Speak of the Devil // COMPLETED ✔

Exchanging Killua's Piercing From Claire's

It was nearly exactly twenty-four hours when Kurapika received the call.

"Fire pit?" Kurapika repeated, confused. As if their notes from the previous day weren't ridiculous enough, they'd never heard of people keeping spare keys in fire pits .

"I wasn't in charge of the location," Killua said. "But there's something that's bothering me."

Like being in Hell isn't bothering you? Kurapika thought. They had spent all of the previous night dissecting the semester's events with Leorio and ultimately came to the conclusion that both he and Killua were insane, but if that were true, then his most esteemed professor was also insane.

"What is it?" Kurapika said, tucking the phone to their shoulder to add to the notes.

Out of the corner of their eye, Leorio shuffled out of the bathroom, bleary-eyed and with a toothbrush in his mouth. He paused at the sight of Kurapika gesturing to the notepad.

In a rush, he spat out his toothpaste in the kitchen sink as Kurapika said, "Ew, don't do that."

"Sh!" Leorio shushed, leaning in to listen.

"Meruem can give a person anything in exchange for the gold," Killua reiterated. "We shouldn't have to use the ring."

"But... Chrollo's been helping you? Do you trust him?" Kurapika asked. They'd met so few demons, and the few demons they knew were... suspicious, but trustworthy.

"I... guess. But the ring puts a lot of pressure on Gon," Killua explained. "I don't want him to be put in an awkward position with Meruem. My grandpa thinks it's the right choice, and Illumi's useless—"

"Bastard—"

"Well, I'll do whatever you tell me to," Kurapika said. "And as much as I revere your grandfather, I also trust your opinion. Would you... ever see Gon again if you used the gold alone?"

Killua's pause said it all. He wouldn't.

Kurapika sighed, tapping their pen on the counter. Leorio pursed his lips, frowning at the notepad, until Kurapika said, "Well, what's it gonna be, Killua?"

No response.

A dull buzz filled the speaker.

"Oh, shoot," Kurapika said.

"What is it?"

"The battery must have died," they said. They stared in horror at Leorio.

The two of the blink in shock and horror before Leorio, at last, uttered a low and slow, "Fuuuuuck..."

Kurapika tapped the pen to the notepad, though, and said, "This is fine. Everything's going to be fine. We have everything we need and I just..."

"You have work in six hours—how are you gonna even decide before then?" Leorio cried, only to shut up when Kurapika slapped a hand over his mouth.

"No talking. You need to get to work and I need to get to Professor Zoldyck's house," Kurapika said, and clapped their hands in a motion to go, go, go!

Kurapika was the last to leave the apartment and locked up before scurrying to the streets of their small college town. Autumn was in full swing now and, equipped with a heavy flannel scarf and mittens, Kurapika identified the golden oak tree outside of Professor Zoldyck's house.

It was a posh, but dated brick home with an overhang. Kurapika half-jogged past the parked cars in the driveway, only to double-back out of fear of trespassing. They checked the notes, the address, and confirmed that the numbers on the stoop said the same. They did.