Last time, I promised that I'll do a special treat when I end this fic. On that part, I meant another fic of KuroKura. Since I'm planning to write sequel to this fic, but a bit far from getting it done, I'll do another short KuroKura fic for a time being.
There'd be a sequel to this, yes.
a BIG THANKS to all of you. I wouldn't have come this far without your support.
Edited 19/3/19 thanks to Hanareader for helping me beta the additional parts
Chapter 11 the Key to Unlock Oneself
"I don't know."
Kurapika raised an eyebrow. "You don't know?" He sounded almost mocking as he strode away from the man and to the window. He looked outside, unable to face the man's face when he was about to ask. "It's not a pity, is it? When you saw me in that condition…"
"No, those traits don't exist in my book," Kuroro responded while he contemplated his thoughts. "Was my answer back there not good enough for you? That I just want you back, and that's all there is to it?"
Kurapika put his hands on the window sill, gazing outside. The cool breeze swayed his blond strands slightly. Kuroro noticed that Kurapika's left ear hadn't been healed. The boy must have forgotten about it. The boy must have only healed his fatal wounds, but not the scratches and bruises that left marks on his body, under that long-sleeved shirt, Kuroro believed.
"You were supposed to kill me. Or did you still want my ability?" Kurapika asked, oblivious that the man was inching closer to him. He gasped when Kuroro brushed at the strands covering his ear.
"Why hadn't you healed this?" Kuroro touched his ear softly with the tip of his index finger, making Kurapika wince.
"Leave it," he batted Kuroro's hand away. "It's just a scratch."
Kuroro made a sound in his throat. "Really? A scratch that left your ear rip?" He returned the boy's earlier gesture and commanded, "Heal it."
Kurapika was about to glare, but instead, he blinked when the man held up his hand, a violet earring in it.
"Heal it, this is an order," Kuroro repeated firmly. "You should still obey my commands."
Out of annoyance, Kurapika conjured his chain and did what he was told. Once his ear was cured, he ended up glaring anyways. "Satisfied?"
Ignoring the boy's annoyed look, Kuroro put the earring on for the boy. Before Kurapika could protest, he said, "Stay still." And his tone wasn't demanding, maybe that was why Kurapika half-heartedly conceded. Kuroro began, "To answer your question: I don't want your ability, not anymore."
"Then why?" Kurapika leveled his gaze at the man.
"Let me ask you something. If you could answer my question, I could probably answer yours," Kuroro returned, retracting his hands once he was done.
A moment of unnerving silence…then came a nod from the boy.
"Why did you kill that man to save me?" He asked with a straight face. Despite putting it aside so far, this question had been bothering Kuroro ever since back there. At one point, he concluded the boy must have been too confused at that time. But now, he wanted to hear the reason from Kurapika himself. Especially when the boy was relentless in throwing him difficult questions, the least he could do was return the gesture.
As he expected, a shocked expression registered on Kurapika's face.
"Answer me, Kurapika. Why did you, who can't stand the act of taking someone's life, save the life of the man you vowed to kill by killing someone else?" Kuroro urged on with a ste
ady voice.
Unable to find an answer inside of him, Kurapika's eyes strayed to the side. It took him a while before he eventually responded without looking at Kuroro. "…I…I don't know…I wasn't thinking."
"See?" Kuroro shrugged. "We're the same after all. We weren't thinking…" The saying sounded foreign on his tongue. "For him, who barely acted out irrationally (and as much as he gathered the boy was no different) these few exceptional times their bodies took action on their own." That could only mean…
Raw instinct.
An action that reflected exactly what their true selves wanted. They wanted each other…alive.
Although it seemed unlikely for the both of them. But being stuck with each other for weeks, they were more or less exposed to the other's sides, much deeper than at the face value. To Kuroro, he now learned the boy was much more than just an individual who was obsessed with vengeance alone. He wondered if the boy was even aware of that himself, how much he could contribute to this world if he didn't waste his time tailing after the Spiders. Then again, who was he to say? To Kurapika, he assumed the boy now learned that not every fiber of Kuroro's being was made for crime as Kurapika initially perceived.
"Hmm…I think I'm beginning to understand…why," He trailed off, mostly to himself, unsure of what to say or how to explain.
"Understand what?" The boy asked, glancing back at him.
"Putting my motivation into words? I don't like it. But…" He paused, thinking and his dark eyes widened slightly as his deliberation suddenly became clear. He remembered the first time the Ryuuseigai community was formed, with the elders' work combined with his effort, the moment he established the Ryodan, his first adrenaline rush from a successful heist and the time he realized just how much he could do in this world with his skills…even the things deemed a deadly crime and he could just get away with it just as easy. This was one of those moments, then again it was unlike anything else.
"I know it now. I have…found it. The key to unlock oneself…is here. It's you." His expression lightened at that, before it was smoothed back to his usual poker face. "Does that make it easier for you to understand?"
More than a few expressions flitted across Kurapika's face. He frowned, for he was confused, but he could tell Kuroro meant what he said, the tone even signified it was an important discovery to him. So he tried to comprehend those words but he couldn't grasp what the man was even saying or implying. He shook his head. "You're being ambiguous again."
"Remember the conversation we had back there in the train?"
A reluctant nod.
"Don't you understand?" Kuroro pointed to the boy's chest with a finger. "You're what I'm searching for…all along. And now that I thought of it, that Nostrad girl predicted that I would meet a companion in the east. I thought it was the Nen-remover in Greed Island, but Attique is in the east too."
That had explained everything that was left unexplained to both of them earlier.
Kurapika's face colored and this time, Kuroro couldn't tell whether the boy was angry, or… something else. The boy had to look away, hiding his face from him. Kuroro smiled to himself.
After a while, Kurapika looked back at him, asking, "You travelled to the East over a prediction?"
He had to hold back his chuckle, knowing the boy needed the distraction now. "Yes? Why?"
The boy tilted his head back, the color on his face seemed under control. Then he had a hand under his chin, eyes looking down and thinking. When he looked straight back at Kuroro, he said, "Due to the nature of my work, I'm not supposed to speak of my boss's plan, but given my situation now it can't be helped. I trust that you just keep this between us."
"Nostrad Family?" He asked. 'I sure had a lot to do with them.' Yet he'd keep that to himself and hear Kurapika out first as he agreed to the boy's request. "Sure."
The boy nodded and explained. "I travelled to Attique under my boss's order. Since when his daughter lost her ability as a fortune teller, it brought about their downfall. With nowhere to go, they resolved to consult the daughter's idol fortune teller, Galactic Matron. She told them that their head of bodyguard should travel to Attique city. There shall the solution to one of their main complications be solved, along with the head of bodyguard's issue." Kurapika frowned while looking down, thinking. "As absurd as it sounded, I agreed to them because I believed I could look for the flame-colored eyes there. But I ended up meeting you and now my time under Nostrad's order should be up. As far as I can see, nothing in these past two weeks was of any benefit to my boss or to me…" Kurapika sighed, raking a hand through his hair. "I guess the fortune telling must have been a sham. She is still in hiding from the authorities after all."
Kuroro had to blink at that. For one thing, Kurapika had confided him with this information when two weeks ago he refused to open his mouth. It brought about his mental debate as to whether he should come clean about the reason why Neon Nostrad lost her ability. But what then? Did Kurapika have to do something to return that ability to its original owner?
"It was you."
Jet black eyes blinked at that. 'Oh.' The boy was sharp after all.
"You mentioned about some girl's prediction back there. You have a Nen skill to steal someone else's ability." Voice now strained, Kurapika stared at him in the eyes.
Kuroro raised his hand in mocked surrender but his lips was grinning, clearly unapologetic. "Yes, it was me. Nothing you can do about it. You aren't going back to them anyway, you're coming with me. You joined the Mafia for two reasons, yes? One is to find your clan's eyes and two is to track the Genei Ryodan down. What do you need of them if you can achieve both with me?"
Kurapika went silent in thought. Kuroro did have a point. Yet he was so invested in Nostrad, literally, given he'd helped Nostrad during his downfall more than any other bodyguard could ever have done. On top of that, he took his job seriously. Then above all was that uncertainty as to whether he could take Kuroro's word for it or not but he sure didn't want to risk relying on someone else. Should he try his Dowsing Chain on him to see if he was lying or not? Then again, given his current situation, what choice did he have?
"Bonnano, Gambino, Vito, Carlo, Lucas, Zenji…does any of these names ring a bell?" Kuroro trailed off.
A few seconds were spent for the name to sink in, Kurapika looked at him with astonishment, "Zenji. He's my boss's nemesis. Where did you get all those names from?"
"That's it. I got him off your boss' back," Kuroro pointed out. When the boy's expression demanded a clarification, he added, answering to his previous question, despite his initial attempt to keep this information away from him. "He was one of the main listed contacts under Lucchese to purchase your eyes."
'That scum…so he still tried scheming behind my back. He could very well be the one spreading word about my eyes.' To Kurapika's surprise, he felt nothing towards Zenji's death, maybe he was even relieved if he had to admit. No use leaving him alive if he were to backstab him in the end. 'Shit. The Spiders are having a bad influence on me.' He closed his eyes. 'So that's that then, no Zenji means Nostrad can now breathe a lot easier.' He just needed to inform this to Senritsu, and have her bring this news to their boss.
Still, he couldn't help that itching feeling that if this was what the prophecy predicted, wouldn't it seem equivalent to him having Kuroro do the dirty work for him? The thought alone was sickening. Was Kuroro even aware of it? But one look at how light Kuroro carried himself now, Kurapika could only convince himself, 'What's done is done.'
"As for your benefit, I assume it was the Scarlet eyes you got from me, no?" Kuroro pointed out, noticing the realization in the boy's eyes. "And more to come, as I will help you in retrieving them."
"Technically I'm still under Nostrad's contract." The boy looked out the window then back at Kuroro. "But yeah, given my current situation, I've just gone AWOL." He heaved a long sigh and admitted, "I'll put your business with them aside, for now."
"Oh, thanks?" Kuroro smiled at him, feeling relieved despite himself.
Taken aback, Kurapika didn't expect he'd feel differently from before when the Spider head smiled at him like that, but he did. Mostly because prior to this, those smiles were nothing more than mocking, or fake ones, to him. He did see it in a different light now. "Er…uhm…it's not like it's forgotten. At the moment, I'd just like to deal with things at hand first."
It was just then that their friends had picked a time to knock and come into the room. Killua had been the first one who noticed the color on Kurapika's face. He narrowed his eyes, growing paws and whiskers cat-liked. 'Now, what was that?'
Leorio stepped in front of Kuroro, lifting up three fingers. "We'll let you leave with Kurapika, if it is his decision. But on three conditions." A flash of annoyance crossed Kuroro's face, but Leorio could tell that he was listening. "Firstly, he must be free to communicate with any of us, at anytime. Secondly, you can't consider him as a member of the Genei Ryodan."
Kurapika blinked, feeling an overwhelming sense of gratefulness for Leorio. Despite his defying nature, he had been deemed as one of Genei Ryodan all along, and Leorio had just come to save his day.
"And besides, the main reason we'll let you go is because we believe that you will not kill him or harm him in anyway, at all. Do we have a deal?"
He didn't need that much time to think. Kuroro replied, "Fine. I can't kill him anyway, or I'll be dead as well. His Nen is still here." He pointed towards his chest. "If that makes you feel better?"
"We're aware of the possibility that it could disappear someday." Killua chimed in.
"Not likely, eh, Kurapika? I tend to think that Kurapika would hate me till the day I die." And he meant it. In spite of the things he said and thought a bit earlier, he meant every word he said.
The Kuruta looked away, his blond hair obscuring his face. "That should be it, till the day you die," he said.
'Ah, well. Hatred is still there, although there's also something else, isn't there?' Killua pondered silently as he placed his hands behind his head and looked up at the two. 'I can totally relate.'
"Kurapika. You're really sure about this?" Gon repeated, still hoping in vain that his friend would have a change of heart.
The Kuruta once again gave the boy a warm smile. "I'm sure Gon. This is my decision."
Senritsu knew from the last incident that her Kuruta friend was guiltier about having his friends involved in danger than glad that his friends had chosen to help him.
Kuroro shoved his hands in his coat pockets and sighed. "That should be it." He headed to the doorway. "I'll wait outside, Kurapika."
Nodding to the man, Kurapika exchanged a few more words with his friends. Then as he turned to leave, Gon shouted out. "Kurapika! We'll meet again, right?"
Kurapika smiled. "Right, we'll meet again."
Then the two left. Gon, Leorio, Killua, and Senritsu could only watch as they disappeared from sight.
xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Initially, he had only kept the boy close to him because the boy was a threat to his life. Then, it came across his mind that the boy's abilities could be useful, so he had used the boy. Still, he had always expected that someday, he would be able to bring apart the boy's abilities and his eyes from its owner's life. He didn't know when was it that he started to think those eyes were pretty. Then he realized it was prettier when the eyes turned into a flame-like color, along with a scowling face. It turned out that he liked those eyes in every expression they displayed, whether coupled with a scowling face or a dagger-like glare. So it was everything about the boy himself. Every expression that he exhibited, every movement that he'd made when provoked by anger. They all had an effect on Kuroro and he found himself drawn to Kurapika. It was a foreign feeling now that he had once planned to end Kurapika's life all along.
"What?" The boy looked up at him, curious, but not in anyway annoyed.
Kuroro shook his head, smiling down at the boy. 'It was those eyes, and he is an owner of them.'
They were heading to the airport while Kuroro talked to Shalnark on the phone. His comrade didn't seem to be as surprised as Kuroro had expected when he told him he was coming back with Kurapika. Shalnark let him know the trouble with Chimera ants was bad, though he insisted that Kuroro need not come. They could handle it alone.
As of now, Kuroro had to come up with his new destination. He would still have one hell of an explanation to craft next time he met his comrades, whenever that was.
xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Kurapika kept his gaze out the window, gazing at the colorful lights of the night city down below from the airship.
"A little different from that time, isn't it?"
Kurapika looked at Kuroro nonchalantly. 'That time? …He must have meant the time when the hostages were exchanged.' Then he focused back on the world outside the window. 'Looks like now I'm a hostage myself.' He leaned his head forward, hitting the window with a soft thud and closing his eyes. 'But I'm not regretting this.'
"Are you feeling sick? Or are your wounds still hurt?" Kuroro asked, his concern was no longer hidden.
Kurapika almost jumped back, having been caught off guard by that kind of expression from the Spider leader. His eyes widened in surprise. Up until now, Kurapika still couldn't believe Kuroro would have such a facial expression, let alone show it to him. A lot had happened to them, apparently, changing everything.
It was what Kurapika had feared most, that his hatred and thirst for revenge would someday be dissipated into thin air. It was more horrifying to him than death. Now the situation was almost proved it, although he still hated the man. How could he ever forgive this cold-blooded killer who had taken everything and everyone from him. Yet he still felt something else at the same time.
'I still hate you, I really do. Kuroro Lucifer. But…'
xxxxxxxxxxxxx
For the most part, Kuroro was fine with how things were now, seeing Kurapika settling on his assigned bed in their private room. The boy seemed almost docile to him, almost. Surely his exhaustion was one thing but there was this 'trust' between them he was feeling. Yet it brought about that one thing that still bothered him. Would this change if he came clean with him?
Not being one to procrastinate, he wanted to get it over with. On top of that, there was that unyielding certainty about the outcome.
Seeing the boy just sat on his bed, not wanting to go to sleep at this moment, Kuroro began, "Kurapika. To tell you the truth, the Mafia didn't hire the Genei Ryodan to annihilate your tribe and get the eyes for them."
Green eyes widened, he snapped his head up to the man in disbelief.
"My comrades thought that perhaps your cursed-Nen might be fully lifted if you hated me less. So they decided to give false information to you and made you believe that we were ordered by Mafia and hadn't done it on our own intention." Kuroro took a slow step back towards the boy. Without hesitation, he leveled his gaze with the boy. "It was me. I led the Ryodan to Rukuso Mountain, destroyed your family and hometown, and drove your clan to destruction…all because I wanted the eyes."
The boy's hands grasped the blanket tightly; the sweat that had formed on his forehead fell down to his hand. His eyes transfixed on the man, meeting empty, dark eyes.
The only thing that registered in Kurapika's mind at the moment was that Kuroro was not on his guard.
The sound of his rattling chains began to fill the quiet room. Kurapika felt the chain jail on his right hand. It was the first time that it had appeared on its own without his will to summon it. The Nen weapon had stayed with him long enough that it answered to his inner temperament. His eyes turned red and they never wavered away from the man.
There was a long silence, saved for the sound of chain rattling, that fell between them before Kuroro started to move, an action which obliged Kurapika to wince slightly.
The raven-haired man slowly took his hands out of his coat pockets and held them at his side. Then he closed his eyes. Not only was he leaving himself to be exposed to anything, Kuroro was perfectly still in front of the boy.
Once again, he heard Kurapika's audible gasp, followed by the sound of a blanket rustling. Kurapika must have shoved it out of the way. He felt Kurapika's presence nearby and knew that the boy was readying his chain jail. But Kuroro didn't move.
The room became deadly quiet.
…
Until, of course, Kuroro felt himself being yanked roughly. When he decided to open his eyes, Kurapika's face came into full view. The boy grabbed the collar of Kuroro's overcoat. Flame-colored eyes bore into him with so much anger.
"Why the hell did you just stand there!? This time your comrades aren't HERE! I could just KILL you and get away with it!"
Kuroro's eyes were empty, but they softened as they peer at the boy. He remained silent.
"WHY!? Kuroro! I was going to kill you!" Kurapika took a hold of his collar now with both hands, feeding off his anger.
Shortly after where there was no response from Kuroro, Kurapika's hands released the hold. He backed away and fell on the bed numbly. His chain jail disappeared on its own.
'That is why,' Kuroro responded mentally, but when it came to audible words, he said, "Your questions are difficult, because I'm not certain of them either. Your hatred and the thirst for revenge are unlike any of those that I've encountered, it has an effect on me. Now…I would have felt bad if I had to kill you."
Kurapika raised his head and looked up. His expression was obvious confusion.
"I want to find out the answer for myself too," the man trailed off and suggested, "According to that prediction you got, I believe you'd find something beneficial to you too. Why don't we go on to find out that answer? You won't be going anywhere anyway. And…"
RRRRRRRRR
Kuroro's eyebrows knotted at the sudden interruption. He took out his phone as Kurapika looked aside. As he peered down at the LCD screen, he sighed heavily and answered. After a short conversation, he put the device away and looked at the waiting Kuruta.
"Tomorrow I have to fight with Hisoka," he revealed.
"What!?" Kurapika's facial expression suddenly changed from vacant to disturbed.
Kuroro raised his eyebrows, a slight smirk grace his features. "Are you worrying about me?"
"What!?" yelled Kurapika, his face betraying him and colored again.
"Anyways, it was a miracle that Hisoka had waited until now. He has been waiting for a while since I had to deal with you first. This time it's your turn to wait," Kuroro clarified. "There are so many things left hanging between you and me, aren't it?"
Crossing his arms over his chest, Kurapika jerked his head away. "It's only tomorrow—it's not that long to wait."
Kuroro nodded, "Good, now go to sleep, we still have a few hours. I'll have to discuss the matter with my comrades." With that, Kuroro reached for the phone in his pocket and headed towards the door, it was apparent to Kurapika that the man wanted to keep their unsettled conversation on hold. But before he left, Kurapika called out.
"Kuroro."
"Hmm?" the man turned.
"When you fight Hisoka tomorrow, don't get yourself killed," said Kurapika.
Kuroro shifted his eyebrows as he studied the boy. "Any particular reason to that?"
"Because I'm the one who will kill you," came the steady answer, Kurapika's unwavering eyes bored into Kuroro's own.
'Hmm, what am I expecting anyway…' Kuroro narrowed his eyes. '-but maybe that's even better than what I expected.' He smiled, and said only one word before he left. "Sure."
The End
xxxxxxxxxxxxx
NOTE: Regarding Kuroro's line: 'the key to unlock oneself'. He really said it when Gon asked him about how he could kill freely, on their first encounter in York Shin. I kind of wonder about that too, as to what Kuroro was referring (according to the original story) I believe he was searching for something?