edited 27/3/19

I know most of you are waiting for CO, I'm working on it, almost done :)! Please have this for a time being...

Special thanks: Yumii for beta reading.

Chapter 2 the Other Side of You

He should have known.

It was the café of their second encounter, where Kurapika had seen Kuroro loitering about.

'A good café near here, he say?' Kuroro must have been here more than once. That knowledge brought about annoyance to Kurapika. He'd frequented to this café more than any other ones in Attique. The food was good, the tea was great, and despite all that, it was not too crowded.

One more note to keep to himself. If Kuroro knew this, he'd mess with his nerves again.

When the waitress came to hand them the menu, both of them didn't bother to look and said in unison, "Benedict Egg Atlantic."

Kurapika looked incredulous while Kuroro wore a bit of surprised, child-like expression. But before he'd talk anything about it, Kuroro preferred if the waitress left with their orders first. He told the young lady: "-and a cup of Atlantic Coffee," then beckoned to the boy, "You?"

"Eh…Atlantic Tea." Kurapika said without thinking. He watched as Kuroro collected the menu on his and Kurapika's side, then handed them to the waitress in a civilized manner…even with what someone would call it a charming 'thanks.'

What the heck was that behavior?

Once the waitress left with a faint blush on her face, Kuroro turned a smiling face to Kurapika. That childlike expression still on his face. "You've been here often?"

"Eh? No," Kurapika stumbled upon his own words. No way was Kuroro going to mess with him about 'fate' a-frigging-gain!

"Then why would you order without looking at the menu?"

"It's written on the blackboard in front of the café."

Kuroro looked unconvinced but let that part go when he came up with another one, "And seems like we have the same taste,"

"It's their special menu, many would have ordered it," Kurapika retorted.

"You know last time was the same too. You probably don't remember since at that time your mind was pretty occupied with me." Kuroro leant in towards Kurapika, his grin widening.

Kurapika's brow twitched. What on earth was the Genei Ryodan leader getting at? Behaving like a normal human being and a damn happy-go-lucky one at that!

"You look tensed," Kuroro commented.

Straight to the point. Kurapika had been trying to keep his face neutral but the surface was starting to crack with frustration rising up on it. Why wouldn't he be? Somehow it had reminded him of the day of their second encounter. Although this time things were different, he couldn't help the feelings that ingrained in his memory.

And Kuroro was behaving…strange? Thinking back, Kuroro had been behaving this way sometimes back then too when they were in public eyes. Kurapika had always thought it was the man's act to blend in.

'Is this his act? This innocuous smiling face of his.'

Before he said anything, the waitress came back with a cup of coffee for Kuroro and a tea for Kurapika.

Still quiet, Kurapika only looked at the man who took a sip at his coffee and looked content. Seconds later, the man's gaze met Kurapika's observing ones as he said, "You've been through a lot, Kurapika. I suggest you relax while you can. Don't worry, I'm sure the Kuruta eyes are not going anywhere. We'll just go for them after this."

Kurapika didn't know how to respond to that. True, maybe he wasn't as unwind as Kuroro was, but still. He retorted, "Hey, at least I'm sitting and eating with you, in a café. What more do you expect?" He hadn't even choked it out of the man to where the eyes were, or tried to look for them himself. Hadn't he been patient enough?

Came a chuckle.

'What part of it is funny?' Kurapika wondered as he sipped his tea. Not long after, their foods were served and they started eating. The mood and atmosphere were becoming too light for Kurapika. His eyes couldn't stop stealing observations on Kuroro, whose expression and features made clear that he was having a good time.

The man was just too…too normal…for the lack of better terms. He'd spent a long enough time to figure it out that this didn't seem like Kuroro's act. Then where was that feared Genei Ryodan leader anyhow? Where was that menacing vibes about him? At the tail of that thought, Hisoka's information came back to him.

'Spiders gather for a thievery. And after the task is done, he'd disappeared without a trace.'

"What are you wondering about?" Kuroro asked with a knowing look on his face.

Caught off guard for a moment, Kurapika had to collect himself. 'Well, if he offers to answer himself.' "Hisoka told me you Spiders gather once in a while for thievery. Once it's done, where do you normally go?"

"Around," Kuroro answered without so much as a thought. When the boy raised his eyebrow, he clarified, "Around the world, I mean. Just traveling, mostly places with historical sites and old texts."

"Eh?" Kurapika couldn't help but blurt. Really? Did he just answer right away? "Hisoka said you're hard to track down…"

Another chuckle, and: "I'm not hiding from no one. I'm just cautious, especially those that are after me like Hisoka. But yeah, that's pretty much it."

The answer was…again, normal. Not what he had expected from the Genei Ryodan leader. Traveling? But the man was speaking the truth, that much he could tell.

"What do you think I do in my spare time? Killing? Robbing? All the time? No," Kuroro added with a faint chuckle.

Months ago, Kurapika would have taken that as snide remarks coming from the man attempting to provoke him, but here and now, Kuroro was saying that with the friskiest look on this face. There was no ill intent, no incitement in that line he'd just said. Nothing that could spur Kurapika's wrath.

Still, that kind of innocuous look on the man's face made him wanted to throw something at Kuroro again, and therefore he did, failing to restrain it this time round. A handy object in a form of pepper shaker happened to be right next to him.

Puk!

A sound of said pepper shaker hitting right in the middle of Kuroro's forehead, where his tattoo was under that bandage wrapping around his head.

Kurapika's eyes went wide with the sight of what had transpired in front of him.

Managing to catch the fallen pepper shaker (from his forehead) in his hand, Kuroro's eyes drew shut in dismay as he put the pepper aside, deciding against his will to return the gesture. His lips curved into a crooked smile, obviously holding back displeasure as he opened his eyes to glare at his assaulter. He growled, "What was that for?" Then, he sneezed from the small pepper sprayed about him as an after effect.

Dumbfounded was not enough to describe Kurapika's expression. He was flabbergasted, to the point of shocking. Sure he had thrown the object quick and hard enough, but they both knew it wouldn't really bother with the Genei Ryodan leader's skull, but still…Why?

"Why didn't you dodge it?" The boy almost exclaimed, his eyes widening.

"I didn't see it coming," The man replied, rubbing a bit on his forehead with his brows furrowed.

"Why?"

"I didn't know hanging around you would be no different from my comrades. It was a mistake to let my guard down." Kuroro fixed his annoyed eyes on Kurapika. To his even more surprised, those dark eyes that weeks ago would have looked at him grimly, when Kuroro was annoyed at him, now transformed into a dejected look, as if he was a little brother being teased by his bigger bro.

That look resembled Gon's when Killua knocked him with a fist on his head whenever he just felt like it.

Letting his guard down? In front of him? Again?

Then Kurapika couldn't hold it back in anymore. He set down the fork, putting everything aside. Then he leaned in a bit over the table to where the man sat across as his voice gotten lower, "Okay, seriously, what the hell is wrong with you? Did you lose a screw somewhere or did Hisoka hit your head hard?"

"Hisoka broke my ribs but you're the one hitting me in the head," Kuroro retorted, sounding like a hurtful little brother.

Stunned, Kurapika was rendered mute. One day, he woke up and Kuroro Lucifer was a completely different person. What is the world coming to!? A sudden urge to flip the damn table over filled him.

Seeming to know what the boy's mind was going through, a short sign escaped Kuroro's lips. He put down his fork as well as he half-heartedly wore a stern expression that he would wear in times of being the Spider leader. In a most subtle change of his tone of voice, he started, "Okay, Kurapika. I'll make myself clear. I didn't lose a screw nor did my head suffer a concussion. And no, you're not delusional. I'm sure you could tell I'm not faking it. This is who I am. It might be easier for you to see that this is my alter ego."

The boy's lips were parted slightly, still stunning. But he was all ears as he gave Kuroro's his full attention.

"To my comrades, I have to be Danchou for them. You're not my subordinate; I need not be Danchou to you. Believe it or not, being Danchou all the time burns me out. As I have suggested to you, relax while you can, as I'm doing it now."

It took a while for that to sink in, then Kurapika comprehended the meaning of this. "So this is who you were before you became Danchou?"

A blink, and a chuckle. Yet again Kuroro was amused, "I didn't say that, but how did you figure that out?"

Shaking his head, Kurapika said, "Just taking a wild guess."

"A lie," Kuroro shot back with a knowing grin on his face.

His expression hardened but he couldn't be angry at the truth. He had a knack for reading people, but he could never read Kuroro, not well enough at least, up until this time. After all, the thirst for revenge had pretty much made him see nothing but red whenever he was around the man.

"I just have to tell myself to bear that in mind, else, I would think that you're out of your mind every time you're in this alter ego of yours," Kurapika muttered, eyes averted to his side.

"Think what you have to, I'm fine either way. As long as you take it easy…a bit more," he added those last bits, upon the edgy look on the Kurapika's face intensified. No last Kuruta was going to take it easy.

He was not going to rest until he achieved his two lifetime goals.

As soon as that thought came to mind, Kuroro's mood seemed to descend. He resumed eating in a detached manner as he said, "Eat. Once we're done, we'll go get the eyes."

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Buried?" Kurapika echoed what Kuroro. Had he heard it right?

"Don't worry. They're in a decent canister and decent spot to hide away from anyone. I applied nen to hold it in place as well." Kuroro explained as they were heading back to the other side of the forest that situated behind their current living quarters.

"Why were they buried? Haven't you sold all of them to Black Market?" Kurapika questioned as he fell beside the man's footstep.

"Most of them, yes. But the Kuruta eye was the only object that I wasn't a hundred percent sure about selling away. Therefore I kept two pairs in this city, just in case I feel like having them back. One is in my hideaway, another…we might have to work a bit on it, but it's nothing we can't handle." Kuroro halted as he lost the presence next to his side. He looked back and wasn't surprised to see the boy standing back a meter away, head hung low with his face darkened.

He knew the boy would fume at this explanation. Why robbed the entire clan of their lives to get the eyes just to sell them away later? Such a disgraceful act towards the deaths. Not wanting a fight to start, he had to mediate, "Look, consider it a good thing that at the very least one pair of eyes didn't fall into anyone else's hands. You could go all out at me of how things wouldn't have turned out this way if I hadn't taken them from your people in the first place. But what could you do now to fix that past? What's done is done. "

After a short span of silence, Kurapika looked up at the man. The other was waiting for nothing but for himself to calm down. Kuroro's words and how he said it in such … compromising tone sank in. Weird as it was, Kurapika too, didn't want a fight. The man was right and after all he was leading him to the eyes. He just had to accept that fact. With eyes closed, he concentrated on quelling his surfacing anger. When he drew his eyes open, he resumed his walking and went ahead of the man.

"You're right. Let's go then," He said, surprised at his own words.

Behind Kurapika, Kuroro smiled. Did the boy notice at all that they already talked about the Kuruta clan? When Kurapika used to be so worked up whenever Kuroro mentioned about it?

XxxxxxxxxxxxX

They walked in complete silence, going deeper and deeper into the forest.

A déjà vu feeling of the time they travelled through Lulu forest settled in Kurapika's mind. Although Atlantic Forest was much less hostile. The woods held no wild animals, save for the birdsong that hummed all along the way. The sound of the forest itself was audible with the rustle of leaves as a breeze blew through the canopy. A splash of sunlight on the tree surface and the shadow of the trees falling on plants and sandstone boulder below them. It was peaceful - so peaceful it yet again reminded Kurapika of his home town forest.

Yet this time things were a whole lot different from when they trekked through the woods last time. Kurapika was well aware it was particularly his feelings toward the Genei Ryodan leader, no…it was their feelings towards each other. He wasn't aware what he was doing at the time until Kuroro turned to regard him with a slight smirk. Only then Kurapika almost jumped and looked away. He wasn't looking at that man! He was just observing!

Kuroro was amused by the color that adorned the boy's face. He anticipated how awkward things were going to get between them from now on. But awkward and Kuroro didn't go along in one sentence, that would leave the poor Kuruta boy facing that experience all alone.

"I was thinking though," Kurapika trailed off after one throat clearing.

To Kuroro, it was most likely that he wanted to break that awkward air about him. The raven-haired man found himself having to hold back his 'pfft' and put on an attentive face to the boy.

"Why Attique? I mean why did you keep the eyes here of all places?"

"Attique is one of the most peaceful cities in the world. Also known for its reserving of cultural heritages, artifacts, and histories. I don't keep anything in my place back at Ryuuseigai, I believe here is the rightful place since of all the places I've been, here's the closest thing to Rukuso Forest," Kuroro answered. Whether Kurapika would believe it or not, he had given a thought about this.

Kurapika blinked. For one, if this were under a normal circumstance regarding Kuroro's perception of the Kuruta heritage, it would have been an honor for the Kuruta clan. However, this was hardly the case. Still…it was enough to keep Kurapika's anger at bay. He was now, if sooner then he hadn't realized it, starting to give a damn to what Kuroro Lucifer was truly thinking, his perception and his intention.

Then another question dawned on him. He had too many questions for his own good!

"Then…if you'll be giving me back the eyes, won't you feel like having them back later?"

The man fixed his widened, surprised eyes on him. Kurapika realized his curiosity just got the best of him, but should Kuroro looked that dumbfounded? Maybe he should follow up his point like 'I'm not going to let you take it back.'

Kuroro was firm in his response, "No, I will no longer feel like having those eyes back anymore."

Kurapika's frown deepened in inquisitiveness. "Why?"

Once again, Kuroro stopped and stared at the him in slight disbelief, making Kurapika wondered what was the man turned his attention away from the path they'd been treading on to amble towards Kurapika.

Amidst the tall towering trees, sunlight and shadow fell on surfaces with unruly beauty. Kuroro observed that Kurapika stood among it was such a meshing of nature. His one hand reached for Kurapika's cheek. The boy gasped but that was all he did. Next moment, Kurapika was still even when his thumb was brushing next to the boy's eyes. "Why would I want the other Kuruta eyes when I have you here?"

Every fiber of Kurapika's head retorted. But for what it looked like forever, he realized it now. His heart didn't agree with his head. It had been the second time already, this kind of touch from Kuroro…how much it was affecting him that he wouldn't be able to deny it.

How long has it been? Five years prior to losing his clan, since someone had touched him with such affection? That five years ago had been none other than his parents and his fellow Kurutas. After the massacre, the thought of human contact never occurred to him. He didn't realize that something inside of him had died, and now Kuroro was reviving that part inside of him. How could that be?

Not knowing what to do, he remained still as a tree.

"Yours are the most vibrant among all of them," Kuroro noted as he gazed into the last Kuruta's eyes.

"All of us are just the same," Kurapika stated, keeping his tone detached.

Drawing his eyes shut briefly with a chuckle, Kuroro defied him, "To me, you're different."

They were close; too close for Kurapika's comfort. Yet he wondered, was he really uncomfortable, or it was just his mind telling him this while his heart felt otherwise? Especially when their faces were inches away, how could he not see the reflections in Kuroro's eyes?

They weren't as emotionless as he had always perceived them to be. With rays filtering through the tree canopy, Kuroro's usual dark eyes held the soft greyish-violet hue and something much more than the eyes of a murderer. How had he not seen that until now?

Both stood transfixed to each other among the stillness of the forest.

Until…

Kuroro's sense suddenly picked up on the third party. Again. He stopped, eyes searching the area surrounding them. The thought that someone had been tailing Kurapika had bothered him enough, not to mention interrupting his every damn moment was getting on his nerves, despite Kuroro himself.

'This guy must be done away with his interference.' That was Kuroro's foremost objective. He could deal with Kurapika's lecture later. But first, the death of this annoying Nen-user.

"Someone's following us?" Kurapika asked, catching on the man's behavior.

There was a three seconds pause from Kuroro before he said with his face turning one of mock sheepish, "No…thing is…I think we're lost"

"Excuse me?" Kurapika thought he had heard it wrong.

"We're lost."

"Ehh!?" Kurapika made a face.

"And I think…" Kuroro reached for the back of his pant pocket, not feeling the object he needed, "I forgot the map."

Kurapika stared at him in disbelief while the other continued to wear that lost child expression, even with a hand absentmindedly scratch the back of his head. Damn his alter ego again! Don't look so innocent! Kurapika sighed as he face-palmed. If anything, he had himself to blame for allowing himself to depend on Kuroro and not bothering to research about this vast Atlantic Forest beforehand.

"We still have time. If we cover a bit more ground, I should be able to recall the trail," Kuroro reassured with a grin.

"Eh…" the blond's brow knitted, looking back at the man. But there wasn't anything else he could do anyhow, he just had to go with it. Though his mind kept racing, 'What's with this Kuroro Lucifer!?'

XxxxxxxxxxxxX

Four hours later, the sun was hanging low on the horizon. After winding through moorland and highland, they found themselves on the trail that winded to a clear part of the woodland. Then the path led them into the deeper part of forested ravine before it ascended to the mountain plateau where the gorge situated between a row of high mountains on one side and a vast valley on the other.

"Finally," Kuroro said with so much accomplishment in his tone and the look on his face.

'Really, he didn't have to emphasize with that look.' It was too unlike Genei Ryodan leader he knew.Kurapika narrowed his eyes with the thought and slight exhaustion.

"It's here," Kuroro declared as he meandered to the gorge where the solitary gigantic tree was sitting. Its huge roots surrounding the tall tree that reached skyward, giving off the spiritual resonance of the forest. Kuroro knelt down to its root where two trunks bent over it.

Kurapika watched on as Kuroro reached to the trunks, his nen flowed from his hands to the trunks. Seconds later, the man lifted those huge trunks off of the roots below it like the weight was nothing. Once the heavy trunks fell to the sides and out of the way, Kuroro rolled up his sleeves and to Kurapika's surprise, started digging into the soil with his bare hands.

'Oh well, he did say it's buried.' Kurapika followed suit. One look at the huge tree and he felt homesick of how he used to sleep in a treehollow when he was a kid. Forcing that thought aside, he reminded himself he came here for a purpose. Once on his knees, the slight strain on his legs eased. He'd been trekking through the woods high and low for the past hours due to Kuroro's lost.

'Honestly, this man was showing too much unbelievable side of his. The next thing he could do was probably go chasing after a butterfly…wait, where did that come from!?'

Without words, he mirrored the man's action. The soil wasn't that hard but it wasn't soft either. Kurapika found it a bit difficult on the task without the shovel while he looked at Kuroro and the man seemed to be doing it effortlessly. Kuroro's hand was nothing like a trained assassin like Killua's. How he could kill people with bare hands was beyond Kurapika.

How Kurapika didn't really mind when his hands touched Kuroro's so many times with the proximity now too, was beyond him.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

One meter down the hole, the first glimpse of the hardened material came into view. After a bit more of removing the dirt out of the way, the shape of the cylindrical container was clearly seen by the two.

"Want to reach for it? Use your Nen to remove it." Kuroro suggested as he got himself up and stepped miles away to the nearby canal and washed the dirt off his hands. Glancing back, he could see the boy's anticipation looking between him and the eyes. 'He must have not expected thing to turn out this way. This kid is just taking everything too hard on himself.'

At last, Kurapika bent down to reach in with the utmost care. With a small amount of Nen applied, he drew the object out of the dirt hole and into the sunlight. There it was in his hands, a pair of his kindred eyes. Kurapika kept his eyes on them for a while. For having failed at retrieving his clan's eyes in the past months, this moment was washing him with a sense of fulfillment.

Keeping the distance, Kuroro fixed his gaze on the boy. He would have smiled if not for the plan that he had since the moment he lied that they were lost. His mind started the count…

3…2…1

One moment a smile was beginning to form on Kurapika's face, the next, the object of his attention was gone from his hands. Snapping back to his senses, his eyes caught the direction where something…someone had snatched the eyes right from his hands. It was that tall, lanky man who'd been following them around.

Up the rocky mountain, he skipped up and away from them. Kuroro already hot in pursuit, Kurapika raced after nevertheless.

So all this time he had been after them…no, most likely him in particular. The fact that they hadn't sensed him meant he must have perfected his 'In.' Either way, this was no time to berate himself for being so careless.

Both the thief and Kuroro were too fast, the distance between them and Kurapika was beginning to form. Yet Kurapika kept up. 'No way in hell is the bastard getting away with this!'

Finally, he made it up to the top of the summit where he almost caught up with Kuroro. But once he did, his eyes shifted south to the long way down. Vertigo washed over him. That man ran 90 degrees down the crag like it was nothing. Kurapika took a step but a firm hand on his chest prevented him to move further.

"Don't be reckless. You find another way. I'll get the eyes back," Kuroro demanded, in authoritative tone Kurapika hadn't heard in a while. And the man too, glided down the summit. In a matter of five seconds, the both of them were out of Kurapika's sight.

"Damn!" he cursed. He had to restrain himself from following them. As Kuroro said, he couldn't ninja down like them unless he risked his life for it. Among all the entangled thoughts, Kuroro's words stood out: he said he'd get the eyes back. Strange as it was, Kurapika believed he would.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Miles away at the bottom end of the tallest summit of Atlantic Forest, the thief came to a halt among the woods. Scanning his surroundings, he thought he was well ranges away from his pursuers. He settled down near a river and trailed off to himself, "Geez, this is far more taxing than I thought. But at least I don't have to kill that kid for the eyes."

"But I do have to kill you."

A deep baritone voice sent the chill down his spine. He dodged away with the eyes still in his arms and spun around. His eyes went wide at the sight of the man in black who had pursued him earlier. 'Didn't I lose him just now!?' he thought and asked, "How did you...?"

The thief's expression was obvious to Kuroro that he hadn't at all expected someone to be able to catch up with him. "True, your In is flawless. I couldn't even pinpoint your location with my En, thus I had to lure you out." To distance himself from Kurapika, he knew the suspect was going to show himself. If he'd been following Kurapika, that meant he was after the eyes. As far as the world concerned, people who wanted to get their hands on the flame-colored eyes never wanted its owner to come along.

No one but Kuroro now.

"Seems like you don't want to trouble yourself getting the eyes from the boy, you'd fetch it from him." Kuroro disclosed. Normally, he need not talk much with the soon-to-die but this thief's In impressed him. He deserved some parting gift.

"And who are you? His bodyguard?" the thief asked as he clutched the canister tight, falling into a fighting stance.

Kuroro need not answer that. He was the one with questions here…lots and loads of questions. But first thing first…he beckoned to the flame-colored eyes in the other's grip. He held out his hand, palm up. "That belongs to the boy, give them back."

The thief made a face. "You've gotta be kidding me, after all those trouble I've gone through…and you're going to kill me whether I give this back or not."

Kuroro's lips curved upward. "Fair enough." Kurapika could turn up at any moment, he had to finish this business before he did.

XxxxxxxxxxxxX

Pain. Pain. Pain.

That was the only thing that kept circulating through every fiber of the thief's being. One moment he thought he was going to get away with the eyes, out and alive. Confident that he was fast and could outrun this man. After all, he knew that Kuruta boy had a sharp sense but he managed to outrun him. His In was perfect - he made sure his escape route would not be pursued by anyone. One thing he had gravely miscalculated was this unknown man in black.

He'd been stalking the boy and this man on and off. At some point, the man had looked stern, otherwise he was just stoic. But most of the time, he was all unwind and relaxed. He couldn't even dodge a pepper shaker for crying out loud! He forgot the map when going into the woods and spent a whole lot of time getting back on the right track. He looked cautious at times, but no murder intent whatsoever that he could catch on.

Even professional assassins carried the scent of death and blood with them all the time. But this man had…nothing. This man could put out his killing intent to clean slate, one of the rarest ability even among the best of the best. An exceptional skill.

The man played a somewhat stoic, laid back, to the point of easy-going role. He at one point had even believed the man was just a traveling companion to the boy.

Then the thief realized in the time of his dying, of how this chilled-out and laid back man he thought to be, had made him suffer beyond any ever done upon him.

"You're no bodyguard, but a true killer."

Said killer's lips curved upward. "At least you figured it out before you die." Kuroro got himself up from crouching to the level with the thief when heaving his almost last words. The thief could no longer stand nor run any faster with those legs of his anymore... "That's what you get for following him around."

Words bore into the thief as he spat his last words: "There are a lot more like me! They'll come after that Kuruta and the eyes!"

"And they all will end up like you," Kuroro returned, his voice from detached to frigid.

Hitching his last difficult breath, the thief died without the knowledge that his biggest mistake in life was his one wrong move in provoking the feared Genei Ryodan leader.

Drawing one of his ability out from the skill book, he used it to get rid of the body…and its ripped pieces. His questions were answered. Yes, a leak of information via the internet - the only thing that could go faster than him hunting down people. How he began to despise information highway now.

This particular thief wanted the eyes in order to pass the test to get into the circle of mafia. His job description was to get the Kuruta eyes. He himself had no interest in the eyes and in killing if unnecessary.

"Many more, huh?" As long as there was one Mafia or a body collector left on earth... no. Even a non-mafia - Kuroro himself was no Mafia after all - there was going to be someone targeting Kurapika.

Kuroro Lucifer had never been the one who wanted to rule the world. He didn't mind the body collector. As for Mafia, they weren't on best of terms but he could co-exist with them. However, he could allow no one to come near what was his and his alone.

His mind already ran with plan of how to eliminate them all, if that was the last thing he did. No matter how many they were out there, he could track from one person to another, and go to the root of the problem. But the question was how was he going to do that, if he had to keep Kurapika close to him at the same time? If the boy knew, which would most likely happen, it was going to be a lot more complicated.

Back to his current situation, it had been nine minutes. Kuroro meandered back to retrieve the Kuruta eyes where he had placed them safely earlier, next to the tree trunks close to him. He had better go to Kurapika before the boy found him among this torturing ground where the scent of blood and death lingered.

XxxxxxxxxxxxX

After returning to the trail, Kurapika had a distinct idea of where to go, connecting the dots and trails. His connection to the forest, especially this kind of quiet one was in his blood, had a part in helping. The walk along the stream of river, where the wind blew would lead him to the place where he was supposed to be.

Forests always calmed his nerves. The smell of the grass, the earth, bed of flowers and streams of river, then…blood. His senses kicked in with alarm. Somehow, he knew where that scent was coming from, and he had to follow it.

As he had anticipated, he came across Kuroro who was walking along the same stream of river from the opposite direction. Upon seeing him, the man gave a bit of a smile. In his hands, he was carrying back the eyes that were stolen earlier.

Kuroro held out the cylindrical container as the boy rushed in. The youth's face filled with relief, his eyes locked with the Kuruta eyes that he didn't even spare a glance to Kuroro. Yet when he reached to take hold of the eyes from the man, he uttered with a faint smile. "Thank you."

The man nodded in acknowledgement with a faint smile. One look into those jet black eyes, he knew his sense of relief was going to be short-lived. The man already saw what was coming from him, Kurapika asked nevertheless, "Did you-?"

A firm nod confirmed Kurapika's suspicion.

A stunned look registered on the boy's face. There was no doubt about that. Kuroro carried a faint, fresh scent of blood and death with him. 'Why had he hoped so?' Wasn't that the reason he worried in the first place when he couldn't catch up with them? Then another realization dawned on. "You planned to draw him out, did you?'

Another nod.

Kurapika went silent, head hung low, with blond bangs obscuring his eyes.

Anticipation filled Kuroro. At any moment now, the boy was going to flip it on him, lecture him at best, or curse and threaten to kill him at worst.

But none of that came.

Silence went on too long that Kuroro had to break it with a 'hey' to the boy. With the tips of his fingers, he lifted the boy's chin up to face him. He had no intention of provoking the boy, nevertheless his question was blunt. "What's wrong? Shouldn't you be snapping at me by now?"

No.

Once the boy's eyes were visible to him, he was taken aback to see the saddest look he'd ever seen on Kurapika's face. The boy's eyes turned a bit of reddish-orange.

'Interesting.' …yes, but this wasn't the time.

"Are you…" Kuroro even faltered, but not for too long, "-not going to yell at me?" What else could he say? The boy was just…sad. This was beyond him.

Shaking his head, Kurapika pursed his lips. With the inner turmoil, he too, didn't know what to say. He was angry as he should have been whenever the Spider killed someone; made it even worse that this kill was to get the eyes back for him. Then again, by now Kurapika knew all too well why Kuroro had done that. Just like what he did with that Makiya woman and those Mafia back at Dolinku Mansion.

Unlike the Spider no. 11, Ubogin who killed for fun or without feelings, Kuroro killed with purpose and intention, now more than ever. Kurapika knew exactly what kind of those purposes and intention were.

He'd been down that road and he was the same.

His blood boiled whenever he was reminded of how his people had been hurt. There was nothing in the world that he'd want than the suffering of person responsible.

It made no difference if that poor bastard thief only wanted to steal the eyes from him. Kuroro hadn't killed to drill that 'kill or be killed' philosophy into him, nor was he doing it just to tick him off. He had killed for Kurapika.

It made him sick to the core but he sort of knew where this was coming from.

"Hey, you need not feel bad about it. I did it on my own accord," Kuroro stated, after taking a while to predict what was going through the boy's mind.

That just worsened it. This morning Kuroro Lucifer was just an ordinary guy. One who was civilized with people, frisky, to the point of charismatic, and most of all…human. Now he was the Spider again.

Were those all an act to trick their pursuer?

"Kurapika!"

A pale hand clapped in front of his eyes. He blinked at it.

"Focus, boy. You're drowning yourself somewhere inside of your head again. That's not helping any of us." Kuroro's expression took on a frown, his tone touched with concern.

He might have used to hate it a lot more than this…to admit that Kuroro was right. He had to focus; sort things out and find a way. He nodded to the man, his eyes going back to their normal state.

"We had enough for today. We'll look into the other one tomorrow," said Kuroro as he began to saunter, leading the way back.

Kurapika again knew it. Kuroro was not anywhere near exhausted. It was him…who was about to have an emotional circuit overflow. Again. As his feet sauntered after the man, his eyes dropped from the man to the eyes in his hold and back to the man again.

'This isn't going to work,' he thought. How many more people are going to die if Kuroro helps him find the eyes? As far as Kurapika concerned, the answer was 'a lot.'

XxxxxxxxxxxxX

The rest of the day and night followed, with Kurapika spent the time sitting in one corner of the room gazing at the Kuruta eyes.

In the other room, Kuroro was trying to sleep. Trying. Sleep always came easy to him. Why didn't it this time? After a few tossing and turning –something he rarely did—it occurred to him. Hell no, he did not just enter a period of change in his life.

As per normal, he'd eliminate any cause that brought on such unease upon him. 'Not this time though,' he thought, staring into the dark with the back of his hand on his forehead. He had thought Kurapika would be the only one having to face the hardship in this exclusive relationship (according to Hisoka) alone. But no - Kuroro was right there with him.

How justice was served…

'There are lots who know! They'll come after that Kuruta!'

As long as he breathed, he knew they'd always be someone who went after the Spiders. He was fine with that. He'd always been able to take the death of his comrades into his stride and moved on. But he didn't think he could do it with this one.

XxxxxxxxxxxxX

Note: Was Kuroro OOC? If you think so, please let me know how. I tried to keep him in character as much as I could, but I'm not too sure, even with these reasons.

Talk about Kuroro's lost and his forgetting the map, I got the idea from Drama CD. Yes, in DCD I'd consider it cannon, he got lost and forget the map, LOL.

'Kuroro chasing after a butterfly.' XD, I got that from my beta-reader (thanks again :D), she meant to give me an example of OOC-ness but when I was writing this fic, that line just popped back up and I thought the pun would fit into the fic. Many Kurapika's fans depict him as butterfly…you get the picture ^^?