Seeing through the Flames (Killua x OC) (Kurapika x OC)

Chapter 17

Several days passed by since the two girls saw Chronis.

However, none of that really mattered since Arla and Lawrence were currently staring at each other in complete heavy silence.

That was when she finally spoke up.

"Lawrence, this is our only choice. Nothing else is working and if..." The former aristocrat bit her bottom lip. "Everything will work out fine. If the effects of the first document wore off once I finished translating, then it should apply to the second document as well."

Lawrence slammed his hands on the table in anger. "That doesn't mean anything! We cannot just have you sacrifice yourself-"

"I am not sacrificing myself." Her eyes hardened. "Just like how my parents protected me from the debris, I am also protecting my best friend and from anyone else who could be in danger, due to the document's effects, including you."

"This is more dangerous than the one from before. And even then, that one was also dangerous. I cannot allow you to do this." Lawrence gripped on the arm of the chair tightly as he sat back down.

Arla sighed. She sharpened her gaze at him. "Lawrence, are you getting in the way of my job? Or are you merely letting your emotions get to you?"

He did not say anything to that.

"I have thought about it and the more I am with you these days, the more I am starting to see it. You are becoming too overprotective of me. And if that is simply my imagination, then that would be a relief. However, if I was anyone else, you would have no problems with accepting my decision, considering my reasoning." She then walked up to the table. "Are you still trapped in your own hell? I am not my mother and my father. They did not sacrifice themselves to make you feel guilty about your inaction in that single moment."

"I know that. I know that but I..." Lawrence murmured to himself. He covered his face with his hand. "Fine. I will accept your decision as your supervisor. If anything happens, then I will take responsibility for everything."

Arla closed her eyes to remember his presence before opening her eyes. Her resolve flickered in them fiercely. "Prepare an appropriate room with the document, a piece of paper, and the note I wrote to myself." She placed a prewritten note on top of his table. "I will standby in my room until then." Without allowing him to speak further, she left the room swiftly.

"Am I doing the right thing...?" Lawrence whispered quietly to himself as he buried his face into his arms, feeling utterly helpless and hopeless about the situation that will occur in just a few hours.

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"What do you mean that Arla trapped herself in the room?" Ai asked Lawrence, alarmed at what he was telling her. "She can't just do this! Why didn't you stop her?!"

"It is a part of her job, Ai." He merely replied. "So you will not bother her, nor will you stop her from completing her job. Is that understood?"

"How can you just-" Without completing that sentence, she dashed off to the room that Arla was trapped in. However, before she could open the door, Lawrence grabbed her arms, so that she could not go any further.

"If you continue, I will keep you locked inside your room." Lawrence warned, his eyes darkening.

Even though she did not say anything for a moment, the cold hatred in her eyes said enough. "Keep me locked inside of my room? How do you think that'll stop me?" Her tone was icily smooth.

Lawrence's usual neutral expression shifted into one of frosty apathy - an expression that he never used on her before. He then merely watched through the window, looking at Arla's calm figure. "Trust her. She knows what she's doing, Ai."