Chapter 3 – Nina, the Survivor

"Wait!"

Kurapika wasn't sure why he was chasing this girl, but something in him told him to do so. Fortunately for him, he knew this forest like the back of his hand, because he had played in it for so long, so he knew where he should dodge a branch or when to skip a jump. This girl seemed to know her ways as well. She was just as agile as he was. She was fast, too. He estimated that it was probably because she was living around the area for a while. It was hard to tell if she was also from his Clan, but lots of people are blonde with blue eyes, and supposedly he was the sole survivor. Once he'd catch up with her, he would ask her properly. As he continued to chase her, he noticed that there was a clearing coming up ahead, where she was running towards. When he saw a wooden cottage, he slowed down gradually, until he just stood there, a few feet away from the house's porch. He couldn't help but analyze the place. The cottage looked like it had at least 50 years old, maybe even more, but he couldn't tell. The wood was incredibly well taken care of, as were several patches of flowers around the front. He guessed that there were also flowers in the back.

"Go away. I know why you're here." the girl spoke.

"Why I'm here?" he asked himself as he blinked.

Kurapika watched as she turned towards him with a serious-like expression. It was then that he was finally able to take a good look at her. Her eyes were a deep blue tone, like the ocean, and her long hair was a golden yellow color, and it reminded him of the sun. He blinked again, as he continued to look at her. The girl, on the other hand, was slightly panting and noticed that this person hadn't even broken a sweat, unlike her, who was covered in it. She was agile and could run as much as she wanted, but with someone chasing after her, she got stressed and tired quicker. And this person had been the only one who was able to keep up with her. Normally, she lost the intruders in the middle of her running, but this one no. They kept following her, and it made her somewhat impressed. Even so, she would not be fazed by this individual. She noticed that the person was still staring at her. Strangely, they did not do anything against her, unlike all the others, but even still, she had to push them away.

"You're here to fool me into thinking that you're from my clan, the Kurta Clan."

He gasped when she said 'Kurta Clan'. So she was a survivor as well. He wanted to step closer, but he was sure that she would turn around and run back inside and shut him out for good, before he even had a chance to explain himself. When he was going to try to speak, she cut him off.

"But I know it well. I am the only survivor, and I have been living here ever since that.. that time." the girl's voice wavered for a moment, but she got herself together quickly. "You're just like all the others. They also tried to fool me. They dressed like you are and tried to convince me into going with them. But I am not going anywhere. Not with you or with anyone else!"

With that, she turned around and moved to open the front door to her house. He had to stop her. He had to speak up, and tell her the truth. By the way this was going, he was almost sure that she wouldn't give him a chance to say anything anytime soon.

"No, wait!" Kurapika tried to reason with her. "I am a survivor as well. I've been traveling to become a Hunter, so that's probably why you've never seen me."

The girl said nothing, nor did anything against his words of explanation, and so, he continued. He took about two steps closer to the cottage, but then she shifted her head to the side and he stopped himself. At least, she was listening, so he would continue.

"I never thought that there could be any other survivors other than me." He continued. "After the fire subsided and the thieves left, I tried to look for people, but I found no one, so I left."

"I see you've done your homework." The girl said, unimpressed with his words.

"I give you my word. I'm telling you the truth!" he said back. "But if you are really a survivor as well, where were you? I tried to search for anyone who could still be alive." He couldn't help but ask.

"I was…" the girl's voice had a sad tone to it. ".. Are you really from my Clan too?" she asked as she turned around towards him again.

Once more, He froze in that place. Her expression wasn't an angry one anymore. Not that he felt any anger from her from the start. He could tell from the beginning that she was just trying to look menacing to push him away. He could also tell that this was her real shell. Her expression showed sadness. He didn't say anything, but he felt sorry for her. She must have lived alone all these years in that house behind her. Unaware, he took another step closer to the porch. It was the wrong thing to do. She suddenly frowned and took a step backwards. She moved her right hand to hold the doorknob.

"What is behind me?" she asked.

"Eh?" he blinked.

"If you can figure that out, then I'll speak to you again."

With that, she turned around and entered the cottage, locking the door tightly behind her. Kurapika cursed between his teeth. He shouldn't have moved. And he still couldn't prove her that he was also from the Clan. It was getting dark, so he had to sleep somewhere close to a tree. In the following day he would show her. He was able to make his eyes turn scarlet out of his free will. When she'd see, she would believe him. For the moment, he would rest. As he leant down, the blonde felt something. He had an idea of what it could be, but then he used Gyo and looked towards the girl's house. It was giving him a few Nen readings, but they were weak. When he looked to the side, his eyes widened. All of the flowers, plants and smaller trees were covered with Nen. It was a warm, welcoming, green aura around the living beings outside the house, and it made his expression soften significantly. Just by looking at the plants, he could tell what she was talking about. He could also tell that she was clearly from his Clan as well. After a moment of pausing, he knew it. He would be giving the girl the correct answer on the following day.

-SV-

In the following morning, Kurapika woke up to a shuffling sound. Calmly opening his eyes, he noticed the girl from before. She was sweeping the dust off her porch. He didn't want to scare her away, so he got up gently, so that he wouldn't make any false moves. It wouldn't do him any good if she got scared and ran back inside, because he was still trying to speak with her. Even so, he knew how he could prove her that he also belonged to the Clan, even if she still hadn't given him any chance.

"Good morning." He greeted after having cleared his throat. He was cautious to remain a couple meters away from the stairs.

"Ah. You're still here." she seemed surprised. "They usually give up and leave."

"I won't. I'm not going anywhere." he spoke back. "Not until I can prove you that I belong to the Kurta Clan, just like you do."

His voice sounded serious and it made the girl stop sweeping. She looked down at Kurapika for a moment before she decided to speak again.

"Well, then." she said; leaning the broom against the front door. "What is behind me?" she made the same question as before.

"It is a Nen garden." Kurapika said without hesitating.

".. Why do you say so?" she descended the four steps and stood just about two meters away from him.

"By using your Nen abilities, you grew all the flowers around and behind your house. And I can tell that you're from the Kurta Clan because of that ability. I remember that some women possessed the same skills within them, even though most weren't even aware of it." The blonde explained.

"You're the first person to actually get it right." The girl spoke. "What's your name?"

"Eh?" the blonde blinked. He wasn't expecting that from her.

"Yes, your name." the girl said with a pout. "You do have a name, no?"

"Ah. I'm Kurapika." He smiled to the girl.

"Hm." Nina nodded her head. "Is Kurapika a girl name or a boy name?" she asked herself. "It would be really rude to ask because I can't really tell…" she looked at the blonde for a moment.

"Hm?" he still smiled.

"Girl. Kurapika's definitely a girl. Boys don't usually have such pretty faces anyways." she said to herself with another nod. "It's very nice to meet you, Kura. My name's Nina." She smiled brightly.

"Nina. That's a lovely name." Kurapika repeated and then smiled. "Isn't Kura a… girly nickname?" he asked himself with an inside nervous chuckle.

"Ah, th-thank you." She looked down, slightly embarrassed. She wasn't used to listening to compliments.

A moment of silence stretched between the two as they gazed at each other. The pressure of the previous day was long gone. The girl was sure that nobody from outside of the Clan knew about an ability like hers, so if Kurapika knew about it, then it meant that the blonde was also natural from her village. Nina then recalled. Kurapika probably didn't have anything to eat last night, and now in the morning. She should offer her something. When she was going to ask the blonde if she wanted anything to eat, another voice caught both of their attentions.

"Ah, look at what I just found!" a rough voice spoke.

End of chapter 3