A/N: As far as I can remember, even before Togashi-san revealed the list of the people who had the scarlet eyes in Chapter 344 in the manga, I already planned to include an arc where one of the Kuruta eyes fell into a 'priest's' hands. It was because I was inspired by that 'church' arc in TSASAN fic and by a bizarre story of how my mother had resisted to become a 'lifetime servant of God' when she was young no matter how my grandparents forced her to be one (we are not Roman Catholic and I won't mention our religion's name because *shrugs*). I just thought that religion would be an interesting theme to add. As time passed, my plan for this arc constantly changed; I initially planned to start it with the 'priest' giving a sermon about human's temperament and how humans should handle it to make Kurapika question his goal. I also thought of making him and Kuroro discuss God's existence while in a steaming shower scene (yes I know that's blasphemous that's why I was indecisive about it, okay?!). But upon sitting and actually starting to work on it, I subconsciously came up with this... light chapter. It was so different from what I wanted it to be, but to be honest? I liked it much better. As I grow up and develop as a writer, I realized that my works don't necessarily have to contain ideologies all the time. Also, that idea about the sermon was sickeningly bad and useless. So I decided to introduce Kurapika to someone who understands him for a change. 2020 is already too much for everyone; let's at least mellow down the drama.
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HXH
BETA: Aesclapia
Chapter 32: A Compassionate Priest.
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Instead of boarding a ferry to Akharin's mainland to get on an airship back home, Kurapika detoured and went to another island thirty minutes away from Linos-san's hometown.
He had to ride a small boat then transfer to a bus to reach the church where a priest named Razel served. Father Razel, according to his source, was secretly keeping a pair of Kuruta eyes. It wasn't said if the eyes were being used as a worshipping item there nor what kind of person the priest was, but Kurapika already had a forbidding feeling that he wouldn't easily get the eyes from this person through monetary means.
Kurapika heaved a sigh. He remembered agreeing to meet Kuroro at the mainland today. In hindsight, upon seeing the tropical ambiance of the place and realizing the implication that he had invited the bastard on a vacation trip, maybe he shouldn't have scheduled their session this time. Kuroro was likely at the mainland by now, too, so it was too late to cancel it.
He wasn't even sure if he would be able to get the eyes within the day. Kurapika supposed he still should go and check the church to see what he could do then see Kuroro anyway.
Locating the church was easy, for most of the people he had asked for direction knew who Father Razel was. The priest was seemingly popular and loved because they had talked about him and the church with pleasant smiles on their faces.
"Go straight ahead on the pathwalk," the third person he had asked, an elderly woman, had instructed. "You'll find the church on the left side of the road. Ah, if you hurry up, maybe you'll be able to catch the morning Mass. I'm sure you'll meet Father Razel there."
"Thank you," Kurapika had said with a curt bow.
He trudged on the pathwalk and shortly found the church, and there indeed was a Mass going on. He hesitated at first, but upon seeing a man (who seemed to be a farmer who just finished his work) casually entering and taking a seat, Kurapika followed and sat on the farthest seat from the altar.
Not all of the seats were occupied, but there were a handful of attendees. On the altar stood an elderly man donning a white, long robe, preaching with a solemn look on his face. He was around in his late fifties or early sixties with brown, shoulder-long hair and dark eyes. His gaze was roving around his audience, as if trying to see each and everyone eye to eye. He wasn't bothered with the late comers, and there was something about his body's built, despite being hidden underneath the loose robe, that suggested that he was muscular.
Kurapika looked around in hope to see the Kuruta eyes. There was a stone statue of a praying woman next to the high table on the center and a tall stained glass depicting a religious figure with flowers overflowing on its feet, but other than those there was no other item on the altar.
Kurapika thought of using gyou so he did, again in hope to see anything that would indicate that the eyes were just in the vicinity. He found a source of aura, but it wasn't coming from any object inside the church. It was coming from the priest. Kurapika wasn't surprised.
Father Razel asked for everyone to stand for the closing prayer. Everyone lowered their heads in silence and clasped their hands together except Kurapika, who just stood up and looked down, now wondering even more about just who the hell this man was.
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Kurapika had waited for all the attendees to leave before approaching one of the priest's young assistants to request an audience with Father Razel. Kurapika had expected the assistant to confirm first what his agenda was, but he was caught off-guard and had become suspicious when the assistant had said that Father Razel had expected his approach. The cleric had politely asked if he didn't mind waiting as the head priest was busy with some confessions so Kurapika had no choice but to return to his seat to wait, bothered with the odd response yet mentally prepared for what was to come.
So far, the individuals he had met who had possessed the eyes were a mixture of odd, greedy and boastful business tycoons. He had experienced dealing with this kind of people, but not with a mysterious priest leading a hidden church who was a nen-user. What could be Father Razel's motive for acquiring the Kuruta eyes? Kurapika had initially theorized that it was being displayed like some sort of miraculous relic to be worshipped or even maybe an item that symbolized demons' existence that should be kept in the church. Really, humans were so susceptible and gullible when it came to stories of evil manifestations that he wouldn't be surprised if something like the latter was the case.
About an hour had passed when the same, young cleric picked him up and led him inside an office on the far-left side of the altar. Kurapika met Father Razel eye-to-eye again, the priest sitting behind a metal table. He surreptitiously looked around again, but the Kuruta eyes were still nowhere to be seen.
"Good day to you, young man," Father Razel greeted him with a fatherly smile and a gesture of a hand. "Please have a seat."
"Thank you," Kurapika decided not to return the smile, unable to interpret it as gentle or deceptive. He took the seat right in front of the priest, feeling slightly uncomfortable because it was as if he was about to be interviewed. Unfazed, he never looked away from the man.
"So, how may I help you?" Father Razel kept his smile plastered on his face but Kurapika could feel the slight edge on his voice and demeanor. It was as though he was expecting a confrontation. Perhaps he had already figured out Kurapika's agenda the moment he had stepped inside the church. No need to beat around the bush, then.
"I apologize if this sounds rude, but allow me to go straight to the point and save ourselves some time," Kurapika tried to come off as intimidating without showing emotion on his face. "I would like to confirm if you possess a pair of Kuruta eyes, Father."
"And without even making a proper introduction," Father Razel chuckled like an understanding father to an insolent child. The priest sighed rather dramatically, hinting that this wasn't the first time this kind of impolite interrogation had happened. "May I know your name first, even?"
"I am Kurapika," Kurapika tipped his head down a bit. "I am a Hunter. As I have asked, I am searching for a pair of Kuruta eyes that are said to be in your possession. I mean no harm, and I never intend to cause any trouble, but I really need to retrieve those eyes."
"You are the third one," Father Razel informed him, still smiling. "Who came here bearing the same desperate desire to get the Kuruta eyes."
"I see," Kurapika said, trying to read what the man was implying by telling him that information. "Then it's safe to assume that those first two outsiders followed the same lead as me but went home empty-handed either because they couldn't find the eyes or they failed to take it from you."
Father Razel smiled amusedly. "Or maybe because your lead was wrong and I do not really possess the eyes. Is that not an option?"
"I don't think so, Father," Kurapika said. "I am the third one. That means the source was reliable enough for the information wasn't removed and people still trust it. So it's likely that you are hiding them somewhere safe and you managed to handle the outsiders."
The priest's smile never faltered, eyes crinkling as if impressed by his reasoning. Still keeping up his calm and fatherly mien, Father Razel used gyou. "Let me ask you in return, my child. Why do you seek those eyes?"
The man placed both arms on the table, one hand on top of the other. "I am hoping that you are different among those outsiders because unlike them, you didn't try to infiltrate the church in the dead of the night, or terrorize the neighbors, or interrupt the Mass and threaten to burn down the church in search for the eyes, or come arrogantly waltzing in my office with a handful of cash to offer. You are alone, you joined the Mass and even prayed along. I have discerned the moment I saw you that you are a careful type of person who would not make a scene and would assess things first before making a move. You also meant it when you said you mean no harm, but you would not hesitate to resort to violence if it comes to that in order to carry out your mission. You have a dreary aura, heavy with stress and desperation, weighed down by guilt and unhealthy sense of obligation. However, despite all of that, you possess a good core. You are a vengeful spirit running on hateful fumes, yet you have a good heart. You have already killed someone. You are sexually active, too."
Kurapika stared at the priest, perplexed as gyou gradually diminished from his eyes.
"How did you know that?" Kurapika didn't bother refuting the man's accurate impressions of him. Something similar had happened to him before with Senritsu.
"I have a strong discerning spirit," Father Razel said. "I can read and examine someone's mental state and nature by assessing their aura. You folks call it nen, but I believe it is a gift bestowed to me by God."
"That is an impressive nen skill," Kurapika said. He figured that much; the priest was just like Senritsu with a different set of skill and execution.
"Thank you," Father Razel's cheeks reddened a little. "It is handy for a clergyman like me. It helps me detect if someone is down or lost. It also saved me from harm and prevented bad things to befall the church since I can determine ill-natured individuals."
"So you are the one who dealt with and brought down the outsiders, I take it?"
"I do not condone violence and aggression, so I always try to settle things amicably given that I am supposed to be a peaceful follower of God's doctrine, but there are times when drastic measures need to be taken. After all, you do not just stand still when someone was trying to burn down or sneak inside your home. So, back to my question. Why are you in such desperate need to get the eyes?"
Kurapika didn't tear away his eyes from the man, weighing his options whether to tell him the truth or not. There was always a possibility of deception behind the priest's words, but he knew this conversation wouldn't be productive unless he confesses his reason.
'To get my brethren's eyes back,' Kurapika inwardly sighed. He altered his eye color and let Father Razel gaze back at him.
"I am the sole survivor of the Kuruta clan," Kurapika said. Father Razel didn't look surprised but rather caught off-guard for a moment. There was no obscene fascination in his eyes. It reminded him of his friends' reaction upon seeing his scarlet eyes for the first time.
"I see," Father Razel leaned against his chair. "Your wrathful and sad aura finally makes sense."
"I am retrieving the eyes of my clansmen to lay them properly at their rightful place," Kurapika reasoned out, eyes closing to return their color back to normal. "As well as exacting retribution to those responsible for their deaths, so that I can finally bring peace to their souls."
Kurapika expected to hear dissuasions for seeking revenge from the priest when he revealed his other goal and braced himself to hear it, but Father Razel's response told otherwise.
"I know that look," there was the patient father look again. "You are tired of people telling you off not to pursue your revenge, and you dread that I will discourage you too by lecturing you with God's say about anger, hate and vengeance according to his doctrine. There is no need to fret because I will not do that. God cannot enter one's heart until you let Him in, and yours is now covered with a cemented lid. You will not listen to any preach and will carry on with your mission with self-awareness that what you are doing is wrong. You do not seek salvation so really, convincing you through words is a waste of time. I personally believe that there is nothing wrong with anger and wanting revenge, anyway."
That disarmed Kurapika. He blinked. That was an unexpected sentiment coming from a self-proclaimed man of God.
"What? Is this the first time someone told you that it is fine for you to seek vengeance to those who have done you wrong? Well, it is funny because even God gets angry sometimes, and you are not the only one in history who had killed, hurt and tormented someone to settle the score. But do not get me wrong; I am not persuading you to go that path. I am only saying that you should let yourself feel the anger and hatred when bad things happen because it is unavoidable and it is a part of what makes us imperfect humans."
"Father Razel," Kurapika evaded to be drawn into the topic and asked. "Why are you keeping a pair of my brethren's eyes?"
"Your temperament reminds me a bit of an old friend," the priest said. "He was impatient and stubborn, smart and passionate. I met him years before I embarked the path of serving God. One of the most expressive and interesting person I had met. He went by the name Ravi, which I think was a false name. He was two years older that me. An average-looking guy, except that something was special about him. Have you guessed where this flashback is going?"
"You befriended a Kuruta?" Kurapika confirmed.
"One of the best comrades I have ever had. He was good-hearted, fearless and adventurous. I used to tease and piss him off to purposely activate his eyes and make fun of him since he could not master controlling it like you do. Maybe I was implicitly making him learn how to handle his emotions because I knew the dangers lurking around him due to his origin. But really, I was just making fun of him.
"We were together in our village for around five years. I was one of the few friends he had, but I was the only one who knew about his secret. Back then, it was funny that he would shut his eyes the moment his eyes changed, but at the back of my mind, I thought it was unfair. Ravi was just any other guy who would laugh, get angry and cry when he was getting emotional, but he had to hold himself back because of his fear of being discovered. I thought, humans were supposed to be born equal—we all possess a body, mind and soul with faculties to be used, and one of those was to feel emotions. So why were Kurutas not allowed to feel too much emotions just because their eyes reacted to it? I felt bad for Ravi, who just had no choice but to accept his fate and adjust for the sake of his safety.
"But the inevitable came, as expected. Being stupid youngsters, we got into a fight with some guys. I got hit and Ravi was not able to control his rage. His eyes turned red, and while it saved us because the guys ran away in fear, the rumors about his 'demonic' eyes spread like wildfire all over the village. He had no choice but to move away.
"When we parted ways, he said he would go back to Rukuso Province where your clan resided. He believed it was the place he truly belonged to and thanked me for making him feel at home in my company. After that, I have never heard anything about him again.
"But life went on. I trained to be a combatant because I did not want my weakness to inconvenience anyone again, but learned that my nen ability was not compatible with my strength. Later I was introduced to the church and found my place in serving God.
"So when I heard about the Kuruta massacre, I was devastated. I felt so angry and powerless. I was ashamed that I had never tried to reach out to him, and until now a part of me still wants to talk to him again even for one last time.
"Then one day, someone surrendered a pair of Kuruta eyes to the church. A distressed old lady gave it to me, saying that ever since her rich husband acquired them, bad things started to happen to them. She believed the eyes were infested with bad spirit but was scared to destroy them because it might make things worse, or a monster or demon might appear. The usual stigma, you know. So I took them and safely kept them away. I do not know—I was aware of the profits I could make if I sold them and the risk if I hid and kept them to myself, but I still chose to safeguard them. And oddly, just like what happened to the old lady and her husband, things became difficult for me.
"The rumors of me keeping a relic of demons circulated that I was summoned by the Parish and was almost excommunicated when I tried to defend the Kuruta clan and persuade the people to treat them as equals. It was not their eyes that were evil; it was the stigma and ignorance of people about them. As a consequence, I was stationed in this secluded island. Despite that, some people still managed to track me to get the eyes, just like you did. I was threatened and offered huge amounts of money that I can never earn as a priest. But I stood on my ground not because I was fanatical about the eyes, but because I want to protect my fallen friend and his family in my own little way."
Father Razel stood up and pushed his seat away. He stood by the left side of the table, clasped both of his hands on it, then heaved.
The table, which was heavier than it looked, slowly moved, until Father Razel managed to completely push the entire table from where it stood. Next, he knelt on the ground and pressed both hands on the floor. The plain floor which had no indication of concealing a trap door suddenly revealed a thin trace of straight lines connecting to form a rectangular door without any handle. Father Razel's hands remained on the door, then there was a faint sound of click, and the door sprung open on its own.
"Human auras have an infinitesimal difference from one person to another just like our fingerprints, DNA and souls. God is so creative and hardworking that He sees to it that we are made similar yet different from each other. I made this trapdoor using the signature of my aura as the key so that only I could open it. It was fortunate that no strong nen-user had come and tried to barge in here. The chest beneath is guarded by nen as well. My nen ability wasn't made for offense but for protection and permeation."
Kurapika didn't move and watched as Father Razel rummaged through something behind the lifted door. When the priest straightened up, his hands were already holding a box, undoubtedly containing the eyes. Father Razel hurriedly closed the door, pressed his hands against it again and the lines disappeared. Kurapika took his cue and got to his feet to help the man with the table.
The table was damn heavy. It briefly reminded him of the heavy-lifting training he had with Gon and Leorio back then at Killua's home.
"You are just in time, really," Father Razel was slightly panting from exertion. He placed the box on the table and sat back on his seat. "Should you be another year or so late, I would not be able to drag that table anymore."
He uncovered the box and there was indeed a pair of scarlet eyes. The priest mindlessly stared at them, then as if relieved from a heavy weight on his shoulders, he sagged on his seat with a smile.
"They are now yours."
"What?" Kurapika asked, confused and unbelieving. Father Razel, who hid the Kuruta eyes from the stigma, the collectors and even the Parish with the best of his ability, was just going to give them to him?
"This might sound crazy, but I think, of course I could be mistaken, that these are Ravi's eyes. After all, I used to see them many times when I was young. It was just an hopeful feeling. But it does not matter whether they are his or not," Father Razel fondly looked at the eyes. He clasped the top of the container as if clapping a friend's shoulder to say goodbye. "What is important is they are finally going home."
"I appreciate this very much, Father Razel," Kurapika said. "But you have been keeping these eyes for a long time and even risked your life to protect them. Are you really just going to give them to me as easily as this?"
"I did not know that there was a survivor from the Kuruta clan, but I had never stopped hoping and praying for someone trustworthy to come and take Ravi home. I have been waiting for you to come, Kurapika-san," the priest clasped his hands together. "God is truly merciful for He had heard my prayers. He had at least saved you from the massacre."
Kurapika froze on his seat while watching Father Razel sending a little prayer before packing the eyes.
He couldn't believe it. He was going to acquire a pair of eyes not through sly negotiations, without needing to threaten and coax someone and without sacrificing his pride and chastity. He wouldn't even need to spend a single jenny for it.
"This… this means so much to me, Father Razel. I am so relieved and thankful. I am glad that at least one of my brethren's eyes," Kurapika took the box, "fell into good hands. Is there… is there anything I can do for you in exchange for safekeeping them?"
"There is something I would like to ask. Will you take this old man's piece of advice?"
Kurapika remained silent, all ears.
"It is not wrong to feel hatred and seek revenge, but if you let it fester for too long and lean on it too much, you are sure to go all the way down and before you know it, it will engulf you whole and leave you no value and satisfaction. Please do not let yourself reach that point of no return. If there comes a time when you open your mind and realize that there is something more important than revenge, remember my advice. I might help you choose a better path," Father Razel raised a palm above Kurapika's head. "Now go, young one. I hope you find the peace you are seeking for your brethren's souls, as well as yours."
Kurapika embraced the box and bowed lowly. "I promise to take the eyes home safely. Thank you very much, Father."
He was already at the door when Father Razel called out. "Ah, since you seemed to be restless about giving me compensation. There is a donation box next to the candle stand." A smile. "Any amount from the heart will be appreciated. Take care."
Kurapika left the office in high spirits. He searched for the donation box inside the church, whipped out his wallet then emptied the rest of its contents on it.
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P.S.: I'd like to mention that the insights from Alecxander's character analysis videos on YouTube helped me so much in developing this arc. His analyses on HxH and FMA Brotherhood (and other animes) are damn accurate and awesome. He's got a very soothing voice so I recommend you to check out his works (and donate to his Patron if you find them satisfying and if you have the means because I sadly don't no matter how I want to.) Hope y'all safe from the pandemic and until next time!
