A/N: Hello! I am a part of the minority that ships Kurapika with Melody (Or Senritsu as I have dubbed her in this chapter). The reasons are fairly straightforward: Melody is a kind and tempered young soul that has done a fairly good job of mitigating Kurapika's more calculating, and hotheaded tendencies both in and out of the manga. I have noticed Kurapika holds a special place in his heart for kind people (Piero, Gon etc.) and believe Kurapika could plausibly fall for Melody's serene and enduring caring nature.
Anyways, I have never submitted a story dedicated to this pairing before, but I simply had to write something after seeing the lack of KuraxSen fanfictions! This pairing needs much more love and have taken it upon myself to help bring more attention to them. I hope this chapter is alright; I found writing in Melody's point of view was a little challenging for me, as I tend to relate to characters like Kurapika a bit more (standoffish characters with an unintentional stoic energy), but I hope I did her justice! Let me know if you think I could improve Melody's characterization in anyway, and how you feel about this first chapter in the review section! I love constructive criticism.
Also just as an extra side note: I do not personally feel Melody is that much older than Kurapika (a year or two at the most). She strikes me as delightfully wise, but has a cute girlish quality to her I have always liked. Many fans justify their theory of her being older by stating that she only was subject to the Dark Sonata's curse because she and her friend were inebriated at the time, but I distinctly recall Leorio saying that in his hometown, it is legal to drink once you are sixteen. I believe laws pertaining to consent at which you may drink vary according to territory, and as such have decided that in this story, Melody will be 20, with Kurapika being 19. Therefore, Melody will have been 15, going on sixteen, when the curse was inflicted upon her. Needless to say, when this story picks up with the sexual element I am planning to bring into play, Melody will be pretty clueless on the subject.
Without further ado, enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not in any way, shape, or form own HunterxHunter.
Chapter One: Melody
"She warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within. If he could learn to love another, and earn her love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time. As the years passed, he fell into despair and lost all hope. For who could ever learn to love a beast?"
-Beauty and the Beast
Short and stumpy fingers slipped across the ivory and black keys in a never ending crescendo of delicate raindrops. One would never expect such small and chubby fingers to be able to caress the keys with such care, and be able to persuade them into dancing in such an elaborate and mellifluous cascade of twinkling harmonics- reverberating crescendos- as the notes, like an iridescent waterfall crashed into the next set of elaborate minor chords. She lulls the blossoming pings of sound into a lullaby, and then like a fussy child, the chords within the grand instrument cry out as suddenly as thunder in a sharp sputtering of augmented sevenths and fortes.
Somehow, the auburn haired musician charms her hands into playing the tittering notes that so echo nature's impromptu breeze. Pale fingers teeter along the glowing teeth of the piano, as if struggling to run off the white fangs of the beast, only to fall seemingly by accident onto the perfect keys. She never misses. Her fingers continue to dance across the cool, alabaster keys, as the pink shells of her nails punch into the coal sections of wood, blood fleeing her short stubby fingers in acknowledgment of the quaking sound that travels up her digits. The calcium of her fingers' armor disappears into the white rectangles, as if attempting to blend into the beautiful song; the ocean foam of rhythm.
And then, she carefully runs her pink tongue across her bottom lip, and begins to sing. Calm and smooth, her voice rolls into the chaotic masterpiece of auditory dance, and quells the excited beast into a soft purring of intricate arpeggios.
She rarely sings anymore. Not since the Dark Sonata, which tore her flesh asunder and trapped her into this small, and delicate form that is so much closer to the ground. It was almost as if the devil himself had spotted her head looking above others in her selfish pursuit of music -oh those were the days. When she could dance endlessly, and pine only after fleeting notes, and dear god she was only a child- and deemed her too proud with her head held high. Too proud, too single-minded, to anxious to soar above the mundane pleasantries into the world of sounds. How fitting that she should be punished for her audacity, her dreamy and floating personality, by having her wings torn off so that she may spend the rest of her existence within the confines of a short, and clumsy body. One that could see nothing more than busy legs going everywhere, while she was forced to stay grounded.
'Breath,' Senritsu reminds herself, as she sucks in a stuttering breath that pulls the sob lodged in her throat down, under,under. At last, the tiny pianist regains control of her lungs, and allows a wisp of her voice to escape from her lips, until it builds in intensity, and she is shaking from the potency of her own song. The beautiful, almost angelic, harmony of her voice intertwines with the powerful chords of the piano. She bites back a smile at the melodious combination. At least her ability to produce music has not been deterred by the terrible Sonata.
The awakening sun rolls in through the barely parted maroon curtains of the room, and stretches across the girl's descending digits. Senritsu sighs, as she brings her reverberating voice down to a soft middle C, and slows her fingers' caresses to two interchanging notes. Her tired fingers slow until the grand beast has been placated, and the song is no more. She had spent the entire night playing the piano again. This will not bode well for her guard duties to Neon today….
She is preparing to slide off the bench onto her too small legs she has become accustomed to, and hopefully reach her bedroom before the others have awakened when….. she hears it: The soft clapping.
Senritsu whirls around suddenly at the unexpected audience, and flushes when she catches sight of blonde hair and mesmerized grey eyes.
Kurapika stares at her disbelievingly,a smile as rare as snow in Yorknew playing on his lips as he leans against the door of the room. "Senritsu….that was incredible...I did not know you could sing."
The young girl looks down at the ground, and bashfully shuffles her feet.
How embarrassing! He heard my unprofessional warbling? I didn't even really make an effort to stay on key at some points….
"I don't do it as often anymore," she finally answers. "It's just something I do for myself every once in awhile….only if my heartbeat matches the music well enough."
"Anymore….?" The Kurta asks, voice dipping lower as he leaves the question hanging between them. Senritsu stiffens at the inquiry, before giving a sad smile as she looks down at her arms. She can hear the steel eyed boy's heartbeat falter, realizing when the last time she actually sang in public was.
"I see….please forgive me Senritsu, I have upset you."The Kurta only looks down briefly, a stoic action to most, but Senritsu can hear the self-loathing melody beginning to rise from his usually steady heartbeat, and she knows he is hiding regretful orbs beneath his golden bangs.
"N-no, no, not at all," she quickly reassures. "It was a fair question," she breathily laughs, "Truly...I am glad you enjoyed it."
Kurapika's eyes soften as he looks down at her, "It was the most beautiful song I have ever heard…"
And a warmth spreads to her chest at the sincerity in the young man's eyes. She thinks this is the first time in a long time anyone has said anything about her is beautiful.
"Do you normally wake up this early to play?" Kurapika asks running his hands over the black surface of the instrument, as he helps Senritsu slide the bench back in place.
Senritsu shuffles her feet in slight embarrassment as she avoids his gaze. His heartbeat pivots with understanding, as the 19 year old's arms freeze in his shuffling of music sheets.
"You never went to bed." It isn't a question.
Senritsu says nothing.
"Senritsu...you should not deprive your body of rest. Loss of sleep can have terrible repercussions on your health. Furthermore, we are hunters. This career is dangerous enough as it is without you losing your attentiveness." The boy frowns at her disapprovingly, worry swirling in the smoky grey of his eyes.
Senritsu allows the right corner of her lip to upturn coyly, and raises one ironic eyebrow. Kurapika blinks.
"As I recall, I told you the exact same thing two weeks ago when you were overworking yourself by taking over Nostrade-sama's investments..."
Indeed, even now Senritsu can see the dark rings around his eyes, like murals of the burdens that have been placed on his shoulders by their employer. Light Norstrade had fallen into a deep depression when he had discovered his daughter had been ridden of her seer abilities, and had unwittingly delegated the role of investment management to his head bodyguard after his mental breakdown. The shadows hung over his face, soft for a young man's, but the kindness and youth on Kurapika's face was leveled by his fierce and hardened eyes. She wondered if he himself had slept at all tonight.
Kurapika, aware of her tracing eyes, shifted his face to the side, "that...that is beside the point..."
Is his face reddening?
Senritsu feels a small feeling of triumph blossom within her chest at the boy's acknowledgment of the irony in his scolding. Rarely do Senritsu's gibes administer the proper amount of teasing, serene as her voice has, unfortunately, always been. Kurapika on the other hand has always had a knack for understanding the cursed hunter's expressions.
"Really Kurapika, I am fine. I've gone without sleep before," The music hunter says, wagging a lecturing finger up at the taller blonde in a parody of a stubborn daughter. Kurapika's eyes widened in amusement at the girl's decidedly cute antics before letting an exaggerated sigh escape his lips, which were threatening to quirk up into a smile.
Senritsu takes a few steady steps forward. Their boss will be up any minute now really….it is shopping day after all. Neon is always up early on shopping days, a fact the hunter has had to get accustomed to-
"Oh!" Senritsu gasps, as her foot catches on the edge of a nearby stool. The young Kurta dashes to the young woman as quickly as only a hunter can, and manages to wrap an arm around her before she crashes to the ground.
"And you say you are fine? You are so tired you could not even see that knocked over chair in your path." And there is the boyish skip in his heart Senritsu has come to associate as the chain-user's feeling of triumph.
"I….well….." she trails off, and resists the urge to pout at her slip up.
"Ah-huh." Kurapika dead pans.
"Ok, so maybe I am a bit tired…" It is meant to come out as a grumble, but with her infuriatingly sweet voice, of course it comes out sounding like an admission of defeat. Kind and sweet Senritsu may be, but the thought of conceding defeat to anyone still stirs an ardent pinch to her pride.
She is wondering why he has kept his silence when her ears are alerted to the sudden spike in Kurapika's heartbeat. A puff of warm breath grazes the back of her neck, and an involuntary shiver races up her spine at the action.
What on earth….?
"Wha-?" The conjurer's arms abruptly unwrap themselves from around her, and it is only then Senritsu is reminded that they had never separated from each other after she had tripped over the wayward stool. Stumbling forward without the support of strong, steady, arms, Senritsu pivots on her left heel to get a better look at the face of the boy with the sudden frenzied heatbeat.
Kurapika's cheeks burn bright in their rosiness as he refuses to raise his line of vision any higher than her feet. Senritsu stands before him, baffled and a little concerned at the complete 180 in behavior. A flustered Kurapika was a rare sight to behold indeed, and already Senritsu had witnessed it twice in one morning.
"Please forgive my uncouth actions...I….well," He blurts the words out, as if unsure of how to continue.
"I don't understand, what have you done that you feel apologetic for?" Senritsu asks, clearly bewildered.
He stares at her in shock, as if she had said something truly outrageous.
What's going on?
"I-I touched you."
"Yes…. touching is necessary when catching someone, right?" She smiles. Was he ashamed of touching her without her permission? While the sentiment was appreciated, Senritsu had never really considered herself the type of woman to scold a man for simply touching her. She trusted Kurapika, and knew he had no malintent. Besides, in her current state, who could possibly have that sort of intent?
"Senritsu, I...grabbed you inappropriately." Kurapika states through a hesitant mouth, the surprise at her apparent lack of knowledge becoming more obvious to her through Kurapika's stumbling heartbeat.
What's he talking about-
Her eyes trace Kurapika's involuntary line of vision to her torso as realization dawns on her. The feeling of a long hand over the left side of her chest still feels warm.
Oh
"I...didn't even notice….." it has been so long since she has even had to worry about men touching her, lusting after her. " ….Well quite honestly I don't really worry about this sort of thing anymore! It's alright Kurapika ,your heart, it is playing the rapid song of repent, but you don't need to worry. I am not upset." Senritsu says to the blonde-haired young man, doing her best to sound assuring.
Sure enough, his face softens from the twinge of anxiety it had previously worn. If not for the still lingering sound of displeasure in the rhythm of his heart, she would have never known the stoic boy was still discontent.
Was…..it something I said?
"Either way….I apologize Senritsu….it was disrespectful on my part." He bows deeply, and Senritsu smiles at the youth, getting ready to depart from the music room.
"Senritsu. One final thing if I may…." Kurapika says, concern evident in his voice.
"Oh, yes of course?"
"Don't…...be careful of people touching you. There are a lot of scum that do not have good intentions."
He honestly thought someone would want to-?
"Forgive me if I sound as if I am lecturing or doubting your abilities….it's just that you are kind, and I-...I do not want anyone to take advantage." He finishes, head bowed, and heart beating oddly fast.
She almost laughs, but doesn't, almost cries, but doesn't. She is Senritsu. Undesirable, ugly, and strange Senritsu, with a foolish curiosity that has wronged her time, and time again.
And yet….here stands a young intelligent man, with a face that could have belonged to Alexander the Great asking someone like her to beware of lecherous males that may desire something more of her.
"I will do my best." She finally answers, voice unsteady with emotion she had long since learned to suppress.
Silly girl, is your vanity really so strong that you would tear up simply because someone said you had something worth defiling? You're a little fool, aren't you?
When a sweet smile breaks across Kurapika's face at her sincere response, Senritsu forgets her self-loathing for the time being. She smiles back as she stares at the boy-with-too-many-burdens, and is glad when she hears his heart beat's melody return to a complacent and kind tune.
"I am glad. We had better get to the main room now. The others have no doubt already gathered to discuss today's agenda."
Senritsu makes her way back to her room, bewilderment at the sudden turn of events whirling in her mind. One moment she had been grabbing her favorite sun hat to make the trip with Neon to the mall, and the next-
Light Nostrade had called to tell her to get some rest for the day in order to recover from her absolutely horrid cold. If the shock from actually being contacted by their employer directly had not been unusual enough to throw Senritsu for a loop, she might have let him know directly she was not actually sick. Of all the strange things to occur.
She smooths out the magenta sheets on her bedsprings, small palms pressing against the mattress as she laboriously maneuveres herself onto her bed. Really, if she is getting a chance to sleep in, she isn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth…
Back pressed against the mattress, she forces her eyelids to shut over amber eyes.
Aaaaannnnddd sleep.
She lays in her bed for several minutes. Restless. She clenches and unclenches her hands, moves onto her right shoulder to sleep on her side. Nope. She moves onto her front, sinking her face into the plush material of her lilac pillow. Nothing.
Several seconds pass before Senritsu decides she has finally had enough.
Okay, perhaps this situation is a little too serial to be comfortable with...kind of too good to be true, now isn't it?
There was no way Neon could have ever noticed Senritsu being tired. Aside from Senritsu being a seasoned hunter, experienced in hiding her weaknesses, Neon…..was just not that bright. It was a rude thing to admit to herself, but Senritsu understood this to be true. Besides, it isn't like she would ever really care to report any illness pertaining to her bodyguards. Neon was far more interested in material possessions; it was plain to see she just did not have an abundance of empathy to spare..
So then who? The only one who knew I had been up all night was Kurapika. Did he…..say something to Norstrade-sama?
Senritsu rolled over on her side once again, facing the wall and small drawer on the right of her bed. She shifted her legs against the soft, cool linens of her sheets, ruffling the material in the process.
Amber gaze peered behind drooping eyes as sleep threatened to overtake her after all, when she turned her head in just the right direction, and saw it.
There, sitting on her desk, was a neatly folded note, with plain, but careful writing. The note had been pinned below a medium-sized glass of water.
Senritsu shifted up quickly, kicking a pillow that had been sitting near her legs in her haste to sit up (...she may or may not have been a bit of an active sleeper), and curiously stretched her hand out to retrieve the paper. She unfolded the note, and began to read:
Senritsu,
I have asked Basho to fill in for you today to attend to boss, and hope this will give you the opportunity for some much needed rest. I understand that you were fully prepared to proceed with today as usual, and am aware that you've no doubt had to deal with tiredness in the past, but, well, honestly I would feel much better if you got the chance to sleep well this once. I hope to see you well rested tomorrow.
-Kurapika.
Senritsu sighed, before smiling affectionately at the note. In reality, Kurapika was a very caring individual, though a stubborn one. There wasn't any other way to describe the note except for...sweet. There were times when Senritsu would tremble from the angry and foreboding symphony of fury thrumming from his heart strings, and other times she would look into his eyes only to see a gentleness and kindness radiating back at her. What an odd young man…
She briefly wondered at the slightly rumpled area of the paper, where it was clear something had been painstakingly erased, before her body halted her mind from thoughts, and fell into a deep sleep. She dreamt of a golden chain user, and how his gentle smile and brilliant eyes would shine upon her, and would be able to look past the sonata's damage into who she use to be. When she awoke hours later, she would refuse to admit as to why.
She slept soundly in the center of her small bed, hardly noticeable below the bunched up blanket and sheets. Only the soft rise and fall of her torso, along with her brown-magenta tinged hair sprawled out over the pillow was perceivable. Not even her face was visible from this angle; her hair had done an excellent job of covering the small music hunter's face.
Kurapika sighed softly as he stood in the doorway. He was not trying to spy, he swore, he was merely….checking up on his collegue. Not his friend, or someone he cares very deeply for….a colleague.
She had not even shifted when he had stepped inside the room. Her superior hearing nonexistent in the face of exhaustion. The truth was, Kurapika had long since started to wonder at Senritsu's lacking vitality, which he had correctly attributed to sleep loss. He had wondered at Senritsu's trouble with sleep….and now he was privy to why.
Honestly, staying up all night to play music…..and I know this cannot be the first time you have lost sleep over practicing…..You and I have both had to endure sleepless nights thanks to night guard duty...but why not just play during the day. Why not just use your free time to practice?
He thought this to himself as he drew closer, and closer to the nightstand, where the note he had written earlier resided.
Why not just sing for me?
So stunned is the young Kurta at the sudden, and audacious, question that his head is ridden of all thoughts until only the sound of her voice remains, playing over, and over, and over again. Had he really just thought that? His eyes are drawn to the small nightstand- his note, and the curious erase marks marring the white parchment, bringing to the forefront of his memory just exactly what he had written earlier, before painstakingly removing such a childish request of the young music hunter.
Will you…. sing for me sometime?
His cheeks burn scarlet at the thought that has been running through his head at the most inopportune times all day as he stares at the sleeping girl.
Her lovely voice still rings in his ears. He hopes to hear her again soon.
A/N: If you would like to hear what I personally feel Melody's voice would sound like, go to YouTube and type in "Sarah Lee- Michelle cover song". My compliments to this Youtuber! Her voice is very soothing, and pretty; everything I imagined Senritsu would sound like! Plus there is the added bonus of Michelle being my actual name, so I feel very warm and honored whenever I listen to this particular Beatles song~
Let me know if you like this chapter down below, and many thanks for reading!
Also….as you may have noticed, I tend to switch between Melody's english and japanese names frequently...truthfully I cannot decide which name I like best. For this first chapter I decided to use "Senritsu," but let me know in the comments which name you would prefer! Or should I just use both? Interchange between names every chapter? Just a thought.
Anyways, I am going to be ending this note here. I have not slept in two days thanks to finals…..I am having a hard time keeping my eyes open as I type. Hopefully this chapter did not suffer because of my sleep deprivation.
Oh, good lord…..sleep here I come. Insomnia, please fail me now.
