Moshi-moshi minna ! It's Quince again here !!!

Kay, I'm trying to write a serious story this time, and practicing my grammars too…

I don't know how's your feeling after read this story, but do let me know alright ?!?

I need your feedback, suggestion, comments, critics, correction, flames, whateva… it means you have to REVIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWW !!!!

I'd gladly acclaim HunterxHunter

*rotten vegetables hurled from the angry fans*

Alright… ! HunterxHunter belong to Togashi-sensei and I'm just one of it's freakin fans who too much fantasizing about them. Fantasy… folly or fulfillment? You decide !

Oh… By The Way… HAPPY NEW YEAR ! Renew your resolution !!!

Around the Border of Life

Prologue: Plain White for the Midwinter's Lullaby

The blonde arched his back and tried to loosen the stiffness around his spine after an hour bending down, preparing the food. He gazed around, the table was set; plates, glasses, and napkins were arranged in sweet order. The turkey was almost ready, it just needed some finishing touches, some tomato roses would be nice. He began to skin one.

The day was dim still, no bird's chirping, no neighbor's chatting. Only the faint rhyme of dripping water from the tap could be heard… a droplet… another droplet… and other, and others. Slowly he focused himself to the said sound without noticing the knife he was using.

The thinnest needle of the clock made its journey in full circle…

Then somewhere far he felt something warm running down his palm

Snapping back into consciousness, he saw his hand. The fruit was fully peeled, some of its juice was oozing out… along with some darker crimson stream… blood… he has cut himself.

He blinked, pain began to register in his mind. He washed his hand and paused a while, before deciding to search for a first aid kit. He intended to use his healing chain in his thumb, but something in his mind was holding him back.

He sighed heavily and threw a glance at the clock. The longest needle was pointing at twelve and the shorter one was resting on five. Leorio, Killua and Gon would be there in an hour. An hour. Sixty minutes. Sixty laps to go for that thin little clock needle. Three thousand and six hundred seconds.

He closed his eyes. It won't be that long Kurapika. Just count to thirty-six hundred and they'll be here, he assured himself. But it was long indeed, at least long enough for him that he decided to wait for them outside.

The freezing wind of late November stroked his skin. He sighed again, sent his breath out and clouded up in the plain white sky. Something chilly fell on his cheek, his neck, his hand, and his sweater. He gazed upward, snowflakes, heaven's gift, was falling. He smiled weakly. He lowered his view and stopped at the roof, then decided to go up there for a better scene.

He raised his chained fist into the chimney, intending to use the chain to wrap around it and pulled himself up. But again, something in his mind held him back. He decided to climb up the pipes instead. Step by step, until finally he stood on top of his house.

The trees were leafless. The chimneys around were smokeless. His neighbors have all gone to see their families. He came back sighing again. It's the eleventh thanksgiving he's had, first one since he was ten, being the first one since he lost his family, his tribe.

Six, miserable years after that cursed year passed by without any thanksgiving. Every time that moment arrived, all that he could feel was the cold emptiness and slight jealousy to those who had a family to celebrate with. No family, no warmth. The chilling wind made him lean on the chimney. Feeling its brick's warmth, he shut his eyelids and continued to daydream.

Now why was he preparing a thanksgiving dinner? Well, he wouldn't have done it if those three friends of his didn't insist him a week before. Now where were they? He opened his eyes and scanned the surrounding views impatiently, searching for the trio's silhouette. He didn't find them, instead he found himself sighing again. "Since when I became a sigh-y person?" he muttered in irritation.

He shook his head, the mound of snow on his hair fell down. His whole body began to shiver, protesting the freezing temperature. He placed his hands on his mouth, trying to keep them warm by huffing his breath to the palms.

Something was clinking… his chains. He looked at them closely… as silver as ever, then he spotted some dark marks hidden between the rings and the chains… it couldn't be rust, his chains were made of his nen-filled blood and they definitely don't get rusty. He wiped the mark and smelled it. A metallic, familiar scent invaded his brain, it's blood, drained out blood. Whose blood? His own? Those filthy street criminals? Those Ryordans members he killed? Who remembers? Lots of blood has spattered his hand in the past few years, his enemies of course… his enemy's blood.

Then there was it, he felt that again. It, a hollow, a hollow inside of him, hollow void, a hollow of nothingness, emptiness, a hollow that strangely burns and freezes at same time. Some words his Sensei had told him came back to his mind.

"Do you still intend to have your revenge?"

"Yes."

"Better not … I tell you… it's no use… What would you do then? What will be left after that? Only emptiness and blood spattered hands… Draw back your mind, for your own sake, this is your last chance."

"I've made my vow."

He sat down and drew himself closer to the chimney, folding his feet in his chest. The chimney heated up, so did the hollow inside him. He pulled himself suddenly as he felt something explode inside him, making his feet loose balance and slip off.

An 'Ouch' escaped his lips as he felt the icy roof slam the back of his head. That felt familiar… he remembered, he had fallen off the roof too, years ago.

"Otouto… tsk-tsk-tsk… baka-baka… I know you can hardly stand up in high places but you can kill yourself by falling from the roof like that you know."

" Uruse !!!"

"He's right Kurapika, you can kill yourself that way."

"Demo… Otousan…!"

"Don't worry, he's got thirteen lives in that small body, he wont die that easy!"

"Ojiisan… don't mock me… it hurts!"

"Yeah… now he lost one, twelve more accidents like this and Otouto's as good as dead!"

"URUSEEEE!!!! Oniichan, GET OUT !!! Ouch… Okaasan, it hurts."

"Well, you made it, now you have to lie still for at least a month ."

Yes, when he was nine, he fell off the roof, resulting a couple broken ribs and some hideous bruises. Oniichan never stopped mocking him that day, while both Otousan and Okaasan seems so worried and Ojiisan said that he got thirteen lives, he always said that.

Thirteen lives… Kurapika inhaled a deep deep breath, filling his lung with the frigid air. He was counting. If Ojiisan was right and I do have thirteen lives, how many of them are left by now? Would that enough to complete my revenge? To regain all of the stolen scarlet eyes? Thirteen lives… I lost one that day… one at the Kurutas' genocide… one, when I killed that Ryordan's hulk… and one more when I killed that woman, also a Ryordan member… what were their names? He tried to remember but he couldn't.

Something was cracking inside his head, he didn't remember names of people he killed.

"Do you remember the scarlet eyes?"

"Scarlet eyes? Is that some kind of jewel? I don't recall that, no, don't remember. But if we got that five years ago then I would've definitely take part. But I don't remember. I killed people. Lotsa people. Innocent ones."

Pieces of that Ryordan hulk's words echoed inside, that's part of their last conversation before he killed him with his judgment chain. He didn't remember the scarlet eyes, he didn't remember the Kurutas' genocide… now he himself didn't remember his name, and the other woman too. He didn't remember the names of the people he killed, does that made him a cold-blooded killer, like them? That cracking thing inside… was that guilt? But he wasn't supposed to feel guilty… he killed 'noccent' people, sinful ones … he was revenging his tribe. But he couldn't deny that a part of him died every time he killed.

"I'm not afraid of death. What I'm afraid of is that this hate will fade as time passes by."

That was his words to the Captain of the boat when he rode in the beginning of the hunter exam. He adapted those words as his doctrine. But was that statement still valid? Or has it expired already? Or did he want it to be expired? Again, something was cracking inside, now, he was afraid that those words… that hate would never fade away at all, ever. His heart was limp, tired of hate, disgusted at blood scent, at that crimson blur he had in his vision whenever he was in rage, enough of those clinking tone of his chains made everytime he use his nen…

"I'm tired." He whispered to no one.

He laid down in that roof still, stretched his arms open, looked at the vanilla white cloudy sky above which poured snow heavily. Ignoring the already flocking flakes, he muttered his tribe's rune

We surrender ourselves to the wind that whispers

To the water that runs

To the soil that grows

To the sun that shines

Hoping that we, the scarlet eyes will live in blessing of the ancestors

He closed his eyes, still muttering those words. Cold… Freezing... His skin ached and his blood clotted up as the frigid winter embraced him tighter and tighter, but his brain ignored them. He hoped that somehow the snows would fill the hollow inside and put the burning flame down. Drowsy… He began to loose his consciousness.

The snow was falling. Chill, soft, soothing…

The all white picturesque sounded like singing him a mesmerizing lullaby….

Everything was cotton white

He felt no longer cold

White flakes were falling and falling, blanketing his small frame.

I surrender myself to the wind that whispers

To the water that runs

To the soil that grows

To the sun that shines

Hoping that I, the scarlet eyes will live in blessing of the ancestors

***

"Hurry up you snails!" a silver haired boy shouted at his two companions behind.

"Matte Killua !" his spikyhead pal called him.

"Matte-matte nani neee… Hurry up! We're late, thanks to you two!" he replied, kept running.

"Thanks to you too for choosing up those cakes in two hours!" the tallest guy scolded behind.

"And what about that bargain, one hour you stingy fish! For two cans of cranberry sauce! Who likes cranberry sauce anyway.. Yuck !"

"I do." said Gon, ignored by the two.

"It's only an hour. Half an hour for each can!"

"And another bargain at that gift shop, what the hell you bargaining for anyway? I got my legs cramped, watching you arguing over a single zeny!"

"Hey, unlike you, I happened to thought it would be rude to come and eat with no gift in return!"

"You always bargain at anything!"

"Oh… Don't start a fight you two." the shortest one complained

"I didn't, he started it first, you bargain-junkie!"

"Bargain junkie?! Why you sweet-toothed brat!"

"SHHHHAAADAPPPP !!!! Both of you, and keep walking!" the Kyouka boy yelled, seized the sweatdropped two in their sleeves and started running, dragging them with.

Finally their destination was appearing on top of the hill. Minute later Gon was knocking at the door, the two others were gasping for their breaths.

There was no one answering.

"Where is he, did he forget about our thanksgiving dinner?"

"Nah… impossible he never forgets anything."

They knocked again several times and still, no answer.

"Gee… Does he mean to let us standing here to freeze?"

"Maybe he went somewhere a while, after all it were we who came up late."

"Maybe…" Leorio muttered, staring the snow-covered ground… He spotted some faded footsteps… they were heading to the pipe… he highered his gaze at the ice-pickled roof, and the chimney, there was smokes came out of it, Kurapika must be around there somewhere. His eyes stopped at a pile of flocking snow aside of the chimney. That's strange, he thought. Snow hasn't been falling long enough to make that thick layer. Then he noticed something… a hand… half buried by the white flakes… pale bluish hand with chains around its fist and fingers.

"Kurapika…!"

***

Glossary

Otouto : Lil brother

Oniichan : Big brother

Otousan : Father

Ojiisan : Grandpa

Okaasan : Mother

Sensei : Teacher

Uruse : Noisy (used as command to shut up)

Quince :Ok, that was angsty… corny and incredibly slooowww, but please review, help me to write a serious story here… and stay tuned for the next chapter(s) !!!

Killua : Since when you came into a serious person with a serious story ?

Quince : Err… Since I got major writer's block at "Happy Odd Family" story ? *sweatdrops*

Kurapika : Writer's block ? I thought because those lack grammars of yours

Quince *massive sweatdrops*

Leorio : But that's a good news. She won't torture us with that baby and that freakin redheaded woman for a while

Quince *starts scratching the ground*

Gon : But that baby is sweet, and that woman is your fiancé Leorio !

Leorio : She made that up

Kurapika : And I don't like pretend to be Leorio's lover, yuck !"

Quince *starts digging a hole*

Killua: and I don't like that silly part when Gon ask me that ridiculous question! Of course he already know the answer, he's not that innocent !

Quince *digging faster*

Gon: But Killua, I really don't know the answer, trough that fic I was hoping that you could answer it for me

*The three sweatdropped heavily*

Killua : Well… errr… Ask her yourself *looking for Quince* Where is she?

Quince *bury herself*

Killua : Waita minute, don't try to run away you damned wacko irresponsible authors !!

Quince *still buried*

Gon : You haven't answer my question

Killua : Euh… Kurapika, Leorio ??

Kurapika and Leorio *nowhere to be found*

Gon : Hmmmm ???? I'm waiting

Killua *BIG sweatdrops* : BAAAkaaaaa…. TEMEEEEE !!!!!