Chapter 26: His favorite color

"Love is simply an electrical bug in the human neural circuit."

-Akasaka Ryuunosuke-

"Prickly pear?" Kurapika frowned at the glass of strange, pinkish-red liquid in Melody's hand.

"Yes. I had one of the hotel staff blend it into juice." The music hunter said, "Do you want me to keep watch on her so you can go and take a rest?"

"No, it's fine. I'll give her the juice." Kurapika said, fetching the drink from Melody.

"Alright, I'll take my leave first." Melody said before she whirled away with a secret, knowing smile.

By the time Kurapika came back inside the hotel room, Clandestia was already up.

The young professor was perching on the side of the bed, with her head buried in her hands.

"You're alright?"

"No." She winced, looking up at him groggily, still far from being sober. "My head keeps spinning. Like... Viennese waltz."

"Serves you right." He said jestingly.

"Jerk!" She laughed.

"Take this. They said it'll help." He said with a hint of pity, pulling a chair to sit beside her bed and offering the juice to her.

Clandestia curiously squinted her eyes at the red liquid.

"Prickly pear," Kurapika explained. "Courtesy of Leorio." He added with a snort. The guy was decent enough to send the fruit to their hotel.

"Oh... Agua de Tuna. The Mexican drink." She uttered, reaching her hand out to grab it. But she staggered and missed it.

"Stupid drink! It's doing a Mexican dance by itself. I just can't hold it!" She scowled, shaking her head impatiently.

"That doesn't make sense. You held your liquor fairly well just an hour ago. No?" He deadpanned.

"Quit teasing me, Kurapika!" She pouted, looking at him with her heartbreaking eyes. "A little help here, please?"

The corners of his lips raised up in amusement.

"You're impossible." He complained, with a faint chuckle, dipping the straw into the glass and guiding it to her mouth. The tips of his fingers briefly grazed her lips and he tensed up.

So... soft, he thought; his eyes involuntarily lingered on her lips. They were moving in and out in a gentle rocking motion as she sucked in the juice. And because she was still drunk, she had that dreamy, sultry look as she eagerly latched on the straw.

She looked... dangerously provocative!

Kurapika was an utterly inexperienced guy in the field but he was not oblivious. He was already seventeen. He had no interest in the subject but he was, of course, not some kind of caveman lacking sex education. He just did not care about anything else but pursue the Phantom Troupe. Unlike Leorio or other guys his age, he had never bothered himself with the opposite sex. Well, that was how it'd been until recently.

Now? He was not so sure.

Clandestia finally released the straw and slowly licked her red-tainted lips, making a soft, breathy "ummm".

It might be an innocent purr she made in her drunken stage but with the pinkish flush on her face and her weirdly satisfied expression, it sounded... inappropriate in many ways.

The blond Kurta abruptly looked away, feeling the heat blatantly creep up his face in both awkwardness and… something else.

What in the fucking hell am l thinking? He shuddered, horrified by his own thoughts which he didn't know he was capable of thinking!

"This juice looks plain weird." He heard Clandestia sigh.

For a moment, Kurapika almost thought that she was saying that he was weird. He wouldn't have any counter to that though.

"Like a blend of bubble gum pink and watermelon red." She added.

Kurapika let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. She was finally done taking the drink and it felt like decades had passed.

That damn cactus juice!

"What's your favorite color, Kurapika?" Clandestia suddenly asked, "The Nostrade girls are dying to know!" She added with a sly grin.

"I don't have one." He said reluctantly, still unable to look at her.

Clandestia frowned at him, looking completely unconvinced.

"You've never taken this off." She murmured, leaning over to him and touching the red jewel on his left ear. "So it's my best bet. You like red?" She asked hopefully.

The sudden sensation of her fingers brushing his ear made him involuntarily turn back.

With her leaning towards him, her face was suddenly just mere inches away from his.

His eyes widened at her innocent, curious stare.

Maybe it was because he knew that she was drunk and she would forget everything by tomorrow, he felt like being a little bold.

"No." He replied.

"It's purple!" Kurapika whispered, gazing into Clandestia's deep amethyst eyes with a sense of longing that he didn't think he would ever have.

The young professor looked surprised. The purple hue in her eyes seemed to brighten. And Kurapika held his breath, anticipating …something.

Something that he wasn't even sure about.

"Kurapika…" She said, clumsily pulling his face even closer to hers that they were almost touching.

Kurapika wasn't sure if it was just his wishful thinking that the way his name rolled off her tongue sounded so... delicate!

It was more like a prayer than just a name.

Hints of red slowly invaded his gray eyes from the rising emotion.

Time seemed to have come to a halt and Kurapika found himself looking at her lips again.

Lips that were smeared with the red cactus juice.

Their faces drew a little closer and their noses were already touching.

"Purple?" She repeated his answer in a soft whisper.

Her hot breath tickled his sensitive skin. He gulped, feeling his throat dry up. His breathing was labored which was making everything worse because his brain was growing hazy from the lack of oxygen and it hindered his ability to think.

Kurapika found it increasingly harder to resist the urge to finally lean in and taste the red cactus juice on her lips.

"Tia…" He murmured; his voice turned husky.

If he didn't know it any better, he'd be convinced that he was having a cardiac arrest. The sound of his own violent heartbeats resonated like a bomb timer now.

As their lips were about to touch, Clandestia suddenly chuckled.

"You can't be serious, right?" She said to a very befuddled blond Kurta.

"Not that I have anything against purple! Just…didn't see that coming!" She giggled groggily, "What a girlish choice!"

Holy...!

Kurapika definitely felt like something had just freaking died inside him.

All the anticipation disappeared into thin air at her merciless, oblivious smile.

He slumped back into his seat, in a complicated mixture of embarrassment and at the same time, great relief! The latter was due to the fact that he did not want to take advantage of the young professor when she was already so drunk.

At least in his rational mind!

"You should sleep now." He said, with a spent look on his face.

Clandestia, already bone-tired, obediently complied and sank into her bed.

It was a close call. He exhaled.

For the love of God, he wouldn't want to come off as a scoundrel like Leorio and he refused to act like some hormone-raging guys his age.

But it was truly… nerve-wracking.

For the first time, he begrudgingly felt like he could relate to those scoundrels. Just for a fleeting moment though!

The blond Kurta finally got up to his feet and hastily turned on his heels, eager to make his escape.

Before he could move away, the young professor suddenly grabbed onto one of his hands.

"Don't go!" Clandestia uttered.

"Stay with me," She pleaded. "Please?"

Stay?

In the same room with her? After he almost kissed her? He gulped.

It was absolutely a bad idea!

Was she… deliberately teasing him?

Kurapika swore he was starting to hear voices in his head.

So he turned around and sent her a very perplexed look, only to be taken aback by her unexpected expression.

"If you go now, this might all turn into a dream." She murmured, a little melancholic this time.

He instantly furrowed his brows.

Why does she suddenly sound so… uncertain?

"Meeting you, Killua, Leorio, Gon and Melody. It all feels like a dream!" She confessed softly.

The crease on his forehead deepened at her words.

She looked so insecure, unlike her usual sagacious, persistent self. So he sat down on the bed, next to her.

"I'll stay." He said. "Until you sleep."

"Thank you." She said, "I finally… finally found people that accept me for who I am. You make me feel like I could face myself head-on now. So I don't want this to be just a dream!"

Kurapika wasn't the least bit convinced that this was all just senseless drunk talking.

That fleck of pain mixed with fondness in her eyes was real.

Then it occurred to him that she had never truly opened up to him about her past, despite already knowing a fair share about him.

He knew very little about her. Most of the time, she seemed too reluctant to talk about herself at all.

Clandestia, as he had come to know, was resilient, stubbornly patient, and warm but she always seemed to secretly set a boundary with others which she camouflaged with smiles and her quirky lines. Whatever troubles she was having, which obviously existed, she just never felt like sharing.

When he accused her of leaving the Nostrade bodyguards to meet their demise at the auction, she didn't even give him any explanation. It was ironic that Eliza had to be the one to tell him the truth. It could be either she didn't give a damn about his opinions of her or she just wanted to keep him in the dark for some reason. He didn't believe it was the former though.

And it appeared that only when she was this drunk, she would allow him to take a peek into her true feelings.

Just…why? He frowned. Why are you making that face?

"This isn't a dream." He said anyway, clasping her hand with his. "This is our reality!"

Before finally surrendering to sleep, Clandestia smiled.

A pensive, wistful smile that confused him even more.

And there it came, the familiar dull, squeezing pain in his chest. The kind of pain only she could induce.

When would you finally rely on me, Tia? He thought, pushing a few brown strands out of her sleeping face.

Neon Nostrade was giddy that morning.

The young fortune teller was grinning slyly and giggling like a mad woman. It set all the Nostrade maids and bodyguards accompanying her on edge because nothing good would come out of Neon's sly grins.

They were on the Nostrade private jet, flying back to the family estate. And Neon being suspiciously happy for no reason made everyone tense up, anticipating her to fucking pull some stunt on them.

"Did something good happen, Milady?" Melody asked nervously.

"Ah, yes yes. Indeed! It's more than good!" Neon's grin grew wide and Melody immediately thought of Maleficent plotting an evil plan.

"Anyway… I'm gonna ask you something." Neon said, motioning for Melody to come closer. "You might know the details better than me."

The music Hunter reluctantly leaned over.

"It's Kurapika and Tia…" Neon whispered into her bodyguard's ear. "I think they're secretly hooking up."

"Oh… what makes you think so, Milady?" Melody asked anxiously.

"I saw him walking out of my cousin's bedroom very late last night." Neon said in a hushed voice. "You're closest to Kurapika, aren't you? So you had to know what's going on!"

"That's nothing unusual." The music Hunter smiled wryly. "He's the head bodyguard. Whether it's you or Miss Clandestia, it's his job, no it's our job to check on you both as closely as we can."

"Meanie Melody, don't gimme that look. And don't tell me you have no idea. I'm not buying it!" Neon whined, pointing an accusing finger at the music Hunter. "It was that late, you know!"

"So hurry up and fill me in on the details already!" The fortune teller exclaimed, clapping her hands excitedly.

"I assure you, Milady. It had to be some urgent personal errand that the Lady required. Kurapika IS a proper guy. He would never, in any way, act unprofessionally towards his bosses!" Melody defended the blond co-worker, trying not to flinch.

To be honest, the music Hunter wasn't at all confident about her own statement. Sure, Kurapika IS a strait-laced proper guy. But she could tell from his very confused heartbeats that he had harbored complicated feelings for Clandestia. Neon might not hold ill intentions toward the blonde but words could travel fast. It was his job in jeopardy here!

"Mouuuu, you're no fun!" Neon pouted.

"Lady Neon, if you don't believe me, you may ask Miss Clandestia directly." Melody sighed.

"Like she would ever admit it herself!" Neon turned away, sulking.

"But never mind. I'll find out in no time. They must be enjoying themselves now."

Neon leaned back into her seat, humming a tune, and continued admiring the body part items collected from the auction.

Basho sighed, glancing at the front row of the airship.

He had been doing this for a while now.

He had no idea why Neon suddenly wanted to sit on a different airship with Melody and Linsen, leaving him and Kurapika guarding Clandestia.

Not that he had any problem with Clandestia or Kurapika.

But he had a problem with whatever conversation they were having.

At first, it was friendly banter, then it turned into an in depth argument about some scientific fact that sounded like aliens' language to him.

He had no idea what they were talking about. Neither did he understand how such a quirky topic could be discussed for like… an hour!

Fucking nerds. They sure enjoy making other people feel stupid! Basho thought, putting a headphone over his ears and tuned in some songs on the radio.

Clandestia had always been diligent in school. Sure, she had been considered a prodigy for obtaining high academic achievements at a fairly young age. But only she knew that she had to work her ass off for whatever title she was having. Hell, she spent her teenage years devotedly researching to improve herself because her co-workers (who were mostly men twice or triple her age) normally did not take her seriously because she was just a young girl.

And while she was an expert in her field, she couldn't be as knowledgeable in other fields. Spare time was very meager for a healthcare worker like her and she was not as much a born genius. Sure, she had a decent brain but mostly she was a hard-earned achiever.

Since she took pride in her hard work being paid off by real knowledge, she hardly enjoyed people blatantly pointing out what she did not know. It's just a professor's ego. She knew it was just her being silly but she couldn't help it, especially if the one challenging her was a male counterpart. Because she had been taken lightly by men for most of the time being in her profession.

For her, Kurapika just happened to be the next worst debate rival.

As she was already aware, he had a vast knowledge about almost every field. He was what they called a walking encyclopedia. Literally! As if that wasn't enough, he was also a strong fighter.

The guy himself was the epitome of an excellently balanced Hunter, with both the brain and the brawn.

And it irked people because he did everything so effortlessly.

Unlike her, he was a true-born genius!

Clandestia had nothing against that but the guy had one annoying trait. Because he was naturally awesome, he had extra high expectations and came off as a perfectionist. He just jumped at every chance to correct any mistake that he saw or heard.

There was a super thin line between being a genius and a know-it-all.

"Okay..." Clandestia sighed. "Your point of view was interesting but Pluto is definitely a dwarf planet! It's made official in published journals of science."

"That's because you haven't read enough." The blond Kurta said matter of factly. "And why are we on this again?"

It started with them hearing some random news about space travel and she asked if he had a favorite star or planet because she liked Pluto. And he just had the courtesy to remind her that Pluto should not be called a planet.

Very few people would take an interest in debating with him over a topic like this. But she did, enthusiastically even! Clandestia was usually more easy-going and lenient but he felt like he had somehow hit the wrong button when he tackled the topic. But along the way, it turned out somewhat entertaining for him to go back and forth with her.

And before they knew it, they had gone on about it for almost an hour.

"Exactly, why did we start fighting about freaking Pluto?" The young professor exclaimed. "Which was stupid because it is a planet. That's a fact!"

"No, it's not! That thing you called a planet is no better than just a part of the Kuiper Belt, a population of objects." He said. "Ever heard of it before? "

"..."

"Knew it." He scoffed.

"Ha, whatever." Clandestia sighed in defeat.

Apparently, she hadn't read about that yet. She was a psychiatrist, not an astronomer. And while she enjoyed reading other things outside of her field of expertise, astrology would be the last on her list.

Arrogant walking encyclopedia, She thought grumpily.

One of these days, she'd make sure to wipe that triumphant look off his face, she vowed!

"So…you're extra snappy this morning, I see." She scowled, "Did I do something while I was drunk last night?"

She definitely hoped for a "no" but Kurapika suddenly went quiet. Awkwardly quiet.

"Holy… did I?" She asked, eyes widened in horror. "What did I do? Throw up on you? Or hit you or somebody else? Which one?"

Kurapika grimaced. No, worse than that. You turned into a Maudlin drunkard and hugged Killua. I had to march you out of the bar. And then I almost… almost…

"You don't wanna know!" He sighed, shaking his head in agony.

"OMG!" Clandestia's jaw instantly dropped, seeing the blond Kurta's traumatized reaction.

"Ok, I don't wanna know!" She slumped back into her seat, hugging her face in despair. He seemed quite disturbed so maybe she did throw up on him. Or on somebody else. She felt like crying.

Kurapika strained his lips, trying to suppress a smile.

Cute, he thought.

"Whatever happened, it won't happen again, I promise!" She exclaimed.

"You're not gonna touch another drop of alcohol! At least until you reach legal age!" He declared solemnly.

"Gladly." She muttered.

Clandestia looked out the windows. They were almost near the Nostrade estate.

This whole Yorknew trip had brought her so many unexpected things. She had a fair share of danger and she met wonderful people. But the most amazing one was…

Her gaze fell on Kurapika and her face immediately brightened. She noticed his red earring once again shine beautifully in the sunlight. Even more brilliant than before! As if it had never been tainted with black.

There were just so many mysterious things revolving around Kurapika. And she would, surely, get to know him bit by bit.

He's like an onion with so many layers but at his core, he's a precious friend! She thought with swelling fondness.

A/N: Guys, Yorknew arc officially ends here and I'm taking a short break after this.

I know there are a number of things still unresolved but I promise they will all come to light very soon in the next Arc.

Since Kurapika wasn't active in Greed island and Chimera Ants arc, I can't go for those two arcs.

So the next Arc, which I call the Nostrade arc, will be mostly about Kurapika's journey in the underground world while retrieving his clan's stolen eyes which was hardly mentioned in the canon story.

Other than that, I'll try to give you decent answers for Clandestia's nen, her curse, and the dark secrets of the Nostrade family.

Please let me know what you think of the story so far or what you expect to see in the coming Arc. I'll really appreciate it!

RubberxAndxGum: Thanks for checking over this chapter before I posted it. You're the best, girl! You're hilarious and just so fun to talk to XD

Yuuki Murasaki: Thanks for your kind reviews. They mean a lot to me!