Word count - 4977
When you awoke, the smell of pure cinnamon consumed your nostrils. finding the source, lying on the nightstand was a mug. It was tea. cinnamon and honey tea. smells so good.
Picking up the mug, you took a sip closing your eyes. It's still hot. You looked around to see if illumi was still present, but he wasn't.
illumi wanted to stay, but couldn't bring himself to do so. not because he didn't want to, but because he wasn't sure if he could form the right words when you placed eyes on him again.
While you slept, illumi stayed awake the entire night watching you sleep soundly. He couldn't stop thinking of the events that recently took place. He was so touch-deprived, that all he could do was lay with you and enjoy it while he could. It wasn't like he needed sleep anyway. he could stay awake for several straight days.
When the sun rose, he made you some tea from the kitchen and took off without a word. It was his way of saying "thank you." he needed time to recollect himself as it wasn't like him at all to present acts of kindness. he only hoped you didn't take his disappearance out of disrespect
You finished the tea in minutes then took a long shower, washing your hair as well. The weather was nice, and you felt like today would be a good day considering you were going to see kurapika again for the first time in three months.
You wore casual clothes and styled your hair how you liked it. Afterwards, you ordered an Uber and made breakfast while you waited for it to arrive.
Sitting at the kitchen island, you took in the view of the backyard and wondered about installing a hot tub or a pool one day. There are still many ideas you want to apply to the house, but you need to focus on the more important tasks at hand first. like finding out what kurapika needed. Although you were excited to see him, you knew something was up.
A car horn beeped outside the house indicating your ride was here, forcing you to scarf down the rest of breakfast and toss the dishes into the sink. Throwing on shoes and doing a check to make sure you had your necessities, you ran out of the house and to the uber
The Uber took you to a small motel centred in york new. Knocking on the door, you were quickly greeted by kurapika. You immediately embraced him in a hug
He hesitated but hugged you back anyway. behind him sitting on a couch, you spotted leorio slouched over. "Come in" kurapika gestured
It was no secret that there was tension in the room. Leorio looked a little shaken up as he half waved at you "Hey kid"
"I'm older than you dickhead." you corrected. He didn't even bother to bark back at you. which was odd.
Kurapika chuckled and sat down next to leorio. You took a seat on the adjacent couch.
"Ok, this is awkward. What's going on?" you finally questioned
The two boys exchanged looks. You stretched your neck out forcing an answer from them. "A lot has happened over the past two days. We figured it was only fair to keep you in the loop in case something else happens" kurapika began
Leorio sat up, fixing his glasses. You awkwardly shifted on the couch waiting for kurapika to continue
This whole situation made you feel 12 years old again when your parents sat you down to tell you they were getting divorced.
"Just tell me already" your words took away some tension "You can trust me I promise."
kurapika and leorio exchanged worried looks again.
The blonde crossed his hands and sighed. "You remember when I told you about a gang who murdered my family years ago?" You nodded. "Well, I've found them. "
"..holy shit." was all you could muster
You looked to leorio who only perked his lips to the side, looking at the floor. You could tell there was more to be said.
"And..?" you nudged
kurapika fixed his posture "And I killed one of them" he spat out
Your mouth gaped for a moment before you replied. You didn't think he had it in him. But why was he telling you this? Was this gang that dangerous? "..ok? And what's so bad about that? the fucker deserved it, right?"
kurapika ignored your question and continued his story. "After I killed one of the members, I later learned that they kidnapped Gon and killua. They managed to escape on their own and came to me right away after they heard the gang talking about me. They call me; the chain user"
"Gon and killua were here? Are they okay?" was your first response. If those two got hur-
"They're fine," leorio answered "We sent them home to avoid them getting into any more trouble. They're 12-year-olds with a mind of 30-year-olds, so it took a lot of convincing. but yes they're okay."
"We were worried they might find you too, so that's why I called." kurapika said
"Ok wait wait." you said trying to catch up "And they call you the chain user? Because of your nen right?" You recalled kurapika talking about his nen a long time ago. It was pretty dope from what you heard
"Correct" he confirmed
There was a delay in the atmosphere as your brain loaded
You shook your head in a bit of confusion "So wait, does this gang have a name? A record? Anything?"
"They call themselves the phantom troupe" kurapika informed
Everything froze after those words. Or was it just you? You started to feel like your body was being thrown off a cliff as the room started to spin. You tried to take a deep breath, but you practically choked on oxygen forcing your lungs to cough. the phantom trope.
Leorio offered you a glass of water "You ok?" the phantom troupe?
"Y-yes I'm fine" you lied.
The phantom troupe?!? You repeated the words aimlessly in your head, trying to pinpoint if this was real or not. The troupe who killed kurapika's family was the troupe you've been close with. The troupe who took you in as their own. Chrollos family. but it made sense. They're thieves. They wanted the scarlet eyes.
kurapika continued, despite the distress across your face "They are one of the most ruthless gangs out there. They do pretty much anything to get ahold of some expensive or valuable treasures." No. No, this can't be real. not real...this is not real
I have to tell him. His words muffled in your ears as you contemplated telling the truth. What were you supposed to say? that you knew the troupe who murdered Kurapika's family? that they were your friends?
Who did he kill? Oh god, who did kurapika kill? You'd grieve over any of their deaths, but deep down you hoped it wasn't chrollo. It couldn't have been hisoka, he's far too smart and sneaky to get himself killed by a teenager. They're all so powerful..but of course, kurapika had to be more powerful than one of them.
Silence filled the room, and the two boys noticed you pondering. "Have you heard of them?" leorio asked
You gulped down the water before responding, trying to pull it together "Yeah. yes, I have. I've heard many stories of them growing up. I- I uh thought they were all myths and... stuff" trying to display a confused look across your face, a cloud covered the sun causing the room to become darker
You felt like an awful friend at this moment. They trusted you enough to tell you this information. In fact, they called you here because they were WORRIED about you. How could you not tell them? Why aren't you telling them the truth?
"Are you planning on killing more of them?" was the only thing you said
"If you are asking if I plan on getting vengeance, my answer is yes" he stated, "They're planning on robbing an auction in two days."
Sounds about right
"And you're going to sabotage that for them?" you finished his sentence, and he nodded.
You weren't going to say anything, you couldn't. not to kurapika or chrollo. not to anyone. You just needed some time to think. two days to be precise.
During the rest of the day, kurapika informed you and leorio of his plan to kill the troupe. If there was one word to describe how you're feeling, it's worried. You knew that you'd probably full-on support kurapika if you didn't know the troupe. but it was also obvious that you'd fight beside the troupe if you didn't know kurapika. Deciding between the two wasn't an option. You needed to find a way to stop this. fast.
When you arrived back home, you called chrollo immediately but he didn't answer. so tomorrow, you had no choice but to meet him at the hideout.
After falling asleep, you woke up around four in the morning overthinking everything you possibly could about Kurapika's situation. You didn't want any more people to die. You still didn't know who exactly kurapika killed, so it worried you even more when chrollo didn't answer his phone.
Not being able to ignore the thoughts, you jumped in the shower and ended up staying in there for about an hour. You washed your body more times than necessary as if it would take away your thoughts.
You shoved some ramen in your face, sat outside to connect with nature, and even sprawled out on the grass for a moment just staring at the morning sky, but nothing helped. Nothing helped get rid of your thoughts.
You gave up and finally called a taxi. By eight o'clock, you were on your way to the hideout. You arrived around nine, and the area was a ghost town as always. You hoped this time you wouldn't get shot in the head again, and that they'd let you in peacefully.
When you arrived, the place was empty. You checked each of their rooms, the garages, the meeting area, and even the sectors of the building they don't use, but there was no one. You searched for about an hour, before calling chrollo once more. This time, it went straight to voicemail. "What the hell..."
You thought about texting the group chat, but it didn't feel right to ask if everyone was okay. Maybe they didn't know? The troupe isn't always together. Plus, how would you tell them that you found out? You loved the trope members, but you didn't trust them as much as chrollo. not just yet.
You took another taxi into town, and back to Kurapikas current place. You figured getting to know his plan as well as possible was a good idea. It would give you a better chance at protecting them both. maybe even settling this whole thing peacefully.
All you know is, the auction is tomorrow. You have no time to waste.
When you arrived, leorio invited you inside and re-attended to the burning french toast on the stove. "Hey, what up" he greeted
"Not much" you mislead "Just figured I'd stay here for the night since tomorrow we're..you know" leorio nodded while he flipped his breakfast onto a plate, and drenched it in syrup.
"Sure, but I'm sleeping on that couch" he pointed to the biggest one with his dirty socks on top of it, an open chip bag, and a dark blue blanket
"yeah don't worry, you can have it," you said cringing. leorio himself is wearing PJs, and he looks half asleep.
He sat down on the dirty couch with his plate on his lap
"Couldn't sleep?" you asked
"nope. I was trying to sleep off the stress all night, but it didn't work," he admits. You sat down on another couch
"oh, hey y/n" kurapika walked in from the bathroom. His eyes formed bags around them, but his structure was still presentable. It was no secret that he was losing himself and trying to hide it.
You didn't even bother to ask him if he was okay, already knowing the answer. You and leorio exchanged looks, most likely thinking the same thing. You wanted to tell kurapika this whole thing was a bad idea. but you knew damn well that if it was your family or close friends, you'd be in the same shoes as him right now.
so instead of asking the obvious question, you just ask "Want some tea to wake you up? I'll make some for you". but he refused informing you that leorio already offered him three cups today. It was only 11 am.
A few hours later, the three of you sat around the coffee table absorbing all of the information kurapika just spilled. he explained exit points, backup plans, and each troupe member's information which was at least 80% accurate.
Throughout the whole conversation, kurapika still didn't confess who he killed. You weren't going to ask in case it sounded suspicious. but it bugged you like a bitch.
Leorio would be the designated driver, and you would be the 'assistant'. kurapika asked you multiple times if you were sure you wanted to do this. The truth was no, but you told him "Yes I'm sure. Stop asking."
The following day arrived pretty quickly. You awoke on a separate couch next to leorio. You giggled noticing his bare feet were hanging off the sofa, while he drooled onto his pillow.
You secretly took a picture of him in this position, then quickly woke him realizing it was almost 1 pm.
kurapika came out of his bedroom, and the three of you sat to eat a late breakfast which consisted of cereal with bagels.
After breakfast, you and leorio went out to get outfits for the night. kurapika tried to persuade the two of you to stay as he was worried about the troupe member's whereabouts. but leorio somehow convinced him we'd be fine.
Neither of you had anything auction material, so it wasn't like you had a choice.
leorio had a nice suit, but it practically was ruined due to the hunter's exam. You didn't understand why he wore it to an exam anyway.
You, on the other hand, could have worn the dress illumi bought for you the other night for the mission. however, it was too revealing and the plan was to not stick out tonight.
The two of you hit a few shops downtown. It was a rainy day, which did not help the gloomy situation. The rain clouds overpowered the sun heavily, leaving little to no sunlight.
leorio found a simple tuxedo which complimented him perfectly. The only downside was how expensive it was. You offered to pay for him, but he refused.
You and leorio walked downtown shielded from the rain by some store roofs. There was a brief moment of silence until leorio spoke.
"How do you think tonight will turn out?" he didn't even bother to make eye contact with you, instead, he found the ground more comforting to stare at
His tone was anxious, but his face was neutral. You didn't have a response due to the same question pondering in your mind. How would tonight go? You had no prediction.
You then realized leorio was turning to you for comfort. Even though he didn't act like it, he had a big heart. He cared deeply for his friends. Over the past few days, he's the one who had to witness kurapika turning cold, aching for revenge. and you knew that had to be hard to witness, knowing there's nothing he can do about it.
You finally stirred up a response "I think tonight will ...turn out."
"What?" he ripped his eyes off the ground and to your face
"I think things will turn out how they need to. I'm hoping kurapika will realize he doesn't need blood on his hands for revenge" you clarified
leorio sighed. "I hope so." The two of you rushed to cross a street. You placed a hand over your hair to prevent it from getting wet.
rain smeared on leorios glasses forcing him to take them off to clean them.
You panted as you and leorio
reached cover from the rain again.
Another pause settled in before he said "Thank you for being here y/n" he re-applied his glasses
You nudged him with your elbow. "I knew you had a soft side" you teased
leorio broke his neck at you. "Knock it off!" he whined.
You couldn't help but laugh. It was funny to see Leorio angry. His nose always scrunched up while his eyebrows turned into upside-down check marks. Sometimes you swore his eyes would turn a pale white
You held your stomach from laughing too hard, and he angrily walked beside you trying to ignore the sound.
He finally eased up as you both entered a shop called "Fashion Fitz" It was a mix of fancy and typical clothing, which sounded perfect for what you needed.
The store was practically empty, indicating it wasn't very popular.
You tried on a few things, and each time you presented the clothing to leorio. He approved each outfit, but you didn't believe his opinion, forcing you to grab a few more outfits to try.
"y/n, hurry up man! I'm hungry" leorio pushed
Adjusting the dress you had on before the mirror, you sighed in annoyance. "Alright give me a second! fuck."
Taking a look into the reflection one last time, you decided to go with the outfit you had on. It was just a plain, classic dress with long sleeves. It wasn't skin-tight or too revealing, making it the best option.
After the cashier took payment, leorio informed you he wanted Subway. You silently agreed so he'd stop complaining in your ear.
exiting the shop, rain was still falling, and rush hour was bringing more traffic to the streets. People brushed past you and leorio, some bumped into you, and others walked too close.
You held onto leorios sleeve so you wouldn't get lost in the crowd. You forgot how busy the streets got during this time of day. When you lived alone, you purposely took a night job to avoid people and large crowds.
leorio was taller so he led the way, walking ahead. There was no room for conversation between the large crowd and heavy rainfall, so you kept quiet.
As you continued walking, a chill ran through your body. It wasn't a chill due to the weather, or your social anxiety. This chill was an uncomfortable feeling. But what was it? You looked behind you to see if anyone was touching you, but there was no one guilty. You looked forward at leorio, only seeing the back of his head. You began to feel a little more uneasy.
You took in your surroundings a bit more. but you still couldn't pinpoint anything wrong.
What was it? Your aura was practically screaming that you hadn't figured it out by now. You looked up at the rainfall, sniffing the air. A glimpse of the sun caught your eye through a cloud, forcing you to squint.
Just as you were about to refocus on walking, a shadow jumped past the corner of your eye, near the roof of a building. You snapped your neck to where it could have gone, but there was nothing.
Your body became stiff, and you finally pinpointed the feeling. Someone was watching you.
It wasn't a glance or a brief stare. No, you could practically feel their eyes digging into you. You weren't able to pinpoint an aura as you were surrounded by one too many people.
Maybe it was nothing. It could have been your imagination, or just some creep in the crowd staring at your body. Perhaps the shadow was just a bird
Then just like that, the feeling disappeared. You looked around one last time and didn't notice anything odd in particular.
You were snapped out of the trance altogether when leorio pulled you into the restaurant.
He noticed you looked a little shaken up "Hey, you alright?"
You looked at him, then back at the door into the busy street before replying. "..yeah. yeah I'm ok"
He nodded and rubbed your back as he ordered his food. He just assumed you were scared for tonight.
When you and leorio arrived back at kurapikas place, the three of you sat with each other to eat once again before leaving.
leorio bought kurapika a sandwich, and you bought him some chocolate chip cookies with a lemonade. kurapika was grateful for this and didn't waste a second to chow down.
The plan was gone over once more before departing and heading to the auction.
The three of you got ready. While you and leorio wore your new outfits, kurapika wore all black and a platinum blonde wig to make himself look like a woman. It almost fooled you for a moment.
The drive there was awkward, to say the least. You sat in the back, while kurapika and leorio were in the front. kurapika sat with his eyes closed while leorio pretended to be entirely focused on the road.
You didn't bother to start any conversations. It was easy enough to read the room. Nobody wants to talk right now.
You swallowed down the anxiety in your throat as you approached the large building.
There was a before party for the auction, so you guys had plenty of time to prepare for what's to come.
"You ready?" leorio held his arm out for you to grab. You nodded and buckled your arm around his. The first phase of the plan was to blend in and wait for the troupe to attack. leorio is to play your husband for the night, while kurapika hides off to the side.
You repeat the plan in your head making sure you wouldn't forget. leorio was only there to get you into the auction, as they don't usually let young women in by themselves. kurapika put you on the floor as the kidnapper. He put a lot of trust in you after seeing your nen. Your job was to catch at least one of the members.
but you knew that once you caught one, you wouldn't take them to kurapika. at least not right away. Your real plan was to persuade the troupe to save everyone from this mess. You just hoped it would work
After about two straight hours, it seemed like this party would last the entire night. this is fucking boring. It was only 8 p.m., and the auction started at 9:30 p.m. Therefore you weren't too worried about finding something to do to pass the time. You decided to find a bar somewhere. Maybe a drink will speed up the process
You told leorio you had to run to the restroom, then took the nearest elevator from floor to floor, looking for a lounge.
Finally, on one of the top floors was a small diner with a bar off to the side. It was classy. The lights were dim with dark floors below, and there were waiters every which way. You noticed a few men from the party also decided to take a break. guess I'm not the only one
Taking a seat before the bar, someone approached to serve you immediately. "What can I get for you?" she smiled. You nicely ordered a specialty cocktail and she went to work.
As you sat with nothing else but your drink, your mind wandered. You had no idea how you'd pull this off tonight. You just didn't want anyone dying. And maybe kurapika would befriend you afterward, but at least he wouldn't be dead.
You were about to order another drink when you heard your name being called. "y/n?"
When you turned around, stress fell off your face. "chrollo!" your face turned blank again remembering the last interaction you had with him. The air quickly became awkward
Yes, you were excited to see him, especially at this time. You could easily lead him somewhere and possibly convince the whole troupe to stand down. but, your mind reminded you of how he treated you last.
He noticed this and sat down beside you. "Listen, about that night, I-"
"It's fine. I'm over it." You weren't over it, but it wasn't something you wanted to talk about in public. or at all right now. but at least chrollo knew he acted like an ass, you took note of that.
He ordered a drink as well, and the two of you just sat together having a few drinks. You wanted to tell him everything here and now. beg him not to engage with kurapika and just runway. but you had to wait for the right moment.
"You here with anyone?" he tried to fill the awkward silence.
yes. "No. Are you?"
"I'm alone," he responded.
liar. You could practically feel the lie grab you by the throat and throw you across the room. But why would he lie? Does he not want me involved again or something?
You decided to change the subject. but chrollo spoke before you could. "You should leave," he stated
His sentence was forceful and unexpected. He wasn't asking you to leave or suggesting it, he was telling you. You knew why he was telling you to, but you had to act dumb. for kurapika. "what? why?"
but something was off. chrollo was off. His demeanour is dark, his eyes purple and his skin is more pale than usual. He looked like he was doing drugs or something. "It's dangerous here" he responded
"Dangerous how?" chrollos face went blank. It was like he didn't hear your question. and if he did, he ignored you. You began to feel uncomfortable as you could practically feel the change in his aura. It wasn't pleasant. It wasn't like anything you felt before.
Maybe he was just in the zone because he was here with the troupe, but again why would he lie to you about being here with them? It's not like you don't know the troupe. Does he know something?
Chrollo's eyes didn't leave yours. He gave you a look like he wanted to kill, yet it felt hypnotizing. Your stomach dropped like you were falling down a roller coaster. He started to scare you. This wasn't chrollo anymore.
You held eye contact with his purple orbs "chrollo is something w-"
- authors p.o.v -
Before y/n could fall off the chair onto the floor, chrollo caught her. her head leaning back over his arm, while he lightly shook for her to wake up. "y/n!? Hey, y/n?! Someone call an ambulance!" chrollo shouted out to no one in particular
The bartender came rushing over with a security guard, confusion upon both faces. "Sir, what happened here? Is everything okay?"
"Does it look like everything is fucking okay?!" he barked, "I-I think she just had a little too much to drink but her pulse is low. We need to call an ambulance!" People gathered around to see what was going on
No one responded.
"Now!" he startled the audience as his voice got louder
"s-sir I apologize, but no vehicles are allowed in or out of the premises until the auction is over," she informed him
"what? That's fucking insane!" he continued to hold y/n up as she was leaning off the seat "Please, I need to make sure she's ok! She might have alcohol poisoning or something" he pleaded. Pass byers looked at him hopelessly.
"I'll see what I can do," said the bartender as she walked off to make a phone call
chrollo lifted you into his lap. your butt rested on his thighs as he still sat upon a chair, your head tucked gently against his forearm
When the bartender arrived back, she informed chrollo that the ambulance wouldn't get there for another hour. "I'm sorry sir, but that's the best I can do"
chrollo huffed "For fucksakes, I'll take her to the hospital myself." he nudged through the crowd that was created shortly after y/n fainted, and jogged to the elevator down the hall.
As Chrollo held y/n in his arms, his phone rang. but he ignored it as his hands were full.
Instead of taking the elevator down, chrollo toggled it to go up.
The elevator obeyed, going to the 5th highest floor. When it stopped, he was greeted by uvogin and phinks at the doors.
Chrollo passed y/n over to uvo.
"I just called you. What took so long boss?" uvo poked as he carelessly threw y/n over his shoulder. Phinks nudged Uvo for his stupid remark
"Never question my abilities uvo. and be careful with her" chrollo dismissed, walking ahead of them down the corridor
The three men walked to the very end, and into a large open room. The room was dim, while the entire wall parallel to the door was glass. It gave a perfect view of the entire city, which was now lit up by street lights.
The room was quite literally empty with a bare kitchen near the left. The only furniture the room contained was two folding chairs, which uvo plopped y/n down in one of them.
"So now what?" uvo asked
"Now.." chrollo took the other chair and sat before y/n, who was still out cold.
He undid a few buttons on his shirt to release tension. He then leaned forward with his forearms on his knees, to study y/n's face.
"Now we wait."
...