Warnings: This fic is rated for language and occasional adult content. Familiarity with Hunter x Hunter and its nen concepts are necessary.

Author's Notes: I use the Hunter's Guide spellings for the characters' names (see my bio page for details), and my characters are based on the comic, not the animated series, so Kurapika does not have blue/green eyes in my fics. This fic takes place a few months after Yorkshin and ignores most of the Greed Island storyline and beyond.

Standard disclaimers apply…

Hunt for the Intangible - Chapter 15

Curse Quwrof.

Curse him for making Curarpikt wear fancy clothing. Curse him for forcing Curarpikt to go shopping with him for said fancy clothing. Curse him for thoroughly enjoying himself as he played dress-up doll with Curarpikt.

Just… curse him in general because Curarpikt was feeling out of his element.

Whatever that element was.

… It was a good thing that Curarpikt was apparently good at pretending he wasn't annoyed.

There were three men who had come from wherever to join them for the Year's End festivities, so they numbered a total of five. Just five in a huge room in a high-class restaurant with perfect views of the Year's End fireworks display scheduled to start before midnight. The practical side of Curarpikt thought it a great waste of money. The curious side of Curarpikt continued to wonder just how well-off Quwrof was. The antiques business was clearly quite lucrative.

Which left him wondering once more just what in the world such a man was doing rooming with a young bookstore manager.

But then, Quwrof seemed to have interesting tastes in who he chose to spend his time with. Of the three who came to Sonisco, one was an unnaturally huge man, another was a thin man who insisted on keeping himself covered up in bandages, and the last was also covered up – by bushy hair that hid his whole face and overwhelmed his short body.

What an odd trio.

They were all civil, though. The huge man – Fulunkln was his name – seemed genuinely interested in Curarpikt. He answered what questions he could and tried not to make the older man suspect that anything was odd – or incomplete – about his responses. For a man of his size, Fulunkln was surprisingly soft-spoken - although his deep voice rumbled – and had the sensibilities of a philosopher. The bandaged man, Vonnornoth, was more talkative than Fulunkln, but he seemed less interested in asking questions and more in simply making small talk. He, too, despite his appearance, was charming and quite friendly. And like the large man, Vonnornoth was also quite intelligent. The third, Colhtophy, was also not what his appearance implied, being remarkably normal and rather cheerful despite his somewhat… prehistoric appearnce.

People really couldn't be judged by appearances. His own appearance gave the impression, after all, that he was a dumb blond.

He was far from that.

What would these associates of Quwrof think if they knew the truth?

…He might be a ruthless killer.

Curarpikt had not had any other moments of remembering since the one occurence three days ago. Since then, he had gone back over that moment obsessively, despite having promised Quwrof that he would stop worrying about it. How could he not? He had killed a man! He didn't doubt that he had the ability to kill the kind of man from his memories. Training with Quwrof had shown him what he was capable of.

He was dangerous…

"Is something wrong?"

Curarpikt grimaced, Fulunkln's intrusion into his thoughts making apparent what a dark turn they had taken.

"No, I'm fine," he assured the large man. "Just a bit tired."

Fulunkln smiled at him and moved away to converse with Quwrof who was accepting another drink from a waiter. Curarpikt was then joined by Colhtophy who was carrying two small plates of a colorful appetizer.

He should still probably be cursing Quwrof for throwing him into a situation so ridiculously extravagant. But Curarpikt had to admit that an evening with pleasant people capable of interesting conversation was probably just what he needed to distract himself from his worries.

Which was most likely exactly what his roommate had intended for him. The man really was a good friend.

Curarpikt smiled at Colhtophy and accepted a plate.

He might as well make the best of the situation and enjoy himself.

Curarpikt appeared to have forgiven Quwrof. Or, at least temporarily forgotten that he was mad at him for dragging him to a social gathering with such short notice.

Quwrof smiled briefly at the sight he would have never imagined seeing – a Kuruta chatting amiably with a group of Ryodan members. He felt fairly optimistic that the whole group vote would be in favor of letting Curarpikt live. If even Nobunaga and Heytun could change their minds about killing the boy, then the remaining three members shouldn't be a problem. Quwrof could already tell that Fulunkln and Coltophy liked the blond's quiet humor.

So the main decision, then, would involve Curarpikt's memory and invitation into the Ryodan.

Quwrof himself was now leaning towards bringing the boy into the Ryodan. He knew that he wasn't willing to just walk away from Curarpikt. Despite hating to give up on a mission he had invested so much time and effort into, he did know how to cut his losses if he absolutely had to. But this wasn't about losing the original objective killing the Chain Guy. There was now unanticipated potential to be exploited.

And there were other unexpected facts.

He enjoyed his time with Curarpikt.

He liked Curarpikt, beyond simple physical attraction.

He supposed that he could maintain a long-term association with the boy if he kept up his false identity of antiques dealer every time they met, but he was also both a practical and opportunistic man and could see so much potential in having Curarpikt as a part of the Genei Ryodan.

His memory, then.

Quwrof had new things to consider with the revelation that Curarpikt's Crimson Eyes could trigger memories, memories completely removed from his mind. How was that possible? The memories were no longer within his mind.

…Had Curarpikt accessed the memories contained within his memory bead?

Were the Ryodan to vote to not have Curarpikt remember his past, then the easiest way to take care of that would be to kill the nen-user who had stolen the boy's memories.

But if the Crimson Eyes could access those distant memories, then it made sense to consider that they were connected to the memories. So what would happen to the abilities involving the Crimson Eyes if Curarpikt's stolen memories were destroyed?

So much potential in those Eyes. Quwrof knew of some of the potential thanks to Phalc. Syarnorke had explained that they allowed Curarpikt to use all nen skills at one hundred percent. But there could be more. The Ryodan only knew what those young boys knew from having been told by Curarpikt while in Yorkshin.

And as long as the potential was unknown, Quwrof wasn't willing to just let it all go. That meant getting the Ryodan to accept bringing Curarpikt into their group without completely losing access to the boy's stolen memories. It would inevitably require a certain amount of deception, or the boy would never accept a position with them.

But…

Quwrof almost laughed at himself. He'd forgotten something he himself had suggested to the boy when Hyskoa had first appeared in Sonisco. There was no reason that Curarpikt had to be recruited into the Ryodan.

All remaining Ryodan members assembled together again for the first time in a month. The newest arrivals to Sonisco stood before the seated Quwrof while the others sat off to the side, some in chairs, some on the floor. They still hadn't really bothered to furnish their lair.

"Who'd like to start?" the leader asked conversationally.

There was a moment of silence before Vonnornoth tilted his head. "He's smart. Brilliant, in fact."

"I'm aware of that." Quwrof shifted slightly and let his gaze roam over the three before him, then over the rest of the Ryodan. "What I want is your opinion on having Curarpikt join the Ryodan."

"Like he'd join once he knew what we do…" snorted Phynkss.

Quwrof held up a hand. "We'll worry about the how after we determine if we want him or not," the man said dismissively. "While it is my decision, I would like this to be unanimous, or at the least, very close to it."

"It's not going to be unanimous, because…"

"Yes, Nobunaga, you've made it abundantly clear that you don't want him to join us," Quwrof said flatly. He regarded the three before him again. "Fine. Let's start with the easier question. Do any of you feel strongly about killing him?"

Fulunkln shook his head. "I never felt the need to kill him in the first place."

Vonnornoth shrugged and Colhtophy nodded. "Me, neither."

Their leader nodded. He had known that, of course, or they wouldn't have returned to Ryusei City.

So it was unanimous. Not a one of the Ryodan members wanted the boy dead. That was a good start. As for bringing him into the Ryodan…

"However," Fulunkln continued, "I don't think that the boy is Ryodan material…"

"I don't know…" Colhtophy said, "He's smart, he's obviously skilled. …I like him."

"We don't have to like each other. Not all of us liked Hyskoa," Vonnornoth pointed out.

Matiy muttered under her breath in agreement, and Chzzck asked innocently, "Did any of us like Hyskoa?"

The leader stood. "So Fulunkln is a 'no,' Colhtophy is a 'yes,' and…?"

Vonnornoth crossed his arms and stood silently for a long moment. "I have to say 'no,' too," he said eventually. "He's too… 'soft' isn't quite the right word, but… I don't see it as a good match. None of us will be happy, I think."

"Understood," Quwrof said. He let his gaze drift over the whole Ryodan. "That would make the majority of us in favor of having Curarpikt join the Ryodan." The objections came from Fulunkln, Vonnornoth, Heytun, and Nobunaga, and only Nobunaga's was remotely personal (although Quwrof had doubts as to just how sincere Nobunaga's objection was because he was beginning to suspect that the swordsman had started to feel something close to fondness for his former nemesis). The other three had made their decisions for practical reasons.

It was not a strong majority, but a majority nonetheless. And with Quwrof himself wanting Curarpikt to join, it was within his rights as leader to make that decision anyway.

So the two major opinions were that he was too moral to be a Ryodan member or that his intelligence, cunning, and abilities made him just what the Ryodan needed. The next detail would be…

"What about his memory?" Fulunkln inquired, bringing up Quwrof's next concern. "Do we pursue him regaining it, do we keep him from it, or do we do nothing and wonder if something might bring about its return, and worry about what could happen then?"

"Not just that, but if he joins us as is, then do we have to keep acting around him?" Matiy asked. "I'm getting tired of being 'nice girl,' you guys. I mean, I know I won't have to keep working at the café, but still…"

"Why don't we kill him?" Chzzck asked, tilting her head slightly.

Nobunaga turned on the young woman. "Weren't you listening? We just agreed to make him a member! Why the hell would we kill him?"

She shook her head. "No, I meant the man. The nen-user who took Curarpikt's memory."

The rest turned to stare at her.

"If he's dead, all the memories get lost, right? Then we don't have to worry about anything.

Syarnorke's jaw dropped, and he turned his gaze on their leader. "Huh. I'd forgotten you'd told us that."

Quwrof sighed. "Yes, I'd mentioned that, and I've since thought of it again. Recently, in fact." He seated himself once more and crossed his legs. Syarnorke was looking at him expectantly. "Assuming we decide that we don't want him to remember, that would seem to be the ideal thing to do."

"…But? I'm sensing a 'but' here," Phynkss commented.

"But I've recently been reminded of the special quality Curarpikt possesses."

"Oh!" Matiy exclaimed after several seconds of silence from the group. "His Eyes!"

He nodded. "Curarpikt had a flash of memory triggered by his Crimson Eyes. This would mean to me that the Crimson Eyes are stronger than another nen-user's ability. I don't want to risk losing any potential the Eyes have without knowing more. What if any unique abilities are tied strongly to who Curarpikt?"

"Meaning," Syarnorke jumped in, eyes wide with realization and understanding, "what if he ends up needing his memories to really maximize the potential of the Crimson Eyes…?" Syarnorke could always be counted on to understand things quickly.

"We don't know that," Heytun pointed out.

"No, we don't," Quwrof agreed. "Do we risk losing something with unknown potential? What if among any unique abilities, there are some that we would want to exploit for the Ryodan?""

Syarnorke quirked a smile. "Considering a kid his size took down Wberer with that 'unknown potential,' we could be playing with fire."

Quwrof smiled as well. "And since when do we run from a challenge?"

The other man's smile widened, his consent apparent.

"Let's summarize," Syarnorke said decisively. "We are no longer going to kill Curarpikt, so we don't need to get him to remember his connection to us. We are actually going to have Curarpikt join us instead." He ignored Nobunaga's snarl and continued. "That would be easiest if Curarpikt didn't remember us, of course. However, we don't know what permanently destroying his stored memories will do to the Crimson Eyes' potential, which is what we really want to be able to exploit, so we will not kill the nen-user. Meanwhile, we keep Hyskoa away from Curarpikt so that he can't reveal Quwrof's true identity to him."

"Right," agreed Phynkss. Quwrof had assigned him and Heytun to keep an eye out for the former fake Spider and to challenge him if necessary to keep him occupied. With Nobunaga assigned to keep an eye on Curarpikt's daily commute, and Syarnorke and Matiy assigned to keep Curarpikt occupied when he was not with Quwrof, they should have all contingencies covered.

"In just under two weeks, Dancho will fight Hyskoa, and hopefully, he'll decide that's enough for now and will disappear again at least for half a year."

"I think it'd be easiest to just kill that memory thief," Nobunaga said crossly.

Heytun's features scrunched in displeasure. "I hate that I keep agreeing with Nobunaga, but… Is any potential really worth it? If it's so unknown?"

Quwrof levelled a look at the two. "I'm not willing to lose something of possible value without knowing more. That's not up for negotiation."

Heytrun shrugged, and Nobunaga crossed his arms, clearly annoyed.

"Yeah, yeah, but what about Matiy's point? He's not going to join if he knows were big, bad killers," Phynkss gestured mockingly with his hands, "but I agree about not having to keep up the act."

"What act?" Matiy muttered. "You've been your usual jerk self around the boy."

Phynkss flipped his finger at her and flashed a wide grin.

Quwrof raised a brow. Really, the Ryodan could be so childish at times. "I'm sure you're all mature enough," Phynkss directed his grin to Quwrof then, "to maintain any act as long as necessary. But you all seem to be ignoring another option."

Of course, he himself had forgotten that he'd even considered this other option, having been just as set as the others on the idea of recruiting Curarpikt into a sham version of the Genei Ryodan.

"What?" Nobunaga demanded, arms still crossed.

"Oh, I think you'll like this one."

Curarpikt looked up quickly at the knock on the door. Quwrof had left a few hours ago to take his three visiting clients on a shopping expedition to Paan, and Curarpikt wasn't expecting him back until late evening. Besides, Quwrof had a key.

Syarnorke stood on the other side of the door, and Curarpikt stared at him in silent surprise for a long moment.

"Hi," the older man finally said with a bright smile. "Sorry to show up unannounced, especially on your holiday, but I thought maybe we could go have lunch?"

Curarpikt blinked several times before recovering his wits. "Oh, I don't normally work weekends, so it's not any different from any other Saturday," he responded with a shrug and a smile.

Syarnorke looked past Curarpikt into the small apartment. "Your roommate's not home?"

He shook his head. "No, he's gone for the day."

"So, what do you say? I found this cool café with a décor made to look like an old library. I thought of you immediately."

That definitely sounded intriguing. Curarpikt found himself agreeing, and a few minutes later he was in Syarnorke's car.

The café, Ex Libris, was practically on the other side of town in an area Curarpikt would have never made it to on his own. As Syarnorke had described, the place looked like a library, only with small café tables spread here and there. Customers were encouraged to read the books, and customers who had come alone were indeed engrossed in reading as they sipped their drinks or ate their food. It was a charming place, and Curarpikt was glad that Syarnorke had found it. He would have to tell Quwrof about it later.

It was quite crowded, possibly due to the New Year's holiday, so they were led through the interior to a door in the back. There was a brick courtyard with tables and heat lamps that would be appreciated this time of year. They were seated at a table in the far corner.

"Too bad we don't get to sit inside, but maybe another time," Syarnorke commented.

Curarpikt nodded as he perused the menu. It looked to be standard café fair, but many of the items were named after writers and poets. Definitely charming.

They had a pleasant lunch, and Curarpikt was reminded of how much he had enjoyed the last lunch they'd had together. Like Quwrof, Syarnorke was brilliant, and he knew something about just about every topic Curarpikt could think of. Syarnorke seemed to lean more towards the sciences and technology, and not history and literature, but he still had an appreciation of good writing. He was also cheerful and friendly, and he clearly had a mischievous side to him.

There might be a lot of uncertainty to his life, but Curarpikt felt fortunate that he had found good people in Syarnorke, Matiy, Weirna, and Quwrof.

Back at Curarpikt's apartment, Syarnorke pulled into an empty spot in the lot. He cut the engine and remained seated, looking out across the dash with a pensive look on his face. Curarpikt watched him, puzzled.

"Thanks for inviting me to lunch," he said, leaning forward slightly to peer into Syarnorke's face. "Do you want to come up?"

The older man turned a serious expression on him. "I actually came to see you today for a reason other than lunch."

Curarpikt leaned away, slightly alarmed at the tone. "…Syarnorke?"

"I wanted to talk with you about something important."

"…What?"

"The Genei Ryodan."

A word from Mist:

Well, the trend seems to be to have months of no inspiration followed by a spell of mad writing triggered by guilt or motivation or both. This time, I'd gotten to a point where I was this close to dropping the whole fic because my frustration had grown so much. I received a note a while back that pointed out a few things that, while absolutely appreciated for reminding me of something I had forgotten about my own fic, presented a quandary. It forced me to really, really consider my plot which had shifted from the original plan, and that had me almost unable to get the fic back on track. And then a recent PM reminded me that I have great, patient fans who want to know the rest of my story. So, I ignored RL for a bit (which I will, alas, pay for!) and sat down to really get this fic back on track, carefully considering what the first PM had brought up, and I think I now have it pointed back in the right direction. Many, many thanks to those two readers without whom this chapter possbily wouldn't have happened. And to all of my other angelically patient readers as well. You are all so wonderful!

Of course, having figured out the path (which really has changed drastically from my initial plot) doesn't mean that I'll send this fic down it smoothly or quickly, so again, I hope you will continue to be patient with me. My track record of slow updates will most likely not change, especially with a job that keeps me so busy and drains me mentally.

-Mist 10/2/10