Kurapika/Reader: Twelve Steps

Chapter 3: Planning

"What are these red dots?" Kurapika hunched over the city map you laid out across the coffee table (since it was larger than your actual kitchen table).

"They're all the crime locations from the last twelve months that were classified as taking place under 'unusual circumstances.'" You had taken care to mark them in the prettiest scarlet marker you owned, just to be cute.

"Unusual?"

"High-stakes disappearances, no traces of evidence, that sort of thing. Crimes too clean to not be Nen-based." You shrugged and he nodded. "What do you think?"

"I think conspiracy theorists would tip their hats to you." You enjoyed the way Kurapika always deadpanned his jokes. His dexterous fingers trailed across the parchment, then slowed to a halt on the northeast side of the city. "There's a heavier concentration of dots here..."

"Maybe close to a hideout or something?"

"That's just what I was thinking." You could already feel the tense excitement buzzing around him.

"It might be a good place to start, but..." You glanced over to the calendar on the wall. "we definitely wont have time to investigate every lead. So we've got to make each one count."

It was just a little over a month out from the auction. The idea was to incapacitate as many of the troupe members as possible before their final attack by picking them off one by one, then instigating an ambush by warning influential rival gangs of their plans, effectively wiping out the remainder in one fell swoop. Finally, amidst the gunfire and chaos, you and Kurapika would abscond with all the scarlet eyes to be auctioned. Surely they wouldn't miss those items, considering every other valuable will have been saved by your collective interventions. It seemed lofty and improbable, but it was the best basic plan you had for now.

"We also need to pencil in some time for training." He curled a thoughtful finger to his mouth, mental calculator churning. "We should really familiarize ourselves with each other's abilities."

"If you're curious you could just ask." You smirked and he returned it.

"You're an Emitter, aren't you?"

"What gave you that idea?"

"During the fourth phase... you emitted your Nen into my canteen when you drank from it, didn't you...?" His tone was only mildly accusatory. "That's why I slept so deeply and woke up disoriented in the morning. And it's likely the reason I was so quick to answer your questions."

"It did seem like I was in... control of the conversation, didn't it...?" You emphasized with a wink and the realization flickered across his eyes.

"Oh! So you're a Manipulator!"

"Bingo."

"Excellent!" He exclaimed, as if his mind was already swimming with ideas on how to use that to his advantage. Kurapika had built his abilities for one sole purpose, and these strict conditions made it so that, while killing Spiders would be easy, gathering information would prove to be a daunting challenge. Having procured a means to pull outcomes in his favor was a relief for him, and he was grateful for the extra edge you provided.

"I did make you sleep, Kurapika, but believe it or not I didn't make you tell me anything." He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "I barely had the basics of Nen down at the time. I thought I was an Emitter too, honestly. So there's no way I could have given you a complex directive that would make you do my bidding." He pressed his lips into a flat line skeptically and you laughed. "Is it really so hard to believe that you made a friend that quickly? I bet Gon does it all the time! Everywhere he goes, I'd wager."