Every limb hurt. And why was she sinking into the sofa? It felt as though the fabric would engulf her and she would disappear forever. Not that she minded.
Y/n sat before the chaos silent. The kind of silence that might force you to break. Tension was high and she couldn't seem to focus. It was as if the world was moving faster than her brain.
Kurapika, Basho and Melody displayed a scene before her. It felt like watching a movie from behind a screen, something that wouldn't let her words pass through.
Linssen was dead, and nothing was normal.
Their whole world was shaken in an instant, and Y/n could understand. She lived it. She knew what it was like loosing someone. Kurapika had known it... and now he knew it again.
Her head felt cramped. Overloaded with more than she could handle. Guilt, stress...
Fear.
It was like a pressure building in her head, and she could only wonder when it might kill her.
There was a sinking beside her. A warm hand grabbed her own, running its thumb across her knuckles softly.
Y/n didn't have to look up to see who it was. She knew this feeling; one she had grown used to. His touch had become familiar to her.
"Y/n," Kurapika said, his voice low and soothing.
Her eyes moved to meet his. The soft glow of the sunlight painted his face with vibrant colours.
"Are you okay?"
His eyes traced every feature of her face. His gaze was delicate.
"I'm fine," she replied. Her eyes never left his.
For some time now, Y/n knew. Kurapika had somehow seen her. He had broken through the screen and stepped into her world, making himself at home. He crossed a barrier with her that was never meant to be broken in the first place...
But she didn't mind it — and that's what scared her.
"Are you okay?" Y/n asked.
His thumb was still running across her knuckles. The warmth she breathed from his hand travelled up her arms and to her heart — and it made her want to hide.
"Yeah," he assured her, "things are just a little bit stressful right now. I'm sorry if I scared you yesterday."
Kurapika was kind, thoughtful, and gentle even. He was nothing like how he presented himself. Nothing like she first presumed.
"I'm going to fix my mistake Y/n. I assure you,"
"No, it's fine Kurapika and was just a little startled. That's all."
He smiled, but Y/n knew better. She was better than to think Kurapika couldn't see past her. He knew her better.
But he didn't say anything.
"We've got a hit," Basho explained, jumping from behind his laptop.
Kurapika rushed over to see the screen. His eyes scanned the page, finding Kiriko's name printed beside the address of a hotel. She used a different first name, but by tracking her movements from the Zoldyck estate, Basho was able to find her whereabouts.
"Jiya..." Kurapika mumbled, "where have I heard that before?"
"What did you say?" Basho asked from over his shoulder.
"There's just something about her... I feel like I know her from somewhere."
After Togari's corpse was burned, the doctor disappeared from the estate. Every document was burned and it was as if she was never there. After a call with Killua, Kurapika learned that she never worked there in the first place. Somehow she was able to slip in without being caught.
Y/n sat, watching as the chaos unfolded before her. Kurapika had called her to the office, and she couldn't refuse.
She was exactly where she needed to be.
"Come on," Melody said, grabbing her things, "we need to go now before she leaves."
"Melody's right," Kurapika agreed, "if you're coming, then let's go."
Melody and Basho rushed out to start the car. Kurapika stood at the door, looking back at Y/n, "are you coming?"
Y/n stood from her seat, walking over to him, "yeah."
It was a quick descent to the parking lot. Once everyone was in the car, Kurapika sped off before he buckled his seatbelt.
"Woah," Y/n yelled, grabbing hold of the sides of the car to catch herself from shooting forward.
"Sorry," Kurapika said, glancing over at her.
Y/n quickly put on her seatbelt, securing herself in the car. "I'm fine. Everyone good back there?" Y/n called.
"Yep we're good," Melody replied, giving Y/n a thumbs up in the mirror.
Kurapika's hands gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles white from the pressure. He could hardly hear anyone else as he sped.
Without warning, Y/n reached her hand across his body, grabbing hold of his seatbelt.
Kurapika glanced down for a moment but flicked his eyes back to the road. He didn't say anything as Y/n pulled it across his body and clipped it into a locked position.
He slid his hand through, adjusting it on his shoulder, "thanks."
Y/n nodded, returning her eyes to the road. Everything about this felt nostalgic to the first night they met. Kurapika drove through the streets of Yorknew with an intense gaze just as he did now.
Buildings came and passed quickly. She watched as the people walking down the streets of Yorknew widened their eyes. Y/n just hoped they wouldn't hit anyone.
"We're getting close," Basho said, holding out his phone. On the display were the mapped-out directions. "We have to take a right at the next stoplight," Basho warned.
Kurapika nodded in confirmation.
Y/n looked down to her pockets and fished out her flip phone, holding it low to her legs.
"Turn here," Basho said.
Kurapika slowed a little before taking a sharp turn onto another street. They were close, almost there.
"Hey Y/n," Melody said, placing a hand on Y/n's seat.
There was silence.
"Y/n?" She called again.
Y/n snapped out of her trance and looked back at Melody. "Yeah sorry, what?"
"I just wanted to let you know the hotel is on our side, so we'll be the first ones in the building."
Y/n sighed, "okay. Sorry, I'm just distracted."
"I didn't think you'd be texting at a time like this," Basho added.
Y/n didn't think she would either.
Kurapika glanced over at Y/n, looking down at her hands, but refocused on the road. His brows furrowed slightly.
"Sorry," Y/n said, putting away her flip phone, and sliding it back into her pocket.
The car pulled to a stop, parking in front of the tall beige-brick building. It spanned upwards into the sky. It was a monumental building built in the heart of downtown Yorknew City.
Everyone got out of the car and made their way up to the entrance. Y/n and Melody pulled open the doors of the hotel. They groaned as they shut closed behind the others.
They moved towards the elevators when a man called out to them.
"Excuse me," he said.
Y/n turned to see the concierge waving them down. "I'll need to see your keycards or proof of booking."
Basho rolled his shoulders back, "we'll you see sir, we're visiting a friend."
The concierge furrowed his brows, "well then, if you don't mind calling them down. Our security policies deny you access without booking."
Kurapika moved forwards, pulling a card out of his pocket. "Will this do?" he asked.
Y/n looked over to see what he held. In his hand, a Hunter's card flashed in her eyes. The trademarked X was printed boldly on the plastic.
The concierge's face relaxed. "My apologies sir."
Kurapika took a step forward to speak to the man. He spoke lowly and Y/n was unable to discern what he was saying.
The concierge walked to the front desk, grabbing something from inside a drawer. He returned and slipped a card into Kurapika's hand.
"Thank you," Kurapika said, slipping it into his pocket.
The concierge took a step back and gave Kurapika a small nod.
Kurapika walked past the man and the rest of the group followed suit. They made it onto the elevator, pushing the button for the thirteenth floor.
The machine started buzzing as it slowly lifted them.
"Isn't the number thirteen a sign of bad luck?" Basho asked, eyeing the glowing number.
Melody nudged him in the side, "be quiet. Don't say that."
Kurapika ignored their words and looked straightforward.
Y/n watched him. He was still. There wasn't a single movement from him. He always got so serious.
The numbers above the door rose steadily. The number nine flashed, and quickly ten replaced it.
Y/n tapped the side of her leg as she watched the numbers. The light sounds of her fingers meeting the fabric of her pants filled the small elevator.
The number switched once more, stopping at thirteen. Y/n took a deep breath as the doors slowly opened.
Kurapika slipped between the gap and into the hallway. Melody and Basho stepped out of the elevator, leaving Y/n standing by herself.
They were halfway down the hall, already looking for the room number, but Y/n couldn't move. The line between the light elevator floor and the dark carpet stared back at her. She glanced down at the elevator buttons.
They were so easy to reach.
Her hand stretched towards the panel. The safety taunted her, it told her to run — and she wanted to.
"Y/n? Are you coming?" Kurapika called as quietly as he could.
Y/n quickly pulled her hand back. What was she thinking? Running away from her problems again?
Just like she did the night she made it to Yorknew City?
She shook her head, dispelling any thought of running. Y/n stepped out of the brightly lit elevator and into the dim hallway.
"Yeah sorry."
She joined the group gathered at the door. Kurapika looked at her. It was as if those grey eyes were asking a million questions with a single glance.
Kurapika looked away, slipping his hand into his pocket and taking out the card the concierge had given him.
Kurapika scanned the card against the card reader, and Y/n could feel her breath be taken from her as the door mechanism made a clicking noise. The door unlocked itself, and Kurapika turned the handle, pushing the door open revealing a dark hotel room.
It looked completely unused.
As if on instinct, Kurapika slowly reached into the inner pocket of his jacket, pulling out his gun. The same gun that had killed Uvogin and Nobunaga.
Kurapika signalled for them to follow as he entered the hotel room. He led everyone into the room, scanning every inch — but it was empty.
"No one's here," he sighed.
Y/n let out a silent gasp for air. It was empty.
Kurapika signalled to the bed and the counters, the two places someone could hide under. He moved around the room, while the others looked under the hiding spots, but to no avail.
"There's no trace of her. We missed her," Melody said.
Kurapika's eyes trailed slowly across every object in his sight. He scanned the room again. There was nothing out of place. Even the greeting card lay resting on the counter.
That was until his eyes landed on the ceiling. The small ceiling light dangled from its chain.
"Not necessarily," Kurapika mumbled.
He pushed himself onto the bed, standing up on the neatly made covers. He reached out a hand and touched the lightbulb of the handling light.
Kurapika pulled his hand back quickly. "It's hot," he said, shaking off the slight pain in his fingertips.
He stepped down off the mattress and onto the carpeted floor. Kurapika slid his gun back into the pocket and turned to Y/n, "she was just here."
"Come on," Basho yelled, rushing out of the hotel room.
They all ran out of the room, leaving the door wide open. They didn't have time to worry about that. Kurapika ordered Melody and Basho to take the elevator.
"Y/n you're with me."
They made their way to the emergency exit. He pushed open the door and it revealed long winding stairs, reaching up towards the top of the building and down to the ground. They were up thirteen floors, so the drop was high.
He was hoping to catch Kiriko if she used the stairway. Y/n stared down the drop. The concrete floor at the bottom only made her push closer to the wall.
"We have a long way down," he said, "you seemed to have a lot of confidence the first day we met saying you could pass the Hunter's Exam. Let's see if you were right."
They both made their way down the flights of stairs passing by floor numbers quickly. Y/n was used to this, she had been trained to. The never-ending deals gone wrong heightened her stamina. I guess she had them to thank for that.
She had been running her whole life — this was nothing new.
The concrete floor was getting closer and closer, but there was no sign of Kiriko. Y/n looked at Kurapika. He had no shortness of breath. It looked like he could run forever.
Suddenly there was a clack. At the bottom of the staircase, a door swung open, and a figure rushed out.
"She's there," Kurapika stated. "Quick."
Their speed down the stairs increased, taking them much faster past the numbers. They finally hit the bottom of the final staircase, and when they opened the bottom emergency exit door, the bright light of the outdoors shone in their eyes.
They were met with the hotel side alleyway. Cars drove by quickly on the roads, creating roaring sounds from the streets. Y/n scanned the area, but there was no one there.
"She's gone," Y/n breathed.
Kurapika sighed, running a hand through his hair, pushing back the pieces dancing in his face. He swore under his breath as his hand dropped to his side.
There was a silence, and Kurapika didn't move. He was quiet — too quiet. Y/n moved towards him, placing a hand on his arm. "Kurapika, it's fine—"
He cut her off, "it's not fine."
He looked her in the eyes with a look she's never seen from him before. His brows were lowered, but his eyes were soft. He moved towards her, but instinctively she backed up until her back meant the wall of the hotel.
"What's going on with you?" he asked, stepping to her.
"What do you mean?" she asked, trying to move away from him.
Kurapika outstretched his arms, placing them on the wall beside her head, trapping her. "You've been acting strange ever since last night."
He stared deeply into her eyes, asking for any sort of answer. It was as if he was looking for it within her gaze.
"There's nothing going on," she whispered. "Everything's fine."
"I don't believe you."
She watched his jaw tighten, the muscles flexing under the bone. Why was he always so persistent?
"Why do you care so much?"
He was silent for a moment. It looked as though he was pondering her question. His brows relaxed, and he dropped his hands.
Kurapika took a step back and opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by a ringing from his pocket.
He stared at her for a moment, ignoring the ringing. There was a pause in time. It felt as though the next words that were going to come out of his mouth, would change the course of their relationship.
But the ringing brought him back to his senses, and he fished in his pocket for the phone. On the screen, he read the name Melody.
He glanced back at her once more but quickly flicked his gaze to the phone, picking it up and putting it on speaker.
There was a light static coming from the other side, made by the winds outdoors.
"Melody," Kurapika said, "what is it?"
There was a small pause. Melody's breaths were uneven.
"We caught her."