One Of Our Own [Kurapika x Reader]

0.7

︵︵☾✩☽︵︵
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The following morning, I and my partner both woke up with sore bodies. Hunger seemed to be setting in, and Kurapika offered to take care of the fishing. Deliberately, I agreed.

"Hey, I'll go and gather some materials we can use!" I called out, making my way out of the makeshift camp. Thoughts were running through my mind, most of them weren't good.

I did feel safe with Kurapika; he didn't have any malicious intent toward me. There was still a lingering feeling of uncertainty as if I were missing something so obvious. 'Whatever it was, surely it couldn't be that bad.'

While overwhelmed with these thoughts, I felt your guard falter. Minutes were passing by as I sat in front of a shrub, unbeknownst to the presence closing the distance between us.

I was pulled out of my thoughts as a familiar, friendly voice announced itself, telling me to head back to camp to see what they caught. I leisurely stood up and sauntered over to the area from where the voice came from. I scanned the encampment before me, noticing that I was alone. An inkling of confusion and precariousness pierced my mind, but I did not sense anything dangerous nearby.

Still, instead of turning and walking away, I decided to stay put. I was not sure why I felt the need to do so, but I did it anyway. A few beats passed with no other sounds apart from those produced by the nature surrounding me, and I felt my heartbeat regaining its usual steady rhythm. 'I'm too cautious for my good, I need to relax a bit.'

Turning on my heel, I left the clearing and headed back toward the direction I arrived from. Just as I entered the thicket of bushes, I once again felt a pang of uneasiness pass throughout me.

As if I were aware of his presence all along, I turned and faced my pursuer head-on, which seemed to surprise them as I saw surprise flash across their features. As quickly as I could, I bent my knees ever so slightly and brought my arms in front of my face. I shuffled my feet, getting into a more natural position as the assailant sailed through the air from the branch they were perched upon.

'I made a mistake.'

Only after the head of golden-blond hair soared past me did I realize I was not their target.

'So Kurapika had me as his target, huh.'

I watched him run off, I was slightly disappointed he did not meet me in battle but I was not the type to complain. Once the blue of his clothes disappeared from sight, I loosened my tight fists and released the tension from throughout my body. 'Looks like I'll need to gather four badges in total; I need three more.'

For the rest of the day, I walked around the island aimlessly, finding the occasional badgeless sod hiding out. By the end of the day, my mind was back on the subject of Kurapika, the betrayer. I was not upset with his actions, I found them quite amusing. I figured that if I wanted to get back at him, it would have to be after this phase. That means I must pass, and after a whole day, I managed to find one new badge. Perhaps searching for some of my other friends would prove to be beneficial, I may run into more participants on my search.

With that, I legged it.

The sky was already darkening and the sound of wildlife seemed to be fading in the background as silence settled in its place. 'I should keep my eyes peeled for those who are camping out or asleep.'

I continued marching on, aware of my surroundings at all times. Fortunately, I did not have to roam for long before I saw familiar silver hair in the distance.

I jogged over to the twelve-year-old boy and called out to him. He turned his head and greeted me with an overly friendly smile. My eyebrows furrowed and I thought of what could be astray. It was then that I sensed another presence hidden within the forest, out of our line of sight. "I was looking for you, I was so lost! You know, it is pretty scary being out there all alone..." My voice quivered at the end, and my head drooped as I said the last few words.

"You're with me now, so don't worry!" Killua's smile was so big it reminded me of Gon's, I guess our act must be pretty believable. We exchanged a few more positive words before continuing down the path together. I figured the boy next to me was hoping to lure out his opponent by seeming weak, and a girl shouldn't hinder the appearance he had in mind. Chatter filled the air, and I felt my boredom lifting.

"Say, Killua," I began, keeping a casual tone. "What about we call it a day, I'm just about to start sleepwalking!" My mouth widened as I let out a noisy yawn, exaggerating everything I was doing. I figured I didn't look much older than the assassin, so acting this way did not seem forced.

A few moments later, Killua agreed and we tottered over to a small clearing, settling down against the trunk of a tree. We talked for a while longer before we both closed our eyes. I decided that my friend would refrain from falling asleep, so I took that as my chance to get some shut-eye.

✭

"Hey, [Y/N], we should go now." An affable voice prodded me from my sleep, and I was greeted by a pair of blue eyes looking down at me. Shortly, the two of us were on our way. While we wandered side by side, we exchanged a few glances, using our expressions as a form of communication. We deduced that our pursuer was still wary of us, and was probably hoping for a chance to meet with those who he teamed up with before dealing with us.

It was only a few hours later that we were both finally exasperated. "Come out or I'll come to you." I looked over at Killua as he took a few steps forward, an obviously annoyed look crossing his features. "This really is a pain, you know." I added, before walking alongside him. "Chances are, you're only worth one lousy point." A few heartbeats passed before two new individuals approached the one who we were heading for, and I immediately recognized them; the Amori brothers.

The two older ones started raising their voices and throwing their fists as they questioned the younger brother, demanding why he has yet to acquire the kid's badge. He came up with a feeble excuse before the one named Imori started toward us. I took that as my cue to back off and let Killua deal with him and watched from the sidelines.

A painfully slow kick was sent straight for Killua's torso, but instead of dodging, he took the hit; I figured he wanted to take the badge without anyone noticing. My guess was proven to be true as he revealed a badge with the number 198 on it, triggering the other two brothers to raise their guard, and they got into formation. None of them paid me any mind, but once the one in red had Killua's fingernails against his neck, he started begging me for help.

"You're pathetic, you know that?" I spoke up, my voice exposing no sense of sympathy.

"Aw, man... You're number 197. Damn, I really am bad at guessing these things." The silverette said whimsically. "Hey, are you 199?" He then asked the biggest of the three, the playful tone staying in his voice. With an unsure look, the largest of the three nodded. Killua's farcical smile only grew at that.

"Give it."

The eldest brother passed him the badge, and a wicked look plays out on his face. He tossed the two badges he didn't need to me. All three brothers ran off as soon as they saw the chance, and the aura that lingered in the shadows disappeared too.

'Looks like I've got all the badges I need. Now, I just need to wait out the end of this phase, then I can get back at Kurapika.'

✭