Hi all, here's a super long chapter. 'Why is it so long?', you might ask. Well because I'm moving the plot forward.
I will not be updating next week because of Thanksgiving and also since I'm going to re-edit all the chapters again to make sure there are no plot holes, inconsistencies, bad character portrayals, etc.
So if you see anything, no matter how minor, please let me know that way I can fix it!
Time seemed to slow and I watched as Kurapika throw off his tabard. His katanas suddenly appeared in each hand. My beating heart, the adrenaline pumping through my veins, and my brother's big, fearful eyes stretching wider caused me to jerk my left wrist toward Kurapika.
The tan sand glowing with green nen was flying toward Kurapika until a card-a joker card-flew through it, sending my sand flying everywhere.
My eyes tracked the card as it fell to the ground. I knew that card...
The sound of Kurapika taking another step sent me out of stupor and I jumped on his back, which Kurapika did not like. But I didn't care, because Kurapika had moved toward Brec.
"Ghaahhhh!", Kurapika shouted in surprise as or momentum carried us forward.
Kurapika hit the ground with me on top of him and we both slid forward.
I was looking down at Kurapika's thick hair until Kurapika twisted around.
His expression was enraged but then I watched as it quickly changed to worry and fear.
I tensed and looked over my shoulder to see Hisoka looming over us.
I rolled off of Kurapika as he simultaneously shoved me to the opposite side, resulting in me now being awkwardly sprawled across Kurapika's chest for a split second, but that's all Hisoka needed.
A 5 card was pressed against my throat...it was glowing with light pink nen.
"Thanks Kurapika", I muttered sarcastically.
Kurapika huffed and glared at me. "It would have worked if you hadn't of moved THAT way!"
Real mature Kurapika, blame ME for everything!
Kurapika's hand was reaching for his katana when Hisoka, who was now squatting by us, gave him a cunning look.
"I'll kill her if touch your weapon."
Kurapika froze but his hand was still twitching.
"What do you want?" he asked. I couldn't. The card was now pressed against my throat to the point at which if I spoke, I knew blood would be pouring from a shallow cut in my throat.
Hisoka chuckled and looked up. At Brec. "Come down and introduce us!", Hisoka cheerily called to Brec.
Brec scrambled out of his hiding spot, down a ladder, and awkwardly stood by Hisoka.
Kurapika and I were still on the ground, held there by Hisoka's card.
I locked eyes with Hisoka who giggled as he twirled one of my light purple locks around his finger.
"I looove the poor disguise", Hisoka mockingly cooed.
Kurapika was turning red as he watched Hisoka play with my hair.
My young brother simply looked sick.
My hand smacked Hisoka's hand away and I looked him in the eye. "If you're going to kill us, just do it. You're wasting my time."
Hisoka's smile grew and he giggled. "This is why I like you and you are now worth my time", he said as he removed the card from my throat.
I looked at him questioningly but as per usual, Hisoka never offered any explanation for his creepy ass comments.
In a flash, I rolled off of Kurapika and shot the sand at Hisoka who simply blocked it with a card.
"Stop!", shouted Brec as he looked at me.
I stopped, but Kurapika didn't.
Hisoka whirled around to face Kurapika and raised an eyebrow. "Hmmm...still haven't learned how to use nen I see."
Kurapika was enraged. "That does not take away from my combat abilities", Kurapika responded,"You have defeated me once, during the Final Phase of the Hunter Exam, but you will not again."
I knocked one of Kurapika's katanas out of his hands by hitting the bottom part of his hand. Kurapika sent me a shocked and betrayed look but did nothing.
"Gon, Leorio, and Killua told me about how Hisoka was toying with you during your entire fight. I cannot beat Hisoka. Even with the additional training, you can't. I'd know. If Hisoka wanted to kill us, we'd be dead. So he wants to talk but he will kill you, Kurapika, if you try to fight him again."
Kurapika's dark purple eyes narrowed. They were close to shifting to scarlet. "What do you mean "I'd know"?"
I froze and instantly cursed myself for my stupid slipup. Hisoka began chuckling. "How funny that fate has brought us together here. How funny that all of you", Hisoka gestured to Brec, Kurapika, and myself with the card-free hand,"are so predictable."
Hisoka doubled over and began laughing hysterically, as if he couldn't seem even more unstable.
Brec and Kurapika locked eyes. "Who the fuck are you?", my little brother said while trying to look intimidating.
Kurapika lunged at him but was once again intercepted by me. The green glow of the nen casted shadows on Kurapika's face, distorting shadows.
"Qeb", I said to my brother, using his middle name. My brother twitched in shock but luckily did not say anything. Luckily my brother did not have a death wish,"Meet Kurapika. He's my partner. Kurapika, meet Qeb, he's my... friend."
Kurapika's indecipherable gaze shifted from Brec to me, who was standing only inches away from him.
Kurapika seemed to tower over me as he glared at my brother. He could easily shove me aside, but he didn't.
I had to explain my prior actions to Kurapika about Hisoka, who was still laughing hysterically...but...no...Kurapika didn't need to know that Hisoka had trained me on Zevil Island. If I had my way, he would never know.
"Hisoka would kill you Kurapika, I have seen him fight. I've seen him go on rampages. I saw this on Zevil Island, which is what I meant by 'I'd know'," I was sos disgusting, lying to Kurapika like this. But I continued,"None of us can even defend ourselves if he attacks, he's THAT good."
On a chance, I had appealed to Kurapika's logical side, praying he would think.
So I continued,"What use are you dead? What can you do if you are dead? Nothing."
Hisoka had stopped laughing and was now watching the interactions between Kurapika and myself. His gaze worried me. I shot a glance at Hisoka and saw the delighted, insane smirk plaster itself across his face and I wanted to kill him. I HATED that damn smirk. That smirk said,'I know you are hiding valuable information from Kurapika and I will use it against you'.
Kurapika slowly nodded, the redness faded from his eyes. "I am of no use unless I have my vengeance".
My head dropped and I shook it in disappointment. When would Kurapika not define his ENTIRE life around the clan? I understand its importance to him, but Kurapika had a future. If he wouldn't be an ignoramus and be so focused on revenge that he dies.
But I said nothing because Hisoka was there. If I said something, we would appear divided in front of Hisoka. But a small part of me told me that Hisoka already knew that we disagreed about the intensity of Kurapika's quest for vengeance.
Whatever. Fuck Hisoka.
I turned to Brec. "And what the fuck are YOU doing here?" Kurapika would have possibly killed your brother. Brec could be dead. Hisoka could have killed your brother. Brec could be dead.
My brother swallowed nervously and pointed to Hisoka. My heart fell. "He said that he would help us find Sabie." I said nothing and shook my head in disappointment. Again.
"We only have four more months left before they kill her!" Brec exclaimed while he tried to defend himself.
I froze and dread filled my heart. I slowly turned to see Kurapika approaching Brec.
Kurapika told Brec what I was thinking,"Hisoka doesn't 'help' random individuals for free."
'I agree', I thought,'what kind of deal did you make Brec? How can I get you out of it'?
Yellow eyes locked once more onto mine. Those cruel, manipulative yellow eyes glittered with cold amusement.
"Sabie", Kurapika said as he looked me in the eye,"Your sister. That Sabie."
Shit. Fuck. LIE!
No, give Kurapika part of the truth. "Yes", I answered honestly as I looked at Kurapika," The same Sabie. Qeb here", my brother jerked again at my use of his middle name, he really needed to stop doing that."Is helping me find my sister."
Kurapika threw his hands up in the air. "I don't even know what to think or believe Avi!"
Hisoka nonchalantly strolled behind Brec and put an arm around his neck. "Allow me to explain", Hisoka told me,"...Qeb contacted me about locating your sister, now we're working together, and will continue to do so in the future. Why are you two here, hmmm?" Why was Hisoka playing along!? He knew Qeb wasn't my brother's real name, but Brec was. If Kurapika heard my brother being called Brec, he would connect the dots and wonder why Brec happened to be at the Versace residence. Then he would wonder if Brec was a Versace, which Brec was. Kurapika knew Brec was the name of my brother and Sabie was the name of my sister and realize that Brec was my brother and think that I'm a Versace. Which I am. Kurapika would learn who I am shortly. That would be a disaster.
Kurapika looked balefully at Hisoka. "The scarlet eyes."
Hisoka had the nerve to start giggling. He looked at me and snickered,"Fascinating. You fascinate me"
"You know about the Phantom Troupe. You know what I am. You know why I am here, at this merchant's residence," Kurapika continued.
Hisoka's eyes slid to me and he said,"I should have expected you to do this, Avi. I always think I can finally predict your action, find your psychological rhythm. But I can never."
All I could do was swallow. This was a huge clusterfuck and I knew that Hisoka knew I was a Versace. That this was my home Kurapika and I were invading. I knew that Hisoka knew why I was wearing a "poor disguise" that consisted of purple hair and green contacts.
Why did Hisoka help me train on Zevil Island? The reason he gave was poor, but I accepted his offer to train me anyway because I was desperate. Illumi I could understand. Those were my needles that only my family traded, we were a monopoly in that market. But Hisoka did mention that he owed my parents something...
But Hisoka was a wild card...what did he gain? What did he gain by especially playing with Brec, Sabie, Kurapika, and me?
It didn't matter. Brec had made a deal with the devil. We might as well find Sabie. Besides, Kurapika and I still had to "ransack my home", i.e. find scarlet eyes amongst my family's disorderly safe home which held no personal belongings with which any family member could be identified.
My parents were really clever people.
Brec pushed past Hisoka and hugged me. "I have to find her", he said.
Kurapika snapped once more,"I don't like this Avi. You are hugging your friend Qeb, who is working with Hisoka, who happens to appear in the Versace Residence while we're here. Speaking of which, normally the merchant's residences are filled with guards and the families themselves. But there is nobody here outside of these two."
Kurapika just HAD to notice everything. Luckily I had planned for this. But not for Hisoka and Brec to be there.
Brec's eyes became clever, calculating and he looked at Kurapika and said,"We believe that since the Versace merchant family has Mafia connections that Sabie could be located here."
Kurapika glared critically at Brec,"Are you a friend of the Versace family?"
I held my breath and jumped in,"No. Sabie was an enemy of the Mafia as am I. Brec is too because of guilt by association." This was another one of my 'kind of-sort of truths'. My family and the Mafia were competing for customers...and it accounted for why Brec would be in the Versace Residence and why Sabie was kidnapped. I predicted when Kurapika and I were alone, he would ask me who I am. And why my sister was important enough to be kidnapped by the Mafia. Once more, I would lie.
Kurapika turned to look at me and nodded in understanding. He bought it! Kurapika bought the lie that I was only helping him find the scarlet eyes in order to pay off my sister's ransom. Somehow. Within the next 3 months. Dread filled me. Brec and I did need Hisoka's help. The other merchant families were connected with the Mafia too...but I had not seen a single clue regarding the whereabouts of Sabie in any of the houses.
But then, of course, Hisoka had to instigate. Again. Hisoka stopped laughing and began gasping for breath, wiping away the tears streaming from his eyes. "The truth is in the eyes, Kurapika."
I froze and prayed that Kurapika wouldn't remember my natural eye color, my father's eye color. The same eye color that Brec had. All of us kids ended up with my dad's eyes. 'Please think Hisoka is making a jab at the scarlet eyes!', I desperately thought.
"What do you mean by that?" Kurapika slowly asked Hisoka.
The clown just grinned even more and I knew Hisoka was attempting to spark more trouble. So I had to be the damage control.
I grabbed Kurapika's hand and held it in both of my own. "Kurapika", I began,"Has Hisoka ever directly told you the truth?"
"Everything I say is true," Hisoka chimed in nonchalantly as he watched Kurapika and me again. With that sick gleeful smile that screamed 'I wish to harm both of you'.
Kurapika didn't look at Hisoka but focused on me. "You have been with me from the start", Kurapika said,"What motivation would you have to lie to me? I'll admit, this situation is very odd, but it works with what you told me. Though Hisoka's appearance could be attributed to an odd coincidence."
I looked over Kurapika's shoulder at the clown who was nodding in approval at my lie. Great. Now Hisoka is proud of my lying abilities. I still felt disgusting.
Now to distract Kurapika again. "But let's finish our job and find those eyes."
Kurapika nodded and Hisoka had a contemplative look on his face as if he was shocked that Kurapika trusted me enough to go along with this odd situation. I was shocked too. But then again, all Kurapika really cared about were his stupid scarlet eyes. Not my problem though.
I walked over to my little brother than whispered,"Stay with Kurapika and I in our motel room. One night. The weekend. Please, we need to talk about Hisoka."
Brec blinked. "Why?"
I looked my little brother in the eyes and whispered,"Trust me. Please don't go with Hisoka. Talk with me first. And by the way, thank you for playing along. Once again, you're not a Versace, just Qeb, friend of Sabie. Or my partner will kill you if he finds out."
To my surprise, Brec didn't fight with me or cause a scene, but nodded. I'm glad my brother was not an idiot.
I grinned and loudly said,"Ok. Time to find the scarlet eyes in the Versace Residence."
So our group of four consisting of Hisoka, who was instigating and constantly dropping subtle hints that I was a Versace, Brec, my brother who was glaring at Kurapika's hand which was holding mine, Kurapika himself, who was glaring at Hisoka, and me, someone who was creating a disgusting web of lies that Hisoka could easily shine light on if he told the truth. Or Brec could, if he slipped up.
For some reason, Hisoka had agreed to work with my brother. For some reason Hisoka agreed to train me. I had to contact my parents and ask about Hisoka as well as create a logical lie for Kurapika to believe, again, about why Sabie was so important that the Mafia had to kidnap her. Maybe I could say my family was a police family...?
Nope. It had to be better. Hisoka bumped into me a quietly whispered,"Your lies are impressive Avi. Fortunately for you, this chance meeting", I snickered at this, not believing Hisoka,"will give us a valuable opportunity to catch up."
I shuddered. Add another thing to my list: be prepared to try to lie to Hisoka and not die.