Kurapika/Reader: Twelve Steps

Chapter 18: A Bleak Prognosis

Slowly, deftly, clarity began to return to you and your eyes took in the warm amber light of the hotel room. The gentle hand stroking your hair had gone but you still felt a sensation of comfort, sunk deep down into a you-shaped mattress crater. It was so peacefully quiet you could hear the sounds of traffic horns on the streets far below your level, somewhere in the distance, as well as passing chatter and closing doors in the hallway. There seemed to be more bustling than usual.

You realized in your quiescence that you'd forgotten to tell Kurapika about Machi, but then you figured you could just tell him now. A soft rustle coming from the kitchen area led you to assume he was present, carefully tiptoeing around the penthouse so as to not rouse you from your slumber. He was sweet like that.

A rectangular slip of paper sat perched upon the nightstand at eye level and you reached out to investigate it further. In thick black ink the brush strokes read:

'Feel pain no longer,

Don't leave us for a moment.

Long rest will heal you.'

You smiled pleasantly at it. Apparently Basho had written you a haiku to aid in your recovery. You used Gyo on it, just for fun, noting a light colored aura buzzing around the paper. 'So its still in effect, huh? ...Guess I'm not fully healed yet.' Either way you felt humbled by his thoughtful gesture.

"Oh, you're awake." An airy familiar voice exclaimed, taking you by surprise.

'Oh, that's right. Kurapika said she'd be here when I woke up.'

"Melody..." Your voice came out a bit hoarse, which was probably just a lingering side effect of you bawling your eyes out earlier. She responded with a disheartened smile of sorts, probably deriving from a place of pity. It didn't reach her eyes.

"How are you feeling?"

"Surprisingly ...good?" You answered with uncertainty, sitting up hesitantly. You were terribly fearful of your spine at first, but then remembered how you shot upwards earlier when Kurapika visited and felt no pain whatsoever. It was honestly nothing short of a miracle that you weren't permanently paralyzed, or worse: dead. "I guess I got really lucky." Despite your casual cheerfulness her gaze still turned downcast.

"...I try to count myself among optimistic individuals, yet I still can't say I'd refer to any event that befell you recently as 'lucky.'"

"I can't exactly argue with that." You agreed. "Speaking of, are you okay? From what I remember you got caught up in the falling rubble when the floor collapsed."

"Yes. Just a little bump on the head is all." She pointed to the present mark of impact on her skull, which reflected a purplish discoloration. "Nothing serious."

"That's good to hear. I was really worried about you both when I first woke up. I sincerely appreciate the trouble you and Basho put yourselves in for my sake. If you see him before I do will you thank him for me as well?"

"I'll extend your gratitude to him if you like, but I, for one, did very little in the grand scheme of things. Kurapika handled all of the planning and Basho did most of the fighting."

"Don't undersell yourself. You played a huge role in Kurapika getting the upper hand. And you each risked your own lives to try and save mine. For that I'm extremely in your debt. Your goodness truly knows no bounds." You said, quoting what Kurapika had said to you once before. It seemed a very fitting compliment at a time like this. Melody quirked her head ever so slightly, as if she detected something within you that was unsettling, or at the very least, puzzling. It was now that you glanced over to the window. The blinds were no longer drawn closed and you could see the skyline flickering like tea lights. "Its dark..." An uneasy sense of urgency struck you and your voice dropped low. "That means the auction has started... hasn't it...?" A look flashed across your companion's face, one of severity, before it was immediately suppressed. Something was very wrong. "I missed something important..." Her visage settled into resolve and a feeling of panic began to bubble beneath your skin. "Melody... what's wrong?"