Chapter Text
As one of the only two surviving members of the Kurta clan on the continent, you decided to take the opposite approach from your younger brother. He was seeking revenge, you were seeking a quiet life away from the danger and threat of the Phantom Troupe. You didn’t want to seek out revenge, not wanting to kill. Of course, you could defend yourself if need be, but killing the Phantom Troupe wouldn’t make your clan come back. It would just make you a murderer, like them.
You had tried to talk Kurapika out of hunting them down, but he wouldn’t have any of it. He was a good kid, and you didn’t want his anger to pull him into a vortex of violence. You feared the day he learned about his nen ability. If he wasn’t careful, things could go so horribly wrong for him.
You kept a quiet life, running a thrift bookstore with an apartment above it that you lived in on the outskirts of Yorknew city. It was a humble store, and you had about 1-2 customers every other day. Today was one of the lucky days where a few people were mulling about the store, when your phone buzzed in your pocket. You pulled it out, seeing it was Kurapika. You answered immediately, putting the device to your ear. You hadn’t heard from him in days since he went to take the hunter exam.
“Kurapipi!” You exclaimed, excited to hear his annoyed grunt at your nickname for him. But the other side of the line was quiet. “Kurapika?”
“You need to get out of Yorknew for a bit,” he said quietly, his tone mellow.
“Why? What’s going on?” Worry clouded your vision. Was he okay? “Did you pass the hunter exam?”
“Yes. I will use my hunters license to pay for a vacation for you, but you need to leave.”
“Kurapika, there’s no way I’m going to leave with no explanation as to why.”
“Please, you have to trust me.” His voice broke, and your heart melted slightly.
“Ok, but I have some customers to help, can I call you back in a few minutes?” You asked softly.
“Yeah.” He hung up, and you frowned at your phone. He didn’t even say goodbye.
A blonde haired boy in a pastel pink outfit approached the counter, smiling widely at you. He was now the only person in the room, since all the other shoppers (one other person) had left the store.
“Hello, how can I help you?” You asked politely.
“Hey, I’m meeting up with a friend in a few days and he really is a geek about books. I don’t really know what to get him though, do you think you could help me?” The boy asked, his smile infectious. You thought it was sweet he was getting a gift for his friend.
“Of course,” you winked at him, “I’m a book geek too! Do you know what kind of books he likes?”
“Hmm, I guess he is into philosophy, so that might be a start!”
“I’ll grab some books for you.”
As you pulled out a selection of philosophy books, you and the boy started chatting. You learned his name was Shalnark, and that he was having a reunion with his friends who he hadn’t seen in months. You told him a little bit about you, but not a lot. It was always risky to reveal too much about yourself.
“What brings you to meet up in Yorknew?” You asked as you balanced four books in your left hand.
“Well, there’s a big auction happening in town. I’m guessing they want to meet up so we can… uh- bid on some stuff.” He flashed an innocent smile.
“The mafia auction? You should be careful. Those are some dangerous people,” you warned as you pulled out a thriller murder mystery you thought was a classic.
Shalnark chuckled, “Thank you for worrying about us, but we know how to keep our heads down and stay in the shadows. They’re auctioning off some ancient books or something, I’d assume that’s what the boss wants.”
“Is the ‘boss’ guy the one you’re buying these books for?” You brought your selection of eight books to the front counter, pulling out one of the totes you use as bags. The design was cute, a pile of books under the name of your store in big bold letters. “Seem’s kind of weird to call your friend ‘boss.’”
“He’s the one who created the friend group.” Shalnark reached into his pocket, ready to pull out what you thought would be a wallet.
“No! You don’t have to pay. All I ask is that you bring back ‘boss’ to tell me how he likes the books. I would like to meet him.” You smiled at Shalnark, handing him the tote bag full of books. You usually gave out books for free, since you had a soft spot for giving gifts and helping people out.
His arm relaxed and he withdrew it from his pocket, smiling back at you. “Thank you so much!” He took the tote bag and slung it over his shoulder before walking out.
‧₊˚♪ 𝄞₊˚⊹
“So, Kurapika, what’s going on?” You had called your little brother back, putting him on speaker as you were cleaning up the shop after closing.
“You need to leave Yorknew for a little while.” He sounded like a broken record, saying that you needed to leave over and over again without giving you a reason why.
“Is this about that big mafia auction? I promise I am nowhere near where that is happening. It’s on the other side of the city from me. I know not to get involved with dangerous people. I’m the older one, therefore I am the most responsible,” you joked, trying to get a reaction out of him.
“You don’t understand, there will be dangerous people there!” He was trying to protect you, why wouldn’t you just listen to him?
“Kurapika, I know that there will be danger. There’s danger everywhere we go. I can handle myself.”
He sighed, there was no way he could make you leave the city. “Fine, but you have to promise me you won’t go anywhere near that auctionhouse.”
“I wasn’t planning on it,” you chirped, “now tell me, how did the exam go?”