Kurapika/Reader: Twelve Steps

Chapter 19: Betrayal

Suitcase in hand you wrenched the door wide open, nearly snapping the hinges in the process. Before you stepped over the threshold you halted, shooting your former partner a hateful gaze. In spite of the surging anger blazing like wildfire within you your voice came out low and quiet.

"One day you'll wake up and realize something, Kurapika... You think you stand for justice and retribution when all you really do is suck the life out of others...

just like a spider..."

The air shivered between you, then stilled, and there would be no retort. The last thing you would hear from that room was the heavy cherry wood door slamming loudly against the frame.

...

Kurapika stood there for what felt like an eternity, eyes closed and focused. By the time he found the wherewithal to open them once more he found Melody sitting on the bed. Slowly- his feet felt like they were weighted by concrete blocks- he made his way over to her and sat down. She appeared to be reeling from that encounter.

"Sorry... I know that must've been hard to listen to."

"It still is..." She uttered softly, clearly referring to the overwhelming loss, hot and fresh and still coursing its way through Kurapika's veins. He nodded thoughtfully, hand drifting up to his red stinging cheek of its own volition.

He was glad you hit him. Somehow it made him feel better, if only just a little. Would his will have buckled if you pleaded and cried and professed your love, he wondered? He would never know for sure now. Though he realized you didn't use Nen behind your strike when you could have, he was still relieved you were angry with him. Raw hatred motivated him to carry on through all of his past trials; surely it would do the same for you.

"You can heal that." Melody reminded gently, noticing him absentmindedly rubbing the inflamed patch of skin.

"I know..." Kurapika made no motion to do so. Painful or not, how could he erase the last semblance of contact he'd have from you for a long while?

"She defended you, you know... in spite of what you asked me to tell her." She considered holding her tongue, as there was a chance that sentiment would make things harder for him, but in the end settled on honesty. Kurapika was quiet for a moment, staring down at the ornate comforter, gold filigree on burgundy threads.

"Tell me..." The young man's expression contorted. "Did I... do the right thing?" Melody looked up at him.

"The right thing for who?"

"For her, obviously."

"Perhaps..." She replied with a wistful empathy. "But what about you, Kurapika?"

"I'm fine on my own." He spat a little too quickly, a robotic response that came automatically after years of being targeted and alone. "It's been this way since I was very young... The path I chose is too narrow for companionship. Too treacherous..." The words, though logical and pragmatic, tasted foreign and wretched on his tongue. "I was just fooling myself by believing otherwise for this long..."

It was quiet again for a long time before a shift on the covers made Melody turn her eyes from the dark hazy amber skyline back towards Kurapika. He was opening his little silver laptop and typing something in.

"What are you doing?"

"I still have the tracker open on here. I can use it to make sure she gets out of town safely." It would have been just as easy to use his dowsing chain for the task, but somehow it felt too invasive at the present time. Presumptuous. A sickening feeling arose in his stomach when he noticed the last fractals of your body heat dissipating from the sheets beneath him, but he continued his objective anyway, watching the little red dot sit unmoving atop his location. He furrowed his brows, wondering if perhaps you were grabbing food on your way out of the hotel or something. It seemed like a strange thing to do after an encounter like this; he figured you'd want to get as far away from him as fast as you possibly could, which was exactly his intention. He zoomed in as far as the device would allow him to and his breath hitched when he noticed something alarming. "Ah!" 'She's right outside the door! Was she concealing her presence?! Did she hear all of that?!' Kurapika shot up from the bed and bolted to the entryway. 'Why didn't Melody say anything?!' During his swift movement he tried to shoot her an accusatory glare, but he was sure it came across as more frazzled than anything else. With a loud click the door was flung open, only to reveal the precious jewel he had bought you crumpled ungracefully on the floor of the hallway.