Pride of the Kuruta Eyes
By Christine Lennoire
Prologue: Legend
"Hey! Guys! Over here! I think I found it!" Days, maybe months had passed since these men had started digging. Now, after hundreds of relentless days and nights, it seemed that what they were looking for was in their grasp, and staring them in the face. Their leader, a man by the name of Ashmond, poked his head out of the large whole he had been digging to get a good look at the man who had been screaming success. Everyone else was also looking up in astonishment and excitement. All of them wanted a piece of this rare treasure. Who knew how much it would be worth if they could sell it at the auction… or better, to a private collector! Oh, things were starting to look good.
"Hold it, men!" Ashmond yelled, jumping up out of the whole by concentrating his aura in his feet and leaping high up over the walls of his ditch. "For years I have searched, intrigued by the almighty legend of the Book of the Kuruta, and finally it is here that we found it. Lady Luck has blessed us at last. Who knows? Maybe some of the Scarlet Eyes are buried here as well?" A wicked smile played at his lips. This was a very competitive man. And that look on his face was very frightening. "Balmung! Ritzu! Dig up the treasure, boys! We'll be celebrating tonight!" He shouted. At that, everyone cheered in excitement. The wait and the work… were over.
A large chest was lifted from the ruins. It was, after all, pretty heavy for a trunk of that size. "There's… gotta be somethin' in it!" The second man, named Ritzu said, straining his muscles to lift it higher, towards the men above him. The first nodded his head in agreement. "Let's drag it back to camp before they start the party without us!" And Ritzu was right. The other men had taken off early, leaving them to do the hard work. All of them, except for Ashmond, of course, who watched them with a leery eye. "Sir, thank you, sir! We never would have done it without you, sir!" Ashmond smiled and nodded, and in return, helped them carry it back to their camp off the shore.
The chest was sat down in the middle of the camp, by the fire. Ritzu and Balmung stepped back to join their fellow workers and Ashmond took center stage for a speech. "Brothers, it is today that we have found what we came here for. We did it, thanks to hard work, perseverance, and determination. Without all three of these things, we would have failed, or be home right now, empty-handed. And for this, I thank each and every one of you, because every one of us is still here, reaping the benefits of this wonderful treasure… the Book of the Kuruta! And because it suits the occasion, I will tell you the story of the Kuruta and their downfall…
Everyone crowded closer, eager to hear their leader's tale. Each of them had heard very little here and there. Now they would hear the whole story from Ashmond, who made it his business to know the WHOLE legend. "The legend says that about nine years ago, a peaceful clan lived around these parts. They were called the Kuruta. The Kuruta themselves weren't anything special. What made them unique and precious, was their eyes. Kuruta eyes change color whenever they get extremely emotional, in the cases of anger and hate. When they die with their eyes that color, they remain that way, and are sold for extreme prices that most of us here, could only dream of!" Ashmond said with a dreamy look on his face.
"Very little is known about what happened to the Kuruta people. Because of the eyes, many people wanted to find out the truth. A hunt began, and that was when the legend of the Kuruta Book first appeared. It was said that a man challenged the hunt all alone. In this very area, he found a book with the symbol of a small dragon with red gems imbedded in it. People are now pretty sure that there is such a thing… perhaps it is the key. So… technically, one could sell the book for a high price without telling the buyer about the key, then come back with the key, the dragon pendant, and force the buyer to pay up big a second time for the key to open the book. That's our plan."
The members of his little group all looked at each other excitedly. Their plan seemed flawless. They already had a good idea where the key was at, anyway, after gaining some information from an old couple that ran a portion of the Hunter's Exam. According to them, the pendant was found and tossed back in the ocean by a young man who had competed a few years earlier. This made the hunt for them much easier, and much more… rewarding, in some cases. They could, in fact, find more treasure there and sell that too at an extra profit! Things were turning out great for this band of men, as their leader would have it.
"Now, gather round, and I shall tell you the story behind the downfall of the Kuruta's so-called 'empire'! Ashmond had a mocking tone in his voice, something that made the story sound all the better. He had a way of wrapping people around his finger quite nicely…
"A single pair of those eyes could make you rich at an auction. But then there was Genei Ryodan: the Spiders. The Ryodan figured, a pair would be nice, but why just kill one when you can kill the whole bunch? So that's what they did! All of them pulled together and hatched a plan to kill every last one of the Kuruta. It's said that there might have been a survivor, but I've heard no such thing! Besides, I wouldn't be afraid, after all the others were slaughtered so easily!" Everyone laughed. This was all just a big joke. Well…
"The joke's on them." Kurapika sat behind a small boulder. His eyes were flaring red with anger, but he remained still throughout the rest of the speech. It was his goal to get that chest back. Legend or no legend, what's true is true and lying can get you killed. This is the real world, after all… You have to put reality before fantasy eventually… Not ALL dreams can come true…
Kurapika was forced to retreat. He couldn't get it now, since his chains were useless against these people. There were simply too many of them! He decided that he'd get it back at the auction, before the bets went up, but he knew he'd need a plan B, just in case, but his mind was on other things. He had listened as the man named Ashmond told his version of the legend. But he had left something very important out… "The Kuruta are a people filled with pride… they didn't fight back. I watched as my people were massacred and slaughtered, being carried away by my mother. She told me to run. I waited instead… and the sight I saw…" H stopped.
"I'll never forget that sight…"
Through his mind, images of the battle ran clear against his memory. There were people on horseback, and fire all around. He remembered it through the eyes of a child, though; it was a child who would never see things the same again. "I have to do this… for my people. I have to set the legend straight, and let the people know the truth. I can rest in peace, then." He said, with a small curve on his lip. It could almost be considered a smile, if you looked at it the right way. "I promise… as the last survivor… I won't let you down, mother, father, brothers, sisters, friends, and everyone else I cared about… I won't let you be forgotten. I'll see what you left me, and rebuild you a life in the heavens, where you can smile down on a people that love you."
"I can make your legend… a legacy." Small tears formed at his eyes, as he forced himself to keep walking away from the one thing he believed he needed to help himself and his people move on… Another day, soon, he'd have it, and the key, and he'd read it. Then he'd make sure everyone knew the truth… That was his greatest wish…
"But, I can't do it alone…" He smiled. It was time to make a few long-awaited phone calls…
So how's that for starters? I'm not 100 sure where this is going. So, feel free to drop some ideas in when you review… hint, hint thank you so much for reading, and I hope you'll continue to read… it might have some romance thrown in later. Suggestions are welcomed, warmly. No flames though, please! I usually write longer bits, so, sorry it's kinda short. It'll get longer, whether it's the number of chapters, or longer chapters, I dunno… we'll see! Thanks, bunches!
C.L.