Balance: The Collision of Light and Dark

by ladyeiramae

After binding the Spiders' leader to his conditions, Kurapika felt assured that the Spiders had finally come to their end. He decided to live life anew until the Spiders stepped to the scene again to fulfill the fate of one unlikely pair.

10. Attaching Attachments

BALANCE

The Collision of Light and Dark

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything in this story, so please don't sue. Everyone and everything (HxH characters, etc...) is owned by Togashi Yoshihiro. Furthermore, whatever happens in the story will NEVER affect the original plot of the Anime/Manga.

SUMMARY: Informed by Shalnark that something worth stealing lies near the Duke of Reinfield's mansion, he decided to remain there as he tries to soften Kurapika's attitude. During the mission, he hopes that the boy might be able to develop even the tiniest trace of attachment for him as he finishes his own tasks at hand. An argument arises and he was forced to confess the things he never knew he felt

WARNINGS: This story happens in an Alternate Universe. Please do not expect it to happen in the original Anime/Manga. Please be warned that this fic may, or rather WILL, contain Yaoi/Shounen Ai stuff... This is my FIRST ever, multi-chaptered piece of writing; expect a LOT of OOCness and errors.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Thanks to everyone who were so faithful to have read this chapter. I was about to post it last Wednesday but I was caught in a huge Final Paper and fell into an accidental yet incredibly exciting adventure slash vacation. I apologize for the long wait –bows–. To the usual reviewers MY BIGGEST THANKS!!!

KuroKura fans, THIS IS IT! All of the cheesy stuff shall formally begin here. My friend just squealed on this chapter –sweatdrop-… Anyway, enjoy and then please review XD!

CHAPTER 10

ATTACHING ATTACHMENTS

"Danchou?" Shalnark asked, recognizing the voice immediately from the other line, but asking anyway to be sure.

"Yes Shalnark, this is me", the man replied.

"Is everything fine?" Shalnark inquired.

"Yes", Kuroro answered again, this time shifting his position slightly in his seat. He gave his unconscious seatmate a smile before proceeding to speak on the phone again. "I just called to inform you that I'm fine. You do not need to call the others about this."

The young man on the other line sighed with relief at the words of the person on the other line. He hesitated for a moment before asking, "And Kurapika?"

There was a short pause before the man replied, "He is here with me, sleeping."

Shalnark was not even a bit surprised; after all, he knew all of these will happen anyway. A few days ago, he simply helped the man because he can see clearly how the other had secretly suffered upon the lost of the boy. "Oh!", he said. "Uh, Danchou, did you find what you are looking for, then?" he asked, not expecting an answer but eager to know nevertheless.

"Yes", Kuroro replied with a smile as he gently tucked a rogue lock of blond hair behind the boy's ear. "I'm still not sure of what it is but I believe I found it already. I think someday, this boy beside me will give me the answers about it. I just don't know what the right questions to ask him right now are…"

"Are you happy?"

"Contented."

Shalnark smiled. He then bid the other man goodbye after asking for a few orders before cutting off the line. He stretched out his arms as he lay carelessly on the grass, his face pointed towards the heavens. "Danchou should better find a good explanation for all of this before the others learn about it."

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The previous night, Kurapika woke up to find Kuroro staring wordlessly at him at the end of his bed. He was so shocked that he failed to fall asleep again despite Kuroro's apologetic looks, which later turned into teasing. The older man, however, was not at all bothered by the fact that the Kuruta could not sleep and therefore might plan something against him during his slumber, and dozed off. Kurapika, on the other hand, was left staying up all night, reading books and watching the other man suspiciously, in his sleep.

The two thanked – but only one of them genuinely, the owners of the small inn before they left to head out of the country. Kuroro decided to travel by train and because he can easily order the boy into submission, the boy did not have any other choice.

The journey, as Kuroro explained, will be long and would definitely take time so he mentioned that Kurapika could get some sleep in the second train if he wanted to since the first train was rather cramped. The boy, looking rather desperate for a little lights out, agreed and soon, he was sleeping in the compartment, with his head leaning and occasionally bumping against the glass window.

Kuroro got a bit annoyed of the slight 'thuds' that accompany Kurapika's head hitting against the window or its frame in the compartment. He realized that if this goes on any longer, the boy will certainly develop an annoying swelling at the side of his head so he stood up from his seat and sat beside the boy. Then gently, he pulled the boy's sleeping head towards his shoulder which even though far from the comforts provided by a pillow, is considerably softer and much more comfortable to lean on.

After that, he decided to call Shalnark to inform him that he is all right and what had been lost had been retrieved already.

The short talk was enough to drag him back to his thoughts again – of what had been missing but found. It took him nearly half an hour of blankly staring off to oblivion before deciding to focus on the boy peacefully sleeping with his head on his shoulder.

'Kuruta, it is a small tribe of peaceful people in the inner realm of the Rukuso Region. Their citizens usually have pale hair color and skin tone. Their eyes were bright blue in color instantly turning to red during emotionally agitating moments. The people of the Kuruta Tribe are good warriors, no matter how gentle they may look, and their youngsters are trained to hold weapons as soon as they can walk. Take as much precaution as necessary. Do not leave a single one of them alive. We are only after their eyes. Execute.' Kuroro recalled the words as his orders to his subjects just six years ago, when they raided the Kuruta Tribe for their precious organic rubies.

"Do not leave a single one of them alive…" he repeated the words as a whisper to himself. "We are only after their eyes." Instantly, he stared more intently at the sleeping boy beside him. It is definitely clear for him right now that he is not after the boys' eyes only. The eyes look better encased by the boy's eyelids which were heavily lined with lashes. These, in turn, were located on the boy's beautiful, ivory face, guarded by the soft golden strands of hair that flowed and danced gently with his every move.

"Looks like we failed in our mission back then", he added softly. "Because you got away and were able to pester me back at York Shin. You even bound my Nen and put me in great peril because of my vulnerability for a few months. In the last weeks, your absence caused me a lot of unease. And now, I have to formulate a huge alibi just to save your neck from the rest of the Spiders… You're such a troublesome kid, Kurapika."

"If you would only realize how much trouble you are causing me, little Kuruta…" he continued, not releasing his gaze at the sleeping boy who now nuzzled unconsciously at the mistaken pillow which is Kuroro's shoulder.

Kuroro smiled slightly at the boy's act before getting a book from his coat pocket. It was the one that he was reading, or rather, was trying to read the day before, when he also rode a train to get to the Duke's mansion. He tried not to move as much as possible, almost fearing that the boy would wake up. It was not difficult for him to be motionless; however, seeing the kid's blond head this close to him is a bit distracting. Therefore, he ended up not reading anything at all, but rather, observing the boy in his sleep – the way he moves his lips, the slow and peaceful breathing, his soft scent…

He continued to watch the boy with as much fascination – the look that he only reserves for the priceless treasures that he had laid his hands on for the very first time. He had only realized that the sun was already low clearly indicating that they have been in the train for at least four hours, since the rest of the morning was spent riding another train.

Suddenly, as if an enemy had just gotten inside his circle of En, the boy jerked his head up, barely missing Kuroro's face but hitting the window by the other side of his head. Kurapika uttered a sharp groan at the slight sting, while Kuroro fought hard to keep a straight face.

"What in the world…" Kurapika hissed immediately, noticing that he had been sleeping on Kuroro's shoulder.

"Good afternoon Kurapika", Kuroro greeted simply, not even facing the blond, pretending to be as innocent as possible.

"What are you doing in this seat?" Kurapika asked suspiciously, his eyes already red and his face was almost getting just as red after realizing what he must have been doing for hours.

Kuroro was amused at the blond's reaction. Although he already guessed that the boy would definitely get furious, he did not expect the boy to get so red all of a sudden too. He anticipated the incoming events and prepared himself to keep his facial muscles relaxed to look as stoic as possible.

"You were hitting your head too much on the window", Kuroro explained. He was still not looking at the blond because he feared that the amusing look at the boy's face might betray his innocent pretension. "I was worried that you might crack your skull already so I went here to literally give you a shoulder to lean on."

The still red Kuruta, narrowed his eyes with suspicion for the other man's words, but much to Kuroro's surprise, he quitted the emerging argument and asked instead, "How long had I been sleeping?"

"Almost four hours", Kuroro replied, now looking at the boy.

The boy's eyes widened with shocked and embarrassment at the answer before he stammered, "F-four hours?!"

"Yes", Kuroro said, staring back at his book while hiding another smile. He finally noticed it, that his rare smiles had been escaping too much from his lips recently – whenever he was with the Kuruta.

"How long had I been doing 'it'?" Kurapika asked again, getting redder.

"'It'?" Kuroro inquired back. Of course he knew that 'it' means the act of the Kuruta leaning on his shoulder during sleep, but he felt that he should keep playing innocent until the Kuruta is already too red to admit that he, really did sleep while leaning on Kuroro's, or rather, his mortal enemy's shoulders.

"'IT'! You know…" Kurapika pushed, averting his gazes from the man and, as Kuroro had expected, getting really red every passing moment.

"Kurapika, you are not making any sense right now", Kuroro said emotionlessly, although he felt his facial muscles nearly ripping themselves from being kept straight and emotionless.

"Never mind…" Kurapika hissed, deciding to end the argument rather than admit 'defeat'.

"What is 'it'?" Kuroro asked, his eyes narrowed with fake suspicion.

"I told you never mind it!" Kurapika half-yelled again, his face beet-red already.

"Your face is so red right now Kurapika", Kuroro said teasingly, a smirk crept to his face.

"W-what?" Kurapika stuttered, holding his cheeks with both hands, and sure enough, he felt them burning – for a reason he does not know, much less, understand.

"You're actually getting redder than your eyes", Kuroro teased even more.

"S-shut up!"

"You just wouldn't admit it, would you?"

"Admit what?"

"That you slept nuzzled on my neck and shoulders."

Kurapika felt his cheeks burning even more. He knew that Kuroro's description of his face being redder than his eyes was not an exaggeration at all. He really felt like burying himself somewhere – anywhere, right now.

Again, Kuroro laughed at the expression that the boy displayed in front of him. He seemed to be laughing too much, too much that he honestly feel that it is somewhat soiling the reputation he had kept up for years. But he could not care. He never really cared before – of what others may think of him, of how many lives he took, of the owners of the things he stole. He does care for his comrades and their missions but only in a professional manner or rather the way a leader cares for his subjects and their well being. He could not remember caring more than that. But right now, he does care for one thing. And that thing is currently getting furiously red in front of him.

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Kurapika", Kuroro said, as soon as he had recovered from his laughs and before the Kuruta can get angry again at him. "You had no sleep last night and I do not think that you had a single night of good sleep inside that dungeon you were in when I found you, so expect your body to seek for the rest it so desperately needs. And I told you earlier, I only lent you my shoulder because I don't think your head can withstand anymore bumps against that window."

Kurapika decided against himself to argue against the man anymore. Instead, with the man's permission, he got out of the compartment to the open end of the train. He leaned on the sturdy metal frame and faced the scenery that always seemed to be left behind by the train he was on. The sun was already setting and a single star became visible near the horizon. The trees kept on obscuring it, but nevertheless, Kurapika knew it was there.

Seeing a single star in the indigo sky while he is all alone and feeling nothing but the wind on his face, reminded him of the times when he was travelling all by himself for a whole five years – before he even knew that he had the right to have friends. It feels so nostalgic – him staring at the single star near the horizon, which resembled him so much. A single star left by his companions in the darkness of the evening heavens must have felt the same way as he does – the last Kuruta surviving the bloody darkness of the massacre.

Six years ago, when the images of his dead tribesmen and the pain of being left all alone in the world were still fresh, the only things that stood between him and death was his thirst for revenge and the urge of retrieving his clan's lost treasures. Right now, he felt that fate was not yet done in twisting his life for the worse. He could not believe that with the current turn of events, instead of dealing with his vows, he would be seated beside the man who caused all his anger and grief, like a tamed animal who would submit to his every whim.

'Once I am sure that my friends are already safe', Kurapika thought to himself, 'I will continue upon where I left and destroy the Genei Ryodan for sure, even if it cost me my life. Right now, dear ancestors, forgive me. I cannot put my friends' lives in danger. A lot of lives had been lost already. But worry not. It may be true that my vow to you had to wait but I will never forget it. Right now, I must hold back until the right moment comes…'

"Here", Kuroro suddenly spoke from behind him.

He felt the presence of the man coming but the cold voice that had even conquered the chill of the current breeze was the one that shocked him. It must be instinct or his recollection of his vow that had been responsible for his reaction. He quickly turned around, eyes terribly red, his chains materializing even before he called them and his aura whipping venomously around him, as if ready to kill at first touch.

Fortunately for Kuroro, the boy was able to control his aura even before it touches the man. Kuroro on the other hand, was a bit taken aback by the fact that the boy was able to release and then contain, in the same instant, such an enormous amount of aura. However, he felt quite sure that the boy would not hurt him or rather, not yet, so he continued on his cause nevertheless.

Kurapika, on the other hand, was a bit shocked but he composed himself immediately and decided to think about the matter later.

"It will be cold soon", he continued while handing the boy a black denim jacket lined with gray stitches. "I bought this back in the market while we were waiting for this train. Wear it."

The redness of the boy's eyes gradually faded as he took the jacket and wore it over his shirt – again, a white long-sleeved shirt.

"The Duke seemed to provide you with only white shirts and jeans. With the temperature in that dungeon, he should have at least given you thicker pieces of clothing or darker colored ones to keep the warmth", Kuroro said sighing disapprovingly.

"There had been a heater in that dungeon. But the door you kicked had crushed it into nothingness before you even saw it", Kurapika replied tonelessly as he buttoned the jacket to his chest.

"When we get to the next city, I have to find you some thicker trousers", Kuroro said, not minding the boy's last reply.

'Right now, I have to put up with this man…' Kurapika said to himself as he saw Kuroro heading back to their compartment before clutching his own chest and silently praying that his friends would not think like themselves even just for now.

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Leorio could not take it anymore.

"Let's get him out of there already!" he yelled, shocking the hell out of the two youngsters beside him who were both innocently watching television.

"LEORIO!" Killua bellowed back. "We already talked about this, didn't we?"

"YES! But I am NOT comfortable with Kurapika staying there! And I will NEVER be comfortable with him staying THERE!" the older man screeched, pointing his finger to nowhere in particular.

"Me too", Gon said, interrupting the incoming fight between his two friends. "I will never be comfortable while Kurapika is staying with them, but I believe in Killua's assumptions. I know Kurapika will be OK."

"WHAT?!" Leorio yelled again, his hands are tearing quite an amount of hair from his head as he gaped disbelievingly at the spiky-haired boy. "Not you too, Gon!"

"Old man, stop being a-", Killua was about to shoot an insult to Leorio again just to calm the older man down, however, he stopped in midsentence and clutched his chest.

Gon and Leorio who were thinking of the same thing, immediately jumped to his side and worriedly called simultaneously, "Killua!"

Killua did not reply. He was deathly pale now, his eyes wide open.

"Oh my God!" Leorio exclaimed worriedly, grabbing Killua and laying the boy down. Doctor's instincts started to kick into him, "Gon get water fast!"

Gon, who was also shock, heard the order and dashed into the kitchen, to get a glass of water. It barely took him a second before he appeared beside Leorio holding a glass of water, his eyes were teary and his voice was in the verge of crying. "Are you all right?"

Killua remained in his motionless state, pale and not breathing. Leorio pushed the glass of water against his lips but the boy did not even move. The older man decided to empty the glass of water to the boy's face instead.

"KILLUA!" Leorio called out.

The boy's eyes suddenly widened before he was able to exhale and then cough. He immediately relaxed while lying down and continued to feel his chest – just where his heart is.

"WHAT IN THE WORLD HAPPENED?" Leorio asked loudly, while wiping his heavily sweating forehead by the sleeve of his shirt. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah… I think", Killua whispered his reply barely audible for his friends.

"I'll get some more water", Gon exclaimed as soon as he was sure that Killua had started to breathe regularly again.

Leorio collapsed on the floor just beside the still lying Killua, sighing with great relief and still sweating with anxiety and concern. Gon, on the other hand, had just emerged back from the kitchen carrying a pitcher and three glasses on a tray. His eyes are watery, but they shone more with relief than worry. He laid the tray beside Leorio before pouring water on every glass.

Leorio was the first one to recover in the scene. He suddenly realized a possibility and would definitely voice it out, his own heart almost aching with the heaviness of his own heartbeats.

"Killua…" Leorio started, fear and worry were very much evident in every square inch of his being. "What did you feel? Had something happened with your heart?", he asked, his voice shaking.

Killua was still white with shock. "Yes… I guess", he replied, clutching his chest to feel his heartbeat closer. He was sure of it. Something DID happen.

Gon came to the same realization as Leorio. "Kurapika…" he uttered, but Killua was quick to realize the meaning of his look.

"He is still alive", Killua said reassuringly. He smiled weakly while still clutching his chest and wiping his face dry, making sure if the Nen of their friend was still there. "I can still feel his chains."

"What was THAT idiot thinking?" Leorio suddenly bellowed angrily again.

"No… I don't think he meant it", Killua replied quietly as he sat down to drink the water offered by Gon. "It was just a warning squeeze. It did not hurt at all but I was hell-shocked! I really thought that it was the end, but, like I said, it was just a warning…"

"I think Kurapika must have tried to disobey a condition", Leorio finally calmed down and concluded, his worries for the silver-haired boy had finally lessened but it increased significantly for their missing friend.

"Kurapika would not disobey or even try because he knew very well that Killua would be in trouble", Gon replied, his round brown eyes were reflecting his deep thoughts. "I think he was forced to do something he does not really like. Then he thought twice…"

"What were the conditions given to him again?" Leorio suddenly asked, the need to confirm came on top of his priorities right now.

"Kurapika should obey everything that the Spiders' leader says and he should not commit suicide to lift his Nen from me", Killua replied, trying to guess the older man's line of thought. "Why?"

"What if, Gon's right?" Leorio said, his brows furrowing and his voice filled with uneasiness. "What if Kurapika is forced to do something he really, really disliked, then he nearly refused?"

"He will still do it", Gon replied, looking rather confused. "No matter how much he hated it, he will still do it."

"That's my point Gon", Leorio said as calmly as possible, "I'm wondering what that devil made Kurapika do."

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"We're finally here", Kuroro spoke, breaking the boy's musings about his friends.

He followed the older man silently, without a single word, until they were finally out of the train and simply making their way out of the small and very ancient station. He had been thinking about his friends when he was cut off his thoughts by the man's announcement. He was quite worried right now, about what had happened to him just an hour ago when he nearly unconsciously attacked Kuroro – with a deep intention to kill. The man had ordered him not to kill any Genei Ryodan members during the night that he was forced to be a prisoner in exchange for his friends' lives. But Kuroro had already mentioned back in the Duke's mansion that the previous orders were cancelled, and there was no other order given to him except for a simple things and a nightly and daily 'Don't escape from me', before the man slept in the inn. Does this mean that his chains understood that the man meant only the orders referring to the Duke were to be cancelled? It is possible. But if that is true, then he really had to comply to everything word per word because that only means that his chains now obey Kuroro's orders and not his. This could be the unknown effect of the first condition – "You, Kuruta, should obey my every order." Right now, it seems that his chains were stricter than he thought them to be.

"You don't look fine", Kuroro said, noticing the troubled eyes of the blond kid beside him.

"Mind your own business", Kurapika hissed, definitely annoyed at the man's attempts to read his every move and expression.

The man was not surprised with the sudden hostility; instead, it somehow reassures him that nothing really bad happened to the boy in the Duke's mansion. At first, he was extremely worried that his Kuruta had undergone some terrible events that may tamper his personality; after all, it was what he liked most of the boy, next to his eyes – his fierceness, coldness, shrewdness and at the same time, his vulnerability.

"Like what I've told you earlier, we are here to find clothes", Kuroro reminded the boy when he was sure that the youth had nearly drifted back into his own thoughts again.

"You said we'll only look for trousers", Kurapika retorted for the sake of annoying the man. Unfortunately for him, Kuroro was far from annoyed; he was instead, eyeing him with interest – as if he said something really bright. "The things the Duke gave me are just fine, anyway."

"I hated everything that the Duke gave you. That is why we would be looking for shirts and everything else", Kuroro explained heavily as he walked ahead to lead the boy to their destination.

Grudgingly, Kurapika trailed behind, wishing to say something – anything, he commented, "Not one of the things I own is dangerous to someone like you. Why even bother?"

Kuroro halted on his steps and turned around to face the Kuruta. "I just wanted to get rid of everything that pervert had given you. Everything, Kurapika", he said, the tone of his voice became suddenly dead serious that Kurapika did not even considered crossing the man now with another word. However, he somehow felt that the other was being quite aggressive every time the Duke becomes the topic of their not-so-friendly conversations. He wanted to know why, but now is not the time.

"Don't speak about him anymore Kurapika", Kuroro continued, his cold, dark eyes pierced against Kurapika's blue ones, giving the younger one a feeling of being somewhat threatened. "He is not important anymore and I have freed you from him already. In fact, he is already dead, so do not bring him up again."

Kurapika's eyes widened with shock at the man's words. He was now sure that Kuroro killed the Duke back in the mansion. He was indeed grateful – no matter how he denies it, for Kuroro because it was the man who rescued him from further humiliation anyway. And right now, whenever the subject of the Genei Ryodan leader's heroic deed of saving him like some damsel-in-distress comes up, he could not help but feel a sudden unknown and definitely unwanted emotion inside his chest. He was a foreigner on such emotion but no matter how his 'Chain-Guy' persona brands the feeling as 'unwanted', he could not imagine it as being negative at all. He feels a small tinge of guilt inside of him, upon the confirmation of the Duke's death, but the feeling of relief – because at least someone came to save him from probable molestations, drowned everything else. It was just unlikely and very much difficult to imagine that his savior was the man he hated most.

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Their destinies could not be crooked a little more than it is right now. Two individuals, who once decided to do everything for the complete annihilation of the other, were walking side by side as if they were the closest of friends. Mortal enemies who both wishes only for the worst of the other, yet now, here they are. It is unthinkable and totally absurd, but right now, it is the truth.

It seems as if their fates could not be twisted anymore than what it is. But if one looks closer and peers deeper in the realities of their pulses, their verses, their thoughts and their own predicaments, their fates can not only be twisted, it can also be knotted.

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"Put these on", Kuroro ordered, handing the boy a white turtleneck sweatshirt, dark and fitted trousers, and another black jacket – probably the last pieces for this shopping session.

Kurapika rolled his eyes but he took the items anyway. He entered the fitting room and put on everything wordlessly. He decided not to argue anymore so that the silly shopping spree would finally end. He was terribly reminded of his former employer, the bratty Neon Nostrad, and her antics whenever they were out shopping. Those were not really bad memories, just sickeningly irritating ones.

A smile crept upon his face as he remembered his colleagues back when he worked as a Nostrad bodyguard. He imagined Bashou – the mustached poet, who was nearly killed when the man became a hostage of the Genei Ryodan, cursing under his breath with annoyance at Neon's high-pitched laughs and screeches. He thought of Senritsu – the woman music hunter with incredible hearing, as she calms everyone, including the temperamental brat as their boss, whenever the boss's tantrums broke loose during shopping.

He adjusted the jacket better on his back before showing himself at Kuroro who simply smiled at the sight. The man paid for the items and asked Kurapika to change into them for real right now because he wanted the boy out of the clothes that some disgusting aristocrat had provided.

"We can finally get rid of your trash", the man said as they left the building right after stopping in front of a huge trash bin where Kuroro dropped the boy's bag and everything inside, in it – save for the boy's tribal attire which is now safely stored by one of Kuroro's stolen abilities.

"What's with you and black?" Kurapika suddenly blurted as they were walking on the streets of the city, wearing his new clothes.

Kuroro blinked with surprise at the seemingly innocent question. Of course, the Kuruta does not keep his mouth shut all day long. The boy would, at least once a day, ask a thing or two, just to spit out all the sarcasm, curses and every other evil thought that he wanted and needed to release. He decided to answer anyway despite his expectation that the conversation would turn to be an argument soon.

"Nothing much", Kuroro replied. "I prefer it because it is a color which I can easily get away with, no matter what I wear and also, because it never goes out of style."

Kurapika looked at the man with curiosity flickering in his eyes. He had expected a more complicated answer – like the usefulness of the color especially when blending in crowds or in shadows, the warmth it provides during cold weather, a reflection of personality and the like. "Oh…" he heard himself replying.

"What do you expect?" Kuroro asked, still befuddled at the sudden question about his taste in style.

"Much more really", Kurapika answered. His more-serious-vengeful side felt guilty for initiating such a mundane conversation with the brain behind all of his sufferings. However, the question that he had asked had been itching in the back of his mind for ages already and had only escaped from his mouth earlier when he noticed the dominant shade of the clothes bought for him.

They walked in a small restaurant and sat down to order their dinner. Kurapika could not believe it that Kuroro was actually capable of living a single crime-free day. He expected the man, whenever they are not together, to be plotting and scheming for another mission or ordering the deaths of other innocent people, but it seems that everything he thought about the man had been proven wrong one at a time. It does not change a bit of the fact that this man is still the leader of the group that killed everyone in his tribe though.

"What is your favorite color Kurapika?" Kuroro inquired this time, as soon as he had sent their order to the waiter.

Kurapika felt his jaw dropping with the question. He secretly considered slapping the man back to his senses because the Kuroro Lucifer that he had known would NEVER ask such stupid questions.

'This couldn't get any stupider, could it?' he thought.

"It sounds dumb right?" Kuroro said, after seeing the state of Kurapika's face. "Consider this question as the simplified version of your inquiry earlier. Now answer me."

Kurapika shook his head and decided that he still needs to relax every now and then.

"Red?" Kurapika answered, his voice doubting.

"You're not sure?"

"Nope."

"Why red then?" Kuroro asked, pushing the subject with the childlike curiosity that Kurapika had only witnessed in Gon.

"I don't know. Maybe because of the eyes?"

"You don't like blood right?"

Kurapika nodded slightly, seeing the logic that trailed from the question of the color to blood. Now that he thought about it, he felt like he was sounding irrational. He liked the color red, but not the redness of blood. Red brings back the memories of the massacre where everything is covered with blood. The color brings nightmares, so why does he like it in the first place?

He considered the thought deeply. He never realized a simple question can launch him into such thoughts.

Maybe because red is the color of the eyes that he must obtain. Maybe it was because red reminds him of his vow of vengeance. And since the thoughts strengthened his will to live to fulfill the oath he uttered before the graves of his kinsfolk, he favored the color that reminds him most of them.

"Because, it reminds me of my path…" Kurapika answered truthfully, meeting the man's emotionless gaze in front of him.

"Vengeance", Kuroro said in almost a whisper. "It is evident in your eyes, even while they are blue."

"It will forever be there", Kurapika uttered, his voice colder than ever.

"I would like you to forget about it someday", the man suddenly said, his tone had suddenly become genuinely warm and almost… gentle.

"Don't count on it Lucifer", Kurapika said curtly as he averted his gaze from the man to the glass window beside them. He could not stare at the man's eyes anymore because right now, he could see beyond those dazzling orbs, neither the devil nor the monster that he considered Kuroro to be, but rather, a human – a flesh and blood, caring and worrying human.

It worries him that after everything that the man had done for him, and for the range of possible things that the man might do for him, he fears that there would come a day when he could not hate Kuroro Lucifer anymore. And right now, if the events continue upon their sequence, when the man continues to treat him like this, everything that he had worked so hard for to obtain will be destroyed. Everything that he had believed in, everything that restrains him from joining his kin in the afterlife, would perish. And if ever this may be the case, he will rather wish to perish with them.

'You're not a very good liar, Kurapika', Kuroro thought to himself, as he observed the frail figure of the boy before him. 'You will cease to hate soon. And I will do everything that I can to prevent you from killing yourself once you noticed it.'

The two of them ate in silence right after that. They left the restaurant as Kuroro paid the bill and headed for the nearest hotel. It was confirmed right now that Kuroro does not have any plans in leaving that country just yet.

"You stay here for the night, understand?" Kuroro spoke to him for the first time ever since they left the restaurant. "Don't try to go anywhere. I'll be back before midnight. If there's an emergency, I will know immediately, so don't worry too much."

Kurapika simply nodded at the man's words. He sat at his bed as he watched the man unwrap all of their belongings which were safely contained by the man's stolen skill – Fun Fun Cloth.

"Where will you go?" Kurapika heard himself ask.

"Worried?"

"NO WAY!"

Kuroro smiled at the boy's defensiveness. He never planned to answer the boy though. "Good night, Kurapika", he said before leaving the boy alone.

As soon as the man left, he took a bath and readied himself for sleep. It had been a long day and finally, he can go to sleep, without worrying that there would be dark emotionless eyes staring at him from across the room and with no enemy's shoulders to accidentally lean on.

He buried himself in the blanket and allowed himself to drown in his dreams.

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The night sky was absolutely cloudless and dotted with stars. A bright full moon loomed above him as he stood upon the roof of a rundown building. Here he can easily observe his target without the latter noticing him.

There was a noticeable movement from one end of the street. Kuroro hid himself in the shadows as he observed the view below. A group of men walked from one end of the street to another, not noticing the quiet stalker above them. There were six Nen-users all in all and on their lead was quite a strong one – nothing Kuroro could not handle by himself, of course, but he must not take any chances. After all, he had not known the full extent of his opponent's abilities yet.

He had been informed the previous week by Shalnark – before he left to retrieve Kurapika, that on the same country, not far from where the Duke of Reinfield's mansion is located, lays the mansion of yet another rich person. However, this person does not folly upon the beauty of wild beasts or endangered species such as a blond Kuruta, but rather, his obsession lies on collecting gems.

At first, he almost lost interest when Shalnark mentioned that it was only a rumor, but when he obtained the name of the gem currently under the man's possession, he could not help but try to see it for himself. He was on his way to the mansion, when he noticed the said nobleman walking out of the city's casino surrounded by a bunch of Nen-users. He felt that killing every one of them would not be a problem; however, he is not a rash person and would rather take action as dictated by a fool-proof plan. Well, he is GENERALLY not rash, unless a certain red-eyed blond boy was the one in trouble.

Anyway, he decided that as much as he can, he would not involve the Kuruta in this situation. He was very much aware that the authorities had already been alerted that a certain very expensive pretty boy with blond hair and blue eyes had been missing from a Duke's mansion leaving most, if not everyone, of its inhabitants and guests dead. He could not afford and would not forgive himself if he were to put the boy in trouble and lose him again, so he decided to leave the kid in the Hotel and investigate by himself.

Right now, there is nothing more he can do. The information he obtained was enough for the night and he shall think of a plan to move on to the next step by morning. He headed back to the hotel, running, leaping and hopping over the rooftops as he usually does with the rest of the Genei Ryodan. He finally reached the hotel before midnight and headed to the building's main door because he knew it would be quite suspicious if he does not log his name in the lobby and someone sees him inside.

He opened the room with his keys and entered inside where he found his companion sleeping peacefully and snuggled on one side of his bed. Kuroro noticed that even though the bed was made for a single person only, the Kuruta's slender frame just made it possible for two. Kuroro sat on the other unoccupied half of the small bed to observe the boy closely. He had not lost his fascination for the sleeping boy yet who he finds to be interesting even in his slumber. Kuroro could not really understand what is amusing about the boy when he is asleep, but nevertheless, he could not help but stare at him.

Kurapika turned to the other side, facing Kuroro. The man feared that he might accidentally wake up the boy again so he jumped back immediately out of the boy's line of sight if ever the youngster would open his eyes. He can still remember the event of the previous night, when he was doing the same – observing the boy in his sleep. The blond turned, opened an eye and caught him staring. The boy literally jumped out of bed and positioned himself in a defensive stance, definitely feeling threatened. He apologized with his eyes but the boy was too paranoid to go back to sleep. So, he decided to sleep first, hoping that when the blond is assured that he was off to dreamland and not a threat, then the boy would finally go to sleep too. However, to his disappointment, the blond had not fallen asleep again, turning him into a pale, grumpy, exhausted but still very interesting travelling companion. Fortunately, the second train had enough room for the youngster to sleep, but then again, Kuroro hated it when the blond spent the whole morning with dark lines under his eyes.

The man stared a little bit more at the blond who looks very much like a kitten who curled himself into a ball. Kuroro nearly laughed at himself with such a lame comparison, but it was the closest he can come up with at the moment.

He finally decided to get some rest too. He paced towards a corner of the room, took off his coat and hung it on the coat hanger. Then he unbuttoned his shirt and folded it neatly before dropping it in the laundry basket. He then grabbed a towel just beside the basket before going into the bathroom for a quick warm bath.

He went straight to the tub after seeing that turning on the lights was not necessary, and turned the faucet on. He smiled with relief that the sound of the water was too quiet for his sleeping roommate to hear. He then stood beside the tub and waited until the warm water filled it up to the desirable level. Kuroro then took off everything that was left on his body – even the bandage on his forehead, and stepped in the tub to lie down and contemplate on mundane things for a while, closing the curtain that separates the tub from the rest of the bathroom afterwards.

He was enjoying the warmth of the water and the foam of the soap in the small bathtub when he heard the bathroom door creak open.

Kuroro knew exactly what was happening. His companion had been too sleepy to notice that he was there. Since he made it a point to use Zetsu whenever he is in the hotel, unless he has something else to do which requires Nen, the Kuruta must have not known that he was already there if the boy did not care to look at the coat hanger and the laundry basket.

'He must have thought that I'm not here yet', Kuroro thought as he lay as motionless as possible. He was determined not to scare the boy out of his wits by making himself discovered in the bathtub, especially right now when the other is still half-asleep.

It was a good thing that the curtain of the bathroom was thick enough to be opaque and that he left the lights of the bathroom off since the moon by the window was bright enough. Behind the curtain, he heard everything that was happening on the other side – the boy woke up for a moment to use the bathroom and left within seconds, not even lasting a single minute; from the moment the door opened to the second he flushed the toilet and left.

Kuroro sighed with relief as soon as the boy was outside the bathroom, but it had been too soon.

He heard the sound of something breaking on the bedroom. Out of instinct and sheer paranoia that something might have happened to the boy, he leaped out of the bathtub, grabbed the towel from nowhere, then wrapped it around his waist and rushed outside the door nearly bumping the boy's crouching figure.

Right in front of him, he saw the blond picking up the broken pieces of a drinking glass from the floor. It seems that the boy's sleepiness had led him to be unwary of the surroundings, thus accidentally hitting and breaking the glass of water that was placed at the edge of the small round table. The sound of the breaking glass must have woken the boy totally though, but the sight of him leaping into the scene with nothing but the towel on must have been too much.

The boy dropped every piece that he had picked and then screamed, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING THERE?!"

Kuroro realized that he had put both of them in a very embarrassing situation – very amusingly embarrassing situation.

"I was taking a bath", Kuroro replied, hiding the amused grin that was working its way to his face.

"But I used the bathroom just-" the blond stopped in midsentence, realizing what he had just done.

"Kurapika, just forget about this and don't pick the pieces with yo-"

"You're IN the bathroom when I used it?" Kurapika asked as if the world around him was crashing apart.

Kuroro lost the fight against his grin and he replied, while smiling toothily, "Yes."

Kurapika collapsed to the floor, barely missing the shattered pieces of glass. He had his mouth open with shock and it was clear even with the limited light provided by the moon outside that he is getting paler.

Kuroro decided to leave the scene there, so that the boy would not have further brain damage. He headed from another corner of the room where the dust pan and the broom is and still, with only a towel around him on, he proceeded on cleaning the broken glass to prevent his now nearly-unconscious companion from injuring himself when he collapses again.

He dumped the broken glass pieces to the trash can then decided on heading back to the bathroom.

"Y-you did not see a-anything, did you?" Kurapika asked. He was still on the floor and stammering with his words while getting whiter.

Kuroro was now worried that the boy actually thought of him as some sort of low-class peeper. He sighed deeply before replying, "No Kurapika, I didn't see anything", he explained. "I was behind the thick curtain and enjoying my warm bath when you entered. I realized that you did not know I was inside so I decided not to make myself discovered because I know you would not forgive yourself when you realize that you just barged in a bathroom occupied by someone else."

The boy remained silent so he decided to continue. "Forget about it Kurapika. It was not your fault anyway because I was the one who did not lock the bathroom door. Now, calm down and get back to your bed", he said, realizing that relieving the Kuruta from the responsibility of the consequences of his inattentiveness was the only way to calm the boy down.

Kurapika finally realized his overreaction so he immediately stood up and walked towards his bed – just as Kuroro told him. He needed to forget about the embarrassing event. And sleeping seemed the only possible way. He lay down and threw his thick blanket over him quickly, clearing all of his thoughts away – desperate to fall asleep.

Kuroro headed back in the bathroom to continue his rudely interrupted bath. He remained there for a few more minutes until he got up to call it a night. He rinsed himself – as quietly as possible, then dried himself with a towel. He then grabbed another one – the one he used earlier when he burst out of the bathroom to accidentally embarrass a certain blond boy he had for a roommate, and wrapped it securely around his waist.

He then gathered the trousers and everything he took off from his body earlier before he stepped in the tub, folded just beside the tub itself and walked outside. As he did to his shirt, he dropped the neatly-folded dirty laundry on the basket. Then he headed towards the small cabinet where he had stored the things he retrieved from his Fun Fun Cloth to find something to wear. He finally obtained what he was looking for and decided not to dress in the room but do it in the bathroom instead. He understood very well what will happen if the blond accidentally wakes up again and catches him naked. It would be a disaster for the boy again, so no matter how interesting the idea seems for him, he decided against it and walked back to the bathroom to dress himself up.

He did everything necessary for the night – getting dressed, brushing his teeth and drying his hair, before finally lying down on his bed to sleep, facing the already slumbering blond kid's back.

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The next morning, Kuroro pretended that nothing happened the previous night. He actually thought that the boy might really kill himself this time when he would be reminded of the embarrassing event of last night. Thinking about it, the boy had done – not without his huge and non-accidental contribution of course, a lot of things to embarrass himself yesterday.

Kuroro got out of bed immediately to prepare for the day. He stood up from his bed and went to the cabinet to draw some clothes. As soon as he was able to pull out the pieces, he stepped inside the bathroom to change, again, reminding himself of the amusing event last night. This time, even though his playful side was much against it, he locked the bathroom door just to be sure.

He stepped out of the bathroom just in time to be greeted by the innocent gleam of Kurapika's blue eyes. Their gazes locked for a moment before the boy was pushed away from it by a yawn. Kuroro took the chance to walk out of a possible argument and headed towards the cabinet to find hangers for the still clean clothes that he had just changed from.

Kurapika, on the other hand, stood up from his bed, tidied it and fluffed the pillows before heading towards the same cabinet to find clothes. Before he reached it though, Kuroro had already given him the pieces of clothing he wanted the boy to wear.

"Wear this", Kuroro said. The statement sounded more like an order so the boy was forced to comply.

Kurapika took the clothes from the man's arm and headed for the bathroom. Kuroro, on the other hand, waited for the blond to come out. He decided to have breakfast together with the kid, hoping that somehow, using this little chances and turning them into daily routines, the boy might someday soften up to him because right now, no matter what his subjects may say about it, he is determined to keep the Kuruta. The only question left hanging and unanswered, except from the 'missing-but-found thing', was whether keeping the boy an opportunity for the Spiders or for himself.

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Kuroro stood up from his bed which he had sat on while waiting for the boy, and headed towards him. As soon he was standing in front of the boy, he realized what had troubled him when he saw the kid emerge from the bathroom; the collar of the boy's shirt was a bit creased. Instinctively, he reached out for the boy's shirt collar and straightened it.

Kurapika was shocked with the action because Kuroro's hand movement was too fast even without Nen – a trait probably acquired through years of stealing. The man had been gentle with the action and Kurapika barely felt it, but nevertheless, the sight of a hand swinging with such speed while it is dangerously near his throat was, well, threatening.

"Relax, Kurapika", Kuroro said, his voice in almost a murmur. "You know very well that I have totally no plans of hurting you."

Kurapika did not reply this time. Except for the fact that he was too shocked to reply, he was troubled with the man's voice. It is just too gentle for someone like Kuroro Lucifer. He had heard the man's voice a lot of times before, and the same voice tried to be tender back when the man forced him to use his chains on Killua. But it is a lot different this time. Back then, he sensed the evil purpose of the man for faking his voice, while this time, Kuroro's gentleness just seems too genuine – too genuine to be the Kuroro Lucifer he knew.

"Are you all right, Kurapika?" Kuroro asked, looking a bit troubled. The Kuruta had literally stopped everything, including his own breathing, for quite a while now. The boy seems to be in deep thought – in a deep and problematic thought, as he sees it.

"Huh?" Kurapika replied, finally noticing that he had drifted to his thoughts longer than necessary. "Yes…"

"Are you sure?" Kuroro asked again, this time he pulled the boy's chin to confirm the response through the boy's eyes.

"Get off me!" Kurapika screeched, trying to swat the man's hand away.

Kuroro anticipated the action and caught Kurapika's hand just in time. He smiled that finally, his Kuruta is acting the way he should be – fierce and defensive. "Good", Kuroro said, still smiling. "Now that I am sure that you are back to your true self, let us go down to eat breakfast."

Kurapika rolled his eyes with the man's annoyingly genuine smile – annoyingly genuine and unbelievably handsome smile. He shivered, gasped and mentally kicked himself with the description he had just given to Kuroro's smile. When he regained his composure, however, he was met by the man's questioning look again. He decided not to argue anymore but the man was not letting go of his hand, instead, Kuroro was dragging him with it. "My hand-"

"Oh!" Kuroro instantly replied, he was still unconsciously holding the boy's hand. He let go of it at the very moment and apologized with his eyes.

Kurapika narrowed his eyes with suspicion as the man walked ahead of him towards the hotel's café. 'What is he up to, now?' he mused, 'He is acting way out of himself lately. Well, I really hoped that he did not rescue me just to sell me to another twisted monarch who would pay better!'

He felt himself tensing up with the thought and the man in front of him, currently seated just across him in a small round table, must have felt it too.

Kuroro realized that his Kuruta is currently displaying a very aggressive and unbelievingly strong aura in front of him, even though the boy's eyes remains on their calm blue state. He was surprised at first, but then he thought that with his eyes in crimson state, the boy can definitely and quite easily exceed a Genei Ryodan standard when it comes to aura-strength alone. However, noticing that even normal people around them had felt the aura, since they were shrugging and chatting as if some horrible evil spirit had just been around to haunt them, he decided to calm the boy down.

"Kurapika, you're scaring the people away", he uttered simply as he drank his coffee.

"I don't really care right now Kuroro Lucifer", Kurapika replied unblinkingly, reminding Kuroro how he, himself, must have looked when he is feeling incredibly cruel.

Kuroro saw it, with Gyo, he witnessed the boy's aura lash and whip with impatience around him, as if only waiting for the boy to tell them to attack him. "I would like to know what had gotten to you that you suddenly became exceedingly bloodthirsty", he said, leaning forward with his chin resting on the back of his hands.

"What are you planning to do with me?" Kurapika asked silently, but the emphasis he injected in every word was enough to tell Kuroro that it was only the Zoldyck boy's life being on the line that keeps Kurapika from killing him. "Sell me again for a higher profit?"

Kuroro realized why the youngster had suddenly started becoming grumpy. He sipped down his coffee again and smiled charmingly at the boy before replying, "No, I have no plans of selling you to anyone anymore. Actually, the thought that I just did it weeks ago, makes me sick", he said casually. "You are too precious to be sold Kurapika. That is why I plan to keep you with me."

Kurapika felt his ears getting red with anger. He could not hold it anymore. "DO YOU THINK I AM JUST SOME KIND OF OBJECT THAT IS TO BE APPRAISED? EVALUATED FOR MY MONETARY VALUE?!" he said, standing up and knocking down the chair he was sitting on into splinters. His eyes glowed horribly crimson against his pale skin.

Kuroro noticed that everyone in the café was staring at them. Fortunately, there were only a few people left in the café because the majority was driven out of the place by Kurapika's murderous aura. And all of them just thought that they were simply a couple quarreling over personal things that need not be meddled at.

Kuroro ignored the stares that were shot to them from all over the café, instead, he sighed before replying. "Kurapika, what I mean is that I should not have sold you. No, you are not an object and I am not evaluating you via monetary terms. Now get another chair and sit down before you drive everybody away from this place", he said as he pointed to another chair just behind Kurapika since the one he had been sitting at was destroyed beyond repair either by Kurapika's force when he stood up, or by his aura alone. Kuroro honestly believed that it had been the fault of the Kuruta's aura.

Kurapika knew the words were orders so he obeyed. However, his blood-red gaze did not change the situation even though he is already seated right now.

Kuroro decided that everything he had worked for to soften the blond will definitely come crashing down before him if he does not do what he is supposed to do right now. "Kurapika", he started. "I rescued you from the Duke because I was worried and I want you back. Honestly, I do not want to sell you anymore and if I could assure you one thing, then I would assure you that I would never sell you or give you away to anyone again. If anyone shall take you, you can be certain that I will get you back no matter what kind of hell I have to face. Because I simply wanted, or rather needed, you to be with me right now for a reason I, myself, do not know or even if I do, I do not understand. I hope that should be enough to calm you down for now", Kuroro said, his raven eyes locking with fading crimson ones.