Hello, lovely readers! How have you been?

I told you I could come back with a new chapter if I thought I was making enough progress with the story, right? Well, here I am! While I do have a lot to work on and my life is still a bit chaotic, I thought it'd be fun to publish something new. Truth be told, I miss interacting with you guys T.T S2 I don't know when the hiatus will end, but I can assure all of you that I'm working on the story and that I will return soon enough.

Thank you all for not giving up on Cataclysm and for supporting it. You have no idea of how important it is to know you guys appreciate this story as much as I do, it's truly rewarding.

I found out that Kurapika's surname is NOT Kurta and my entire world shattered bc I was 100% sure that everyone in his clan had it as their surname and I'm in denial . My delusional mind really thought it made sense, okay? Please don't judge me XD

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.

Please continue to wait for me!

Until then, farewell.

—Cherry

Fuzzyhead2106: Aaaah, that's so sweet to hear! I'm glad you're enjoying it so far, I hope the next chapters will also be of your liking!

During the last three days, Medea had truly felt at ease.

The warm climate of the island and the caring way both Mito and her grandmother had been treating all of them made her feel at home. That and the fact that she and Kite were getting along pretty well, considering everything that had happened.

On the first day, it was a bit odd. A bit too stiff. But, honestly, after dinner, Gon appeared with a weird board game and they had so much fun with it that the tension simply vanished. Medea spent the rest of the following day close to Kite, just like the old times. Slowly, things went back to what they used to be.

They talked about the studies she had conducted during the time they were apart, sparing no details about the dangers from which she had saved the group she had led.

Kite, on the other hand, explained the situation about the Chimera Ant infestation that happened a few months ago and how everything was still relatively new to everyone. Things had been awful. According to what she could understand, that had even been responsible for making Gon lose his Nen and putting him on the verge of death.

Medea preferred not to pry into the matter. It was much too delicate to bring up so soon, especially for Gon.

In the evening, before falling asleep, she wondered if things could have been different had she not accepted the mission to capture the Triple-Tailed Seahorses, which had occurred at the same time.

Would the Association have notified her about the Chimera Ant hunt? Could she have prevented Kite's death and the situation Gon was in? Or maybe she would have died like all the others who tried?

Those thoughts wandered through her mind but gave her no definitive answer. They were hypotheses. Possibilities. Medea only worked with facts —what-ifs were pointless in her life.

Still, she was so full of adrenaline and so mentally exhausted that the only way her body found to shut down her incessant reflectings was to pass out. It worked, though the bags under her eyes were a giveaway of her tiredness.

It was around ten in the morning already, and she had helped Mito to clean the house —after a lot of insistence on her own part. Now, she was simply relaxing a little as they waited for their pizzas to arrive.

"So, he or she?" Asked Alluka.

"Huh?"

"She means your pronouns." Medea explained, which made the girl nod.

"Yeah, have you decided which one you prefer yet?"

"Kite doesn't necessarily need to choose to stick to one, Alluka." She said. "And stay still, your hair is falling from my fingers."

"Oh, sorry!" She promptly apologized, facing forward so Medea could continue to braid her hair.

It was so long and thick. Honestly, Medea was impressed. Sometimes her fingers could not even handle that much hair and it simply slipped away from her grasp, and Medea had to start the braid all over again or the result would be a mess. Was this a Zoldyck or an Alluka trait? Well, the brother that was around her own age, Milluki, did not seem to have that same amount of hair, and the same applied to the youngest, Kalluto. And Killua did not have as much hair as her, of that she was certain.

However, she was not sure about Illumi.

Indeed, he had long, luscious dark hair, much like his sister, but was it as thick as hers?

She could not recall. Whenever they met, it was always in such inopportune moments that she did not pay much attention to minor details in his appearance.

Besides, it was not something that she could simply notice with her eyes; she had only found out about how full Alluka's hair was after trying to put it in a bun. She needed to touch it if she wanted to find out. And she was pretty sure he would kill her on the spot if she did.

A pity.

He truly had such beautiful hair.

"I don't?" Kite asked.

"What?"

"Have to choose?"

Medea shrugged. "I mean, it's your identity, it's up to you to tell us what you're comfortable with. You can be either of them. You can be both. None. Whatever your choice is, I'll be happy for you. Besides," She said, smiling, "you will always be my bigger sibling."

Kite simply nodded, seemingly deep in thought.

"Ouch!"

"Oh, sorry, darling! Did I pull too hard?"

"No, I just accidentally poked the electric-starfish earrings… It stings." Alluka complained, taking her finger to her mouth to lessen the pain.

"I told you not to stay in the bath with them, didn't I?" Medea sighed. "That's why."

"Why are they giving me a shock, though?" She asked, annoyed.

"The water makes them toxic, remember?"

"What? Dee, am I going to die because you bought me toxic earrings?!"

Kite chuckled. "No. They're only deadly when in contact with saline water, and even then, only to sea animals. When it comes to tap water, for example, it just… Hm, revives the corpse's nervous system, which is responsive for offensive and defensive mechanisms such as electricity. So that's pretty much the reason they do that."

"I have a corpse on my ears." Alluka repeated, rather appalled.

"Two." Medea corrected her. "Two beautiful bright blue corpses."

"Lovely."

"I'm traumatized now." The girl whined.

"Give them to me, then."

"No!"

She chuckled. "That's what I thought." The weight of Kite's gaze remained on her, so she glanced at the armchair and smiled. "What?"

"You still have the urge to touch other people's hair."

"I like it. It's soothing." The platinum-haired woman shrugged and gently caressed the girl's arm. "I'm sure Alluka doesn't mind, right?"

Alluka shook her head. "I like it a lot! No one's done that for me in a long time."

"Really?"

"Not since I was little…" She sighed. "At the mansion, I'd just get locked in the basement, like, literally."

"Holy shit…" Kite muttered. "Your family is so strange."

She rolled her eyes. "Tell me about it!" She turned her head slightly so she could look at her friend. "Dee, can we go to town later for ice cream?"

"I don't know if I'll be able to join you, honey, I'm waiting for a friend to call me."

"Oh?" Alluka narrowed her eyes and smirked. "A friend who wants to smooch you?"

"Huh?"

"A friend called Kurapika?" Teased the girl, making Medea laugh.

"No! It's a business matter!" She poked her soft cheek, snatching a laugh from the girl. "Where did you get this idea from?"

"I noticed the way he smiled at you in Mimbo," She giggled, "and also the way you stayed with him until he left! You guys like each other!"

"No, we don't!"

"You do! I'm sure you kissed him, with tongue, when you went out to buy your new phone!"

Oh, darling, you have no idea of how much tongue I used when we were together.

"Alluka, you're learning these things from your brother, aren't you? What a terrible influence Killua is to you."

Kite stared at them through low lids. "Who's that?"

"Her boyfriend!" Said Alluka, getting a playful slap on the shoulder in return.

"We are not dating, nor do we like each other like that! We are friends!"

Kite sighed. "Please tell me this is not another Kastro-fever."

"Kite!"

"Is it?"

"No!"

"Who is Kastro?" The brunette asked, frowning.

"Oh, he was the first boy she fell head over heels for. You have no idea of how much she talked about him, it was insufferable, really!"

"No, I didn't!"

"Yes, you did! And it only got worse after they started hanging out to who knows where!"

She huffed and tied the pink elastic at the end of the braid, finishing the hairstyle once and for all. "You're offending me, you know?"

"The underground club." Kite reminded her, deadpanning.

"Okay, in my defense, I thought it was a food party when I dragged him there!" Medea declared.

"What kind of party was it, then?" Alluka stared at her, tilting her head to the side.

"Yeah, Medea, tell her what kind of party it was."

"They were eating… Questionable things…"

"Oh, like drugs?" She asked.

"That, too…" She whispered.

"Wait, what—"

"Anyway, Kastro and I didn't have anything like that, and you know it!" She reminded Kite, and the teen grimaced with disgust. "It was a crush and we kissed. End of story."

"I wish I didn't, you talk way too much."

"Oh, stop it, we just made out like once or twice!" She defended herself. "Besides, it didn't even last long because he went to the Heavens Arena…"

"Who went to the Heavens Arena?" Asked Gon as he walked down the stairs with Killua.

"Her ex."

Killua snickered. "So there is someone crazy enough to actually date her?" Medea threw a cushion from the sofa in his direction, which landed right on his face. "You bitch!"

"The one you do, the one you pay for, brat!" She stuck her tongue out. "And for the thousandth time, Kastro is not my ex! We only kissed a few times!"

"Hold up, Kastro? Like, Heavens Arena's fighter Kastro?" Gon took a hand to his mouth. "You guys dated?"

"No!"

"No, they didn't. I'm just teasing her." Kite chuckled.

"We haven't spoken in years, actually," Medea added, shrugging, "I hope he's okay."

"I mean, he's dead right now. It's kind of hard to be okay in a situation like that." Killua replied sharply.

Medea froze and stared at him with wide eyes. "Kastro died?" She covered her face with her hands. "Everyone who's ever been or is important to me is dead! What the fuck?! Guys, am I the problem?"

"You probably are." Kite blinked. "You curse the people who leave you, it's kind of obvious that something bad will happen to them."

"I already apologized!"

"And I've accepted your apologies, but I'll keep reminding you of that." Medea did not fail to notice the slight curl on those small, plump lips. A sketch of a smile.

Before she could respond, she heard the doorbell ring. "Is it the delivery guy?"

"I hope it is. I'm starving!" Alluka said.

"I'll get the door!" Gon stated.

He almost tripped over the living room's carpet as he ran to it, but, fortunately, managed to grab the doorknob at the last second.

"Hi, I'll get the money, just—"

"Is it true that someone's birthday is just around the corner," Asked a familiar voice, "or should we go back home?"

"You're here!" Gon gasped, quickly hugging Leorio. "I thought you guys would only arrive in two days!"

"We weren't sure that we'd get here early enough, so we decided to keep this a secret." The man said, smiling. "How are you?"

"Pretty good, and you?"

"Tired."

"Why?"

"We got caught in the middle of a storm." Explained Kurapika with a sigh as he entered the room. "It was awful."

"Oh."

"Your ship sailed through the Braxian Route, didn't it?" Medea asked, glancing at the door with a frown.

Neither of them said anything.

She shook her head and clicked her tongue. "I told you not to do it!"

"We wanted to get here faster!"

"I don't care, Leorio! You guys could've died! Do you know how complicated that route is?" She asked.

"Dhea, we're fine."

"Why on earth would you go against something I explicitly advised you guys not to do?"

"You literally did the same thing in Dentora."

"Shut up, Killua!"

"There was a delay on my flight," Kurapika told her as he and Leorio entered the house, "Rhosthic's Prime Minister closed the borders when I was boarding and it was a huge mess, we had to wait twelve hours before they gave us the approval to take off. If we hadn't chosen to travel by the Braxian Route, we would only get here next week."

"You could've at least told us!" She insisted.

"And risk us being forbid to do so?" He chuckled. "No way."

"Besides, Kurapika is right. We're fine!" Leorio agreed. "What is done, is done. Let's just move on, okay?"

Her violet eyes narrowed as she glared at them. "You could have died and none of us would have any idea."

"But we're here, right?" He joked.

Medea sighed and got up from the sofa, walking towards the man and giving him a hug. "Yeah. I'm glad you guys are alright."

"It'll take more than a silly storm to kill us, Medea!"

"I hope so."

She turned to Kurapika and his posture tensed, which made her smile. "Won't you give me a hug as well?"

"That depends, how mad are you?"

"Want to take a guess?"

Sighing, he opened his arms and embraced her. "I'm okay." He whispered.

"I know. It doesn't mean I'm not pissed off."

"It's not going to happen again."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Before they parted, Medea breathed in his ear, low enough to make him shiver: "Good boy."

His fingers squeezed her waist briefly, making her smirk as he let go of her. He stared at Alluka and Killua. "How are you two?"

"We're alright," Alluka said, smiling, "we even convinced miss Mito to let us have pizza for lunch!"

"That's great! I haven't had one in months!" Leorio exclaimed. "Gon, where are your aunt and great-grandmother, by the way?"

"They're in the backyard right now, but I think they'll finish gardening soon…"

"Great, we can't forget to greet our hosts, right?"

"Of course not!" Kurapika agreed and stared at Kite quizzingly. "Oh, I had no idea there was a new friend around. Hello."

"So it's you?" Kite studied him through squinted eyes as if looking for something out of the ordinary in the man. Sighing, the redhead got up and walked to him, extending a hand. "I'm Kite."

Kurapika smiled while they shook hands. "Kurapika, it's a pleasure to meet you." He glanced at Medea. "Weren't your relatives missing?"

Medea arched an eyebrow. There was no memory that she could recall of her commenting on anything regarding her family with him, which was weird since she generally was not one to forget about moments related to her past; unless, she pondered, she had done it quickly during one of their late-night conversations and had forgotten about it due to tiredness. Sounded likely enough. The last few weeks were chaotic, it did not surprise her that she could not remember much of it.

Still, something inside her stirred uncomfortably. "And they are."

"So that's not your little sister?"

"Why would you assume that?"

"The eyes."

"Oh, no. Just a big coincidence. And, actually, that's my big sibling." Medea responded by placing a hand on Kite's shoulder. "Long story short, Kite died and reincarnated in this body."

Kurapika nodded, deep in thought, but soon his eyes widened as something seemed to click in his mind. "Oh, so you're the Kite that both Killua and Gon told me about!" He exclaimed. "It's great to finally meet you."

"What's your blood type?" Kite asked objectively.

"Uh, AB positive, why?"

"Hm. Interesting." The teen turned to Medea, calmly, and said: "You never had an AB friend before, right?"

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Kite!"

"He's pretty and polite."

"Oh."

"Kite, will you please stop talking?" Her violet eyes widened and her cheeks got rosy immediately.

"What? He is. I'm not lying."

"You're making him embarrassed!" Medea explained in a hushed tone.

"Don't worry, I'm sure he doesn't mind, do you?" Kite asked, short fingers running through the long, fiery locks.

Kurapika chuckled, but there was a faint blush in his ears. "I'm flattered."

"See? He's a good addition to your circle of friends, Meds."

"Indeed, he is!" Agreed Alluka. "They're such good friends."

"Yes, we are! Best friends, actually!" She shot back, arms crossed and chin high.

"Seems like it…" Muttered Killua with a muffled chuckle.

"Medea, since aunt Mito is still busy, could you take Leorio and Kurapika to their rooms?" Gon pleaded. "We'll stay here waiting for the pizza in the meantime."

She nodded. "Sure. The two on the end of the corridor?"

"Yeah!"

"Okay." She motioned to the stairs with her head. "This way, guys."

As they followed to the second floor, Medea could not help the weird feeling that settled in her gut. It was like being on the verge of something that she had no idea of. Like walking on an unknown path in the dark.

She bit her lower lip.

As much as she enjoyed Kurapika's presence, it always made her feel so unsure of herself. There was that constant sense of emotional incontinence, which she hated. Control was the assurance that everything would work out, and the lack of it brought up memories that she would rather forget.

Medea shook her head.

She was self-sabotaging yet again. That was a habit she had to let go of as soon as possible or she would always be trapped in the past. Not everyone was like Araeso, or Myo, or Enoull. She had to allow herself to be vulnerable to the ones she cared about in order to form strong bonds and, above all, to move on.

Everything she wanted was to be emotionally healthy.

She deserved it.

Happiness, peace, pleasure. All of it. It was rightfully hers.

"Dhea?"

"Hm? What?"

"Which one is Leorio's room?"

"Oh, sorry!" She laughed and opened the door on the right. "This one. I just changed the bed linen, so everything's clean! Also, since the pizza might still take some time to arrive, feel free to take a shower. I'm sure both of you need to rest a bit."

"Great, I'll get settled in! See you in a bit!"

She opened the door on the left and pulled Kurapika inside the room, closing the door behind her. "This one is yours."

"Oh, it's big!"

"Yeah, Gon's house is gigantic." She agreed, taking the travel bag out of his hands and placing it over the chest in front of the old bed.

"I can't imagine how hard it must be for his aunt to clean it by herself."

"That's why I'm helping her as much as I can during our stay. It's not fair to make her even busier."

"I'm sorry." He said, all of a sudden.

Medea turned around, confused. "What for?"

"Not warning you about the route."

"Oh, yeah." She smiled, then frowned. "Oh. Yeah. You should be."

"I didn't want you to worry, that's why I didn't tell you."

"You're stupid. We would have waited for you guys, you know?"

"Yeah, but until after Gon's birthday?" He shook his head. "We promised him we would be here on May 5th, it wouldn't be fair. Besides," Kurapika continued, eyes soft as he stared at her, "I couldn't wait any longer to see you."

His fingers ran through the ends of her long hair, gently straightening them, and she crossed her arms. "Hm."

"I missed you." He whispered and deposited a chaste kiss on her forehead, making her stiffen. When he moved away again, looking deep into her eyes, he caressed her face with the back of his hand. "A lot."

Medea cleared her throat and stopped his hand, smiling as she lowered it. "Same."

He frowned. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, of course, it's just that we… We need to go back to the living room. The others will find it suspicious if we take too long…" She explained, looking to the door. "Or maybe I should. You can take a shower and relax. I'll, um, call you when the pizza arrives."

"Okay."

"Don't take too long or I might feel tempted to join you." She teased, winking at him as she walked to the door.

He chuckled. "Oh, no. What a nightmare."

"See you in a bit!"

"See you, babe."

With her breath caught in her throat, she smiled and blew him a kiss before closing the bedroom door.

"No way!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"I don't believe it!"

"Want to make a bet?" Medea asked, arching a brow at the woman.

"No, Mito, don't. She's crazy. Don't bet with her." Kite warned, eating another cheese cube.

"I'm not—"

"You are," Kurapika intervened, chuckling as he pointed a finger in her direction, "you literally made a bet with me that you would get into the Zoldyck Mansion and survive…"

"She did what?" Leorio asked with horror in his eyes.

"And you almost died!"

"Why the hell did you do that?"

"Because she's suicidal, Leorio," Kurapika replied.

"It was a work issue." She briefly explained. "And it has nothing to do with my ability to guess someone's favorite place to be just by the way they cough."

"Because that's a blatant lie!" He insisted, rolling his eyes.

"Cough."

"What?"

"Cough."

"No!"

"Don't be a dick, Kura!" A pout appeared on her lips as she tugged on his sleeve. "Come on, cough!"

"No."

"You're no fun, Kurapika!" Complained Leorio.

"Then you should be the one to cough." He retorted, drinking a bit of wine.

"Fine, fine! I'll do it!"

"Thank you, Leorio, for being so collaborative, unlike some people." She said, glaring at him. "Go on."

Leorio held a hand high and then took it to his lips, covering them as he coughed twice, very contained.

"So, what's his favorite place to be?" Mito asked, seemingly excited. Whether it was the wine or simply the curiosity, Medea was not sure, but she found it funny to see the resemblance between the woman and her nephew.

Medea narrowed her eyes and chewed on a caramel. "I'd say a library, but the way his second cough was a tad sharper…" She shoved another caramel in her mouth. "It's the hill next to his house, specifically during Autumn."

Leorio gasped.

She grinned. "Got it right?"

"Wha— But… How?"

"I don't know, honestly."

"Oh, now me!"

Mito coughed, a rather hollow and shrill sound.

"The rose-filled glade in the center of Whale Island."

The ginger laughed. "Yes! You're definitely right!"

Medea did a little dance. "I have a gift, I know! And it doesn't even compare to what I can do with fifteen marshmallows and only my mouth!" She chuckled.

"What do you—" Mito hiccuped and blushed. "Oh, Heavens, I'm sorry! I think I had too much wine…"

"You should go to bed, Mito. It's getting late." Kite advised, eyes softening for an instant.

"No, no, I'm fine!"

"You're tired, I can see it."

"But… I want to talk more to you guys." She pouted, hugging the wine bottle. "It's been so long since I had this much fun…"

"We can still have fun tomorrow night when the kids go to sleep," Leorio said.

"Yeah, and we're all going to bed soon, anyway." Agreed Kurapika.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Even Medea?"

"Even Medea." He assured her.

"Hey, don't ans— Yeah, yeah, I will. I definitely will!" She corrected herself when everyone else's gaze fell onto her. "Do you want help to get to your room?"

"No, I'm… Fine." Mito sighed. "Just a little light-headed, but I can get up the stairs."

"I'll go with her. Goodnight, everyone."

"There's no need for that, Kite."

"Yes, there is. We don't want to take you to the hospital three days before Gon's birthday because you tripped and opened your forehead." Kite said. "Now, hand me the bottle."

"Okay, okay… Goodnight!" She waved them and, groggily, made her way to the staircase, Kite following right beside her.

"Night!" They replied in unison.

When the two figures disappeared into the second floor, Leorio sighed. "I think I'm going to bed as well. I have a splitting headache."

"Is it the wine?" Medea asked.

"I don't know, but it's terrible."

"Do you want an aspirin?"

"No, no. I think a good night of sleep will make me feel better in the morning." He yawned and rubbed his eyes. "Good night, guys."

"Nighty night!"

"Leorio, your glasses." Kurapika reminded him.

"Oh, yeah. Thank you!"

"No problem. And good night to you, too."

After a while and a few more caramels, Medea turned to him. "Are you going to bed now, Goldie Locks?"

"Yeah, and so should you, snowflake." He placed a few loose strands behind her ear. "And take it easy with the caramels."

"I love caramels."

"They're too sweet."

"But I want more!" She rested her head on his shoulder, staring up at him.

"You can have more of them in the morning, how about that?"

"I want them now."

"Tomorrow."

Medea grumbled. "Fine, I'll brush my teeth and go to sleep."

"Good."

"What do we do about the wine bottles and the appetizers, though?"

"I'll organize it. You can use the bathroom to get ready for bed."

"What about you?"

"I'll do the same later, okay?"

She nodded turning around and following to the second floor with as little noise as possible.

The corridor was dark and empty, but her phone helped to guide her to her room and then to the bathroom. She had taken a shower before their late-night conversation, so the only thing she did was brush her teeth and comb her hair, putting it into a simple braid. The last thing she wanted was to wake up with a bedhead.

She went back to her room and organized everything inside her travel bag quietly. When she was done, she stared at her reflection in the corner of the room. The tight black shirt and shorts clung to her body, outlining her curves; it was a simple and usual choice of clothing for her, but this time it felt different. It was different. Her heart raced in her chest. It'll be okay. I can do this.

With a deep breath, Medea turned off the lights and left the room, walking through the dark corridor in absolute silence. She had to be discreet. Stopping by the bathroom, she made sure to check if it was empty before heading to the last and furthest door.

Without bothering to knock, Medea opened the door slowly, squinting her eyes at the sudden brightness.

"Dhea? What's wrong?"

"I came to check on you." She whispered, locking the door behind her.

He chuckled. "Check on me? Are you sure?"

"Is the lampshade on?"

"Yeah."

The lights were turned off.

Kurapika frowned. "What are you—"

Before he could even finish his sentence, Medea captured his lips in a hungry, desperate kiss. She had missed him. She had missed this.

The warmth of someone's body against hers, the touch of his hands on her waist, on her hips, bringing her closer to him after the initial shock, everything was delicious. He was no longer insecure or shy. His tongue felt so wonderful on hers now that they knew what was the best rhythm for them, so passionate and attentive, confident like she wanted him to be.

A shiver ran down her body. She had taught him well.

She could not wait for him to put it to good use between her legs.

With a fluid movement, Kurapika laid her down on the bed, not even daring to let go of her lips as his hands roamed over her shirt. Once they reached the curve of her breasts, they squeezed with just the right amount of pressure to make her arch her back.

More. She wanted more. She needed more.

Calloused fingers pulled the cotton shirt up and he pulled away for a moment, arching a brow before staring at her. "No bra?"

She shrugged. "Black shirt. No one would notice."

He smirked and peppered kisses along her neck and collarbone, chuckling as a low moan rang through his ears. His hands toyed with her breasts, nipples hardening as he continued to tease her.

Indigo eyes gleamed with predatory lust as she watched his face descend through her chest, her heart beating hard like a drum. When he took one into his mouth and sucked, she closed her eyes and bit her lower lip.

Don't moan, don't moan, don't moan.

His tongue flickered the warm bud, gray eyes staring up at her as he rolled the other one between his fingers. They shone in the dim light, amused. Aroused. But also carrying a softness that was so typical of him, so intimate.

She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him to herself, and rolled her body against his, feeling the growing bulge press against the inner part of her still covered thigh. He sighed through his nose, but opted to run his tongue around the supple flesh of her boob, making her shudder.

Her hand ran through the golden hair and grabbed it tightly when he nibbled her softly, quickly going to the other tit and attacking it with as much fervor as he did the previous one. She bit her knuckles. He was a fast learner. It felt so much better than the first time he had done it, back in Mimbo. Unconsciously, she tried to rub her thighs together, forgetting completely about Kurapika until she felt his clothed erection against her core and realized it had only brought him closer.

Kurapika stifled a groan and gave her a harsh suck in response.

Medea threw her head back.

Fuck.

Tainting him was definitely the best thing she had ever done.

Locking him in that position with her legs, she pulled him off of her abused flesh and kissed him again, this time more intensely.

His taste was still the same delicious combination of coffee and mint bubblegum. She adored it.

He rolled his hips, the outline of his cock brushing perfectly against the wet spot on her pajama shorts. Her long fingernails scratched his back hard enough to arouse, but not to hurt him. A simple provocation.

Perhaps they were going too fast, but truthfully, Medea did not care. She wanted fun. She wanted a distraction from her worries, from her insecurities, from her memories. That was what she needed. What she had earned after so many troubles in her life. What she deserved.

She had to make sure that she was capable of choosing and living like a normal person, and if someone wanted her enough to save her and stay by her side, then she could not be as terrible as people said. She, too, could be loved. And, in return, she would offer him what he wanted. It was her choice to make. It was her decision. No one else's.

The control over it was exclusively hers.

No one would take it from her ever again.

After a few seconds, he parted from her, both breathing heavy. He leaned his forehead against hers and closed his eyes, taking his hand to the side of her slightly sweaty face and caressing it. "I haven't stopped thinking about you for a second."

"How sweet." She licked his jaw, hands reaching for the hem of his shirt and taking it off of him in a quick movement.

"You tormented me even in my dreams, you know?" He confessed.

"Did I?" Medea giggled. "And what are you going to do about it, babe? Punish me?"

"No. We're going to play."

She bit her lower lip. "Oh, that sounds delightful. In this case, I should make it up for you, right?"

Kurapika chuckled. "I'd love that."

"That's my good boy." She inverted their position, staring down at him as she touched her body calmly. He gulped down. A smirk appeared on her lips and she leaned into his ear, nibbling it with delicacy. "I'll ride you so hard that your legs will go wobbly for a whole day."

He held his breath and grabbed her hips, his fingers sinking into the tender flesh. "If you say that again, I swear I won't let you out of this room until you're sore."

Medea giggled and rubbed herself on his length. "Mito is going to be so horrified if she wakes up to us fucking in her house."

"Then we must keep quiet, right?" He asked, arching a brow, hands squeezing her breasts once again.

"That's right." She sighed, eyes closed. "Where's the condom?"

"In my bag, just…"

She got off of him and sat on the bed as he looked for the bag, teasing her nipples to maintain them perky. They looked cuter like that.

"Dhea…" He called, voice no more than a whisper.

"Yeah?"

"I can't find it."

The woman blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I mean it's not here."

She got up from the bed, almost tripping on the bedsheets that had fallen on the floor, and rushed to his side. "Didn't I tell you to buy some when you were still in Rhosthic?"

"I did!" He stated. "I just… It's not here."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. You know I wouldn't joke about this."

Medea's brows furrowed. "Did you look for it in the other pockets?"

"Yeah!"

"The tiny zipper?"

"I did!"

"Well, it has to be somewhere!" She retorted. "Condoms don't simply fly away! Did you… Maybe it's on the other bag. Yeah, that has to…"

"Babe," He called her, "it's not here."

She growled, sitting back on the bed. "I can't believe this."

"How is this possible? I made sure to put it here!"

"Maybe it fell when you were looking for something else, I don't know…"

"But how? This is the part where I keep important stuff, that's why I put it in here with my passport and Hunter License." He blinked and then took his hands to his face. "Shit!"

"What?"

"When they asked for the passengers' documents again before we were allowed to take flight, I opened it. It must've fallen out of my baggage then. I'm sorry, babe."

A frustrated sigh escaped her lips. "It's fine, Kura."

"We can still do something if you want."

"No." She vehemently shook her head. "No way. I won't risk pregnancy."

"I didn't mean to make love. I could use my mouth." He explained, sitting by her side. "You touched me, but I couldn't please you yet. It's not fair to you."

"It's fine."

"Babe…"

"We shouldn't be doing anything tonight, it was stupid even to consider it."

"What do you want to do, then?"

"I'm going back to my room."

"What? But you still haven't… I can still make you come!" He insisted.

"Kura, seriously. It's okay." She assured him, but her voice was clearly disappointed. "I'll get carried away if we do something else, I know myself, and then not having protection won't mean anything to me. My mind plans one thing and my body… Just…" A sigh escaped her. "Sorry."

"Hey, it's fine! You don't want to do it, it's alright, I understand…" He kissed her shoulder and embraced her, and she rested her head on his shoulder. "I should be the one apologizing. I should have paid more attention to the condoms, but I was upset about the border issue and completely forgot about them. I'm sorry. I'll buy some more tomorrow, okay?"

She nodded. "Okay."

"Are you sad?"

"No." She lied.

"Sure?"

"Yeah. Besides, Mito said there are some places downtown for couples, we can go there another time."

Kurapika nodded. "That sounds better than… Here."

"At least there's no risk of being interrupted…" She said, trying to play it off. "We can go there after Gon's birthday, at night. They won't find it weird if we say we're solving something related to Lasym's case." Her hands grabbed her shirt and she promptly dressed it again.

"Highly doubt it. You know Killua."

"Mito said she could cover up for us."

"She did?!"

"Yeah. And we can come back the next morning before the kids wake up so they don't… You know… Tease us to death." She chuckled. "How does that sound?"

"Is that what you want?"

"Yeah."

"We can wait a little longer if you're not entirely sure." He assured her.

"No, I am."

"Alright. Then it's settled." Kurapika kissed the top of her head.

"Kura."

"Hm?"

"Before I go, can you tell me goodnight?" Medea asked in a meek voice. "You still haven't."

He chuckled, but captured her lips in a serene and delicate kiss that in nothing resembled the ones they had shared a few minutes before. When he let go of her, he caressed her cheek and smiled in such a loving way that Medea wondered if he was real or just a figment of her imagination. "Goodnight, my sweet Dhea."

She squeezed the sheet under her fingers, but smiled. Then she stood up and walked to the door and opened it slowly.

"Goodnight, Kura." She said, taking one last look at him before facing forward again.

"I love you." He whispered.

Medea simply closed the door.

Medea might have endured the drizzle she feared so much, but the storm is closer than ever. Will she be able to stand her ground? And what will her encounter with her anonymous ally result in her life?

To find out these and other questions, stay tuned for the next chapters~