*Finding Leorio*
by: WhiteGloves
"Power is Might!"
Chapter 12: His Only Ally
Kurapika gaped at the man in front of him and couldn't believe what he was hearing. He looked down at the man's hand again and had to blink once to make sure he was giving him a key. Then slowly and with a crease on his eyebrows, he looked up at him again.
"You didn't have to do that!" he berated, his appreciation of the gesture drowning by the mere sight of Leorio's scar, "doing this—everything you've done! It's already enough—let's go back already!"
He reached for Leorio's outstretched arm, but instead of seizing the key, he grab his friend's wrist firmly. The two eyed each other with seriousness for a long time. In reality Kurapika didn't know how to react. How was he supposed to deal with someone he's been looking for a long time when the guy himself doesn't seem willing to listen?
I'll just have to beat him till he understands!
Gripping his hold tightly, the blonde boy saw Leorio reached for his hand and turned it up. The man then pressed the key on his hand and said quietly,
"You go back. You've already retrieve all your brother's eyes. It's better for you to make preparations and stop making them wait any further."
Kurapika stared at the key and then shot his friend a look.
"What are you?" he asked in disbelief, "You think I'll just accept this?"
"Why not?" Leorio said testily, "isn't this your aim? To collect all the eyes? You should concentrate on taking them all back now and leave everything to me."
"Leave everything to you? After you destroyed yourself you think I'll just leave everything to you!?"
As he said this, he visibly saw Leorio froze. The man seemed to have stopped breathing as well as he once again turned to his friend with a slight crease on his eyebrows.
"Destroyed myself?" he repeated with a flickering gaze at Kurapika. The blonde boy straightened a little but his eyes were still sharp as he responded in the same calm voice,
"We know who you're working with… we have ideas about what might have happened between the two of you… but I don't agree with you! You don't have to stain your hands with my enemy's blood! You didn't have to go that far, Leorio!"
They glared at each other with such intensity—it was as if they were in the middle of a duel. Kurapika just remembered how he stood in the same opposite side when he and Leorio first fought each other… but it was different now…
"I'm gonna have to tell you to stop it," he whispered seriously, "I won't let you do anything for me anymore… it's enough. Do you know the Ryodan's after you now? And that maybe even Hisoka's waiting for you outside the building? Everything's messed up! Even Gon and Killua's worried about you! So I'm telling you to stop and come with me—leave everything to me this time!"
Silence followed the boy's honest request. Leorio only gazed at him for a moment and Kurapika was alarmed by the man's impassive face. The old Leorio was much easier to read… unlike this guy…
"Kurapika," Leorio breathed in a voice so deep, Kurapika thought he wasn't the one speaking. Leorio's eyes were hidden in the shadows for some reason as he continued, "I can't argue with you right now, but I can't stop just yet."
Kurapika couldn't hide his disappointment and anger. "Why?!"
The man looked away pointedly as if unwilling to explain himself any further. What more, he was already concentrating on the sliding door with agitation as he looked from the button to the numbers indicating the floor they were in. He looked as if he was suffocating—like he can't stand being in the same place anymore. Kurapika couldn't believe what he was seeing.
Leorio was just too far already.
Kurapika grit his teeth.
"What exactly are you planning after this, Leorio?" he bellowed, making Leorio slightly pay attention, "To take all the Ryodan and die in the process? What about your own dream? What about becoming a doctor?"
Leorio didn't answer.
"You idiot…" the blonde boy hissed with a heavy heart, "you wanted to help me, I know that already… but you went too far … you're really a big dumbass!"
"Yeah," Leorio agreed silently, making Kurapika shot a look up at the man. He saw Leorio's eyes flicker with a sad smile on his face—the real Leorio. "I suppose I am."
He glanced at his friend and continued, "But I'm not changing my plan. You should go away once this is over. There's nothing for you to do here anymore."
"What do you think you're doing, ordering me around?" Kurapika retorted with hands forming fists. Leorio looked down and found the blonde boy looking at him with eyes flashing daggers, "I'm not going anywhere until you come to your senses!"
Kurapika suddenly raised his right hand and from there appeared a glove of chain. Leorio leapt back in alarm as he saw the blonde boy flex his fingers as if ready to attack with his chains slithering around like a live thing.
"Hey," Leorio muttered with a raised eyebrow, "what are you—"
"If you don't want to come with me," Kurapika whispered determinedly, "I'm just gonna have to do it by force!"
He closed his fist and immediately his chains strike toward Leorio who took one step back to avoid the blow. The end of the chain hit the wall hard, leaving a mark on it with bits of it falling on the ground.
"Hey!" Leorio shouted indignantly, "what are you doing!?"
"You must be restrained," if Kurapika wasn't wearing his contact lenses, he knew his eyes would have been bright red by now, "I won't let you do what you please if it concerns me!"
"You idiot!" Leorio shouted as he was once again attacked, he ducked to avoid it and glared at the blonde boy, "if your chains struck me—what do you think will happen to you?!"
"You're in no place to worry for me!" Kurapika bellowed heatedly as his chains attack together, leaving no place for Leorio to escape since he was in such a closed space, "I'll take you down myself!"
Metal chains started to circle Leorio and he felt them surround him. Within seconds his whole body was wrapped in Kurapika's chains, rendering him immobile and stuck on the spot.
Cursing, Leorio tried to struggle.
"It's no use," Kurapika said quietly as he flexed his finger and making the chain tightens, "I won't let you escape."
"Stop it," Leorio looked at him with a frown, "you know this only works against the Ryodan members! You're forfeiting your life by using it to me!"
"Like I said," Kurapika whispered with a sweat drop at the side of his face, feeling uneasy but determined, "you're in no place to worry for me."
Leorio stopped struggling as the two eyed each other. Just then, the elevator stopped with the bell sounding—and then it happened in a second. Kurapika felt a force reach for them from the elevator door and then there was a loud bang. The sliding doors were crashed open by a fist flying—Kurapika saw within seconds a member of the Ryodan with short blond hair—Phinks charging for an open attack. He blew the door apart with his fist directly toward Leorio.
Kurapika didn't even have time to call his friend's name as he saw the collision. Only—it wasn't what he was expecting. Leorio, who was under his chain, met Phinks powerful fist with nothing but his forehead. Kurapika gasped as the two men glared at each other with grins on their faces.
"LEORIO!"
He extracted his chain, in time to see Leorio and Phinks jump apart. Leorio's forehead was bleeding, but nonetheless intact, while Phinks stood outside the door and massaging his knuckles.
The two continued to glare at one another.
"You used your head against my fist?" Phinks started looking pissed with an angry vein popping at the side of his head, "that's insane. But the fact that you're alive means you're the guy I'm looking for."
"You sure?" Leorio wiped his bleeding head and grinned confidently, "what if you got the wrong guy?"
"I can't be wrong," Phinks muttered with eyes turning serious, "you're reeking with my comrade's blood. We could smell you from outside. You're gonna die here."
Kurapika's jaw tightened, his eyes definitely shading red behind his contacts as he heard this. So the Ryodan was really there—and they're coming for an all out war.
"Give it your best," Leorio suddenly answered that surprised Kurapika because then—he saw something dark glimmer behind Leorio's eyes, "otherwise your blood might just be added to my smell."
Phinks smiled from ear to ear and he too, reeked with a menacing aura. Kurapika took steps forward as he felt this, his chains ready and already on the move. Phinks saw him and raised an eyebrow.
"You!" he spat suddenly, "you're that chain guy!"
He then looked from Leorio to Kurapika and chuckled to himself as he continued, "I see what's going on here… that makes sense… so I'll just finish the two of you at the same time."
"I won't bet on that," Leorio's voice has gone deep. Kurapika glanced at him a little and noticed dark lines appearing under his eyes. He then felt something malevolent coming out of the man's aura that made stare for a moment.
Then Leorio's skin turned as dark as a shadow.
Kurapika would have stared at him and even called out his name—but then he felt another aura slip into them and heard something like a tune on a song. Kurapika snapped in attention and listened more. Something was moving about them—something that was making him hear a song he can only describe as something equal to death.
And then Leorio and Phinks were in battle and Kurapika raised his chain in order to attack. Leorio has completely changed within seconds and was battling with the Ryodan in an arm combat. They clasped hands together and were trying hard to push one another by force. Both were using pure power.
Kurapika on the other hand was focusing on the sound. His ears sharpened as the song began to get closer and closer—that was when he wielded his chain to his left side. He struck it to a wall and sent more chains to attack. The song stopped abruptly as Kurapika pulled his chains roughly and revealed into the light something covered in dirty bandages. He recognized the guy as one of the Ryodan named Bonolenov and sprang into action. Bonolenov rose from the ground and was trying to point his boxing gloves at Kurapika with the death song coming out of his body becoming stronger. Kurapika, however, was quick—within seconds his pact with his chain was already on the move as they circled around the bandaged guy. In that heated moment and knowing he has no time to lose, Kurapika steeled himself and struck his enemy around the chest toward its death.
Breathing heavily as he felt his chain move about him in what seemed to be pleasure, Kurapika heard a scream. He wheeled around in time to see a dark guy pinning Phinks by the wall. The dark guy, he recognized as Leorio, was reeking with a deadly aura that made Kurapika feel cold. He was holding the Ryodan's neck with one hand and was raising him higher and higher the wall. Kurapika watched as Phinks struggled with all his power, but then, Kurapika saw that the Ryodan was missing his arms. All that was there were large blots of blood falling out of his shoulders.
Kurapika felt hollow as he saw this and feared what was going to happen next as Leorio gripped his enemy's neck tightly. Phinks gritted his bloody teeth, his sharp angry eyes boring at the man who was about to kill him.
"B-bastard…" he managed to utter. Leorio didn't give the slightest inkling that he heard somebody spoke, instead, he tightened his grip.
"Leorio…" Kurapika whispered, his heart racing, "…stop it, Leorio!"
He didn't know what he would have done himself but Kurapika stood his ground with gritted teeth. For some reason, he realized Leorio was not going to listen to him either.
Kurapika's eyes sharpened. He pointed his chains hastily toward the man and let his chains out again—only it wasn't aiming for Leorio but toward a different target. Another man has appeared behind the shadow— a well known figure of a man with hair tight into a pony tail, clad in samurai attire with a katana at hand. Kurapika saw him first draw his katana with the sole aim to severe Leorio's arm—Nobunaga Hazama.
Kurapika nearly missed the samurai as Nobunaga felt his chains, but he was a second later. The blonde boy was quick witted enough to reach his sudden dodge and successfully wrapped his chains around his enemy. As he immobilized the Ryodan with powerful concentration his chain willingly obeyed, he turned to Leorio who has already killed Phinks by merely crushing his neck.
Kurapika gaped at him with a frown. He was sure Leorio had no intention of dodging the samurai's attack moments ago. It was as if the shadow himself was willing to sacrifice an arm just to end Phinks at that same second.
"OI! YOU DAMN ASSHOLE!" Nobunaga shrieked as he saw his comrade fall, "I'LL KILL YOU—I'll KILL YOU!" he fought against the chains tremendously but it was no use. Kurapika had rendered him defenceless.
"Don't move," Kurapika said as he stepped forward. The remaining Ryodan glanced at him slowly with murderous eyes and then gritted his teeth in anger.
"You…" he breathed as if it was a curse, "damn chain guy…"
Then his eyes fell on his other fallen comrade next to Kurapika's feet. Nobunaga's face contorted.
"… shit!"
Kurapika gave Nobunaga a wary look as he felt the Ryodan's aura growing stronger under his chain. He gripped his hold on him and found the samurai to be quite sturdy.
"It's no use to fight," Kurapika told him. Nobunaga threw him a death stare but before the samurai could speak, Leorio's shadow appeared in front of him and shot a hand toward his head and gripped it tightly.
"Leorio!" the blonde boy called in alarm and hastily tried to pull Nobunaga away from him but the next thing he knew—he, Kurapika, felt an agonizing pain around his middle and felt himself fly away. His back hit the near wall and he fell on the floor, coughing and gasping for breath.
"That won't do," said a languid voice on top of him and Kurapika forced himself to look up with a pained expression on his face, "you can't get in the way."
In front of him, Kurapika saw a tall, slim guy with a mask like face and black hair. He was wearing a black suit and was carrying something on his shoulder but there was no mistaking who he was: the Black List Hunter, Rye Shin.
"You…" the blonde boy gasped, trying to raise himself to his knees and clutching on his stomach. It seemed that this guy knocked him off for whatever crazy reason, "Rye Shin…"
"My name precedes me," the man smiled and straightened himself, "seemed like you found out I was with him, huh? Quite sharp for another Black List hunter. But you can't interfere. This is his game."
Kurapika then remembered his chain lost its effect and looked at where Nobunaga was standing. His eyes bulged as he saw Leorio's arm already protruding on Nobunaga's back, clearly killing him in that single blow. Kurapika frowned as he realized it doesn't make sense—just a moment ago, Nobunaga was reeking with a nasty nen.
Rye Shin then smiled down at him as if able to read his mind.
"Shutting his nen was so very easy," he said impassively and Kurapika understood. Rye Shin manipulated Nobunaga's nen to shut off so that Leorio could kill him easily. That was what he did.
"Leorio," Rye Shin walked toward the shadow and pats his shoulder, "sorry I made your kill fast but we don't have time. Authorities are swarming the area, we need to go. Oh, that reminds me, I have a gift for you."
Kurapika strained himself to get up and saw Rye pat the thing lying on his shoulder this time. The blonde boy realized that it was a human being—but then, not just any being but a familiar short guy with black hair with a skullhead scarf that covers his mouth—Ginei Ryodan's Feitan.
"This guy attacked me," Rye went on looking extremely pleased, "he's very persistent but he's a talent. We can have a better use for him."
Leorio's shadow disappeared and all that was left was the man himself staring at Feitan.
"That leaves us with three more Ryodan," he breathed as he stared down at his bloody hands, "three more…"
"Make it four," Rye said and ushered the man toward the empty hallway, "four more."
The two of them started to walk away, leaving the blonde boy with three dead bodies around him. Kurapika opened his mouth to call his friend but then found his whole body immobilize and his voice strained. With eyes widening, he looked at Rye Shin who was also looking at him in amusement.
Then somebody spoke out of nowhere—inside his head.
I told you don't get in the way. He won't listen to anyone.
Right now, I'm his only ally.
-To Be Continued-
Kurapika's dilemma in the next chapter:
His Time
Thanks for Reading!