Chapter 3: An Exchange of Information
Gon's POV
I wonder if she's okay…
Kurapika carried her all the way here…
And then he carried her to his room…
He locked the door…
Only opened it to get his dinner…
Mito-san, Leiorio, and Killua aren't very lively…..
Neither am I…
Imi just blacked out…
She's been out for a while…
I hope she's alright…
I hope Kurapika's alright too…
He looked depressed when he came out…
Back to Your POV
Oh Kami…
My head hurts…
What happened???
Oh, that's right…
I blacked out…
I opened my eyes and quickly shut them. It was bright! I opened my eyes again, slowly. The room was out of focus. I blinked my eyes a few times and looked around.
Where am I??
This room doesn't look familiar…
Then I saw Kurapika. He was sitting down on a chair, right next to the bed I was laying on, and he had his head resting on his hands, looking down at the floor.
Wait…
Kurapika!?
What is he doing here??
Oh, this must be his room…
I looked around again…
And it is an AWESOME room!
Fits my personality just perfecto!
I chuckled and looked at Kurapika again. His head snapped up, apparently, he heard my chuckling. His sky blue eyes locked with mine instantly.
"Who are you?"
The question knocked me off guard.
"I'm… Uhhhhhhh….. Kanae Hoshimi… You said so yourself…" I stammered.
"I know your name. What was the name of your tribe?" Kurapika demanded. Then in a darker voice, added, "Did the Genei Ryodan annihilate them?"
The Phantom Troupe…
They killed my friends…
My family…
EVERYONE!
Before I knew it, my vision became crimson. I glared at Kurapika. His eyes widened with shock.
"My clan was the Kuruta Clan. I don't remember my identity. Five years ago, the Phantom Brigade killed everyone I ever cared about." I growled. In a softer tone, "Before I saw you I thought that they had killed you too, Arashi…"
Kurapika's eyes grew bigger if they even could.
"…Kanae??? Can it be??? I thought that they had murdered you when I saw your hut in ashes!"
"I believe it is me. I now remember my identity because of you, and I remember the day they…," I trailed off, my eyes started to moist.
"I remember as well." Kurapika said, taking me into his arms, "Maybe you should tell me what you recall of that day."
I sniffed and nodded.
"I was sleeping peacefully, in my bed, in my house. I was going to leave with my dad to go on a hunt tomorrow. I was still horrible at shooting my arrow. I woke up suddenly, and on impulse, grabbed my quiver and bow, and went far into the woods.
I started to shoot at a single tree, trying to hit the middle of a knot in the trunk.
'I will get this right! If it's the last thing I do!' I thought.
I practiced until dawn. That's when I heard the screams. I ran back to the village and hid in the bushes. There was a group of people, and they were slaughtering everyone. I saw the group kill my mother, my little sister, my older brother, and my father. I saw them kill your mother and father. I thought they had killed you too.
Very little time had passed, and soon, the group was gone, leaving nothing of the village except for corpses with no eyes, and ashes where the buildings were. I wept for two days, not eating or drinking, or moving. On the third day I realized I had to do something, I had to survive.
So I went and stole when I had to, and hunted with my bow and arrows I had in my possession. I made my way through the towns and cities, picking up any information on the group who had killed my clan. I finally learned that they were the infamous Phantom Troupe. Over the months, my anger had grown, and soon I found their location. I wanted revenge.
I was about halfway in their defenses when I was caught. I was captured and tortured day and night. I got hardly any food or water, and when I wasn't being tortured, I was chained up in a cell. I lost count of the days after 2 months. Life seemed to have no meaning to me any more after a while. I was a dog, a pet of the Troupe. I slowly forgot everyone.
Then one day, your image came to my mind. I then knew that I had to get out of that wretched place. So one day when one of the members of the brigade came for me, my fighting instincts took over. I almost killed him, and ran as fast as I could to the entrance I was so close to. I ran out into the daylight and kept running.
After some time, I found myself in a village, where I stole a cloak, and traveled to here. And then you guys found me."
After that I wept openly. Kurapika's arms tightened around my waist, and I buried my face into his chest. Kurapika nestled his face into my hair, and rocked my slowly, back and forth, like a baby trying to sleep. We stayed like that for hours, until I yawned.
"You better get some sleep." Kurapika said, staring at me.
"Okay, but, isn't this your bed?" I implied.
"Yes, it is, but I will sleep here, in the chair. Wake me up if you need anything." Kurapika stated and then leaned back into the chair, signaling that the conversation was over.
I sighed, and then smiled. I lay back in the bed, and fell asleep shortly after. I slept soundly for the first time in years.