Itsy Bitsy Spider

68. Scarlet Nocturne: War

"Killua, what do we do about this?" Gon leaned back on the heels of his palms.

Killua scoffed, bringing his hands together. "You sound so carefree when you say that, even though everything we wanted seems impossible now. Kurapika's only killing more and more." There was no need to strain his ears to hear the sounds of mourning behind thick walls. The Spiders were thieves and despicable murderers, but neither of them had wished death for them, not for Kurapika's hands to become further stained.

"Everyone," Gon spoke after a while, "is really sad, aren't they?"

The Zoldyck agreed wholeheartedly with that blatant statement, but he didn't voice it. "Pick a side," he stated, though there wasn't meaning behind his words. He wanted to support his friend, he did. But his methods, his line of thinking, he wanted anything but the pointless responsibility of revenge to be pushed onto Kurapika, a person who deserved better than the path he was pursuing.

His breath was quiet. "I can't pick both?"

Without calling him an idiot or flicking his exposed forehead, Killua merely shook his head side to side, swaying. "Nah."

Their thoughts were in sync, but neither could bring it out to discuss it as they sat on the porch in the quiet, less than an hour since Kurapika had left them all. Unable to or perhaps not qualified to feel as much as the others did, Gon and Killua had stepped outside, softly gritting their teeth and unsure as to what action was appropriate, what they should do.

"Kurapika shouldn't kill, end of that," Gon announced, crossing his arms and plopping his entire body onto the floor.

Killua sighed, and copied him in laying down. "We tried to convince him of that already, and how did that turn out? I can only think of one thing that has the highest chance of working, one way, but..." He trailed off, knowing that Rein, now, would never agree to any peaceful methods that would calm Kurapika rather than hurt him.

Light footsteps came up behind them. "You might want to convince him quicker," Lucky said. There was a wet darkness rimming his eyes and he crouched beside the two, his body relaxed except for his balling fist. "The Phantom Troupe, they... killed the Kurta clan? Well, of course they did, I knew it, somewhere inside. I just didn't... try to think..." His voice became tight, and he ran his fingers back through his mussed raven hair. "I've caused a lot of deaths with my Nen, though I didn't mean to. I don't know whether that means I can judge his actions or not, but..." He went quiet, and his words cracked. "I just didn't want him to die."

"On terms of wanting that, I don't think anyone did. No one. Kurapika only did it because he felt like he had to." Killua tilted his head back, ivory locks falling gently away from his forehead as he tried to look at Lucky. His eyes narrowed. "There's something else, isn't there?"

"Before he left, he talked to me."

"Ah, that stuff about drawing out the effects of your Nen peacefully or whatever? Don't worry, he's not one to lie. Your Nen has the possibility of breaking his chains, so it'll only be detrimental to him if he tries something stupid. You'll be fine."

"No, not-" His tone caught sharp, and Lucky had to swallow to calm himself down. "He said he was going to restore the Kurta Clan if he got my Nen."

"That's good for him," Gon spoke up.

"No, it's not. Remember? Equal exchange. If he gets back a hundred or so people he loved, then who disappears?" He looked the two in the eyes as they sat up, and spoke slowly. "Everyone he's close to now, and a bunch of random strangers to make up for the rest. Most likely more to balance out the factor of not knowing them personally. If he goes through with this... so many people are going to die."