The Reason We Fight

Chapter 22. The Getaway

4 months later

It turned out that Kakume's... or rather Shuri's big scheme had completely upset the order of the world, especially in the sphere of politics and the underground. The Nostrade family had lost most of its assets, having lost their house and flesh collection to the flames, with little to no way of regaining them, now that Neon's fortune-telling Nen had been captured by the Troupe's leader. Many others in the Mafia were left in a similarly compromising position. However, for Kurapika, it signified a means for upwards momentum. With so many holes left in the underground leadership, he managed to cleverly grab opportunities, through Nostrade's position as a de-facto leader. Soon enough, he would take over Light Nostrade's own position as mob boss, now that the man was falling apart at the seams.

For the moment, however, he still followed his lead. The community and its affiliated allies were hard pressed to bring justice to the girl who had made their world collapse, that was evident. Their grudge against the Phantom Troupe was all but forgotten. Nostrade had Kurapika work on it tirelessly. They would sooner have someone on the inside do the deed, to avoid paying the hundreds of millions of jenny to an outside headhunter. Of course, he had his own reasons in wanting to find her.

"Still nothing?", Senritsu asked him, after he ended a call with a witness who might have a lead.

Kurapika sighed. "It's as if she disappeared from the face of the earth". Still, with her bounty still up, it meant that nobody had claimed it, and that in itself was reassuring.

But you went into the Troupe's hideout and recovered the Scarlet Eyes, just for my sake. I am not like to forget it, Shuri, he thought, determined.

He had also used his connections to find the others. The Eyes were hard to pinpoint, though maybe not so hard as Shuri. During that time, through threats and bribery, he collected two more pairs. He used the same methods to convince some figures in the underworld to withdraw their bounty on her, but it was still far too high, far too enticing. How could you do something so rash? he wondered, but of course he knew why. For the same reasons that he did, only a few months ago.

Senritsu shifted uncomfortably. "I don't believe we're likely to find her for as long as she doesn't want to be found...". But he cannot stop trying. Senritsu smiled sadly, and put a hand on his shoulder. "I have no doubt she will show herself when she is ready. She is not gone forever, Kurapika. I can feel it in my heart."

I just hope we can find her before someone else does...

-

"Table four, Marin.", Gery told Kakume with a tone of annoyance. "They've been waiting for 20 minutes". She rolled her eyes. That irritating little troll...

She went up to table four, all the same. "What can I get you?", she asked.

The seedy bar exuded an air of decay, dimly lit with flickering neon signs casting a sickly glow. The musty scent of stale smoke clung to the air, intermingling with the dampness from the leaking pipes above.

The group of sketchy patrons leered at her. "Give me a drink as strong and tempting as that tight little body of yours! Or do I have to settle for what's behind the counter?", one of them said, a crude smirk upon his lips. His pals chuckled. "How about you and I make it a bit more interesting than pouring drinks, sweetheart?" Kakume, maintaining her composure, felt her undercurrent of annoyance grow at the insinuation. She dismissed his advances as she prepared to take his order.

"I'm here to serve drinks, not your fantasies. What'll it be?"

The patron didn't enjoy that. Sitting at their table, in the back, was a younger man wearing a large-rimmed cowboy hat that obscured his face.