*Finding Leorio*

by: WhiteGloves

"'You don't know of the darkness within the human heart!'

-Netero to Meruem.

Chapter 6: His Consequences (part 1)

*Flashback a year ago*

The last time he was the same person...

A man in his early twenties is seen walking in the busy street of the metropolitan. It was a chilly evening and the sidewalk was busy of people striding around in hurry to catch their dinner or the last train. Nothing was of interest around except the challenge of the chilly atmosphere.

And the lone man kept his pace, not minding the busy souls busting in around him. He was wearing a long brown coat to protect himself against the cold. He was a man with a short hair and an ordinary appearance. Simple and average as he may seem, he was actually a licensed hunter.

Leorio stopped briefly to look around him wondering where his feet had taken him this time. Tucked on his arm was a book he bought from the nearby store. He had been preparing for his exams for quite some time now and cannot afford to slack off. He will be a doctor, he had pinned that on his wall.

That was when an unusual feeling caught his senses and he stopped moving. The man just stopped walking that made the people behind him to avoid his statue. He was like a stone in the flow of water. Then the feeling was gone.

Leorio blinked before he could feel his body again. With a confused expression, he looked around but the crowd continued to move on as if nothing happened. They didn't feel anything, or if they did they were showing ignorance to it. They were pretty good at showing indifference, the doctor thought.

With a slight crease on his eyebrows, Leorio turned and continued walking. If only anyone had shown the same feeling, then maybe he wouldn't feel like a fool. It was difficult to be surrounded by common people, he decided. And what was that feeling just then? Was someone so powerful closing around the area under his very nose?

The answer came from the corner of his eyes. Leorio had glimpsed them when he turned a wrong look as he walked. His eyes fell across the street and saw them standing in front of a luxury hotel. Leorio couldn't be mistaken as for the second time that night, his body went rigid.

Three of the Ginei Ryodan were present before his eyes. A girl with pink hair tucked into a pony, a man with brown hair and an innocent face and the last one was a small creature with too much hair. Leorio gulped and then spotted a nearby phone boot. There, he quickly stepped inside and pretended to call somebody. He knew he was giving himself out if he just stood there staring at them.

Now the next thing, what should he do?

He tried to act casual, but couldn't help feeling nervous. He wondered what these criminals were doing out in the open in the city. Probably night hunting again… but who were they hunting?

A flash of face suddenly struck Leorio that made him held his breath for a second. Then gritting his teeth, he threw the group a suspecting side look.

Were they looking for Kurapika? He battled on his mind. But Gon said their members were concentrating on finding an exorcist. Were they able to find one and successfully removed Kurapika's chain to the boss that now they are out on the prowl to finish what they started?

Leorio hurried and took out his phone. Staring at it intently, he wondered if he should call Kurapika and warn him. Will Kurapika be able to do something about it in short notice? And will the blonde boy be fine with the whole gang of Ryodan right after his back? The last time Leorio saw him, he had a break down because of the pressure of his ability. With the whole gang after him, Leorio just knew Kurapika wouldn't survive… no matter how damn powerful his chains were… Kurapika will die.

The thought sent a chill down Leorio's spine that he nearly destroyed his phone. Kurapika, who had gone on his way just to face the ugly truth of his fate, was out there still fighting while here he was standing and cowering at the mere sight of the enemy. How could Kurapika even thought of standing on the opposing side against these people!?

And then a soft voice at the back of his mind wondered…If they all got destroyed, Leorio thought, what of his friend? Will his friend be finally unchained from his past and live somewhere out there—like him spending it living in the norms? Worrying about passing exams and filling his stomach…

A lingering thought followed this stream.

Can he still be saved?

The thought of a friend dying suddenly weighed unconsciously on Leorio's mind. His book fell sadly on his feet with a thud but the man gave it no attention as he buried his face on his palms. Even without admitting it loudly, and he was sure even Gon and Killua were aware… that Kurapika had chosen a path of no return.

Even if it all ended, Kurapika will die.

His eyes bulged and he shot a look upward in time to see the three Ryodan joined by a small man with dark hair. The four discussed for a bit, and then got on the black car in front of them and were soon out of sight. Leorio grinded his teeth as he jumped out of the boot to follow them on foot in a hurry. He didn't want to call Kurapika. He didn't want the Ryodan to know he was there either. But there was this feeling inside him that never wanted them to get away.

If he could only do something other than running.

Leorio ran on his feet with a wild look on his eyes. He went pass the ordinary people, even cursing them for blocking his way. He crossed the street, nearly missing a car's bumper, and dived on the sidewalk and continued running. He saw the car turned around the corner and cursed again as he gained speed. As he turned the same corner, he was surprised to see the car parked some meters from him, that made him stop abruptly with his heart pounding against his chest.

Breathless, Leorio's mind raced. Did they notice someone was following them? Leorio didn't move a muscle as he remembered how terribly cautious these people were… and how he and his friends spent days monitoring them from different angle and distance. Just him running after them so closely was like a moth flying toward fire… or web, in his situation.

Now what…? He clenched his hands. Surely they will remember him… surely they know who he was…

The car door suddenly opened. Leorio felt a trickle of sweat slid down the side of his face.

What the heck was he doing!?

Leorio blankly stood there as he battled within, not noticing a shadow that suddenly pressed itself in front of him. Aware then that someone was there, Leorio held his breath. Was it one of them?

"You dropped this," said a light voice and offered Leorio's book back.

Leorio looked up in surprise to find himself face to face with a man he had never seen before. He gaped, seeing as the man stood between him and the car. Then his eyes went pass the guy's shoulder to the car but he saw that it was already gliding away.

Leorio made to follow—but then found himself unable to move. The hell…?

"They already noticed you," said the unknown stranger in a calm voice, "following them again would be the end."

Leorio glared at the guy with a crease on his eyebrow. Was it his doing?

"Oi," he said gruffly, "mind your own business."

He found then that he could move again and started walking away. He suddenly found himself wishing he was far away from this guy but the man's voice called him back.

"I see. So you are desperate to die? Why don't I finish you here?"

Leorio whipped around as he felt the same aura he had first felt that evening. It was the same chilling feeling that sent his heart pumping even before he saw the Ryodan. Looking behind him now, he suddenly realized the source of that power.

The man continued standing there with a placid look on his mask like face that looked neither happy nor sad. He was still clutching the book on his hand and was ever eager to pass it on.

Leorio licked his dry lips and took the book back calmly. Didn't he drop this somewhere around the phone booth? He eyed the guy shrewdly. Was this guy following him around?

Leorio didn't like him. He didn't like the guy one bit.

"Now," the strange man suddenly started again with a hint of enthusiasm on his voice, "would you mind telling me, why a common guy like you, be after the back of people like them?"

Leorio stared him straight in the eye. The man's slit eyes were closed as if it was really a mask. He couldn't help but think that he had seen that same expression before… no… he knew that kind of expression alright. It can only remind him of another horrible person.

"So what if I tell you?" Leorio's temper was getting the best of him despite feeling uncomfortable around the strange man, "I've already lost sight of them and god knows when I'll find those people again. Tse… it's because you had to interfere. So what do you want? You didn't just pick my book up and ran after me like what you're implying. Who are you?"

It was strange that although he was feeling furious at being stopped, he also couldn't help feeling relieved. What he did back then was definitely dangerous… but his lack of help toward Kurapika—even though his former companion wasn't asking for it—made him feel useless.

That was the right word.

"I see," the man said with just a little hint of interest showing on his face, "temper and agitation got the best of you. Quite reckless and foolish. Typical of humans with such emotion, yet too weak."

Leorio's jaw tightened and he clutched his fist.

"Hey…" he whispered with pounding anger, "what did you just say?"

The strange man suddenly eyed him too, and for a moment, Leorio thought he had seen the pitch of darkness in his soul—which gave him the chills that didn't have anything to do with the weather.

Then the strange man spoke again, this time his voice was casual.

"If you really want to find those guys again then go ahead. They are headed to the borders of the city, to the east. You'll find an empty site in there. That is where they gather. Not that I can see you getting anywhere close. You'll be dead before you even see the tallest building."

Leorio gaped again. It suddenly registered to his mind that this strange guy knew the location of the Ginei Ryodan. Just who is this guy?

"How did you know that?" he asked, feeling a sudden burn of curiosity in his heart, "how did you know they were there?"

"I've seen them," the man answered simply and Leorio was lost for words. A guy who can actually watch the Ginei Ryodan in their hideout without being seen… was as much as a monster as they all are.

The strange guy then was eyeing Leorio's expression with mild interest once more.

"So you are not really as average looking as you seem," he told Leorio conversationally, "despite being among this crowd of people, you actually possess something that will define you different from them. You actually are a licensed hunter."

Leorio felt his body went rigid as the guy stared at him with his black eyes. For some reason he felt exposed to danger again. The stranger was merely looking at him but he could feel those black eyes already going through his body.

"You feel that don't you?" the guy smiled at him, "it's always been something to find a grain in the middle of the desert. What more—you seem to know them. Grudge? Revenge? I am really interested with what you are after, Leorio."

That did it. Leorio couldn't remember when he ever told that guy his name—no wait, he never did! Finding it hard to comprehend, Leorio took cautious steps backwards with a hard look on the guy.

"You're annoying," he said with a frown, "how did you know my name? And why are you even talking to me? I don't understand… a guy like you…what do you want?"

The man simply faced him.

"I returned your book," he answered plainly, and then he turned his back to Leorio with a casual shrug. Before he took his first step, however, he glanced over his shoulder for the last time, "if you want to chase them then go ahead. But the way you are right now—you are running to your death without even a decent fight. Desperate as you are, you don't stand a chance."

He started walking away. But that as it may, Leorio thought he could still hear the man's voice inside his head that struck him odd for he was far away already.

But if you want to achieve power to fight them, I can help you.

Leorio stared at the man's back.

Power?

The man's voice lingered in his head—the voice so convincing, yet so mysterious.

Let's strip you off your human face, Leorio.

Leorio shook his head and wondered if what he heard just then was his own. He looked up and saw the man disappear along the crowd. A sudden impulse to follow made Leorio take a step forward. Does he really need power, he thought.

He glanced behind him to the place where the Ryodan's car disappeared.

Then, without a pause, Leorio went to follow the strange man whose name he didn't even know.

-To Be Continued-

What is the stranger planning? A desperate Leorio will appear-

Find out what he sacrificed in the next chapter:

His Consequences 2

Thanks for Reading!