Disclaimer: I do not own Hunter X Hunter nor all the characters pertaining to it, except my OCs Merula and Art, and the rest of other characters not pertaining to the Hunter X Hunter anime/manga.

Warning: Referring Kurapika here as female. Some OOCness (but it's inevitable right? ;P ) Some cursing …Set in AU.

Note: [Please review….Sorry for some grammar, typo, and spelling errors if there are still any ^^']

Chapter 24

A Day Before The Fiesta

The moment Kurapika stepped out of her bedroom the next morning; she was already preparing questions for Art before she see him that day. She wanted to ask how long will they keep her confined in such a place and procrastinate (since she made a deal that she was going to cooperate in their mission somehow) and when will they leave this place and set out for the said mission?

"Good morning." The Kuruta greeted Marj reluctantly and without enthusiasm the moment she saw her in the bar area. Kurapika concluded that Marj probably had so many side-line jobs. Besides being a member of the band, bar manager and a techie for Art and Merula, now she was also a hairdresser, she got a customer today - a young girl with ridiculously long, black hair.

"If you like some coffee," Marj said without looking at the Kuruta while she combed a tress of curls from the girl's head, "you can get some from the brewer. The sugar and cream are just beside it."

Kurapika was about to enter the kitchen when Art appeared in front of her carrying a tray of pandesal breads (a type of Filipino morning bread) two cups of coffee, a small box of cream and some sugar cubes in a saucer.

"Well, good morning, Princess. I was just about to go up to your room and bring you breakfast in bed." Art grinned.

Kurapika frowned. "Glad you didn't." She noted thoughtfully that it was unacceptable idea that a guy like Art who would just enter her room without her knowing it.

"You act like someone who has a hangover even though I was the one who was a bit drunk last night." Art reached out a cup of coffee on a saucer to the Kuruta.

"How could you remember if you were drunk last night?" Kurapika inquired rather suspiciously and took the cup hesitantly.

"I guess I wasn't that drunk then", Art smiled and walked towards one of the tables in the bar and sat. "Care to join me?"

The Kuruta blinked a couple of times and stared at the agent for a moment suspiciously. Art was unusually cheerful that day. Probably because last night, he finally managed to let go a heavy weight he had been keeping in his for years; the skeleton he's been hiding in his closet. He even cried it all out, too.

Kurapika walked towards Art with her two hands carefully trying not to spill the coffee in her cup and sat along the agent by the table.

"Have some pandesal bread while they are still hot," Art offered. He took one and dipped it in his coffee and took a big bite from it. He smiled at the Kuruta Princess as he chew as if showing her that it was how the bread was eaten.

Kurapika stared again for a moment as if seeing something ridiculously new in her whole life.

"No. Thank you." Kurapika drunk her coffee, ignoring the bread.

"Why don't you just keep your hair that way, Merula." The agent joked as he craned at Marj and the girl with the ridiculously long, wavy hair.

The Kuruta almost spat her coffee when she recognized who the black-haired girl was.

"You okay?" Art looked at Kurapika with concern. She was covering her mouth with a hand (like a lady) and coughing, trying to hold back in what was about to come out. The coffee invaded her lungs.

Marj hooted with laughter.

"Bet you didn't recognized Merula with a long hair."

"Cut it short please." Merula demanded. She did not give a damn about Art's joke nor how utterly funny it was that Kurapika choked in her coffee just because she failed to recognize her immediately.

Marj took several seconds to save herself from drowning in her own laughter.

"This... Made my morning!" She said as she shoook her head and began cutting Merula's hair above the shoulder. "Why don't you share your secrets to your cousin, Merula, on how to grow your hair in just one night."

"No, thank you." Kurapika declared.

"So you finally know the two of you are cousins. No hugs?"

"Stop it." There was a slight anger in Merula's tone. She refused to meet Kurapika's eyes as the Kuruta stared at her.

"How—"

"None of your bloody business!" Merula announced right before Kurapika could utter the rest of the question.

"Blood is thicker than water you know." Art said in a flat voice.

"If you say another word again, and lump me with that bitch I'm going to cut her head off right here, right now."

"You're joking." Art said.

"Fortunately, I'm not."

Kurapika stood up abruptly, glared at Merula and opened her mouth. She wanted to scream and snapped at Merula but when she spoke, her voice was soft, "I'm no bitch. Please, don't call me one."

After what she heard last night, she could not bite back at Merula anger to anger anymore; especially now that she understood her rage. But God knows she despise like being called a 'bitch' nor any other sort of profane names. Her eyes were flaring but she kept her composure. Kurapika realized she needed to be the patient and understanding one this time. She will no longer challenge or taunt Merula in a fight. Besides, she got the answers to all her questions already. Art kept his word. It would be better if she do him a favour not to cause any more trouble for him and his family anymore. What Kurapika felt that time was beyond explanation. It was too much to digest.

Art's uncle and his daughter, Lina, who was behind him, appeared by the door of the kitchen and stared. "Everything alright?"

Art's daughter peered at Kurapika with eyes that had lost all its trust on her.

The Kuruta suddenly decided to leave the room and go upstairs. She felt like crying but she had been too strong already for a long time to allow it now.

Art followed her.

"I want to be alone." The Kuruta declared as she glared at the agent who was walking behind her. She stopped by the door of her bedroom.

"Let's talk about it."

"There's nothing to talk about, Art."

"You know, Merula is too serious, it's hard to humour her. But again it's probably my fault, too."

"If you know that's the case then you shouldn't have done it in the first place."

"You know….It won't hurt to be a real woman once in a while."

"What on earth are you talking about suddenly?"

"I mean, you don't always need to hold it back. Don't always keep it to yourself."

"What is?"

"Your emotions?"

Kurapika frowned at him in disbelief.

"Is that how you amuse yourself? Watching people get emotional?"

"No. I just think it will make you feel better. There's nothing bad in getting emotional once in a while you know."

Silence.

"Thank you. But I will be fine."

Art walked towards Kurapika until he was just a foot apart from her. He opened his arms.

"I think you just need a hug."

"No, thank you." The hunter slammed the door shut in front of Art's face.

"Ang cute mo pa din kahit masungit ka." (You're still cute even when you're grumpy.)

"What?" The Kurutan hunter inquired from the other side of the door.

"I said, we'll leave a day after tomorrow."

When Kurapika opened the door, Art was gone.

"Satisfied?" Marj hold the mirror in front of Merula to show her reflection. She got the same short hair like before. The black-haired girl took off the fabric that protects her body from the hair shavings. Then, she stood up and started walking away.

"You're welcome." Marj insinuated with sarcasm.

"Merula, I need a favour to ask." Art declared as he appeared by the stairs walking down. Merula stopped on her tracks and looked at him apathetically.

"By the way, nice hair cut." Art raised two thumbs up at Merula.

Merula swished her hand several times and a whole bundle of bamboo trees collapsed to the ground.

"You know, you don't really need to cut them all clean but I guess it's inevitable. Thanks anyway, Merula." Art said and watched her walks away and disappeared.

The next couple of hours were quite boring and uneventful for Kurapika who decided to meditate in her room. Lina came in her thoughts. She remembered the little girl's frightened face when she saw Kurapika's scarlet eyes. It broke the Kuruta's heart when she remembered the look in her face telling her without spoken words that she betrayed the little girl. Lina lost all her trust in her the moment she revealed herself to be an object of the girl's fear. She started to wonder if there is a chance that she could win Lina's trust again. But then, is there even a point in doing so?

There were loud knocks on her door suddenly.

"Hey, Princess!" It was Marj. The Kuruta opened her door and saw Marj reaching out a basket to her.

"Quit being such a lazy ass in there and take some snacks to the beach. Your boyfriend's probably starving to death by now. He's been working hard."

"I don't have a boyfr-"

"Yes, take this to Uncle Art and his friends. It's almost lunch time. Your lunch is in here, too. Lina will accompany you there." Marj pushed the basket onto Kurapika and left without a word. The hunter saw Lina standing at the landing of the stairs silently. She gave Kurapika a brief look and then cast her eyes on the floor shyly.

When they reached the beach, they saw a beautiful lady in dress with long dyed hair forcefully gluing herself onto Art who was topless and sweaty from building a hut in the beach with the other men. Kurapika suddenly felt an extreme annoyance growing inside her. The expression in her eyes failed to conceal it though. Fortunately, she was wearing contacts to conceal the fiery color.

"Will you please, let me go? People might get the wrong idea." Art told the girl, he sounded uncomfortable.

"Why not? The moment I heard you came back here I flew from Manila immediately just to see you again. Can't you see how much I look better and improved? I miss you so much, babe."

The girl pressed herself even more against Art that her round and full breasts were in a good view for the agent's eyes and his arms can feel their softness against his bare skin. Art tried not to look down at them but failed.

"Ehem!" Kurapika declared loudly, interrupting the two.

"Oh, Princess! Glad you're here!" Art walked towards the Kuruta but the girl refused to let go of the agent's arm. She walked along with him and stared at Kurapika with disinterest. "You brought our lunch right?"

"Working hard eh?" Kurapika glared at him. "Working hard to pick up some girls."

Art laughed nervously. "No, I'm not picking up girls."

"That's not what I'm seeing right now though."

"Who is this flat-chested tomboy anyway?" The girl broke off glaring at the Kuruta from head to toe.

Kurapika tried her best to hold back herself from snapping and clawing the girl's pouting face. She managed to hold her head up and keep her composure, but the frowning on her face was still obvious.

"Babe, don't tell me you chose an unsexy fashion disaster over me?!" The girl continued. An angry nerve started to throb on Kurapika's temple. She was trying not to hold down her hand which seemed too eager to smack a judgmental bitch in front of her, who clings tightly onto the agent like a snake. Art was trying to shush the girl, while practically trembling as he could feel the Kuruta's accumulating anger was about to explode.

Kurapika shoved the basket onto Art's chest; she shoved it so hard that he almost tripped backwards with the girl. Kurapika walked back to the house with clenched fists.

"What's up with her?" The girl complained. Shock and confused, Art watched the Kuruta walked away silently, although he could feel a frightening aura emitting from her from the distance. Lina just stood there, and stared at her father and shook her head in disapproval.

"What?" Art shrugged at Lina, inquiring what he did wrong.

Marj saw the Kuruta entered the house and went past her without saying a word. Kurapika looked upset and stomped upstairs with tantrums. Then she heard her Uncle coming over calling the hunter's name.

"Kurapika, wait! It's not what you think!"

Then a girl appeared was running behind the agent trying to catch up.

"Babe, wait for me!" She said.

Marj drew an evil grin upon understanding what was going on.

Kurapika was sulking in her room like a child. She hated herself for acting like an upset kid. She could not understand though why she was being like that. She couldn't help it no matter how much she thoughtfully berated herself. It was one of those moments when her emotions were too strong for her to suppressed that she needed to run away and hide from everyone. She knew it has been her weakness for a long time and she hated it.

She bit her lips and tried hard to think of something else, hoping that soon, she would regain her composure and everything will be normal.

Someone knocked on her door.

"Go away, Art!"

"It's me, Marj. May I come in please?"

The hunter opened the door and saw Marj carrying a tray of food.

"I take it, you haven't had lunch yet."

"I'm not hungry."

Kurapika's stomach made a sound suddenly.

"Well, your tummy said you are hungry."

Kurapika let her in reluctantly and Marj put the tray on the side table.

"You should eat. A lot of visitors will come. You need energy to at least be able to get along with them."

"Why are you suddenly unusually nice to me right now? And why do I have to get along with strangers?"

Marj giggled. Then her giggle turned into laughter and she laughed wholeheartedly.

"What's so funny?"

"You were…," Marj said, "…jealous."

"WHAT?"

"Don't deny it. I'm a girl, too, you know."

"I assure you I'm jealous of nothing or no one."

"Really? So you will just let another girl steal my Uncle away from you?"

"I don't give a damn even if he flirts with other girls. He's free to do what he wants?"

"You know. There are plenty of girls here in our town. He could have had married one of them a long time ago but then suddenly, one day, he came back and brought someone like you. He never paid attention to any other girls for a long time since his ex wife died. Only to you."

Silence. Kurapika felt her cheeks burn.

"I suggest you eat your lunch now and then afterwards, wear a dress today. Wear something extra cute tomorrow night in the dance."

"Dance?"

"Tomorrow's the big day. Fiesta day. And there's going to be a mini ball at the beach. Uncle's helping out to build the dance venue right now. You've probably seen it earlier when you went there to deliver his lunch."

"Sorry, but I'm not interested."

"DON'T be such a BUMMER! I know a lot of things had happened before you came here. It won't hurt to chill out for a bit."

". . . . ."

"Anyway, if you don't want other girls to steal my Uncle's attention from you, try to be more feminine once in a while and wear something sexy, okay?"

"But…"

Marj already left the room before Kurapika could even protest.

Abruptly, Marj came back and poked her head in the room again.

"Oh, and by the way, you know that girl who was sticking herself like glue onto my Uncle? There's nothing you should worry about her, really. Besides, she's not even a real girl."

The Kuruta frowned.

"She's uh…you know, went under sex change and her boobs are fake. You'll do us both a favour if you'll help preventing that ….that person from….you know… Right?"

Marj finally went downstairs and left Kurapika utterly confused and wide-eyed.

There was a hidden paradise in a farther side of the woods along Art's House and apparently, Merula was the only one who had managed to visit this place so far. It has no easy access after all. A normal person will only be able to get there when he managed to climb down a cliff and cross over a hill made of huge rocks with sharp edges.

Along the wall of the cliff down its base was a stream of crystal clear water. Along its edges rooted thick bundles of huge trees growing healthily along its side and providing heavy shades and cool breeze around it. Large roots had grown wildly over and into the stream itself and practically serving as bridges leading to the other side.

Merula decided to spend a whole day in this secret paradise for a bit until the Fiesta is over. Besides, she knew that Art's house will be crowded with people soon. This was one of those perfect days for the Art's family business. A day before and the day during the Fiesta day, people search for beers and already-cooked food and people prefer to go to bars or resto instead of having a party in their own house. There will be more people in bars and resto and therefore more fun for them, too.

As for Merula, she hates people. She refused to dare socialize in such occasion. She would rather sit on these gigantic roots over the glittering stream and under the heavy shade of the trees and do some thinking.

Also, she was rather pissed about something. These things about Art and Kurapika. Merula noticed that the agent seemed to be taking the Kuruta rather seriously and she did not like it. It's not good at all. She thought Art was just bored and just wanted to have a playmate (at least temporarily so she gave it to him). As far as she knew about the agent's personality, he was one of those guys who were only into short-term dating just for the fun of it. He likes to pick up girls but leaves when it's starting to get a bit serious. But recently, Art seemed to be going too fast to the Kuruta. He couldn't be serious, right? He better not be serious.

Merula did not even want to imagine that suddenly a situation would arise one day when Art needed to choose between her and the princess. She doesn't want to turn an ally into an enemy. Not because she was afraid of Art, but rather because she was the scary one. That was the problem. She was a fearsome enemy and she doesn't want a day to come when she had to be the one to kill him for a reason. Besides, he knew a lot of things about her already. He already held so much information about her that she could not afford losing an ally like him.

Merula changed her mind and decided that she will come back to Art's place when it's already dark, and perhaps, after the occasion, she will talk to him about the matters.

Not too far from the coastal area of the island, a metallic vessel that almost looked like a giant capsule emerged from the sea. Inside it was not a human, nor an animal. Not a machine either but it was biologically alive. It was twice larger than a buffalo and it has one scarlet eye on its forehead.

The microchip implanted in its brains was being directed by a signal coming from a satellite leading to the direction it needed to go. And the place it had to go was close.

Finally, it came out of the water completely, revealing its segmented limbs - two pairs of hind legs and two pairs of front legs. The upper half of its face was like of an eyeless woman, merged deep into a huge swollen neck-less torso. It began to slither towards where Art's house was filled with people enjoying the Fiesta celebration.

….to be continued.

Author's Note:

I just realized I haven't updated this for more than or almost two years now I believe? Also, I wrote this when I was taking a day off from work. I got commissions and project lined up so I really don't have time to update. Also, lots of personal things have happened.

Anyway, excuse the grammar and spelling errors again. I don't have time to reread this anymore. I'm really busy and also, I have no idea what I was writing when writing this chapter LOL! I seemed to have turned this one somehow into a chick flick. Yeah, I know it's such a crazy idea that I seem to ship fem version of the canon character with my male OC (wasn't in the original plan in the first place anyway since the story should be purely action sci-fi. But some people just requested it lol and I decided to give it a try). I'm trying to make this consistent with the previous chapters and is still based on 1999 anime version of Hunter X Hunter. Sorry, but this fic is not for femKurapika haters and is not totally consistent with the 2011 version since I started writing this fic year before 2011 version of the anime was aired ( if you know what I mean).

Anyway, hope you enjoy reading this nonetheless.