𝖌𝖚𝖒𝖚𝖘𝖘𝖊𝖗𝖛𝖎

f i f t y . t h r e e

[name] watched silently with kurapika as the ambulance carrying neon nostrade drove away. the ambulance was headed to a much safer destination - a hospital. the ambulance turned a corner and the vehicle was no longer in sight. [name] moved her line of vision to her side, where kurapika stood solemnly. she opened her mouth to speak, but closed it as she decided otherwise.

"hey, you two," a man's voice called out from behind the two, making them swiftly turn their heads. "aren't you going to participate in the auction?"

"what do you mean?"

"the leader of the troupe was killed," one of the two men that approached claimed, shocking the two. "why wouldn't they proceed? we're just mopping up the leftovers now."

"they're called pros for a reason," the other commented as the two began to walk forwards.

[name] frowned at the devastated expression that darkened kurapika's face. she sucked in a breath before turning to face the men.

"is this true? if i may ask, where can we find the bodies? we'd like to see them ourselves."

"you saying you can't trust us?" one of the men snapped back narrowing their eyes at the girl.

"of course not, you two are members of the mafia, are you not? many people i've talked to think highly of the mafia and if you two are from the mafia, i'm sure you two can be trusted," [name] smoothly replied, making the two huff proudly. "oh! but if it is confidential, i completely understand. i had naively assumed you would trust someone of a lower level such as myself with confidential information.. i apologise for that."

"no, that's alright. it's not necessarily confidential and i think we can trust you."

[name]'s lips curled upwards from behind her mask when the two men began to approach her and explain the situation. when the two concluded their explanation, they quietly left without another word. [name]'s coy smile lifted as her expression began slightly glum at the tense aura emitted from the male beside her. when she opened her mouth to send words of comfort, another man snickered from behind them.

"while your useless asses were busy fussing over an ambulance, the zoldycks got the job done. so you're no longer needed. just stick with your fortune girl. run off to the hospital or the hotel," the man oppressed, stepping in front of the two and looking up at them in a teasing manner. "or will you lick the boots of that old fraud who failed to score any points-"

the man was suddenly interrupted when kurapika's fist came into contact with the man's face. kurapika's eyebrows furrowed in fury as he turned to stomp back inside the building. [name] looked down at the fallen man before her vision moved back to kurapika, who's figure grew smaller. she released a heavy sigh, following the male to check the bodies of the supposedly deceased phantom troupe members.

~

the crimson hue that covered the man's body, the man's dull eyes, the lack of movement; kurapika didn't want to believe it, but he knew.. this man - the phantom troupe head - was indeed no longer alive.

[name] stared down at the lifeless body of the man she once knew. his eyes which were devoid of light bore holes into her. his hair which she remembered as always slicked-back, waxed and flawless was let down, messy, and tickled his face.

the two stared grimly down at the body as the mafia members around them threw insults and threats like a hot potato.

"a total of five bodies?"

"try to identify them. DNA, teeth, fingerprints, disease.. try everything you can! you can dismember them, but don't touch their heads," a man spoke, catching [name]'s attention. "once we have their identities, we'll kill their parents, siblings, relatives and lovers! we'll make sure no one ever tries a stunt like this again!"

[name] subtly smirked at the threats. clearly it wasn't going to go the way they want..

~

kurapika pushed the auction doors open, huffing as beads of sweat rolled down his face. hundreds of heads were turned away from him and up on the stage was a woman and a man. the man stood in front of a cart with a microphone in hand and a big grin stretched his face.

"now, everyone.. it's time for our last item tonight! one of the world's seven most beautiful items, the scarlet eyes!" the man introduced, stepping aside to reveal the treasure, making the crowd roar in excitement. "with the kurta clan's extinction, only thirty-six pairs exist. this particular set has a particularly brilliant red hue. then, let's start at the bidding of 100 million!"

as kurapika stepped inside, prices were being shouted out in a hurry. kurapika lifted his arm to put his phone to his ear.

"boss? it's kurapika. i apologise, i predicted incorrectly. the leader of the spiders is dead. the auction is proceeding as scheduled," kurapika explaining, shocking the man behind the phone. "the scarlet eyes are currently being auctioned. should i bid on them?"

"of course! you must win them."

"is there a limit as to price?"

"no! bid as much as it takes! win the scarlet eyes!"

"i understand."

~

after successfully winning the scarlet eyes with a bid of 2.9 billion jenny, the two nostrade bodyguards exit the auction house with the scarlet eyes in their arms. kurapika carefully held the box, pressing it against his chest protectively. [name], who walked beside him, paused when noticing the familiar man whom stood furiously in front of them.

"bastard. you think you can just walk away?"

it was the man that kurapika had punched earlier before the two had checked the bodies of the phantom troupe. the blonde continued to walk as if he had heard nothing. his head was low and his hair covered his eyes. the man clicked his tongue before lifting his arm to reveal a gun, which was pointed at the male.

"stop! i'll blow your head off!"

"move," kurapika whispered, making the man ready his gun.

"don't be-"

"just stop. i don't care who i kill right now..."

the man froze in fear. from behind kurapika's blonde locks were luminescent, scarlet eyes that glowed fiercely in the darkness. they were bewitching, yet so terrifying. the man's eyes shook at the sight and his breathing became irregular.

"even if it's you..."

kurapika steadily walked past as the man's knees failed him and he fell to the ground. [name] followed suit and waddled up behind the male. for the rest of the walk to the hospital, it was quiet. no words were exchanged in the silence, but even then, the two never felt uncomfortable with one another. kurapika felt a strange, nostalgic feeling of security and comfort when he was around the girl, and [name] felt the unfamiliar desire to protect the male from harm which felt odd and bizarre, yet so right..

~

yep, definitely turning into a damn kurapika x reader.

anyways, i'm tired and i want to sleep. sorry if it's kinda crappy, i'm too lazy to edit right now and i rushed. bye~