Disclaimer: The story, characters and concepts all belong to Togashi-sensei
Chapter 1: Yume*
Kurapika wandered down a pathway made up by pine trees. The ground was think and moist. As he pushed aside the last moss-green ferns, a sight instantly caught him dazed in awe. There laid a beautiful meadow resting under the eternal blue sky. He strolled on the sun-tinted grasses, layer after layer. Millions of red poppies, buttercups, lilies of the valley and blue gentians were dancing to the wind.
Gentle. So gentle..
Its melody…
The sound of the meadow wind?
Wrong.
Someone is singing.
He frowned and let his curiosity led the way. Each step he took, the wildflowers got denser. When the singing came in apparent, he was walking on an infinite flower bed with no hint of grass.
He caught the sight of a little girl in violet dress collecting flowers and singing merrily.
Gradually, he stopped at his feet, astounded at the sight. The sun cast its honey-golden light upon her lovely flowing curls, making them shine endlessly. He could hear it clearly… Her song…
Over the hills
Across the oceans
I'm praying for my dearests
Thousands of blessings
For eternity.
A vague rustle sound caught the girl's attention. She looked up and met a pair of icy blue eyes. Her face quickly brightened.
"Kurapika nii-san!"
The teenager before her showed a puzzled look.
"Who are you, little miss?"
He waited for an answer but she only walked up to him and held out her tiny hands with a bunch of wildflowers.
"These… for you."
She smiled and gracefully ran off. Her tiny figure faded into a shade of purple at the other end of the meadow.
"Hey..Wait?"
He took a small step, unsure whether he should follow her.
"Kurapika."
A stumpy male voice uttered his name from behind, sending him a slight shiver. He spun around and immediately distrusted his own eyes.
"P…Pairo?"
There stood his childhood best friend.
He stared at the wildflowers in Kurapika's hand and meaningfully drifted his eyes towards the meadow frontier.
"So you've met her?"
"Who is she?"
No answer.
The childhood friend casually glanced up to the sapphire sky, narowed his eyes in a vague realization and gradually shifted his gaze back at Kurapika.
Then he swiftly headed back to the direction where he had initially come from.
Kurapika froze at his feet. A strong wind swept across the meadow. Wildflowers turned into dozens and dozens of multi-colored petals. Vast by vast, they rushed up to the air.
Higher.
And higher.
...
He sat up in bed with a quiet heave. Cat-like sharp eyes stared at the semi-transparent curtains flipping upon the bright windows. Running his fingers through the sandy blond fringe, he wiped off a thin layer of sweats. The sound of a wall clock ticking became clearer.
8 a.m. He's got fifteen minutes.
Shutting the lavatory door behind, Kurapika returned to his minimalist bedroom.
The blond took off a damp towel wrapping around his lean and sinewy waist. He pulled out a blue-golden tribal suit from his half-empty closet and began the daily ritual of tying several complicated bows.
For an 19 years old, he inherited a rather petite figure. Despite having beautiful and refined features like a living statue, his face drew effeminate. And if it wasn't enough, his skin was also a pale shade of ivory.
God knows such a frail outer shell was perfectly deceptive.
Kurutans of his kind possess incredible strengths and physical potentials in their humble-built bodies. They were a race with too many mysterious traits. Their quiet habitat, their erudition and their conditional scarlet eyes... Being the last descendant alive might have doubted anyone. Were those traits a curse rather than a gift?
Kurapika had no time to doubt. He survived just to fulfill one purpose and it doesn't matter how.
He tightened the chains around his right hand, feeling the cold sensation that he had grown enured to for the last 13 months. A crease briefly shown on the young bodyguard's forehead. It's been a while he did not dream about Pairo
He picked up his cell phone and dialed a familiar number.
"Senritsu... Yes. 3 pm... Make sure everything is ready"