disappear.
Title: The Wall (Kurapika/Leorio version)
Series: Hunter x Hunter
Rated: PG-13 for imagery
Wordcount: 775
Notes: This one's a little weird -- I totally blame jaebi_lit for being so existential in that last fic. Loosely based on this symbolic personality test. Which you should read if you want this to make sense (although it probably won't anyway (I'm sorrrrry)).
Also: One of a pair with this Killua/Gon fic.
"-disappear! Vanish! Be gone, crumble, fall-"
“It obviously isn’t working,” Kurapika said from behind a book.
"Open sesame- shut up, I don’t see you trying anything - disinteOW!"
Kurapika looked up to see Leorio balanced precariously on one foot. His other foot was cradled in both hands, and he was swearing coarsely. The wall didn’t care - it squatted, flat black and massive, exactly as if it hadn’t just been kicked, punched, cursed at, pleaded with and even, in one of Leorio’s more ridiculous moments, wiped with a hand towel.
Kurapika sighed, stretched, laid his book neatly aside, and got to his feet. "Let me see," he said.
***EARLIER***
Leorio set his medic’s bag on the ground, rotated an arm and popped his neck. "Time to take a break!" he announced to the hills. He dropped straight down to the ground, and was asleep with his legs crossed in front of him and his chin tucked against his chest before the dust had settled.
He woke up after what seemed like moments. He checked his watch -- but he hadn’t known the time when he’d stopped, and he didn’t know what time it was supposed to be now. He looked up but the sky was unhelpfully overcast. Then he looked down at the path he’d been following, and saw the wall.
Something about the wall was profoundly unsettling. It might have been the way it was smooth without reflecting light. It might have been that there were no gates or other markings. It might have been the way it followed the lay of the land - or rather, the way it didn’t. If Leorio had been more superstitious he’d have said that the land followed the shape of the wall.
It was also a little freaky the way it’d appeared out of nowhere like that.
Leorio looked behind him to check - yes, this was definitely the same path he’d been following earlier. Same dips, same clump of small purple flowers, small narrow-soled footprints. (You couldn’t really call it a path, though. More like a trail, a bit of scuffed grass and bare dirt worn into the hillside. Overhead, thunder rumbled.)
Well. Freaky wall or not - and Leorio would never admit just how freaked out he was - this was the way his trail went. Right up to the wall, not even a hint of a bend or fork. If his way was on the other side of the wall, he’d just have to find a way to get there (and back, a voice at the back of his mind said. It would be pointless if he couldn’t come back).
He tried to climb over, but there were no footholds. He tried to walk around, but the wall went on forever. He tried force, and all he got were bruises. He yelled until his throat was hoarse, he tried blunt instruments and only damaged the instruments, he tried to vault and, well, the less said of that attempt the better.
By the time Kurapika wandered over the hills with a book in his hand and a faraway expression, Leorio had almost forgotten his original reason for wanting to get to the other side. This wasn’t a matter of necessity anymore; no, now it was personal.
Kurapika settled down to wait.
***BACK TO THE PRESENT***
"Let me see."
Leorio freed one hand to gesture, go ahead. "You didn’t seem interested before," he noted reproachfully.
Kurapika spoke sharply. "I’m not interested. I have absolutely no desire to cross this wall and it would be better if you didn't either." But he rose to his feet and crossed over to the wall anyway. He stopped just before it and ran his hands over it, like he was looking for gaps.
I've already tried that, Leorio thought. But he only said, "Why's that?"
"Don't you know what it means?" Kurapika stooped to run his fingers along the bottom. From his expression the situation was just as he’d expected it to be. He dug his hands into the dirt a little, to check.
Leorio eyed him suspiciously. "What are you talking about? It's just a wall, walls don't mean anything. And another thing, if you don't like it, don't help me! I was doing fine on my own."
Kurapika snorted. "I came looking for you, idiot. Who knows what kind of trouble you’d get into without - hmm."
Three things happened at once: Kurapika pulled back his arm, a skeletal hand came away with it, and the world shifted. Leorio closed his eyes to keep from being sick.
When he opened them the blank black wall was gone, and in its place was a long high line of human bones.
"The meaning of the wall," Kurapika said, his voice too steady and his eyes too bright, "is death. And this-" he took a deep breath - "is my wall."
Leorio just stared. How many skelletons in that thing?
"If you still want to go, we can cross this one."
Leorio kept staring - at the bones, at his hands and the water running down them, at the sky (it was really raining now), at Kurapika. Now that he knew, he realized...that he still had to go. As a doctor, he needed to know Death inside and out.
He had to go, but it was too much to ask Kurapika to come with him. He opened his mouth and hated himself for saying, "You’ll be okay?"
Kurapika nodded.
"Let’s go, then."
Series: Hunter x Hunter
Rated: PG-13 for imagery
Wordcount: 775
Notes: This one's a little weird -- I totally blame jaebi_lit for being so existential in that last fic. Loosely based on this symbolic personality test. Which you should read if you want this to make sense (although it probably won't anyway (I'm sorrrrry)).
Also: One of a pair with this Killua/Gon fic.
"-disappear! Vanish! Be gone, crumble, fall-"
“It obviously isn’t working,” Kurapika said from behind a book.
"Open sesame- shut up, I don’t see you trying anything - disinteOW!"
Kurapika looked up to see Leorio balanced precariously on one foot. His other foot was cradled in both hands, and he was swearing coarsely. The wall didn’t care - it squatted, flat black and massive, exactly as if it hadn’t just been kicked, punched, cursed at, pleaded with and even, in one of Leorio’s more ridiculous moments, wiped with a hand towel.
Kurapika sighed, stretched, laid his book neatly aside, and got to his feet. "Let me see," he said.
***EARLIER***
Leorio set his medic’s bag on the ground, rotated an arm and popped his neck. "Time to take a break!" he announced to the hills. He dropped straight down to the ground, and was asleep with his legs crossed in front of him and his chin tucked against his chest before the dust had settled.
He woke up after what seemed like moments. He checked his watch -- but he hadn’t known the time when he’d stopped, and he didn’t know what time it was supposed to be now. He looked up but the sky was unhelpfully overcast. Then he looked down at the path he’d been following, and saw the wall.
Something about the wall was profoundly unsettling. It might have been the way it was smooth without reflecting light. It might have been that there were no gates or other markings. It might have been the way it followed the lay of the land - or rather, the way it didn’t. If Leorio had been more superstitious he’d have said that the land followed the shape of the wall.
It was also a little freaky the way it’d appeared out of nowhere like that.
Leorio looked behind him to check - yes, this was definitely the same path he’d been following earlier. Same dips, same clump of small purple flowers, small narrow-soled footprints. (You couldn’t really call it a path, though. More like a trail, a bit of scuffed grass and bare dirt worn into the hillside. Overhead, thunder rumbled.)
Well. Freaky wall or not - and Leorio would never admit just how freaked out he was - this was the way his trail went. Right up to the wall, not even a hint of a bend or fork. If his way was on the other side of the wall, he’d just have to find a way to get there (and back, a voice at the back of his mind said. It would be pointless if he couldn’t come back).
He tried to climb over, but there were no footholds. He tried to walk around, but the wall went on forever. He tried force, and all he got were bruises. He yelled until his throat was hoarse, he tried blunt instruments and only damaged the instruments, he tried to vault and, well, the less said of that attempt the better.
By the time Kurapika wandered over the hills with a book in his hand and a faraway expression, Leorio had almost forgotten his original reason for wanting to get to the other side. This wasn’t a matter of necessity anymore; no, now it was personal.
Kurapika settled down to wait.
***BACK TO THE PRESENT***
"Let me see."
Leorio freed one hand to gesture, go ahead. "You didn’t seem interested before," he noted reproachfully.
Kurapika spoke sharply. "I’m not interested. I have absolutely no desire to cross this wall and it would be better if you didn't either." But he rose to his feet and crossed over to the wall anyway. He stopped just before it and ran his hands over it, like he was looking for gaps.
I've already tried that, Leorio thought. But he only said, "Why's that?"
"Don't you know what it means?" Kurapika stooped to run his fingers along the bottom. From his expression the situation was just as he’d expected it to be. He dug his hands into the dirt a little, to check.
Leorio eyed him suspiciously. "What are you talking about? It's just a wall, walls don't mean anything. And another thing, if you don't like it, don't help me! I was doing fine on my own."
Kurapika snorted. "I came looking for you, idiot. Who knows what kind of trouble you’d get into without - hmm."
Three things happened at once: Kurapika pulled back his arm, a skeletal hand came away with it, and the world shifted. Leorio closed his eyes to keep from being sick.
When he opened them the blank black wall was gone, and in its place was a long high line of human bones.
"The meaning of the wall," Kurapika said, his voice too steady and his eyes too bright, "is death. And this-" he took a deep breath - "is my wall."
Leorio just stared. How many skelletons in that thing?
"If you still want to go, we can cross this one."
Leorio kept staring - at the bones, at his hands and the water running down them, at the sky (it was really raining now), at Kurapika. Now that he knew, he realized...that he still had to go. As a doctor, he needed to know Death inside and out.
He had to go, but it was too much to ask Kurapika to come with him. He opened his mouth and hated himself for saying, "You’ll be okay?"
Kurapika nodded.
"Let’s go, then."