Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Leorio leaned back in his chair and sighed, slinging his arm over his eyes.

Knock knock .

"Come in!" Leorio called, sitting himself back up.

"Hello, Leorio," Melody's soft voice chimed from the doorway. "The infirmary is closed for the day. You don't have night watch tonight; do you want to come out with the rest of us?"

"No, that's okay," Leorio half-turned to look at her. "I want to get some more studying done tonight."

"Are you sure?" there was a gentle admonishment in Melody's tone. "You can't stay cooped up in here forever."

"It won't be forever," Leorio grinned. "Just until I graduate with my M.D."

Melody laughed. "I suppose that's fair. Well, if you change your mind, the rest of us will be over at Forger’s."

"Okay," Leorio had already turned back to the textbooks spread across his desk. He heard the click of the door settling back into its latch and sighed again. Soon , he promised himself. Soon. Final exams are in a few weeks, and then you'll be able to go out with the others.

.*.*.*.*.*.

Despite his best intentions, Leorio found himself unable to focus. Finally, after being distracted by the whistle of the train outside for the fourth time in an hour, he slammed his book shut and stood up with such force that his chair fell backwards to the floor. "One night won't hurt," he declared to the closed window in front of him. "I'll come back and study tomorrow. Maybe even later tonight!"

With that decided, he grabbed his jacket and was off. He waved at a few of the nurses and field doctors who were still around despite the late hour on his way out the door, but didn't pay much attention to them. He hadn't really taken the time to get to know anyone at the field hospital. Melody he'd known before, and she was the one who introduced him to Zepile, owner and bartender of Forger’s, the best bar in town. They were his only two friends in this lonely place…

Outside, the air was crisp and clear, and smelled of locomotive smoke and fall. The town had really cleaned up for the parade of soldiers passing through. Leorio hadn’t gone to the display that afternoon; he was too busy in the infirmary taking care of the wounded from the war--the true heroes, as far as he was concerned--to laud those who had spent the battles watching from the background. He pushed the war out of his mind. There were no signs of it on a night like tonight, after all. No sense in spoiling a perfectly good evening with something so foul as senseless fighting.

Leorio took the long way to Forger’s. It was nice enough to do so, and he could avoid the parties of visiting soldiers spilling out of just about every bar or restaurant by taking the back streets. Unfortunately, he didn’t actually know the back streets particularly well, and soon found himself lost as the sun dipped below the distant hills.

Leorio was trying to get his bearings when he ran into… someone. He staggered backwards, a rebuke on his lips (despite fully knowing that he was the one at fault) until he saw the bright blue and red uniform on the man in front of him. He immediately swallowed his pride and muttered an apology, attempting to continue on his way.

“Hey!” the blond soldier--he probably would have been attractive in any other situation, uniform or not, Leorio mused--barked, grabbing Leorio’s arm as he tried to brush past. “Watch where you’re going, buddy!”

“I said I was sorry,” Leorio kept his voice meek and his eyes directed at the ground. Maybe if the guy thought he was a coward, he’d let him go. In truth, it was everything Leorio could do not to punch the soldier in his smug, pretty face.

“Mousy little thing, aren’t you?” the blond laughed, shoving Leorio back into the stone wall behind him.

Little? Leorio, who stood head and shoulders over the brawnier soldier, arched an eyebrow.

“What’s going on over here?” an even gruffer voice called from the nearest doorway. Leorio didn’t find it hopeful; the only person who would consider getting involved in a dispute with a soldier was another soldier.

“This little mouse bumped into me and thought he could get away without apologizing,” the first soldier called back.

The man who stepped into view sent Leorio’s heart into his mouth. He was huge; easily as tall as Leorio, and twice as broad. His biceps were thicker than Leorio’s thighs--and Leorio didn’t consider himself a small man. “I, uh… I did apologize, actually. It was just a little… quiet?” Leorio stammered.

He didn’t even see the fist coming.

The blond soldier’s punch hit him square over his left eye and cheekbone, and sent his head slamming back into the stone wall, effectively dazing him.

“Ow,” Leorio mumbled.

“You calling me a liar, pretty boy?” the blond sneered, grabbing Leorio by the jaw.

Oh. That’s what he wants.

The other soldier was already pinning Leorio in from the other side, reaching up to grab his tie. He leaned in close enough for Leorio to feel his bristling mustache and smell his breath--heavy with alcohol--and spoke: “It’s not smart to tell lies to people like us.”

“Hello there.”

Three heads snapped around to find the source of the new voice. Leorio’s heart pounded with terror on behalf of the new arrival. A small, slight blond with shaggy hair and perfectly tailored clothing stood in the dark alleyway a few feet from them, hand on his hip and head cocked to the side.

“What’s going on here, darling?”

Is he talking to me..?

“You with this guy?” the big soldier laughed. “You’re way out of his league.”

“Yeah, you should stick around with us for a little while,” the blond soldier simpered. “We can really show you a good time.”

“Too bad,” the new arrival sighed.

“‘Too bad’?” the blond soldier repeated.

“Too bad you two were just leaving ,” the gentleman--because, with clothes like those, despite his haircut, he had to be something more than just a normal townsperson--twirled a finger in the air.

The two soldiers snapped to attention, saluted Leorio, and marched down the alley, past the cute blond, protesting the entire way.

“Wha--uh, what just happened?” Leorio mumbled as the blond appeared at his side--Leorio didn’t even see him move--and slotted himself against Leorio, draping Leorio’s arm over his shoulders.

“Just a little fun,” the blond smiled up at him through his messy golden hair. “They’re harmless, really, they just need to be reminded of that every now and then.” He started walking, pulling Leorio with him.

“‘Harmless’?” Leorio didn’t even try to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.

“Where were you heading?”

“Oh, uh… Forger’s. It’s a bar.”

“I know the place,” the blond said. “Just stay close, and act natural. I’m being followed, and by something more dangerous than those two.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Leorio looked around. He thought he saw a shadow in the alley behind them, but couldn’t be sure.

“I said ‘act natural’,” the blond hissed. “I may not know you, but I don’t think that’s natural.”

“Sorry, but I got a little concerned when you said you were being followed by something dangerous ,” Leorio grumbled, doing his best to keep his attention on the alley ahead.

“Too late.”

“Wait, what?” Leorio panicked.

“Run.”

And then the blond was pulling him along, racing down the alleyway faster than Leorio thought was humanly possible.

“Hey, you do know this is a dead end, right!?” Leorio yelped. There were definitely moving shadows all around them now.

“Not a problem!” the blond sang out. “Jump!”

They jumped.

They jumped up, and up, and up, and then… they were sailing through the air, over the rooftops of the buildings that had surrounded them moments before.

“Don’t look down!” the wind nearly stole the blond’s voice away, but the warning came just in time, as Leorio had been about to look behind them for the shadows. “They can’t fly like I can. We’ll lose them this way, at least long enough for me to drop you off.”

The flight didn’t last nearly long enough. Before Leorio knew it, they were beginning to descend, and then the blond was slipping out from under his arm and depositing him on the balcony of Forger’s.

“I’ll lead them away, don’t worry,” he smiled, not unkindly, down at Leorio before turning and taking a leap off of the balcony railing.

“Wait!” Leorio shouted, racing to the edge and peering down, half-expecting to see his newfound friend splattered over the cobblestones below. Instead, he saw a huge black bird soaring up from the courtyard and away into the night sky, shadows flitting along the ground behind it. “I didn’t even get your name…” Leorio sighed.

Chapter Text

“I have so many questions,” Zepile sighed, handing Leorio a towel-wrapped bundle of ice cubes to hold against the throbbing bruise on his face.

“So do I,” Leorio grumbled.

“What happened?” Melody asked gently.

“I’m not really sure,” Leorio sighed. “One minute, I was getting punched by this soldier, and the next I was running around with some cute blond twink , who, by the way, saved me from said soldier and his beefcake buddy.”

“But how did you end up on the balcony?” Zepile demanded, passing Leorio a drink and ignoring another customer at the end of the bar in favor of Leorio’s story.

“I’m… not really sure,” Leorio sighed. “I think… I think we flew, but that’s not possible. I probably just hit my head harder than I realized.”

“You know who flying isn’t impossible for?” Zepile poured the other customer’s drink and slid it down the bartop. “Wizards. Wizards can do anything, and flying counts as anything. They said the Moving Castle was spotted out at the near edge of the Wastes recently. Maybe you ran into its wizard.”

“Kurapika?” Leorio laughed. “He’s as much of a legend as that castle. And anyways, the legends say that he only goes after the Spiders. They don’t say anything about rescuing damsels--or doctors--in distress.”

Zepile shrugged and crossed his arms. “You never know.”

“The legends also say that Kurapika steals the hearts of the people he meets and eats them,” Leorio retorted. “Clearly, I still have my heart.”

“Are you sure?” Melody teased. “I’ve been able to hear yours pound since we found you on that balcony. Maybe he stole it figuratively, not literally.”

Leorio bit back a retort, opting instead to curse Melody’s inhuman hearing, and chugged more of the drink Zepile had passed him than was probably advisable, given his head wound. He stood up, just barely catching his stool before it could fall to the floor, and handed the now-damp towel back to Zepile. “Look, whatever, happened, it kind of killed my desire for a night out. I’m just going to head back. I’ll see you two later.”

“Are you sure?” Melody asked, instantly worried.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Leorio sighed. “I just want to get some sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Hey, don’t be a stranger, okay?” Zepile said. “You haven’t been coming around much. It’s been too quiet around here!”

Leorio glanced around the nearly-empty bar. “I’m not really sure that’s my fault,” he laughed. “I’ll start coming by more often once I pass my final exams, okay?”

“Yeah, okay,” Zepile sighed. “Good luck!”

“Thanks!” Leorio called over his shoulder, already on his way out the door.

Thankfully, his trip home was far less eventful.

.*.*.*.*.*.

When Leorio got into the infirmary, he locked the door behind him. It had been a long night, even though he hadn't even been gone a full two hours, and he was ready for bed. He peeked into the main ward, where long lines of occupied beds stretched down the length of the huge room, broken here and there by curtained dividers to give patients a modicum of privacy. At the far end, the night nurse and on-call doctor had set up a card table and were playing a game. They glanced in Leorio's direction when the light from his candle illuminated the entry, offering small waves and shushing motions when they recognized him. He held up a hand, partly in greeting, partly in apology for any disturbance he may have caused, and slipped back out into the waiting room.

When Leorio turned around, he had to stifle a shriek. Directly behind him—literally, the guy was only about two steps behind him—stood a well-built, well-dressed man, not much older than Leorio himself. His dark hair was slicked back so that it actually glinted in the moonlight (Leorio couldn't quite tell if it shone from grease or gel, and he didn't much care to ask), and an eerie smile, unechoed in his dark eyes, played across his lips.

"Um, hi…" Leorio squeaked, sidestepping to put the reception desk between himself and the stranger. "Can I, uh, help you?"

No response.

"The main part of the infirmary is closed right now actually—I could have sworn I locked that door—but if you have an emergency, I can take you back into the ward to see the doctor on call."

The man arched a deliberate eyebrow. "Why would I come to a dingy little place like this if I were injured? I'd be more concerned about the risk of infection than the injury itself."

Leorio glanced around at the infirmary's spotless walls and floor. Dingy? "Sir, I think it's best you leave," he drew himself up to his full height, an easy six inches over the stranger, and marched towards the door, yanking it open—a little harder than was strictly necessary—and holding it there.

The man grinned a wicked smile, all teeth and no emotion, and swept forward, his coat billowing behind him. As he approached, he picked up speed, and Leorio couldn't help but flinch back into the wall as the man passed him—passed through him?—and vanished into the deep shadows in the street lamps. As he blew past, Leorio thought he heard the words " And you won't be able to tell anyone if you try! " sung gleefully on the wind.

When Leorio tried to straighten himself, he discovered that he couldn't quite seem to reach his full height. The more he stretched, the more pains shot through his back, and the more snap, crackle, pops he heard, echoing vaguely in the empty waiting room. "What the…" his voice trailed off as he caught sight of his reflection in the nearest window.

No. Fucking. Way.

He bolted back towards the dormitory he shared with a few of the visiting doctors and nurses. The whole way, his ankles, knees, hips, and even spine continued to pop and crack, and his legs were unsteady as he tottered along the hallway, which suddenly seemed about three times as long as normal. By the time he reached his room, he was gasping for breath.

Only once the door was securely latched behind him did Leorio risk a glance in the mirror over his washbasin. He was unable to contain the inhuman sound that escaped his mouth at the sight.

"What the fuck? What the fuck? What the fuck?" He chanted the phrase like a mantra, pawing at the wrinkled skin that now covered his face with long, thin fingers covered with even more wrinkly skin. His knuckles and wrists were knobbly, and throbbed with a deep-seated burning ache. Now that he noticed it, the ache was everywhere—every joint in his legs, his wrists, his elbows, even his shoulders, and a long streak of fire ran up his back, along his spinal cord.

This isn't possible. I'm seeing things. I hit my head, and the drink at Zepile's is coming at me harder than I expected. I'm hallucinating. I'm dreaming. Maybe I'm dead back in that alleyway and this whole night has been a dream. He wasn't sure which possibility he preferred. He took a deep breath, ignoring the rattle in his chest and the fact that it somehow made him even more out of breath to do so, and steadied himself against the small table that housed the washbasin. "Just go to bed, Leorio. Everything will be fine in the morning."

Somehow, saying it out loud didn't help him believe it.

.*.*.*.*.*.

Sleeping wasn't as easy as Leorio had hoped. He got in a few hours, but when the sun came up, it found him seated on the edge of his bed, bundled in a blanket against the chill of the night. Sleeping also hadn't proved the cure for Leorio's sudden aging. He actually felt somehow older by the time the sun came up.

By the time Melody knocked on his door, he had resigned himself to his fate.

"Leorio?" her gentle voice seemed as loud through the light door as if she were standing next to him.

"Don't come in!" he croaked in reply. "I've got a really bad cold, and I don't want you to get it. Too many nights up studying late. Can you tell Cheadle I need to take the day off?"

"Of course," Melody's voice was sympathetic. "You do sound awful. I'll pass on the message, and I'll be back up to check on you after lunch, okay? Call down if you need anything."

"I'll be fine, thanks," Leorio called back. "No need to check in. I'll let you know if I need anything."

He listened to her light footsteps fading away. Through the floor of his room, he could hear the residents of the dormitory eating breakfast before heading to their shifts.

I'll have to time this carefully.

Leorio had made up his mind shortly after waking up to realize that he, quite literally, hadn't gotten any younger. I can't be a doctor if I can't use my hands. No sense staying around here to be a burden to anyone, not to mention they'd probably make me a subject of scientific study, since I can't tell them what happened. He'd already tried to talk about the curse—because what else could it be?—to his reflection in the mirror, but whenever he tried his jaw would lock up and the words would stick in his throat.

Leorio gathered up his things, packing only a few extra changes of clothes and his most comprehensive notebooks— just because I can't be a doctor doesn't mean I can't be a medic in a pinch —listening carefully to the activity below. He would only have a short window of time before the hired cooks finished making breakfast and started cleaning up from breakfast, while they were eating. As soon as he heard the sounds of cooking stop, he bolted down to the kitchen. At least, he did whatever the 90-year-old grandpa version of "bolting" was.

He only snitched a few things from the kitchen: a loaf of bread, a chunk off a wheel of cheese, a few apples, some dried meat. Once these were securely bundled in a kerchief and tucked into the top of his rucksack, he stepped outside. Immediately, he was glad he had put on his good coat, because the autumn chill that had been so brisk and pleasant the day before was now biting and frigid, cutting straight to the bones of his exposed hands and face. He yanked his hat further down over his ears, shoved his hands in his pockets, and appreciated his heavy knit scarf as he headed for the edge of the city.

.*.*.*.*.*.

Leorio was fortunate enough to score a ride on a cart traveling out to one of the more distant farms between the city and the wastes. The farmer and his son were nice, and his wife tried to persuade Leorio to spend the night in their hayloft, insisting that it was far too dangerous for a gentleman of his stature (meaning: age) to wander out in the wastes in this weather (clear, but chilly). Leorio politely but insistently refused, promising that he wasn't going much further, just out far enough to visit an old friend, and he would reach his destination long before nightfall.

Clearly, it was all a lie.

As Leorio trudged up the hill past the farm, bundled up tightly in his coat and scarf, he bemoaned his fate. With the city laid out before him like a painting, he seriously considered going back to the infirmary. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe they wouldn't use me as a test subject. But, as he gnawed on a piece of hard cheese, he knew that he was just lying to himself.

He already missed Melody and Zepile, too. It wasn't fair to run off and leave them wondering about his fate, and he knew that. I should have left a note . Melody was so kind and caring; his disappearance might send her into a panic (realistically, Leorio knew her well enough to know that was unlikely). Zepile wouldn't be as frantic, but Leorio knew he would worry too. Leorio sighed and stood up as abruptly as he could, wincing at the pops that burst from his knees and hips.

"No point thinking about what I should've or could've done," he declared to the open air, trying to get used to the sound of his new voice. "Looking on the bright side, I'm pretty healthy, aside from the obvious rheumatism. I don't think I'm senile, and I still have all of my teeth. Things could be worse!"

He turned around and nearly screamed. Standing behind him, for some reason, was an enormous chicken with brilliant red plumage atop its head.

" Who the fuck are you? " Leorio wheezed.

The bird cocked its head to the side, as though it was asking Leorio what exactly he meant by that question.

Leorio took a shaky step backwards, fully aware that he was much older than he was used to being and a simple fall could prove disastrous. "Look… friend… I'm not gonna lie to you: I've never really been a fan of chickens. I mean, you're better than pigeons—I swear those damn things are out to get me sometimes—but I just really don't like birds, and you in particular are way bigger than any bird is supposed to be and… I don't like that."

The bird cocked her head—Leorio didn't know why he thought it was a girl, he just did —and gave a gentle squawk .

Leorio sighed. "Well, if you're determined to stick around… I don't suppose you could help me find a cane or a staff or something in those woods over there, could you?"

The bird chirruped happily and bounded away, head held high so that her feathers flounced in her wake.

"Well, I guess that worked pretty well…" Leorio mumbled, hurriedly packing up his supplies and heading off. The way he saw it, this was a win-win situation: either the bird never came back, or she brought him a cane of some kind to walk with. He spared a thought to her intelligence. Maybe she's cursed too?

To his surprise, it wasn't long before the bird was fluttering along behind him, half-flying in her excitement, a long, knobby stick clutched in her beak. She skidded to a stop beside him and dropped the stick at—nearly on—his feet, cocking her head proudly to the side like she was waiting for adulation. Leorio had to chuckle and reached out to scratch her neck.

"Good girl," he sighed. "Now"—(and this one he was really, truly proud of)—"what do you think about finding me somewhere warm and dry to sleep tonight? It looks like it could storm any minute."

The bird let out an ecstatic screech and took off, racing along the winding, hilly road. Leorio arched an eyebrow and chuckled to himself. Old people are craftier than I ever have them credit for.

.*.*.*.*.*.

Leorio never expected to see the bird again. Therefore, it was one of the biggest shocks in his life when she sprinted back into view, screaming wildly.

" What the hell !?" he squawked, unwilling to admit how much he sounded like the bird in that moment.

The true source of his shock, however, was not the bird racing towards him, but instead the massive, disheveled building lumbering along behind it. "The Moving Castle," he gaped, recognition striking him like a lightning bolt. "Kurapika's palace… that's what passes for a castle these days?"

In the time it took him to make these observations, the bird had latched onto his scarf with her beak, half unwinding it. It tried to tug him towards the castle, which was already nearly on top of them. "Okay, fine , I'm coming!" Leorio yelped, stumbling forward.

He ran towards the castle as fast as his aching legs would carry him, dodging spindly legs and a low-hanging doorstep. He gulped and grabbed onto the railing of the step as it flashed past him, his arm nearly ripping out of its socket as he was yanked along behind the castle. While he struggled to keep up, he felt his scarf tear away from his neck, fluttering away in the wind that had picked up as the storm began to pick up. “My scarf!” he shouted, grabbing at it with his free hand, to no avail. The bird sprinted off after the garment, and Leorio gave them both up.

With not a small amount of effort on his part, Leorio eventually managed to haul himself up onto the stoop of the lumbering castle. He laid back on the steps and gasped for breath. When he heard a tremendous squawk off somewhere in the distance, he propped himself up on his elbows. To his lessening surprise (considering how many times it had happened at this point), the giant chicken was racing towards him, his scarf clutched in her beak.

“Thanks!” Leorio shouted to be heard over the noise of the wind and the creaking of the castle’s alarmingly skinny legs as he reached out to take his scarf from the bird. “Look, I hate to leave you out here in this weather on your own, but it would be a shame to have climbed up here just to decide not to go inside.” He opened the door and popped his head in, then turned around to look at the bird again. “It’s nice and warm inside. I could do worse. Thanks for all your help, bird! Maybe we’ll meet again someday!”

Chapter Text

Inside, the castle truly was incredibly toasty, at least in temperature. Leorio did his best to ignore the absolute mess that covered just about every inch of the… kitchen? Dining room? He couldn’t quite tell what he had stepped into, but based on the large wooden table covered in detritus, the fire burning in a large open hearth, and the precarious stacks of dishes and provisions in an alcove off to his left, he was fairly certain that the room served one of those functions. He grabbed one of the chairs from the table and dragged it over to a clear spot in front of the hearth. The seat had a low, flat cushion that made it just comfortable enough to settle himself into. He propped his feet up on the hearth, wrapped his wide scarf around his shoulders like a shawl, and leaned back in the chair.

“Wow.”

Leorio’s eyes popped open and he searched the room frantically for the search of the voice.

“Down here, grandpa.”

Leorio’s gaze finally settled on the hearth in front of him. The fire, which had been burning low and orange when he sat down, had perked up into a bright white blaze, the tendrils of which almost seemed to flicker with… lightning? A pair of brilliant blue eyes peered out of the bottom part of the flame, unblinking and bored.

Leorio nodded to himself. “A talking fire. Looks like I really have gone crazy.”

“Hey! Watch it, old man!” the fire snapped, roaring a little higher towards the chimney. “Oh… wait a minute… Huh. That’s quite the curse you’ve got on you.”

“How could you tell?”

“I’m a fire demon. I could sense a curse like that in my sleep.”

“If you can sense it, can you break it too?”

“Ummm… No.”

“Oh. I guess you’re not a very strong demon, then,” Leorio yawned and leaned back in his chair.

“Hey!” the fire snapped. “I meant I can’t do it right now , not that I can’t do it at all.”

“Oh?” Leorio opened an eye to peer at the talking flame.

“Look, I’m in a contract with the wizard of this place,” the fire sighed. “As long as I’m in that contract, I can’t help you, unless Kurapika tells me to. But , if you can get me out of the contract before Kurapika gets me killed--or gets himself killed, either one’s a possibility with that guy--I’ll break your curse.”

“I don’t know,” Leorio sighed. “I don’t know how I feel about making a deal with a demon…”

“This isn’t a deal!” the fire said hurriedly. “It’s more of a… you scratch my figurative back, I scratch yours. Look, I don’t wanna die, you don’t wanna be… that for forever. We can help each other out.”

Leorio yawned. “I guess when you put it that way it makes sense… But I don’t even know your name!”

“I’m Killua, the fire demon,” the flame grinned wickedly. “And you?”

“Leorio. Leorio Paladiknight.” He yawned again. “Nice to meet you. It’s good to have a friend in a situation like this…”

In seconds, Leorio was snoring--loudly. Killua glared at him. “You better not turn out to be useless, old man. I may not be an evil demon, but I can be vicious when I want to me. If you don’t get me my freedom, I’ll turn you into something worse than just old.”

.*.*.*.*.*.

Bangbangbang.

Leorio woke confused. Melody doesn’t usually knock that loud … he mused briefly. When he cracked his eyes open and looked up at the unfamiliar ceiling, he immediately remembered where he was.

Bangbangbang .

There was a clatter of footsteps down the steps at the back of the room, and Leorio immediately slumped further into the chair and began mock-snoring loudly.

“Who’s this, Killua?” a child’s voice called.

Bangbangbang .

“Port Zaban door!” the talking fire sang out.

“Right,” the child chirped. “Everyone ready?” There was no time for an actual response before the door open.

“Good morning,” the child’s voice was now falsely-deepened.

“Good morning, sir,” came the polite voice of an actual adult. Leorio craned his neck to peer towards the door.

That’s not the wastes.

“Is this the residence of the wizard Jenkins?”

“It is, but the wizard is not in right now. However, I speak in my master’s place.”

“I was asked to pass this message along to the wizard.”

“I will make sure he gets it.”

“Thank you. Have a good day.”

By the time the boy—clad in an oversized cloak and enormous fake beard—closed the door and turned around, Leorio had given up all pretense of sleep and was staring slack-jawed through the portal.

“Who are you?” the boy asked eagerly, bounding up the stairs and throwing his hood back--the beard disappeared when he did.

“Uh, I’m Leorio,” he stammered.

“Killua, where did he come from?” the boy asked, tossing the cloak over a chair.

“He wandered in from the wastes last night,” the fire replied with a sigh.

“From the wastes! Are you sure he’s not a witch?” the boy stared at Leorio with an expression that suggested he wouldn’t really care either way.

“Like I would ever let a witch in here,” Killua scoffed. “He’s basically harmless.”

Knock knock.

“Swaldani door!” Killua sang out.

The boy grabbed the cloak and swung it back over his shoulders. When he pulled the hood up, the fake beard reappeared to obscure his face. Leorio watched as he hurried over to the door, turned the knob—a colored dial on the wall turned too, finally settling on the color red—and then pulled the door's handle to open it. A whole new city was visible outside, along with a tall, skinny man with long, silky black hair.

"From the magician, for Pendragon," the man said in a bored tone, flicking a piece of paper towards the disguised child in front of him.

"I will make sure to pass the message on to my master." The boy's tone was once again artificially gruff.

The man shrugged and turned away, and the boy closed the door behind him. Leorio stood up and walked over to the window. "Isn't this… the capitol?" he peered out the window, marvelling at the sights outside.

"Yes, and?" the boy sighed. He had thrown back his hood once again and hopped up onto a precarious stack of books to stand beside Leorio.

"It's just… I came in from the Wastes. How did we get here? And what about that other city from earlier?"

"Magic castle, remember? Powered by a fire demon? That door can lead any number of places at once." Even though he didn't have shoulders, a bored shrug could be heard through Killua's voice.

"Anyways, I'm hungry. Do you want breakfast?" the boy hopped off the stack of books and Leorio took a moment to look him over. He was all elbows and knees, dressed in a smart green vest and shorts, although his disheveled black hair contrasted with his neat clothing. "I'm Gon, by the way! What's your name?"

"You mean we can't just call him old man?" Killua smirked in the fireplace, ignoring the dirty look Leorio shot him.

"I'm Leorio," he replied, extending a wizened, knobby-jointed hand to the boy, who shook it. Leorio grimaced when they pulled apart; some sort of sticky residue had transferred from Gon's hand to his.

"Do you want breakfast, Leorio?" Gon called over his shoulder, bounding towards an overflowing cabinet that seemed to serve as a pantry. He fished out a loaf of bread and a wedge of cheese and headed for the table.

"Don't you want something hot to eat?" Leorio asked, peering into the mess. "There's bacon and eggs here! Why don't we have that?"

"I'd love to, but Master Kurapika's not here," Gon sighed, shoving the mess on the table back and away so he could set the bread and cheese down.

"That's fine, I can cook," Leorio waved a hand dismissively, scooping up his ingredients and a long-handled cast iron skillet before heading towards Killua.

"It's not about knowing how to cook, it's that Master Kurapika is the only one who can control Killua!" Gon explained. He watched in fascination as Leorio began to wrestle the skillet onto the fire.

"He's right, you know!" Killua sang out, flaring up to push the pan away with a surprisingly physical force. "Not to mention, I'm a great and powerful fire demon! I don't cook!"

"Oh, well, in that case," Leorio narrowed his eyes and grinned wickedly, "maybe I'll just tell Kurapika about our little bargain and see what he thinks about it."

Killua's blaze dropped so fast that the skillet slammed into the embers, sending sparks skittering across the ash-covered hearth. "You wouldn't dare," he spat, tongues of blue and white fire licking up and around the sides of the pan as Leorio dropped the first piece of bacon into it.

"I don't know," Leorio shrugged. "I'm an old man with nothing to lose. Who knows what I would or wouldn't dare to do."

"Then here's another curse for you: may all your bacon burn," Killua flared up into white flames one last time before settling into a low blue simmer.

Leorio smirked and stirred the bacon around, using the grease to season the pan before adding anything else in.

He was reaching for the plate of bacon when, with a click of the latch and a whoosh of gentle wind, the door opened and the wizard himself blew into his castle. Leorio glanced at him and his jaw nearly dropped. Striding up the stairs was the blond who had saved him the other day! He was dressed in the same smart blue and gold jacket as he had been that night, and his golden hair was just as disheveled. He almost looked like he had swept straight off the Forger's balcony and through the castle door.

"Master Kurapika! You're back!" Gon cheered, leaping off of his chair and hurrying to the top of the stairs. "You have two notes from Hisoka, via messenger."

"Did you read them?" Kurapika asked, his voice tired.

"No way! Hisoka just has his symbol on the outside." Gon fished through his pockets and handed the two pieces of paper over to Kurapika, who skimmed them quickly.

"Who is this?" Kurapika barely glanced at Leorio as he joined him at the hearth. "How did he manage to get you to cooperate so well, Killua?"

"He BULLIED me!" Killua roared, flaring up again into a spark-ridden white blaze that shoved Leorio aside.

"That's not an easy thing to do," Kurapika smiled. "Allow me," he took the pan from Leorio. "Pass me two more strips of bacon and six eggs, please. Gon! Put the kettle on for tea, would you? Now, who are you?"

Leorio gulped. "Uh, why don't you just call me Grandpa Leorio? I guess I'm your new housekeeper. Killua hired me to start today. He's ashamed at what a state this place is in."

Kurapika laughed musically, cracking the last egg into the skillet and tossing the shell to Killua. "I guess that's alright. Just don't get too carried away with your cleaning."

While Kurapika finished cooking breakfast, Leorio helped Gon clear more space at the table and find clean dishes to set it with. The latter task was the most difficult of the morning. Finally, they sat down with three mostly-clean plates and cups, two spoons, and a fork. Kurapika gave them each a slice of bacon and two eggs, along with a slice of bread from the loaf Gon had fetched earlier, and said a brief grace before they dug in. Leorio arched an eyebrow as he watched Gon scarf down his food. The manners around here are as bad as the mess.

"So, Leorio," Kurapika's soft voice snapped Leorio out of his thoughts. "What's that in your pocket?"

"Huh?" Leorio's brow furrowed. He reached into his pocket and found, sure enough, a folded-up square of paper. How did he even know that was there? he wondered as he passed the paper to Kurapika.

Kurapika unfolded the paper, but jerked his hand back as it burst into flames. It fluttered down to the table, leaving behind a scorch mark on the tabletop. "That can't be good for the table," Kurapika murmured, swiping a hand over the scorch mark. It vanished, and Leorio let out the breath he didn't know he was holding.

"What was that? Something else from Hisoka?" Gon peered at the spot where the scorch mark had been.

"No," Kurapika sighed, standing up and carrying his plate over to the fire. "A message from the Head Spider."

Gon nearly choked on his food. " The Head Spider??? " he squawked. "What did it say?"

"Oh, just another of his threats," Kurapika sighed. "He's still angry about what I did to Omokage. No matter. He can't find us here." He scraped his breakfast into the fire, and Killua snapped it up eagerly. "Killua, make hot water for the bath, please. And move the castle a few kilometers; you be the judge of where we'll be safe."

Killua grumbled to himself as he flared up, reaching flame-formed hands, tipped with flashing white sparks, for a log stacked on the edge of the hearth. "As if moving the castle wasn't enough, I have to heat water too," the demon grumbled.

"Gon, who's the Head Spider?" Leorio asked.

"The Spiders are a gang of evil wizards," Gon said grimly. "Their leader is called the Head Spider. Master Kurapika has sworn to wipe them all out, and he and the Head Spider hate each other. I don't really know why; Master Kurapika doesn't like to talk about it."

Leorio nodded, thinking back to the man who had cursed him back in the infirmary. Was that the Head Spider? Or one of the others? Why come after me?

"Hey, Leorio?" Gon's voice was soft, timid. "You don't… you don't work for the Spiders, do you?"

Leorio smiled kindly down at him. "Absolutely not. I would never work for someone like that." He took a bite of his now-cold food. "Eat up. We have a lot of work to do today."

Chapter Text

Somehow, saying 'we have a lot of work to do today' turned out to be an understatement. Leorio and Gon started by sorting through the piles of junk heaped around the main room. Gon told him what was okay to be thrown out, what needed to be kept, and what really should be in one of the other rooms upstairs. Unsurprisingly, most of the debris turned out to be garbage.

When the real trash had been sorted from the slightly-less-trash, Leorio set about finding homes for everything. He left Gon at the sink with the towering stacks of dirty dishes and an ample supply of soap, and started organizing the books, journals, trinkets, magical charms (according to Gon), spell and potion components (also according to Gon), and food first into piles and then onto shelves and into cabinets and drawers.

Once that was done, they moved on to actual cleaning. They dusted, swept, mopped, and wiped every surface in the room. They also built up a pile of laundry, between dirty rags, curtains, blankets, and other assorted fabrics that they found as they worked. This pile formed in the corner near the door, growing as all the other piles receded.

While they cleaned, Leorio intentionally let the fire die down. Killua was extremely unhappy with this turn of events, and made sure to voice his displeasure.

"Old man!" he squawked, down to a small flicker of blue and white, eyes flashing with fury. "Old man! I'm going out over here! Don't you dare let me burn out!!!"

Leorio sighed and went to the hearth. "Don't worry; you'll be fine," grumbled, using a pair of tongs to scoop what was left of Killua, plus the final log, up and out of the fireplace, depositing him in a nearby bucket. He noticed something heavy, just barely contained by Killua's fire, hanging below the log, but didn't pay much attention to it. He is a demon, after all.

Killua was irate. "Hey! Put me back, you crazy old man. Kurapika! A crazy man with tongs just took me out of the fireplace! Help! Kurapika! Gon! "

Leorio ignored the fire demon and started to scrape the heaps of ashes out of the fireplace. He bundled them up in an old blanket, tied the whole thing together at the top, and took it outside to pile with the rest of the garbage.

When Leorio returned, he found Kurapika holding what was left of Killua in his cupped hands. He blew into the flame, tossed a few logs into the fireplace, and deposited Killua on top of the fresh wood. Without a word, he turned towards the door.

Kurapika looked fresh and clean, and was dressed in new clothes. He'd even cut his hair; instead of the tangled, overgrown fringe Leorio had seen before, there was now an even row of short bangs, just long enough to brush against his eyebrows. He tucked his hair behind his ear, a dangling ruby earring catching the light, and offered a bright smile to Leorio and Gon. "Well, I'm off. I have some business to take care of. Leorio, remember—don't get too carried away with your cleaning!" He turned the knob on the door to the color black and whooshed out with a gust of wind. The door slammed shut behind him, and the dial clicked back over to red.

When Leorio turned back to Gon, he saw the sad look on the boy's face before he wiped it away.

"Hey, old man!" Killua roared from the hearth, full of vigor now that he was licking at several dry logs. "You better watch out! If I die, I take Kurapika with me!"

Leorio winced. "I didn't know that."

"Yeah well, there's a lot of things you don't know about us, grandpa," Killua's face narrowed into a scowl and he settled himself on top of the logs.

Leorio glanced down at a tug on his pant leg. Gon was staring up at him, amber eyes wide and earnest. "It looks really great in here, Leorio! I don't think I've ever seen the castle this clean!"

Leorio grinned proudly. "Thank you, Gon." He rested his hands on his hips, not even realizing that he had been able to almost completely straighten his spine. "You know, seeing how great this place looks has given me a fresh burst of energy! Let's get started on the upstairs!"

Gon ran ahead of him and barred the stairs bravely. "You can't go up there!"

Leorio arched a fluffy grey eyebrow and leaned in close, grinning wickedly. "If there's anything you don't want thrown out, better hide it now."

Gon groaned and hopped from foot to foot, looking back and forth between Leorio and the top of the stairs. "Ugh, fine! Just… do my room last!" He spun and bolted up the stairs, nearly tripping in his haste.

Leorio laughed and fetched the broom, mop, and a bucket of fresh water before following Gon up. The upper story was no cleaner than the room downstairs. Cobwebs and dust clung to the walls so thickly that Leorio wasn't sure what color they were even intended to be, literal piles of dirt and bits of litter lined the baseboards, and discarded shoes, clothing, books, and even the odd toy— where in the world did those come from?— were scattered among the other debris. It was also extremely stuffy upstairs, so Leorio headed for a door that looked like it led outside, rather than to another room.

It took some doing to wrench the door open, but, once he did, Leorio was presented with the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen. The scenery flew past them, a whirl of reds and oranges and browns and yellows, and even the odd pink and green, as they trundled along past a huge, sprawling forest. The grass under the castle's feet was still green, but going brown at the tips as the autumn weather grew colder. Above them, the sky was a rich and deep blue, broken only by a few cottony wisps of pure white clouds. Off in the distance, in the same direction the castle seemed to be heading, was a large blue lake, sparkling brilliantly in the sunlight, reflecting the color of the sky almost perfectly.

Leorio ducked back inside. "Hey, Killua! You're the one moving the castle, right?"

"Who else do you think would be doing it?" the fire demon roared back.

"Well, it's amazing! Keep up the good work!"

Unseen by his companions, Killua blushed proudly, his blue and white flames turning beautiful shades of purple and pink. "He thinks I'm amazing!" the fire was literally glowing, far brighter than before, as he began to lick upwards, encouraging the castle to move faster and more steadily.

Upstairs, Leorio leaned against the balcony railing, taking in the gorgeous scenery. A little while later, Gon joined him, cobwebs in his dark hair and dust on his clothes.

"Gon, do you know where we are?"

"Sure! The forest is the edge of the Visca Forest Preserve, which is a protected wildlife and biological area. That lake is part of the Milsy Wetlands."

"I don't think I've ever seen anything so gorgeous," Leorio breathed.

They were interrupted from their reverie by a shriek and a loud squawk , followed by a flurry of white feathers and a thud.

You've gotta be fucking with me.

Leorio glared at the giant bird, which had leapt deftly from the ground, across several points on the castle's side, and finally landed gracefully on the balcony beside them. Gon yelped and ducked behind Leorio. "What's that!?"

Leorio sighed. "She's been following me around since I was in the Wastes. I'd've thought she found something better to do after I left, but apparently not."

Gon quickly overcame his fear and stepped forward, offering his hand out to the bird, who immediately began to pack at it. He laughed. "Can we keep her?"

Leorio arched an eyebrow. "You forget: I'm not in charge around here. Take it up with Kurapika, when he gets back." He sighed as the bird gave him an alarmingly mournful look. "I guess that until he gets back, she can hang around. But not inside! I just cleaned, I don't want her tracking anything on the floors."

"Yay!" Gon cheered. "Hey, you need a name! I'm going to call you Chickey, okay? Nice to meet you Chickey; I'm Gon!"

.*.*.*.*.*.

Killua settled the castle near the lake that Leorio and Gon had spotted earlier, overlooking it and some mountains off in the distance. Once they were settled, Leorio and Gon got to work washing the laundry that had piled up while they cleaned, scrubbing it in the crystal clear water of the lake before hanging it on lines to dry—lines which Chickey was all too happy to stretch out, gripping one end on her beak while the other remained attached to the castle and running around with reckless abandon. They sat down to a late lunch on the bank of the lake, watching the sun as it began to brush against the mountain peaks. Silence fell between them as they listened to birdsong in the distance and the waves lapping against the shore. Leorio felt himself begin to nod off.

"Hey, Leorio?" Gon said finally.

"What is it, Gon?"

"Are you… are you going to stay with us for a while?"

Leorio stared out at the sunset. "You know, I think I just might."

.*.*.*.*.*.

Late that night, after Leorio had made himself as comfortable as possible on a short couch tucked into an alcove in the kitchen, the knob of the door slowly clicked over to the black section of the dial on the wall. In the silence of the night, the door opened almost without a sound, and a great beast stepped into the castle. Its steps were solid, but made little sound. Black fur fluttered weightlessly around its body. Red eyes glowed from its face. It passed through the room without a sound, then finally settled in the same chair Leorio had occupied the night before, propping its feet up on the hearth.

"Welcome back," Killua flickered gently. "You look awful."

Oh-so-slowly, the creature began to transform. The black fur retreated, slowly changing into dirty white, blue, and gold clothes. The hair on the head grew and turned golden. His face and clothes were streaked with dirt and soot. "We won't have to worry about the Spiders for a few days, at least."

"Hm," Killua reached out to grab a log from a pile on the edge of the hearth. "Check it out! Leorio put these here for me."

"Killua," Kurapika said softly. "The Spiders will find us before too much longer."

"Yeah, well, you're going too far with your whole 'vengeance and retribution' thing," Killua snapped. "You'll get yourself killed long before they find us. And where will that leave the rest of us? I'll be dead too, in case you'd forgotten our terms. Gon will be all alone when that happens. And what about Leorio? You said he could stay; that means he's under my protection, whether I like him or not. If we die, what happens to him? You know, the Head Spider put a curse on him. If we die, do you really think Chrollo will just let him go?"

Kurapika sighed and sat up. "Heat up some water, will you? I need a bath." He opened his eyes, revealing red irises that slowly shifted back to blue as he stood and turned for the stairs. He paused to peer into the alcove where Leorio was sleeping. A slight smile played over his lips at the sight of a tall, gangly man crammed onto a far too small sofa, all arms and legs and looking considerably taller and younger than he had that morning. Kurapika let the curtain fall back into place and went to the stairs. "Killua, don't worry," he said softly, foot on the bottom step. "I'll release you from your contract before I die. Just promise me that you'll get the two of them somewhere safe before you go."

"Yeah, yeah," Killua grumbled. "Although I'd really just rather you didn't die in the first place."

Kurapika gave him a small, sad smile. "Some things are inevitable, Killua."

Chapter Text

In the morning, Leorio woke and found it nearly impossible to move. Every joint in his body seemed to have swollen and stiffened up. That's the last time I sleep on this couch. If I'm going to stick around here, I need a real bed. I'm old, damnit! He eventually managed to haul himself up, popping and creaking like never before, and stumble out into the kitchen.

"Leorio," Killua's voice was grim and soft. "You need to figure out a way to break my and Kurapika's contract. For all our sakes."

Leorio blinked owlishly. "Is… is Kurapika back?"

"Yeah, and not looking too great either," Killua grumbled, snatching another log and pulling it towards himself. "Not to mention he's using up my hot water again!"

.*.*.*.*.*.

Kurapika barely stayed the day before leaving again. Leorio watched him go, trying to keep his concern from showing. It's not like we're friends or anything. Why should I care what happens to him? But, over the next days and weeks, the more he watched Kurapika come and go, the more worried he got when the wizard left.

One morning, when Kurapika stayed in bed later than normal, Leorio and Gon ventured out into the port to go grocery shopping. It was a fine, crisp morning; a little colder than Leorio's elderly body would have preferred, but it was still nice. It was his first time in the port. They tended to get most of their food by gathering and laying traps in the Wastes around the lake where the castle was still parked, and occasionally ventured into Swaldani, but today Leorio was determined to fry some fish for breakfast—and Gon hadn't had any luck catching some in the increasingly sparsely-populated lake the day before—so off to Port Zaban they went. The road outside the castle's magic door, which was set into the wall of a decrepit old brick building, sloped down directly to the sea, leading straight to the harbor itself. Leorio caught his breath as he stood at the top of the hill, looking out over the sea. It stretched out farther than he could see or imagine, speckled with white foam and ship's sails and utterly sparkling in the autumn sunshine.

"Come on, Leorio!" Gon was already halfway down the slope.

"Slow down!" Leorio grumbled, leaning heavily on his staff as he stumbled down the hill. Gon hurried back up and offered Leorio his arm to lean on, helping him traverse the terrain far more easily. "There we are. Thank you, Gon."

Leorio had managed to talk Gon out of wearing his full bearded disguise for the morning, but the boy had insisted on keeping his cape on and hood up. Even as Leorio called him by name, he glanced around suspiciously. "Don't say my name in public like that," he hissed. "The Spiders have spies everywhere. They could be watching us now. We don't want to lead them back to… home."

Leorio arched an eyebrow, wondering how seriously he should take Gon's words. He shrugged it off and headed for the already-bustling market by the wharf. The green-clad boy tagged along closely behind Leorio, who was hunched over his staff and hobbling slightly. The steep hill had taken far more out of him than he wanted to admit. Old age is for the birds , he grumbled to himself, checking out the stalls as they walked. The little market was stuffed to the brim with farmers selling produce, fishermen selling fish, and everything in between and beyond. Leorio stopped at a stall selling, for some reason, only potatoes and root vegetables. Oddly specific set of wares , he thought, picking through a huge basket of potatoes for a few large, good-looking ones.

"Pay up," he instructed Gon, heading off towards a fisherman who had just finished setting up his stand.

Gon handed a few coins to the vendor and hurried after Leorio. "I don't get what you're making all this fuss over anyways," he sighed, yawning and rubbing his eyes. "Kurapika hardly eats anything anyways. He's not likely to eat breakfast, even if he's still there when we get back."

"Well, that just means more for us," Leorio grumped back, picking a fish up by the mouth and examining it closely, hoping that he at least looked like he knew what he was doing.

He was checking out another fish when a commotion began to rise on the pier behind them.

"Look! A ship!" someone cried.

"The battleship is returning!" an excited teenager stopped by the stall, directing his words to the fish-seller before darting into the growing crowd.

"It's back already!?" the fishman yelped. "Sorry, grandpa, I'm closed!" The last was shouted over his shoulder as he squeezed out from behind the table and hurried out onto the pier.

"Leorio, let's go look!" Gon tugged on Leorio's sleeve, craning his neck to see between and around the people in the crowd.

"No, thank you," Leorio said fiercely. "I don't have the stomach for things like that."

Despite his protest, Gon grabbed him by the arm and towed him into the crowd growing on the wharf. They watched in awe as a huge battleship drifted into the bay, flames sprouting from its sides as sailors leapt from the decks. Fishermen returning with their catch brought their boats as close to the flaming ship as they dared to help the sailors onto their own boats. Many of the men and boys on the dock hurried to rowboats and smaller vessels and joined the fishing boats in rescuing the crew of the battleship. Leorio glanced around warily. While he had dismissed Gon’s earlier paranoia about the Spiders, the crowd made even him nervous, although Gon was now completely enraptured by the spectacle in the bay.

They waited through several long moments of bated-breath silence, the gathering on the docks effectively shell-shocked by the war that had so suddenly become real to them. It was only after these minutes that Leorio caught a glimpse of them through the throng around them. A tall man with a large black topknot, carrying a long sword, stood next to a woman with spiky pink hair. Unlike the rest of the people around them, they weren’t focused on the spectacle in the bay, but were instead staring directly at Gon and Leorio.

Leorio gasped and grabbed Gon by the arm, yanking him back behind the shelter of a merchant’s stall.

“Hey!” Gon yelped, snapped out of his reverie. “What was that for?”

“The Spiders,” Leorio hissed. “They’re here.”

“Where?” Gon’s demeanor shifted instantly into something cold that Leorio hadn’t seen before.

“Over there,” Leorio gestured vaguely. “A man with a sword and a pink-haired woman.”

“Nobunaga and Machi,” Gon scowled. “We should go.”

Leorio nodded. They waited until the crowd began to flock to the docks to help the injured sailors off of the rescue boats, and then dashed back the way they had come, towards the hill street that would take them back to the magic door. Leorio didn’t see the man and woman again, but he did catch a glimpse of a big man in a tracksuit next to a small figure in an oversized black coat as they darted through the crowd. Like the first pair, these two were focused on Leorio and Gon instead of the chaos around them. Leorio lost sight of them as a few townspeople got between them, and when he looked again, the two Spiders were gone. He didn’t have much of an opportunity to think about it, however, as several shrill whistles and loud splashes sounded from the bay behind them. Leorio glanced over his shoulder just in time to see the explosions erupt from the water, the shockwaves sending him and Gon staggering into the wall next to them.

“What was that!?” Gon cried out, clutching at Leorio’s sleeve.

“Bombs,” Leorio said grimly. He’d treated enough injuries from explosive weapons in the infirmary to last several lifetimes, but had never actually expected to be anywhere near a bomb when it went off. He suddenly missed his comparably peaceful life back at the infirmary, and wondered suddenly about Melody and Zepile.

“Up there!” a voice cried.

Leorio and Gon looked up. Sure enough, a battleship was floating over the town. As they watched, a hatch in the back opened, and something began to flutter out of it. Leorio didn’t wait to see what it was; he grabbed Gon and began towing him up the hill as fast as he could move, panting as his lungs burned in his chest from the exertion. Gon was, in a rare occurrence, completely silent. The further they got from the port, the quieter everything got. It seemed like the entire town was either down at the wharf or holed up inside their homes--not that Leorio blamed them. And he was glad for the emptiness in the street; while it made the two of them stand out all the more, it should also make it easier to spot any Spiders that were tailing them.

Fortunately, they made it back to the magic door without further incident. Gon opened it, and they both tumbled inside, Leorio only making it up two of the steps before he collapsed, gasping for breath.

“Leorio! What’s wrong?” Gon asked, rushing to his side.

“Water,” Leorio gasped. He dragged himself up the rest of the stairs with Gon’s help and dropped heavily into the chair in front of Killua’s hearth while the boy hurried to get him a glass of water. 

The white fire perked up, peering curiously at them with wide blue eyes. “What happened?”

“There were bombs!” Gon explained excitedly. Now that it was all in the past, he was back to his usual cheerful self. “They fell into the water, and there was a battleship on fire and the sailors were jumping out of it, and”--

“Killua, is Kurapika here?” Leorio interrupted Gon’s chatter.

“Yeah, he’s upstairs,” Killua gestured vaguely with a tendril of white flame.

Leorio nodded and hauled himself to his feet. He left Gon to fill Killua in on the morning’s events and dragged himself up the stairs in search of the wizard himself. On the second floor, the only room that Leorio had never cleaned, or even entered, was Kurapika’s bedroom. It seemed best to leave the wizard’s things alone, to give the odd man his privacy, but Leorio didn’t care about that now. When he came to the door, he lifted a hand, but paused before knocking. What am I afraid of? He berated himself. What’ll he do to me for warning him about the Spiders? It’s not like I’m doing anything wrong. He nodded firmly and gave the door a sharp knock.

No response.

Leorio waited a long minute, and then knocked again, with the same result. After a long pause, he reached out and turned the doorknob. Almost to his surprise, it turned readily. He had half-expected the door to be locked. “Kurapika?” he called softly, opening the door halfway and taking a timid step in. The room was dark, but an eerie red light shone from the wall to his left. Leorio opened the door fully and took another step in. “Kurapika?” he called again. Still no reply. He looked around.

As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Leorio found himself drawn towards the glowing red wall. He stepped closer to it, and gasped as he finally realized where the light was coming from. The wall had long shelves built to fill the entirety of it, and the shelves were almost completely filled with jars. That wasn’t the disturbing part, though--what sent a sick, twisting sensation through Leorio’s gut was the contents of the jars. Bobbing in some kind of clear fluid were glowing red eyeballs. Most jars held only one, but a few larger jars held pairs. Leorio took another step closer, rubbing his own eyes to make sure he was seeing what he thought he was seeing. Sure enough, as the red smears left behind when he opened his eyes cleared back up, he was staring at an entire wall of jars full of red eyes.

“What the…” he mumbled, reaching out for one of the nearest jars.

“ Get out .”

Leorio nearly jumped out of his skin as the low voice practically growled behind him. “What the hell is this?” he demanded, mouth and throat suddenly bone-dry, of the slight man silhouetted in the doorway.

“Get out,” Kurapika repeated, taking an unsteady step into the room.

“No,” Leorio drew himself up, anger coursing through him. “Not until you explain what all of this is.”

“I don’t have to explain anything to you,” Kurapika snapped. “You’re nothing but a foolish old man, involving yourself in matters that have nothing to do with you.”

Leorio scowled. “I guess you’re right. I am just a foolish old man, and this really doesn’t have anything to do with me. I can leave at any time, and wash my hands of this whole business. And honestly, if it weren’t for that little boy down there I would have left days ago. But Gon deserves something remotely normal in his life, some semblance of a healthy relationship. Whatever all this”--he waved his arm frantically at the wall of eyes behind him--”is, he deserves better.”

Kurapika shook his head and turned his back to Leorio. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“No?” Leorio demanded, striding forward. “You know what I came up here to tell you? That while we were in the market today, we saw some of the Spiders. They were watching us. I’m pretty sure we only got away because an enemy ship dropped bombs into the harbor. I know what the Spiders are. I’d heard of them even before I came here. Gon is a child , and they’re hunting him to get to you. He didn’t even want me to call him by name while we were out, in case they heard. He’s afraid of them. Kids shouldn’t have to be afraid like that. They should be afraid of things like spiders and the dark. Not of mass-murdering super villains trying to hunt them down and kill them.”

“If that’s how you feel, then just leave,” Kurapika mumbled.

“I told you, I’m not leaving Gon”--

“Then take him with you,” Kurapika snapped. He whirled around, and Leorio took an involuntary step back as he found himself staring down into a pair of glowing red eyes, just like the ones on the wall behind him. “Take him and leave. Get out. I don’t need you, I don’t need either of you. I had always planned on fighting this fight alone. That’s how I started it, and that’s how I’ll end it. So take him, and go. I don’t care. Just get out.”

Leorio took a slow step towards the door. “I don’t think you mean that,” he said softly.

“Get out!” Kurapika roared. Leorio heard the sound of chains rattling, although he couldn’t figure out where it was coming from.

“Kurapika…” Leorio started.

“LEAVE!” Kurapika bellowed. Something sharp and metallic hit the wood of the doorframe beside Leorio’s head, and he turned on his heel and ran, bolting down the hallway, and then the steps to the kitchen.

Gon was seated on the floor beside the fireplace, and both the boy and the demon stared at Leorio as he clattered down the stairs. “Gon, get whatever you want to bring along that you can carry. We’re leaving.” Leorio called the order over his shoulder as he ducked into his alcove to gather his own belongings.

“Leaving!?” Killua yelled, bursting upwards into a roaring blaze. “You can’t just leave!”

“It’s what Kurapika wants,” Leorio snapped. He shoved the last of his things into his rucksack, pulled on his jacket, wrapped his long scarf around his neck, and turned around, only to find Gon still sitting on the floor next to the hearth, staring up at Leorio with watery eyes. “Come on, Gon. We should get going. It’s late; we need to leave now if we want to find somewhere safe to stay for the night.”

Gon bit his lip and shook his head. “No,” he whispered, his voice thick.

“Gon, come on,” Leorio set down his rucksack and knelt down beside the boy, resting a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m not leaving,” Gon sniffled, staring down at his hands in his lap.

“Gon, it’s not safe here. We have to go.”

“No!” Gon pulled away. He looked up at Leorio, tears streaming down his face. “I’m not going. I can’t. Kurapika needs me, even if he doesn’t think he does, even if he doesn’t remember… He needs me. He needs you too. He needs both of us, or I’m afraid what might happen.”

“He’s right, you know,” Killua said softly after a beat had passed. “I know more about Kurapika than anyone alive. I can see and feel exactly what he’s doing to himself, because… well, just because. And maybe he doesn’t think he needs you, and he doesn’t really deserve you either, but… If you two leave, it’ll be just me and him, and trust me when I say that that’s definitely not healthy.”

Leorio stood up. “I didn’t come here to take care of a snooty wizard who can’t be bothered to take care of himself. He doesn’t want me here, and I don’t want to be here, so I guess I’m going to go. I wish the two of you the best of luck.” He picked up the rucksack and headed to the door. He turned the knob to open the door to the Wastes. Outside, it was foggy and wet, complete with pouring rain. It was later than he’d realized, almost completely dark outside. He looked back at the warm, inviting room one more time, taking it all in. The weathered table, Gon’s magic cloak on its peg, the curtain over his little alcove. Killua’s hearth. Gon, still sitting hunched forward into himself, his legs drawn up to his chest and his arms wrapped around them, back to Leorio and the door. Killua, on the other hand, stared at Leorio, something not quite readable written in his blue eyes. The fire burned low, mostly blue just barely tipped in white, with little electrical sparks bouncing off of the embers. Leorio lifted a hand in farewell, but Killua only closed his eyes and turned away.

Chapter Text

Outside, Leorio stepped into the cold rain. It instantly soaked through his clothes and started to run down his neck and along his spine. The cold seemed to seep deep into his bones, and he felt himself hunch forward, aches and pains setting into his body with a renewed vigor. He made it to the shore of the lake, and stared out over it, allowing the sharp chill to overtake him, numbing him to the well of emotions bubbling up inside of him. Just when you think you’ve found the place you belong, something happens to drive you away from it , he thought bitterly. First the infirmary, now here. Every time I get close to people, I end up having to leave them behind. He didn’t even feel the tears start to leave his eyes as they mingled with the rain running down his face.

Leorio did, however, when the rain stopped soaking him quite so thoroughly. He glanced up and smiled softly. “Thanks, Chickey,” he reached out to scratch the side of the giant bird, who had stretched one of her wings out over his head like an umbrella. “It’s good to have a friend like you.”

Leorio glanced back over his shoulder at the castle. He had no idea how long he’d been standing outside in the rain, but he was completely drenched, and his nose and feet were numb. He had to force his legs to move to take a step, and they burned with a cold fire when he did. “Why didn’t I storm out through the Port Zaban or Swaldani door?” he groaned to himself (and Chickey) as he did his best to get his old body moving again.

“Leorio!” 

He thought he was imagining the sound of his name in the wind swirling around him, but when he heard it a second time, he turned to look for the source. Gon was running towards him through the pouring rain, looking frantic.

“Gon? What’s wrong?” Leorio turned back towards the boy.

Gon caught up to him and grabbed his sleeve, yanking him back towards the castle. “Leorio, come quick, please! It’s Kurapika. He collapsed.”

Leorio took a deep breath, but hurried after the boy. The castle was all the warmer for having been outside for so long, and he shucked his rucksack, scarf, and coat by the fireside before hurrying up after Gon.

“Hurry, Leorio!” Killua called after them, grabbing for the logs nearest to him and pulling them into his flame.

Upstairs, they found Kurapika crumpled on the floor of his room. “Gon, downstairs in my rucksack, get my medical bag,” Leorio instructed the boy as he bent down to scoop Kurapika up into his arms. He laid the wizard--who was somehow even smaller and lighter than he looked--down on the bed and got to work.

.*.*.*.*.*.

“Will Kurapika be alright?”

Leorio glanced up. He hadn’t realized that he had fallen asleep in the chair by his patient’s bedside until Gon had woken him up. He stood up and stretched, wincing at the stabbing pains that accompanied the stiffness acquired by sitting in the chair for so long. “I hope so,” he said, half-surprised to discover that he actually meant that. Despite their argument, he had realized that he was actually starting to care for the wizard. “He has a fever,” Leorio explained, ushering Gon out of the room and closing the door gently behind them so as not to disturb Kurapika. “He’s very weak. I didn’t realize how poorly he’s been taking care of himself. I should’ve been keeping a better eye on him, but I didn’t think it was my place.”

“Killua said he’s weak,” Gon nodded. “But it’s not your fault, Leorio. Kurapika’s stubborn. He has been for as long as I’ve known him. If you’d have tried to make him do something he didn’t want to do, it probably wouldn’t have ended well.”

Leorio smiled. “Thank you, Gon. Now, why don’t you go get some sleep? This might be a long night before his fever breaks.”

.*.*.*.*.*.

Leorio had no idea how true his words would be. Kurapika’s temperature lowered slightly, but he remained fevery, unconscious, and delirious in his few waking moments for the next three days. Leorio and Gon did what they could to keep him comfortable, usually by keeping him heavily bundled in blankets when he started shivering with cold flashes or by draping cool, damp cloths on his forehead when his fever rose. They would drip water onto his lips at least once an hour, trying to keep him somewhat hydrated, although his dry and cracked lips seemed to indicate that these efforts were in vain.

Three days after their fight, Leorio had nodded off in the chair by Kurapika’s bedside again when a soft cough woke him. His head snapped up and he looked around for the source before his eyes landed on Kurapika. Unbidden, a small smile flickered across his lips. “Welcome back.”

Kurapika turned his head towards Leorio, the small movement seeming to take a monument of effort. His blue eyes were droopy with exhaustion, but clear. Leorio reached out and brushed the back of his hand against the wizard’s forehead. It was no longer hot to the touch. Leorio fished his thermometer out of his medical bag. “Open,” he ordered. Kurapika obeyed without protest, allowing Leorio to stick the thermometer under his tongue. Leorio fished one of Kurapika’s arms out from under the pile of blankets and placed two fingers over the pale wrist to take his pulse. Even though he was focusing his attention on his watch, timing the fluttering heartbeats under his fingers, he could feel Kurapika’s eyes boring a hole into his forehead. Satisfied with his reading, he took the thermometer back and nodded at the reading on it. “It’s about time. You’re finally back down to a normal human temperature.”

“Why are you here?” Kurapika’s voice was hoarse, and another cough followed the question.

Leorio sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. Gently, he pulled the blankets back and helped Kurapika to a sitting position, then lifted a glass of water to his lips to help him drink. A few sips later, he pulled away and laid Kurapika back down. “I didn’t make it very far before Gon came to get me. He told me you’d collapsed. I was studying to be a doctor before… Well, when I was younger. I could never leave someone who needed my help behind.” He stood up and stepped towards the door. “I’m sure you’re hungry. I’ll go heat up some broth. You probably wouldn’t be able to stomach much more than that. Hate me all you want, but I won’t leave someone in your state to fend for themselves, and I won’t leave Gon on his own with you this weak. You couldn’t protect him if he needed it. Once you’re stronger, I’ll leave, if that’s what you want.”

Leorio shut the door behind him and took a moment to lean against it, eyes closed. He sighed. I’ll leave, if that’s what you want. Even if it’s not what I want.

.*.*.*.*.*.

Leorio couldn’t help but be impressed by how quickly Kurapika recovered. He had a sneaking suspicion that most of it was a show, put on for his benefit, but he accepted it nonetheless. There was no better medicine than sheer stubbornness, his mentor, Cheadle, had joked once. Kurapika seemed to be proving her right. He improved in leaps and bounds over the next few days, and was basically back to his old self, albeit a bit more open and kind than he had been before, in under a week. However, Killua informed Leorio that the majority of this was basically bravado on Kurapika’s part.

“Underneath it all, his heart is still very weak,” Killua explained, late one night after Kurapika and Gon were sound asleep in their beds upstairs.

“His heart?” Leorio was confused. “His pulse always seems so strong, but I don’t exactly have the equipment to look for murmurs or defects or diseases, I guess.”

“No, you idiot, not his literal heart,” Killua snapped, shooting a few white sparks at Leorio, who deftly avoided them. “His figurative heart. Or, spiritual, maybe. Whatever. His spirit. His soul. Whatever you want to call it. The place where he gets his power from. I’m the only thing keeping the castle and all of us hidden right now. If the Spiders get wind of us, I won’t be able to keep us safe, at least not for long. I’m just a fire, bound to this fireplace. I can’t fight them off.”

“What do I do?” Leorio asked, frustrated. “I don’t know how to help someone’s spirit. I’m a doctor, not a priest, dammit!”

“You don’t need to be a priest,” Killua sighed, rolling his eyes. Leorio took a moment to appreciate what an odd idea that was, a fire rolling its eyes--much less, a fire having eyes. “Kurapika’s been broken. More than once, probably. It’s not my place to tell you what happened, and I don’t think I could anyways, based on your contract. But maybe something that would help is getting Kurapika to trust you. Losing people breaks the heart. Maybe finding people he can trust and love again--like you and Gon--will help him.”

Leorio sighed and looked into the embers below Killua’s fire. “How do I get the most mysterious person in the world to trust me?” he mused.

Chapter Text

“Okay, breathe in,” Leorio instructed, pressing his stethoscope against Kurapika’s back. “And again. One more time.” Satisfied with what he heard, he pulled away, folding the stethoscope up and tucking it away in his bag. “Sounds great. In my professional opinion, you’re just about back to normal.”

“Thanks,” Kurapika mumbled, turning away to pull on his shirt.

Leorio nodded awkwardly, unseen, and turned to pack up his equipment.

“Now that I’m on the mend, I guess you’ll be leaving again?”

Leorio glanced over his shoulder. Kurapika was staring at him, arms crossed and blue eyes piercing. “If that’s what you want,” he sighed, turning back towards his things. “I can be gone by tonight.”

“You don’t have to leave,” Kurapika said. Something in his voice sounded off, like he didn’t quite want to say the words, but was doing so anyways. “Gon likes you. So does Killua. So, you can stay, so long as you keep away from my things.”

“You mean the eyes?” Leorio snapped his bag shut. “Don’t worry, I don’t want to have anything to do with those.” He headed for the door.

“They’re not what you think,” Kurapika called after him.

“What?” Leorio turned back towards the wizard.

“The eyes,” Kurapika said. “I suppose you think they’re some sort of evil ritual, like voodoo or something?”

“Nothing that involves human body parts could ever be a good kind of magic,” Leorio said firmly.

“Would it help if I said that I wasn’t the one using them for magical purposes?” Kurapika asked.

“Then why do you have them?” Leorio’s brow furrowed.

“Have you ever heard of the Scarlet Eyes, or the Kurta clan?” Kurapika asked, sitting down on the edge of his bed and staring at the eyes lining the opposite wall.

“I remember hearing about a clan massacred in the mountains, years ago,” Leorio mused. “I’d forgotten the name, but Kurta sounds right.”

“Yes, those were my people,” Kurapika sighed. “They were murdered for their eyes.”

“Why?”

“I suppose you’ve seen mine turn red a few times by now,” Kurapika said. “It’s a genetic ability. It allows us to harness and focus far more magical power than just about anyone else, although it only happens when we’re feeling extreme emotions.”

“That doesn’t exactly explain all of those, though,” Leorio gestured at the shelves.

“If we’re killed while in a state of heightened emotion, our eyes stay red,” Kurapika explained. “Once upon a time, someone figured out that if they harvested and preserved the Scarlet Eyes, they could use them as spellcasting focuses to enhance their own power. After that, my people became hunted. They withdrew to the mountains, relying on their powers to protect them. Few ever left the village.

“When I was a child, I was considered something of a magical prodigy. My parents wanted to send me to a school of wizardry to study. They were convinced I would be one of the greatest wizards of all time.” Here, he rolled his eyes, but kept talking. “It took them years to convince the council of the village to let me leave. I still remember the discussions. When they felt I was old enough, they started taking me along to the meetings. Anyways, in the end, my parents won out, and I left my village, the first in a generation to do so, to go and study magic at one of the most prestigious schools in the world.

“I don’t know how they found the village. It was two years after I left that the rumors started. The Phantom Troupe, a group of thirteen evil wizards also known as the Spiders, were claiming that they had wiped out the Kurta clan and stolen the Scarlet Eyes. No-one really believed them, but when more and more of the Eyes began to appear on the black market, people started to. Expeditions were sent into the mountains in search of the village, but they couldn’t find it. Hardly anyone knew that I was part of the clan, but eventually my mentor, one of the few who did know, came to me and asked if I would give them the location of my village so that they could go and find answers. I refused. I didn’t trust anyone, and I didn’t want to put my people in danger if they were still alive.

“So, I went with the only option I felt that I had left. While my school prepared for the annual convocation, where the graduating students made deals with the demons who would provide them their greatest power--the only way that normal people can get anywhere close to the amount of power held in the Scarlet Eyes, although making a deal with a demon is tricky and decidedly dangerous--I snuck away and went back to my village. The night that I arrived was the night of the convocation.

“I found the village empty of life. In the center of town was a pile of corpses. All of their eyes had been removed.” Kurapika looked down at his hands. “I can’t even begin to express all of the things I felt in that moment. When the stars began raining down around me as the convocation began--wizards all over the world were summoning demons, and some of them always escaped and fell elsewhere--I looked for a demon strong enough to survive the fall. It was mostly the weak ones that escaped the wizards’ nets, but sometimes a stronger one would. Sure enough, I found Killua. I was able to catch him, probably more with luck than anything else, and that was the night we made our deal. My heart in exchange for the power to stop the Spiders.”

Suddenly, almost as though he was just realizing what he was saying, Kurapika’s mouth snapped shut. His head whipped around and he stared at Leorio with eyes wide, frozen with something akin to fear.

Leorio smiled kindly. “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.”

“How can I be sure of that?” Kurapika asked, the softness and vulnerability that had escaped while he talked about his life once again locked behind his tough demeanor.

“What reason would I have to tell anyone else?” Leorio asked. “It’s not like I really have anything to lose that they could take away from me. The only people I have to protect are the people in this castle, and by telling your secret, I’d be doing literally the opposite of protecting the three of you.”

Kurapika nodded, looking less than thrilled at the idea of trusting Leorio with anything so valuable as this information. “I guess that’s alright, then. It’s not like I have much of a choice at this point. I either have to trust you or kill you.”

Leorio gulped, disliking the casual tone Kurapika had affected for the last statement.

The wizard turned back towards him and winked cheekily. “It was a joke, Leorio. I have no intention of harming you. But, I guess this means that now you’ll have to stay. I can’t afford to let you leave knowing such valuable information about me. I need you around where I can keep an eye on you.”

Leorio relaxed and smiled. “Don’t worry. I don’t plan on going anywhere.”

.*.*.*.*.*.

Leorio glanced up at the sound of a knock on the door. Before he could even say anything, Gon was clattering down the stairs, heading for his magic cloak on its peg.

“Swaldani door!” Killua sang out.

Leorio tucked himself back into his alcove, but left the curtain open. Kurapika didn’t want too many people finding out about him--”Best to have at least one person around who can go out without attracting much attention from the Spiders,” he’d said--but he was still curious about the rare visitor at their door.

Gon glanced over his shoulder to make sure the room was clear before pulling up his hood, allowing the big fake beard to pop into existence. On the other side was a child, not much bigger than Gon himself, with short, silky black hair and eerie pink eyes, dressed in a fine silk kimono. “From the magician. Please pass it to the wizard. I’ll wait for his response.”

“Fine,” Gon snapped, snatching the paper offered to him and shutting the door abruptly in the other child’s face.

“What was that all about?” Leorio asked, leaning out of the alcove.

“Kurapika!” Gon yelled as he pulled off his cloak and hung it back up. “A letter from Hisoka!”

Leorio didn’t really expect Kurapika to reply, but, to his surprise, the wizard soon hurried down the stairs. He took the note from Gon and read it, frowning. “He wants a meeting.”

“Why?” Gon demanded, trying to peer at the note in Kurapika’s hands.

The wizard’s eyes flashed to red. “He has information on the Spiders.”

“You can’t go!” Killua roared from the fireplace, his white flames licking at the stones around the hearth.

“It could be a trap,” Gon agreed. “Hisoka isn’t trustworthy. Let me go.”

“Absolutely not,” Leorio interrupted. “I don’t know who this Hisoka guy is, but if it’s a trap for Kurapika, there’s no way I’m letting you put yourself in that sort of danger, Gon.”

“Leorio’s right,” Kurapika agreed. “Remember, Hisoka’s out to get you just as much as everyone else. He thinks you’re worth fighting, but you’re not ready for that. He may not respect your lack of skill and attack you for your raw power.”

“I could take him,” Gon puffed up his chest.

“No, you couldn’t,” Kurapika and Killua chorused.

“What about the old man?” Killua yawned, settling back down over the embers. “Hisoka doesn’t know him. And it’s not like he has any sort of magical talent. That clown won’t consider him worth fighting. There wouldn’t be any reason for it; Leorio’s too weak.”

“Hey!” Leorio protested.

“He has a point, albeit not a very tactful one,” Kurapika mused. “Hisoka won’t see you as a threat, so he’d have no reason to harm or attack you. And while Hisoka may be… decidedly insane, there is some logic to what he does. He wouldn’t spend the energy on an opponent he doesn’t deem worthwhile.”

Leorio paused for a moment. “Then I’ll go.”

Kurapika hardly glanced at him. “Absolutely not.”

“Look, one of us has to go, and if it can’t be either of you, then it’s going to have to be me,” Leorio snapped. “I’m clearly the safest option anyways. And besides, Kurapika, you’re still weaker than normal from your fever.”

“I suppose I could disguise myself and follow along to make sure you stay safe,” Kurapika mused. “I’ll have to wait until you’re far enough away that I can slip out without being noticed by your guide or any tails he might have. Then, if it does turn out to be a trap, I can jump in and pull you out to escape. Hopefully the element of surprise will help me overcome any unexpected assailants.”

“Sounds like the best plan we’ll come up with following someone else’s terms spur of the moment,” Killua piped up.

“I could come along too, to help fight if you need it,” Gon piped up.

“No, Gon, you stay here,” Kurapika said.

“But I can help!” the boy protested.

“You’ll be the most help here,” Kurapika said. “If I have to borrow strength from Killua, you’ll have to make sure nothing gets into this place so Leorio and I have a safe place to come back to.”

Gon perked up at that and nodded excitedly. “I will, I promise!”

“Good,” Kurapika ruffled his hair. “Now, I know we have some homing charms somewhere. Why don’t you go find one for Leorio in case we get separated and he has to find his way back on his own?”

“Okay!” Gon hurried off and was soon rifling through the drawers that Leorio had so recently organized.

“Do you really think they might come here?” Leorio kept his voice low.

“It’s unlikely,” Kurapika said. “And Killua will be plenty strong enough to protect this place. But, it’s a reason for him to not sneak out after us, and that’s all that matters.”

Leorio had to smile at that. Looks like the wizard really does care about the kid after all .

“Here you go, Leorio!” Gon cried cheerfully, hurrying back over with a ring. The thick band was silver, covered in odd markings, and with three green stones in the top. Gon handed it to Kurapika, who whispered a few words and blew gently on the stones, which lit up briefly with a soft light before going dark again.

“If you get lost, just think of this place and the ring will guide you back,” Kurapika said, taking Leorio’s hand in his and slipping the charm onto his ring finger. “And remember, I’ll be watching over you.”

“I’m not worried,” Leorio drew himself up, putting on a brave face. “Like you said, this crazy clown guy has no reason to attack me, so I’m sure it will be fine.”

“Right,” Kurapika nodded.

Leorio went to the door, but glanced over his shoulder before opening it. Kurapika had slipped back into the alcove, and Gon stood by Killua in the hearth. He took a deep breath and opened the door, looking down at the child still waiting there. “Take me to Hisoka.”

Chapter Text

The walk was long, and, thanks to the cold air of midwinter, Leorio soon found himself shivering despite his coat and scarf. The child in front of him—Kalluto; Leorio had asked their name almost as soon as they left the magic door of the castle—didn’t seem to be bothered by the chill, even though they seemed to only be wearing the thin silk kimono. Kalluto led Leorio through narrow, winding streets—Leorio had thought the roads in Yorknew were tight, after growing up in a small, yet widespread, town, but these took the idea of a cramped city to a new level—until he had long lost his way. I’m glad Kurapika thought to give me this charm, or I’d never find my way home! he thought to himself, twisting the ring on his finger. He did his best to keep from scanning the area around him; if he and Kalluto were being followed, he decided he didn’t really want to know about it, and if they weren’t, he didn’t want to give Kurapika away. So, he plodded on in frigid silence, allowing Kalluto to set a brisk pace for them.

Finally, they came to an abandoned building near the edge of town. Despite the fact that it had clearly been empty for some time, if the general disrepair of the exterior was anything to go by, it had clearly once been a grand palace of some kind. Inside, however, Leorio changed his mind. The decor was eclectic, and that was being kind: everything was garishly colored, under layers of dirt and grime, and printed with bold patterns, like diamonds and spirals. They passed through several rooms, one full of giant toys, one stuffed with brightly-painted blocks of all sizes, and so on. The last chamber was a maze of mirrors, which is when the whole place finally clicked for Leorio. I see; so it’s an old fun house or something. Creepy.  

Many of the mirrors distorted the images they displayed to varying degrees. Some made Leorio look rounder or thinner, some gave him a bulbous head and spindly legs, and some were warped to make the entire image wavy like it was some sort of mirage. Halfway through the room, the aisle of mirrors that they had been passing through shifted to a maze. Walls of mirrors marched off in every direction, creating endless reflections of whatever got caught between them. Kalluto remained unperturbed, however, and moved through the twists and turns without issue. Leorio did his best to stay close, but occasionally found himself smacking into a mirror that seemed to jump out in front of him.

Finally, they exited the maze to find themselves in a large, circular room painted to look like the inside of a circus tent. The walls were spaced with cages made of rusty iron bars—and not all empty. It took several moments to notice, but in one of the cages, in a darker section of the room, Leorio could just make out the form of a small child with pale skin and wild black hair. What is it with these people and children? he thought angrily.

“Well, this is disappointing,” a sickly sweet voice drawled from somewhere in the middle of the chamber.

It took Leorio a moment to pinpoint the origin of the voice; the owner was nearly lost, between the shadows of the dim room and the jumble of pedestals and odd-shaped furniture piled in the center of the room. Finally, his eyes focused on the figure of a lean, tall man draped across a throne-like chair near the top of the pile. One leg was slung over an arm of the chair, the other dangling free and idly kicking at the air. Similarly, he had one arm draped over a knee, while the other hung over the side of the chair, a playing card flicking between fingers. He had bright pinkish-red hair, gelled and styled impeccably. He wore baggy white pants, cinched at the ankle, shoes with pointed toes, and a pink and yellow patterned shirt, cut short to show his midriff. Is he… a clown?

“I thought I called for Kurapika, not some random old man,” the redhead pouted.

As Leorio’s eyes adjusted, he saw another figure, seated near the foot of the clown’s chair. This one was dressed in dark, muted tones, and had long, sleek black hair that faded into the shadows behind him. His dark eyes were wide and soulless, and the most visible part of him was his impossibly pale skin, so fair it practically looked like he’d never seen the sun in his life.

“Kurapika wouldn’t come,” Kalluto said. Leorio blinked in confusion. He hadn’t seen the kid move, but they were suddenly standing--precariously--on the pile next to the clown. “He sent the old man instead.”

“Oh?” the clown cocked his head. “And who are you, old man?”

“I’m Leorio.”

The redhead stood and stretched, then, to Leorio’s shock, took a flying leap off of the pile of furniture. He flipped neatly once, twice as he sailed through the air, before landing neatly only a few feet in front of Leorio. “Leorio, hm?” he leaned forward, peering into his face. “Tssk, tssk, Kurapika; sending an old man to do your dirty work, are you? Afraid of traps? Or just too much of a coward to face me?”

Leorio swallowed, trying to moisten his dry throat. Come on, Leorio, he’s just a clown. No reason to be so afraid . “You must be Hisoka. Kalluto said you had information on the Spiders.”

“Yes, I do,” Hisoka said simply. He shrugged and turned away. “Information that I was prepared to share with Kurapika . Not you. I’ll only speak to the wizard.”

“Well, he’s too busy to come and deal with the likes of you,” Leorio snapped, taking two steps after Hisoka. “He’s a powerful wizard, with lots of stuff to do. He doesn’t have time to take off and parley with a clown camping out in an old fun house. That’s why he sent me, so you might as well just tell me whatever it was you were going to tell him so we can all just get out of here and go our separate ways.”

“Oh?” said Hisoka, glancing over his shoulder to offer Leorio a smirk. “Are you sure that’s why he sent you?”

“W-what’s that supposed to mean?” Leorio was caught off guard.

“Are you sure Kurapika didn’t just send you to see me because he was afraid that it would be a trap?” Hisoka yawned. “You don’t think he sent you because you’re… expendable?”

“Not at all,” Leorio snapped. At least… I don’t think so…

“ That’s enough, Hisoka,” came a voice from the shadows around them, impossible to pinpoint in the odd acoustics of the chamber.

“Ah, Kurapika,” Hisoka grinned wickedly. “You came after all.”

Leorio glanced around, frantically searching for the wizard. You idiot! You’re too weak to get into a fight. What was the point in sending me to deal with this if you were just going to pop up and show off anyways? He edged away from Hisoka now that the clown was distracted, searching for Kurapika just like Leorio was.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are!” Hisoka called, his voice taking on that sickly-sweet quality again. “It’s been too long since we had a chance to play, wizard.”

What a creep! Leorio thought to himself, edging closer and closer to the edge of the room. Kalluto and the other man seemed unconcerned with him, and all of Hisoka’s attention was on searching for Kurapika, so he took the opportunity to move closer to the cages, trying to get to the child he had seen trapped there.

Kurapika finally made his appearance in the most dramatic way possible: he leapt from the rafters hidden in the shadows gathered around the ceiling. Unlike Hisoka, he wasted no energy on flashy flips or anything of the sort; instead, he dropped like a lead bar, travelling the height of the room in a blink to land directly in front of Hisoka, crouched into the impression he made in the ground. He rose slowly to his feet and stared up at the clown, eyes flashing red. “You called?” he smirked.

What the hell is wrong with these people? Leorio made it to the cage where he had seen the child earlier and crouched down, offering her a smile. She shrank away from him, eyes wide with fear. “It’s okay,” he whispered. “I’m here to get you out. Does that sound okay?”

Hesitantly, the girl nodded. Leorio smiled again and got to work on the lock. I’m sure glad I let Zepile teach me how to pick these things , he mused. He could hear Kurapika and Hisoka’s voices in the background, but tuned them out to focus on what he was doing instead. It was a fairly simple lock, and he was able to spring it without much difficulty. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure no-one was paying attention to him, then eased the door to the cage open slowly, wincing as the rusty hinges squeaked. Once the door was far enough open, the girl bolted forward, into his arms, and he pulled her in close, wrapping his arms around her trembling form. Poor thing. How long have they been treating her like this?

Leorio stood up, lifting the girl up and trying to hide her from view while he tried to figure out how to get out of the room without any of the others noticing them. He didn’t have to worry too much, though, as their attention was drawn towards a new set of arrivals.

Leorio winced at the bold, black-clad figure that swept into the room, coat billowing out behind him. Chrollo wasn’t alone; six other figures followed him into the room, a pink-haired woman in a short kimono, a short man wearing a long coat with a collar that covered the lower half of his face, a man in a green tracksuit, a woman with a short bob and dressed in a sleek skirt suit, a man with a topknot, and a woman in a black turtleneck and jeans. Some of them looked surprisingly normal, while others looked almost as out of place in the real world as Hisoka himself. Leorio gulped. These must be the Spiders.

In a flash, Kurapika was by Leorio’s side, accompanied by the rattle of chains. Leorio glanced down and saw glowing chains adorning the wizard’s right arm, and even floating in the air around him. As he watched, they rose up to form a sort of defensive barrier between Kurapika—along with Leorio and the girl—and Chrollo and the Spiders. “Time to go,” Kurapika hissed. “Who’s your friend?”

“We’ll figure that out later,” Leorio muttered. “I don’t see any other way out; do you?”

“No,” said Kurapika. “I guess we’ll have to make one.” He swung his arm out to the side, and the chain smashed into the wall, blasting a hole into it.

“I mean… I guess that works,” Leorio mumbled. He hurried towards the hole and lifted the girl through it. Before he followed, he glanced over his shoulder, searching for Kurapika, only to find Kalluto standing almost directly behind him. Well… “You wanna come too, kid?” he asked, offering his hand to Kalluto. Hesitantly, the child took it, allowing Leorio to pick them up and lift them through the hole to join the girl on the other side. He didn’t miss the way the girl shied away from Kalluto, but decided to deal with that later. “Kurapika!” he called over his shoulder. “Let’s go!”

Kurapika backed towards them, eyes trained on the Spiders—now joined by Hisoka and the other man—as he moved. Leorio scrambled out through the hole and scooped the girl up in one arm, then grabbed Kalluto’s hand.

“Run!” Kurapika called as he followed them out of the room, chain swinging wildly to collapse the wall behind them. Leorio didn’t wait for another prompt, but took off as fast as he could move, without looking back.

Chapter Text

Leorio was having trouble catching his breath. He wasn’t running any more—there was no way he could keep that up and carry the girl for any length of time—but his legs seemed to be growing heavier with each step, and his lungs burned for air. Kalluto was almost silent at his side, and the girl trudged slowly along on the other side, clinging to Leorio’s hand for dear life and keeping a wary eye on Kalluto. Kurapika had left them a long time ago, promising to draw the Spiders away with an illusion, but also not to engage them, at Leorio’s insistence. “The ring will draw you home,” he promised. Sure enough, a thin red line of glowing thread stretched out from the ring, even hidden in the girl’s thin fingers tangled through Leorio’s, and out into the distance. It seemed to be taking the most circuitous route possible, but Leorio was beginning to recognize some of the buildings around the castle’s Swaldani exterior, so he figured they were getting close.

    It was well after nightfall before Leorio knocked on the castle door. He didn’t even have time to lower his hand before it flew open and Gon flung himself at Leorio. “You’re back!” he cried, burying his face in Leorio’s jacket. “It’s been so long; we were getting worried.”

    “Speak for yourself,” the white flame seemed to be trying to peer at them from the hearth, and the bored tone in his voice was decidedly fake. “Get inside before you attract any unwanted attention.”

    Leorio herded the three children inside, ignoring the glare that Gon levied at Kalluto. “Gon, we have some new friends joining us now. Why don’t you go get some blankets for them while we get settled?”

    “What did Kurapika have to say about them?” Gon grumbled, heading off in search of blankets for the new arrivals.

    He didn’t really get a chance to say anything , Leorio thought. “He didn’t seem to mind.” He directed Kalluto to the stool in front of Killua’s hearth and lifted the girl up to sit on the table. “Gon, grab my medical bag too, please!” He grinned goofily at the girl and got a shy little smile in return. I’ll take what I can get with this one . He grabbed a chair and sat down in front of her. “Hi there. We didn’t get a chance to introduce ourselves. My name’s Leorio. What’s yours?”

    She blinked owlishly down at him and opened her mouth to answer, but shut it quickly as Gon clattered down the stairs laden with blankets and Leorio’s bag. “Here you go,” Gon smiled brightly as he offered her a blanket. She smiled back and took it gingerly, almost like she was afraid he would snatch it away again. Kalluto didn’t get any kind words from the boy; Gon simply shoved the last blanket at them and dumped it into their lap when they weren’t quick enough to take it. “Why’d you bring them here, Leorio? What if the Spiders come after them?”

    “Oh, we can handle a few lousy Spiders, me and Kurapika can,” Killua scoffed, puffing himself up as big as he could. Little white sparks bounced off of him and skittered across the stone hearth to sputter out as they fell to the floor.

    Leorio hid a smile as the girl’s eyes widened at the sight of Killua. “That’s Killua, our resident fire demon,” he explained, opening up his medical kit.

    “Demon?” she whispered.

    Well, at least we know her voice works, Leorio thought. “Sure thing. But don’t worry—he’s not a scary demon. He’ll keep you safe, right Killua.”

    “You bet,” Killua grinned, his smile flashing with electricity. “Nothing will hurt you while I’m around!”

    The girl let out a giggle, and Leorio’s grin broadened. “Okay then. Now, can you tell us your name?”

    “Alluka,” the girl whispered.

    “Nice to meet you, Alluka; I’m Gon!” the green-clad boy appeared at Leorio’s elbow and stuck his hand out towards the girl. She accepted it warily and gave it a little shake, then pulled back into herself.

    “Yes, it’s definitely nice to meet you, Alluka,” Leorio nodded. “Now, I’m sure you’re hungry and tired, so tell you what: Killua over there is going to heat up some water so you can take a bath, and by the time you’re done, Gon and I will have dinner made. Then we’ll make you a bed, and you can get a good night’s sleep. How does that sound?”

    Alluka nodded eagerly.

    “Great,” said Leorio. “Gon will take you up and show you where the bathroom is—and, Gon, do you have some clothes Alluka could borrow? Just for tonight; I’ll wash hers tomorrow.”

    “Sure thing!” said Gon. “Come on!”

.*.*.*.*.*.

Late that night, Leorio lay in his bed in his little alcove, doing his best to fall asleep. Out in the main room, Gon and Kalluto were each curled up on little sleeping mats, sound asleep and snoring slightly—Gon had offered his bed and room to Alluka for the night, promising to help clean and set up another of the castle’s many rooms in the morning so she’d have her own—and even Killua was nestled down in the embers of his day’s fuel, hardly crackling at all as he coalesced into a tiny ball of white flame.

    Leorio had just begun to nod off when the door creaked slowly open. He heard Killua stretch and yawn, and then gasp. “Kurapika!” the flame crackled softly. “What have you done?”

    No response came; only slow, heavy footsteps that plodded up the stairs over Leorio’s little alcove. His heart in his throat, Leorio slowly peered out through the curtain. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dim light, but once they did, he saw bloody footprints—a trail of them, stretching from the door to the foot of the stairs. Trembling, Leorio pulled on his shoes and followed the trail upstairs and to Kurapika’s door. He hesitated with his hand on the doorknob, wondering if the wizard would be angry with him for intruding again. A glimpse of the blood on the floor made up his mind, and he turned the knob, slowly opening the door.

    “Kurapika?” he said, voice soft, eyes searching the dark room for the wizard. He finally made out the form crumbled on the bed, blood dripping off of the fingers of a hand draped over the side of the mattress. Leorio crept forward and knelt on the floor beside Kurapika. He took the bloody hand in his own, and reached out with the other to brush blond hair back from the wizard’s face. “I’m going to save you.” He whispered the promise aloud without realizing it, and was taken aback at the sound of his own voice in the stillness of the dark room.

    “How could you save him when you can’t even break your own curse?”

    Leorio jerked back at the sound of the sickly sweet voice, nearly falling to the floor. He scrambled to his feet, staring wide-eyed at the figure in front of him, silhouetted by the eerie glow of the scarlet eyes on the far wall. Hisoka leered down at him as he stepped into the light streaming through the open doorway, his own eyes glinting gold in the light, and his hair glimmering like fire. Leorio took a step backwards, but stopped when he felt Kurapika’s hand start to pull out of his, unwilling to let go.

    “You can save yourself, or you can save the wizard, but can you save both?” Hisoka mused.

    Leorio searched for a reply, but found that he had none. Is that true? Can only one of us survive? That can’t be right! I won’t let it be right.

    Before he could speak, Hisoka lunged forward. As he moved, he transformed—into the billowing black form of Chrollo, sweeping over Leorio and Kurapika, just like he had that night in the infirmary…

    Leorio jerked awake to the sound of water screeching through the pipes above him. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, then peered out of the alcove. Gon was propped halfway up on his elbows, blinking blearily, but lowered himself back down and began snoring again as Leorio watched; Kalluto remained unmoving, back to Leorio’s alcove.

    “Killua, is that Kurapika?” Leorio asked.

    The fire yawned, sparks flying, and turned to look at him. “It is. And he looks awful. Leorio… you have to find a way to break our bargain, or we’re both going to die. Kurapika doesn’t have much time left.”

    “He’s dying?” said Leorio. “How? Why? What’s happening to him?”

    “I can’t tell you the details of the curse, you idiot,” Killua snapped, sending out sparks that bounced towards the heads of the sleeping children on the floor. “I thought you knew that by now. All I can tell you is that he’s running out of time. You’ll have to figure out the rest on your own. But do it soon. Please?”

    The final word was whispered so quietly that Leorio nearly mistook it for some of the crackling of Killua’s flames licking at the wood in the hearth, but it was there nonetheless. Alright, then , he thought, settling back to try and fall back asleep. I’ll need to get a move on. No-one will be dying on my watch. Not in this castle, anyways.

Chapter Text

In the morning, Leorio was the first one up. He did his best to be quiet while he got breakfast started, but Gon and Kalluto were awake before too long. He shooed them out through the door that opened to Star Lake and told them to “go play”; both children looked at him like he had two heads.

    “What do you mean?” asked Gon.

    “I mean… play a game, like tag or something. I don’t care; do whatever you want. Just… no magic. And try not to get hurt!”

    When Alluka came downstairs, wearing clothes borrowed from Gon, he sent her outside too. She was the hardest to get through the door, but Leorio promised that she could come back in if she decided she didn’t like being outside, so she reluctantly went out. Despite everyone’s reluctance, when Leorio glanced out the window a few minutes later, he saw them racing around the field outside the castle, laughing as they ran, breath coming out in little puffs of steam that floated away in the chilly morning air.

    “You shouldn’t have brought them here,” Killua said mournfully as water began to boil in the pot suspended over his flame.

    “What?” Leorio asked.

    “Those two kids. You shouldn’t have brought them.”

    “Why not?”

    “Kalluto works for Hisoka. They could be a spy. And the girl…” Leorio didn’t think that a fire could shiver, but he didn’t have any other way to describe the motion Killua made. “There’s something off about her. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but…”

    “Oh, enough,” Leorio sighed. “They’re just kids. They can’t be too bad.”

    “Yeah, say that again when one of them stabs you, or Gon, or Kurapika in the back while you sleep,” Killua muttered. “I’ll be safe. I’m a fire. They can’t stab me.”

    “No, but they can dump water on you, and that’s exactly what I’ll do if you keep talking like that about them,” Leorio snapped. “They’re just kids. They have their whole lives ahead of them; a few bad choices on Kalluto’s part don’t mean that they’ll keep making bad choices for the rest of their life. And Alluka… well, even you said you didn’t know anything about her. A bad feeling doesn’t mean that she’s a bad person.”

    “Whatever you say,” Killua grumbled, but he let the matter go.

    By the time Leorio called the three kids in, they were breathless from exertion and laughter. Gon had Alluka chattering happily—Gon was doing most of the talking, but the girl was holding her own in the conversation—and Leorio even caught Kalluto hiding smiles behind spoonfuls of oatmeal.

    Kurapika clattered down the stairs when they were about halfway through breakfast, looking more rested, healthier, and even somehow happier than he had since Leorio had met him. “There’s oatmeal for you in the pot by the hearth,” Leorio informed him.

    “Time for that later,” Kurapika said. He ruffled Gon’s hair and grinned at Alluka and Kalluto. “Hi there. I’m Kurapika. Who are you two?”

    “I’m Alluka.”

    “Kalluto.”

    “Nice to meet you both,” Kurapika gave them a tiny bow. “Killua, I need your help!” he sang out, turning away from the others at the table. “After everything yesterday, I think it’s time to move the castle. No need to stay connected to Swaldani any more; we’ve burned our bridges there, I think.”

    “Ugh, moving the door is such a pain, ” Killua grumbled.

    “Gon, finish up your breakfast and come help me outside. You two can give Leorio a hand fastening everything down in here. Killua, eat up! You’ll need lots of fuel for this.”

    “Yeah, yeah; I know.”

    Gon shovelled the rest of his food into his mouth and chased after Kurapika as the wizard headed out the door, carrying a rickety metal cart—it looked suspiciously like the sort of machine used to draw chalk lines on a sports field, Leorio thought. He and the other two children hurried through their breakfasts and got to work inside. Leorio didn’t really know what “fastening everything down in here” meant, so he decided to play it safe. Alluka was sent to run around upstairs and make sure everything was put away in closets, drawers, cabinets, and so on. Downstairs, Kalluto set about washing the dishes and putting them safely away in the cabinets while Leorio tidied up and set the chairs on the back of the table, seats on the tabletop.

    “Killua, what exactly are you two getting ready to do?” Leorio asked.

    “We’re moving the castle door,” the fire explained, licking at a fresh log Kalluto had handed him. “That means cutting our magical ties with the buildings in Swaldani and Port Zaban, and making new ones with new places. It’s a lot of work. We don’t do it often because it’s a pain and takes a lot of energy.”

    Leorio still didn’t quite understand, but nodded like he did, and set the last chair on the table. Alluka bounded down the stairs and tucked herself in beside Leorio as Gon burst through the door.

    “Killua! Kurapika says to go ahead and move,” the boy called as he paused in the doorway, balancing on the outside steps and the stoop just inside the portal.

    Grumbling, Killua flared up in the hearth. The castle rumbled and shook, and Alluka grabbed onto Leorio’s leg with a gasp. Kalluto’s eyes widened, and they grabbed the edge of the table to steady themself as the castle lurched forward and slowly began to move.

    “A little to the left!” Gon called, peering through the door. “Now back a little… One more step to the left… And stop! That’s good!” He hurried back out the door, leaving it open behind him.

    Leorio’s curiosity got the best of him, and he went to peer out the open doorway. Intricate chalk markings stretched out on the ground under the castle—which Killua settled down into its resting position as Leorio hovered in the doorway, the jerk of the motion nearly knocking him over. Kurapika and Gon were finishing up the chalk markings, Chickey running rings around them as they moved. Leorio had to smile at the sight of the gangly bird. Can’t believe she’s stuck around so long, he mused.

    Kurapika and Gon finished what they were doing and headed back towards the castle, Chickey trailing along behind them. Kurapika paused at the bottom of the stairs and turned back to smile at the chicken. “Sorry, you. The curse on you is too powerful; if you come with us, Chrollo will be able to track the castle’s new door. You can hang around here—Killua’s protective spell on the castle’s physical location is strong enough to hide you here—but we won’t be around much. You might be better off going about your life on your own.”

    The chicken cocked her head. Leorio could have sworn she nodded in understanding before squawking and running off to stand at the edge of the chalk circle. That’s one smart bird.

    Kurapika herded Leorio and the kids towards the table, lifting Alluka and Gon up to sit on the edge of it—Kalluto refused help, clambering up on their own, and Leorio managed to get himself up to perch precariously next to Alluka, despite the protests of his suddenly stiff muscles. He couldn’t understand it; he’d felt fine, almost normal, all morning, but as soon as he thought about climbing up onto the table and what a hassle that would be in this old body, he immediately began to feel sore and stiff again.

    As the four of them watched, Kurapika drew a sigil in chalk on the floor— come on, I just mopped that! Leorio grumbled internally—and scooped Killua out of the fireplace with a small iron shovel.

    “Careful, careful!” Killua whispered, repeating the word over and over like a mantra.

    Kurapika stood next to the sigil and held Killua over the center of it. He glanced towards Leorio, a small smile creeping across his lips, and winked. Leorio swallowed the flutter in his chest at the sight.

    “Hold on tight,” Kurapika grinned at his audience and turned back to Killua, lips continuing to move in a silent incantation. Something filled the air with energy, and Killua’s flame grew larger and larger. The room got hotter and brighter, and Leorio’s hair stood on end with static electricity. There was a pop—felt just as much as heard—and a sort of sizzling sensation, and then Killua once again began to die down into his usual form.

    What Leorio hadn’t noticed, until Kurapika turned away to set Killua back in the hearth, was that the entire interior of the castle had changed. The floors were new—and the chalk sigil had vanished—the walls had different paper on them, and even the shape of the window had changed. Leorio’s little alcove under the stairs was gone, but the entire main room had stretched and elongated, and a new door led to what looked like a new room in the back. The entire place felt incredibly familiar, but Leorio couldn’t quite place it…

    “Wow!” Gon exclaimed, jumping off of the table and racing towards the window, Alluka right on his heels.

    “There are new bedrooms for Alluka and Kalluto upstairs,” Kurapika said. “I cleaned out some of the rooms and added furniture, and there will be fresh clothes and things for you both. For Leorio”—he grinned, almost despite himself, and hurried to open the new downstairs door—“I made this room. That way you don’t have to go up and down the stairs when your legs hurt!”

    Leorio slipped down from the table and walked to the door, peering into the room. It was nearly identical to his dorm room in the Yorknew infirmary’s dorm, except the window was larger and over the desk now.

    “Do you like it?” Kurapika murmured.

    “It’s great,” Leorio nodded, his throat tight. “Perfect for me.”

    “Come on,” Kurapika grinned, grabbing Leorio’s hand and tugging him towards the castle door. Leorio let himself be pulled towards and out the front door, where they found a small courtyard. The kids had found it before they did, and Gon and Alluka were running around and shouting happily as they chased each other. Kalluto didn’t join the game, but they were roaming the courtyard—dodging the other two when they got too close—and squinting up at the sky, a small smile playing across their lips.

    Kurapika led Leorio through the courtyard and down a narrow hall towards what Leorio immediately recognized as the infirmary.

    “It was abandoned when the war started getting closer to the city,” Kurapika explained. “I thought it would make a good home for the castle. You could open a chemist shop or something.”

    Leorio turned towards the wizard. “Wait, what?”

    “Come on,” Kurapika said, taking Leorio’s hand again. “I have something else to show you.”

    Back inside the castle, Kurapika closed the door and pointed to the colored dial above it. Leorio noticed that the colors had been rearranged slightly, and one had been replaced. “Do you see the new color?” Kurapika asked.

    “Yeah. Where does that one go?”

    Without a word, Kurapika opened the door and drew Leorio through after him—Leorio only just noticing that the wizard still held his hand when he gave it a gentle tug to prompt Leorio to follow him. They emerged from a small, somewhat dilapidated structure in the middle of what seemed to be a destroyed village. The place had clearly been abandoned for some time, and had already been largely reclaimed by the nature around it. Leorio looked around in wonder. Is this…?

    “This used to be my home,” Kurapika murmured. He let Leorio’s hand slip out of his and took a faltering step forward. There was a note of sorrow in his voice, and when he turned to glance back at Leorio, his eyes were misty. “My village, where I grew up.”

    “The village the Spiders destroyed when you were studying magic,” Leorio whispered.

    Kurapika nodded. “Come on,” he said.

    Leorio followed the wizard through the quiet, still husk of the village. They passed a large cemetery, the graves showing clear evidence of being meticulously tended, but kept moving. Finally, they came to a little house on the edge of the village, nestled in front of a hugely overgrown garden, and Kurapika stopped.

    “This was my home,” he said softly. “I lived here with my parents. My mother kept the herb garden in the back; she was basically the village doctor. She knew everything there was to know about herbalism. I wish I’d let her teach me more about it, but I was always too interested in magic and exploring the world… But I thought that maybe you could use the herbs. Like I said, you could open a chemist or an herb shop or something using the plants here.”

    “Why… why are you talking like that?” Leorio asked.

    “What do you mean?” Kurapika turned to fully face Leorio for the first time since stepping through the door, and Leorio was taken aback at the sight of sorrow painted across the wizard’s face.

    “You make it sound like you won’t be around. Like you’re leaving or something.”

    Kurapika offered him a soft smile. “I just… I can’t make you any promises. I want to, and I wish I could, truly, but I just… can’t.”

    “Please, just tell me what’s going on,” Leorio asked, taking a step forward and grabbing Kurapika’s hands. “Let me help you!”

    Kurapika opened his mouth to reply, but a crackle in the nearby foliage made him snap his head around, searching for the source of the sound. “Go,” he said, pulling his hands away from Leorio. “Back to the door. Run, and don’t look back.”

    “Kurapika…”

    “Go!” Kurapika forced a smile as he took a step back from Leorio. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be okay.”

Chapter Text

Late that night, Leorio sat on the edge of his bed and stared at his reflection in the mirror across from him. The wrinkled face that stared back could hardly be his own, yet he knew it was. In the weeks since he’d come to the castle, he’d hardly seen his reflection—part of that was intention, as he felt no need to see the effects of the curse constantly. Most of the time, he could feel them well enough. He ran a hand through his silver hair. I need a haircut. This is too long . He dug through his pockets for a scrap of heavy string and tied it into a short ponytail at the nape of his neck.

    A soft knock sounded on the door, and it opened slowly to reveal Gon on the other side. He chewed on his lip, almost looking nervous. “Leorio?”

    “Yes, Gon? It’s okay; you can come in.” Gon came into the room and settled on the bed next to Leorio; he wrapped an arm around the boy’s shoulders and gave him a hug. “What’s wrong?”

    “Nothing,” Gon said quietly. “I just wanted to say good night.”

    “Okay,” Leorio nodded. “Good night. Are you going to bed?”

    “Yeah.”

    “Okay.”

    Gon pulled away and headed back for the door. He stopped before leaving the room, hand on the knob, and turned back to Leorio. “Don’t worry about Kurapika. He goes away sometimes. But he’ll be back. He always comes back. Sometimes it just takes a little while.”

    Leorio forced a smile. “Thank you, Gon. I’ll probably still worry, but that’s still good to hear.”

    The boy smiled one last time and left the room. After a few minutes, Leorio got up and followed Gon out of the room. In the castle’s main room, Killua flickered lowly in the hearth, tucked under a fresh log and, for all intents and purposes, asleep. Leorio set a few more logs on the side of the hearth, in case they were needed during the night, and puttered his way up the stairs to check on the kids. Gon and Kalluto were both tucked neatly into their beds, either asleep or well on their way. Alluka, on the other hand, was sitting cross-legged in the middle of her mattress, staring out the window. Leorio knocked lightly on the door frame. “Mind if I come in?”

    “Leorio?” Alluka turned to him as he stepped into the room. “Can I ask you a question?”

    “Sure,” said Leorio, “so long as you don’t mind if I sit down.”

    The girl giggled and nodded, and Leorio settled on the end of the bed with a groan and several popping joints. “Now. What’s your question?”

    “Do you love Kurapika?”

    Leorio startled at the question. “Do I… what?”

    “Do you love him?”

    “What… what do you mean?”

    “Well, it’s just… I’ve seen the way you look at him. I don’t know much about love, I guess; I’ve never really seen anyone in love, but it seems like the way you look at Kurapika is what I’ve always heard that people in love look like.”

    Leorio sat quietly for a moment, stunned. Am I that obvious?

    “Leorio?”

    “Hm? Oh, sorry.”

    “Did I offend you? I didn’t mean to; I was just curious.”

    “No, no; it’s alright! There’s nothing wrong with being curious. I guess I just didn’t realize anyone else had noticed.”

    Alluka grinned. “ I did.”

    “Yeah, I got that,” Leorio laughed, reaching out to give her a hug. “Come on. It’s time for bed. You’re a growing girl! You need your sleep!”

    “Okay,” Alluka sighed dramatically. While Leorio got to his feet, she slipped under the covers and snuggled down in the bed. “Good night, Leorio.”

    “Good night, Alluka. Sweet dreams.”

.*.*.*.*.*.

Kurapika didn’t come back the next day, or the day after that, or the day after that. As time went by, Leorio’s worry only grew, although he did his best to hide it from the kids. He ventured back to the abandoned village, searching for any sign of the wizard or even the Spiders, but found none, so he gathered some of the herbs from the garden and took them back with him. He taught Alluka, Kalluto, and Gon how to make a few different tinctures, infusions, and poultices, and soon they’d built up a little stock, and Leorio opened a shop for them in the front of the old infirmary. There was certainly a market—with all of the doctors either gone to help with the war efforts, or evacuated from the city, medicine, or at least someone to prescribe it, seemed to be in short supply.

    The hours seemed to drag past, the days stretching on and on. The nights grew colder as winter fell, but Killua kept the castle warm and safe. More and more people left town, heading for safer refuges further in from the battlefront, or leaving the country completely. Leorio heard rumors that the war had started after the neighboring country’s chairman had gone missing, and they blamed his country for the disappearance, but no-one could corroborate anything. He wasn’t surprised—who would want it to get out that their chairman was gone, leaving the country without leadership? He wondered what could have happened, and felt sorry for the missing dignitary. Although, he felt more sorry for everyone else whose lives had been lost or destroyed because of the war.

    At night, they began to hear bomb sirens in the distance, sounding out in neighboring towns. None had reached them yet, and Leorio prayed nightly that they never would. He didn’t really believe that the fighting would stay away from them permanently, but he also knew that Killua could protect the castle, and, if things got really bad, completely disconnect them from the infirmary. He wasn’t entirely sure how easy that would be without Kurapika, though.

    Over a week after the wizard’s disappearance, Leorio and the kids were cleaning up after supper. Everyone was abnormally quiet today, even the typically chattery Gon and Alluka, and dinner had been virtually silent. In the fireplace, Killua flickered gently, the white and blue light put off by his flames slightly weaker than normal. To look at him, it almost seemed like he was lost in thought. Leorio wondered if there was some sort of tangible effect on him with Kurapika gone for so long, and, if so, if the wizard was feeling it as well.

    Alluka and Gon started on the dishes, and Leorio went out to the shop to make sure everything was locked up for the night. When the bomb siren sounded, his heart dropped. He dropped what he was doing and raced back towards the castle door.

    “Leorio?” Alluka cried; she was standing in the doorway , silhouetted by the light behind her.

    Leorio picked up speed and grabbed her as he sprinted through the door, sweeping her up into his arms and kicking the door shut behind him. “Gon! Close the curtains!”

    Gon raced to do as he was told, and Leorio followed him, shutting the door to his bedroom before taking the stairs two at a time. Even with all the lights out upstairs, he wanted the curtains closed just in case. For all he knew, the lights wouldn’t even be visible from the outside of the infirmary, but he didn’t want to leave the castle’s physical location to be revealed to the incoming airships and bombers. After the last room was closed up, he relaxed slightly, and headed back downstairs, trying to catch his breath after the mad dash. When the shouting started, however, he once again broke into a full sprint, making for the main room.

    Bursting down the stairs, Leorio took in the scene unfolding there in an instant. Kalluto and Gon were rolling around on the floor, grappling with one another, while Alluka stood against the hearth, back to Killua.

    “Leorio! Help!” Gon yelled as he clattered down the stairs. “Kalluto tried to throw water on Killua!”

    It took Leorio another second to see the bucket of water tipped over on the floor, and the puddle of water spreading out from it. By the time he reached the two on the floor, Kalluto had managed to get on top of Gon and was trying to get away from the boy, but Gon had grabbed on to the sash of Kalluto’s kimono and refused to let go. Leorio wrapped an arm around Kalluto’s waist and lifted them up and off of Gon—who released the sash when Leorio had a grip on the other child—then hauled them towards the door. “Gon, close and lock the door behind us! Don’t let anyone in unless I say it’s okay.”

    “Okay,” Gon said reluctantly.

    “Wait, Leorio”—Alluka raced over and grabbed his free arm—“you can’t go out there!”

    “We’ll be okay, don’t worry; we’ll wait it out in the infirmary.” Leorio opened the door and hurried out as fast as he could, shutting it behind them. He heard the lock click into place, and made for the infirmary as fast as he could with the squirming kid in his arm. Something about the adrenaline coursing through his veins was making it a lot easier to do things like run up and down stairs and drag struggling children across dark courtyards. He was nearly to the infirmary door when Kalluto managed to slip out of his grip and bolt back towards the castle door. Leorio was on their heels in an instant, but Kalluto made it to the door first and began trying to open it, jostling the handle first, then pounding on the door with their fists.

    “Kalluto!” Leorio cried, dashing over to grab the child. “Stop it! What are you doing?” He took Kalluto by the shoulders and turned them around to face him; the completely blank expression on their face, combined with a total void in their eyes chilled Leorio to the bone, and he pulled back reflexively. This allowed Kalluto to slip away again; they shoved Leorio back and off of the stoop to land with a thud on the courtyard ground, knocking the wind out of the old man. Kalluto turned and began to pound on the door again as Leorio began to struggle to his feet.

    Before Leorio could grab Kalluto again, something dark swept up to the castle door and wrapped the child up, pulling him back. It took Leorio a moment to focus in on the figure long enough to recognize it as Kurapika, bright hair shining in the moonlight. The wizard turned, shushing Kalluto as he reached under the child’s hairline. Kalluto went limp in his arms, and Kurapika pulled his hand out to reveal a sharp, long, metal pin.

    “What is that?” Leorio asked.

    “A little gift from one of the Spiders—Kalluto’s older brother, Illumi. He uses them to control minds. He must have let Kalluto leave with us that day as a trap to spring later.” Kurapika passed Kalluto to Leorio, who lifted them up easily. A wave of Kurapika’s hand unlocked the door, and he swept into the castle, Leorio trailing along behind him.

    “Kurapika!” Gon cried, racing forward to hug the wizard.

    “Hello, Gon,” Kurapika smiled down at him, patting him on the head. “Alluka. Killua.”

    “Where have you been?” Killua grumbled, craning out of the hearth to peer at the new arrival.

    “Out,” said Kurapika.

    Leorio laid Kalluto down on the couch and brushed their hair off of their forehead.

    “Are they okay?” Alluka asked, looking down at Kalluto over the back of the couch.

    “They’ll be fine,” said Kurapika. “A whole new person when they wake up, I expect.” He snapped the pin in half. “Illumi can’t control them now. Although, I’m afraid the damage is done; he’ll know where we are now.” He glanced up as another bomb fell, rattling the windows in their frames. There was another sound from the courtyard, too; a scraping, scratching sound, and Leorio didn’t want to know what was making it.

    Kurapika turned and smiled sadly at Leorio. “Time for me to go again, I’m afraid.”

    “Wait, what?” Leorio asked. He scrambled to his feet and hurried over to where the wizard stood. “You can’t leave! It isn’t safe out there!”

    “Kurapika, I can protect the castle,” said Killua. “You don’t have to go!”

    “You can protect the castle from the bombs, but not the Spiders; they’re too powerful. Don’t worry. I can handle those second-rate warlocks.”

    “Kurapika…” Leorio whispered, reaching out for his hand.

    Kurapika pulled away and headed for the door. Leorio ran out into the courtyard behind him. “Kurapika!”

    Kurapika looked over his shoulder. “Take care of the children, Leorio. Live a good life, and give them a good home.”

    “Kurapika, please; don’t”—

    “I’m sorry.” He cast a half-smile towards Leorio. “I wish I could stay with you…” He turned away, towards dark figures looming in the doorway to the infirmary. “Goodbye, Leorio. I wish… well. I just wish.”

    “Please,” Leorio whispered to himself as the wizard swept towards the darkness. “Please…”

Chapter Text

Leorio burst back into the castle in a frenzy. “Killua! Killua!”

    “Where’s Kurapika?” Gon demanded, tears beginning to overflow from his eyes.

    “Gone,” said Leorio, hurrying to the hearth. “Killua. You need to disconnect the castle from the infirmary.”

    “I can’t do that!” Killua spluttered. “It’s too big! I can’t do something that huge without Kurapika!”

    “Well, you need to at least try!” Leorio insisted. “Kurapika’s going to get himself killed trying to protect the infirmary if you don’t—maybe if we can get away from it, he’ll come back and stay safe. The Spiders aren’t worth anyone else dying over.”

    “ Leorio !” Alluka called. 

Leorio turned around to see Kalluto sitting up on the couch, rubbing the back of their neck. He stood up and hurried over. “How are you feeling?”

    “My head hurts,” Kalluto mumbled. “And there’s a pain in the back of my neck…”

    “Kurapika said there was a pin there…?”

    Kalluto’s face darkened. “Illumi. My brother. He’s Hisoka’s friend. He’s probably trying to help the magician and the Spiders catch Kurapika. That’s why he let me go…”

    “Well, it’s okay now,” Leorio said soothingly, patting the child on the shoulder. “Kurapika took the pin out. He can’t control you any more.”

    Kalluto was trembling slightly, and shook their head. “It’s too late. As soon as the pin activated, Illumi knew where I was. The Spiders will be on their way, if they aren’t here already.”

    “Don’t worry; we have a plan—right, Killua?” Leorio turned to look back at the fire.

    “I’m telling you—I can’t do it without Kurapika!” the demon spluttered. “And even if I could, it would probably destroy the castle! We have no way of knowing what will happen!”

    “Well, we’re just going to have to try!” Leorio insisted. He leapt to his feet and hurried to the door, turning the dial to the Wastes portal. Outside, he saw no sign of the Spiders or Kurapika—or the bombs falling on the town. Instead, it was simply pouring down rain, creating a field of mud on the shores of the lake. To Leorio’s surprise, he also saw Chickey running around the edge of the forest, and, when he leaned out the door, she squawked loudly and began to run towards them. He left the door open and hurried back inside. “Okay; here’s what we’re going to do.” He lifted Kalluto off the couch and onto their feet. “Killlua, what happens if you leave the castle.”

    “Uh…” the fire flickered with uncertainty. “I’m really not sure. It would probably fall apart. It would definitely be a way to disconnect us from the infirmary, if nothing else…”

    “Good,” Leorio snapped. “Gon, Alluka—you two come over here and help Kalluto get outside.”

    Gon and Alluka hurried to do as they were told, helping Kalluto wrap their arms around their shoulders, and slipping their arms around their waist. “Go,” Leorio shooed the trio towards the door, then headed for the fireplace. “Killua. Will you be alright if I do this?”

    Killua was quiet for a moment. “I’m really not sure.”

    Leorio hesitated. I don’t want to hurt him, but… I’m afraid if I don’t do this, it’ll end badly for all of us. “I’m sorry, Killua, but I have to do this.”

    Killua flickered slightly. “I know. Just… please be careful with me.”

    Leorio picked up the little coal shovel and slid it gently under the base of Killua’s flame. He bit his tongue in concentration as he lifted the iron shovel and began to move towards the door.

    “Careful, careful…” Killua whispered. “Leorio, take me out last—like I said, I’m not sure what will happen to the castle if I leave it.”

    Leorio nodded and turned carefully at the bottom of the stairs down to the stoop, backing out of the door and holding the shovel out to keep it inside until he had safely left the castle.

    As soon as Killua crossed the hearth, there was a huge groan from the castle and the entire structure began to tremble. Leorio hurried backwards, to where the three children were huddled under one of Chickey’s wings. The chicken stretched her other wing out to shelter Leorio and Killua, and they stood and watched as the castle began to crumble apart.

    Once the last pieces had fallen to the ground, the clearing grew silent again. The small, damp group stared morosely at the ruins. The raindrops falling from the dark clouds overhead sizzled as they struck Killua’s low flames, even as Leorio did his best to shelter the demon from the downpour.

    “Well. That was rather unexpected.”

    Leorio whipped around at the voice. He heard Alluka and Gon gasped, and only narrowly avoided letting out a similar sound. Standing behind them, in the shadow of the treeline, was Hisoka—somehow completely dry despite the storm raging around them.

    “You,” Leorio glared at the magician. “What do you want?”

    “Believe it or not, nothing from you,” Hisoka shrugged languidly. “I see that Alluka and Kalluto are doing well with you and the wizard.”

    “Well enough,” Leorio started to step out in front of the children, to put a barrier between them and the creepy magician, but the increase in sizzling as more rain struck Killua made him think twice about leaving the shelter of Chickey’s wing.

    “We seem to have gotten off on a bad foot, old man,” Hisoka said. “You have the wrong impression of me! I’m not Kurapika’s enemy. I’m not his ally, either, but I’m certainly not his enemy. In fact, I quite like him. The only reason I helped Chrollo and his Spiders set that trap last time we met was because Chrollo promised me something I wanted more than I want to see Kurapika reach his potential. Unfortunately, he didn’t follow through on his side of the bargain, so now he’s dead to me. That’s why I’m here.”

    “What do you want?” Leorio growled.

    “Like I said, Chrollo and I had a deal—that’s what I do, I make deals, and trade information. Chrollo broke that deal, so now I’m here to make one with you.”

    “ What do you want? ” Leorio repeated.

    “What I want, more than anything, is to fight Chrollo,” Hisoka said. “But Kurapika is going about that right now. I’m afraid that if someone doesn’t stop him soon, he’ll kill Chrollo—and probably die himself in the process. Neither of those are desirable outcomes for me.”

    “You still haven’t answered my question.”

    “I’m getting there,” Hisoka chuckled. “Like I said, I trade information. So I’m here to make a deal with you. You help Kurapika—fix his problem, so to say—and I’ll get Chrollo and the Spiders off of your—and his—backs. For good.”

    “‘Fix his problem’?” Leorio repeated. “What do you mean by that?”

    “Come on over, and I’ll show you.”

    Leorio worried his lip. A glance back at the castle made up his mind. “Gon, come here. I need you to take Killua.”

    Wordlessly, Gon slipped out from under Kalluto’s arm and hurried over to take the coal shovel from Leorio. “Leorio, are you sure about this?”

    “No… but I think it’s Kurapika’s best chance.” Leorio handed the shovel to Gon and stepped forward to take Hisoka’s outstretched hand...

Chapter Text

In an instant, it was like Leorio’s surroundings had been ripped away from him, like he was being sucked down some sort of black hole. Then the darkness began to fade away, slowly replaced with a whirl of colors that grew brighter and more vivid as they spun and swirled around Leorio. Slowly, the streaks of color began to resolve themselves into an image. As it grew clearer, he started to recognize the image that was forming as Kurapika’s childhood village.

    By the time his surroundings had fully solidified, Leorio found that he was able to move. He looked around, and realized that the village he was in was far different from the one he knew. The place he was familiar with was ruins, but old ones, overgrown and reclaimed by nature—but in this vision, the place seemed to have been freshly destroyed. Flames flickered in the distance, and smoke billowed from the burning buildings, creating a cloud that stung Leorio’s eyes and made it hard to breathe. He spared a moment to wonder that an illusion, or dream, or whatever it was could be so realistic, but was distracted by a flash of movement in the village: bright blond hair, a blue and gold robe… He almost didn’t realize that he was moving at first, but soon picked up speed to keep up with the figure darting through the town.

    Kurapika? Is that you?

    The village was like a maze. Despite having been there several times, Leorio had trouble navigating. He wasn’t sure if that was because it was dark in this dream world, or because of the difference in overgrowth in the newly-crumbling buildings as opposed to the village he knew.

    Eventually, he found his way to the house Kurapika had taken him to that first day in the village. The herb garden in the back was immaculately groomed: neat rows of leafy plants, little round bushes, a few small trees, and a handful of potted plants and window boxes—a stark contrast to the wild grove Leorio had come to be familiar with.

    In front of the house was the figure Leorio had been chasing. A small, slim figure, in a puddle of rich blue robes patterned with bright gold, a golden head buried in thin-fingered hands, shoulders shaking as he wept. There was no longer any doubt who it was.

    Leorio heard a sort of rushing sound, far off in the distance. He looked around, trying to find the source, until he caught another glimpse of motion out of the corner of his eye. Up above them, streaking across the sky, were dozens of shooting stars. These weren’t normal shooting stars, however; they were much larger, and brightly colored in all shades of the rainbow, with long, fiery tales that stretched for miles.

    Is that…?

    He didn’t get to finish the thought. As soon as he noticed the star shower, Kurapika leapt to his feet and took off running, heading for a small hill just outside of the village. Heart in his throat, Leorio followed.

    By the time he caught up to the young wizard, Kurapika had reached the top of the hill. Leorio stopped at the bottom and watched the scene unfold.

    Kurapika reached out his hands, closed his eyes, and seemed to murmur the words of a spell—that was Leorio’s guess, anyways; he couldn’t hear anything, but he saw Kurapika’s lips moving. One of the stars flying by overhead very abruptly changed course. The other celestial lights continued to streak across the sky, heading, Leorio assumed, towards the convocation of Kurapika’s fellow wizards. The star that broke course was a brilliant white, so bright that Leorio was forced to close his eyes as it got closer and closer to them. When the light forcing its way through his eyelids finally began to dim, he opened his eyes in time to see Kurapika bring cupped hands—inside of which the gleaming white light still shone, albeit in a smaller, dimmer form—to his mouth. The light vanished as he swallowed it, but Leorio watched in amazement as it began to glow brighter again, now shining from within Kurapika’s body. As he watched, the light grew again in intensity, before coalescing at a point in Kurapika’s chest, over his heart, and then, with a flash, shot out from the wizard. The light danced around Kurapika for a moment before the wizard reached out his hand. The light settled into Kurapika’s palm and slowly resolved itself into a small, white flame with a kind face…

Chapter Text

When Leorio opened his eyes, he was lying on the ground in the clearing by Star Lake. It had stopped raining, and the sun was rising off in the distance. He turned his head—with some difficulty, like he had been sleeping with it bent in a strange way for a long time and now the muscles were sore—and found Alluka, Kalluto, and Gon curled up and sleeping next to Chickey, her wings wrapped protectively around them. In front of them, a white flame flickered from within a pile of steaming, damp wood.

    “Leorio?”

    The familiar voice came from the other side of him. Leorio turned his head the other way and couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face when he saw who sat there. “Kurapika,” he said, his voice coming out as a hoarse whisper. “You’re here.”

    Kurapika smiled down at him and reached out to brush a loose lock of hair off of Leorio’s forehead. “I’m here,” he nodded. “I came as quickly as I could. I felt the castle fall, and… I was so worried about you all. About you .”

    Leorio stretched out his hand and brushed his fingertips across Kurapika’s cheek, then cupped the wizard’s face in his hand. “You’re cold.”

    Kurapika smiled slightly. “Killua was busy enough keeping the others warm. And I wasn’t sure what Hisoka had done; I didn’t want to move you.”

    “Where is that crazy clown?” Leorio grumbled. He struggled to sit up, and Kurapika helped him.

    “Hisoka left when I got here. He said that, with me back, Chrollo would be free to fight him instead. That’s what he really wanted—don’t ask me why.”

    Leorio snorted. “Like I said. Crazy.”

    “Maybe,” Kurapika shrugged. “But at least he knows what he wants.”

    “Don’t you? Know what you want, I mean.”

    “I thought I did… Once upon a time… But now? Now I’m not so sure. There is one thing I’m sure of, though.”

    “What’s that?”

    “You’re the only one who can help me figure it out.” Kurapika’s lips quirked up in a half-smile, and he leaned in to press a kiss to Leorio’s lips. He stood up and offered a hand down to help Leorio to his feet. To Leorio’s surprise, it was much easier to stand than he had expected. There was hardly any soreness in his muscles or stiffness in his joints, except for what had to be expected after sleeping on the ground all night. He caught a glimpse of the hand Kurapika held and had to do a double-take—there was no way that could be his! The joints weren’t swollen with arthritis, the skin wasn’t wrinkled and spotted with age, and the fingers uncurled and straightened completely at will. 

Leorio pulled the hand away from Kurapika and brought both of his hands up to hold in front of his face, turning them back and forth as he examined them in wonder. When he finally pulled himself away from the sight, he found Kurapika staring at him with a mildly amused expression. “You look almost like you did when we first met,” Kurapika’s smile broadened.

    “‘Almost’?” Leorio repeated.

    “Your hair’s still grey, but otherwise,” Kurapika shrugged. “Most spells and curses leave something behind. At least it wasn’t the arthritis.”

    “You knew the whole time?” Leorio gaped.

    Kurapika shrugged again. “Not so hard for a wizard to see through a curse. Although, I admit, it did take me a while to remember where I’d seen you before.”

    “And you didn’t do anything to help me break it?”

    “There was nothing I could do, as much as I wanted to help you. I didn’t know what curse Chrollo used, so I didn’t know the counterspell. It would have been far too difficult to try and break it through trial and error, and potentially harmful to you.”

    Leorio nodded and followed Kurapika towards the children, fire, and chicken. “Now what?” he asked.

    As they approached, Gon yawned and sat up, rubbing his eyes. When he saw the pair approaching, his eyes widened and he began to smile. “Leorio!” he cried, startling both Alluka and Kalluto awake. “You’re back.” Gon leapt to his feet and raced to meet Leorio and Kurapika, flinging his arms around Leorio in a bone-crushing hug. Alluka and Kalluto were right behind him, nearly knocking Leorio over as they flung themselves into him. Leorio wrapped his arms around the three children, pulling them close.

    Kurapika smiled to himself at the scene and continued towards where Killua was flickering lowly on a small pile of wood. The children pulled away from Leorio, and all four of them watched as Kurapika knelt down next to Killua. Leorio found himself drawn towards the wizard, and knelt down beside him, the children filling in around them.

    “Killua,” Kurapika smiled slightly. He reached into the flame—Leorio had to bite back a cry of warning as the wizard stuck his hand into the fire—and scooped Killua up with both hands, lifting the flickering fire up so they were eye-to-eye. “I think it’s time to end our contract.”

    “Gladly,” Killua grumbled. “But last I checked, neither of us exactly knew how to do that.”

    “I’m still not really sure, but…” Kurapika turned to look at Leorio. “I think I know someone who can help us.”

    “What—uh… what exactly am I supposed to do?” Leorio asked, swallowing a lump in his throat.

    “I need you to help Killua return my heart to me,” Kurapika said.

    “Um… What?”

    Kurapika laughed musically. “I’m not entirely sure how it works, either. But I’m certain you’re the only one who can do this, Leorio.”

    “What if I mess it up?” Leorio asked.

    “You won’t,” Kurapika smiled. “Hold out your hands.”

    Leorio did as he was told. He winced reflexively as Kurapika set Killua in his cupped hands, but found that the fire didn’t hurt to touch—if anything, it tingled, almost like a static shock wrapping itself around his fingers. Kurapika shuffled around in the damp dirt to face Leorio. “It’ll be okay,” he whispered.

    Leorio nodded. He thought back to the vision he’d had, of the night Kurapika and Killua met. Slowly, he lifted his hands, bringing the flame level with the point on Kurapika’s chest where Killua had emerged from in the vision. There was a brilliant flash of light and everything around them went white. Leorio’s vision cleared just in time for him to see Kurapika begin to fall back and reach out and catch the wizard, pulling him in close to his chest. Kurapika’s head fell back and his mouth opened; a bright speck of light flew out of it and streaked off into the sky, followed by a shimmering tail of rainbow light.

    “Kurapika?” Leorio whispered, brushing bright blond hair from the wizard’s face.

    Kurapika’s eyes fluttered open, and he offered Leorio a drowsy smile. “My chest feels heavy,” he mumbled.

    “A heart’s a heavy burden,” Leorio smiled, bending down to press a kiss to Kurapika’s lips.

    “Look!” Alluka cried excitedly. They all turned to follow her pointing finger; the bright light with its rainbow tail was streaking back towards them, soaring across the sky. As they watched, it circled above their heads a few times, and then tumbled towards them. There was a crackle and a flash as it struck the ground nearby, and they looked away. When the light dimmed enough to look back, Leorio was shocked to see the figure of a young boy—pale skinned, with wild white hair crackling with electric sparks, and vivid blue eyes—standing in its place, hands in his pockets.

    “Killua,” Kurapika smiled, pulling away from Leorio to sit up on his own. “You came back.”

    “Yeah, well…” Killua scuffed his toe in the dirt, “I don’t really know anyone else out there… And you guys aren’t so bad… Plus, someone has to keep an eye on all of you, before someone does something stupid and gets themself hurt. And what if it rains? I don’t want to get caught in that. The lightning bolts might think I was one of them, and that would just be awkward for everyone.”

    Alluka and Gon laughed and ran over to wrap Killua in a tight hug. “Welcome back, Killua!” Gon cheered.

    “Yeah, welcome back!” Alluka giggled.

    “Looks like our little family will be staying together after all,” Kurapika smiled. “Just one more thing to take care of…” He turned to look at the giant chicken, staring at the commotion with her head cocked. If chickens could smile, Leorio thought, she was certainly doing so. 

Kurapika whispered something and waved his hand in Chickey’s direction. There was another, dimmer, flash of light, and she squawked as she began to rise up off of the ground, shimmering blue swirls dancing through the air around her. As they watched, the chicken began to transform, her body twisting and reshaping itself, until finally it settled upon the form of an… old man?

Leorio was half convinced that his eyes were going to pop out of his head as he stared in shock at the figure that landed gracefully on the ground in Chickey’s place. Who in the hell is that???

“Well, it’s about time!” the old man laughed jovially. “I’ve been hoping that you’d do that for quite a while!”

“My apologies, Chairman,” Kurapika apologized, struggling to his feet. “I was a bit preoccupied.”

“Oh, I’m sure,” the man— Chairman??? —waggled his bushy eyebrows and winked at Leorio, who was taken aback.

“Would you care for a lift home?” Kurapika asked.

“Oh, if you don’t mind!” the old man turned back to the wizard. “I’d certainly like to put this ugly war to an end as quickly as possible.”

“Of course,” Kurapika nodded. With another brief incantation and some hand signals, the old man vanished in a poof of blue sparks that faded into dust as they fell to the ground.

“Wait… what just happened?” Leorio asked.

“That was Chairman Netero, head of our neighboring country. I have a feeling his curse was a gift from someone we know, but I don’t know for certain. Anyways, with him back to normal, the war should be over soon. Things can start going back to the way they should be.” Kurapika turned to look at the ruins of the castle in the distance. “It looks like we have some rebuilding of our own to do…”

Chapter Text

Once Chairman Netero reappeared in his own country, the war came to a quick end. Its repercussions, however, were slower to disappear. It took a long while for the refugees who had fled the battlefront to begin to trickle back to their homes. Leorio did what he could to fill the void left by the departure of the doctors from his own school, opening a tiny practice for emergency medicine and herbal remedies in the abandoned infirmary. Alluka and Kalluto often helped him as little apprentices, mixing tinctures and infusions and preparing poultices, or minding the apothecary while he was treating patients. 

In the back of the building, Kurapika, Gon, and Killua set up a little shop of their own. They made magical potions, prepared hexes and spells, and did other odd jobs of a magical nature. Killua and Kurapika also offered a variety of enchantment (and de-enchantment) services that kept them fairly busy as they tried to sort through the magical charms left behind by the magicians and wizards who had been enlisted for the war.

Despite what Kurapika had said the morning they met Chairman Netero and things started to go back to normal, they ultimately decided not to rebuild the castle—at least, not in the same way. Instead, they used the old infirmary as its base, and created a portal in the front door to allow them to access other locations, including the herb garden in Kurapika’s village and a few other small villages across the countryside, that had also been severely damaged by the war, where they could help the most.

For Leorio, he was happiest when Zepile and Melody returned to Yorknew and he was able to reunite with them. A great deal of happy tears were shed between the three of them, and soon Zepile and Melody had become just as much a part of life in the old infirmary as anyone else. Melody joined Leorio’s unofficial practice, taking over the majority of patient care while he finished his degree, and then the two of them opened a fully licensed practice together.

Slowly, life began to fill the old infirmary. Gon, Alluka, Kalluto, and Killua filled the halls with laughter as they raced up and down them, or ran circles around each other in the courtyard. Leorio filled windowsills and shelves and corners with plants—mostly herbs harvested and propagated from the plants in Kurapika’s mother’s garden—that glowed with green life in the sunshine. Melody played her flute in the evenings, the soft music swirling around corners and collecting under the eaves. Zepile came over for dinner any night he wasn’t working the bar and cooked the most fragrant, savory food imaginable, filling the main room with scents to make the mouth water.

Many nights, once the children were in bed and Zepile had gone home, Leorio and Kurapika would go out into the little courtyard and sit with their arms around one another and watch the stars above them. Occasionally, they would see a shooting star or some other event, but most of the time they simply watched the still points of light behind floating wisps of cloud and sat in happy silence until they were tired enough to go to bed. It wasn’t a great or remarkable life, by any means, but it was everything any of them had ever wanted, and they were all, to a one, happy.