Disclaimer: I do not own HxH
Chapter 2: Dolls
By then, the shaking of the land stopped.
"Did I surprise you, Kurapika?" a male voice came behind her people. The figures behind Pairo split up into two, making a way in the middle and a man with long, black hair, clad in black robe came forward and stood beside Pairo.
"Who… are you?"
The man gave her an evil smirk. "Omokage."
Kurapika looked at Pairo as she saw him moving closer to her, taking each of his steps in a slow manner, raising his hands toward her just like a blind person trying to reach out to her. "Kurapika," he called.
"Pairo." She doesn't know how to explain it, but she was having a feeling of deep anxiety.
"Can I… touch your face, Kurapika? My little Kurapika." Pairo continued to move until he was just a foot away from his 'little' Kurapika whose height is now reaching his mouth. Slowly, but surely, Pairo's hands made their way toward Kurapika's cheek, from the tip of his fingers to the base of his palm, sensing the smooth, warm skin under his touch.
Being smaller than Pairo, Kurapika tilted her head to look directly at his still-closed eyes. "Pairo," she called again, raising in her turn her hands over Pairo's cheek. "Is that.. really you? She asked hesitantly as beads of tears started to build up in her eyes. She was just so sad… over the years… ever since that cursed day… sadness has been eating her heart.
The evil smirk on Omokage's face grew wider. He turned to his back and looked at the figures of his creation. "Go, he said as he walked out up to the darkest part of the forest…
Right, those Kuruta figures are his creation… they are dolls created from his nen… they are not real people.
"Did you already forget me, Kurapika?" the doll Pairo asked, sounding like the real one. "It's me… It's us," he said as the others made their way over them, surrounding them.
Surely, Kurapika is not dreaming. Pairo's touch is so real to be a dream. But… how should she explain the anxiety? Why is she anxious? It was as if, something bad is about to happen. Removing her hands from Pairo's cheek, she rubbed the beads of tears off of her eyes and grabbed his wrist at each side of her head. "Are you really Pairo?" she asked once again.
"I am," Pairo answered. "But… before I can completely become who should I be…" he trailed of as he slowly opened the lid of his eyes.. or should it be, the lid of his shallow eye socket? "I have to obtain your eyes."
"No.." Kurapika said in a silent voice, eyes wide at sight before her. Instinct shouting at her to take distance, she slapped away Pairo's hands and jumped backward until her back hit the figure of another Kuruta doll who in turn grabbed her by her shoulders. She looked at the figure behind her and saw a young adult male doll with reddish brown hair. "Castor?"
"I'm sorry Kurapika, but we need to get your eyes," the doll whom Kurapika subconsciously called Castor said, gripping Kurapika's small shoulders.
Kurapika winced. "What are you doing?" she asked as she felt the aura emanating from the doll through his hands. And then she noticed the other Kuruta dolls moving. She turned her head side to side and saw two dolls from each side approaching with their hands reaching toward her and grabbed her arms and feet, emanating the same aura as Castor, making her unable to move. She looked in front of her with unexplained fear in her eyes and saw Pairo, whose eyes were closed again, moving closer to her.
For the second time, Pairo reached his hand and cupped Kurapika's face as he moved his head closer and closer to her until their forehead touched. He opened his shallow eye sockets creating a blinding swirl of light.
"Noooo!" As she shouted at the top of her voice, her sense of sight was already gone.
With their objective done, the dolls loosen their hold on Kurapika, but she quickly responded by elbowing the dolls on her back to free her some space and took her twin sword under her suit and swung the pair sideways, hitting the dolls at their stomach which made them fall back and hit the other dolls.
Pairo also pulled out the same sword as Kurapika's as he stepped forward and swung the left sword towards Kurapika's side in which she somehow felt coming and manage to block with her twin sword, making her step backward. Another simultaneous attack from the dolls came, but she did not manage to block all of them as the other dolls were using nen.
Somehow, Kurapika felt weaker. And then her nen… she cannot use her nen. Although she can still feel her nen inside her body, she cannot somehow manifest her chains or even enhance her strength. Was it because of her lost of eyes. Come to think of it, her nen varies with her eyes. She's a conjurer when her eyes are normal. On the other hand, when her eyes turned scarlet, her nen also change to specialization. But now… why can't she even materialize her chains, at least her dousing chain?
The attacks of the dolls continued, and Kurapika was on the lower hand, hitting her every part of her body, and they continued to attack even if Kurapika already stopped fighting back as her twin sword fell to the grass-filled ground. Her knees lost their strength to support her weight as her feet bent down, making her sit on the short grasses as she crossed her hands over her head as her only shield while the dolls continued to attack her, giving her already bathed-with-injury-body with more severe injuries.
"I'm sorry… everyone," Kurapika's voice wavered. "I did not.. manage.. to save you." She wanted to cry.
'Despite the dolls continues attack over me, I felt presence coming from a distance appeared. The attacks suddenly stopped and I felt my eyes returned to me, but I am almost losing my hold to stay awake as I tried to open my eyes. Nevertheless, in my fading consciousness, I saw the dolls falling to the ground one by one and then, I saw a man clad in black with his back facing me, his dark hair swaying lightly with the cold wind. Slowly, the man turned to face me.
"Ku- Kuro-." That was the only word that I managed to utter as my aching body completely fell to the ground and my consciousness gave in to the darkness.'
ooo
'Soft whispers woke me up from my slumber. I do not know how long I was asleep and my whole body feels so numb. The soft whispers that woke me up became louder and louder as I adjusted myself from the sleepiness until they become clearly audible and distinguishable.
"But he is the one brought Kurapika here!" came a semi-alto voice that is natural for a teenage boy.
"How would we know if he indeed saved Kurapika from an attack? What if he was actually the one who attacked him? I mean, her?" that one came from a light-baritone voice, a young man's voice.
"And why do you think that man brought her here instead of killing her, huh, old man?" again, that was from a semi-alto voice, but different from the first. It was way too sarcastic compared to the worried voice of the other one.
They are the voices of my friends, arguing about the person who brought me here to save my life. Who was that person they are talking about anyway? And… where am I?...'
They have been arguing for almost half an hour and Leorio was nearing on his limit over his patience. Were his two friends trying to defend that man?
Right that man, the person who brought the injured Kurapika in Leorio's apartment. Because of the urgency of the situation, Leorio did not bother to ask anything to that person as he immediately took Kurapika's almost tattered body and brought her into his room to the bed and gave his full attention to her injuries.
Remembering Kurapika's condition, Leorio asked himself if he should be thankful that whoever attacked Kurapika, they did not manage to completely destroy her vital points. Or was it indented that way? If only he could, Leorio would go after that man and ask him what had really happened, beat him to death if he won't give him the answer he wants until he gives up. But no, Leorio can't do that.
"He is KURORO LUCIFER!" he shouted and emphasized the name as his answer to Killua's question.
"Kuroro… Lucifer?" a soft, but audible whisper was heard and the three friends who have been occupying the two rectangular sofas inside the living room of Leorio's small apartment, with Leorio sitting opposite the two teenagers and in front of a small table.
Knowing full well where the voice came from, the three friends looked at the direction where the voice was heard and saw an unmistakably teenage girl, wearing an oversized pair of white pajama, completed by her lightly disheveled, golden hair that cascading over her shoulder up to her back, standing with her bare feet by the open door that leads to Leorio's room, looking at them with her wide golden eyes.
"Ku- Kurapika?" Leorio stuttered as he stood up from his seat. He cannot believe he would be facing his friend like this, his friend that he always believed to be a male, now in her original form. He's also hoping that he heard her wrong. If Kurapika learned that Kuroro Lucifer was actually the one who brought her here, what would she do? He just hopes that Kurapika did not hear his conversation with Gon and Killua.
But no, everything is too late. She already heard everything. She was about to take a step forward when she felt a light dizziness. Her feet somehow lost their strength as her body began to fall forward.
"Kanmuru."
Electricity from an unknown source, lightly tickled Kurapika's body before a hand caught her up. The owner of the hand helped her stand up. Kurapika turned her head to that person's face and saw Killua. The 14 years old boy is now almost at her height. But that was actually because she lost 5 inches when she returned to her female body, from 5'7 to 5'2, so Killua should be about 5'1.
"Did I grow too much, or, your body shrunk?" Killua asked as he put her left hand around his shoulder and helped her to walk over the sala set to the sofa beside Leorio who was still standing up straight, looking at them like an idiot with his mouth opening and closing.
"Both," Kurapika answered as Killua helped her sit and then turned her head at Leorio with a tinge of confusion in her eyes. "So it was Kuroro Lucifer." She did not bother to ask for confirmation for she heard it very clearly. Yes, she heard it well enough, that's why she was confused. Why, of all people, Kuroro Lucifer would save her?
"Ah.. um," Leorio doesn't want to look at Kurapika's eyes, instead he followed Killua's figure as the teen went back to his seat beside Gon.
"You don't have to hide it, Leorio," Kurapika said softly. "I heard you three talking about the person who brought me here. And that person happens to be Kuroro Lucifer."
Leorio sighed. At least she did not become agitated or something. Unexpectedly, she's calm. "I just…"
"I just cannot believe it was actually Kuroro Lucifer," Kurapika voiced out Leorio's unfinished sentence.
Why indeed, Kuroro saved Kurapika? And again, he might be the one who actually attached Kurapika. But Killua has a point too. If Kuroro was the one who attached Kurapika, what's the sense of bringing her in his apartment instead of killing her? Wait a minute… How did Kuroro found his new apartment anyway? And what were he and Kurapika doing?
"What were you doing in this place anyway?" Gon asked before Leorio can even utter his supposed question.
"This place?" she asked, looking at Gon.
Oh, right, she doesn't know that Leorio was having a training in this city, so she doesn't know where exactly she is.
"Yes, here, at Yama City," Killua said.
Kurapika blinked.
"I am having my training in this City," Leorio supplied as he seated himself. "How about you?" 'And that person?' he added mentally.
"So I am now at Yama City," Kurapika said.
"It seems you are supposed to be on your way here," Killua said, making the tree look at him.
"That's right. An auction is about to start here in a few days, so I went here in advance to check on things."
"Oh, right, you are a bodyguard so you have to check on the security," Leorio said.
"You are just doing your work, right?" Gon seconded.
"No," Killua suddenly spoke up, eyeing Kurapika with a knowing look. "Your statement sounds like you are about to check on something else, or rather, you are about to do something out of your employer's or anyone's knowledge.
Kurapika gave a small and quick smile. Really, Killua knows how to read through the lines.
Killua saw the smile and returned it with a light smirk. "You're on your way to the auction site to take the scarlet eyes."
"Eh!?" Gon and Leorio exclaimed questioningly and Kurapika confirmed with a nod. "Ehhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
The night came by and everyone except Kurapika were asleep with Gon and Killua occupying the two sofas and Leorio sitting in front of his study table where his head was lying down, snoring loudly. Kurapika on the other hand was lying on the bed, looking at the rotating ceiling fan that was sending the occupants cool breeze. Her mind traveled to the conversations that took place a few hours ago with her friends.
After she confirmed that she was supposed to take a pair of scarlet eyes at the auction site, they asked her what happened on her way before she arrived, or before Kuroro brought her here and so she told them everything. She told them about the tension she felt while she was running down the forest. She told about the sudden shaking of the land, the swirling of the wind, the ominous dark clouds, the appearance of the dolls and Omokage, and the attack of the dolls. She also told them about the last thing she saw before she lost her consciousness… Kuroro Lucifer.
With that, most of their questions were answered. Kuroro was not the person who attacked Kurapika. As to why he saved her, that is still a mystery.
Well anyway, with Kurapika's injury, she has to stay at Leorio's apartment and rest for a while to heal her wounds. That was Leorio's idea and the two boys agreed so too. But who they were talking about? It was Kurapika. And when you are talking about Kurapika, you are talking about a person, stubborn than a mule.
As a proof for the above statement, Kurapika sat up, shoving the white blanket away and made her way to the edge of the bed. She put her feet down to the floor and stood up. With her dark, long-sleeved shirt and dark pants that she borrowed from Killua (of which Killua hesitantly lent, but gave up with a blush on his cheeks, but he immediately composed himself as he brought his mouth near her ear and whispered: "be sure to return it unscathed or I will kiss you on the lips," that made her blush furiously) she is ready to go. Kurapika shook the memory out of her head. Walking silently, she made her way to the still open door and out of the room.
"We do not know what you would do if we let you stay there with the door close," she remembered Killua's statement to Leorio, of which the soon to be doctor replied, "I'm not going to do anything!" with a face red like a lobster.
Kurapika looked at the boys on the sofas, but immediately went back on her track. She doesn't have much time for leisure. With that in mind, she walked toward the main door, turned the round knob and with one click, the lock was released as a small circle button in the middle of the knob stuck out itself. Kurapika opened the door, but before she went out, she pushed back the small button and went out as she closed the door behind her.
'I'm sorry everyone, but I have to do this now,' she mentally said as she started running away.
Back to Leorio's apartment in the small living room, Killua open his eyes. He's actually wide awake. He seated himself up and turned his head to the main door. A small smirk appeared on his youthful face. "That kiss is a promise, Kurapika," he said silently.
AN:
Hello everyone!
I'm here again with my second chapter.
So, what do you think about this one? I hope you like it.
Please review!
Have a nice day!
(•‿•)
I guess I should dedicate this chapter to those Killu-Kura fan out there. (•‿‿•)
Yama: Mountain in Japanese. Yama City is only a made up city.
