_=Standard Disclaimers applied. I've made up that part about Kurapika's past and everything else in here just for the heck of it, mkay?=_
Rukuso
It wasn't my peaceful home
~/the past : memories : thoughts/~
~*~
"Kurapika?"
"Yeah, Gon?" I said, not turning to face my friend who had been nice enough to actually come with me here in the remote regions of Rukuso just so I could visit my homeland -- and my people's graves.
"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice dripping with sympathy and concern.
"Sure," I lied, succeedding in surpressing the sobs that were forcing their way out of me. "Sure, Gon, I'm fine."
"We better head back . . . Leorio and Killua are sure to be worried and, uh, we can continue this tomorrow."
"Alright."
~*~
"You alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine. Let me be, okay?"
"Just asking."
"Hn."
"Kurapika . . ."
"Leorio, shut up."
~*~
Blam!
"Where is he going?" I heard Killua ask as the door slammed shut behind me.
"I don't know. We'll just have to leave him alone. Go to sleep you two," answered Leorio, and footsteps against the wooden floor were heard as he ushered them back to their rooms.
As the footsteps faded away, I pushed off from the door where I had been leaning against. I was barefooted, but that didn't matter, for I've been running around here barefooted in my childhood.
I walked upon the grounds that have once been the village's center. I stooped down and memories flooded back . . .
~*~
"Leorio, I think you should check on Kurapika," said Gon as the older boy tucked the blankets around him.
"Sure, Gon. Now go to sleep," Leorio replied.
"Leorio, you should," came Killua's voice from the other side of the room.
"I'm planning to, okay? But he musn't know I'm watching him so you two sleep already, then I can scoot out of here," Leorio answered back impatiently.
"Oh, alright."
ZzZzZzZzZz [sleep]
~*~
"Leorio, are the two asleep already?" I asked.
"Uh, yeah," he replied, coming out of the bushes he has been hiding behind. "How did you--?"
"Knew you were there?" I cut him off. "In a still and silent night like tonight, anything and everything can be heard."
"Silent?" Leorio asked. "You call THIS silent?" A branch snapped close to him and he jumped.
"This is my home, remember?" I said, turning around to look at him. I shook my head to partly hide my eyes with my blonde bangs -- I just KNOW they've turned scarlet. "I know the difference between the sounds of this place from that of a...disturbance."
"Right," he muttered, rubbing his hands together. "We better go back, Kurapika. I'm getting cold, aren't you yet? And, darn, you don't have any slippers on."
"Cold," I echoed, turning my back on him again. "I remember now...too clearly."
~/That fateful night wasn't much different from tonight, still and silent if not for the occassional snapping of the branches. We used to play out of the house everyday until way past dusk, but that night it was too cold and parents won't let their children out. Everyone stayed indoors, and I was asleep in my room. Or so I have pretended to.../~
"Oi, Kurapika, snap out of it," Leorio shouted at my ear, shaking me as I stood there, reminiscing the past. "I know we're here...in Rukuso...but pick a better time for a trip down memory lane, will ya? It's freezin cold!"
"Yes..." I vaguely answered, my voice trailing off.
~/I slipped out through my bedroom window. Me and my friends have made a pact that afternoon of playing hunt tonight. I wasn't sure if the deal was still on or not because of the weather, but still I went to the meeting place with my overused twin-katana. It was one of the most powerful and strongest weapons in our village. A precious heirloom of our family my dad has passed on to me./~
"Kurapika, come on!"Leorio shouted just behind me, but I hardly heard him.
I took a step forward, another, and another. I don't know where I'm walking towards to, I don't seem to have any control over my legs at all...
~/No one came. I guess they decided it was just too cold or, more probably, they got caught by the elders on their way out. I always wondered how our parents find out, I heard the older kids speak of something called 'aura'. Of course, I didn't know about the power of Nen then...and frankly, I didn't care./~
Where am I going? I'm treading to nowhere...Leorio keeps on shouting, I can't understand what he is saying...he's probably shouting my name...where am I heading? Where are my feet bringing me to?
~/I guess I fell asleep. I woke up feeling sore having been sleeping on solid rock. It was very late and, of course, colder. At least, that was what I expected. But strangely, somehow, the forest air felt warmer. I threw off the blanket wrapped around my shoulders that I have needed earlier this night./~
"Kurapika, where are you going?" was all I could make out of what Leorio was screaming at me.
~/I got back to the village...but what I saw wasn't.../~
"Kurapika, stop it. Let's go back," Leorio's voice got a bit more distinct as he grabbed my arm.
~/...wasn't my peaceful home...everything was burned or destroyed...everyone lay on the ground...dead.../~
"Kurapika?" he called again.
~/In the distance, I could hardly see a small group...one had a mark of a spider at his back, and another one...they're the ones responsible for this.../~
I finally stopped in my aimless walk. "Leorio, why did I live? Why couldn't have I just died with them that night?" I asked him, and everything turned black.
~End of Chapter 1 of Rukuso~
A/N: I'm typing "Rukuso" while I'm waiting for my dialer to connect to the internet. (Come ON! Connect!) Just a past-time. So I'm sorry of it turns out short and 'pathetique'. Btw, "turned black" means he fainted, mkay?
Rukuso
It wasn't my peaceful home
~/the past : memories : thoughts/~
~*~
"Kurapika?"
"Yeah, Gon?" I said, not turning to face my friend who had been nice enough to actually come with me here in the remote regions of Rukuso just so I could visit my homeland -- and my people's graves.
"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice dripping with sympathy and concern.
"Sure," I lied, succeedding in surpressing the sobs that were forcing their way out of me. "Sure, Gon, I'm fine."
"We better head back . . . Leorio and Killua are sure to be worried and, uh, we can continue this tomorrow."
"Alright."
~*~
"You alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine. Let me be, okay?"
"Just asking."
"Hn."
"Kurapika . . ."
"Leorio, shut up."
~*~
Blam!
"Where is he going?" I heard Killua ask as the door slammed shut behind me.
"I don't know. We'll just have to leave him alone. Go to sleep you two," answered Leorio, and footsteps against the wooden floor were heard as he ushered them back to their rooms.
As the footsteps faded away, I pushed off from the door where I had been leaning against. I was barefooted, but that didn't matter, for I've been running around here barefooted in my childhood.
I walked upon the grounds that have once been the village's center. I stooped down and memories flooded back . . .
~*~
"Leorio, I think you should check on Kurapika," said Gon as the older boy tucked the blankets around him.
"Sure, Gon. Now go to sleep," Leorio replied.
"Leorio, you should," came Killua's voice from the other side of the room.
"I'm planning to, okay? But he musn't know I'm watching him so you two sleep already, then I can scoot out of here," Leorio answered back impatiently.
"Oh, alright."
ZzZzZzZzZz [sleep]
~*~
"Leorio, are the two asleep already?" I asked.
"Uh, yeah," he replied, coming out of the bushes he has been hiding behind. "How did you--?"
"Knew you were there?" I cut him off. "In a still and silent night like tonight, anything and everything can be heard."
"Silent?" Leorio asked. "You call THIS silent?" A branch snapped close to him and he jumped.
"This is my home, remember?" I said, turning around to look at him. I shook my head to partly hide my eyes with my blonde bangs -- I just KNOW they've turned scarlet. "I know the difference between the sounds of this place from that of a...disturbance."
"Right," he muttered, rubbing his hands together. "We better go back, Kurapika. I'm getting cold, aren't you yet? And, darn, you don't have any slippers on."
"Cold," I echoed, turning my back on him again. "I remember now...too clearly."
~/That fateful night wasn't much different from tonight, still and silent if not for the occassional snapping of the branches. We used to play out of the house everyday until way past dusk, but that night it was too cold and parents won't let their children out. Everyone stayed indoors, and I was asleep in my room. Or so I have pretended to.../~
"Oi, Kurapika, snap out of it," Leorio shouted at my ear, shaking me as I stood there, reminiscing the past. "I know we're here...in Rukuso...but pick a better time for a trip down memory lane, will ya? It's freezin cold!"
"Yes..." I vaguely answered, my voice trailing off.
~/I slipped out through my bedroom window. Me and my friends have made a pact that afternoon of playing hunt tonight. I wasn't sure if the deal was still on or not because of the weather, but still I went to the meeting place with my overused twin-katana. It was one of the most powerful and strongest weapons in our village. A precious heirloom of our family my dad has passed on to me./~
"Kurapika, come on!"Leorio shouted just behind me, but I hardly heard him.
I took a step forward, another, and another. I don't know where I'm walking towards to, I don't seem to have any control over my legs at all...
~/No one came. I guess they decided it was just too cold or, more probably, they got caught by the elders on their way out. I always wondered how our parents find out, I heard the older kids speak of something called 'aura'. Of course, I didn't know about the power of Nen then...and frankly, I didn't care./~
Where am I going? I'm treading to nowhere...Leorio keeps on shouting, I can't understand what he is saying...he's probably shouting my name...where am I heading? Where are my feet bringing me to?
~/I guess I fell asleep. I woke up feeling sore having been sleeping on solid rock. It was very late and, of course, colder. At least, that was what I expected. But strangely, somehow, the forest air felt warmer. I threw off the blanket wrapped around my shoulders that I have needed earlier this night./~
"Kurapika, where are you going?" was all I could make out of what Leorio was screaming at me.
~/I got back to the village...but what I saw wasn't.../~
"Kurapika, stop it. Let's go back," Leorio's voice got a bit more distinct as he grabbed my arm.
~/...wasn't my peaceful home...everything was burned or destroyed...everyone lay on the ground...dead.../~
"Kurapika?" he called again.
~/In the distance, I could hardly see a small group...one had a mark of a spider at his back, and another one...they're the ones responsible for this.../~
I finally stopped in my aimless walk. "Leorio, why did I live? Why couldn't have I just died with them that night?" I asked him, and everything turned black.
~End of Chapter 1 of Rukuso~
A/N: I'm typing "Rukuso" while I'm waiting for my dialer to connect to the internet. (Come ON! Connect!) Just a past-time. So I'm sorry of it turns out short and 'pathetique'. Btw, "turned black" means he fainted, mkay?