Boundaries

Chapter 25: 'Home'

"Wait guys, you know I'm not big brain enough for this. What the fuck is going on?" Valeria stared at them blankly. Kurapika rubbed his temples while Leorio sighed. A large vein popped on Will's forehead and he proceeded to punch his sister, knocking her out of the airport window and down the mountainous terrain below. Leorio and Kurapika gasped, running towards the shattered window as they worried about the girl's life.

"Shit, I can't see anything through these bristling trees." Leorio clicked his tongue and was prepared to turn around, finding a way to leave the airport and to find her. Will stood in his way, not allowing him to jump down after her.

"She'll be fine. Besides, this isn't the place for us to continue this conversation." Will lowered his voice. Leorio was about to protest but Kurapika shook his head and shifted his gaze to the area around them. Already, although they have not stepped into the official territory of the Lavines, there were already a few of them deposited around every corner, staring at them hungrily. Leorio immediately felt chills and hugged himself. "Is this how dinner feels?"

"We're in Tianmen, a large urban city of the Che'ange Empire and one of the few cities to have an access route to the clan's territory. But there are a lot of the Lavines here for the sake of mauling intruders alive and to relay information to the head of the Clan. I had to kick that retarded sister of mine out before they tighten their watch on us and report to brother Shion. Since outsiders are rarely welcomed into the clan's territory. She'll know to meet us at the dock."

"Are you sure?" Kurapika asked, worry apparent on his face. Leorio picked up his briefcase, and sighed. "You know how that gorilla is, she'll be fine. Let's just do as the kid tells us to for now."

    The dock wasn't bustling with the same energy as Whale Island. While Whale Island was filled with a warm, vibrant atmosphere, there was a sense of serenity and peacefulness. The boats carried a limited number of passengers, at most three people including the ferrymen themselves. They were built from delicately put together bamboo strips. The functionality of the dock and the boats were to transport (typically) exclusively the Lavine members, who rarely left their mountainous territories. As Will predicted, the three reunited with Valeria at the dock and she was picking out the leaves and branches out of her clothes.

    "Will, what was that-" She was interrupted by Kurapika and Leorio. They immediately separated the siblings and sat on the ferries in pairs. Leorio and Valeria boarded one boat, and Kurapika and Will the other.

    "Leonardo what do you want?" Valeria crossed her arms and gave her friend a pointed look. Leorio opened and closed his mouth like a fish. He didn't know if he could tell her anything right now since the ferryman was rowing the boat behind her and that there were a few other boats carrying their escorts. Besides, even if he chose to whisper it to her, she would be in so much confusion and shock that she would rather confront her brother. He was concerned, however, as to why Will was going so far to ensure that his sister thought he hated her. As he pondered these thoughts, Valeria sighed and slumped back in her seat. "I know, sitting on a boat in such a deceivingly beautiful scenery with a dazzling gal like me must have rendered you speechless. This beauty is such a burden."

    Leorio turned green with disgust at her egotistical statement. He dared not to say anything though, since Valeria was glaring at him from the corner of her eye. He knew that she was challenging him to refute so she could toss him aboard and drown him. So he didn't say anything but chose to gag instead. Not that he had a choice in his natural reflexes. The scenery was undoubtedly beautiful, however. Pillars of rock formations rose high up to the sky from the water, and there was just the perfect amount of mist. It was very different from the mountainous terrain that he usually saw. Will noticed his awe at the scenery and pointed to the blurry patch of darkness far up ahead. Surrounding the channel of water, where the blurry patch was, were even taller mountains that had non-visible peaks because they reached above the clouds. "Once we line up with those two heads, we will be entering Lavine's territory."