Dis Aliter Visum - Chapter 95 - 2,594 words
Note: Finished writing this a few days ago, but as I was typing it, my computer died. Again. I had to type it on Sab's laptop and I could barely focus on it, so it is a total mess. I'll edit and send it to beta tomorrow.
Beta-reader: unbeta'ed, unedited.
Chapter summary: All plans are meant to succeed.
Chapter 95
Kurapica's shower was spent brooding over what he now felt might put all of his plans in jeopardy after all. He wasn't new to self-doubts when it came to the Spider Head, but he now felt that, more than Kuroro's reactions to him, the problem was in himself. HE had to work on his self-control.
It didn't help his mood that when he left the shower, he saw a dark stain on his neck, blurry from the fog in the mirror. He leaned in to take a closer look, swiping one hand over the glass to clear it up.
A moment later, he was stalking out of the bedroom, wrapped in a large, white towel.
“Shower's all yours,” he curtly declared, and was glad that Kuroro, having opened his mouth, decided against commenting on the blond's mood.
Kurapica went to his bags and waited until he heard the shower before he dropped his towel. It was too hot to wear a sweater, so the blongdug through his clothes for a sleeveless turtleneck he knew he had somewhere in there. He finally found it and impatiently pulled it on. He found a clean pair of underwear and pulled them on, along with a loose pair of dark wash jeans. He went to the mirror hanging on the wall above the dresser to make sure that the mark wasn't showing. It sat just below the neckline. He would have to be careful about how he moved, but this was the best that he had.
His phone, sitting on the nightstand, started ringing. With one last look at his reflection, Kurapica made his way to the device and looked at the display. He pressed the button to connect the call and brought the phone to his ear.
“Gon,” he greeted.
“Kurapica, where are you?” the younger boy asked.
His tone was somewhat urgent, and the blond was immediately alarmed.
“I just got out of the shower,” he told his friend. “What's going on?”
“I'm hungry!” Gon complained. “It's already past noon. We were supposed to meet for lunch.”
Kurapica quickly checked the ancient-looking alarm clock that sat on the nightstand before him. He was startled to see it was already early afternoon. It only compounded the fact that he was not as in control as he wanted, nay, needed to be.
I'm sorry,” he quickly apologized. “I hadn't realized that it was already this late. We'll be there shortly.”
“Just hurry,” Gon urged. “I'm starving!”
“We'll be there as soon as he gets out of the shower,” the blond promised , then hung up.
He walked to the bathroom door and knocked loudly, so that Kuroro would hear him over the sound of the water.
“Hurry it up,” the blond called to him, “people are waiting for us.”
He waited a moment to see if Kuroro would answer, but when no sound came except the water from the shower, he stepped away and returned to the chair where he'd left his towel. He picked it up and rubbed it vigorously in his hair to get as much of the water out as possible. He then busied himself with tidying up the room as Kuroro finished with his shower and got dressed. It was already mid-afternoon by the time they got down to the hotel lobby.
Killua was the first to see them, and he jumped from his seat and hopped onto his feet.
“Ah, Kurapica!” Gon greeted, also getting up.
Kurapica walked over to them and looked around the large lobby.
“Where's Hisoka?” he asked.”He said that waiting was boring,” Killua informed the blond with a shrug. “He waited all of forty-two seconds before he bailed.
“Oh,” Kurapica said, unsure what to do about their missing, temporary accomplice.
Killua fixed an intense, shrewd look on the blond's neck.
“You wanted to sleep in, huh,” he commented.
Kurapica coloured sharply and slapped a hand over the hickey that he'd hoped no one would notice. Killua laughed and shook his head.
“Huh?” Gon looked completely lost by the comment and the Kuruta's reaction. “What's going on?”
“Nothing!” Kurapica hurried in saying.
He glanced at Kuroro who had the gall to look entertained by this turn of events. Damn him.
“Let's go and get lunch anyway,” Kuroro suggested, wisely keeping silent over the reason for Kurapica's discomfiture. “We can let him know where we are later. He'll turn up eventually.”
No one had a better solution to suggest, so they filed out of the hotel and started down the large boulevard they found themselves on. Due to the festival, many of the townspeople were lining the street, awaiting the parade that was scheduled to traverse the city later that afternoon. Most of the restaurants and shops were closed, and those tat weren't were crammed full of people.
They made it down five large blocks before finding another large street, perpendicular to the one they were on. They decided to try their luck there, and four blocks on, they finally found a nice family restaurant that was relatively quiet.
They soon got a table and a healthy helping of pasta in front of each of them. The lunch was relatively uneventful. The place was too crowded to discuss their plans, and besides, Hisoka wasn't even there. He actually didn't show up at all, and when they were done eating, they sent him a text to say that they were on their way back to the hotel.
As they turned onto the large boulevard, they were met with a heavy press of a large crowd. The parade was in full swing. The noise was absolutely deafening. Kurapica lost sight of Kuroro. He knew that they were all headed for the hotel, so he didn't worry and just kept going. Once he had reached the lobby, he turned around and found himself completely alone. It only took a few minutes for his friends to join him, but despite waiting in the lobby for quite some time, the Spider Head never showed. In the end, Kurapica texted him Gon and Killua's room number and joined his friends in the elevator. They went to the room and sat on the beds, but there was a strange feeling in Kurapica. It was stressful, uncomfortable, and he didn't quite know what to make of it.
They started speaking cautionsly, glancing at the door every minute or so, but as the rest of the afternoon dragged on, they fell more and more into tense moments ofsilence. Sometime around dinner time, Kurapica's phone pinged, indicating a text message. It was from Kuroro. The blond stared blankly at the screen for a moment, while his friends looked on, unable to keep curiosity from showing on their faces.
“We're to eat ddinner with just the three of us,” the Kuruta said.
“Ia that Spider guy not coming back?” Killua asked with a frown.
“He's got something to do,” Kurapica answered. “He did not specify what.”
They feel back into uncomfortable silence. It took some time before they started speaking again, suspiciously avoiding the topic of where their two eldest companions had wandered off to.
Eventually, they ordered room service for dinner, then started playing a card game, waiting for news of the other two. IT was nearly nine o`clock at night when they finally heard a cheerful knock at the door. Kurapica got to his feet so fast, he nearly overturned the desk they`d pulled to the middle of the room so they could play on it. He winced and walked around the piece of furniture and went to the door. A quick glance through the peephole confirmed thatit was of their missing co-conspirators and he opened the door when he saw Kuroro.
“Where have you been?” he asked, trying not to sound accusatory and failing spectacularly.
“Out,” Kuroro answered unhelpfully. “I brought something.”
He waved a sheaf of papers and nodded towards the desk where their cards were still scattered..
“Clear that up, we have some work to do.”
He walked over the desk and cleared a corner just large enough to set his papers sown, then he helped clear the game, cups and phones off. He started laying down the papers one by one, and it soon was apparent that it was the plan to a large compound, photocopied from a large plan, one part at a time.
“What's this?” Kurapica asked as they all settled around the desk. “Our next target?”
Kuroro stayed standing and motioned over the plan they'd pieced together.
“Our last heist in my end of the bargain,” he said, then fixed a heavy gaze on the Kuruta, who couldn't hold it for long. “It will also be the hardest,” Kuroro added, letting his eyes slide away.
Kurapica fought a very strong urge to sigh in relief.
“We'll need all hands on deck,” Kuroro continued, fixing his gaze on Killua, then Gon.
“Hisokas missing,” Killua pointed out.
“His role will be very simple,” the Spider Head answered him.
“What's it gonna be?” Gon asked, tone curious.
“Create mayhem,” the older man said with an amused grin. “It's something he's especially good at.”
“I will not allow any deaths to happen,” Kurapica reminded him.
“Then take that up with him,” Kuroro said. “You're the one who called for his help.”
His dark gaze again turned onto the blond, heavy and pensive. Kurapica had trouble breathing again. It felt like Kuroro could peel off every layers of skin, muscles and bones to look into his very soul, and unravel all of Kurapica's plans.
Kurpica looked away with an uncomfortable shrug.
“We'll enter from three different points,” Kuroro continued, returning to the map spread out on top of the desk. “Killua,” he named, surprising Kurapica, as they hadn't really acted this familiar before, “I'll need you to follow Hisoka through this -” He pointed at a mark on the plan. “- gate here. Minimal guards are stationed here through the night. The goal is to have them cry for help. We want you found. The alert will be raised and most of the militia should run towards you.”
“Create diversion, got it,” the youth said with a nod.
“Kurapica, Gon,” the Spider Head continued, “there is a copse of trees close to the outer wall here. It will be a bit of a jump. Can you do it?”
They both leaned over the plan to gauge the distance.
“No problem,” Gon said with a thumb up.
“I'll be fine,” Kurapica assured the older man.
Kuroro accepted that with a nod and moved on.
“From that point on, Killua and Hisoka will make as much noise as possible.” He looked at the silver-haired boy. “I chose you, because I'm sure that you are a strong fighter who can disappear out of view if things get too hot, before moving on to attack somewhere else.”
“Yeah, no prob',” Killua assured him with a shrug.
“Fresh guards are awake but on standby here and here.” He pointed two different rooms on the plan, then moved to an out building. “There's the barracks over here. Avoid these areas at all cost.”
“Got it.”
“Kurapica,” the Spider Head continued, glancing at the blond, “you and Gon will detour this way and wait until exactly one hundred and twenty hours, when the patrol moves this way.” He traced a line on the paper with his finger. “Once the patrol goes through, you can enter the east tower through this window. Cameras are set here and here. There is a blind spot right here. Once you're inside, move to this storage room and wait for another hour.”
“An hour?” Gon asked.
“Yes. Don't speak unless you have to. If you have a pen and some papers, you can always play tic-tac-toe or something. Or nap, if you find a secure place, so long as one of you is awake in case of trouble.”
Gon didn't look too happy about this part of the plan, but he nodded.
“At two hundred thirty five, move on to this set of stairs and go down two levels.”
He grabbed a few papers still left on his stack.
“I will meet you right here.” He pointed. “From here, we'll need to go doen this hallway without being seen. I will go into the vault, and you'll stand guard. It is essential that you keep the room clear for me. I'll only be a minute, then we'll got hrough this bathroom and crawl through the ceiling like we did at the Victorian party.” He glanced at Kurapica who nodded, remembering the theft. “From there, the quickest exit is through here. Might be a bit of a fight. Since you've lost your knife, you'll have to use mine again. Hopefully, you won't have to use it. After that, I suddest we cross the yard here and jump this gate. I already have a car on standby here. It's under a camouflage net behind these beech trees growing together.”
He drew an approximation of the trees and Kurapica snorted in amusement. Kuroro turned a questioning look on him and the blond shrugged.
“You're horrible at drawing,” he said, grinning despite himself.
“Killua,” the Spider Head continued after a strange look at Kurapica, “I will call you, let it vibrate for thirty seconds, hang up, wait twenty seconds, then call again. This will be your cue to get out. Make sure that Hisoka follows because I've left a second car here, next to a willow tree and across the road from two Juniper trees.”
He put the pen to the plan, glanced at Kurapica, then pulled away without drawing anything.
“I know how to drive,” Killua pointed out. “Worse comes to worse, I'll drive back.”
“Try to avoid it,” Kuroro advised. “It would bring undue attention to you once you make it back to town.”
He took out a few sheets of paper and placed them onto the table. It was a map of the town.
“We won't come back here,” he said, “but meet at the Gentle Wind Motel, here.”
He pointed with the butt of his pen, flicked it onto the map and placed both hands on the desk.
“If someone isn't back by ten in the morning, they'll be considered lost, so don't get yourself captured.”
He looked around, waiting for each to nod in understanding. Then he straightened up and handed out card keys.
“Killua and Gon will go in 203, Hisoka in 107 - here, Killua, I'll leave his key with you - and Kurapica and I will go in 223.”
He grabbed his papers that were still in a stack.
“I have copies for us, so you can keep those,” he told the two youngest boys. “Try and sleep but if you can't, I suggest you study the plans and maps.”
He glanced at Kurapica, clearly wanting him to follow, though it wasn't an order, more of an invitation. Kurapica nodded and, after saying goodbye to his friends, he followed hom out and up to the elevators. They didn't speak, both their minds on tonight's job. Once in their room, Kuroro set down the papers on top of the dresser and let himself down onto the bed.
Kurapica spent some time studying the maps, but once he was confident that he could improvise a few exit routes if need be, he put the papers down and went to curl in bed with Kuroro. He didn't set an alarm, trusting his companion to wake him up when needed. He closed his eyes and fell into a ligh sleep.
Beta-reader: unbeta'ed, unedited.
Chapter summary: All plans are meant to succeed.
Chapter 95
Kurapica's shower was spent brooding over what he now felt might put all of his plans in jeopardy after all. He wasn't new to self-doubts when it came to the Spider Head, but he now felt that, more than Kuroro's reactions to him, the problem was in himself. HE had to work on his self-control.
It didn't help his mood that when he left the shower, he saw a dark stain on his neck, blurry from the fog in the mirror. He leaned in to take a closer look, swiping one hand over the glass to clear it up.
A moment later, he was stalking out of the bedroom, wrapped in a large, white towel.
“Shower's all yours,” he curtly declared, and was glad that Kuroro, having opened his mouth, decided against commenting on the blond's mood.
Kurapica went to his bags and waited until he heard the shower before he dropped his towel. It was too hot to wear a sweater, so the blongdug through his clothes for a sleeveless turtleneck he knew he had somewhere in there. He finally found it and impatiently pulled it on. He found a clean pair of underwear and pulled them on, along with a loose pair of dark wash jeans. He went to the mirror hanging on the wall above the dresser to make sure that the mark wasn't showing. It sat just below the neckline. He would have to be careful about how he moved, but this was the best that he had.
His phone, sitting on the nightstand, started ringing. With one last look at his reflection, Kurapica made his way to the device and looked at the display. He pressed the button to connect the call and brought the phone to his ear.
“Gon,” he greeted.
“Kurapica, where are you?” the younger boy asked.
His tone was somewhat urgent, and the blond was immediately alarmed.
“I just got out of the shower,” he told his friend. “What's going on?”
“I'm hungry!” Gon complained. “It's already past noon. We were supposed to meet for lunch.”
Kurapica quickly checked the ancient-looking alarm clock that sat on the nightstand before him. He was startled to see it was already early afternoon. It only compounded the fact that he was not as in control as he wanted, nay, needed to be.
I'm sorry,” he quickly apologized. “I hadn't realized that it was already this late. We'll be there shortly.”
“Just hurry,” Gon urged. “I'm starving!”
“We'll be there as soon as he gets out of the shower,” the blond promised , then hung up.
He walked to the bathroom door and knocked loudly, so that Kuroro would hear him over the sound of the water.
“Hurry it up,” the blond called to him, “people are waiting for us.”
He waited a moment to see if Kuroro would answer, but when no sound came except the water from the shower, he stepped away and returned to the chair where he'd left his towel. He picked it up and rubbed it vigorously in his hair to get as much of the water out as possible. He then busied himself with tidying up the room as Kuroro finished with his shower and got dressed. It was already mid-afternoon by the time they got down to the hotel lobby.
Killua was the first to see them, and he jumped from his seat and hopped onto his feet.
“Ah, Kurapica!” Gon greeted, also getting up.
Kurapica walked over to them and looked around the large lobby.
“Where's Hisoka?” he asked.”He said that waiting was boring,” Killua informed the blond with a shrug. “He waited all of forty-two seconds before he bailed.
“Oh,” Kurapica said, unsure what to do about their missing, temporary accomplice.
Killua fixed an intense, shrewd look on the blond's neck.
“You wanted to sleep in, huh,” he commented.
Kurapica coloured sharply and slapped a hand over the hickey that he'd hoped no one would notice. Killua laughed and shook his head.
“Huh?” Gon looked completely lost by the comment and the Kuruta's reaction. “What's going on?”
“Nothing!” Kurapica hurried in saying.
He glanced at Kuroro who had the gall to look entertained by this turn of events. Damn him.
“Let's go and get lunch anyway,” Kuroro suggested, wisely keeping silent over the reason for Kurapica's discomfiture. “We can let him know where we are later. He'll turn up eventually.”
No one had a better solution to suggest, so they filed out of the hotel and started down the large boulevard they found themselves on. Due to the festival, many of the townspeople were lining the street, awaiting the parade that was scheduled to traverse the city later that afternoon. Most of the restaurants and shops were closed, and those tat weren't were crammed full of people.
They made it down five large blocks before finding another large street, perpendicular to the one they were on. They decided to try their luck there, and four blocks on, they finally found a nice family restaurant that was relatively quiet.
They soon got a table and a healthy helping of pasta in front of each of them. The lunch was relatively uneventful. The place was too crowded to discuss their plans, and besides, Hisoka wasn't even there. He actually didn't show up at all, and when they were done eating, they sent him a text to say that they were on their way back to the hotel.
As they turned onto the large boulevard, they were met with a heavy press of a large crowd. The parade was in full swing. The noise was absolutely deafening. Kurapica lost sight of Kuroro. He knew that they were all headed for the hotel, so he didn't worry and just kept going. Once he had reached the lobby, he turned around and found himself completely alone. It only took a few minutes for his friends to join him, but despite waiting in the lobby for quite some time, the Spider Head never showed. In the end, Kurapica texted him Gon and Killua's room number and joined his friends in the elevator. They went to the room and sat on the beds, but there was a strange feeling in Kurapica. It was stressful, uncomfortable, and he didn't quite know what to make of it.
They started speaking cautionsly, glancing at the door every minute or so, but as the rest of the afternoon dragged on, they fell more and more into tense moments ofsilence. Sometime around dinner time, Kurapica's phone pinged, indicating a text message. It was from Kuroro. The blond stared blankly at the screen for a moment, while his friends looked on, unable to keep curiosity from showing on their faces.
“We're to eat ddinner with just the three of us,” the Kuruta said.
“Ia that Spider guy not coming back?” Killua asked with a frown.
“He's got something to do,” Kurapica answered. “He did not specify what.”
They feel back into uncomfortable silence. It took some time before they started speaking again, suspiciously avoiding the topic of where their two eldest companions had wandered off to.
Eventually, they ordered room service for dinner, then started playing a card game, waiting for news of the other two. IT was nearly nine o`clock at night when they finally heard a cheerful knock at the door. Kurapica got to his feet so fast, he nearly overturned the desk they`d pulled to the middle of the room so they could play on it. He winced and walked around the piece of furniture and went to the door. A quick glance through the peephole confirmed thatit was of their missing co-conspirators and he opened the door when he saw Kuroro.
“Where have you been?” he asked, trying not to sound accusatory and failing spectacularly.
“Out,” Kuroro answered unhelpfully. “I brought something.”
He waved a sheaf of papers and nodded towards the desk where their cards were still scattered..
“Clear that up, we have some work to do.”
He walked over the desk and cleared a corner just large enough to set his papers sown, then he helped clear the game, cups and phones off. He started laying down the papers one by one, and it soon was apparent that it was the plan to a large compound, photocopied from a large plan, one part at a time.
“What's this?” Kurapica asked as they all settled around the desk. “Our next target?”
Kuroro stayed standing and motioned over the plan they'd pieced together.
“Our last heist in my end of the bargain,” he said, then fixed a heavy gaze on the Kuruta, who couldn't hold it for long. “It will also be the hardest,” Kuroro added, letting his eyes slide away.
Kurapica fought a very strong urge to sigh in relief.
“We'll need all hands on deck,” Kuroro continued, fixing his gaze on Killua, then Gon.
“Hisokas missing,” Killua pointed out.
“His role will be very simple,” the Spider Head answered him.
“What's it gonna be?” Gon asked, tone curious.
“Create mayhem,” the older man said with an amused grin. “It's something he's especially good at.”
“I will not allow any deaths to happen,” Kurapica reminded him.
“Then take that up with him,” Kuroro said. “You're the one who called for his help.”
His dark gaze again turned onto the blond, heavy and pensive. Kurapica had trouble breathing again. It felt like Kuroro could peel off every layers of skin, muscles and bones to look into his very soul, and unravel all of Kurapica's plans.
Kurpica looked away with an uncomfortable shrug.
“We'll enter from three different points,” Kuroro continued, returning to the map spread out on top of the desk. “Killua,” he named, surprising Kurapica, as they hadn't really acted this familiar before, “I'll need you to follow Hisoka through this -” He pointed at a mark on the plan. “- gate here. Minimal guards are stationed here through the night. The goal is to have them cry for help. We want you found. The alert will be raised and most of the militia should run towards you.”
“Create diversion, got it,” the youth said with a nod.
“Kurapica, Gon,” the Spider Head continued, “there is a copse of trees close to the outer wall here. It will be a bit of a jump. Can you do it?”
They both leaned over the plan to gauge the distance.
“No problem,” Gon said with a thumb up.
“I'll be fine,” Kurapica assured the older man.
Kuroro accepted that with a nod and moved on.
“From that point on, Killua and Hisoka will make as much noise as possible.” He looked at the silver-haired boy. “I chose you, because I'm sure that you are a strong fighter who can disappear out of view if things get too hot, before moving on to attack somewhere else.”
“Yeah, no prob',” Killua assured him with a shrug.
“Fresh guards are awake but on standby here and here.” He pointed two different rooms on the plan, then moved to an out building. “There's the barracks over here. Avoid these areas at all cost.”
“Got it.”
“Kurapica,” the Spider Head continued, glancing at the blond, “you and Gon will detour this way and wait until exactly one hundred and twenty hours, when the patrol moves this way.” He traced a line on the paper with his finger. “Once the patrol goes through, you can enter the east tower through this window. Cameras are set here and here. There is a blind spot right here. Once you're inside, move to this storage room and wait for another hour.”
“An hour?” Gon asked.
“Yes. Don't speak unless you have to. If you have a pen and some papers, you can always play tic-tac-toe or something. Or nap, if you find a secure place, so long as one of you is awake in case of trouble.”
Gon didn't look too happy about this part of the plan, but he nodded.
“At two hundred thirty five, move on to this set of stairs and go down two levels.”
He grabbed a few papers still left on his stack.
“I will meet you right here.” He pointed. “From here, we'll need to go doen this hallway without being seen. I will go into the vault, and you'll stand guard. It is essential that you keep the room clear for me. I'll only be a minute, then we'll got hrough this bathroom and crawl through the ceiling like we did at the Victorian party.” He glanced at Kurapica who nodded, remembering the theft. “From there, the quickest exit is through here. Might be a bit of a fight. Since you've lost your knife, you'll have to use mine again. Hopefully, you won't have to use it. After that, I suddest we cross the yard here and jump this gate. I already have a car on standby here. It's under a camouflage net behind these beech trees growing together.”
He drew an approximation of the trees and Kurapica snorted in amusement. Kuroro turned a questioning look on him and the blond shrugged.
“You're horrible at drawing,” he said, grinning despite himself.
“Killua,” the Spider Head continued after a strange look at Kurapica, “I will call you, let it vibrate for thirty seconds, hang up, wait twenty seconds, then call again. This will be your cue to get out. Make sure that Hisoka follows because I've left a second car here, next to a willow tree and across the road from two Juniper trees.”
He put the pen to the plan, glanced at Kurapica, then pulled away without drawing anything.
“I know how to drive,” Killua pointed out. “Worse comes to worse, I'll drive back.”
“Try to avoid it,” Kuroro advised. “It would bring undue attention to you once you make it back to town.”
He took out a few sheets of paper and placed them onto the table. It was a map of the town.
“We won't come back here,” he said, “but meet at the Gentle Wind Motel, here.”
He pointed with the butt of his pen, flicked it onto the map and placed both hands on the desk.
“If someone isn't back by ten in the morning, they'll be considered lost, so don't get yourself captured.”
He looked around, waiting for each to nod in understanding. Then he straightened up and handed out card keys.
“Killua and Gon will go in 203, Hisoka in 107 - here, Killua, I'll leave his key with you - and Kurapica and I will go in 223.”
He grabbed his papers that were still in a stack.
“I have copies for us, so you can keep those,” he told the two youngest boys. “Try and sleep but if you can't, I suggest you study the plans and maps.”
He glanced at Kurapica, clearly wanting him to follow, though it wasn't an order, more of an invitation. Kurapica nodded and, after saying goodbye to his friends, he followed hom out and up to the elevators. They didn't speak, both their minds on tonight's job. Once in their room, Kuroro set down the papers on top of the dresser and let himself down onto the bed.
Kurapica spent some time studying the maps, but once he was confident that he could improvise a few exit routes if need be, he put the papers down and went to curl in bed with Kuroro. He didn't set an alarm, trusting his companion to wake him up when needed. He closed his eyes and fell into a ligh sleep.