Vowed Vengence

by GW

Disclaimer: I do not own HxH. Non-HxH characters that are used in this story are products of the author's imagination, any resemblance to other characters or personality is plainly coincidental.

Chapter 5: Maine's Fate

The blond hunter inched towards the girl. She's so afraid that she even feared her rescuer. Kurapika smiled at her and said unexpectedly, "that'll teach them! Come, we'll tend your wounds…" he gave her his hands. The girl grew amazed and comfortable at the same time. And at lat she smiled, reaching Kurapika's open arms.

Kurapika sat on the chair beside the window while Leorio tend the girls wound. She grew weary on their way to the inn, she fell asleep. He didn't know why but the girl reminds him so much of the past. He drifted to savor his memories while he sat beside the window…

"My name's Maine (read as ma-in), what's yours?" The gold-haired girl asked.

The blond kid stared at her before realizing that she was the one who rescued him. "K-Kurapika…" he answered timidly.

"Here, take a sip, it'll warm your stomach…" she said fondly as she handed a cup of soup, her eyes glistening, staring directly at him. It was then that the kid perceived her eyes. They were purple in color. He was amazed for it was his first time to see such eye color. In their tribe, there were just blue. All of them has blue eyes; his mother, his father, his best friend, their neighbors – all of them. Maine grew conscious because of his stare, "What is it? Why do you keep staring at me, cat-girl?"

"a-a", Kurapika didn't know what to say first, whether to justify why he is staring or to tell her that he's a boy. "I'm not a girl…"

"Wha?!" came Maine's surprised voice. "Kurapika's a very feminine name! And you look so girly that I thought those guys are raping you!" She blurt out wildly, waving her hands violently.

The boys face slightly flinched. A combination of annoyance and amusement came to him, he didn't know which one to express for those emotions are exactly opposite. "And I'm staring at you 'cause your eyes are odd…"

"My eyes are odd?" Maine yelled deliberately, "And you think that cat-like eyes of yours aren't weird?"

"Cat-like?!" Kurapika asked simply…

"Yeah! Yesterday, you glare like a cat sneering at a dog and now you stare like a kitty who's just given milk!" Maine mocked profoundly. "Hm, why don't I call you Kitty?!" she teasingly smiled, "Here Kitty… Drink your milk now…"

Kurapika's face flushed at the sudden memory. "Kitty" Kurapika thought "She's the only one to address me like that…" "Maine's memory suddenly emerged when that girl came", he turned from the window to the bed where the girl is being nursed by Leorio. She had grown conscious and is now sitting, her back supported by pillows. "So, you're awake…" he addressed the girl. The girl just nodded. "What's your name and why were those jerks chasing you?"

The girl lowered her face and stood silent. "I-I'm A-Alunna" she whispered, her voice trembling. "I don't know why they are after me. They just started chasing me and I went to the café for help…" she continued, her body shaking heavily.

Kurapika eyed her. "Alune, do you know something about the LuAmari tribe?"

The sound crash into her, like a bow that hit her deeply into her head and heart. "I-I lived there once," she said. Kurapika's voice made her comfortable for the diction and sound of his voice is the same as her people, as if he's one of them. But it came to her. She realized that she must not trust a stranger so she safeguarded her statement, "But I'm not a member of the tribe!"

"So, you know Maine?"

Alunna's guts shrunk to her feet as she heard the name. "What do you know about Maine and the tribe?!" she asked pleadingly, with a tinge of suspicion in her voice.

"I know nothing but her name and she was looking for a lost sister, nothing more." Kurapika said seriously without looking into the young girl's eyes.

Leorio was being curious but didn't want to interfere in their talk so he excused himself. "I ran out of bandages, I'll just go buy some."

"You're lying!" Alunna accused, "What do you know about my sister? You know that I'm her sister that's why you helped me earlier, right?! Speak up!" The girl shouted between her uncontrollable sobs. "Where is my sister? Please, tell me…"

That was the last thing Kurapika would want to be reminded of, the fate of LuAmari and Maine…

Maine carried her bow while they tried to escape, escape from the hellish fate of LuAmarians. The further they run, the better their opportunity to escape death.

Just when she thought that nobody was following them, she stopped to take a rest. They sat on the bushes, tying to hamper their profound, rapid breathing to prevent being noticed.

Maine drew a black spherical tablet from her pocket and handed them to Kurapika. "Here, take this." She said as she put the tablet in his open palm. "Gulp that tablet if ever we get caught and go away as fast as you can, that tablet can make you invisible for a while…" She whispered while closing Kurapika's small fist.

"B-but…" there was fear in the little boy's voice. "How about you?" he clung to the elder one's arms.

"I can handle myself…" she assured him.

There was long silence before Maine realized that someone was near. She can tell for the insects have silenced and the rodents have hidden, as if they were afraid of something. Wasting no time, she grabbed the tablet from Kurapika and without a word she made the kid swallow the lozenge.

"Uhuh! Awk… wha…" Kurapika was coughing and gagging, everything is ambiguous to him. "Why did?" he was cut when Maine put her hand on his mouth.

"Just listen to me, get the hell out of this forest. Go as far as you can, anywhere. No matter what you hear, don't go back. OK?" her voice was serious and nervous. She was heavily sweating. "Can I count on you?" Kurapika just nodded, still preoccupied. "Ok, run!" as Maine pushed Kurapika's slender back. His feature is starting to disappear, the tablet is taking effect.

The blond kid didn't show grief, this wasn't his first time to confront a scene like this, it isn't new. He followed Maine's advice, he ran as fast as he can as his tears went to flood his eyes. He thought he's used to situations like this, he thought he's already as hard as stone that he'll just carry out Maine's will without thinking of her sake. But he did find out that he's even softer than cotton when he heard Maine's long and haunting wail.

He backtracked to where he left Maine. She was gone. All he saw was smudges of blood dispersed around the place. The thought of Maine being dead made him shiver with disgust. He followed the traces of blood. Maine's poisoned arrows were scattered, some were on the bushes, and many were struck on trees; as sign that Maine fought the opponent. Kurapika went wide eyed when he saw Maine lying on the rocks, bloodied. He kneeled beside Maine. "Maine, who did this?!" he asked her, his voice trembling with fear and anger.

"K-Ku, K-Kitty…" she tried to struggle. "You hardheaded bastard!" she scolded while smiling. "Ah…" she touched her tummy where her wound lies. Kurapika thinks it was serious, it really was.

"Please wait. I'll go get help…" he sprinted to his feet.

"N-No. I have something to tell you…"

"Please save your energy…" he pleaded, kneeling beside Maine once more.

"Promise me you'll never return to the village" she paused, because of the pain brought by the wound. "They're still there… S-Spider…"

Kurapika's eyes went blurry, everything tinted red like it was twilight. "Maine..." he shouted at the top of his lungs "Mainnne..."

AN: this chapter is longer than expected… hope u like it... And know more about Maine, Alunna and the LuAmari tribe next chap! see yah! and R&R!