A/N: I didn't expect that my trip to El Nido, Palawan last year would become handy when I worked on this chapter. If only I knew, I would have worked on it much earlier. Also, today is my birthday (March 2) and Still Doll's 7th year anniversary! Yikes, I'm surprised I'm still working on this. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this short chapter!

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HXH

BETA: Aesclapia

Chapter 31: A Good Find.

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"Y'know, it's a bit anti-climatic that we didn't run into any trouble along that long journey," Linos-san said before taking a large sip from his tea. "I'm intrigued about how those chains on your hand work. I'm sure that's not just some kind of punk accessory of yours."

It was around 9 PM when Kurapika and his client finally arrived at their destination. While it was a peaceful and uneventful journey, with his client not being an ass and the site seeing being somewhat relaxing, it was slightly exhausting. However, Linos-san seemed to be still full of energy and even invited him over drinks before going to bed.

Kurapika initially planned to check in on a hotel right after completing his duty of escorting Linos-san home, but the man and his son insisted that he should stay the night in their modest and cozy home.

It was weird since he had only spent a day with the man, but Kurapika had noticed that something had surreptitiously changed in Linos-san as they embarked that 13-hour long travel. The timid man who specifically requested for a silent guard was now engaging him into small talk talk. Perhaps he actually enjoyed the trip despite not being able to write as he had planned.

Kurapika smiled at the childish curiosity of his client. "I think it's fortunate for us to have had that peaceful journey. Thank you for showing me around, even just a little, sir. Your hometown is a captivating place."

Linos-san pouted in dissatisfaction at his attempt to divert their topic. He became quiet like a sullen child and petulantly sipped on his tea.

"Alright," Kurapika guessed it wouldn't hurt to quench the man's curiosity if just a little bit. He summoned his Dowsing Chain to do a small demonstration and let it hover in the air. At that, Linos-san immediately became attentive, eyeing the hovering chains with awestricken look on his face.

Kurapika explained. "I kind of can manipulate the chains with my willpower. I can make them do things that no ordinary chains can, like move and detect stuffs," he let the Dowsing Chain dangle before retracting it. It dissipated into thin air.

"Oh!" Linos-san applauded in pure awe. "That's some cool magic trick you got there! Does the chain possess the magic, or was it actually coming from you? And why chains? Is there some sort of symbolism behind your choice of weapon?"

Kurapika was about to politely refuse the personal questions when Linos-san's son beat him to it and interjected to prevent his father from prying further. "Dad, no magician reveals the secret behind his tricks. It's getting late; why don't you retire to bed now?"

"Right, right," the man pouted again. "Geez, forty-two years ago, I was the one telling him off to go to bed. Alright, good night to you," Linos-san finished the remains of his tea cup then reached for his cane. He made his way to the stairs with a small, mischievous smile playing on his lips.

"Good night, sir," Kurapika greeted back and emptied his cup as well before excusing himself. He went to the guest room on the ground floor to review the whereabouts of the Kuruta eyes before catching some sleep.

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"Are you sure you don't want to have some breakfast before you go?" Linos-san's son asked as he walked Kurapika to the door.

"Thank you for the offer, but I really need to get going," Kurapika declined with an apologetic smile. "I'd like to bid goodbye to Linos-san, but I guess he's still asleep."

"More like he hasn't slept a wink," the young man said in a complaining tone. "I don't know what has gotten into him, but he's suddenly all fired up writing lyrics all night. The last time I saw his garbage can full of crumpled papers was when Mother was still alive. He hates to be interrupted when working, but I think you'll see him by the front window on the left side of the house."

"I see. Thank you very much for letting me stay the night," Kurapika curtly bowed to the man.

"Thanks for bringing my old man home safe, too. Have a safe trip."

Kurapika stepped out of the door and glanced at the left window on the second floor of the house, and indeed caught a glimpse of his client's graying hair, no doubt crouching over a table. As if detecting Kurapika's presence in front of their door, Linos-san opened his glass window and waved at him. There was a small smile on his lips, his eyes crinkling with glee. "Thanks so much, young man! Goodbye and have a safe trip!"

Kurapika's lips thinned in a small smile then bowed down in response. As he walked along the dusty pathway going to the port, he made a mental memo of checking out Linos-san's music pieces online when he got some time later.

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Akharin's mainland was a bustling town surrounded by luscious greenery and rich beaches. Evidently, it hadn't fully succumbed to modernization yet as to preserve its rustic vibes for tourism purposes. Old infrastructures were kept and renovated such as shops, hotels and cottages, and there were neither skyscrapers nor malls which were prevalent in cities like York Shin. Although cars, motorcycles and trucks passed by on asphalt roads now and then, old types of transportation such as carriages pulled by horses or bicycles dominated the alleyways. The whole town was free of the hustle and congestion that could usually be seen in major cities, but it was lively enough to be distinguished as a famous travel destination.

Kuroro kept a poker face, but he was chuckling to himself deep inside. He knew he didn't necessarily need to be so amused like this, but he couldn't help but realize that even though Kurapika wasn't with him yet and he likely would never accompany him to enjoy everything Akharin had to offer, this was in fact the first time they would spend time together in a getaway destination. It was a waste—there must be some old museum or library around here to explore—but he guessed he shouldn't expect that much and should just enjoy the experience by himself.

'Let's meet at Akharin's mainland. I should have some free time after my escort duty before I go back to office. Pick up the place; I'll contact you again once I'm done with work.'

Kurapika ordered through a quick phone call. As soon as Kuroro gave the affirmative, the line instantly went dead. That was the only call he had during the two months for all the short and timid exchanges they had through texts. And while he was a little bemused with how Kurapika could order him around, the mention of the unlikely meet-up location provided him a strange sense of amusement.

Akharin, although was not as popular as the other romantic tourist destinations, was a known honeymoon spot because of its beautiful beaches. Either the Kuruta was unaware of that tiny piece of information or there was something so important around there he had to attend to that he ignored the notion that he had invited Kuroro into an escapade to a tropical paradise.

Kuroro decided to look around the market place instead of waiting for Kurapika's update in his hotel room. He booked a room in a decent hotel in a resort because it showcased a nice view of the sea although the hotel wasn't that fancy. It was a good choice, he thought, because even if its exterior was simple, there was something cozy and comfortable in the room. Compared to picking a deluxe place, he could tell that Kurapika would feel less restless there.

Most of the shops offered souvenirs or swimming and diving equipments. Some put antiques and handcrafts on their display. There were food stalls and even bar clubs for night parties. But among this multitude of merchandises, only a piece of hairclip caught Kuroro's eyes.

He was nibbling a piece of local delicacy when he came across a souvenir and dress shop. He could tell by the glass display of the store that it was high-end compared to the other shops, not to mention there was only one client inside.

On the front glass display were summer clothes for women along with a table showcasing two sets of jewelries. One was with pearls, the other with rubies. On the left side of the table was a separate piece of black hairclip embedded with a ruby stone. Kuroro found himself staring at it for a while, then instinctively used gyou.

There was a faint aura emanating from it. Upon closer look, he confirmed that the ruby stone was real, and its black body was a chiseled fine piece of unknown stone.

As an S-class bandit, Kuroro had seen lots of jewelries of finer qualities created by renowned craftsmen, so knew one when he saw one. And among the pearl and ruby encrusted accessories on the display, the hairclip was the real masterpiece. It could fetch quite a sum (the store manager must be an idiot for displaying it for thieves to gawk at), but wasting time and effort to steal it wasn't worth it. Still, the ruby reminded him of... a pair of crimson irises and stupidly long, blond bangs.

After realizing that he must be looking like a creep staring at women garments and jewelries, Kuroro entered the store. Talked to the young man behind the counter (who turned out to be the stupid manager) and inquired for the hairclip's price. Pulled out his wallet and left the store with a small paper bag containing a box in his hand.

Kuroro inwardly sighed at his seemingly foolish purchase, not because of the price of the hairclip since it was quite affordable, but because of the whimsical reason behind it. Seriously. How was he going to give it to Kurapika without the Kuruta throwing it back to his face?

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P.S.: I feel you, dude. I haven't thought of the best timing when to make you give it to him, too.