A marionette's dance (Yandere!ShalnarkXreader

safety in numbers

You weren't sure how long you had been running at this point, but some of the other contestants had already given up. You were tired but it was only faint, you’ve run for longer before. Your eyes were drawn to the little boys. The man with the suitcase was yelling at the white-haired boy for some reason. The other boy seemed to agree with the white-haired boy and the two exchanged names. They reminded you of when you first met him. Quickly brushing the thoughts aside, you watched the children run ahead. You usually pride yourself on your ability to blend in seamlessly but you must have been off your game today, maybe because everything was acting as a reminder. The blonde boy, who seemed to be a few years younger than you, caught you staring. Once you knew for certain you couldn’t play off your staring, you approached his side. He watches you curiously as you introduce yourself, quickly excusing that they reminded you of someone. Perhaps sensing your discomfort under the subject, he changed the topic.
  “I'm Kurapika,” he began, “and this is Leorio.”
You nodded politely at them, deciding to run by them. ‘Safety in numbers.’ you told yourself. Staying near these two made the hours feel shorter somehow.

  You crawled under the tarp you had hung up as a makeshift door, into the small ‘house’ you two had built. You were usually the first person here so it was odd to find Shal sitting peacefully on a mat. His eyes opened and his normal smile rose on his face. He wanted to do something, you could always tell when he did.
  “Good morning!” He said, “Guess what I got.”
You thought about it for a second before giving up. He always seemed to find the oddest things that usually wouldn't be tossed out here. He raised a white box from before him and opened it to reveal a self-tattoo kit.
  “Isn't it cool?” he asked you.
He obviously didn't just want to show it to you so you waited for him to speak.
  “I was thinking about what to do and you came to mind,” he began.
You didn't like where this was going, you had a fear of needles (as most children do) but as he watched you expectantly, you listened to what he had to say.
  “We’re best friends right?” he asked.
“Of course we are!” you responded quickly.
  Shal had been a bit more irritable than usual lately and you didn't want to upset him, besides, you really were friends.
“My friends and I want to create a group,” he looked over at you, “we’re thinking of calling it the spider.”
  Spiders were odd creatures, they could be beautiful and created some of the most intricate designs you would ever see but could also pack enough venom to kill a grown man. You listened to him continue, “I would like you to join!” He said brightly.
  You avoided groups, he knew this of course.
  “All you have to do is get a spider tattoo with your number on it.”
You tried to turn it down as politely as possible, looking back now, that was probably his plan. “Of course!” he spoke, you breathed a sigh of relief that he wasn't mad at you.
  “Then can I place my initials on your shoulder?” Although he phrased it as a question, it was a demand.
  “I'm sorry Shal,” you began, trying to phrase it as best as you could, “I really don't want any tattoos right now.”
He frowned at you.
  “Aren't we friends?” he questioned, pouting at you.
“Of course we are”
  He interrupted you. “You don't trust me?”
He acted as if you had insulted him.
“Of course I trust you!” you tried to defend.
  “But you won't let me do something so simple.” He looked like a kicked dog.
“I'm sorry,” why did you feel like it was your fault? “I just don't want one right now, But I do love you!”
You both sat in silence for what could have been hours or seconds. Then, without a word, he stood and walked out. You rushed over to him and grabbed his arm,
“I'm sorry!” you exclaimed. “Please don't be mad at me.”
You were practically begging him but he just shook off your arms and walked away.

Kurapika spoke up, breaking the silence
“Leorio… I have a question.”
Leorio turned and gave him a deadpan look
  “What? Is this too easy for you, Kurapika?”
“Are you really trying to become a Hunter for the money?”
It was an odd question but you were glad that it pulled you from your mind. He always seemed to haunt you.
“You aren't, right? We've only been together for a few days, but I know you better than that. Sure, you have a nasty attitude, and you aren't very bright.” You held in a laugh at that. “But you're not a shallow person.”
The moment held an odd sense of honesty.
  “Scarlet eyes.” he spoke softly, “That's why the Kurta were targeted.”
He was opening a sore part of his past and you appreciated it. You may have just met them but they felt trustworthy.
“We Kurta are known for our unique scarlet eyes. When our emotions are heightened, our eyes turn scarlet, as though on fire. The eyes in that scarlet state are considered one of the seven most beautiful colours in the world.”
You listened intently as he spoke.
“They command high prices on the black market.”
  It sounded like an old folktale but you could tell he wasn't lying.
“That's why the Phantom Troupe attacked you?” Inquired Leorio.
  You felt your body begin to shake, why them? The two running beside you were talking about something, you couldn't tell. Blood rushed past your ears and the vicious drumming of your heart seemed to block out all noise. Your legs suddenly hurt more than before and the walls seemed to be closing in. You focused on your breathing, in and out, in and out. You were okay. He wasn't here. You were safe. You finally managed to calm yourself enough to hear your new companions calling out to you. You glanced over to them and saw that they held a concerned visage.
  “Are you okay? You’re shaking.” Leorio asked.
“Y-yeah,” You cursed yourself for trembling, “just tired is all.”
If they noticed your lie, they didn't say anything.
  “See you at the goal, Kurapika.” Leorio challenged.
“Catch you later, old timer.” He retorted.
  “I'm not old! I'm a teenager, just like you guys!”
They split off to race. You smiled at their antics and sped off towards the exit.

  Your days held a simple pattern. Wake up, search for food, scavenge for goods, meet Shalnark in the afternoon, and stay with him until you fell asleep, however, days had passed and Shal still wasn't back. You didn't think that refusing a small request would upset him so much but you were getting desperate. Humans are social creatures and as such, tend to gravitate towards relationships. Shalnark had been with you for as long as you cared to remember. You used to have more friends but they left you one, either disappearing or ignoring you. Shalnark never left though, he was always there to comfort you as you cried. He always knew everything about you; your favourite colour, your sleep schedule, your preference for certain gifts over others, he knew when you were upset and when you were happy without you even telling him, he knew all of your fears and worries. He was there to support you through anything and you couldn't fathom why a tattoo made him so upset. You tried to be strong. You really did, but when all of your usual food sources disappeared and you found yourself the target of cruel pranks, it wore you down. The last straw came when you finally found half a sandwich one day only to be cornered by a hairy man. He claimed to be Uvogin, of the phantom troupe and ordered you to give him the meagre meal. You hadn't eaten much in days and attempted to run with the food. He was faster. When you pushed through the tarp that night, bloody and bruised, and saw Shal sitting in the room with a box of food and a welcoming smile, you ran to him. You babbled out apologies and declarations of your commitment as he cleaned and bandaged your wounds, he listened happily with a smile on his face. You didn’t argue when he asked to place his initials on your shoulder, just happy he was back.

  The sun was bright and warm on your skin as you reached the end of the tunnel. You contemplated staying alone to avoid attachments but ultimately decided on joining your new acquaintances. ‘Not everyone is as bad as him,’ you tried to reason ‘and I've been alone since what happened.’ Kurapika smiled at you as you approached and formally introduced yourself to the children.
  “I'm Gon!” The energetic green-haired kid spoke up first, “This is Killua!” he gestured to the white-haired boy beside him.
Gon was the more friendly of the two but you found it endearing. Killua held his head high, acting as if he was better than everyone else, but it was clear to you that he was hiding personal issues.
“Don't let them fool you!” You were interrupted.
“D-Don't fall for it… He's lying to you! He's an impostor! He isn't an examiner… I'm the real examiner.” A beat-up version of Satoz crawled from some direction.
People began bickering over who the real Satoz was but you could figure it out. Nen is an intriguing concept and when you were first told about it, you believed it to be a slide of hand trick. You were grateful to your mentor for teaching you because humans and creatures hold different auras. Your attempt to activate gyo was suddenly halted by playing cards finding their home in one of the bodies. The clown, whose name you had gathered was Hisoka, stepped in front of the crowd.
“Examiners are Hunters selected by the committee to perform this duty without pay.” He explained.
“Any Hunter, bearing the title we seek, would have been able to block that attack.”

  “Hey Shal,” you spoke up one evening.
You sat against a corkboard that the two of you used to support the walls and he lay to your left. He hummed to continue, fiddling mindlessly with the emerald ring that still lay on your finger. “What do you do at night?” He looked at you with a puzzled expression to which you clarified, “Sometimes when you leave I wake up, you're always back in the morning and you don't mention it though.”
His smile dropped for a second and he thought over his answer. Instead of a verbal reply, however, he simply pulled you into a hug. His grip was tight and you couldn't move from it, not that you wanted to of course. Deciding to hug him back was easy, after all, he would never do anything to hurt you. A sharp prick on your back made you recoil. He looked at you curiously and you excused that a bug must have bit you. Suddenly you forgot what you had asked.

  ‘Swindlers swamp huh? A place full of creatures that will deceive and harm you, some relying on tactics like taking the form of a friend. Ironic.’ You thought to yourself, laughing bitterly. Satoz led the way into the swamp and your group followed behind. Let phase two commence.