Dis Aliter Visum - Chapter 90 - 2,460 words
Note: This chapter has been far too long in coming and I apologize. My hiatus should be over now. I hope. No more family tradgedies or insanely crazy moves, please. Urgh. I'm very rusty and dissatisfied with it but I don't know how to fix it anymore.
Beta-reader: Lea Summers.
Chapter summary: The Jester.
Chapter 90
As Kurapica slowly took the stairs leading down to the hotel lobby the next morning, his cheeks still burned with embarrassment and shame. Still, breakfast had to happen sooner or later, and they had arranged to meet with his friends at the restaurant situated on the ground floor of the hotel. Kuroro was at his heels, which might have explained why Kurapica found himself hyper-aware and self-conscious. The older man tended to keep him on his toes and in a perpetual state of arousal. It was maddening.
There was very little he could do about any of it anyway, but rather than simply reacting to everything that the Spider Head said or did, he hoped to regain control someday, and perhaps even make Kuroro lose his cool, for once. He had no idea how to go about it though. He was running through his limited options as he walked, when something caught his attention. He stopped dead in his tracks.
He recognized the shade of red from their last meeting, but the face looked completely foreign without the makeup.
“Oh,” Kuroro said, passing by when the blond stalled, two steps up from the ground floor. “Help has arrived, I see.”
He turned to peer at Kurapica's expression.
“Do you still need him, now that your friends are here?”
“Yo,” Hisoka greeted cheerfully, looking disturbingly handsome in regular clothes and with his hair down.
Kurapica opened his mouth to reply, but found that he did not know what to say. True, with his friends here, Hisoka wouldn't be very helpful, save for one particular thing - and this, he wanted to keep to himself.
“I- ” he began, but wasn't sure how to continue.
“You sure chose a town that was out of the way for this little meeting,” Hisoka said, his leer still as unnerving, even after over a year of knowing the man. “I would hate to have come all the way here for nothing, hmm?”
His eyes slid to the Spider Head and his gaze grew more intense.
“I can go, if you'd rather be left to fend for yourself,” he continued, staring at Kuroro. “With Danchou at your side, you are hardly in need of my help; or is this precisely why you have requested my presence here?”
He put a finger to his cheek, long fingernail digging into the skin, and tilted his head in a mockery of thoughtful concern. His gaze was infuriatingly knowing. Kurapica couldn't answer him, not with Kuroro standing right beside him. He gnashed his teeth and tried to look as unconcerned as he could.
“It won't work, you know,” Hisoka said with an expansive shrug. “But feel free to try.”
He finally returned his yellow eyes to Kurapica. His gaze slid slowly down, detailing his appearance from head to toe, then back up until his eyes met the blond's. His smile widened.
Kuroro shifted closer.
“Kurapica,” he said, dragging the blond's attention back to him, “we're going to be late for breakfast. Your friends are waiting.”
Kurapica swallowed his protests and distrust and nodded.
“Hisoka,” Kuroro continued, shifting his attention to the man, “won't you join us for breakfast?”
His tone was far too pleasant for Kurapica's tastes. He didn't trust Kuroro's intentions, but this was nothing new. He looked between the two a few times, trying to decide where the proverbial knife would come from and who it would be destined for. He couldn't read either of them, but he'd allied himself with snakes in the past to achieve his dreams of revenge and retribution, and it was far too late to change his mind now.
He pushed past them both and proceeded on to the restaurant. His skin was crawling where he felt their calculating gazes on his back. He didn't know what to make of the fact that Kuroro's stare felt less disconcerting than Hisoka's, though it was perhaps understandable since the jester had always been unnervingly creepy. It had better not have to do with what activities Kurapica had taken to do with the Spider Head. It had better not.
It probably had.
The restaurant was fairly full despite the early hours, but spotting a green jacket and a shock of silver hair was easy. Kurapica made his way to the large table, which the younger boys had covered with numerous plates and cups. The restaurant operated like a buffet for breakfast and lunch, and it was clear that the boys had already started on their meal.
“Ah, Kurapica!” Gon exclaimed. “You're late! We started without you.”
Killua twisted around in his chair.
“Yo,” he greeted, then his eyes slid to the two men behind the blond. “Hisoka's here?”
“Hello,” Hisoka intoned, the word sounding like a taunt.
“I requested his help,” Kurapica said, “but I didn't know when he was going to arrive. Can we have a bit of room on the table?”
“Ah, sure!” Gon hastily piled up a few empty plates while Killua stared at the jester over Kurapica's shoulder, tapping his fork on his lower lips a few times.
The blond sat at the table and took a moment to compose himself. There was something odd about the way that Gon and Killua reacted to Hisoka's presence. He'd expected a bit more shock and disgust - something he had been hoping to avoid, but it was strange that they should react with so little emotion all the same. Kuroro took the seat next to him, which left Hisoka to take seat across from him, leaving one chair between himself and Gon. The boy didn't seem to mind his presence at all. Kurapica had thought that his friends would have requested he stay some distance away.
Watching them interact over breakfast was somewhat intriguing. Whatever animosity which had built up during the Exam - with very good reasons - had somehow made way to grudging respect and acceptance. He didn't know what had changed so drastically that his friends would take someone like Hisoka in stride. As he watched Gon reach over and ask Hisoka to pass the salt, he couldn't help but wonder what had happened. Then again...
He glanced at the Spider Head.
Kuroro, catching the slight movement, slid his gaze towards him and arched his eyebrows in question. Kurapica shrugged and turned away.
There were a few waitresses sliding between the tables with practiced ease, and one came to them to pour coffee, thankfully dragging Kuroro's attention away from the blond.
Breakfast was an animated affair, what with Gon being so spirited and curious about everything. One by one, they pushed their plates away. When they were all more or less finished, some nursing a cup of tea or coffee, Killua turned to Kurapica.
“So what do we do about transport?” he asked. “You come here by car, right?”
Kurapica nodded.
“It can suffice to get us out of town, but it might be a little cramped with five people,” he said.
The blond turned to Kuroro who regarded him pensively for a moment.
“We could take the train out of Sarbenia,” the Spider Head offered after a moment. “If we get sleeper cars, we could ride it all the way to Kyratin. I would advise your friends to leave us there, however.”
“Eh?” Gon looked surprised. “Why?”
“Have you ever been to Ryuuseigai?” Kuroro asked in return.
“No,” Gon had to admit.
“Ryuuseigai is no place for children,” the Spider Head commented.
His expression was blank and his tone light, but there was this subtle shift in his posture that intrigued Kurapica. He studied his face thoughtfully until Kuroro turned to him and tilted his head. One eyebrow was raised slightly higher as he silently asked why Kurapica was staring. The blond turned away and shrugged. Kuroro was still looking at him, so Kurapica picked up his mug and went to take a sip, only to realize that the cup was empty. Self-conscious, he set it back down.
“Are we done here?” Kurapica asked. “I believe we have quite a bit of road to cover before sundown.”
“And I still want to pick up sweets at the shop for the road,” Killua pointed out.
Gon hopped to his feet.
“I'm done,” he announced cheerfully.
Kuroro flagged a waiter, took out his wallet, then paused and looked up. Kurapica followed his gaze up to see all three of their companions stare at the Spider Head.
“Paying?” Hisoka asked, sounding amused and condescending at the same time.
Neither Gon nor Killua said anything, but both were openly staring.
“If you won't pay, I will,” Kurapica said, hoping to cut the awkward moment short.
“I don't mind paying,” Kuroro said, and left a sizeable stack of bills on the tray the waitress put beside him on the table. He got to his feet. “Let's go.”
They followed him out into the street. The sun was dreadfully hot despite the early hour, and they hastily made their way around the building to the parking lot in the back. They paused briefly by the car, eyeing one another, trying to figure out who was to sit where.
“I'll sit at the back,” Kurapica offered after a moment. “I'm smaller than Hisoka, and three people will barely fit on the backseat. Hisoka can ride passenger.”
“I could drive,” the jester suggested.
“No,” Kuroro said at the same time Killua exclaimed, “No way!”
Hisoka's grin widened, but he went around the car to the passenger side. They climbed into the Jeep, Gon in the middle of the backseat, sandwiched between Kurapica and Killua. Kuroro started the car and drove in silence. They first stopped at a sort of general store where Killua bought a ridiculous amount of candy, then drove to the tunnel leading out of town. There was no sound but the low rumble of a few tonnes of sand rushing over their head above ground. The low frequency soon had the two younger boys rubbing at their ears. Kurapica could understand. He felt the urge to do the same, but resisted the temptation by observing Kuroro. He was still bothered, and trying desperately to read the older man, but Kuroro simply glanced at him.
When they emerged on the other side, the sound dramatically increased, and then gradually quieted as they drove away from the source. Soon, the silence felt so overwhelming, it felt to Kurapica like it was choking the very breath from his lungs. Silence with Kuroro was comfortable - and, oh, how uncomfortable this realization really was! - but here, with Hisoka in the car, it felt like a slithering, dangerous thing. It was as if no one wanted to break it.
He hadn't realized how tense he was until Kuroro turned on the radio, startling Kurapica into a full-body flinch. Kuroro tuned into a rock station, something angry and discordant; something Kurapica would definitely not have chosen. When he looked up, he caught the older man watching him from the rear-view mirror. The blond pursed his lips as he realized that Kuroro was deliberately testing him. He frowned at him, then turned to look out of the side window.
The day was long and boring, despite the younger ones trying to invent games to pass the time. Kurapica tried to read, but the music was distracting and the questions niggling at his thoughts even more so. They stopped briefly for lunch, but otherwise drove on through the day, as the sun beat down mercilessly on the roof of the car. The air conditioning was just about enough to make the temperature inside of the car bearable. They only stopped for the night when the sun started going down in the west, hovering just about the dunes.
Kuroro stopped the car and killed the engine. He glanced back at Kurapica, then stepped out and took a few steps. Kurapica hesitated a moment, then he opened the door and unbuckled his seat-belt, stepping out into the hot evening air. The Spider Head had stopped a short distance from the car. He shifted in place, stretched a bit, then turned around when he heard Kurapica approach, then looked back to the car. Kurapica followed his gaze, twisting around to see the others. The youngest members of this little expedition were also getting out before they started racing each other up a steep dune. Hisoka also got out and flexed in all sort of weird positions that were kind of painful to watch. Kurapica returned his attention to the older man, but couldn't hold his gaze for long. His eyes shifted away, and he looked west, towards the sun, where it was disappearing behind the tall waves of golden sand.
“You were born in Ryuuseigai, weren't you?” he asked at length without looking at the Spider Head.
“I was,” Kuroro confirmed.
Kurapica nodded, though he wasn't sure why this information was important just yet; he simply knew that it was. He heaved a long sigh, then glanced at the car again. Gon and Killua were now wrestling atop the dune they'd been running on. It was good that they were so enthusiastic; the car had been pretty cramped for all of them, but the two younger boys had always been bursting with energy. Kurapica turned back towards the setting sun. He could feel Kuroro's gaze on him, thoughtful and heavy.
“Kurapica, what do you think you are accomplishing here?” the Spider Head asked after a long moment of silence.
The blond turned to study his expression, but Kuroro's face was a careful, blank mask. Completely unreadable.
“I'm not sure I know what you are referring to,” he said.
“You must have a very poor opinion of my intelligence,” Kuroro commented.
His dark eyes slid upwards and to the side, watching something over Kurapica's shoulder. The blond turned to follow his line of sight and his blood turned to slush as he realized that the older man was staring straight at Hisoka. The jester suddenly seemed to realize they were staring at him because his psychotic grin grew wider still. Kurapica faced the west again, trying to get the icy grip of fear to release its hold on his heart. His tongue darted forward to wet his lips as he tried desperately to understand how much Kuroro knew and how he could get out of this corner.
“Whatever it is you are planning,” Kuroro enunciated slowly, “I suggest you stop it. The same trick will not work on me twice.”
Not waiting for Kurapica's reaction, he turned away and made his way back to the Jeep. Kurapica let out a slow, shaky breath and closed his eyes. He counted up to three, then opened them again.
This had to work, somehow. He had no other solution.
Beta-reader: Lea Summers.
Chapter summary: The Jester.
Chapter 90
As Kurapica slowly took the stairs leading down to the hotel lobby the next morning, his cheeks still burned with embarrassment and shame. Still, breakfast had to happen sooner or later, and they had arranged to meet with his friends at the restaurant situated on the ground floor of the hotel. Kuroro was at his heels, which might have explained why Kurapica found himself hyper-aware and self-conscious. The older man tended to keep him on his toes and in a perpetual state of arousal. It was maddening.
There was very little he could do about any of it anyway, but rather than simply reacting to everything that the Spider Head said or did, he hoped to regain control someday, and perhaps even make Kuroro lose his cool, for once. He had no idea how to go about it though. He was running through his limited options as he walked, when something caught his attention. He stopped dead in his tracks.
He recognized the shade of red from their last meeting, but the face looked completely foreign without the makeup.
“Oh,” Kuroro said, passing by when the blond stalled, two steps up from the ground floor. “Help has arrived, I see.”
He turned to peer at Kurapica's expression.
“Do you still need him, now that your friends are here?”
“Yo,” Hisoka greeted cheerfully, looking disturbingly handsome in regular clothes and with his hair down.
Kurapica opened his mouth to reply, but found that he did not know what to say. True, with his friends here, Hisoka wouldn't be very helpful, save for one particular thing - and this, he wanted to keep to himself.
“I- ” he began, but wasn't sure how to continue.
“You sure chose a town that was out of the way for this little meeting,” Hisoka said, his leer still as unnerving, even after over a year of knowing the man. “I would hate to have come all the way here for nothing, hmm?”
His eyes slid to the Spider Head and his gaze grew more intense.
“I can go, if you'd rather be left to fend for yourself,” he continued, staring at Kuroro. “With Danchou at your side, you are hardly in need of my help; or is this precisely why you have requested my presence here?”
He put a finger to his cheek, long fingernail digging into the skin, and tilted his head in a mockery of thoughtful concern. His gaze was infuriatingly knowing. Kurapica couldn't answer him, not with Kuroro standing right beside him. He gnashed his teeth and tried to look as unconcerned as he could.
“It won't work, you know,” Hisoka said with an expansive shrug. “But feel free to try.”
He finally returned his yellow eyes to Kurapica. His gaze slid slowly down, detailing his appearance from head to toe, then back up until his eyes met the blond's. His smile widened.
Kuroro shifted closer.
“Kurapica,” he said, dragging the blond's attention back to him, “we're going to be late for breakfast. Your friends are waiting.”
Kurapica swallowed his protests and distrust and nodded.
“Hisoka,” Kuroro continued, shifting his attention to the man, “won't you join us for breakfast?”
His tone was far too pleasant for Kurapica's tastes. He didn't trust Kuroro's intentions, but this was nothing new. He looked between the two a few times, trying to decide where the proverbial knife would come from and who it would be destined for. He couldn't read either of them, but he'd allied himself with snakes in the past to achieve his dreams of revenge and retribution, and it was far too late to change his mind now.
He pushed past them both and proceeded on to the restaurant. His skin was crawling where he felt their calculating gazes on his back. He didn't know what to make of the fact that Kuroro's stare felt less disconcerting than Hisoka's, though it was perhaps understandable since the jester had always been unnervingly creepy. It had better not have to do with what activities Kurapica had taken to do with the Spider Head. It had better not.
It probably had.
The restaurant was fairly full despite the early hours, but spotting a green jacket and a shock of silver hair was easy. Kurapica made his way to the large table, which the younger boys had covered with numerous plates and cups. The restaurant operated like a buffet for breakfast and lunch, and it was clear that the boys had already started on their meal.
“Ah, Kurapica!” Gon exclaimed. “You're late! We started without you.”
Killua twisted around in his chair.
“Yo,” he greeted, then his eyes slid to the two men behind the blond. “Hisoka's here?”
“Hello,” Hisoka intoned, the word sounding like a taunt.
“I requested his help,” Kurapica said, “but I didn't know when he was going to arrive. Can we have a bit of room on the table?”
“Ah, sure!” Gon hastily piled up a few empty plates while Killua stared at the jester over Kurapica's shoulder, tapping his fork on his lower lips a few times.
The blond sat at the table and took a moment to compose himself. There was something odd about the way that Gon and Killua reacted to Hisoka's presence. He'd expected a bit more shock and disgust - something he had been hoping to avoid, but it was strange that they should react with so little emotion all the same. Kuroro took the seat next to him, which left Hisoka to take seat across from him, leaving one chair between himself and Gon. The boy didn't seem to mind his presence at all. Kurapica had thought that his friends would have requested he stay some distance away.
Watching them interact over breakfast was somewhat intriguing. Whatever animosity which had built up during the Exam - with very good reasons - had somehow made way to grudging respect and acceptance. He didn't know what had changed so drastically that his friends would take someone like Hisoka in stride. As he watched Gon reach over and ask Hisoka to pass the salt, he couldn't help but wonder what had happened. Then again...
He glanced at the Spider Head.
Kuroro, catching the slight movement, slid his gaze towards him and arched his eyebrows in question. Kurapica shrugged and turned away.
There were a few waitresses sliding between the tables with practiced ease, and one came to them to pour coffee, thankfully dragging Kuroro's attention away from the blond.
Breakfast was an animated affair, what with Gon being so spirited and curious about everything. One by one, they pushed their plates away. When they were all more or less finished, some nursing a cup of tea or coffee, Killua turned to Kurapica.
“So what do we do about transport?” he asked. “You come here by car, right?”
Kurapica nodded.
“It can suffice to get us out of town, but it might be a little cramped with five people,” he said.
The blond turned to Kuroro who regarded him pensively for a moment.
“We could take the train out of Sarbenia,” the Spider Head offered after a moment. “If we get sleeper cars, we could ride it all the way to Kyratin. I would advise your friends to leave us there, however.”
“Eh?” Gon looked surprised. “Why?”
“Have you ever been to Ryuuseigai?” Kuroro asked in return.
“No,” Gon had to admit.
“Ryuuseigai is no place for children,” the Spider Head commented.
His expression was blank and his tone light, but there was this subtle shift in his posture that intrigued Kurapica. He studied his face thoughtfully until Kuroro turned to him and tilted his head. One eyebrow was raised slightly higher as he silently asked why Kurapica was staring. The blond turned away and shrugged. Kuroro was still looking at him, so Kurapica picked up his mug and went to take a sip, only to realize that the cup was empty. Self-conscious, he set it back down.
“Are we done here?” Kurapica asked. “I believe we have quite a bit of road to cover before sundown.”
“And I still want to pick up sweets at the shop for the road,” Killua pointed out.
Gon hopped to his feet.
“I'm done,” he announced cheerfully.
Kuroro flagged a waiter, took out his wallet, then paused and looked up. Kurapica followed his gaze up to see all three of their companions stare at the Spider Head.
“Paying?” Hisoka asked, sounding amused and condescending at the same time.
Neither Gon nor Killua said anything, but both were openly staring.
“If you won't pay, I will,” Kurapica said, hoping to cut the awkward moment short.
“I don't mind paying,” Kuroro said, and left a sizeable stack of bills on the tray the waitress put beside him on the table. He got to his feet. “Let's go.”
They followed him out into the street. The sun was dreadfully hot despite the early hour, and they hastily made their way around the building to the parking lot in the back. They paused briefly by the car, eyeing one another, trying to figure out who was to sit where.
“I'll sit at the back,” Kurapica offered after a moment. “I'm smaller than Hisoka, and three people will barely fit on the backseat. Hisoka can ride passenger.”
“I could drive,” the jester suggested.
“No,” Kuroro said at the same time Killua exclaimed, “No way!”
Hisoka's grin widened, but he went around the car to the passenger side. They climbed into the Jeep, Gon in the middle of the backseat, sandwiched between Kurapica and Killua. Kuroro started the car and drove in silence. They first stopped at a sort of general store where Killua bought a ridiculous amount of candy, then drove to the tunnel leading out of town. There was no sound but the low rumble of a few tonnes of sand rushing over their head above ground. The low frequency soon had the two younger boys rubbing at their ears. Kurapica could understand. He felt the urge to do the same, but resisted the temptation by observing Kuroro. He was still bothered, and trying desperately to read the older man, but Kuroro simply glanced at him.
When they emerged on the other side, the sound dramatically increased, and then gradually quieted as they drove away from the source. Soon, the silence felt so overwhelming, it felt to Kurapica like it was choking the very breath from his lungs. Silence with Kuroro was comfortable - and, oh, how uncomfortable this realization really was! - but here, with Hisoka in the car, it felt like a slithering, dangerous thing. It was as if no one wanted to break it.
He hadn't realized how tense he was until Kuroro turned on the radio, startling Kurapica into a full-body flinch. Kuroro tuned into a rock station, something angry and discordant; something Kurapica would definitely not have chosen. When he looked up, he caught the older man watching him from the rear-view mirror. The blond pursed his lips as he realized that Kuroro was deliberately testing him. He frowned at him, then turned to look out of the side window.
The day was long and boring, despite the younger ones trying to invent games to pass the time. Kurapica tried to read, but the music was distracting and the questions niggling at his thoughts even more so. They stopped briefly for lunch, but otherwise drove on through the day, as the sun beat down mercilessly on the roof of the car. The air conditioning was just about enough to make the temperature inside of the car bearable. They only stopped for the night when the sun started going down in the west, hovering just about the dunes.
Kuroro stopped the car and killed the engine. He glanced back at Kurapica, then stepped out and took a few steps. Kurapica hesitated a moment, then he opened the door and unbuckled his seat-belt, stepping out into the hot evening air. The Spider Head had stopped a short distance from the car. He shifted in place, stretched a bit, then turned around when he heard Kurapica approach, then looked back to the car. Kurapica followed his gaze, twisting around to see the others. The youngest members of this little expedition were also getting out before they started racing each other up a steep dune. Hisoka also got out and flexed in all sort of weird positions that were kind of painful to watch. Kurapica returned his attention to the older man, but couldn't hold his gaze for long. His eyes shifted away, and he looked west, towards the sun, where it was disappearing behind the tall waves of golden sand.
“You were born in Ryuuseigai, weren't you?” he asked at length without looking at the Spider Head.
“I was,” Kuroro confirmed.
Kurapica nodded, though he wasn't sure why this information was important just yet; he simply knew that it was. He heaved a long sigh, then glanced at the car again. Gon and Killua were now wrestling atop the dune they'd been running on. It was good that they were so enthusiastic; the car had been pretty cramped for all of them, but the two younger boys had always been bursting with energy. Kurapica turned back towards the setting sun. He could feel Kuroro's gaze on him, thoughtful and heavy.
“Kurapica, what do you think you are accomplishing here?” the Spider Head asked after a long moment of silence.
The blond turned to study his expression, but Kuroro's face was a careful, blank mask. Completely unreadable.
“I'm not sure I know what you are referring to,” he said.
“You must have a very poor opinion of my intelligence,” Kuroro commented.
His dark eyes slid upwards and to the side, watching something over Kurapica's shoulder. The blond turned to follow his line of sight and his blood turned to slush as he realized that the older man was staring straight at Hisoka. The jester suddenly seemed to realize they were staring at him because his psychotic grin grew wider still. Kurapica faced the west again, trying to get the icy grip of fear to release its hold on his heart. His tongue darted forward to wet his lips as he tried desperately to understand how much Kuroro knew and how he could get out of this corner.
“Whatever it is you are planning,” Kuroro enunciated slowly, “I suggest you stop it. The same trick will not work on me twice.”
Not waiting for Kurapica's reaction, he turned away and made his way back to the Jeep. Kurapica let out a slow, shaky breath and closed his eyes. He counted up to three, then opened them again.
This had to work, somehow. He had no other solution.