Somebody toss a bucket of water over my head before I burn down the school's math department...please. I'd rather not be suspended and put into a correctional facility. Math is the one subject in school that truly causes me stress. I'm actually so good at avoiding stress on myself, although I handle it pretty well in small doses, if I do say so myself, that when I get a larger dose like this I have a bit of a meltdown. Math right now (and basically always) is the epitome of my stress. For the longest time on the homework I hadn't the faintest idea what I was doing, so only about the final 1/4th will have any correct answers on it because I do not want to redo all that, and the number of problems are way too much, and then there's the fact that I didn't grab any graph paper in class, so how exactly am I supposed to graph freaking functions without that? I actually threw my pencil when I discovered I needed graph paper for tonights homework. And everything assigned today and two days ago is due tomorrow. I also had to due homework that I had no idea was due today tonight, so I was able to at least get that done, but GAH! KEEP ALL MATCHES, LIGHTERS, AND ANY SORT OF FIRE AWAY FROM ME.

Now...enjoy the story.

"I don't need to hear how you killed the next man."

I smirk. "I never said I killed him. You're just assuming."

"Did you?"

"I did."

He sighs. I get the feeling he's hanging his head, but the lack of light prevents me from confirming it. Honestly, this darkness is infuriating. I want to see him! I can talk with him, but that's it! Well….I might be able to touch him if we both strained against these chains. He mentioned before that I might be able to reach his IV. I won't do it, though, reach out. I mean, he'd find it pretty ridiculous if I suggested something as arbitrary and cheesy as holding hands. Oh, and I guess it might bother him to hold hands with a killer. That typically bothers people, doesn't it? Then if I can't see him, and I can't touch him, I guess we've gotta keep talking.

"What about you?" I wonder. "I shared a story, now it's your turn."

"What do you want me to say? I wasn't kidnapped when I was eight."

"Then tell me something else that happened when you were eight."

To my delight, he actually laughs! "Well," he starts, "not a lot happened."

"Then…" I consider my words before finishing my sentence, deciding to take the chance. "Why don't you tell me about the Kurta Clan?"

He doesn't respond at first. I bite the inside of my cheek as I wait, actually a bit worried about his answer. Prodding like this is risky. So far, there hasn't been a time he hasn't gotten upset when I've brought up his clan. I'm curious, though. He seems to care about it so much, even though they're not here anymore. With him like that, of course I'm curious as to what they were like.

"I'm not going to apologize since I had nothing to do with it," I mutter, "but I did have nothing to do with it. I never killed anyone from your clan."

"...I know. The massacre had nothing to do with you. I know it doesn't...but it's hard to talk about those things. You might not understand, but I haven't spoken about the Kurta much at all since it happened."

I lean against the wall, tired. "You're right, I don't understand. If you like something so much, you should brag about it."

"You're such a child, Corona."

"Hey!"

"-but maybe you're right. It's not like they're bad memories."

I perk up. "So….?"

"I'll tell you a bit," he decides. "But...please don't ask again."

Really? He's going to tell? "I'll be quiet!" I promise. "I won't say another word about them unless you want me to."

"You wanted a story from when I was eight, right? I don't really remember years, exactly, but I'm sure I can come up with something around that time period."

"Anything," I insist. "Anything will do! I just wanna hear!

"Then what about the time I first climbed the cliff near the clan?"

Impatient, I urge, "Yes, that'll do. Just tell me already."

He sighs, but concedes anyway. "My close friend was sick that day, so I was all by myself. Normally we'd go exploring in the woods nearby the village, but without him to keep me on track, I wandered farther than usual. I'd never been out that far, before. You see, because of our eyes, the Kurta Clan was confined there. Only adults could leave, and only with special permission." Oh, that's kinda like how it was for me. Father never wanted me to leave the mansion unsupervised. "Even when I realized I didn't know where I was, I was confident I could find my way back and kept going farther. I was a really cocky child back then."

"Tell me about the woods," I persist, leaning closer in interest. Were they like the forest I always went to? Or the forest those men all those years ago took me to? Or is it completely different?

"There were trees of all kind, but all of them were old. They'd all been there since ancient times, great plants we lived alongside of. The ground...you could barely even see the ground! There was moss, fallen logs, and leaves….there were these mushrooms that were shaped like upside down funnels that littered the ground. I'd crush some under my foot with every step. The sun barely reached the ground through the canopy of leaves. It was the same as the forest directly surrounding the village, but out there there was no sound. It was if I was the only person in the world."

Like me! I felt the same way! The quiet of being away from civilization….I loved it! He was like me as a little kid! Thinking this, I can't wipe the smile from my face. The two of us seem so different, but back then we really were alike! We both looked to go farther into the outside world. We both sought out hidden places, where we were the only ones. But….back then, if he was like me, then he didn't care about the other people. He didn't care that he was leaving his family behind for a bit, that they might worry over him. When did that change? When his Clan was killed? I mean, my whole world changed when my mother was assassinated, but only because I decided then to leave home. If that was when he started to care, then why didn't I back then? What is it that made us different?

"I practically ran into the cliff while I was watching some creature run for cover. I don't actually know what it was called, but it was a scaley little thing with claws. It wasn't a lizard though….But anyway, I managed to skid to a stop before I gave myself a head injury on the rocks. Being the genius child that I was, I figured I could safely climb it and get an idea of where I was. I later got an infection in one of the wounds I got on my hand while scaling that cliff. My mother had been infuriated with me…." He goes quiet for a moment before picking back up. "I probably fell more than a few times before I made it to the top. When I did, though, it was beautiful! It was the best view of the forest I ever had! I could see over the tops of those ancient trees, and the openness of the sky without clouds. For the first time, I really began thinking about how big the world is. I think that's when the thought of leaving the Clan first crossed my mind, although it didn't really stick then. I was excited, though. Something about discovering that cliff, about conquering it, struck me."

"When we get out of here, I wanna see that," I conclude, settling back against the wall satisfied. "Could you take me there?"

"...maybe. Maybe I'll take you at some point."

That 'maybe' is plenty enough for me. As I curl into a comfortable ball, the sedatives having kept me drowsy, another question floats past my mind. "Would you get mad if I asked you about when it happened?"

He doesn't need me to specify. He knows I mean the massacre, the end of his clan. Curiosity killed the cat, but dying has never really concerned me. What concerns me is that these words will shut him off again, and he'll stop talking. He'll stop telling me about his people, and about himself.

"It all happened when I was away," he replies in a quiet voice. "My friend I mentioned before...he was weak. His eyes were bad, and I thought there'd be a cure in the outside world. It was thanks to him I was able get permission to go outside the village in the first place, so I went to find help for him. I got back and…. The Phantom Troupe left a note behind. That's how I knew it was them. It was then I decided to hunt them down, and get revenge, but…."

My eyes widen when, all of the sudden, a crimson glow illuminates the room ever so slightly. Surrounding the two, scarlet orbs is the silhouette of Kurapika's face. The strands of his golden hair reflect the wrathful red. In the darkness, he looks like the angel of death, ready to rip through anyone who stands in his way.

"I failed. I can't bring down the spider unless I kill all of them at once, and that's impossible! So long as one leg survives, they'll continue on. All I can do is collect the eyes of my clan!"

"Collect their eyes?" He glares my direction and I stiffen, realizing I asked that out loud. I mean, I knew he was going after the crimson eyes, but does he mean he's going to go after a ton of them? I thought he'd just wanted the one pair.

"All of their eyes were dug out of their corpses. Not only were they killed, but mangled even in death! How could I forgive such a thing?"

"So…." I proceed cautiously, his eyes slowly simmering down and the darkness closing back in. I'm sure with the drugs in his veins, he can't be worked up for long. "Is that why you became a hunter? To look for their eyes?"

"Yes."

I purse my lips, deep in thought. "...Are there a lot of them? The eyes that're in circulation?"

"Yes."

"What're you going to do when you have them?" He falls into silence and I bite the inside of my cheek. Did I go too far?

"...I don't know."

I continue gnawing my cheek, considering his words carefully. If there are a lot of them, they'll take some time to find, yes? I mean, look at what he's gone through just to get the pair from the auction. Does he really plan to do it all by himself? That would wear me out pretty quickly. I'd also get bored, but I don't have the attachment like he does. Well, I might get bored. I guess there could be some excitement in tracking rarities down like that. I'm sure there will be people unwilling to hand their treasure over easily.

"If...if you let me, I'll help you," I offer. "I plan on staying with you, anyway. I might as well help you look for your clan's eyes. They mean a lot to you, don't they? Your clan?"

"Yeah….maybe….it's possible I could use the help."

My heart accelerates, excited. "You mean it? Even though Chrollo's my brother? Even though I was with the troupe?"

"Don't remind me," he groans.

"But you'll let me?" I push. "You'll allow me? I have your consent?"

"Why are you so persistent?"

"Because-" I stop, pretending to cough when I realize I don't know. I'm interested in him, I think I decided because he cares so much. Would I really go this far, and face this much resentment, just for someone I'm interested in? It feels….wrong. Really? Is that it?

But if he were to leave, what would I do? Go back to stealing to survive? Like those two years I was a street thief in Meteor City before I found Chrollo? But what would be the point? Yes, I want to live, but what would be the point if that's all I was doing? If I separate from Kurapika, I can't go back to Chrollo, and I would never return to the mansion to stay. I'd rather starve on the streets. If I'm abandoned from Kurapika, I'll be left alone again.

"Because you're interesting, " I stick to my original answer. What am I supposed to say? Clearly there's more than just interest, but what? I don't know what it is, so how could I convey any of that to him? And it's not like I'm lying. Interest does have something to do with it. If it didn't, that statement would have just killed me, courtesy of the Nen sword positioned by my heart. "Anyway, I'm tired. I'm going back to sleep."

"You're the one who woke me up, so what's this about going back to sleep? We should figure out how to escape!"

That again. "It's not like I can escape in this condition," I mumble, settling into the most comfortable position I can. "And you're not in top shape, either."

"Corona-"

"Goodnight," I yawn, ending the conversation. It's true, though. If this continues, we'll never escape. Something needs to change, or who knows how long we'll be stuck here chained to these walls.

Hmm, maybe Corona will actually realize something about her emotions soon...but who knows. If you haven't caught on yet, which I hope you have, she's pretty clueless about her feelings. Kurapika's a little better, I think. He's more inclined to detest his own emotions, I think, rather than being oblivious to them. If there's something about his emotions he doesn't understand, I think it would continually irk him until he thought about it enough to figure it out. On the other hand, Corona is one to let herself get easily distracted from those sorts of things. She's going to need a lot of prompting, which is unfortunate. Also unfortunately, you'll have to excuse me. I have to go -maybe- finish math homework, and do my absolute utmost to keep my arson side under control. Wish me luck, and with that luck, I will hopefully stay far out of prison and close enough to a computer to update for you guys.

Till then, Kisses from SnowyNeko! :3 MEOW!

P.S I would never actually commit such a felony, but the fantasy of doing so is ooooooh so sweet.