Chapter 1

Notes: This is a companion piece to my other two kurokura fics, Milkvetch and Ceratonia. You can find them on my profile so you can read those first if you would like.

This is a time travel story where Kuroro and Kurapika's children from the future travel back in time to meet them on the Black Whale. This takes place in the current arc of the manga.

Sol Lucilfer is their one-year-old son. Runa Lucilfer is their nine-year-old daughter.

Kurapika is chasing down a child.

He has the girl tucked beneath one arm because the voluminous frills of her dress hinder her ability to run, and he's chasing after the boy because he can't afford to lose his son now. He barely has the chance to register the figure clad in black at the bend of the passageway, before his son crashes into him, falling back on his behind.

Kurapika expects him to start crying. Instead, he beams up at the last person Kurapika could hope to encounter on this hellship. Kuroro looks worse for wear, his face gaunter than he remembers. The insomnious shadows beneath his eyes could rival Kurapika's own.

"Papa!"

Kurapika rushes forward without considering the implications. "Sol, that's not—"

"No, that's definitely Papa," Runa interrupts with her perpetually calm tone, making him still in his steps, "but he's dressed weirdly."

Kurapika's breath catches hard in his throat. The sudden revelation is unanticipated, making him feel deeply unsettled, and he has to swallow to suppress the ill feeling rising within him. He covers the lower half of his face with one hand, and wonders how he didn't notice before.

"There has to be a mistake."

No matter what he tells himself, Sol's features are unmistakable. His skin is fairer than Kurapika's own, as pale and sleepless as the man before him. A fringe of black hair falls over his forehead, swept over the side. Most notably, his eyes shine with an endless, unfathomable curiosity.

Kurapika's eyes burn behind his contacts, when he looks from his son to Kuroro. He lets Runa down on her feet, lightheaded with the knowledge that these children could not only belong to himself but Kuroro too.

"Who are you supposed to be?" Kuroro asks, looking down at the child at his feet.

"Baby," Sol says, because that's what his sister calls him. He has his arms outstretched, waiting expectantly for Kuroro to hold him. "Papa, hug?"

Sol's cheeks swell when there's no response, his mouth forming a pout. He's dangerously on the verge of tears.

Kurapika takes this opportunity to retrieve him, but Kuroro unexpectedly obliges, sweeping him up into his arms first. "Like this?"

Sol laughs, bright and delighted. His small hands grasp onto the wispy fur of Kuroro's coat, and he buries his face affectionately into the crook of Kuroro's neck.

Kuroro shifts him onto one arm, gazing at him with a caring pretense. "Where's your mother?"

Sol peers back at Kurapika, who only stares in his stunned silence. "Dada."

Kurapika struggles to dispel the pain in his eyes, willing the scarlet to recede instead of dominating his perception. He blinks rapidly, only to somehow recognize more clearly how much Sol takes after Kuroro.

Kuroro follows his gaze, finally acknowledging Kurapika's presence, but the darkness of his eyes remains as unreadable as ever. "I'd remember if I had children with you."

There are many questions Kurapika wants answers to, but the most important matter on his mind is protecting his son. He draws a sharp breath, indignant. "Give him back."

"I don't think I will," Kuroro says, absently considering the child in his arms, "unless you'd like to explain why this boy resembles me so much."

Sol has the self-preservation of a one-year-old, which makes sense considering that's exactly what he is. He engages himself with the collar of Kuroro's coat, apparently fascinated by the softness, unaware that the man embracing him isn't truly his father.

Kurapika hears the gentle clinking of his chains as he clenches his right fist, his nails digging into his palms and drawing blood. He's prepared to take Sol back even if it means using force.

"This doesn't concern you—"

Sol sneezes.

The fur on Kuroro's coat must bother his nose, because now there's a thick thread of clear snot connecting him to Kuroro.

Kuroro hands him over without another word. Kurapika sets him down on his feet, allowing Runa to wipe his face with a spare tissue. It's fortunate that she knows how to look after him.

"Don't blame him," Kurapika says, taking out a handkerchief from the pocket of his suit jacket. He goes to Kuroro, cleaning up the mess on Kuroro's end when he shouldn't even be obligated to. "He's just a baby."

"Alright," is all Kuroro says, in a strained sort of way.

"If you want," Runa proposes carefully, "I can explain everything to him."

"No," Kurapika says. He meets her gaze steadily and sees the refusal to retreat at her lips. "He's a dangerous man and absolutely not meant to be trusted. Do you understand?"

"I know that Papa's bad in this time," Runa answers, giving a sidelong glance to Kuroro sitting on the edge of the bed, as if she's suggesting that he's anything but bad in the future, "but the baby still likes him."

Sol rests his head on Kurapika's lap as he drinks a bottle of Woble's formula, when Kurapika had nothing else to feed him with. Kurapika tucks his dark bangs away from his face, letting his fingers frame the fullness of his cheeks. His skin is softer than anything he has ever touched before. But what Runa says seems to be true, because rather than focusing on him, Sol has been staring at Kuroro the entire time.

And Kuroro has been staring at Kurapika.

"What are you looking at?" Kurapika snaps.

There's faint amusement in that conventionally stoic face of his, apparent in the small curve of Kuroro's mouth and his raised eyebrows. "I was thinking that this suits you."

If it weren't for the child on his lap, Kuroro would be suffocating from a mouthful of chains by now.

"Because you've been looking after Woble-neesama?" Runa asks, tilting her head to the side. A veil of mercury hair falls over her eyes with the familiar motion.

"Yes. I think I've gained more childcare experience than anyone else on this ship." A resigned sigh escapes Kurapika at the reminder of his ongoing responsibilities. "Do you want anything to eat, Runa?"

"No, thank you."

It's good that Runa is well-behaved. She sits quietly beside him, her hands resting in her skirt, and her presence brings him some semblance of calm when his mortal enemy is, for whatever reason, in his bedroom.

Kuroro lowers his gaze, shifting his attention to Sol, who continues blinking languidly at him. "You've been acting as if the child is yours."

"He is mine. Both of them are, as long as they're here." Kurapika's tone is fiercely protective, because no matter who their other father is, he has a daughter, a son, and they're family. "If you don't want them, that's the best case scenario for all of us."

"What if I want them?" Kuroro asks quietly, unexpectedly. "Will you tell me who they are, then?"

Before Kurapika can respond, Runa speaks up without his permission.

"My name is Runa. Runa Lucifer." Her voice is resolute and proud, but she grasps onto the fabric of her skirt to ground herself. "And the baby is my brother, Sol Lucifer."

Kurapika presses his lips in a tight line, but he can tell that she's heartened by the revelation that Kuroro wants her.

"Sorry, Daddy," Runa says with an apologetic smile, "but I think we need to tell Papa." Kurapika gives her a nod, and she continues. "Our parents are Kurapika and Kuroro Lucifer. They're you two but not at the same time. They're just—a little older."

Hearing this the second time is just as unbelievable for Kurapika, because in no future would he ever expect to end up with someone—that person being Kuroro, no less. On the other hand, Kuroro listens thoughtfully to the rest of her explanation, his expression giving away nothing.

"So you're from a future timeline," Kuroro surmises.

"Yes. We were on a trip with Daddy and Papa when we suddenly ended up here, and younger Daddy found us."

"A trip?" Kuroro asks.

"A cruise," Runa affirms.

Kuroro breathes out a quiet laugh. "I didn't think I'd ever want to go on a cruise again after this."

Kurapika silently agrees with him for the first time. When Sol finishes his formula, he tosses the bottle aside and heaves himself off of Kurapika's lap.

"I don't know if some Nen manifestation caused this," Runa explains with a contemplative frown, "but maybe we passed through some temporal ripple? It's really hard to say."

Kuroro considers this for a moment, unsurprised by her vocabulary. "I've never heard of such a phenomenon."

"It's just a theory." Runa's expression falls, far too solemn for someone her age. "But I just know that Daddy is going to kill Papa."

Kuroro arches one eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because we were with you when this happened," Runa says, shaking her head regretfully, "so Daddy is going to think you lost us."

"Good," Kurapika scoffs. "I'm glad my future self finally gets to murder Kuroro."

Kuroro frowns lightly. "So, how can I help you, Runa?"

"I'm not sure how you can help us get back home," Runa admits. "But I think we need new clothes and a place to stay."

Sol crawls over the bed to where Kuroro is sitting, dropping himself into his lap. "Papa!"

"You're in a good mood," Kuroro says, gently pinching his cheek. Sol does seem to enjoy being with him, because he starts singing papapa as he gazes up at him.

"You can stay with me, Runa." Kurapika's expression softens as he addresses her, and switches just as quickly as he looks over to Kuroro. "And Kuroro, if you want any part of this, go get them something to wear. I don't mean stealing some child's luggage either. There should be a children's boutique on this deck where you can find something for both of them."

"I can do that."

Kuroro sets Sol aside on the comforter, giving him a pat on his head.

"Papa?" Sol calls out as he leaves the bed. "Kiss-kiss?"

"Do I do that?" Kuroro asks, glancing over at Runa for confirmation.

"Whenever you leave," Runa says, her cheeks slightly flushed.

Kuroro picks Sol up, looking at him for a moment. Then, he presses a quick kiss against his cheek before returning him to Kurapika.

"Do you want one too?" Kuroro asks with a knowing smile, to both Runa and Kurapika.

Runa shakes her head furiously, while Kurapika glowers at him.

"Get out already."

"Alright," Kuroro says with a soft laugh, "I'll be back."

When Kuroro leaves the room and only the three of them remain, Sol announces his sleepiness with a wide yawn. There's only one bed in Kurapika's room, but it should be large enough for him and the children.

Kurapika puts Sol to sleep first in the center of the bed, then encourages Runa to join him. It's late in the evening for all of them, but she only allows Kurapika to tuck her in if he remains beside her too. He turns off the lamplight at the bedside, keeping only a small light on for when Kuroro returns.

He brushes Runa's hair from her face, tucking the silver strands behind her ear, invoking a quiet memory from his childhood. There's an inherent wrongness in sharing a future with Kuroro, but the presence of these children, so gentle and loving, implies otherwise. He has too many questions he wants to ask her, but there's one thing he must know.

"Runa," Kurapika says quietly.

Runa shifts beneath the covers, turning towards him. "Yes, Daddy?"

"Are you happy at home?"

A moment of contemplation passes between them, where all they can hear is Sol's quiet breathing. Runa considers him, her eyes bleeding scarlet in the darkness. There's no raging fire in her eyes, only something warm and gentle and undeniably precious.

"Yes," Runa decides.

She moves closer to Kurapika, resting her head on his chest. Her embrace is sudden and unexpected, but it relieves the tension in Kurapika's shoulders, letting him feel at ease when his circumstances and convictions never allowed him to.

"And I think you're happy too."

Notes:

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