Disclaimer: Me: Now, Kurapika and Kuroro... make out!
Kurapika: Do you really hold less value to you life?!
Kuroro: ...
Me: Oooppss... Sorry... I forgot I don't own you two... *awkward smile*
Summary: Tired of constantly being haunted by his past, Kurapika decides to follow his friends' advice of forgetting his revenge. He's contented anyway, having recovered almost half of his clan's eyes. It's time for him to rest and move on with his life. With his friends' help, he realized that there's no point in wasting his life on revenge and hatred. However, one man wants to deprive him of that peaceful life he so much wishes. What happens when Kuroro Lucifer returns from his 'exile' and tries to make the Kuruta's life a living hell?
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Chapter 3
Aniki
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Panting heavily, Kurapika woke up with a start. Beads of sweat trailed down from his fair forehead to his pale neck. He blinked a few times to clear his head before the thought of checking the time came down to him. But soon, the blond realized that there's no clock in the room that was given to him. Instead, he took a glance at the broken window and saw that the sun has yet to rise.
Kurapika shook his head desperately, trying to shake away as well the nightmare that haunted him just a few moments ago in his sleep. Black circles were forming below his eyes because of lack of sleep in the past few days, ever since the day he killed three innocent victims.
Unconsciously, Kurapika's grip on his thin blanket tightened as the memories flooded his head. His nightmare was about that time and he can't help but laugh at how pathetic he is right now.
For the rest of the night, the blond did not bother closing his eyes once again to gain more sleep. He feared that the nightmare will come back again to haunt him mercilessly. Those spirits had every right to do so. He had the chance to save them, yet he did no such thing because he feared more for his friends lives than with theirs.
He waited until the break of dawn, before finally getting out of his makeshift bed to proceed down for breakfast.
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Breakfast with the Spiders felt completely normal to Kurapika. They ate normal food like any other human beings and drank normal drink too. We'll what did he expect anyway? That they're feasting off their enemie's flesh and bathing on their blood? They're not Chimera Ants, Kurapika reminded himself.
Though Kuroro announced five days ago that they'd be heading back to Ryuusegai, which Kurapika found utterly repulsive, the Spiders did not move so far. It seems like they're waiting for their Danchou to give his signal before they take any course of actions. Sullenly, the Kuruta watched from his usual dark corner as Shalnark and Shizuku (he finally leaned the names of all the members) distributed Styrofoam packages of their breakfast.
The others started eating right away while chatting with each other amiably. Kuroro sat on a new pile neat of debris as he drank canned coffee while reading a new book he had stolen in a public library a few days ago. The thought stealing books made the Kuruta cringed, but he had no say about it.
He was pulled out from his train of thoughts when he found a Styrofoam box being held in front of his face. Then, he saw Shalnark smiling at him as if they're friends.
"Here you go. I'm sure you're hungry." He said as he held the box closer to him. Kurapika eyes it sceptically like he always did every time food is given to him. Seeing this, the sandy-blond guy sighed. "Again, it's not poisoned." He added to assure him.
Finally, without so much of a 'thank you' Kurapika took the box and waited for the guy to go and distribute the remaining food to the others before he starts eating. However, Shalnark did not budge from where he's standing in front of the Kuruta. He's busy rummaging through another plastic bag and he finally pulled out a canned coffee, similar to what's Kuroro drinking.
"Here, you might need this." The Spider said cheerfully.
Wordlessly, Kurapika also took it with a nod. Did the guy know that he hadn't been getting enough sleep?
When he finally left, the blond opened the box and started eating silently. He heard the others bickering and shouting foul words against each other and they were probably Franklin, Nobunaga, and Phinx. The three had been in constant quarrel every morning ever since the samurai woke up with a bump on his head and realized whose fault it was. He first blamed Kurapika, but when the blond Kuruta did not say anything since he was too tired to bicker senselessly with him, he turned to the Frankenstein look-alike. Eventually, Phinx joined in to break off the two but was dragged into the fight. Being the proud man he was, he did not let the insults pass right at him without doing anything. So, this is now the end result of everything.
Kuroro and the others seemed unfazed, as if it was a normal daily routine to see those three trying to rip each other's heads off.
"You big oaf! Even if he attacks me, I can fend off myself!" he heard the Samurai yell at Franklin. "And you! Remind me again why you're in this?"
"How dare you forget, you butt wad!" Phinx shouted angrily before slamming his half-finished breakfast into the Samurai's face.
Unfortunately, Nobunaga managed to dodge in the last minute and the hearty breakfast ended up in Franklin's face instead.
"Phinx..." the big guy growled, making Phinx tense up.
"Uhh... my hand slipped?" that's when both Nobunaga and Franklin went after the eyebrow less guy's throat.
Suddenly losing his appetite, Kurapika put down his breakfast and drank the canned coffee instead.
"You guys should stop before Danchou gets irritated, really." Shalnark's loud voice echoed throughout the building, effectively stopping the three figures from afar. They all shifted their heads to their leader, who doesn't seem to mind the commotion and is just peacefully reading.
Sighing inwardly to himself, Kurapika stood up and proceeded to walk out of the building.
"Eh? Where are you going?" Shalnark asked when he saw his figure. Of all the Spiders, only Shalnark can talk to the blond casually as if he's already a long time friend.
"None of your business." He replied sharply and continued walking out.
"But..."
"Shal." Kuroro called out in a warning tone. "He's not gonna escape." He assured his Spider.
Hearing this, Kurapika almost snapped. But he kept his dignity by walking out of their hiding place casually without looking back with a scowl.
The abandoned building that they're staying in is situated in the outskirts of the city and is near a forest. Kurapika always wanted to get inside the said forest but he didn't have the chance until now. Either Kuroro or Shalnark would usually stop him and he would comply, but not without giving them a glare of two. That's why he was a bit surprised when Kuroro allowed him to get out of the building.
He really needed to do some de-stressing to calm himself. The coffee that Shalnark offered him did not do a good job in keeping him awake as he yawned a little and stretched his arms. Then, the blonde walked towards the forest, intending to find any water source where he could bath.
A few minutes of hunting later, he finally found a clean and beautiful river. Almost immediately, Kurapika took off his shirt along with his pants, leaving only his blue boxers on him. Then, he submerged himself completely into the cool water. A sigh managed to escape his lips and soon enough, he felt his eyelids droop down and eventually, he fell into a deep slumber.
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Kuroro Lucifer glanced at his phone, not to check for messages but to check for the time. It has been two hours since the Kuruta went out and he's starting to think that the blond really did escape. But he knew that Kurapika is too smart to do that stupid thing. He got lost, perhaps?
That was the only logical thing he could come up with, as impossible as it may sound. Shalnark would take cautious glances at the door every now and then, thinking or expecting that the Kuruta would some in any time now.
Standing up, Kuroro himself went out of the building as well, with every intention to bring back the boy no matter what. As he was about to exit the room, his phone rang and the man answered the call without bothering who's calling.
"Yo! Kuroro" a cheerful voice rang at the other line and the Spider head recognized that voice anywhere.
"Fritz." The man whispered with clear contempt.
"What's with that? Not happy that I called?"
"Frankly, yes."
"Ouch." Fritz dramatically exclaimed. "Anyways, I heard you got him."
Kuroro paused, thinking if he should answer truthfully or not. In the end, he replied honestly. "Yes, I have him. Who told you?"
"I have my sources." The guy said with a mischievous voice. "Where are you right now? I'm coming there."
"Ryuusegai." He lied.
"You big fat liar. I know you're in the outskirts of Seiko City."
"Then why did you ask?" this time, Kuroro is getting annoyed and only Fritz could make him feel this way.
"Nothing. See ya after two days, kay? And don't dare leave for Ryuusegai or I'll hunt you..." Before Fritz could even finish, Kuroro had pushed the 'End Call' button and faced his Spider.
"Fritz is coming in two days. Make you sure you welcome him properly." He ordered at them.
"Really? Ha! That bastard still owes me two million Jennies!" Phinx exclaimed excitedly.
Kuroro did not further stay for he's still focused in finding the 'missing' Kuruta. He completely exited the building and walked casually into the forest, hands shoved in his trench coat pockets. The man did not need to walk very far because he immediately spotted the blue shirt and dark blue pants that the blond wore, hanging on one of the branches of a tree near a river. He walked closer until he found Kurapika's slumbering form that was half submerged in the water.
Seriously, the boy is careless. He could catch a cold in that position. And if he did catch a cold, no one would take care of him. Not that Kurapika would be willing to let one of the Spiders touch him.
Sitting on a fallen tree trunk, Kuroro decided to wait until the blond opens his eyes.
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There it was again. The nightmare.
Three restless souls haunted him over and over again, their cries forever echoing inside his head whether he's sleeping or awake. Having enough of this, Kurapika managed to abruptly snap his eyes open and break his trance. He then realized that he's still in the water and was grateful for it. Cupping his hands, Kurapika scooped up a handful of water and splashed it to his face. He did it for a couple of times before finally deciding to get out of the water.
Before he could even properly stand up, he heard a low voice rumble behind him.
"You better put some clothes on before getting out."
Kurapika turned around quickly and saw Kuroro Lucifer's figure staring at him.
"Wha-what are you doing here?" he managed to croak out. When he realized that half of his body is exposed to the man's view, he immediately sunk down until the water reached his neck. A shade of red crept up to his cheeks and he wasn't sure whether it's the cold water or the embarrassment.
Kuroro sighed and stood up. "Hurry up and get dressed if you're uncomfortable in that state. It'd be a bother if you catch a cold."
"Then get out of here. You're the reason I'm uncomfortable. I can't get dressed with you watching" The blonde retorted.
"I'm a guy. You're a guy. We share the same body parts. What is there to be uneasy about?"
"Just shut up and get out of here"
"Fine. I'm giving you twenty minutes. If you don't meet the time limit, I'm dragging you back to the hideout." And with that, Kuroro started walking back to the hiding place, much to Kurapika's relief.
The Kuruta immediately got out of the water and got dressed.
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Upon arriving back at the hideout, Kurapika was a bit stunned at the scene before him. What did he miss?
In front of him, the Spiders are hovering around a gray-haired man who's about Kuroro's age and is carrying twin swords in his right hand. They're all smiling at him and stuff, something the blonde found really disturbing. He just stopped at the foot of the entrance door, observing silently. From the corner of his eyes, he saw that the Spider head wasn't joining what he dubbed as the 'hugging session'. The man just sat there, still reading his book.
"I see your leader is still as boring as ever. Books? Seriously, you should have fun and get out, Kuroro!" the man skipped towards Kuroro with a grin on his face.
"I thought you're not coming until two days." The man deadpanned, not taking his eye off the book.
"And I thought you know me."
"Hey, Fritz! My where is my two million dollars?" Phinx bellowed.
The guy named Fritz scratched the back of his head. "Some other time, Phinx. I'm kinda broke right now." He turned his attention to Kuroro. "Pay for me, please?" he asked.
"Pay for your own debts." The Spider head said coldly.
"Stingy..." Fritz muttered before Kurapika's unmoving figure caught his eyes. "Ah... is that him?"
Kuroro finally looked up from his book and saw Kurapika standing near the entrance door. "Yes." He replied curtly.
At that, a small smile graced Fritz's face. "He really looks like him, don't you agree, Kuroro?"
"Whatever you think." He bent his head down again to resume reading. "And don't hit on him." He added when Fritz skipped towards the Kuruta instead. The other Spiders already went back to what they're doing- sleeping, drinking, playing cards, and etc.
"Hello there." Fritz greeted at the slightly confused Kurapika. "I'm Fritz, Kuroro's best friend in the whole world!" as if for emphasis, Fritz opened his arms and circled them, drawing the globe.
From afar, a small scoff escaped Kuroro. "Since when?"
"Ignore him. He just doesn't want to boast about his amazing best friend. He's too humble for his own good." The cheerful guy waved his hand dismissively. "Anyways..."
"Are you a Spider?" Kurapika suddenly interrupted.
"Hell no!" Fritz exclaimed, taking the blond by surprise. "Are you serious? I wouldn't let that man tell me what to do. Heck, I'm a free man. And besides, I hate stealing and killing"
Then why are you here?
Somehow, the way the man acted is familiar to him. Kurapika felt a warm emotion spread all over his chest as he watched and listened to Fritz, rambling about how terrible Kuroro had been to him in the past years that they've known each other. It was as if Fritz was his older brother or something.
The notion is too impossible and too ridiculous.
"Hey, you haven't told me your name yet." Fritz suddenly informed him.
"Kurapika."
With a smile, Fritz took his hand and shook it eagerly. "Nice meeting you, Kurapika. I'll be staying here for a while so treat me like your big brother, kay?" At loss for words, Kurapika could only nod dumbly. Well, at least he now had someone he can confide to.
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That same night, Fritz stayed inside Kuroro's room. The usual cheerfulness in his voice was gone as he talked to the Spider head. Strangely enough, their topic was no other than a certain blond Kuruta, who's sleeping inside a room that's not too far away from theirs.
"He asked you to spare him. Not to make him a murderer." Fritz said with an underlying warning tone. He's sitting by the window sill, facing Kuroro, who's settled at the edge of his makeshift bed.
"This is none of your business, Fritz. The request was given to me so I have the right to fulfil it. You have nothing to do with it." Kuroro countered calmly.
"I have every right to, Kuroro. He'd be very disappointed with what you're doing to Kurapika."
"This is the only way."
"By making him one of you? I don't think so. I won't allow you."
Kuroro's eyes turned dark. "What do you know Fritz? You weren't there. You left."
"And I regret that decision even until now. I could have stopped you if I didn't." Fritz said with remorse in his voice.
"What's done is done. Nothing can be changed now."
Standing up, Fritz decided that he finally had enough of Kuroro's whims. "I'm going to protect him from anything no matter what. Even from you."
"You do realize you just declared war against me?"
"Doesn't matter. I don't agree with the way you do things."
"You never did in the first place."
Sighing, Fritz ran a hand to his gray hair and frowned. "Kurapika is the last memento he left. So why are you soiling such precious person?"
"Think whatever you like to what I'm doing to him. But I must remind you that Kurapika is my responsibility, no one else's." Kuroro narrowed his eyes dangerously. "Don't meddle in."
Unfazed, Fritz stood his ground defiantly. "I'm not your Spider so you can't tell me what to do. If I want to butt in, I will, and you're not stopping me." Then, the guy rushed out of the room to head to the one prepared for him by Shalnark. Fritz already had enough of Kuroro's stubbornness so he will do everything in his power to protect Kurapika from anything Kuroro throws at the blond.
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"Good morning, everyone!" The Spiders, including Kurapika, turned their head to look at the newly awakened and refreshed Fritz, standing straight and stretching his muscles. "A fine morning, don't you think?"
"Good morning to you too, Frtiz." Shalnark greeted as he proceeded to distribute the usual Styrofoam breakfast packages that he and Shizuku buys in the nearby city market.
Upon receiving his share of food, Fritz skipped happily to where Kurapika is and sat down beside him casually. Surprised at his actions, Kurapika could only look at the man beside him.
"Good morning, Kurapika." He greeted as he opened his breakfast and started eating.
"Uh... good morning, Fritz." The blonde greeted back.
"Hey, call me aniki. A-ni-ki."
Befuddled, Kurapika nodded but then smiled. "Hai, aniki."
"I have a younger brother now!"
Kurapika can feel that there's nothing wrong with befriending this Fritz guy. Aside from being Kuroro Lucifer's 'best friend', he's not a Spider, not a thief, and definitely not a killer. He couldn't see anything dangerous that Fritz is carrying around except for the twin swords he saw the other day.
And besides, he felt that he knew Fritz even before they met yesterday. The feeling of nostalgia is always there whenever he sees him.
'Aniki!' a sudden voice rung and Kurapika looked around to see if he's just hallucinating. Looks like he is.
"Is something wrong, Kurapika?" Fritz asked and the blond shook his head.
"Nothing. I just..." the voice came back again.
'Aniki! Kuroro-oniisan!'
What the hell was that? Kurapika looked around again, and saw that Kuroro is, as always, immersed in reading his book than eating his breakfast. What is happening to him? Are these memories or just his imagination?
"Tomorrow, we'll start moving to Ryuusegai..." Kuroro started upon closing his book and standing up in the middle. He grouped the team with three members each. The group was the same during their stealing spree in the parties almost a week ago. Only this time, Fritz will be with them and the blonde was glad.
When the Spider head finished talking, he went back to where he's sitting and resumed reading. Frist, on the other hand, noticed the distress on Kurapika's face.
"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked genuinely.
"Yeah. I just miss my friends." He lied; though he really did missed his friends and wished that they're okay.
"Why don't you call them?"
"The jerk took away my phone."
"You can use mine, if you want." Fritz suddenly offered and took out his phone with his free hand then held it out for Kurapika to see.
"R-really?" he asked while taking a cautious glace at Kuroro. But when he was about to take the phone, Kuroro's voice suddenly echoed.
"Don't even think about it, Fritz." He warned, looking at the two coldly.
"Pshh... Don't mind him. Here, take my phone."
"Kurapika." It was Kuroro again. "You know what I can do, don't you?"
The blonde tensed up and quickly pushed away Fritz's offering hand. "No thak you, Fritz. It's okay." The man nodded and turned his head to Kuroro. The Spider head looked back fiercely, not backing down.
The intensity between the two radiated all over the place that even the Spiders felt uneasy. For the Spiders who knew, Fritz is actually as skilful, as intelligent, and as powerful as their Danchou is. It can't be helped since the two grew up in Ryuusegai and studied under the same mentor.
"You know what, Kuroro? Let's settle this like what we always do." Fritz suggested as he stood up.
"Fine with me. State the conditions." Kuroro replied as he closed his book.
"If I win, you will give Kurapika's phone back. But If you do, I'll stop offering my help."
"Fritz, you don't have to." Kurapika almost annoyingly tried to stop his 'aniki'. He felt like a girl in this kind of situation. But the guy just won't listen.
Kuroro knew that Fritz is someone who cannot keep a promise but it's worth a shot. "Alright then."
And with that, the two stepped out of the building. The Spiders followed, with some of them looking very excited with the upcoming clash.
"It's been a while since I last saw Danchou fight with Fritz." Feitan said, which Kurapika's ears caught.
"Yeah. It'll be exciting!" Nobunaga exclaimed along with a pumped up Phinx.
"I just hope they don't burn down the nearby forest." Shizuku whispered thoughtfully to herself.
Finally finishing contemplating, Kurapika also walked out of the building to watch the so-called exciting match between two powerful nen users.
How did a mere cell phone made a situation like this?
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Author's Note: Thank you for all you reviews! I love you all! So here is Chapter 3, where I introduced a new OC of mine. Enjoy and review!
Next: Who is really Fritz? What is his relationship with Kuroro? Why is he so fond of Kurapika? And what are the two 'best friends' talking about? Answers will be revealed in the upcoming chapters.