*Finding Leorio*

by: WhiteGloves

"Thank you for turning yet another chapter!"

(Memories of the past)

Hanzo : I found something !
Kurapika : Oh, wow ! That's the ceremonial crown of Jerra III, also know as The Tragic Prince. He was lost at sea on his coronation day in the sixteenth century !
Leorio : What ?!
Kurapika : It's common knowledge to anyone who's trying to be a Hunter...
Gon : I found something too ! Look at it !
Kurapika : That's the Legendary Scepter of the Sun, which was supposed to be presented to the queen of Eng in the 18th century, but mysteriously dissapeared ! It must be worth hundreds of millions !
Leorio : WHAT ?! I can't be sitting around here !
*He undresses and jumps*
Kurapika : ... Or it could just be a bedpost.

*Leorio hits the side of the ship*

Chapter 4: His Whereabouts

Kurapika's eyes flickered at the idea that Killua has just imposed. He remembered full well the night where Leorio showed himself to him in that highly suspicious manner. He still couldn't understand the man, but Kurapika knew one thing about it: he didn't like it.

"That's not right," Gon said after awhile with a crease on his eyebrows, "why would Leorio want to take down the Ryodan? That's very dangerous!"

"Maybe he's gone senile," Killua shrugged airily, "or he's probably lost the will to live."

"But killing them is not like Leorio!" Gon insisted, rising from his chair and eagerly facing Killua.

"We know," Killua knocked on Gon's head to keep him on his chair, "that's why the first thing we should be asking ourselves is why he's doing it?"

He shot a long look at where Kurapika was standing and Gon followed his eyes. Senritsu also looked at the leader of their group with a worried frown on her face. She could sense Kurapika with the same feeling all over again…anger, turbulence, worry, and hatred… then out of nowhere… indifference.

"I don't know for what reason," Kurapika whispered quietly that made everyone look at him, "I don't know why he's doing it… but I want to put a stop to it."

The blond boy clutched his fist tightly and Senritsu could never mistake that feeling of guilt deep inside her friend's heart. Kurapika's jaw tightened.

"This is not his fight. There's no way I'd let him get involved in it again."

But no sooner than he said that, Kurapika was in it for another surprise as the next day he was greeted by Senritsu and Killua banging on his door.

"Kurapika! Kurapika!"

Kurapika, who was absorbed about the intel of the billionaire with Kuruta eyes, jumped out of his chair and dashed toward the door. When he opened it he found the two out of breath and on Senritsu's hand was another vessel container that contains the Kuruta's red eyes. The blonde boy could only gape at it.

"Where?!" Kurapika stammered and the two pointed at the main stairs. The blond boy didn't waste a moment and ran down. He found the main lobby of the hotel filled with people but there was no sign of Leorio among them.

"Kurapika," Gon ran beside Kurapika and shook his head, "he's gone."

Kurapika looked around at Gon and then toward the door of the hotel with a furious look.

"That bastard!" he shouted as he banged his fist on the wall of his room. He was back there half an hour later with Gon and Senritsu watching him. The newly delivered vessel with a pair of Kuruta eyes were staring blankly at them as it swam inside its container.

"Kurapika…" Gon whispered with a deep look of concern while Senritsu remained quiet about her companion's troubled heart.

Kurapika took his moment, and then sighed. He has already sent his people to hunt for Leorio again, and Killua even offered to investigate on fresh grounds but, there was no report of finding the said man. He was gone.

Gon quietly bowed his head and looked at the letter on his hand. It was the note that came together with the vessel with Leorio's note in it that said:

Just be patient.

Gon stared at the letter soon and then glanced at his friend.

"Leorio's collecting all the red eyes for you… are you angry at him for that?"

Kurapika closed his eyes and allowed his heart to settle before turning to his young companion.

"Gon… it's not as easy as it looks like," he started with a hard expression as he gazed on Leorio's letter, "It's not that I'm not grateful for what he's doing… but I'm extremely disturbed by how he's doing it. Retrieving all these eyes is not easy. They have been sold worldwide to people who have connection to the underground world… in short—they're dangerous people. I've been trying to locate these eyes for a year and look at how many I've found so far. That is because the people who have them are secretive and elusive! And then Leorio—that guy's retrieved two pairs in a matter of months! And on top of that… he's going after the Ryodan… it's not something so simple… even you would worry about how reckless he is."

Gon gaped at Kurapika as he tried to grasp the situation. As the boy fell into silent stupor, Kurapika walked around the room with Leorio's letter. Using his zetsu to detect its owner was useless… it would seem that Leorio has learned to conceal it too…

"Kurapika?" Gon called once again.

Kurapika blinked with a start and then slowly looked at the boy once more.

Gon was staring at him transfixed again.

"Leorio is hunting the brigade members and hunting for the Kuruta eyes… if that is so, then the reason is clear too, right? We don't have to ask why he's doing it too."

His words came out simple, but Kurapika was still startled by it. Senritsu's eyes danced from Gon to Kurapika meaningfully before giving out a calm sigh. Gon, she thought, really has a clear mind.

Kurapika was saved from a response when all of a sudden the door burst open and in came Killua.

"Kurapika!" he shouted, "I've got a lead!"

They all followed the Zoldyck boy toward the computer screen where he started typing as fasts he could. When he finished, he showed the screen to them. Kurapika's eyes widened when he saw the familiar profile presented on him.

"That's the billionaire Heiz Max I've been looking up to this month," he said with a frown. Killua nodded and then clicked a news update that was added on the site. It showed a picture of Heiz's mansion with a lot of authority personnel surrounding the area.

"Heiz's mansion was robbed just last night," Killua said as Kurapika stared at the screen. The boy clicked on some pictures that showed destroyed security machines and an opened vault. He also highlighted footage of the thing that was described as missing.

Kurapika, Gon and Senritsu's eyes widened as they saw the vessel of scarlet red eyes on the screen.

"That's impossible," Kurapika whispered as he looked from the screen to the now third vessel in his room, "do you mean to say this is the pair from Heiz's vault?"

"Exactly," Killua said as he straightened up, "there's no other way to describe it… it's just too much of a coincidence."

"But how did he get this information… Heiz's very protective of his treasures…" Kurapika looked back at the photos with a deep frown, "and how does he sneak into this high security vaults without detection?"

He looked at Killua who merely only snorted.

"Do you really need to ask?" the boy asked him testily that made Kurapika stood straight. "He's with a notorious black list hunter! Really, that old man's got some guts to be doing all these ridiculous things out of whim! Anyways, are we going after him or not?"

"What?"

Killua smiled sneakily as he raised a paper on his hand.

"Leorio's not the only one who can hunt." He said with a grin.

Gon and Senritsu remained quiet for the rest of the trip inside a black van while Kurapika and Killua discussed. The paper seemed to be from the person who delivered the vessel inside a black bag. The person left the counter right after giving the name to whom it should be delivered. It so happens then that that morning, Killua and Senritsu were discussing something on the lobby when they saw the transaction. Killua immediately sprang to action when he saw the man but the man disappeared in the crowd, leaving but a paper on the floor. When Senritsu joined him and asked what the matter was the clerk on the counter recognized him to be Kurapika's companion. There the clerk gave the black bag and when the two opened it…

"This paper is half of the note that Leorio gave you," Killua was saying to Kurapika, "if what you told me is correct then he manipulated that note and severed his nen abilities to it… but since he's not that too careful… look at this…"

Killua raised the paper and used his zetsu. Everyone else followed his example and soon enough they could see Leorio's nen encircling the paper and pointing ahead.

"We've got him," Killua grinned wickedly as Gon cheered. Kurapika calmly nodded and then stared ahead, with eyes determined and eagerness to see the end of the little problem he's got. He remained silent as Gon and Killua talked but the way his jaw was tightening was enough to tell what was on his mind. Senritsu could see it all.

They arrived at an old apartment.

"So much for being discreet," Killua murmured as he looked up and down the rundown building.

They headed directly to where the nen was pointing. With hurried pace, the four ran till they reached the fourth floor. Upon reaching the floor they saw the emitting nen pointing at the second door to their left. Everybody stopped moving at once.

"He's there," Killua crumpled the paper on his hands. "Let's not give him a reason to run—"

But Kurapika's eyes slightly widened and he immediately strode toward the doorway and kicked it open—

"Leorio!" he yelled heatedly as the door blew apart. Gon, Killua and Senritsu were left staring at the blonde boy with their jaws dropped open.

"…that just now…" Gon tried to say, "Kurapika's not planning to beat Leorio, right?"

"I think he means to…" Killua chuckled at the notion and followed Kurapika inside.

"Wait…" Gon said as he followed Senritsu in and able to look around the room. "Is Leorio… really here?"

The four cornered room was stone cold and like its outer appearance, it looked abandoned for years. The windows were sealed with plank of woods, and the walls were full of cracks. There on the floor stood a small tattered wood box and on top of it was a bottle. There seemed to be no one inside as far as Gon can tell.

Kurapika walked in the middle of the room, knelt beside the wooden box and touched the bottle.

"It's half empty," he said quietly.

"He's been here," Killua said after a moment as he picked up something on the floor. It was another half of the paper which was emitting the nen they were following, "tch… lost the trail, huh?"

"Everyone…" Senritsu called softly after a moment as he stood on the left side of the room where linens were scattered on the floor. Kurapika stood up and he and the boys headed toward where Senritsu was standing. They saw scraps of linens on the floor but what made their eyes flicker in alarm were the blood stains on it. It was clear red that suggests it was fresh.

Gon knelt down and touched the linens looking worried.

"This blood... you don't think...?" he shot the question at Killua who narrowed his eyes.

"Well, if he's really the man whose doing all the sort of stuff I'm thinking then it's highly probable that he is. That is—if he's really the person residing this room. I won't put it up against him to be uninjured especially after what he did last night—"

Kurapika stared hard and long at the linen and didn't say anything for long.

He already knew the answer without even asking... why Leorio was doing what he was doing. He had known Leorio for a long time already. He knew his friend was just trying to help. He had known for a long time that Leorio's type was a meddler too. Someone who never thinks twice when trying to help someone in need... not less, a friend. Same with Gon and Killua. And he also knew back then when he told Leorio about his tribe he was letting in someone that could hinder his plan in the future. But he couldn't help not confiding with him because Leorio was a guy you'd trust. He had tried to act unkindly, but still Leorio was there to listen. And then before he knew it, he found himself looking after him and even after Gon... That was why he regarded them with most concern.

But now it all ended up to this. Now that he thought about it, that must've been a very foolish choice on his part. It wasn't his plan to stick with them for long... but somehow during the course he found wishing to be with them longer... Making friends with people who'd want to help and risk their lives in the process... why didn't he even think of that before?

"Kurapika?" Gon inquired, his large eyes boring on the blond boy. Kurapika was startled for a moment and his eyes fell on Gon. The boy blinked worriedly, making Kurapika sigh and look down at the stained linen once more.

It was already too late and he realized he would never regret meeting these people. But what Leorio was doing was too much for him to tolerate. Leorio didn't need to go that far. Leorio didn't have to do all of that for his sake—!

Just then, running footsteps could be heard approaching them from the door. Killua and Gon both straightened up as Senritsu looked from the door to Kurapika.

The blonde boy stood up hastily to face the person who was running towards them with expectant eyes.

Was it Leorio?

-To Be Continued-

next Kurapika's gonna be making another frantic call, but to who?

in the next chapter:

His Darkness

Thanks for Reading!