Ch.5: Closed Shutters
It MUST be something in the air today. Over the heads of the rest of the students, I could see them practically BOUNCING in their chairs. But when I looked down, I saw my fingers were tapping the (broken) lock on the side of my desk, and that I was absently hopping up and down in my seat as well. I looked over at Ubogin and my eyebrows went up at the cheesy expression on his face. My eyes shifted to Shalnark, who was visibly scraping the ceiling with his head as his chair practically bounced out of the nails that held it to the floor. The way his hair flapped and the way he hopped like there was no tomorrow reminded me of a five year old. The only one in the entire classroom that seemed to be completely normal today was probably Shizuku. She saw in her regular seat, taking notes. Everyone now and then she looked up at the board, and then she would start scribbling again. However, I could see the palest difference of blushes on her face every time she looked down.
There was a good reason for the restlessness in the class through. It was the day after, and Kurapika was back in business.
He still looked a bit pale. Kuroro combined our classes together again, C- 12B and C-12D, in the auditorium. For the first time in our lives, we learned something: history before the twentieth century was never taught to us before. For the first time our lives, the words "Aztecs", "Chinese", and "Sumerians" jumped out from the pages of a supposedly forbidden (in class, of course) textbook from before the nineteenth century. Kurapika's voice sounded so proud that day, and we often wondered why. I guess it must have been because he realized that even us, the people used to beat down other people, could realize that this Coloring was what was wrong. It separated us. And now that we realized we didn't want it, he was more than happy. It was just like another Lomas University, except in our classroom.
It made us excited, being taught in an environment that was entirely different. When the morning came, we found it was more fun to throw paper wads at each other rather than the teacher, though Kurapika did get a few from trying to stop us. Kuroro was always on the side, laughing silently until tears streamed down his cheeks when Kurapika tried to break Ubogin and Nobunaga apart. There was a side to Kurapika was came apparent today: a happier self, pleased that he could teach us something that we were fascinated about. He loved his job, I could tell, even though the government was probably was suppressing him from getting another job somewhere else, a better paying job. He knew us each very well, as we realized that day, even though he gave no part of himself. He was a watcher, an observer. He was his true self that day, with a wit that outwitted Kuroro and a sarcasm that left all the mouths in the classroom dry.
He was intelligent. For the first time in our lives, he was smarter, brilliant, not just a GREEN with unluckiness, but a man who knew all that was supposed to be known. He truly was intelligent - you could ask him any question and he would be able to answer in one way or another. He didn't hold back on his answers anymore, like before he was hospitalized. He was open. We even saw him smile a few times, and the boys roared with laughter when several of the girls swooned.
The armbands that were once worn so proudly on our arms were covered with bands of white silk. We paid no attention to them. Five minutes until the bell, Kurapika looked down at his notes on his desk, and his face seemed to change. A myriad of emotions crossed his face at that moment, then they were gone and there was our old strict, Green teacher Kurapika. And we knew that it was time to take off the wonderful white bands that made us all EQUAL, and began to act the snob again. And when we walked outside, we kept this new knowledge, this new wealth of history, in our minds, and we acted our normal, snobbish selves, complaining about the lessons Kurapika had given that day. But in our hearts, Kurapika INSPIRED us further than we could ever had imagined.
Before we went out of the classroom, Kuroro stopped us. "Don't tell anyone", he warned. We nodded solemnly. We knew the consequences. If we told anyone, WE wouldn't be punished, but KURAPIKA would. He was just a Green, after all, and the system still saw him as just such. They didn't see the pure genius of his intellect, or the way his smiled seemed to light the room. When he smiled, the world became colorful. Not as in the Color system's "Colorful", but as in the shades and hues of a drab classroom jumping out at you all at once. And at home, I swear I could feel everyone of Kurapika's students going to bed with a strange, comforting smile. We'd see him tomorrow for more rebel lessons. We didn't care if we were breaking the law. The law had cheated us of decency, right? We shot it right back in their faces.
The next day, we learned about the Mayans. We were shocked at their bloody rites and wondered how they could play ball with their feet. There were also the Japanese, the fierce samurai with their swords and their bulky armor. The book Kurapika passed around and read from had been from his grandmother's collection, he said. It was forbidden to keep such books, but he told us with a twinkle in his eye that Lomas University had several rooms full of salvaged books. After he was done reading to us, he too, would donate the old history book to the library.
He also showed us a magazine of the latest archaeological finds. "They're pretty outdated", he said with a smile. "However, they have very good pictures." We stared at them with round-eyed, open-mouthed satisfaction. "Just think what they could have found if the Color system had been abolished!" The archaeologists at the sites all were different Colors, which meant that each of them had their own jobs. A Violet couldn't do a Green's job, and vice versa. This made it very complicated and difficult. Plus, as Kurapika mentioned, heat and humidity wore down artifacts. And for the first time, we saw a word with and without Colors, and how the whole concept of a Color system came into play.
The Color system had actually been established a long time ago, in ancient India. There were four castes, or classes, back then. They were imposed on the Indians by the Europeans when they came in and claimed the subcontinent for their own. This grew to be highly popular among those who were on the top with the wealth and the power in their hands. And of course, along the way, there were many, many rebellions. But nothing worked. And later, this system that evolved over time was modified and changed to include everyone. It was spread by an English General who rose in power. In time, his followers dethroned all that needed to be dethroned and took over the world. "And while that may be a very effective way of keeping us all in place and order, I believe that it is wrong, and also that one day, it will fall and be forgotten."
And then he got a smile on his face that made all the eyes turn to him and wonder how he could be the same strict, boring teacher we had before. "And one day, children will once again be taught about Egypt and the Nile Civilization, about St. George and the Dragon, about the Israelites' flee from slavery. One day, people like me won't have to wear this anymore." And his hand brushed, almost as if he were frightened, against the green armband under the white silk. It clinked and everyone heard it.
A sobering thought. None of us wanted to leave the classroom after a day. It was so different, to see all of these other people, people from the past. All of us tried to suck in everything at once; there was only two weeks left in school. We had to make the best of it - next year, Kurapika wouldn't be our teacher. And as we thought about it further, Kurapika would have another class like we were before: not understanding, selfish, going out of our ways to knock other people down to the floor. He'd just be abused again.
And at the end of the day, we got a surprise. Kurapika had brought his violin.
He tested the strings, and drew the scarlet bow across them. It flashed in the light like a million Christmas lights, and a wistering, twinning sound came from it. Sometimes it flowed like water over smooth stones - other time it darkened like coffee and oppression. And the violin seemed to escalate up a silver staircase, climbing higher and higher, faster and faster, until it ended on a brilliant notes that rang through us like clashed cymbals, singing of dissonance. Then the music softened, soothed our nerves as if an apology for disturbing us, and the sound of a flute accompanied it. Kuroro's flute sang along sadly, the whispering notes like half-forgotten thoughts that we groped around to say. And when the music died and the bell rang, we were temporarily left speechless. The other students in the other sophomore classes must have wondered at our silence. Thank gods the rooms were soundproof.
And then we filed out, and the hall was filled with chatter, and everything progressed as before. But the classes were different now. No longer were they ramblings about the great Eterny Marks or the Color System his ingenious mind designed. After a little while, I realized that the only reason the Color System was here now was because Eterny Marks had the military power to take control of the entire world and install this insane system. It didn't make sense at all, of course, now that I could think rationally, from a historical and rational point of view: it was like Legalism in ancient China in opposition to Confucianism. Legalism was dedicated to keeping law, order and justice in China. As effective as its reward/punishment system was effective, it was also highly hated because it asked a lot for just a simple crime. Confucianism was a human philosophy, and it bended the rules a bit to let reason and human judgment have a say. No one had a say against Eterny Marks, though. I could only imagine how many uprisings there were at that period that opposed him. But there was probably no stopping Marks - he simply had too many troops. I didn't want to think about that time; it must have been painful, full of suffering for the people who were made Greens and Yellows. It would have changed everything. No one would remember that this system was wrong until five decades later.
Absently my mind turned more to Kurapika. He, after all, WAS still an enigma - I mean, we knew nothing but that his parents were dead and that he had gotten out of Yorkshire with the highest honor possible, the Illumination Award. Suddenly I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, and my eyes seemed to behold nothing. However, my mind was whirling with conflicting reports; how could this be? Kurapika was a Green, therefore ineligible for the Illumination Award, wasn't it? The Illumination Award was only given to VIOLETS. True, it was the highest honor in the entire school - and it was only awarded to the highest Color, the Violets. The other colors got their own "best person" awards: the Yellows had their Florian Pen Ceremony, where everyone donated pens to the most intelligent; the Greens had the Verdi Award, where a Green received a plaque; the Azures had the Symphonic, where they got a 'mystery' box that contained some sort of riddle (weird award, if you ask me). But the Violets was where you were headed. You couldn't rise up in society so if you were anything lower than a Violet, you couldn't get the Illumination Award, but the Illumination was always held the highest because it had the most prestige to be awarded such (and maybe because the media covered this one more than any of the others). Some years it wasn't even awarded. Then Kurapika was, or had been..a Violet.?
On that thought, I dashed back towards the school. I had to get this straight; it couldn't wait for tomorrow. Tomorrow! It was Saturday, and that would mean I wouldn't be able to get this burning question answered. Praying to the gods, I hoped Kurapika had not left the school yet. I rounded the last corner, dashed up the steps, and started to climb the stairs to the third floor, where the five sophomore classes were located. This, this was impossible, wasn't it? Once a person was a Violet, or an Azure, or any color at all, you couldn't be de-Colored, right? This went across all protocol, all rules, didn't it? I didn't hesitate when I slipped on the last landing and slid to crash into the opposite wall. This question, this question couldn't wait! Silently I hurried my legs and my feet to the other end of the hall, where I didn't hesitate to throw open the door to C-12B and -
- and witness what must be the most embarrassing thing I could've walked in on. They were.kissing. I froze for a moment, long enough for the shorter of the figures to notice me, and then I squeaked. Now both the pairs of eyes stared hard and accusingly at me. Slowly, almost as if that would help, I backed away, out the door, my grip on my backpack sweaty and slick. As I reached outside of the door, they stood, and I panicked. I turned around and ran, a shameful blush on my cheeks. I couldn't deny that scene wasn't.um, pretty or anything. It was just.um, surprising. VERY surprising.
I hadn't gone three paces before Kuroro's hand on my collar choked the air from me and pulled me back into the classroom. The door slammed behind me and two intense pairs of eyes stared down at me. I gulped. This was even worse than the time they'd cornered me in the music hall of Yorkshire University. I felt like a very, very trapped mouse. I felt like I'd just run out of firepower.
And very suddenly the shorter figure I had seen, Kurapika, began to laugh. It was a sweet, childish laughter that pealed like psalms in the evening. Soft, low, like a dim candle that brought the room to life with just its single flame, it sent the sunstream in torrents from the windows, and enhanced the colors against the polished desks and the whiteboard up front. And in Kurapika's face, the shelter with the lighted windows came to life, and I found myself agape with wonder. It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen, his face. So vibrant, so thrilling, like his music that sent my heart hum along with its melody. It was intangible, not quite in your reach, but you could see it. It was the sea, hidden behind the last barrier of hills, but being able to smell the brine, be able to feel the breeze blowing across your hair and know that you've almost arrived at your destination. This was what he told me. I was home when I saw him.
Gently, he subsided, but his lips still curled into a Mona Lisa smile. And softly, Kuroro grasped the younger's chin, tilted it up, and kissed Kurapika in one fluid motion. I couldn't gasp, couldn't do anything. It seemed so right, somehow. In that moment, Kuroro was dark, and Kurapika was light. They foiled each other perfectly. Sweet intoxication hovered over them, and love was in their eyes. Such trust. I didn't think I'd ever be able to place that much trust into someone. And from them, I could see that they had given so much to each other, to this world that not much of their own stamina was left. They were in a confused world, a world they didn't want and didn't understand, and they found solace in each other's understanding. I could have laughed, I could have cried, there was so much emotion on their face. They were so honest, then. They were children, they were an old couple and everything in between. The whole world was incased in their expressions.
Somehow, I found my way to a chair and sat down. Kurapika stood in front of me, his face still tilted to one side, and his eyes still twinkling with fairy mischief. "So", he said teasingly, "did you enjoy that?" I blushed and gave an incoherent mumble I hoped he didn't understand. However, he didn't let me go, and asked me to repeat what I had said. "Maybe a little less mush", I said again, and the two teachers gave twin laughs and Kuroro ruffled my hair. "My", Kurapika said wonderingly, "I couldn't have guessed you like this sort of thing!" As they laughed, I swear my face turned as red as the brick the building was made out of.
And then, suddenly, something out of the corner of my eye caught my gaze. As soon as I had seen it, I leapt to my feet and scampered to the door. Throwing it open, I barely caught a glimpse of a fleeing figure before I gave a shout and began to give chase. If that person had seen Kurapika and Kuroro kissing, then I knew something very, very bad would happen to Kurapika, and possibly to Kuroro. The figure was already halfway down the stairs when I reached them, almost out of breath. Giving a quick prayer to whatever god was up there, I leapt over the side of the banister down five stories and landed (thankfully) without a broken ankle. The figure emerged from the bottom and froze. I heard a clatter from the top and knew that the two teachers were coming. The boy looked at me again, just to decide. The he leapt over the side of the staircase, and before I could catch him, he had run out of the main doors. I considered going after him, but the teachers came down the stairs, Kurapika pulling Kuroro along, and they looked at me wordlessly. A flush of shame came to my face and guilt shuffled my feet around. It was my fault, wasn't it? And looking at the two teachers, I could recall how they looked at each other, and the house with the light in the windows. I wondered how painful my punishment would be if I denied that house its light forever. I knew I'd get off okay, being an Azure and all, but Kurapika.had I doomed him?
/ \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \
Author's note:
WWEELLLL, that was a long chapter. Sorry, sorry. Well, now you know the pairing, and now you know what poor little Kurapika has to go through. Don't worry, Killua's will be alright. As for Kurapika.well, let's just say I can't guarantee his safety. * cackles maniacally * Oh ho ho, I'll make him SUFFER. Mwahahahaha.ha! * sobers and mutters about being temporarily possessed*
Andrea Weiling
It MUST be something in the air today. Over the heads of the rest of the students, I could see them practically BOUNCING in their chairs. But when I looked down, I saw my fingers were tapping the (broken) lock on the side of my desk, and that I was absently hopping up and down in my seat as well. I looked over at Ubogin and my eyebrows went up at the cheesy expression on his face. My eyes shifted to Shalnark, who was visibly scraping the ceiling with his head as his chair practically bounced out of the nails that held it to the floor. The way his hair flapped and the way he hopped like there was no tomorrow reminded me of a five year old. The only one in the entire classroom that seemed to be completely normal today was probably Shizuku. She saw in her regular seat, taking notes. Everyone now and then she looked up at the board, and then she would start scribbling again. However, I could see the palest difference of blushes on her face every time she looked down.
There was a good reason for the restlessness in the class through. It was the day after, and Kurapika was back in business.
He still looked a bit pale. Kuroro combined our classes together again, C- 12B and C-12D, in the auditorium. For the first time in our lives, we learned something: history before the twentieth century was never taught to us before. For the first time our lives, the words "Aztecs", "Chinese", and "Sumerians" jumped out from the pages of a supposedly forbidden (in class, of course) textbook from before the nineteenth century. Kurapika's voice sounded so proud that day, and we often wondered why. I guess it must have been because he realized that even us, the people used to beat down other people, could realize that this Coloring was what was wrong. It separated us. And now that we realized we didn't want it, he was more than happy. It was just like another Lomas University, except in our classroom.
It made us excited, being taught in an environment that was entirely different. When the morning came, we found it was more fun to throw paper wads at each other rather than the teacher, though Kurapika did get a few from trying to stop us. Kuroro was always on the side, laughing silently until tears streamed down his cheeks when Kurapika tried to break Ubogin and Nobunaga apart. There was a side to Kurapika was came apparent today: a happier self, pleased that he could teach us something that we were fascinated about. He loved his job, I could tell, even though the government was probably was suppressing him from getting another job somewhere else, a better paying job. He knew us each very well, as we realized that day, even though he gave no part of himself. He was a watcher, an observer. He was his true self that day, with a wit that outwitted Kuroro and a sarcasm that left all the mouths in the classroom dry.
He was intelligent. For the first time in our lives, he was smarter, brilliant, not just a GREEN with unluckiness, but a man who knew all that was supposed to be known. He truly was intelligent - you could ask him any question and he would be able to answer in one way or another. He didn't hold back on his answers anymore, like before he was hospitalized. He was open. We even saw him smile a few times, and the boys roared with laughter when several of the girls swooned.
The armbands that were once worn so proudly on our arms were covered with bands of white silk. We paid no attention to them. Five minutes until the bell, Kurapika looked down at his notes on his desk, and his face seemed to change. A myriad of emotions crossed his face at that moment, then they were gone and there was our old strict, Green teacher Kurapika. And we knew that it was time to take off the wonderful white bands that made us all EQUAL, and began to act the snob again. And when we walked outside, we kept this new knowledge, this new wealth of history, in our minds, and we acted our normal, snobbish selves, complaining about the lessons Kurapika had given that day. But in our hearts, Kurapika INSPIRED us further than we could ever had imagined.
Before we went out of the classroom, Kuroro stopped us. "Don't tell anyone", he warned. We nodded solemnly. We knew the consequences. If we told anyone, WE wouldn't be punished, but KURAPIKA would. He was just a Green, after all, and the system still saw him as just such. They didn't see the pure genius of his intellect, or the way his smiled seemed to light the room. When he smiled, the world became colorful. Not as in the Color system's "Colorful", but as in the shades and hues of a drab classroom jumping out at you all at once. And at home, I swear I could feel everyone of Kurapika's students going to bed with a strange, comforting smile. We'd see him tomorrow for more rebel lessons. We didn't care if we were breaking the law. The law had cheated us of decency, right? We shot it right back in their faces.
The next day, we learned about the Mayans. We were shocked at their bloody rites and wondered how they could play ball with their feet. There were also the Japanese, the fierce samurai with their swords and their bulky armor. The book Kurapika passed around and read from had been from his grandmother's collection, he said. It was forbidden to keep such books, but he told us with a twinkle in his eye that Lomas University had several rooms full of salvaged books. After he was done reading to us, he too, would donate the old history book to the library.
He also showed us a magazine of the latest archaeological finds. "They're pretty outdated", he said with a smile. "However, they have very good pictures." We stared at them with round-eyed, open-mouthed satisfaction. "Just think what they could have found if the Color system had been abolished!" The archaeologists at the sites all were different Colors, which meant that each of them had their own jobs. A Violet couldn't do a Green's job, and vice versa. This made it very complicated and difficult. Plus, as Kurapika mentioned, heat and humidity wore down artifacts. And for the first time, we saw a word with and without Colors, and how the whole concept of a Color system came into play.
The Color system had actually been established a long time ago, in ancient India. There were four castes, or classes, back then. They were imposed on the Indians by the Europeans when they came in and claimed the subcontinent for their own. This grew to be highly popular among those who were on the top with the wealth and the power in their hands. And of course, along the way, there were many, many rebellions. But nothing worked. And later, this system that evolved over time was modified and changed to include everyone. It was spread by an English General who rose in power. In time, his followers dethroned all that needed to be dethroned and took over the world. "And while that may be a very effective way of keeping us all in place and order, I believe that it is wrong, and also that one day, it will fall and be forgotten."
And then he got a smile on his face that made all the eyes turn to him and wonder how he could be the same strict, boring teacher we had before. "And one day, children will once again be taught about Egypt and the Nile Civilization, about St. George and the Dragon, about the Israelites' flee from slavery. One day, people like me won't have to wear this anymore." And his hand brushed, almost as if he were frightened, against the green armband under the white silk. It clinked and everyone heard it.
A sobering thought. None of us wanted to leave the classroom after a day. It was so different, to see all of these other people, people from the past. All of us tried to suck in everything at once; there was only two weeks left in school. We had to make the best of it - next year, Kurapika wouldn't be our teacher. And as we thought about it further, Kurapika would have another class like we were before: not understanding, selfish, going out of our ways to knock other people down to the floor. He'd just be abused again.
And at the end of the day, we got a surprise. Kurapika had brought his violin.
He tested the strings, and drew the scarlet bow across them. It flashed in the light like a million Christmas lights, and a wistering, twinning sound came from it. Sometimes it flowed like water over smooth stones - other time it darkened like coffee and oppression. And the violin seemed to escalate up a silver staircase, climbing higher and higher, faster and faster, until it ended on a brilliant notes that rang through us like clashed cymbals, singing of dissonance. Then the music softened, soothed our nerves as if an apology for disturbing us, and the sound of a flute accompanied it. Kuroro's flute sang along sadly, the whispering notes like half-forgotten thoughts that we groped around to say. And when the music died and the bell rang, we were temporarily left speechless. The other students in the other sophomore classes must have wondered at our silence. Thank gods the rooms were soundproof.
And then we filed out, and the hall was filled with chatter, and everything progressed as before. But the classes were different now. No longer were they ramblings about the great Eterny Marks or the Color System his ingenious mind designed. After a little while, I realized that the only reason the Color System was here now was because Eterny Marks had the military power to take control of the entire world and install this insane system. It didn't make sense at all, of course, now that I could think rationally, from a historical and rational point of view: it was like Legalism in ancient China in opposition to Confucianism. Legalism was dedicated to keeping law, order and justice in China. As effective as its reward/punishment system was effective, it was also highly hated because it asked a lot for just a simple crime. Confucianism was a human philosophy, and it bended the rules a bit to let reason and human judgment have a say. No one had a say against Eterny Marks, though. I could only imagine how many uprisings there were at that period that opposed him. But there was probably no stopping Marks - he simply had too many troops. I didn't want to think about that time; it must have been painful, full of suffering for the people who were made Greens and Yellows. It would have changed everything. No one would remember that this system was wrong until five decades later.
Absently my mind turned more to Kurapika. He, after all, WAS still an enigma - I mean, we knew nothing but that his parents were dead and that he had gotten out of Yorkshire with the highest honor possible, the Illumination Award. Suddenly I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, and my eyes seemed to behold nothing. However, my mind was whirling with conflicting reports; how could this be? Kurapika was a Green, therefore ineligible for the Illumination Award, wasn't it? The Illumination Award was only given to VIOLETS. True, it was the highest honor in the entire school - and it was only awarded to the highest Color, the Violets. The other colors got their own "best person" awards: the Yellows had their Florian Pen Ceremony, where everyone donated pens to the most intelligent; the Greens had the Verdi Award, where a Green received a plaque; the Azures had the Symphonic, where they got a 'mystery' box that contained some sort of riddle (weird award, if you ask me). But the Violets was where you were headed. You couldn't rise up in society so if you were anything lower than a Violet, you couldn't get the Illumination Award, but the Illumination was always held the highest because it had the most prestige to be awarded such (and maybe because the media covered this one more than any of the others). Some years it wasn't even awarded. Then Kurapika was, or had been..a Violet.?
On that thought, I dashed back towards the school. I had to get this straight; it couldn't wait for tomorrow. Tomorrow! It was Saturday, and that would mean I wouldn't be able to get this burning question answered. Praying to the gods, I hoped Kurapika had not left the school yet. I rounded the last corner, dashed up the steps, and started to climb the stairs to the third floor, where the five sophomore classes were located. This, this was impossible, wasn't it? Once a person was a Violet, or an Azure, or any color at all, you couldn't be de-Colored, right? This went across all protocol, all rules, didn't it? I didn't hesitate when I slipped on the last landing and slid to crash into the opposite wall. This question, this question couldn't wait! Silently I hurried my legs and my feet to the other end of the hall, where I didn't hesitate to throw open the door to C-12B and -
- and witness what must be the most embarrassing thing I could've walked in on. They were.kissing. I froze for a moment, long enough for the shorter of the figures to notice me, and then I squeaked. Now both the pairs of eyes stared hard and accusingly at me. Slowly, almost as if that would help, I backed away, out the door, my grip on my backpack sweaty and slick. As I reached outside of the door, they stood, and I panicked. I turned around and ran, a shameful blush on my cheeks. I couldn't deny that scene wasn't.um, pretty or anything. It was just.um, surprising. VERY surprising.
I hadn't gone three paces before Kuroro's hand on my collar choked the air from me and pulled me back into the classroom. The door slammed behind me and two intense pairs of eyes stared down at me. I gulped. This was even worse than the time they'd cornered me in the music hall of Yorkshire University. I felt like a very, very trapped mouse. I felt like I'd just run out of firepower.
And very suddenly the shorter figure I had seen, Kurapika, began to laugh. It was a sweet, childish laughter that pealed like psalms in the evening. Soft, low, like a dim candle that brought the room to life with just its single flame, it sent the sunstream in torrents from the windows, and enhanced the colors against the polished desks and the whiteboard up front. And in Kurapika's face, the shelter with the lighted windows came to life, and I found myself agape with wonder. It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen, his face. So vibrant, so thrilling, like his music that sent my heart hum along with its melody. It was intangible, not quite in your reach, but you could see it. It was the sea, hidden behind the last barrier of hills, but being able to smell the brine, be able to feel the breeze blowing across your hair and know that you've almost arrived at your destination. This was what he told me. I was home when I saw him.
Gently, he subsided, but his lips still curled into a Mona Lisa smile. And softly, Kuroro grasped the younger's chin, tilted it up, and kissed Kurapika in one fluid motion. I couldn't gasp, couldn't do anything. It seemed so right, somehow. In that moment, Kuroro was dark, and Kurapika was light. They foiled each other perfectly. Sweet intoxication hovered over them, and love was in their eyes. Such trust. I didn't think I'd ever be able to place that much trust into someone. And from them, I could see that they had given so much to each other, to this world that not much of their own stamina was left. They were in a confused world, a world they didn't want and didn't understand, and they found solace in each other's understanding. I could have laughed, I could have cried, there was so much emotion on their face. They were so honest, then. They were children, they were an old couple and everything in between. The whole world was incased in their expressions.
Somehow, I found my way to a chair and sat down. Kurapika stood in front of me, his face still tilted to one side, and his eyes still twinkling with fairy mischief. "So", he said teasingly, "did you enjoy that?" I blushed and gave an incoherent mumble I hoped he didn't understand. However, he didn't let me go, and asked me to repeat what I had said. "Maybe a little less mush", I said again, and the two teachers gave twin laughs and Kuroro ruffled my hair. "My", Kurapika said wonderingly, "I couldn't have guessed you like this sort of thing!" As they laughed, I swear my face turned as red as the brick the building was made out of.
And then, suddenly, something out of the corner of my eye caught my gaze. As soon as I had seen it, I leapt to my feet and scampered to the door. Throwing it open, I barely caught a glimpse of a fleeing figure before I gave a shout and began to give chase. If that person had seen Kurapika and Kuroro kissing, then I knew something very, very bad would happen to Kurapika, and possibly to Kuroro. The figure was already halfway down the stairs when I reached them, almost out of breath. Giving a quick prayer to whatever god was up there, I leapt over the side of the banister down five stories and landed (thankfully) without a broken ankle. The figure emerged from the bottom and froze. I heard a clatter from the top and knew that the two teachers were coming. The boy looked at me again, just to decide. The he leapt over the side of the staircase, and before I could catch him, he had run out of the main doors. I considered going after him, but the teachers came down the stairs, Kurapika pulling Kuroro along, and they looked at me wordlessly. A flush of shame came to my face and guilt shuffled my feet around. It was my fault, wasn't it? And looking at the two teachers, I could recall how they looked at each other, and the house with the light in the windows. I wondered how painful my punishment would be if I denied that house its light forever. I knew I'd get off okay, being an Azure and all, but Kurapika.had I doomed him?
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Author's note:
WWEELLLL, that was a long chapter. Sorry, sorry. Well, now you know the pairing, and now you know what poor little Kurapika has to go through. Don't worry, Killua's will be alright. As for Kurapika.well, let's just say I can't guarantee his safety. * cackles maniacally * Oh ho ho, I'll make him SUFFER. Mwahahahaha.ha! * sobers and mutters about being temporarily possessed*
Andrea Weiling