Kurapika/Reader: Twelve Steps

Finale: Escaping the Spiders Nest (Part 2)

"Hisoka..." Hearing his name he smiled down at you, uncrossing his legs that were dangling off the fractured concrete.

"Have you tried out the giant hamster wheel yet? It is so much fun."

"I'm not here for games." You stated flatly and his face fell slightly.

"Pity... All you other hunters are so serious." It was not a surprise to you that Hisoka possessed no sense of urgency in his movement, in spite of the danger of the situation. Granted, he was not yet aware of Kurapika's impending arrival, but still, the ease of his demeanor unsettled you slightly.

"What's going on, Hisoka?" You demanded with no hesitation. "First you all were chasing down the auction, and now I hear that half of you are dead, including your leader. What gives?"

"Mm. That's a tad insensitive of you, don't you think? I'm still mourning the loss of my dear friends." You almost rolled your eyes at the false drama painting his tone, and it was then that he jumped down to your level, landing gracefully and nearly soundless on the concrete.

"You're trying to tell me that two thousand ordinary Nen-less mafia goons took half of you off the map? Just like that? That sounds like a load of shit to me." You planted your hands on your hips. "I already know that one of you can make exact copies of valuable items. It wouldn't be hard to make inanimate corpse copies, now would it? Blood, organs, and all?"

"Very perceptive.~" He gazed at you with a notably pleased smile. "Your boyfriend ought to have realized that by now too, if he isn't still stuck wallowing in self pity."

"If that's the case... then I have another question. You all went in, killed so many people, risked your own lives, and the auction still proceeded as planned. Tell me why. Was it just some idiotic show of strength? Why didn't you take anything?!"

"Who said that we didn't?"

"..." He raised an eyebrow at you and you fell silent. That was when it hit you: they had taken all of it, likely before the auction even started.

'That means... the scarlet eyes that went up for auction last night...'

"I'm surprised you surmised that the bodies were fake but didn't make it far enough to see the full picture."

"So the stakes haven't changed after all..." You muttered to yourself.

"What was that?"

"Nothing... Am I to assume then, since this was all just a farce, that you still intend to take down their leader?"

"My, that's quite the harsh accusation." He appeared a mix of baffled and amused. Hisoka and his games... He could never just give you a straightforward answer.

"Lets make a deal."

"How I do so love a good bargain."

"You're fighting the boss to measure his strength. Isn't that right? Then tell me why you're letting Kurapika in on this. You don't need his help to kill their leader, I'm sure... unless you plan to double-cross him." You couldn't mask the ruthless accusation in your tone no matter how you tried, but you knew you certainly weren't going to win him over with talk of moral high ground.

"What a flattering overestimation of my abilities." He ran long slender fingers through his hair. "You must think very highly of me." He took a stride nearer and leaned in close to your face. "Dare I say it, could it be love?"

"Very funny." You actually smirked back at him this time. "But what I also can't understand, Hisoka, is why you intend to leave their organization in the first place. You called them your 'friends' before. What makes you want to betray them now?"