Chapter 8

"It's not fair that I have to be an old hag." Neon made a clucking sound with her tongue, walking with just enough pressure on her feet to make the high-heels click louder than usual. "At first I was all for it, being the wonderful and beautiful wife. But in the end I go crazy and he kills me!"

"I know, I read the script."

She continued ranting as if she hadn't heard me. Most likely- she hadn't.

"You get to be the cute little kid that gets smothered by a pretty mother hen. You're like the only one who doesn't die!"

The characters had been distributed over a week ago, along with scripts, but Neon continued to let the world know of her feelings over the whole thing. Everyone else seemed to be satisfied with their own parts. It wasn't all that surprising, honestly. I'd long ago learned that Neon liked not fitting in as 'everyone else'.

I would have reminded her that the young love bird couple do survive the whole musical, but seeing as she had already continued... It probably wouldn't have been worth it anyway.

The background noise was fueled with Neon's voice and the sound of faraway cars. The school lights were fading behind us as we descended the stairs that would officially put us out of campus and it wasn't until a familiar figure detached itself from the shadows that I realized exactly what was about to happen.

Kuroro's half-confused (but mostly amused) eyes followed us from mere feet away as I promptly grabbed Neon's arm and proceeded to drag her back towards school.

"Pika- what the hell?" She screeched, almost tripping and yanking her arm away. I nearly died from hyperventilating as she turned back to see Kuroro curiously approaching us.

The man had a habit of making this happen.

I was panicking. I was completely panicking and there were words gushing from my mouth but I couldn't even find it in me to figure out what I was saying. Something along the lines of turn around and don't look at the man dressed in all black coming towards us in the middle of the night like it's a totally usual and normal thing to do. There was a polite, but slightly hysteric sounding, 'please' added in there for good measure. Not that it helped any.

Kuroro eyed her for a moment before recognition lit up his face and he let out a chuckle. Beside me, I felt Neon shiver and lean away.

What if she remembered. What if she recognized him from the night of the party-

With school, the musical and everything else going on, I hadn't had time to think about the party in a while. My parents were still busy juicing it for all it was worth, and seemed generally happier with all the attention they were getting. Their business partners had been murdered in their own home, right in front of them, and they were happy.

But that was hardly important when Neon was standing right in front of the person that had-...well I had no idea what he had done. But she had fainted, and as shallow as she appeared, she was strong enough that I knew there had to be a reason.

There also had to be a reason she had been in my father's office in the first place.

Neon's hands latched onto my arm as she turned towards me with wide eyes. She kept glancing back at Kuroro, eyes growing wide with each second. I tried forcing an excuse past my lips. But there were no excuses, mostly because I didn't know what I was excusing myself for. There were too many thoughts in my head.

"Who's this?"

A smirk tugged at one side of his lips. Kuroro tilted his head slightly, letting the tattoo on his forehead peak out just barely, "Kurapika?"

My knees nearly gave out right then. I don't remember even giving him my name!

I'd only learned his name from overhearing it while waiting to be released by my kidnappers. I didn't give a second thought to the weird-vibe of that sentence. There was no time for that.

In my head, I could see Neon freaking out and screaming about a murderer. Police would come and I'd never see Kuroro again. It wasn't realistic, at all. I knew Kuroro could knock her out before more than a wisp of air had left her lips. But despite that, the thought scared me. Knowing it scared me, only made me more panicky. I'd never see Kuroro again.

Through my internal turmoil, I'd forgotten that Neon never reacted like she was expected to.

A grin split her face with a giggle, "Pika! You never told me about this! Is this your secret lover? Oh my god, it was him in the car the other week wasn't it? That's why you weren't scared!"

Every thought I'd just had disappeared in that second. "...What?"

She bounced up and down in excitement. When she started swinging my arms and squealing about marriage is when I finally jumped out of her grip. "WHAT?"

"It's okay. You have my full support." Neon's smile faltered slightly, "Actually..."

I was still very much confused as she looked Kuroro up and down. With a nod, Neon grabbed his hands into her own. "I give you full permission to ravish and marry my dear Pika. Whichever comes first. And you have to rig the flower tossing so that I'll catch it no matter what."

Kuroro met my horrorstricken gaze with laughter twinkling in his eyes. Twinkled. That's it, Leorio's insanity has finally gotten to me. His love for cheesy lines about little details has infected my brain. The disease will spread slowly, killing brain cells until I become a hopeless romantic of a vegetable.

My dread and pounding heart only increased as he moved away from Neon.

I died. I'm dead, I died, or maybe fate just really hates me and wants to keep me on my toes.

Large hands were warm against my hips and easily pulled me into Kuroro's lean chest. My fingers curled into the fabric of his jacket just in time to keep me from completely falling against him. I could hear Neon's squealing from somewhere far away, as well as my own clipped breathing.

"Last chance," Kuroro's lips ghosted over my ear, making me shiver, "Are you going to thank me for before?"

"T-thank-? For what?" I squeaked. I don't think my voice had ever gone quite that high before.

He chuckled against my ear, slowly dragging his mouth against my skin until our noses bumped. "Then I'll have to take your thanks in my own way."

And so came the moment I realized I'd never be able to get rid of him. I wasn't completely sure I wanted to, but that obviously didn't matter one way or another. Not anymore.

I gathered enough shreds of my dignity from the ground to grit out a normal-pitched, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"In entertainment."

TBC...

Yuuki: Hina-chan, while writing the second half I kept thinking of your reaction to my Mamapika comment lol

Kurapika: this is my not amused face, in case you're wondering

Neon: Leopapa is a lazy ass so Mamapika has a steamy affair with Kuroro *Yuuki and Neon go off to have fangirling fantasies*

Gon: Review please~! Pretty, pretty, pretty please! Reviewers are so pretty~

Yuuki: I feel like I don't say this enough, so thank you reviewers/followers/silent readers for putting up with me and my slow updates :'D I know my writing's not the best, but it still makes my day thinking someone - someone I never even met - is reading what I write and (hopefully) enjoying it~

Killua: Ugh just finish editing already so we can be saved from your corny words -_-

Yuuki: I love you guys *bone-crushing hug for Killua* THIIIIIIS much