It swirled about the air depicting patterns that were there one moment, gone the next, slithering through shards of light to change its shape. A line of children danced before being swallowed by a sparkling sun. It dipped into the ocean and grew black skittering legs that washed away into the next scene and the next and the next. All of it was mesmerizing- comforting. It eddied and swirled about his head, teasing and caressing from instant to eternity. He followed it with a delighted giggle, his hands running through the warmth and light. It made him glow bright enough to see more depictions in the dazzling mist. Fracturing light glinting off of thousands of stained shards.

And a shadow.

It was out of place, a flash of darkness interrupting the dancing figures in the smoke.

Instantly he was intrigued, stepping closer. But the figure remained equidistant. No matter how much he tried to walk, run, sprint-

He let out a ragged breath only to suck in gales of smoky mist, it clogged his lungs until he was gasping for breath-

And it was dark. Shadows upon shadows each darker than the next, only his own glow keeping him from falling. He screamed and screamed, clawing at the air desperate to get back-

Why do you always have to fight?

He wanted out-

You're the one that asked for help!

He needed out-

He was always able to get out before-

You're only hurting us! Stop it!

He could do it. He wouldn't stay trapped in this gloom where shadows tore painfully at his being, not when he had so much to do!

He had so much-

He needed to find-

The smoke! The smoke that he can never hold! He needed it! It made him glow with light, with power and here-

Please stop…

He screamed louder louder LOUDER

The shadows fled under the weight of his voice but he was left dizzy, disoriented. He ached and throbbed and panted. Then he shivered as the light mist slowly came back in, the colors drained, the pictures flat and blurry. The glittering shards drew further from him and he wept from exhaustion and frustration.

Unable to move, he was lost adrift in the gray smoke, pining for before, though he couldn't picture how it had looked then. With a mournful sob he curled closer to himself, terrified and full of rage and sorrow in equal measure.

What was he missing?

…

…

…

He was alone.

Clawing for the smoke that slipped through his fingers, muted and lifeless, pooling around his form and obscuring his view. Though, there was nothing to view.

He sighed, his breath fanning through the smoke like a tidal wave.

Something snapped.

Shackles fell from his wrists and he stared in astonishment. Since when had they been there? Has it always been this way?

The smoke turned brilliant gold, shifting around him gently at first before turning into a maelstrom that tossed his hair and made him laugh in glee. This was what he had missed! Slowly he lifted from his curled position, body straightening and standing, his arms thrown wide in exaltation. Glittering shapes and figures danced across his vision but he ignored them, reveling instead in the feeling of the warmth and the glow of light that suffused his body. His eyes fluttered open and-

There was a small shadow blinking in and out of view, briefly swallowed in his celebrating mist.

It looked achingly familiar and overcome with curiosity, he stepped towards it.

It did not move.

His stomach fluttered and his chest burst with excitement. Another step and it did not move. Though the shadow seemed familiar he knew that this was not how this normally went. This was different, new!

Delighted, he sprinted forward until he burst through his own swirling mist and barreled straight through the shadow. Immediately it was dark and his breath stuttered for a moment almost as if he was expecting suffocation. Nothing happened beyond his own startled panting, so he took a moment to calm himself before looking around.

His heart fluttered in false fear but as he looked around gazing upon the small twinkling lights scattered around the darkness, it calmed slowly. He glanced behind him, catching sight of his brilliant mist still swirling, but it was small now, looking like a hole that he could walk through to go into the light. Compared to this place… it was so different but no less warm. Though dark, it felt more like a blanket hugging tight to his shoulders instead of suffocation and pain. He did not know why he'd been expecting it to be such a horrible place, nor why he'd even approached initially. It had felt almost like a compulsion, a need to know.

He glanced at the glittering lights, noting that the closest ones to him looked like the shards from his own mist. But when he reached for them, they shied away dancing out from under his fingertips. He blinked in amusement, reaching again-

"You shouldn't be here."

He started and a shard he'd been inching towards fluttered away vanishing into the inky blackness of the furthest shadows. With a surprised exhale on his lips he turned to face the speaker. There had never been anyone with him before and he had to see-

There was a person… or better to say there was a person shape. He couldn't make out much from the shadows draping across their form like a wavering cloak of darkness.

"Who are you?" he questioned in excitement, overwhelmed that there was someone else here.

"You shouldn't be here," the figure repeated quietly. "Go back and wake up. Leave me to fade."

He frowned, his face scrunching at the response. What did the figure mean by fade? Why would he want to leave?

"But I just got here and it's so pretty! I don't want to leave yet and you haven't even told me your name!"

There was a quiet sigh. "I don't need to tell you my name. This is my space and I'd like you to leave."

"But I don't even know your name yet!"

The shadows around the figure fluttered and sharpened briefly as the person let out an aggrieved huff. "Why are you always so bloody stubborn? Just- Go away. Leave so I can finally sleep."

"But-" He cut himself off when the shadows flared again. He could almost hear them hissing threateningly, which was very strange. Still, he didn't want to so easily give in. There had never been another here that he knew of… No. No, that wasn't quite right.

He glanced around the darkness, taking in the different shades and the sparkling lights. It felt warm to be here just as it did in his own mist. The warmth was familiar and comforting, something he'd felt before if only in a different form. His eyes turned back to the figure before him as they shifted, turning in place. It looked like they were leaving-

"Ah! Wait! I'll see you again, right? I can come back later when you wake up?"

"No."

It was like ice was poured directly down his spine as all his muscles stiffened. There was something in the way the person said that with such finality that made his entire body freeze in place. The warmth of this place suddenly seemed distant and crumbling- unattainable forevermore. He sucked in a deep breath, refusing to even contemplate being alone again.

Before he even realized what he was doing, he had darted forward, arms wrapping around the other person's waist. They came to a standstill, both frozen in shock.

"What are you doing! Let go!"

The shadows slapped harshly against him both hot and cold nipping at his skin, but he refused. "I won't. You aren't just going to sleep! I won't let you go!"

"Won't let me?" The figure sounded incredulous and angry. "After everything I've done for you, you demand more!?"

Everything that had been done for him?

Oh.

He knew who this was.

How could he have ever forgotten?

"Please don't leave me alone, Harry!"

Abruptly the shadows around them shattered, scattering like whimpering dogs and his face was pressed into the back of an actual person. The heat radiated between them soothingly as they stood there. Perhaps time passed quickly or slowly but he did not care, for wrapped in his arms was his savior, the one person who had come when he'd called for help. He could not remember why he had called nor when it had happened, but he did remember the desperation, the bone chilling terror, and the weakness in his limbs as he was truly cut away from his mist.

"What have you done?"

Harry sounded so grieved that tears immediately sprang from his eyes, rolling down his cheek and into the other's back. All Jasper could answer was, "Please don't leave me."

All at once, Harry slumped forward, his knees giving out bringing both of them crashing down. He clutched tighter, refusing to lose hold of the teen even as he sprawled over his back. Harry had earlier said fade, instead of sleep. It hadn't truly processed what the teenager might mean by that until he'd almost left. It made him shudder in sorrow and fear for what he might have lost if he hadn't been so impulsive. If he hadn't followed his curiosity…

How soon would Harry have locked himself away, forever barring him from this beautiful expanse of comforting darkness? How quickly might he have lost an intrinsic part of himself, never to know why he was wondering what he was missing?

"Don't go. Don't go. Don't go. Don't go." The litany of words fell from his mouth with an almost fervent desperation.

He was terrified of being alone.

"You don't need me anymore," Harry whispered. He sounded dull and weak, as if all the fight had fled his body when he collapsed.

"I do! I do! I always will! Don't go! Don't leave me," he cried.

How could Harry not understand?

"I just want to sleep…"

"No! You want to disappear! I won't let you!"

"Jasper…"

He sucked in a sharp breath, feeling as if he'd been knocked upside the head with a bludgeon. That was his name.

His name was Jasper.

It had always been Jasper. Why didn't he know that? Why didn't he care to know that here?

Once again… he was saved by Harry. Whether the teen did it unknowingly or not didn't matter. Jasper could not live without Harry. That was knowledge that could not be refuted, something he knew in a primal part of himself.

He shifted, releasing the constricting arms he had wrapped around Harry (while making sure his fingers still clutched tightly to one of the teen's arms), and shoved the boy over. There was no fight, Harry rolled like a limp doll until he was splayed on his back. Green eyes, swirling like his golden mist, stared dully into nothing. He would not even look at Jasper.

Jasper did not care as he crawled on top of the other, curling atop the teen's chest as tightly as he could. They laid there, neither moving for an undetermined amount of time. Eventually though, Harry spoke. It was quiet and if he had not been so close to the other's face, he might not have heard it. "Will you truly not let me fade? Give me peace?"

Jasper shuddered. "I need you. Please. I'm… scared."

Harry sighed, the sound already common enough that Jasper found it comforting in it's own way. "But what will you truly think when you wake up?"

He frowned in confusion, turning his face so his ear settled over a steady heartbeat. "I don't understand."

"Of course you don't. We've never been this close before. Things will be different now. By not releasing me-" There was a long pause and Jasper focused on the heartbeat beneath him, pondering on what Harry was trying to say. "There won't be a barrier anymore."

"Then you'll always be with me?"

"... Yes."

There was something dark and sad hiding behind that word but Jasper did not care.

He would never be alone again.

"He's waking up? Are you absolutely sure?"

Of course this had to happen when it was just him. Gon was going to be upset that the moment the Gourmet Hunter had dragged him away to eat something, Jasper was going to wake. Menchi would be upset, too, that it would be happening while she wasn't here and one of the doctor's with the strange power she had spoken of was still here. That woman was brash and had practically threatened him to keep her potential apprentice safe from greedy doctor's hands. And then there was Leorio who felt immensely guilty for not being able to help even though he'd been literally paralysed during the final phase and was only now able to walk around for long periods without help. That man had left with heavy eyes and shoulders and there wasn't much Kurapika could do to help him. If he didn't want the Kurta's help then he'd have to deal with the problem on his own.

Kurapika sighed as the fluttering Doctor gave a noise of assent. She was rather focused on getting the feeding tube out of his throat before Jasper woke up and freaked out.

"Wasn't he supposed to be sedated?"

The woman threw him a glare for bothering her… again. It didn't really intimidate him and he kept his eyes locked with hers. Finally she turned back to her work with a huff. "Menchi told you, illegally I might add, about nen, yes?"

Nen? He supposed that was the power Menchi had spoken about. He would not disabuse the doctor from saying more however, (though he was curious how she knew he'd been told) so he gave a soft hum. Free information was useful. It had been surprising and irritating to learn there was a second secret exam and he still wouldn't be able to do as he needed for his clan without finding a Hunter mentor. Kurapika was sure he could eventually work out what he needed by observation (especially with so many of them around right now) but he wasn't that prideful or stupid. The sooner he could avenge his clan the better.

She huffed irritably again. "We had an exorcist come in last night, clearing up whatever was clinging to him. Ever since, his nen has been fighting against any drug we put into his body. I've never seen anything like it," she said in amazement.

Then she gave one soft tug and the rest of the tube slipped from the small boy's mouth. His lips were slightly swollen and red from the tugging and it made the nearly invisible scars on the sides of his mouth stand out more, a stark white. Just thinking about how he could have gotten those made Kurapika's insides squirm with discomfort. They were too symmetrical to be from an accident.

"Alright, I'm going to grab him some ice chips. His eyes are already flickering so if you see them start to open, talk to him. It should draw him back to consciousness easier if he has something to focus on."

Kurapika nodded at her, keeping his silence as she bustled around and then out the door. Immediately he dragged the large blue chair over to the bed and sat in it, eager to see Jasper alive after the horrific scene from the tournament. He was no stranger to gore- having witnessed the gouged eyes of his many clansmen- but that did not mean he liked seeing it. A giant hole in a child's chest was never going to be a pretty picture and the fact that it was on someone that he knew made it worse. Kurapika may not feel particularly close to the boy but that didn't mean he had ever wanted to see… that.

But even above all of that… he remembered the green. When he had thought Jasper dead, his eyes had opened, a brilliant glowing emerald that seemed to swirl as if they held entire storms within them. At the time he had been so startled, he'd lost track of what had happened until the boy had started gurgling and speaking. Then watching the hole close-

Kurapika shuddered. Not pretty. He focused his attention on Jasper's still form, watching his eyes flick rapidly beneath their lids. He wondered, when they opened, if they would be that strange ethereal green again? Or would they be the glittering oceans he'd gotten used to after first seeing the boy?

For that matter, why did Jasper's eyes change color? He'd never heard of another tribe that had eyes like his. Because they may not be scarlet but the swirling emerald was just as pretty and marketable.

He paused at the thought.

Surely not?

Jasper had been separated from his family and remembered nothing after that time. Leorio had told him that memory loss of his specific time was trauma induced, possibly from a brain injury… or even from a mental breakdown. If Jasper had lost his family the same way Kurapika had…?

He pursed his lips and shook the thought from his head. Those thoughts could be dwelled on another time when he didn't have a little boy waking from a medically induced coma in front of him. A flicker of white and green caught his attention and he sucked in a slow careful breath.

"Jasper? Can you hear me?"

"Mmgghmm." A response was a very good sign, wasn't it?

"Don't try to speak yet, okay? Can you open your eyes instead?"

His lids flickered more until they pried open then slammed shut, squinting against the bright light.

"Ah. Sorry, let me help." He pushed up out of the chair and flicked the lights off. It was a little past sunset so there was still plenty of light to see by, especially for someone who was sensitive. Kurapika padded back over to the chair to watch the child slowly squint his eyes open, glancing around the room. When they landed on him, he caught the full colors of both eyes and let out a surprised huff from his nose.

One blue eye and one green.

They looked normal, no glowing to be found, but the left eye was now a strangely bright grass green with specks of darker green surrounding the pupil.

Was it the nen? Whatever power Jasper had used had called upon the eyes and now that he had been 'cleansed' one of them was permanently stained? He desperately wanted answers now but he couldn't ask. It wasn't the right time. Jasper wasn't coherent, he could tell by the eyes that would wander quickly enough to be a flicker before settling back onto Kurapika himself. Whatever answers the boy gave right now could not be trusted to hold the truth that he needed.

"Do you know who I am, Jasper? You don't have to speak, just nod yes or no." There was no real reaction except his lips forming around letters that had no sound behind them. "That's alright. My name is Kurapika. You were hurt and now you're being taken care of by some doctors."

His lips kept moving and his eyes flickering this way and that, always coming back to Kurapika. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not but before he could say more Dr. Vitas wandered back into the room with a cup in one hand and a bag of clear fluids tucked under the other. Jasper immediately turned to her, his head following the movements of his eyes.

"Oh, that's a good sign," the doctor hummed. "Have you talked to him yet?"

"Of course. He doesn't react like he hears the question." He was slightly offended that she would think that he wouldn't follow her instructions.

"Hm. Probably still under the hold of the drugs then. Not coherent." After setting the bag and cup on the side table, she picked up the clipboard at the end of the bed and scribbled something on it. "We'll see if another bag of saline helps him to flush it the rest of the way. Some of the others think it best to keep him under but at this point there's nothing physically wrong with him and we'll never see his mental state if he doesn't get up. Besides, we'd be dosing him near lethally just to keep him down at this point," she muttered.

He watched her putter about fixing everything into place. Jasper seemed to switch his attention between them, mostly following Dr. Vitas because she was moving around. It was mildly disconcerting to see someone actually drugged out of his mind. But considering the boy was even awake in the first place spoke well for his recovery time. Gon wasn't wrong that he would wake up quickly. Kurapika still wasn't sure if that was another one of Gon's strange instincts or if the green clad child just full heartedly- naively- believed in his friend. He wasn't sure which option he wanted to believe either.

He leaned back in his chair and pondered over the tickets they'd need to get now. Gon had gotten the Zoldyck family mansion location from Illumi during the briefing so he knew where they'd need to go. It was a three day travel to Kukuroo Mountain in the nation of Padokea. If they left tomorrow, by the time they got to Killua it would have been seven days since they'd seen the boy. Who knows what could have been done to the boy at that time. Not to mention that was a whole week that Killua would have thought he had killed his own friend. There was no telling what his mental state would be, especially if his family would prey upon it like his older brother did.

And this was all assuming Jasper would be in the right state to travel by tomorrow…

"Well, this is all I can do for now. I'll come back in a little bit to check on his state. Feed him the chips if you want, especially if he starts trying to talk." Then the doctor was gone and Kurapika was staring at the door with a little bit of enmity. He wasn't very fond of that doctor. She almost seemed to be pushing Jasper to wakefulness and then she didn't even try to stay to take care of him.

With a huff of air through his nose, he stood and walked around the bed to snatch the cup of ice chips, then settled himself on the side of the bed. Jasper's twitching pupils focused on him, the pupils dilating as he leaned forward. "Jasper? Are you thirsty? I have some ice chips here."

Nothing again.

What exactly should he do? He didn't want the boy to choke…

He picked up an ice chip and rubbed it between his fingers. It melted rather quickly, starting to drip back into the cup. He glanced at Jasper then at the ice chip before deciding on his course of action.

He rubbed the ice gently against the boy's lower lip, making sure the water would drip into his mouth. That got more of a reaction than anything else. Jasper startled, pupils shrinking, lips opening further as his tongue swiped out. There was a little squeak and Kurapika felt a small hand thump into his thigh.

"Liked that, did you?"

The next thirty or so minutes was spent slowly feeding Jasper ice chips while Kurapika talked to him about nothing of importance. He was so absorbed in his task that he actually jumped when Gon entered the room with a delighted squeal. And that was when Jasper spoke a fully intelligible word. It was whispered, scratchy and strained, but it was understandable which meant a lot compared to before.

"Green."

"Jas," Gon cried in unbridled happiness. He zoomed to the side of the bed, Menchi rolling her eyes from the doorway, and plopped himself in front of Kurapika, right next to Jasper's upper arm. "You're awake! I told everyone you would be!"

Kurapika definitely noticed the boy's eyes still somewhat flickering but there was a smile growing on his face and he was actually trying to move his arms. That was amazing progress compared to before. It was rather heartening to watch actually. Slipping off the bed, Kurapika couldn't help but smile at the sight of them. They looked so pure that-

That it hurt.

His mind snagged on the green of one eye, his earlier thoughts rushing back. He wondered if Jasper went through any other changes as well. What was the boy going to look like- act like- now that his power- nen- had been fully unlocked? Was he going to be recognizable to flesh hunters? Should he share his thoughts with anyone else?

It was possible that he was completely off mark but…

Kurapika knew first hand how disgusting the world could be and with something as unique as Jasper's eyes-

"Hey." He blinked and glanced at Menchi. "You got lost in your head, kid. That happen often?"

He saw no reason to lie. "Sometimes."

"Well, don't go losing your head or anything while you're stuck in it." She sniffed and turned her attention back to the boys. Gon was jabbering away, responding to Jasper's minute shifts and groans as if they were having a full on conversation. Strange. "Gag worthy, aren't they? Guess I'll be seeing more of it in the coming days."

He turned back to her in surprise. "You've decided to come with us?"

"I'm not exactly looking forward to poking the Zoldycks but I did swear to myself I'd look after the kid. Where he goes, I go. At least until he's healthier."

Perhaps he'd have his chance to poke for more information on nen then. Despite being brash, Menchi was passionate about her craft and was bound to know a lot of useful information. "Welcome to the party," he responded dryly. "It gets stranger every day."

She snorted.

AN: Woo! We finally get to meet Harry, the elusive second personality! And we can definitely see that Jasper is mentally unhealthy as Harry himself is one of his coping mechanisms. Poor Harry.

Q&A: Tetractys- You're partially correct! Clove's Garden, Harry's Hatsu, is powered by sacrifice. The minor form of it requires little things like spilled blood or pain. The stronger form of it require's Cloves tears and a sacrifice equal to the amount of damage healed. For something as large as a destroyed chest... the sacrifice has to be long and important. Thankfully, Jasper's memory problems mitigate some of the 'important' problems because he won't remember what things taste like. Unfortunately, Harry still remembers taste.

As for his memories. It's possible some of them were sacrificed.

Bluepeony0- Good to see you again! I'm really happy the last chapter had you so excited. You're absolutely right that Jasper has now been noticed and it will play a part in future arcs. You're welcome and thank you for another wonderful comment!

KrixLight- Once again you've brought a smile to my face with your comment! Thank you so much for sticking around~ Jasper will be getting a new phone eventually but not yet. Unfortunately, the previous one was too waterlogged to save anything. He'll have to start fresh! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

Drakality: It's definitely a good thing Jasper has Gon isn't it ;) His hatsu is a useful but stringent ability. Eventually, I'll reveal the rules!

Now... who said Jasper would remember what Killua did?