Twisted
What happened was only between the two of them, yet fate had different plans. To hate the monster that killed her whole family was the acceptable thing. But to undeniably fall for him was nothing sort of traitorous. It's twisted. Chain Pair Fem!KuraxKuro
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Prolouge
She finally awakened from her slumber. She broke out in sweat and gasped handfuls of air. The nightmare seemed so vivid. Burned down houses with bodies of her dead clan scattered around, all of them had their bodies in grotesque angles, some bodies lacked limbs while others had gaping holes in them. They put up quite the fight but their efforts were useless as everybody was still wiped out. Kurapika could remember the faces of her friends, her family. They suffered so much before death was given to them. Her anger boiled when she saw what this massacre was all about. She looked at their eyeless sockets caked with dried blood.
Bile rose up her throat but she stopped herself instead she felt her anger rise again. But as she turned to the mirror in front of her, her eyes remained its natural aquamarine color. She controlled that too, her scarlet eyes. Being the last Kuruta meant strict self-preservation. Kurapika sighed and fell back on her pillow. It had been a year since she last saw the Genei Ryodan, six years after the massacre. She touched her chest directly above her beating heart. The steady sound comforted her and she knew the judgement chain was still intact.
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Chapter 1
Three months later
Being a black list hunter meant vigorous on-the-site work that meant dirtying one's hands and sometimes lowering a person's own morale. Kurapika lived by strict rules, eager not to be like a heartless hunting machine. The deaths on her hands were few compared to some and she prepared it that way. What made the job harder was her gender, being female meant a lot more hardwork. Although Kurapika could more than take good care of herself, she found more comfort disguising herself as a boy and living as such. Not being a sexist or anything, Kurapika knew she would have more job opportunities dressed up as a boy rather than as a girl.
At first it was because of her plight for revenge that fueled her to chop her locks, but after more than five years of being a boy, sporting a short bob and boy clothes Kurapika found herself more comfortable that way.
A lot of things have changed since then.
She quit from being Neon Nostrad's head bodyguard in order to make it easier to locate her clan's eyes. With Neon's ability gone, Light Nostrad had been short in the money department and therefore can no longer afford auctions. But with Kurapika, money was not much of a problem with the help of her hunter x hunter card. And occasionally, Kurapika accepts freelance jobs for extra on the hand cash. Kurapika could not help but hear a nagging voice at the back of her head telling her to stop using her card too much and save some jennies that would be easily be accessible in times of trouble.
No matter how much Kurapika pushed the thought out of her mind, instincts took over. And right now, Kurapika is in the middle of a job: Hunting down a D class criminal escapee.
So far, Genpo (the known nickname of the crimina) was running loose for more than a fortnight already, killing a total of nine hunters who had the misfortune of trying to bring him back to the law, if he was wanted dead or alive, it would have been a different story entirely. It wasn't a pretty sight, the way he killed his pursuers. As a specialist, he had the ability to suck out a person's life force. At first Kurapika found the ability intriguing and later found out, the highprice of Genpo's ability is giving up part of the his own sanity. With more than nine dead people, Kurapika would not wonder if the criminal forgets his own name, she thought in distaste.
Kurapika sighed, she shouldn't have listened to that nagging voice and instead should have started looking for her dead tribe's eyes. She had been hunting Genpo for four days already, one of her colleague had lacked the value of teamwork and strategizing. He rushed head-on despite Kurapika's protests and ban to 'move without a plan', causing him his dear life. The reason Kurapika found out about the man's abilites was when she saw how her colleague died. He was all shrivelled up with early signs of decomposition.
With one already dead, Kurapika had a total of two more members. This time both her subordinates followed her word as law, never questioning it. They knew that in order to survive they need to follow the mysterious chain user.
The forest was dead silent, an indication of impending doom. Kurapika stayed glued on her spot. All of them in their Zetsu state while her chains where hidden with In. A breeze blew by her face and immediately Kurapika ducked. She heard a soft thud as something hit the tree trunk.
"Awwww, you ducked!" Came a cracked voice. "Now, I have to throw more things again! Guess you aint takin' a clue last nigh'"
Kurapika had no time to blink as she whipped her chains, deflecting the weapons hurled at her. They made more clinking sounds that seemed to infuriate her attacker. Using Gyo, Kurapika was able to see Genpo's unstable hatsu surrounding his stocky body. His mental stability was worse than what she had expected. He was laughing hysterically now.
Kurapika dematerialized her nen-chains, according to plan. Her attacker, though unstable, noticed her missing chains and grinned all the more. He mumbled a lot of things beneath his breath, while Kurapika prepeared for hand to hand combat.
As the bait, she had to lure the madman towards the clearing in the woods were her teammates could knock him out with their nen. It sounded relatively easy. But with Genpo's killer hatsu, Kurapika had to be careful not to let him touch her head.
That's what happened last night. Kurapika figured out how his nen worked, when Genpo touches a person's head the person's life force immediately goes out of their body until they become lifeless dolls. A simple tap on the head would more than suffice.
Genpo suddenly moved faster and Kurapika took a few steps back. Although Genpo could already be considered out of his wits, Kurapika would take no chances. She didn't want to clue Genpo about their plan to lure him into captivity. After all, he was needed alive.
Genpo swung his fists targeting her head and Kurapika deflected them and landed a kick in his chest. With her enhanced strength, Genpo doubled in on the pain and coughed more. Genpo raised his fists and immediately Kurapika hopped far away from him. A glance later showed a few nen blades sticking out from the ground she had once occupied. Kurapika narrowed her eyes at the discovery. That meant, Genpo had other nen abilities not recorded. This job just became harder. That explained why he was able to kill more than fourteen people.
".. Hehe..." Genpo gave a low chuckle while still gripping his side. He had at least five broken ribs from the kick Kurapika gave him. But looking at Genpo, he did not seem bothered by it. Instead he looked quite happy. He reminded her about a certain psychotic clown that had been her ally give or take a year ago, Kurapika frowned at the thought. "I'm going to suck the life out of ...you ... tonight."
He had trouble whizzing out the words and Kurapika fought the urge to roll her eyes. Perhaps when he was more sane than now, they would have fought to the death but in his current situation thanks to his multiple use of nen? He was only giving Kurapika a hard time. But not enough to make her fear for her life.
Kurapika felt a gentle breeze brush her face and this time she visibly relaxed. They were already in the clearing, with all the fuss she did not notice. Her teammate's nen coated Genpo and he was struggling to get free from the invisible net. She had yet the chance to tell her team about Genpo's other abilities when she felt sudden uneasiness in her chest. Like something was tugging at it. She looked at Genpo, maybe it was another of his nen abilities, but he was too busy trying to get out and hurl curses to cause this much pain. It felt new to her...
She raked her brain for possible explanations. Genpo wasn't able to touch her head or any part of her except for her arm. But even if they had contact she should have felt something right then and there. It couldn't be the jugdement chain in her heart. She never used the chail jain on Genpo.
The pain started to kick in and Kurapika had to hold her chest while she started to sweat. The tugging became harder and harder. Her teammates started to look concerned with how she was clucthing her chest. One of them started to move towards her while the other, Hideo, continued to guard a struggling Genpo with his nen. From the original four of them, Hideo and their dead comrade had been brothers and Hideo looked nothing but blood thirsty to avenge his fallen sibling, Kurapika wouldn't blame him if he killed their captive right then and their. She would know the feeling better than anybody else.
Kurapika started to see black with the pain as she clutched at it more. If it wasn't the chain in her heart, then Kurapika knew what it was. She started sending nen to the other judgement chain she procured. But the pain started to increase everytime she tried to strengthen it. The other force was stronger than she had ever anticipated. It came to the point where Kurapika stopped altogether sending more nen, it was useless reversing what was happening.
The other judgement chain she made was getting exorcised. Her shaking gradually stopped and her vision started to return. It felt like hours and days, for Kurapika time stopped. The pain started to lessen but Kurapika was in a moment of shock when it altogether ceased.
The other judgement chain that was recently exorcised belonged to only one person.
Kuroro Lucifer.
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Kuroro Lucifer smiled as he held his bandit's book in his hand. It's been too long since he last used his book and it felt nothing short of wondrous. A smile tugged at his lips as the person infront of him smiled as well.
"It would be an honor to join you... Danchou.." The orange haired man added. His tattoed arms flailing at his sides while he continued to grin at his new leader. He knew about the Genei Ryodan. It would be more than an honor to join this group of world famous terror, the riches and glory he will get would never come to him if he worked alone or with other second rate mafia groups.
"And I am grateful for your help." Kuroro gave one last stretch of nen before closing his book and whipping out his phone. His spiders would be more than eager to talk to him. Fifteen months is such a long time after all, they never foresaw that the chain-assasin's curse would take more than three months to exorcise. Such strong nen for somebody so young. And such rarity, it took a whole year to find somebody capable to removing the chain.
'Danchou!' Danchou!' Kuroro smirked, it had been too long since he last talked to his teammates, with the chain lifted, he could finally have contact with them. Their operations have lied low and stopped for awhile, they needed to regroup and wait for his return. From his informants, he found out his spiders have only made few small-scale thieveries the past year to support Ryuusegai, and a heroic deed in the NGL. But now that he is back, things are going to go back to the way they were.
"Shalnark... It's been long." There were shuffling sounds at the other line.
'Fifteen months, four days and ten hours, Danchou!' Shalnark whined. He regained his composure a second later, yet his excitement was still hard to contain, 'What are we going to do, Danchou?'
Kuroro eyed their new member who looked at him with excitement at the prospect of working alongside them in one sure world-terrorizing-scheme. "I will introduce a new member. And after that... We hunt the Chain-assasin."
'Nobu-san would be thrilled!' Shalnark continued to rumble on, 'He had bragged about new techniques on how to skin him while Feitan is also interested in torturing him for Paku."
So while he was in exile looking for an exorcist, his spiders had been busy learning new skills. They were caught of guard the first time they were attacked and now that they know better they are more than prepared to take on the Kuruta assasin.
"Two days from now, we meet at Dayoshinta." Kuroro gave his order, a reunion is, after all in the making. His final thoughts before he closed his phone were almost the same as all the other spiders' were.
That chain assasin is as good as dead.
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Gon, Killua and Leorio sat at Kurapika's small living room, they were drinking tea and eating sugar biscuits but their faces were weighted down with grim looks. Leorio, was the only one rumbling on what they should do after Kurapika told them about Lucifer's judgement chain.
"Don't worry about us, Kurapika. We can take them on!" Leorio failed at trying to look cheerful, they all know how deep their friend's problem was.
"I don't want you to get involved this time." Kurapika placed her tea cup sharply down the table. Anybody else would have jumped at the sound it made. Leorio looked ticked off with what his friend said while Gon and Killua started to protest. "They already know my face and my name."
"You mean to tell us, that woman...?" Gon was referring to Pakunoda, Kurapika then narrated how she felt the jugdement chain kill the woman only a few hours after they parted ways with her. Only one thought crossed her mind: She told the spiders everything.
"As we speak, I know I'm being hunted down." Leorio made more snickering sounds.
"That's why I am insisting for the four of us to stick together, just in case we have to fight them all!" Gon gave a determined smile at Kurapika while Leorio talked. Kurapika smiled sadly at them, although the four of them have evolved so much the past year, they still wouldn't put much of a fight against the Spiders at their current state. They still had to get stronger. With their combined powers and strength, they could only take down eight spiders, the remaining five would surely finish them off. It would be unfair for the three of them to have their lives robbed from them just because of their association with her and their sense of friendship to help her in her vendetta.
"I won't have you people killed." Kurapika snapped. She paused for a moment, it would be too painful to lose her friends. It would be like the massacre all over again. She inhaled sharply before continuing, "I am going away for awhile."
"You're going to hide?!" Leorio shrieked, he rumbled on and on about how much he did not expect this to happen. How the Kurapika he knew would never do such a thing. "And didn't you kill that Uvogin fellow?! He had to be the toughest guy, yet you killed him! And now? This?! You're running away!?"
When Leorio was done, he was huffing and short of breath.
"The last time Kurapika was able to kill one of them was because he took them by surprise. The spiders totally underestimated him." Killua pointed out. Everybody was silent after that. If the spiders knew how strong Kurapika was, they wouldn't have been too confident to leave Uvogin alone for long. "The only way you can kill another spider would be to assume a new identity altogether and catch them off guard again."
"When they split up looking for you, you'll have your chance!" Leorio beamed. His anger seemed to have rushed out of his system and he was currently thinking new ways to help Kurapika.
"A new ...identity?" Kurapika seemed uneasy with the suggestion, she had afterall assumed a whole new different identity because of vendetta, another one would be harder to get used too.
"You should dye your hair and continue wearing contact lenses." Leorio suggested, he tried to picture Kurapika with black hair and probably with longer locks.
"Or maybe you can dress up as a girl!" Gon suggested, both Killua and Leorio lit up at the suggestion. The spiders would never expect the chain- assasin to be a girl after all. Kurapika coughed a little and started to get red in the face.
"You don't want that? But I thought you played as a girl already" Leorio patted Kurapika's back. It was understandable, not a lot of guys would be willing to take on a female disguise for a whole amount of time. "Well, but you know... The spiders would never expect that."
"I am a girl." Kurapika practically hissed at their ears. After all the times they were together, she had assumed they knew her real gender. And they only refered to her as a 'he' and 'him' for formalities sake and habit, she never thought that they were refereing to her as a male because they obviously thought she was. Her disguise worked wonders, she should be happy at the realization but somehow she was embarassed. She was starting to get red in the face while her three friends looked like they swallowed something unagreeable.
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"...so..." Gon tried to break the silence first but none of his friends wanted to give in. Kurapika looked a little pissed while Leorio and Killua still looked completely shocked. It was really a revelation, after all the years they've been friends none of them have expected Kurapika to be a girl. They have had their doubts because she did possess a very feminine face to be counted as a boy, and now that the secret was out of the bag, it explained a lot about their blonde friend.
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"If we stop thinking about my gender for a while," Kurapika growled at them. Her color started to return to its natural milky complexion while her friends started to get a grip on their expressions except for Leorio whom Kurapika pointedly ignored. "I plan to go to some remote village and plan. As you guys have suggested earlier, they will split up in groups then I can take them down one by one. After I have killed a spider, I will go to another place and wait."
"But we want to help you Kurapika!" Gon protested, "We'll go separate routes too and we'll help you eliminate them! We leave fake trails leading to us and we kill them."
"Gon's right, Kurapika. When they've scattered it would be a lot more easier for us." Killua backed up Gon. Sometimes it could be a chore trying to convince a mule-headed boy- erhm girl like Kurapika to change her mind.
"I won't have you guys killed on my account." Was Kurapika's answer again. "While it's true we have become stronger the past year, we also know that they are evolving too. And isn't your brother part of them now, Killua?"
The boy seemed unfazed for the matter, he gave a carefree shrug. Killua knew none of them would have the heart to kill his youngest brother. And before that time comes, he'll tell Illumi to take back Kalluto back.
"Where do you plan on going then?... Wouldn't it be best if you take one of us to accompany you?" Even if it's Kurapika, the idea did not settle so well with Leorio for a girl to travel and live alone. Kurapika read his mind and gave him a cold glare that immediately shut him up. He still looked decided though, that at least one of them accompany their friend in her travels.
"When are you going to 'disappear'?" Killua asked.
"Tommorow." The sooner she moves away from Yorkshin the better. It would be the first place the Genei Ryodan would search. She last used her hunter card six days ago in Yorkshin as well. Her saved up jennies have amounted up to two hundred seventy thousand give or take. It would probably last for only half a year, nine months if she becomes thrifty.
"Damn.. And I've got an exam coming up." Leorio muttered under his breath. His hand was on his chin, he was lost in his thoughts. He was talking outloud and didn't notice that his friends heard him.
"We'll accompany you, Kurapika!" Gon stated enthusiastically. Killua looked enthusiastic as well but Kurapika had to turn them down. Gon was still searching for his father and now that they have a lead on where he was last seen, it would be a waste to let him slip out of their hands. Kurapika told them so and Gon could not help but sulk and understand her. They have agreed that they would remain in contact only once every four months, and they would be contact each other if anything happens. Key words only.
They left Kurapika's apartment hours later, giving each other words of 'take care' because God knows when they would next see each other.
The next day, Kurapika woke up earlier than usual. She looked around her small apartment that had been her home for the past months, taking everything in for the last time. She left a small white envelope containing her monthly due and a little extra for the kind old woman who owns the building. Next to the envelope was the key the old woman loaned her, she had to give that back.
Kurapika looked at the mirror hanging near the door and looked at her reflection for a long time, she looked a lot like her mother with her aquamarine eyes and blonde smiled wistfully at the thought. Her mother had been a kind, wonderful woman.
She opened the adjacent cabinet and got out a pair of familiar looking shears. Her hair had gotten longer, already past her chin. She was due for a haircut anyday now and now would be a better day than any other.
Kurapika was looking more and more like the girl that she was rather than the boy she portrayed to be. She lifted the scissors near her bangs when she remembered what Gon said last night. She had an inner battle. Kurapika the boy, had been strong and wise. She found comfort in him and kept her going, But ...now he is no longer safe..
With a sigh, she returned the scissors back inside the cabinet. Kurapika walked towards the door and opened it. She was shocked but not surprised to see a sleeping Leorio at her door embracing a bag fit for travel.
Leorio stirred when Kurapika closed the door. "Baka. You'll catch a cold."
"Yeah, I know. But if I'll ask you to let me in, you'll send me away." Leorio grinned. Kurapika went down the stairs with Leorio trailing at her side. She glared at him to explain. "We are worried about you, you know."
"I can handle myself pretty fine actually. You should go home and study. You want to be a doctor, right?" Kurapika huffed. They were walking away from her building now and turning to a corner. "You'll only get killed."
"Then that's better than knowing your bestfriend died without you giving any help when you know you could have done something!" Leorio almost snapped at Kurapika. He remembered his dead bestfriend and his vow never to let that happen again. He earned another glare with his outburst but Kurapika did not comment anymore. She knew she was stubborn and her friends sometimes more so than her. "Gon and Killua are coming to meet us in our second hide out. And we are not listening to any of your protests."
He added before Kurapika had the chance to protest and give him another round of lecture about 'throwing away', 'life', 'no, thank you'.
Kurapika had to smile out of appreciation at the devotion of her friends. If her family were still alive, they would have been happy for her to have found such loyal friends, Pairo would have been happy as well. "Then what about med school? Don't tell me you're giving up on that."
"Che. Of course I'm not!" Leorio grinned and earned a playful punch on his shoulder. "I'm just postponing it for a bit. I'll still going study to become a world famous doctor, you'll see. But right now my bestfriend needs my help, and I'm giving it. Wanted or not."
"Wanted or not." Kurapika agreed and inwardly smiled. Kurapika made one more promise that morning, Leorio would become a doctor someday. She'll make sure of it.
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"He left approximately a week ago." Shalnark informed his teammates, the odd looking samurai looked murderous and kicked the nearest thing: a small cabinet. A pair of scissors flew out. "What do we do now, Danchou?"
All eyes turned to the man seating comfortably at the living room, his hand on his chin, his mind deep in thought. The chain-assasin must have known he was back and knew he was being hunted. The Kuruta was still one-step ahead of them. They have to close that gap.
"And I was expecting to torture him in his sleep." Nobunaga muttered darkly. Their team, composed of Kuroro, Machi, Nobunaga and Shalnark, had arrived at the Kuruta's said apartment only to find him gone. They had seen an envelope dated exactly a week ago explaining a quick departure with some money.
"He knows we are looking for him." Kuroro said, the boy must have felt the time when his jugdement chain was exorcised. "Where was the last time he used his hunter card?"
"Here in Yorkshin City, Danshou." Shalnark scrolled over his phone and lit up. "Precisely thirteen days ago."
"Tell the others to stop looking in Yorkshin." Kuroro got up from the small sofa. "We start looking in places as far from here as possible."
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A/N. This is the third story I've written so far and the second to see the light after Akame. :) it's been sitting around in my computer and I suddenly got enough nerves to post it. Haha, english is not my native tounge so I'm not that confident about my grammar and spelling. So all you grammar/spelling nazis out there, I'm sorry if my wording somehow irks you. You can post the needed corrections and I'll go fix them, and I'd be eternally grateful. :D Thank you for reading! It means a lot and if you could give a review? That would be super nice! :) and very much appreciated.
Love lots,
Five