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"Chained To You"
A Kurapika x y/n slowburn series~
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Tap for:
Chp1 - Chp2pt1 - Chp2pt2 - Chp2pt3 -Chp3pt1 - Chp3pt2
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Chapter 3 (Part 2)
(Extra long chapter as my apology for taking forever T-T)
Working for the Nostrade Family wasn't what Y/N had expected.
She had imagined constant danger, split-second decisions, and the kind of excitement that only existed in stories and novels. Instead, she found herself surrounded by people who understood that the most important part of protecting someone was preventing danger long before it ever had the chance to appear.
It was quieter than she'd imagined, but it wasn't boring.
Every report, every patrol, every conversation carried a purpose.
And somewhere along the way, she'd found herself looking forward to coming into work each morning.
Not just because she enjoyed the job.
She found herself smiling faintly at the thought.
...Because of the people here.
Well...
Mostly one person that she was intrigued by.
She immediately shook the thought away before it had a chance to settle.
You're getting ahead of yourself.
With a quiet sigh, Y/N adjusted the stack of folders in her arms and made her way toward the conference room.
The morning briefing had already begun by the time she slipped inside.
"Morning," Basho greeted, looking up from his chair.
"Good morning."
Kurapika looked up briefly as she entered before sliding one of the remaining folders across the table toward the empty seat beside Melody.
"You'll want today's security report."
"Thank you."
As Y/N reached for it, the tips of their fingers brushed lightly against one another.
The contact lasted no more than an instant.
Still...
Y/N instinctively pulled her hand back.
"Oh—sorry."
Kurapika withdrew his hand just as quickly.
"There is no need to apologize," he said, his voice as calm as ever. "It was simply unfortunate timing."
"...Right."
She gave a small, embarrassed smile before opening the folder, silently hoping no one had noticed.
Twice now... TWICE!!!
Please let that stop happening....
Across the table, Kurapika lowered his eyes to the papers in front of him.
Compose yourself.
It had been nothing.
An accidental touch.
Nothing more.
So why had he noticed how warm her hand had been?
His brows drew together almost imperceptibly.
Over the past several days, he'd begun catching himself noticing things that served absolutely no purpose.
The way she smiled at everyone who greeted her.
How she listened without interrupting whenever someone spoke.
Even the quiet laugh she tried to hide whenever Basho exaggerated one of his ridiculous stories.
None of it mattered.
None of it should have occupied his thoughts.
What has gotten into me?
He had no answer.
"...Kurapika?"
Basho's voice pulled him back to the present.
"Hm?"
"You with us?"
Kurapika looked up.
"...Of course."
Basho grinned.
"Good. I was beginning to think paperwork had finally won."
A few quiet laughs circled the table.
Even Kurapika allowed the faintest hint of amusement to touch his expression before returning his attention to the meeting.
Y/N noticed.
She always seemed to notice.
There it is again...
It wasn't a full smile.
Just enough to soften his features for a heartbeat before they settled once more into their usual composure.
She found herself smiling, too.
Once the day's assignments had been finalized, the atmosphere around the table relaxed considerably.
Squala leaned back in his chair with a yawn.
"So what's everyone doing after work?"
"Sleeping," Basho answered immediately.
"How exciting."
"I'm a simple man."
Baise laughed from across the room.
"You've been saying that every day this week."
"And every day I've meant it."
The room filled with easy conversation while everyone gathered their reports.
Then Basho suddenly snapped his fingers.
"Oh!"
"I almost forgot."
"What?" Squala asked.
"I heard something yesterday."
His grin immediately told everyone that whatever it was, he intended to make them wait for it.
"What now?" Baise sighed.
"Apparently one of the underground collectors has been bragging that this year's auction is going to have something extraordinary."
Squala shrugged.
"They all say that."
"No, no."
Basho leaned forward and spoke dramatically.
"I mean extraordinary."
He lowered his voice.
"I heard there might be a pair of Scarlet Eyes."
Silence.
It fell so suddenly that even Basho seemed to notice.
Y/N felt something she couldn't explain, like some type of negative aura, and her gaze instinctively shifted toward Kurapika.
He hadn't moved.
His posture remained perfectly straight, one gloved hand resting lightly atop the folder before him.
His expression hadn't changed.
Not even slightly.
For a moment, Y/N wondered if the rumor simply meant nothing to him.
Then...
She saw it.
A faint crimson glow flickered beneath the gray contacts covering his eyes.
It lasted no longer than the blink of an eye.
Like a dying ember catching briefly before disappearing again.
Y/N froze.
...His eyes...
She stared for only a fraction too long before forcing herself to look away.
Did I actually see that?
Or was it just the light?
No one else reacted.
Squala merely scoffed.
"Another rumor."
"Probably fake," Baise agreed.
"Collectors exaggerate everything."
Melody, however, remained unusually quiet.
Her eyes rested on Kurapika for only a moment before lowering again.
She hadn't seen the color beneath his contacts.
She didn't need to.
His heartbeat had changed.
Only briefly.
A single uneven rhythm.
Then another.
Not fear.
Not surprise.
Something deeper.
Older.
Pain.
By the time she listened again, it was gone, hidden beneath the same disciplined control Kurapika carried every day.
He had already composed himself.
"...Rumors have a tendency to grow more elaborate each year," Kurapika said evenly, gathering the reports into a neat stack. "It would be unwise to give them credibility without evidence."
His voice was steady and measured.
No one questioned it.
No one except Y/N.
She watched him from across the table as the others resumed talking.
Outwardly... nothing had changed.
Yet somehow...
Everything had.
For the rest of the meeting, she couldn't shake the feeling that she'd glimpsed something she wasn't meant to see.
And for reasons she couldn't explain...
She couldn't stop thinking about it.The conversation slowly returned to normal, though Y/N found it difficult to concentrate on anything that was being said.
Basho had already moved on to another story, Squala interrupted him twice to correct details that were probably never accurate to begin with, and Baise laughed as though she'd heard the same exchange a hundred times before. Around the table, the atmosphere relaxed once again, the brief silence following the mention of the Scarlet Eyes already forgotten.
Forgotten by everyone except two people.
Y/N lowered her eyes to the reports in front of her, pretending to skim the pages while her thoughts wandered elsewhere.
His eyes...
She knew what she'd seen.
Or at least she thought she did.
It hadn't been imagination. She was becoming certain of that much. For the briefest instant, beneath the gray contacts, his eyes had flashed a deep crimson unlike anything she had ever seen before.
Why would they... how would they...
The questions lingered unfinished.
She considered asking him.
Almost immediately, she dismissed the idea.
No.
If there was something he wanted everyone to know, he wouldn't have hidden it.
She carefully closed the folder and rose from her chair with the others as the meeting came to an end.
Around her, everyone dispersed to prepare for the day's assignments.
Kurapika gathered his reports with the same calm efficiency he always displayed, thanking Melody quietly as she handed him another folder before making his way toward his office.
If someone had walked into headquarters at that very moment, they never would have guessed anything had unsettled him.
His stride was measured.
His posture straight.
His expression unreadable.
Only Y/N had noticed otherwise.
The rest of the morning passed without incident.
Y/N busied herself organizing security records while occasionally assisting one of the office assistants with filing older reports. She tried to lose herself in the work, but every so often her eyes drifted toward Kurapika's office.
The door remained partially open.
From where she sat, she could see him at his desk, pen moving steadily across page after page of paperwork.
He looked exactly as he always did.
Focused.
Composed.
Untouchable.
Yet every now and then, she noticed him stop writing altogether.
His eyes would remain fixed on whatever report lay before him, though he made no effort to turn the page.
It was as though he were reading without actually seeing the words.
A moment later, he'd quietly resume writing, as if nothing had happened.
He's distracted.
The realization came more easily now.
A week ago she might have convinced herself she was imagining things.
Now...
She was certain.
"Earth to Y/N."
She looked up to find Basho snapping his fingers in front of her face.
"Hm?"
"I've called your name three times."
"Oh!"
Embarrassment spread across her face.
"I'm sorry."
Basho folded his arms with exaggerated suspicion.
"What's got you so deep in thought?"
"...Nothing."
"You hesitated."
"I did not."
"You definitely did."
Y/N laughed softly, shaking her head.
"I was just thinking."
"Dangerous pastime."
"So I've heard."
Basho chuckled before glancing across the room.
His eyes followed hers almost immediately.
"...Ah."
Y/N blinked.
"Ah?"
"I see."
Her brows knitted together.
"See what?"
"Nothing."
"Basho..."
He held both hands up innocently.
"I didn't say anything."
"You were about to."
"I changed my mind."
Y/N narrowed her eyes.
"I don't think you did."
Basho laughed outright before leaning closer.
"You've been looking over there an awful lot today."
Y/N instinctively followed his gaze.
Straight toward Kurapika's office.
Her eyes widened.
"I wasn't—"
"No?"
"I..."
She quickly looked away.
"I was just wondering if he needed help."
"Mhm."
"That's all."
"If you say so."
Y/N sighed dramatically and landed her palm over her face.
"You're ridiculous..."
"So I've been told."
As Basho chuckled and walked away, she rested both elbows on the desk and covered her face for a brief moment.
Wonderful.
Now he probably thinks...
She stopped herself.
Why do I even care what Basho thinks?
The answer arrived before she wanted it to.
Because he isn't entirely wrong.
She had been looking toward Kurapika's office.
Far more than usual.
Not because she found him intimidating anymore.
Not because she was curious.
Because she was worried.
And somehow...
That realization unsettled her more than Basho's teasing ever could.
The office doors slid open just after noon.
Neon swept inside with enough enthusiasm to draw everyone's attention almost immediately.
"Father!"
She hurried through the office carrying an elegant magazine, its glossy pages folded open to a brightly colored advertisement.
"Father, where are you?"
Light Nostrade emerged from his office a moment later.
"What is it, Neon?"
She stopped directly in front of him and thrust the magazine into his hands.
"Look!"
Light adjusted his glasses and glanced down.
The page advertised Yorknew City's upcoming underground auction, displaying photographs of priceless antiquities, rare jewelry, ancient artifacts, and collections that would never be displayed to the public again.
"I want to go."
Light looked back at his daughter.
"You've already decided."
"Of course I have."
She pointed enthusiastically at one photograph after another.
"They have antique jewelry."
"And paintings."
"And that vase is beautiful."
Her finger landed on another page.
"And look at this!"
"I absolutely have to see it."
Light smiled patiently.
"You understand that private auctions aren't quite as simple as ordinary shopping trips."
"I know."
"But we're still going."
It wasn't phrased as a question.
Before Light could answer, one of the employees quietly approached him.
"Sir."
The man leaned close enough to speak privately.
"We've also received confirmation that several major Mafia families will be attending."
Light's expression shifted ever so slightly.
"I see."
He looked back toward the advertisement.
Business opportunities.
Influential clients.
Potential partnerships.
It made sense.
He handed the magazine back to Neon.
"Very well."
Her face lit up instantly.
"Really?"
"We'll attend."
She let out an excited squeal before throwing her arms around him.
"I knew you'd say yes!"
Light chuckled.
"I haven't finished."
She looked up.
"I'll be increasing security."
His eyes moved toward the bodyguards gathered throughout the office.
"Everyone will begin preparations immediately."
Kurapika stepped forward without hesitation.
"We'll have escort routes prepared by this evening."
Light nodded.
"I'll leave the details to you."
"Understood."
Y/N glanced toward Kurapika.
The moment the decision had been made...
Something about him had changed.
It was almost imperceptible.
His posture hadn't shifted.
His expression remained composed.
His voice was as steady as ever.
Yet there was a new intensity in his eyes.
Like someone who had just seen the first glimmer of a destination after walking through darkness for years.
She remembered the rumor Basho had mentioned.
The Scarlet Eyes...
Whatever they were...
Whatever they meant...
They had something to do with this auction.
And somehow...
She had the growing feeling that the upcoming assignment meant far more to Kurapika than it did to anyone else in the room.Preparations for the auction consumed the next several days.
What had begun as an ordinary workweek quickly transformed into an endless stream of security briefings, revised schedules, intelligence reports, and route planning. Every member of the Nostrade bodyguards found themselves with more work than usual, and although no one openly complained, the increased tension was impossible to ignore.
Y/N had expected Kurapika to delegate much of the planning.
Instead, he involved himself in nearly every detail.
She often found him standing over maps of Yorknew City with Dalzollene, discussing alternate evacuation routes should the primary ones become compromised. Other times, he sat with stacks of reports spread across his desk, comparing lists of expected attendees with known members of the Mafia. Even after everyone else had begun packing up for the evening, the light in his office remained on.
It wasn't merely dedication anymore.
It was urgency.
The first evening after the auction had been confirmed, Y/N had passed his office on her way out. Through the partially opened door, she had once again caught a glimpse of him seated alone, one elbow resting against the desk while he silently reread the same page for what must have been the third or fourth time. His eyes never moved beyond the middle of the report.
He wasn't reading.
He was somewhere else entirely.
She had almost stepped inside to ask if everything was alright.
Almost.
Instead, she quietly continued down the hallway.
He'll tell me if he wants to....
...Probably not.
At least... she hoped he would.
The following afternoon, Kurapika asked Y/N to help organize the final intelligence files before the team meeting.
The records covered nearly every aspect of the upcoming auction: expected guests, auction items, floor layouts, emergency exits, and security concerns. It was meticulous work, requiring complete concentration, and for a while the only sounds in the office were the turning of pages and the occasional scratch of a pen.
"These files should remain together," Kurapika said, sliding another folder toward her. "If anything is misplaced, it could delay the briefing."
"I'll double-check everything before we finish."
"I know you will."
The words were spoken so naturally that Y/N almost missed them.
She looked up from the papers.
"You do?"
Kurapika paused briefly, as though only now realizing what he had said.
"You've been thorough since your first day."
There was no hesitation in his voice.
No exaggerated praise.
He had simply stated it as fact.
"I've yet to find a mistake in your work."
Warmth spread across Y/N's face despite herself.
"Thank you."
She lowered her eyes again, pretending to straighten the stack of papers in front of her so he wouldn't notice the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
Why does hearing him say something so simple make me this happy?
Across the desk, Kurapika returned to his own work, though he found himself thinking about the expression that had crossed her face only moments earlier.
It had been brief.
Quiet.
Yet undeniably genuine.
For reasons he couldn't explain, he found it... reassuring.
The realization irritated him.
Again.
His attention drifted from the reports to Y/N before he consciously pulled it back.
This is becoming a habit.
He had always prided himself on discipline.
Discipline of thought.
Discipline of emotion.
Everything had its place.
His mission came first.
It always had.
So why, lately, did his thoughts seem determined to wander whenever she was nearby?
He silently exhaled through his nose.
Fooocus...
There was too much at stake for distractions.
By the morning before the auction, headquarters had become noticeably quieter.
Not because there was less work, but because everyone understood the importance of the assignment ahead.
Conversations were shorter, laughter came less often.
Even Basho, who usually managed to find humor in nearly every situation, spent more time reviewing reports than making jokes and being unserious.
Y/N had just finished delivering a stack of finalized documents to Light Nostrade's office when she noticed Kurapika leaving the conference room alone.
He acknowledged the others with a polite nod before disappearing down the hallway without another word.
She watched him until he rounded the corner.
Something about him seemed... distant.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
It was subtle enough that no one else appeared to notice.
But she had.
Ever since Basho had mentioned the Scarlet Eyes several days earlier, there had been a change.
Kurapika still fulfilled every responsibility without flaw. He still answered questions calmly, still planned each assignment with his usual precision, and still maintained the composed expression everyone expected of him.
Yet there were moments—small, fleeting moments—when that composure slipped.
She had caught him staring absently through the office window while holding a report he'd forgotten to read.
She had seen him pause in the middle of writing, his pen hovering motionless over the page as though he'd lost himself in a memory.
Yesterday, she'd even watched him leave his coffee untouched until it had gone completely cold.
No one had commented.
Perhaps no one else had noticed.
Or perhaps they simply assumed it was stress.
Y/N wasn't so sure.
She remembered the brief flash of crimson beneath his contacts.
She remembered the way Melody had looked toward him that morning.
Most of all...
She remembered the sadness she'd seen in his eyes before he buried it once again beneath perfect composure.
A quiet ache settled in her chest.
She couldn't explain why she cared so much.
Only that she did.
As she watched the empty hallway where he'd disappeared moments before, a thought surfaced almost without permission.
I should talk to him.
Almost immediately, another answered.
Would he even want that?
She wasn't sure.
Kurapika wasn't the sort of person who invited others into his burdens.
If anything, he seemed determined to shoulder them alone.
Still...
She couldn't shake the feeling that if she did nothing, she'd regret it.
Taking a slow breath, she glanced toward the clock hanging near the reception desk.
It was nearly time to leave for the evening.
If she was going to ask him what was wrong...
Tonight would be her only chance before the auction.
To Be Continued...
A/n: I'm going to be adding in some scenes from the anime, but it won't be quite the same :)
If you guys would like me to add anything particular you'd like to see happen within this series, or if there is anything you don't like, such as my writing style or chapter length, etc... lmk in the comments💞
