Okay, so here's the deal. Homecoming's soon. So I went shopping with my friends last month and found this perfect dress. It had a black top, sweetheart neckline and spaghetti straps, and a white tool skirt that flared out before the knees. There were also jeweled sheer patches on the side. Needless to say, I absolutely fell in love with the dress. The price was the problem. I wasn't about to pay nearly $200 for that. So I decided to go with a dress I already had, but I don't like it nearly as much as that one. It looks pretty good on me, but it isn't exactly my style. And then there're my parents. They keep telling me to get my teeth whitened, or curl my hair, or do something along those lines. It's not like my hair is dull, or my teeth are that yellow or anything. I don't get it. Why do I have to use a ton of stuff and go over the top to feel pretty? Isn't makeup more than enough? I'm going to go and enjoy the dance, but all this stress over appearances is really a pain.
Well, onto the story.
I blink hard against the light, Kurapika's hands releasing mine. Before my eyes can adjust, a figure has already darted into the room and knelt by Kurapika's side. I rub my eyes and open them again, finding that figure to be a familiar spiky haired kid.
"Are you two alright?" Gon asks, slipping a key into Kurapika's cuffs.
As the second cuff is unlocked, Kurapika finds his voice again. "Gon What're you doing here?"
"All the guards are finished," a bored voice announces. Killua then enters the room, hands in his pockets. I glance between the two of them, then meet Kurapika's eyes. His gaze reflects a confusion similar to mine.
Finished releasing Kurapika, Gon stands and steps towards me with his key. Only then do I realize that there's still metal around my wrists. The only things I'd broken were the chains. I extend my hands to him and allow him to unlock the shackles, the metal bracelets clanging to the floor. I then repeat Kurapika's question.
"Why're you two here?"
"To save you, of course!" Gon states.
"Well," Killua specifies, "I only came to save Kurapika. Besides, from the looks of it, you were about to handle things yourself."
"I got free," I cross my arms, "but that doesn't mean I knew what to do next."
The white haired kid scoffs. "Yeah right. You were just gonna slaughter all those guards like I just did."
I click my tongue, frustrated. Yes, that's what I had wanted to do before Kurapika stopped me. There's that, and the fact that if Killua killed all the guards, he probably also killed the one I'd wanted to get my hands on. It's no use skinning someone who's already dead.
"I got that you came to save us, but how did you find us?" Kurapika inquires.
"Melody called," Killua explains. "She apparently heard you get abducted. You gave her my number when we were hunting down the troupe, remember?"
"Sorry we were so late getting here," Gon apologizes, eyes downcast. "We had to find out where you were being held first, and then there was that game Greed Island…"
Killua elaborates. "We didn't actually get the game, but the dude who bought all of them is having auditions to send hunters in. We couldn't just drop everything to just look for you, you know?"
"Not that we didn't want to!" Gon insists.
"Thank you, you guys," Kurapika nods, beginning to push himself to his feet. When he totters, I lunge to support him. I stiffen when he doesn't push me away. Instead, he readily accepts my help, putting half of his weight onto me and gripping my arms to steady himself.
I whip my head to look at the two thirteen year olds, ignoring the fact that Killua is staring at us in shock. "Get him some water, now! He hasn't had anything to drink since we were kidnapped!"
To my surprise, it's actually Gon who reacts first. Spotting the cup on the floor I had earlier knocked out of the thug's hand, he scoops it up and dashes out of the room. I chew my lip impatiently as we wait, eyes darting over Kurapika to assess his condition. He had sounded terrible when we woke up, which had concerned me, but had I been able to see him I would have flipped. He's as pale as Killua's hair, and quivering visibly.
"Killua," I demand, "how long have we been in here?"
"...I'd say around 57 hours."
Kurapika glances up, but the movement is small. It crosses my mind that it probably took everything he had to grab my hand just a minute ago. "It's progressed this far….it'll take me a while to recover, then."
"A while to recover?" I squeak. "You mean you won't be better after you drink?""
"Not immediately," he coughs. The sound reminds me of the scratchiness of my throat when I first woke up under the sedatives.
"Hey, if it hurts to talk, stop it!" I order.
"When did the two of you become so close?" Killua wonders, glancing between the two of us. I fall silent, suddenly feeling awkward holding Kurapika up. I don't move away, though. He'd fall if I did.
When I finally find my words, I say, "You try spending 57 hours chained up in the dark with only one person to talk to."
"I can't imagine," Killua admits, "but I don't think I'd end up acting like that person's girlfriend."
My face heats red. "Of course not. You're a boy."
"You get what I mean."
"So what, just 'cause I'm worried you think I like him? You're worried, aren't you? He's your friend."
Kurapika chuckles. "Your brother did ask me to take care of you."
"What're you doing bringing that up, now?" I snarl, face feeling like a million degrees.
"He's even met your family?" Killua laughs. "How did that happen? 'Hey Mom, hey Dad, hey bro, this is the hunter I like who hates me'?"
"He's only met my brother," I correct. Then I smirk a bit. "You've met him, too. He's quite the leader, isn't he?"
It takes a second for him to register what I mean before he actually takes a step back defensively. "He's your brother?"
"Half brother," I correct for what feels like the hundredth time. "My mom wasn't exactly faithful before she was murdered." Then I remember. "Hey, did you check the bodies of those you just killed? There were a few keepsakes of mine one of those guys took from me."
"I don't make a habit of looting."
"I've got the water," Gon rushes back into the room. Kurapika lifts his head, but keeps his hands on my arms to keep standing. Gon compensates by lifting the cup to his lips and tilting it up for him. Kurapika gladly accepts, gulping down the water.
"Hydrating you should do for right now," Gon says, "but we really should get you to a hospital."
"Then let's hurry up and get there!" I maneuver Kurapika onto my back, which he doesn't resist. I don't think I've ever been to a hospital before, but I do know what it is. If that can save Kurapika, then that's where we're going.
"The closest one is twenty minutes away, and we don't have a car," Killua informs me.
"So we'll just go the same way you two got here," I reason.
"We ran."
"That's just fine, if you can keep up with me. I need you to lead me to the hospital."
"Are you alright to run?" Gon worries.
"Did you forget that I was a spider?" I smirk. "I think the adrenaline helped, but I'm quick to recover anyway. You shouldn't underestimate me."
"Then let's go!" Gon rushes. I take off, following, wincing at the same time. It does take more effort to move than usual, I'll admit, and carrying a person on my back doesn't help. I'm still able to keep up with the two younger boys, though.
We weave through the halls, only Gon bothering to avoid stepping on the corpses Killua left. One such body underfoot catches my eye and I temporarily halt the two others. They wait quietly while I strain to rummage through his pockets while keeping Kurapika situated on my back. My mood brightens when I pull out two small metal baubles from the back pocket.
While I stuff them into my pocket, Killua asks, "Where'd you get that pin?"
"My mother," I shrug, straightening and kicking the thug's corpse aside. "Whatever assassin killed her used this and a few others like it."
"You weren't close to your mother?"
"Not really. Why? You recognize the pin?" It's possible, since he's a Zoldyck.
"It belongs to my brother Illumi."
I pause, staring at my pocket. That makes three of the infamous Zoldycks I've encountered. I shouldn't be impressed -I myself am someone many people would be awed and horrified to meet- but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little pleased with myself.
"Well," I decide, "it's mine now. He's not getting it back."
"That's fine. I don't really care, but shouldn't we be going?"
With my possessions safely retrieved, we don't stop again until we've reached the glass doors of what apparently is a hospital. I'm the first one inside the building, then stop. I haven't the slightest idea what I'm doing.
Killua and Gon pass me, walking up to a desk and talking urgently to the woman behind the desk. Gon flashes his hunter's license, and she immediately calls doctors. I might have to get myself one of those hunter's licenses. Apparently, they're pretty useful.
Men and women in white coats rush out towards me, shifting Kurapika from my back and into a wheelchair. The blonde, barely awake it seems, nods to me once before he's hastily wheeled down the hallway. I follow unreserved, trailing them to the room where they lay him in a bed and begin questioning him. When he's too slow to respond, they turn to me.
"What are his symptoms? Has anything like this happened before?"
"He severely dehydrated," I shake my head. "And he hasn't eaten much these past few days." My skin prickles when I see them set up an IV, but I know it's not the same. They have no reason to weaken him any further.
"Has he been sick? A temperature or vomiting?"
"No."
"Why is he so dehydrated?"
My temper flares. "Why are you asking so much? Just make him better!"
Judging me too hostile to continue with questioning, the doctor goes back to tending the patient. I stand impatiently in the doorway while they measure his blood pressure and hook up the IV, listen to his heartbeat and check his responsiveness. While they're doing so, Killua and Gon join me in the doorway.
"How is he?" the dark haired one asks, gazing at his friend with concern plastered all over his face.
"I dunno," I grumble. "All they've been doing is asking me questions. They haven't told me anything yet. What about you two? Don't you have any questions? Like why the two of us were kidnapped?"
Gon looks up at me, dead serious. "We can talk about that once everything's calmed down. What matters right now is that you're both alright."
I blink in surprise at his matureness, then smile. "You're a good kid Gon. A really good kid. Not a fake one like I used to be."
"You're still a kid too, you know," he reminds me. I chuckle. Maybe that's true.
"Are you all his friends?" We turn to the doctor, seeing that the nurses have begun backing off their patient.
"Yeah," Gon confirms. "He's going to be okay, isn't he?"
"He needs to rest, but we've hooked him up to some liquids. He'll recover in a few days. However, he needs sleep. That means if you're worked up," he looks pointedly at me, "it would be better if you left the room. Please do not bother the patient."
"I'm not gonna-" I cut off, lowering my voice and gritting my teeth. "I won't bother him."
"Now," the doctor clicks his pen. "My name is Dr. Preston, and I've been put in charge of this patient. What is his name?"
"Kurapika," Gon answers.
"Last name?"
I look to the two others, but they both look as unsure as me. Seriously? We don't know his last name? I've never thought about it, but shouldn't one of them know it. When I glance back at Dr. Preston, he's tapping his pen against his clipboard.
"Kurta," I offer. "Kurapika Kurta."
The doctor scribbled it down without hesitation, but both of the thirteen year olds gaze up at me questioningly. Then the doctor requests, "Is there any ID this boy has?"
"I'll go get it," Killua sighs, twirling on his heel. "I'll have to do a bit of searching, but it's probably somewhere similar to where you found your stuff, Corona."
Smiling, I point out, "I thought you didn't make a habit of looting."
"It's not looting if I'm just taking back what was stolen."
The doctor ignores our exchange before nodding to us and passing us to leave the room. The nurses trail after, the last one checking the IV drip one last time. Left with just Kurapika and Gon, I enter deeper into the room and take a seat in a chair next to Kurapika's bed. He doesn't notice, already asleep. His hair's a mess, and dust isn't sparse on his skin, but he looks peaceful.
I pull my feet off the floor to sit crisscross, wincing as I do, but settling into a comfortable position. My momentary stab of pain, however, doesn't escape Gon's notice.
"Kurapika's being taken care of, but how about you?" he wonders. "Should I call a doctor?"
"I'm fine," I wave him off. "I've at least drank a little since we were captured, and injuries like these aren't enough to bother me." Still, the look on his face tells me he's not willing to let it go just like that. I sigh. "If you want to do something, you can go get me a drink of water. I may not be as bad as he is, but I'm probably fairly dehydrated myself."
He nods. Before he leaves, he suggests, "You shouldn't push yourself too hard."
Left to my own devices, I rest my head on my good knee and clench my arms around myself to keep me warm. It's not particularly cold in the hospital room, but my outfit isn't the best for air conditioned rooms. Kurapika's probably plenty warm, with his heavy clan outfit on under those blankets. If it was anyone other than him, I'd steal the covers for myself. Actually, I probably wouldn't have bothered to stay with him. I would have dropped him off in front of someone's house on the off chance that whoever living there was a good samaritan, at the most. It's a first for me, to go this far for somebody other than myself.
Slowly, I reach out and brush a speck of dust off his cheek. I've always thought him a pretty boy, but really….he's really beautiful, isn't he? I'm almost jealous of how good he looks. Almost.
Retracting my hand, I hold it in my lap as I watch him. It's like time is stopped, the only movement being his breathing, and the only sound the whirr of the air conditioning.
...and the occasional, irritating beep of one of the devices they've hooked my partner up to.
I really like this chapter. Why? Maybe because of the breakdown of walls between Corona and Kurapika. This is the chapter where we see the fruits of their time locked up together. It makes me feel all light and fluffy inside. Honestly, at times like these I realize just how much writing is my life. Whether things in the real world are going well or not, I can always turn to my writing for a happy ending. Or a tragedy to drag out some tears I can't otherwise get out. If you've read a couple of my other stories, you'll probably notice I have a thing for tragedies. I write happy endings, too, but just as those are beautiful, there's a beauty to the sad endings as well I believe. Both endings are equally wonderful to explore. And just to reassure you all, I won't just suddenly decide to rip your hearts out in the last chapter of this.
Till then, Kisses from SnowyNeko! :3 MEOW!