16. Tag, You're It

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Branches whipping past his face, Kurapika fled through the trees, swindling in between the branches, narrowly slipping over moss-coated stones. Puffs of the Kurta language escaped his lips in between quiet gasps. His chest felt like a cave, as his breathing was shallow while he ran with no hint of ever ending. For some reason even he didn't know, one of his sweaty hands stretched out ever so slightly, anxious fingers pulsating into the wet nothingness, desiring nothing more than to touch him. Inside him, his heart pounded so hard his head hurt, which was only exacerbated by the bobbing up and down of his frame as he ran. When he finally caught sight of him, he was a sight to behold.
He stood erect, somehow, over a glistening stone painted in several colored mosses of yellow, auburn, and mint green. In the near-silence of the heart of the forest, the Komorebi lights danced along his skin, glistening with sweat, and decorated his figure. With his chest rising and falling like a wounded animal's, he stood existing as erratic as a strike of lighting. For a second, Kurapika thought of the statue of an ancient god, trapped in sculptured suspension; a Venus or Michaelangelo's David, and he couldn't help but gulp at the sight. Any person several millennia before would have pronounced him a god, but Kurapika recognized those eyes, heartbroken and afraid. He stood for a second like a buck in headlights, eyes wide like a philosopher who had learned too much. And learned too much he had.

***
The waves crashed against the starboard of the ship as Y/n rested his head on his arms, sights outward to the blue horizon and thoughts elsewhere. Thankfully, he was back in his regular clothing even after the events of the last phase of the exam. Just for this Y/n was content. In his bandaged fingers he carried a small bag of striped sunflower seeds, a pleasant gift from gon. The hair by his ears caught the wind and danced silently to it.
Kurapika and Loerio, leaning on the ship also, stared into the sea as Leorio spoke quietly. A wave of somberness had wiped over the starboard of the ship, and the crowds were muted. Every so often, Leorio pulled on Y/n's clothes in an attempt to engage him into the conversation, to ask a question, or to help prove his point, to which Y/n would shake his leg to not have his daydreaming and rest interrupted. To not much avail, of course.

"Y/n back me up,"

"I'm good,"

Leorio disregarded his reply and turned his attention to the offender.

"I only lost 50 hours- No! You would too for a check!"

"A check-in somebody's pants? I most certainly would not," Kurapika replied, exchanging a glance with Y/n.

Y/n shook his head, spitting out a sunflower seed shell into the sea.

"Leorio, I must inquire," Kurapika said.

"What is it now?"

"Do you realize what this implies?"

"What now?" Leorio asked, rolling his eyes a little.

"You're the biggest simp I've ever met," Kurapika said innocently.

Leorio nearly choked on his own spit. Killua appeared beside Y/n, with a puckish grin.

"I sensed the harassment of an old man, reporting for duty, Kurapika
sir."

He cupped his pink-white hand onto his forehead like an obedient soldier. Kurapika's expression turned stoic, as a general would before commanding an army.

Y/n laughed heartily as Leorio turned beat red, brows burying into his skull.

"Why I outta-!"

He reached two angry hands towards them before he was interrupted. Gon called from little ways away.

"Hey guys, look!"

Leading directly away from Gon's pointing finger, far from the ship, was an island, dark and looming with severed hills and fog cradling its waist.

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