kurapika wanted to decline out of respect but curiosity overtook him.

Pariston Hill

Only criminals were buried uncremated and even for all his faults and mischief, Goldeye had done so much for the Association while he was here. Everyone contributed to building a gigantic bonfire that burned without cessation for a day and a night. People spoke their eulogies and thanks in its light. But Canine didn't leave her tent the entire time.

The day after it burnt out, Kurapika spotted Claws strolling towards the encampment, with a bounce in his step that hadn't been there three nights ago. He went out to meet him.

"I believe the word used was 'decommission'," he said surly.

"Yeah, about that," Claws said sheepishly, "I need to talk to you and Doll."

Doll's tent was just as commodious as Goldeye's, but with swathes of pink and magenta lining the canvas, making it look regal in comparison to the standard jaundiced tent. Inside, Kurapika and Claws unfolded some chairs next to Doll's desk. Doll turned hers around and the three sat facing each other. Kurapika felt the air buzz slightly as she cast a silencing ward around them.

"How are you?" she asked convivially.

Claws got straight to the point. "He asked me to kill him."

Kurapika had to force himself to not let his jaw drop open. He looked at Doll, who seemed only professionally curious. How did she manage?

"Explain," she ordered.

"I was ready the night after. I had a dart, charmed. It wouldn't have hurt him but it would've put given him a nasty paralyzing fever. But he called me out. Told me he knew you ordered it – of course I denied it. Doesn't matter. Then he told me his name and when his tent would be unguarded."

This was jarring. Kurapika struggled to keep his features composed.

"And the arrow?" Doll continued, unfazed.

"My own. No magic whatsoever."

It was a good choice. Although magical means were far easier and quicker, magic always left a trace, something you wanted to avoid if you were in that delicate vocation.

Kurapika eventually found his tongue and said what was on his mind. "Did he mention why?"

Claws looked thoughtful. "No," he said eventually. It was plain to see that Claws was withholding that piece of information. Maybe he thought it was private.

Doll tried to badger him but it became clear that Claws wasn't going to betray Goldeye's confidence. It didn't matter. Both Kurapika and Dolls could guess what was going through Gold's mind. He had always viewed rivalry as a sort of affection and Boar had been his primary source for years. Their time in the Association had always been a fierce duel of one-upmanship that both parties seemed to secretly enjoy. It didn't take a genius to guess that Goldeye was devastated by the loss of his vitriolic counterpart.

Honestly, disregarding Canine like that was just downright insulting.

"How is she?" he asked Rabbit after he had left the tent. Doll had taken Claws off elsewhere to get his official Hunter's badge after a quick overview of basic Hunter mandates.

"Poor baby, she still's in there. I can't tell if she's grieving or mad at him."

"Why would she be mad?"

"Chains, don't be silly. Goldeye ordered us to stay away from his tent that night and the next morning he's dead? We can put two and two together."She eyed him suspiciously. "Who's the new guy?"

"His name's Claws. You can get acquainted with him later. Please tell Canine that we'll be moving soon."

She was good at putting pieces together and Kurapika wasn't going to throw a bad image onto Claws so early in his membership.

He informed Shouter, and within the hour everyone had gathered up their personal belongings and were taking down the tents and constructs. Only a few Hunters would stay behind to investigate the fire, and hopefully deal with it in good time.

At the port, Loop took a headcount and informed Kurapika that they were missing one.

"I shouldn't be the one dealing with this," he grumbled. Leaving the rest to board ship, he went back to the campsite.

Canine was standing at the site where the bonfire had been. She didn't acknowledge him as he approached her. She was still wearing the robes from the day they had found Goldeye's corpse.

"I'm not going."

"We understand. We won't force you."

She gave a sigh of relief. "I'm taking his ashes to his homeland, in Oseniya. He has family there."

"We'll hold your place for you. You can come back whenever you feel ready."

"No," she said harshly. "Let someone new have it. I've been a Zodiac for too long. I've – "she hesitated. "If I had stopped trying to compete for just one minute, I- I would've been able to tell them."

Oh.

"Canine."

"Yes, Chains?"

"You – the three of you – you did good. No, you did brilliant for us, together. And – "

She laughed a deep earthly laugh and cut him off. "I appreciate it, Chains, but succorance isn't your strong point."

They lapsed into silence. But they both knew Chains couldn't leave until one last detail was sorted. Canine took a deep breath, but she didn't hesitate her decision.

"Fisher can take my place. He's young but he's talented. Do good with him."

"We will," Kurapika promised.

He left her there and anxious faces met him back at the ships.

"She's chosen to stay behind. We'll see her again in the future," he said succinctly, then added. "She's appointed Fisher as the new Zodiac."