Chapter Text
With shaky hands Kurapika fought to maintain control of the chains around Gon. He didn’t want to form a deadly pact. There was no way he could hurt Gon but at this rate it’d be nearly impossible for him to continue restraining him. His nen was doing little to cancel out Gon’s growing fury.
Killua had warned him about this before but to see it with his own eyes…it was a fearsome sight.
.
.
.
“It appears something has happened.” Palm breathed matter-of-factly, blue eyes locked on the suited man’s back. “You cannot enter with weapons. Not without permission.” She pointed out.
Leorio clicked his tongue and discarded his suitcase as well as his lucky switchblade. It’d never done him many favors ever since deciding to become a licensed hunter, that world and the powers that ran it were far beyond the capabilities of a simple metal knife, but still it’d always given him a small sense of ease.
With Killua’s unconscious in his arms, a small body that grew colder as the seconds ticked by, Leorio set his sights into the descending darkness of the mysterious, abandoned laboratory the Zodiac had discovered just a few weeks before. Thought they’d only arrived a few days ago already Leorio had forgotten how things had gotten so fucked up.
Though his breathing became a little more forced as he ran down the uneven tile the thought of how easy this felt compared to the first challenge of the first phase of the Hunter’s Exam almost made him want to smile. He could hear the chimera woman’s steps not far behind him, her breath normal and even.
Leorio tried not to focus on how unused to he still was to these mutated creatures. This woman was Gon and Killua’s friend after all. Though she was being cold now for the sake of their safety he had to remember she had their best interest in mind as well.
An empty light engulfed Killua’s dormant body, his weight disappearing from Leorio’s grasp. “Wh-WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!!” He could hardly contain his panic.
The brat….
Without hesitation Palm took a hold of Leorio’s arm with inhumane strength and continued treading forward. “His body must have reunited with his soul. We have to find him. He’ll probably awaken soon!”
Not long after Leorio could see a faint light at the end of the long corridor. There was a small crowd of people huddled around what appeared to be some sort of hurricane, the large capsules that had held the specimen now broken, organs and limbs scattered all around the moldy floor, beating and jerking as though still alive.
“Leorio!” Cheadle called out. The uncharacteristic worried and helpless look on her face made Leorio’s stomach churn disgustingly. “I’m not sure what happened but Kurapika said the kid was inside so he went out after him and has yet to return!!”
Clenching his fists with all his might, needing to hold on to something even if it was only air and his own delusional hope, Leorio ran towards the chaos, stopping abruptly when the fury of Nen and chemicals the disgusting lab had been filled with.
.
.
.
Dark, lifeless eyes locked onto brimming red ones. Kurapika couldn’t hold back the quiet gasp of fright that slipped from his lips. He wasn’t sure if that split second had cost him his control over Gon or if the boy’s strength had just managed to break past his chains but the fact was Gon’s target had changed.
Stepping over Kanzai’s stunned body Gon slowly made his way to Kurapika, the blond staring helplessly at the boy he’d followed out of mere curiosity, the boy he’d sworn to protect and had thanked the heavens to have befriended. Easily Gon punched the wind out of Kurapika’s dumbfounded body.
There was no way to fight Gon without nearly killing him. Even so, could he bring himself to injure Gon in the least to begin with?!
The attacking ceased, Kurapika sitting up with shaking arms. Gon looked down at him, tilting his head almost as if curious. He wrapped his fingers around Kurapika’s neck gripping tightly but not enough to suffocate him.
“Is that the only artifact the Zodiacs had found?” Such a cold, merciless voice.
Though the fear was swelling painfully in Kurapika’s throat he remained silent daring not even to think of what Mizaistom had mentioned to him. There was no knowing how perceptive Gon was in this state.
“Though you are a conjuror you are able to manipulate all nen. It’s thanks to your eyes isn’t it?” Like a broken clock Kurapika’s heart stopped as a dreaded realization hit him, a petrifying fear he’d thought to have come to terms with. “I need to find them, the artifacts.”
The ghostly brush Kurapika felt on his cheek felt like needles on his skin. Dark fingers came into view of his peripherals but all the red irises could focus on where the blank blood-lusting piercing into his.
Nails dug into Kurapika’s tear ducts and threw his head back, opening his mouth to shriek but Gon’s fingers only clung onto his flesh tighter, squeezing his windpipes. His gasping voice was lost in the whirlwind of Nen that had formed.
It was blinding, aching the boiling white that Kurapika stared into. He felt nothing but a pull of something like a string from his eye socket, sharp jabs of pain shooting down his spine as the nerves broke one by one like guitar strings. Desperate nails clawed the ground, the tile chipping and cracking at the weakened fingers.
Finally the eyeball was free, Gon’s grip on Kurapika’s throat moving to his dirtied dress shirt. The blond’s body fell slack, fingers and head twitching on occasion as he went into shock.
The bloody glow of the Kurta eye illuminated the dark stains of Gon’s fingers. He brought the organ to his mouth feeling the slimy softness with his tongue, the blood giving it an acidic metallic taste. As he bit down the Nen around them dispersed leaving the entire room to hear the deafening crunch.
.
.
.
“You’re eye…” Leorio’s mouth went dry, eyes wide and horror-filled. “Don’t tell me you…!!”
Nearly pitch-black eyes stared right back at the doctor’s accusing ones. With no remorse Gon lifted Kurapika’s beaten body, no reaction even as Leorio’s face became twisted with rage and disbelief.
As if to challenge him Gon began digging his nails into Kurapika’s remaining eye. “STOP!” With a fearsome grip Leorio yanked Gon’s threatening arm away from the blond. “WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING? Did you…seriously eat his eye?”
It was a stupid question, Leorio knew, even as the distinguishable red eye stared right back at him, it was too painful for the doctor to accept. A punch to the gut was his only answer.
How could this have happened?
“I’ll need his right eye as well.” Gon informed in a ridiculously polite manner.
Unable to continue looking at the treacherous eye Leorio fought back tears as he focused his gaze on Kurapika’s unconscious body.
“Hand him over to me.” he begged.
“In order to enhance my power I’ll be needing both his eyes. There will be no use for him after.” Gon replied, ignoring Leorio’s plea. He proceeded to remove the remaining eye with his teeth.
Gon was a wild spirit, born and raised exposed to the wilderness. It would have been easy to see him as an animal but his unusually kind heart never proved him to be so. Still, as Leorio watched Kurapika’s beaten skin tear under Gon’s fangs Leorio couldn’t control his body as he flung Gon across the room. “I SAID STOP!!!”
Gon crashed into the cement wall falling calmly onto the floor, arm dangling at his side. The disgusting crack that had been heard became apparent but Gon didn’t seem fazed in the least as he rose to his feet.