Disclaimer: I do not own Hunter x Hunter, as well as Profe. Verloren is a borrowed name.

Charter 4: Verloren

A small groan escaped his mouth as his consciousness returned to him, feeling his muscles contracting in pain. His body felt so numb and heavy. Nevertheless, the feeling of need to wake up pushed him to open the heavy lids of his eyes. Adjusting his sight from the light, Kuroro fluttered his eyes open and the first thing he saw was the white ceiling of the vault. Right, he almost forgot that he's still in the vault.

Lifting his body with more effort, he seated himself on the floor and turned sideways. A deep frown made its way to his face as his eyes landed at the very familiar figure of a little girl, standing in front of him with her oversize black clothes hanging loosely on her small body, looking down at him with an unreadable frown in her eyes.

Kuroro averted his gaze as he noticed another person in priestly robe, standing at the spot where Omokage was standing before. Kuroro wan not sure, but he can feel something about this person, something inhuman. Lifting himself farther to stand up, he returned his gaze to the girl, who looks like 12 years old or less. "Kura-," he stopped midway as he heard a different, but familiar voice coming out of him and instinctively raised his right hand to his throat and looked down at himself. Removing his hand from his throat, he brought it and his other hand in front of him as he observed himself with a deeper frown.

Just like the little girl, his clothes are now hanging loosely on his now smaller body. If his estimate is correct, his body shirked into a late-teenager's body. The same with his voice, it has somehow become boyish just like his voice in his younger days. Well at least, he did not turn into a small child. His height was only reduced by more or less 3 inches. But still…. Returning to the two figures who are currently looking at him, as if observing him in his every move, Kuroro directed his gaze to the little girl.

"Can you tell me what happened, Kurapika?"

Composing herself together, Kurapika released a deep breath that she had been holding for no reason and looked back at Kuroro. "I can't," she admitted, "but this person seems to know how to explain our circumstances and how to return our body to normal."

Kuroro tuned to the man and the said man gave him a warm smile just like the one he gave to Kurapika a while ago.

Kurapika also turned to the man, remembering the word that the man said before Kuroro woke up.

Flashback

"Who are you?" Kurapika asked, looking at the man like a curious child.

"I am Profe," the man answered with his soft tenor, almost feminine voice and gave Kurapika a warm smile.

"Profe?" Kurapika repeated questioningly. She doesn't remember ever hearing that name before, but she felt somehow familiar with it. Where did she come to know that name? Wait, 'this is not the time for this!' she mentally shouted to herself. She shook her head to clear her mind and looked at the man again, but this time, she looked at him with caution. Noticing the man was taking a step forward, she immediately moved herself near the still unconscious Kuroro and took a fighting stance to warn the man from advancing further. Belatedly, she realized that her action was not actually necessary. She doesn't even know why she did that, of all people. Why is she protecting Kuroro Lucifer?

No, that is not the point here. The reason of her sudden action is not because of the possible danger that the man in front of her can cause. She can't even sense an incoming attack from the man. It is something different, something that is not normal. She can sense an inhuman being from the man and she cannot let her guard down.

But… What is happening here? Why is she having the same feeling as she had before? 'It can't be.' She tried to summon her chain. Futile. 'No way.' It was just like the time when her scarlet eyes are taken away from her. She still has her nen inside her body, but she cannot materialize her nen chain. This is ridiculous. What is really happening here?

"You don't have to be so agitated child," Profe said calmly, "I mean no harm," he added with a smile.

Although the man looks normal in her eyes, that inhuman aura in him is still something creepy. "What are you?" she asked, trying not to sound so cold, but miserably failed.

"Don't worry," the man said instead, "I am here to inform you of something very important."

"To inform me?"

"And him," he said, gesturing at Kuroro and cast his head down, looking at the 'Pandora's box' in front of him, "about this jar."

A soft groan at the back of Kurapika was heard, indicating that the now teenage Kuroro was waking up, taking both Kurapika and Profe's attention.

End of flashback

"You said you came here to inform us about the jar," Kurapika said of which the man nodded to answer her question. "So?" she prompted.

Returning his attention to the said jar, Profe stepped forward, picked the lid of the jar to put it on and took the jar with his two hands and looked back at the duo. "First, let me tell you a story."

ooo

It happened after Lucifer and his followers went down to earth and invaded the world with darkness that they themselves lost their angelic features and became so dark. There was a certain place called Atlantice, of which its people worship a mythical god, and at a time, were infected with evil thoughts and desires. Too infected had the people became a dark matter started to form inside a temple where people worship the golden statue of their mythical goddess called Pandora.

The people called their goddess Pandora because they believed that all gifts comes from her in exchange for their sacrifice.

Seeing a change to spread more darkness, Lucifer took the dark matter and brought it to the sacrificial woman that the people brought inside the temple.

Not long enough, the woman became pregnant and gave birth to a child, but the child is not a normal child. It was overflowing with so much darkness. The woman upon birth lost her life. With that, Lucifer took the child and raised him himself and named him Verloren.

Verloren grew up with so much power, power that cannot be described, power that caused havoc and destruction, power that caused the spread of so much darkness and caused the darkness within himself grow faster until it consumed him whole and alive, destroying his human body until he became a spirit of darkness.

Verloren in his shadow-like form became stronger and invaded the mind of people until the people turned into his worshiper and even sell their soul to him for their greedy desires.

Seeing how pitiful the people of Atlantice had become, the chief of heaven sent seven shinigami to end Verloren's darkness and seal him forever in a special jar. But the shinigami were unable to suppress him as a whole, so the chief of heaven sent his fiery, flashing sword through Verloren, cutting him into seven. With that, the shinigami manage to defeat each part of him and sealed him inside the jar.

Using the power that the chief of heaven gave them, the shinigami put a special lid that sucks through time, hoping that in time, Verloren's darkness will be gone forever. Burying the jar inside the temple, the shinigami scattered throughout the land to finish their mission: to destroy Atlantice, saving the only upward person they found hiding in his small hut, the person who wrote the story of 'Pandora's Box' to warn whoever come across the jar, not to open it.

ooo

"Then that person made a mistake of calling it 'Pandora's box,' Kurapika said. "Since it is a jar, not a box, and Pandora means 'all gifts.' The underground world must have thought it contains the 'all giving goddess'."

For the first time, the smile in Profe's young-looking face was gone and replaced by sadness and a tinge of disappointment. "Unfortunately, you are correct," he said.

"That story is almost exactly as what is written in the book," Kuroro, who stood up just before Profe started his story, said, "but how can you prove that your story is true, and how did you know the real happening?"

The usual smile returned on Profe's face. "I was there when it happened. After all, I am a shinigami myself.

"But you don't look like a shinigami," Kurapika stated, imagining a skeleton in black, hooded robe, bringing with him a death sickle.

"I am using this form whenever I go down here on earth. I cannot show you my real form, or else, you will die. I'm sure you can feel my inhuman aura."

"I see. The strange aura was from your shinigami aura."

"But the people, including me, believed the story to be just a myth, since it was later called 'The Myth of Pandora's Box.'" Kuroro said.

"That's another point for mistake," Kurapika added with a sigh.

"So, what should we do to return our bodies to normal?" Kuroro asked.

"It's actually easy," Profe said and directed his look at Kurapika, "especially for you."

"Me?" Kurapika asked, blinking.

Profe nodded. "You are a Kuruta, right? You-."

"Wait!" Kurapika shouted, cutting Profe in his sentence. "What exactly should I have to do?"

"All you have to do, is to reseal Verloren!" Profe said with the same cheerful face.

"How should I do that? If the shinigami had difficulty defeating him, how someone like me can do the same?"

"Calm, calm. You should not underestimate your power, Kurapika. After all, you have the blood-."

"Stop!" Kurapika cut him for the second time, glancing at Kuroro who was watching them silently and returned to Profe. "Do you mean I have to use 'that'?" she asked with seriousness in her eyes.

"That's right."

As much as Kurapika can, she doesn't want to use 'that,' but it seems she has no choice. "How?"

With that, Profe advanced toward Kurapika, taking the 'Pandora's box' with him. Kneeling in front of her so that they are at eye level, he brought the jar before her, giving it to her. "Take this," he said.

Kurapika raised her hands toward the jar and upon touching its sides, an invisible force suddenly released from it like a strong air blowing from it, making her and Profe and Kuroro's hair dance wildly. Their clothes ruffled on their body.

Not long enough, the jar started to disappear from its top, disintegrating into nothingness until it is no more and the rushing of the wind stopped.

"What happened?" Kurapika asked.

"The power of the 'Pandora's box' is now within you," Profe said, taking Kurapika's hands with his own. You will know it is Verloren when you meet him and you will know exactly what to do. Right now, the seven parts of Verloren are lurking around the face of the earth and provably took hosts to strengthen his weekend spirit. When you resealed all his parts, I'm sure, the power we put in the 'Pandora's box will return you to your original form.

"Don't worry, Kurapika," he said, seeing the little girl's anxious expression. "I am sure you can do it without problem. Just believe in yourself"

"I do not know," Kurapika said. "I made a mistake once. I do not want it to happen again."

"You'll be all right?" Profe asked, smiling at her warmly.

Kurapika sighed in defeat. "I guess I have no choice."

Profe nodded with a smile. He lifted himself up and stepped backward to give Kurapika some space and looked at Kuroro with some seriousness in him. "As for you," he said, "when the two of you returned to your normal body, you should immediately release yourself with her power. The tattoo on your forehead did its job well, but now it's gone. You have no other choice, but to release yourself from 'that'."

Kurapika looked at Kuroro and saw him looking at Profe with wide eyes, as if he was afraid of something, but calmed himself immediately. Why with the expression? It wasn't like him. She directing her eyes at his forehead. Only then she realized that indeed, Kuroro's tattoo was gone. She returned her head to Profe. "Release from what?" she asked curiously.

"I have no right to interfere with humans without the chief's approval. It is with your decision whether you tell her or not," he said, directing his sentence to Kuroro who turned his gazed to Kurapika and sighed. "I guess I have to go now," Profe said and his body started to float. "May the blessings of the heaven be with you." His body faded into transparency until he was completely gone.

"What? Kurapika asked, looking up at the spot where Profe disappeared. She turned her head to Kuroro, "Wha-," but found him walking away and toward the door of the vault. "Where are you going?" she shouted to him as she turned her body to completely face the exiting young Kuroro.

Kuroro stopped in his track as he turned his head to answer Kurapika. "Out of this place, of course." He turned his head back to the exit. "You should also prepare yourself. I don't want to stay like this for long," he said, stating his now teenage-like body and resumed walking to the door and out of the accursed place.

"Tchi!" Kurapika exclaimed silently, annoyed at the man's behavior, but followed, nonetheless. She doesn't want to stay at her child body for long as well.

Arriving at the exit of the warehouse-like structure, the rays of the morning sun passed through the open steel door, warming up their body as they made their exit from the elevating hallway toward the door.

Kurapika raised her right hand over her forehead as she saw the sun behind the crevices of the trees, rising to eight o'clock.

"Come on," Kuroro said as he continued his way to the road. Kurapika followed annoyingly.

Unlike other known cities, Yama City is a City located at the plateau of a mountain, constructing low-rise buildings which are separated by wide concrete roads and woodlands. Nonetheless, the city is rich in resources like minerals, which became its center of business.

"What were you and Profe talking about, anyway?" Kurapika asked, unable to move on from the last words that came out from the shinigami.

Kuroro was about to stop Kurapika from asking about the matter when he felt the stares directed to him, stares not from Kurapika, but from someone else. They are stares that promise danger. Taking an about-turn, he stepped closer to Kurapika and without warning, he picked her up in a bridal style and started running out of that place, out of the view of those deadly stares. He even used his nen to enhance his feet, to faster his speed.

"What are you doing?" Kurapika shouted in complaint as she tried to release herself from Kuroro's strong grip. "Kuroro!" She wiggled her body, trying to loosen the man's hold.

"Stop, we're being followed," Kuroro said in such seriousness. He even felt additional presence other that the owner of those stares. Kuroro made his way to the part with more buildings, trying to loose from the eyes of the stalkers. He turned a corner and then another, but he suddenly made a halt midway, much to his own disappointment.

Since their body had shrunk, their abilities also somehow weakened. Kuroro remembered Profe's story about the time sucking lid of the 'Pandora's box'. So their time was sucked by that lid. At least they did not end up like Omokage, who was nowhere to be found. He must have been sucked by the lid completely. Nonetheless, Kuroro was still disappointed. Kurapika cannot probably use her nen. And now, they are facing a probable danger.

Noting the sudden stop, Kurapika raised her head as she looked at Kuroro's face and saw the wary look that he was giving to the newcomer in front of them. Getting curious, Kurapika turned her head to the newcomer and the curiosity in her eyes were suddenly replaced by dread.

In front of them was Hisoka, but not the same Hisoka that Kurapika ever knew. He was Hisoka, but his presence was flowing with blood lust. His upper body was downcast with his hands hanging in front of him like they belong to a lifeless puppet, but his head was tilted up as his abnormally curved eyes that almost became like a downward quarter moon looked at them with so much intensity and giving them a creepy smile.

Footsteps coming from behind were heard as the others stalker arrived. Kuroro halfway turned to see the newcomer and Kurapika at her position, managed to face them directly. And upon seeing their stalker, Kurapika cannot help, but to widen her eyes.

"Gon, Killua."

AN:

Pandora: combination of Greek πᾶν (pan) "all" and δῶρον (doron) "gift"

Verloren: German of Lost

ooo

Hi everyone!

Um… are you still there? I hope you are.

Please review everyone!

If you have questions, do not hesitate to ask. Replies will be posted at the end of the next chapter, unless, it is something confidential.

That's all and good day!

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