"I'm Still Here"

Summary; After an argument with Leorio, Kurapika runs out to think. But since he refuses to watch the news, he doesn't know of all the local weirdoes out there… LeoPika *One-Shot*

Disclaimer; Everything is of the creation of Yoshihiro Togashi-sama. Everything but the plot of course.

Note; Here I am with another Hunter X Hunter story! Yay! XD The title doesn't really have to do with the story (or does it?) except maybe the end. Whatever. XD Please enjoy and don't be afraid to criticize! :)

-XK

- - -

Kurapika opened the door to the apartment he shared with Leorio.

He was tired; he spent the early hours of the night with his boss, Neon, at yet another auction. A few times he went searching for the Scarlet Eyes of his clan, but there were none at today's auction. So, for now he changed into some clothes more comfortable than his tunic and he threw himself on the bed, sighing at the softness and warmth of the mattress.

Leorio, who sat next to him watching the television, looked at him and sighed.

"How long are you going to keep this up?" Leorio asked, lowering the volume of the television.

"What do you mean?" Kurapika asked, propping himself on a pillow. But he knew exactly what Leorio meant.

"What do you mean, what do I mean? You know what I mean!"

Yeah, it was the same conversation again. The one they had last week, and the week before the last and so on and so forth.

"My clan is important to me. I won't rest until I know their souls are at peace. And the only way I'll be sure of that is if I get revenge!" Kurapika said, sitting up on the bed.

"Is that all you care about?" Leorio asked.

"Y…yes." Kurapika muttered.

"Then what about me?"

"I care about you too, Leorio!"

"But not as much as your clan, apparently!" Leorio said, catching Kurapika silent. "You care more for a bunch of dead people than about me—your best friend! Your boyfriend!"

"That's not true," Kurapika said quietly.

"Oh yeah, how the fucking hell would I know?"

"Leorio!"

"What?"

"I thought we've had this conversation before," Kurapika said shortly.

"Well, you know what?"

"What?"

"We're having it again!"

Kurapika sighed.

Every time Leorio and him had this conversation—or more over argument on some occasions—about Kurapika's need for revenge and their relationship, they always split up for the night. Kurapika staying in the room they shared and Leorio sleeping on the couch.

Leorio sighed as well.

"Your 'revenge' is just going to ruin everything for us," he said coldly and left the room, leaving Kurapika shocked—frozen.

Leorio had never acted like that before. Even when they first met, they fought, but he never was that emotionless with his words.

Kurapika tried to shake those thoughts from his head, but they stayed. Deciding that he needed time to time away from Leorio, he grabbed his jacket. He walked through the dark living room, only the flickering light from the television brightened up the room, and he left.

Neither of the men said anything as the blond left. It didn't even seem like the elder, dark-haired man on the couch even noticed.

- - -

Kurapika walked around the streets of downtown Yorkshin at midnight.

It was dark and quiet, just the perfect surroundings for thinking. As long as he thought and thought and thought, he couldn't find a reason for Leorio to be so mad. Maybe it was his thirst for revenge on the Phantom Brigade. They've been going out for how long now? Two, three months maybe?

He stopped by a building and hit his head on it.

Maybe he should stop thinking of revenge. He's gotten plenty of people saying that it was pointless, that he should live for his clan instead of avenging him that he would die without killing them all and it would've had no reason at all. He hit his head again and continued walking.

As the blond walked on, he noticed that the lighting got dimmer. Looking into the sky, he noticed that the moon and the stars were shrouded by dark clouds.

It's getting late, Kurapika noticed, I should start heading back.

He turned to start going back to their apartment, but after about twenty minutes of walking around aimlessly, he concluded that he was completely and utterly lost.

No way could I be lost! Kurapika thought. I've only been walking for; he checked his watch, nearly two hours. Damn it.

He took a left at the next intersection, hoping he choose the right path. He kept looking straight ahead and walked quickly.

Suddenly, the sound of a trash can in a nearby alleyway hitting the floor and its contents spilling out erupted and Kurapika froze.

- - -

Leorio looked at the clock that hung over the television anxiously.

Kurapika never stayed out this late before. Leorio was extremely worried.

Kurapika had never liked to watch the news; he refused to because he didn't want to hear of the other peoples sorrows. As mean as it was, he was just afraid he'd loose his anger towards the Phantom Brigade and he would do anything to try and not forget about it.

Then it hit him as hard a rubber bullet. Since the blond never watched the news, he didn't know of all the local weirdoes—all the rapists and murders.

Suddenly worried for his lover, he ran out of the apartment building, not bothering to turn off the television, grab a jacket, or even close the door after himself and lock it. He just wanted to find Kurapika and make sure he was alright.

- - -

Kurapika backed away from the alleyway as a tall man emerged from the shadows.

The man was taller than the blond by a full head. He was dressed in all black, his pants having a few holes where the skin shown was covered in dirt. He had long black hair down to his shoulders that was tied back and thin mustache. He had dark brown eyes that sparkled in the dim street light. Eyes that sparkled in pure lust.

Snapping out of his stupor, Kurapika began running. But the other man was a lot faster it seemed as he grabbed his jacket and pulled him backwards.

"Ack!" Kurapika choked out as his shirt was pulled against his neck and he fell.

"Now I have you, beautiful," the man said and caressed the blond's cheek with his grimy hands.

Kurapika gulped and struggled out of the man's grasp, which was surprisingly strong.

"L-let me go!" Kurapika cried and tried to gain freedom again, but to no avail.

"Haha," the man laughed, "I think not, Kurapika-san."

This caught the blond off-guard and he froze.

"H-how do you know my name?" he whispered.

"I know a lot about you."

"Get away from me!" Kurapika screamed "Get off!"

The man laughed then punched the blond in the cheek. He dragged the blond away, keeping a strong hold on him to make sure he didn't get away. But Kurapika kept screaming.

"No! Get off me! Help!"

The man punched him again and took hold of Kurapika's throat.

"Now, now, we don't want to make a big mess do we?" the man said in a lustful tone. He then threw Kurapika against the wall in an alleyway.

Tears stung the blond boy's eyes and he gasp for breath. He felt the man unzip his jacket and unbutton his shirt. He struggled to get him off again. Pushing, slapping, even punching and kicking him, but nothing seemed to have an effect on the other man.

"Let go!"

The man took hold of Kurapika's throat again and squeezed.

"Shut up!" he yelled and slammed Kurapika's head against the wall.

He felt something wet trickle down the back of his head and his sight went fuzzy, but still he took a deep breath and screamed as loud as he could.

- - -

Leorio ran through the dark streets of Yorkshin.

He was sweating and panting, but he kept running, looking for Kurapika. It was so dark, he wouldn't have been able to see anything if the street lights weren't there. He was now in the slums of downtown Yorkshin.

Just as soon as he rushed out, the news started talking about a recent rapist going around. the downtown area of the city, raping people in the middle of the night and leaving them dead in alleyways and rivers. His name was Yuro, the news had said.

Leorio shuddered at the thought and really hoped that Kurapika was alright. That the blond was just lost. That they would make up again and everything would be alright.

Just then, he heard a scream.

He took off running in the direction of the sound and did not like what he found.

Kurapika was slumped against a wall, eyes half-lidded, and his shirt unbuttoned along with his pants being unzipped by a strange man. Leorio's anger shot through the roof. With quick fluid motion, Leorio ran towards the man and kicked him away from his boyfriend.

He bent down to Kurapika, cleaning him up a little.

"L-Leorio?" a small putter of lips came from the blond.

"Kurapika…" Leorio trailed. "Are you alright?"

The blond nodded and winced. Something was causing him pain, the doctor concluded, but had no time to think about it as he heard something move to his right and quickly stood up in front of Kurapika as a shield.

"H-how dare you?!" the man Leorio identified as the rapist and murderer Yuro yelled. He pulled out a pocket knife.

"How dare I?" Leorio asked incredulously, taking out his own knife. "How dare you?"

Yuro lunged himself at the doctor, and Leorio readied himself and took forth as well. He kicked the other man as Yuro tried to slice and dice him with his dirty knife. He missed. They both turned around and shot towards each other. Leorio made a big gash on Yuros left arm while he left with only a small scratch on the cheek.

The fight dragged on for what seemed like forever but was only for a couple of minutes, to Kurapika.

"Leorio! Watch out!" Kurapika cried as Yuro made a jump to strike the doctor in the back.

Thankfully, Leorio turned just in time and made it out with only a cut on his shoulder.

"Bastard!" Leorio yelled and punched the man in the gut so hard he spat out blood.

Yuro landed on the ground in a heap. Leorio towered over him.

"No! Please! Don't hurt me!" Yuro cried.

"Hurt you? Why should I not hurt you?" Leorio spat and drew back his leg to kick. But a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"What the hell?" he asked and turned to find Kurapika.

"Don't, Leorio," he said quietly and nearly fell if Leorio hadn't caught him.

"And why not? Look what he did to you!"

"You don't need to kill him. Just, send him in, or something," Kurapika said, and put his cell phone in Leorio's hand. Leorio nodded and set Kurapika up against the wall and called the police.

- - -

Kurapika had passed out by the time the police arrived at the scene.

Leorio had cleaned him up as best as he could as they waited for the police to come. They sat just outside the alleyway. Soon after they settled, Kurapika closed his eyes and lost consciousness. His body was cold, so Leorio held him.

He was asked many questions by the police woman while another police man took up Yuro's battered body.

"You did a pretty good job on him," the police woman had noted. "Mind telling me what happened?"

And Leorio explained everything he knew. Only that he was looking for his "friend" he had called Kurapika in his explanation and had found him about to get raped by the man in the police vehicle.

"Thank you, sir," she said and finished her notes. Then she noticed Kurapika. "Would you guys like a ride?"

"Yes, thank you," Leorio said and picked up his favorite blond and got a ride back to his apartment.

Half way through the ride, Kurapika began to awake.

"Leorio?" he asked, uncertain as to whose lap he was laying on.

"I'm here, Kurapika," Leorio said, smiling and ran his hand through Kurapika's blond locks.

"Hm…" Kurapika hummed and snuggled closer into Leorio's warmth.

Leorio smiled.

"Go to sleep," Leorio said, "you need to rest."

"You sure?"

Leorio nodded and Kurapika dozed off.

When they arrived at the apartment, Leorio carried the blond up to their bathroom. Kurapika woke with a start when Leorio tried to put him in the bath and tried struggling out of the elder mans hands until he calmed the other down.

After the bath, Leorio found what had been hurting the blond. There was a cut on the back of Kurapika's head and used his knowledge as a doctor to clean it and bandage it up. Then he put Kurapika in the bed they shared.

He sat on the bed for a bit, looking over the blond. When he was assured that the younger male was asleep, he got up to leave. Or tried to. Something wrapped itself on his wrist. He looked to see Kurapika holding on to him in his sleep.

"I'm sorry," he muttered in his sleep and Leorio smiled.

He got under the covers and held Kurapika in his arms.

"Don't worry, I'm still here," Leorio said softly and kissed Kurapika's brow. Then he drifted into a pleasant sleep.

- - -

So… What do you think? I didn't really like it, but I don't like many of my works XD. True, I said I was going to but up a story called First Kiss (for those who read my updates on my profile, which I doubt was many), but I got side-tracked with this and It Was Those Damn Stairs!. :) Anyways, please drop off any ideas, comments, flames, or whatever in the Review box and thank you!

Save an editor and review. :)

-XK