A/N: Oh, hello again. Inspiration struck me yesterday and I wrote this one up. I really don't know what to think about this chapter. It's a sort of mess... But maybe you guys like it.

Chapter 9
Pink and Crimson: Flashes

The leaf twisted in the middle of the water in glass. Sora had her eyes trained on it. Concentrating hard, she made the leaf vanish and appear on her palm, while the stone she'd had in her hand appeared in turn into the water. The stone didn't sink either, but remained floating in the middle, right where the leaf had been.

"That's the basics of what you are aiming for, right?" Biscuit asked when coming up behind the girl.

"Yes… I think I should start planning how to apply the technique on myself." Sora nodded. Maybe taking inspiration from One Piece wasn't enough though. Naruto could be a better idea. Flying Thundergod… That sounded good.

"Hmm…" The woman in pink (but looking like a middle schooler) leaned her head against the palm of her hand with a thoughtful smile on her face. "Let's stop this here. It's getting late already."

"B-But…" Sora looked up from her crouching over the glass to her teacher's clear eyes. "I can still go on."

"No no, you need rest too. Sleep and let your brains to rest. You've already done really well during these past weeks in reintroducing yourself to the feel of Nen and its usage. Basically you're in the same point that when we parted ways before your Hunter exam." Biscuit smiled. "Besides… Who knows? Maybe you'll get some sort of grasp of your past again. Sweet dreams, Soramiko-chan!"

Biscuit had been surprisingly welcoming of Sora and getting her trained again. Thankfully there was still some faint fragments with which Sora could get a handle of the basic techniques as well as start practicing the advanced ones. According to Biscuit though it was obvious that the girl had been actively using those before her memoryloss.

"But there has been a while. Even if using Nen should be instinctive… Maybe your memory block has been blocking your Nen too. At least I couldn't sense anymore from you than from an uninitiated rookie. Congratulations for passing the Hunter Exam anyways, my dearest Aquamarine." She had said after discussion of where the girl lied now abilitywise. And Sora had agreed.

"Soramiko…"

"Go play with your brother, Soramiko-chan."

Gentle blue eyes looking down at her, long blonde hair swaying in the faint breeze, soft smile… Dressed in deep purple with light blue weaving beautiful patterns by neckline and the end of the sleeves. The necklace with a blue topaz glinted in the sunlight as the mother picked her daughter from her lap and gave her a push towards the boy at the other end of the yard. The boy wearing olive green and light yellow. Soramiko was the girl's name. She resembled her mother very much, as did her brother. Same hair, same eyes. Father wasn't needed in the picture at all. Well, he didn't really exist for them, always out of the house, doing work for the village. Coming home late after a night out with his friends. So it really was just the family of three.

"Sora-chan!" The boy waved his sister closer.

"Shiro-nii!"

"Shirokumo-kun, play nicely with your sister!" Their mother called after the two.

"Hai!"

Shirokumo… That was his name… Name that his mother gave him. Name that was hidden after she died.

"Call me Shira now. And I'll call you… Just Sora." Sora's brother instructed her when they were on the run. "Our names are too distinctive as they are."

"Okay! Shira-nii!" Sora had nodded. And after that she had been just Sora to everyone. Biscuit was the only one aside from her brother that knew the other name.

Meanwhile… His name kept changing. He was never satisfied with it. Sora had hard time keeping up with them all. But it was always the first and last one that she'd always remember. The other's just faded away.

"Shirokumo!"

Shira

Shiro

Roku

Shara

Moshiku

Shiyaro

Shiraku

Sharuku

Sharunaaku

"Shalnark!"

Sora's eyes snapped open. She drew a deep breath. Stars were twinkling above her. The girl took a stock of her surroundings. She was still on the roof of the hotel she and Biscuit were staying at.

"I fell asleep." Why did she need to say that aloud? There was no one else on the roof with her. Sora heaved herself upright and sighed. Biscuit had been right. She had indeed seen glimpse of her past once again.

"Shalnark…" It had been a faint possibility before but now… Now it was almost certainty. Sora had ties to Phantom Troupe.

The girl picked up her phone and scrolled open her contact list. She still maintained her stance of not contacting any of them by herself.

"Bono-san, Gold-san, Kuro-nii, Macha, Naga-jichan, Niisan, Noda-ba, Mr. Philosopher, Shortie, Sphinks, Uvo-san…" She read aloud them. "Heh, denial only works so far it seems…"

Sora got on her feet and pocketed her phone. Stars were twinkling above her. It seemed to be new moon. And according to the calendar, the next full moon would actually be Blood Moon.

"Biscuit-shisou…" Sora spoke when sensing another presence on the roof with her. "I want to go to Lukso."

"I thought so…" Biscuit looked down with melancholy. "You are seeking closure, aren't you? Ever since you mentioned this friend of yours… Kurapika, I knew you'd want to visit his home village. Ate least what's left of it."

"Yes. I think that place might trigger some more memories. And I'll keep training my Hatsu. It's something movement related after all so keeping on moving might do some good for me." The girl smiled. "I promise to keep in contact with you, shisou."

"I'm holding onto that! And didn't I tell you to call me Bisky?"

And Sora couldn't help but laugh. Her teacher was certainly a character.

Sun beat down on Sora as she trekked up the hill. Flowers swayed in the wind, blue, pink, red, yellow. Birds were chirping up in the trees. There was a stream running downhill nearby and adding to the soundscape of the area. The girl stopped by a large stone and wiped sweat from her forehead. While doing that, her eyes wandered to the scenery behind her. Trees, towns, a river down there with mountains far behind them to form beautiful arrangement.

"It would've been wonderful to live around here." She mused. "I wonder what my old village was like. Maybe I could try tracking it down. It's probably safe to return there. It's already been years after all. And brother… Shalnark killed our father before we left. I know he did…"

Sora shook her head to banish the thoughts taking a dangerous turn.

"Can't think about that. This is more important." She continued walking uphill. "This is what I've been travelling these past days for. Whether or not my hands are stained in the blood of Kurta clan… Paying my respects is the least I can do." There was a tingling sensation by Sora's left shoulder but she ignored it. She knew there was a patch of Nen. Biscuit had told her it was there during the previous training session too. That made Sora guess that Machi had placed it there with her Nen Stitches. Probably covering something. Like a tattoo. But all the spots were filled already, weren't they? There was no place for Sora.

"Hisoka and Shizuku are only odd cards… Numbers four and eight. Previous number eight was killed by Silva Zoldyck. Hisoka got his place by defeating Omokage…" The girl kept thinking aloud to keep herself distracted. "And I've been obviously in the scene since before either event… But I've been absent when Shizuku was recruited. Hisoka has met me before, the switch happened around four years ago while Kurta Massacre was five years ago. I've been fifteen and fourteen at those times. I've been way younger when joining the Troupe with Shal… The Troupe itself was established some ten years ago. I would've been nine… But Shal isn't one of the founding members. I was five when we ran away and…-yiiiks!"

Sora's shoe slipped and she began skidding downhill. She hadn't even noticed when she'd reached the peak of the path.

"Yaaaaaaaaah!" She kept sliding down, down… "Ow, ow, ow…" It wasn't a gentle journey. The cargo pants she wore thankfully were made of though fabric though. "This ain't funny at aaaaaaaall!"

The last meters she rolled sideways until she came to stop in a grassy meadow.

"Oww…" Rubbing her arms, her legs and then her chest and back, Sora got up slowly. "That wasn't funny at all…"

But then she looked up around her and her breath caught up in her throat. It was so peaceful in there. Flowers as far she could reach with her eyes, soft grass beneath her knees, trees humming in the wind, butterflies and dragonflies flitting from flower to flower. It was a truly beautiful scene. Sora smiled softly at it all before starting plucking flowers with long stems. It was something she faintly remembered her mother teaching her. She weaved the flower stems into two long braids, one full or pink and red flowers while the other had blue and violet flowers. Then she took yellow ones and began making thinner and but longer braids out of them. Finally she connected the two main braids into a shape of heart and bound it together with a yellow braid that she then wrapped around the heart in a crisscrossing pattern. The result was beautiful and in the light of already setting sun, the tiny yellow flowers looked almost golden.

"It's done." Sora smiled softly at her masterpiece. With everything going on during the past… month? Two? Almost two months from the start of the exam and this was the first time Sora had felt in peace.

"Sleep my little prince, even the birds are going to sleep. There's no butterflies seen on the field, the bees are going to their hives… The day has gone now to rest, May the moon grace you with her gold. Sleep now, little prince… Sleep, my little prince… Just let you sleep." Sora sang quietly as she watched the sun set behind the trees around her.

"So quiet in the castle now, bothered to go rest… Even mice so quiet now, fire in hearth no more! Moonlight brought us our dreams, maidens to yearning she brings. Wonder who they think of at night? Sleep, my little prince… Just let you sleep."

"Sora-chan, did you already hear? Kurara-san from next door is expecting a baby!"

"Sora-chan, look how cute he is! Such an angel face!"

"Sora-chan, look what I learned today!"

"Sora-chan, are you alright?"

"Don't worry, Sora-chan, niisan is here."

"I'm sure mama is alright in heaven, Sora-chan."

"Homura didn't hurt you, did he, Sora-chan?"

"The elders are not listening to us! Why can't they understand that Homura doesn't deserve to be called our father?!"

"Shh, Sora-chan, we are getting out of here."

"Run!"

"Sora-chan!"

"Sora!"

"Good luck on your journey, little sister."

There was tears in Sora's eyes when she woke up again. She was lying on the flower field, with her backpack serving as a pillow and a blanket thrown over her to keep the dew away. The flower heart was on the ground next to her.

"He is so… kind." She spoke aloud. "Heh, I must be the center of his world. Or at least used to be… before Troupe."

She packed her blanket a top of her bag once more and hoisted the backpack on her shoulders before picking up the flower heart. From a side pocket of the bag, she snatched an energy bar for breakfast. She needed to keep on going if she wanted to get back before dark. Frankly, Sora didn't fancy spending a night in a ghost town.

"According to the map and instructions… The village should be just at the other side of this valley. Since I'm not approaching it to the direction of its closest neighboring town." And thus the girl headed towards the path leading up the opposite side of the valley. The one that Sora didn't slide all the way down.

The village was eerily quiet. During the five years it had been empty and void of residents, the nature had begun to take over. Gardens going wild, windows and doors ajar, wild animals making nests inside the dwellings.

Blood on the streets. Bodies strewn all over place. Screams in the air. Doors being thrown open. Fathers defending their families. Children being killed first with their mothers following soon after their eyes glowed red.

"Urk…" Sora covered her mouth with one hand while her other arm wrapped around her torso. The flower heart fell on the old dirt road, lifting dust when hitting ground.

Smell of iron and sweat and brick dust. Dry air, sun shining, a blockade by the gate, no escape for the panicking villagers. No hope of survival.

Her knees hit the ground. Sora felt like throwing up. She dry-heaved and gagged but nothing came out.

Cry of children cut short. Shrieks of terror from the mothers. Roar of despair and rage when man lost their loved ones. Resigned silence from the elderly too old and weak to defend themselves, only getting satisfaction in not letting their eyes turn scarlet. And crimson, beautiful terrifying crimson blood everywhere.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry!" Sora gasped out, tears flowing down her cheeks. Everything was going blurry in her eyes. For a moment it even looked like she had bloodstains in her clothes. No, everything just seemed red. Even her dark cargo pants, light blue shirt and green vest seemed to be in a haze of red. Sora had been there. She had seen it all. She had been fourteen, just two years older than Kurapika. Her family had murdered his.

And…

And…

And… it was even possible that she had been killing them too.

No…

No.

NO!

She refused to believe it. Maybe she was in the sidelines, making sure no one got away but not killing. No killing for her. Please! Please no!

"I'm not a bad person. I'm not evil… Am I? Am I evil? I don't know… Mother… Mama… Mum… Help me…" Which mother she was calling for, she didn't know. Maybe her first one('mum') that was probably living a happy life in Harry Potter world and going to be reunited with dad. Or maybe her second one('mama') that she only had faint recollections of. But she knew they at least were good and kind people.

Her sense of time blurred, as she kept seeing flashes of the horrendous events taking place years ago. Sora remained the entire time kneeling on the ground, rocking slightly back and forth as she either gripped her head of hugged herself. Occasionally her forehead even touched the ground.

But then everything stopped. And calm descended over the girl. Sora straightened up slowly. Her tears were long dry already. Above her the Blood Moon was shining. It was eerie sight in the haunted village but she didn't feel scared anymore. It was strange but after panicking and pouring herself into her fear and terror during the last hours, left her drained and detached. And now her En was encasing the entire village. She could feel every single animal and bird and plant in the village. Most of them asleep as was the village itself.

Picking up the flower heart, Sora got on her feet and began walking towards the center of the village. Then she turned left from the center square. She remembered something from the flashbacks. She had ran and hid from the carnage. At the graveyard.

Kurapika had buried all of his clansmen by himself. The men, the women, the children, the elderly. His parents, his best friend…

Sora stopped by one of the graves. It looked older than the ones obviously from the massacre. She crouched in front of it and wiped away some moss and dirt from the text carved in stone marking who lied in the grave.

"Saarai…" The girl frowned with hooded eyes. The name was familiar. Maybe she had met this person during her and her brother's run from the village. At least the grave bore the mark of a compass rose below the name. And the birthplace was also recorded to be other than the village. Maybe this person had married a Kurta and moved to the village. Or had been born to a travelling Kurta and eventually returned to the village.

Sora took out a water bottle and a small hand towel from her back and began cleaning the grave marker with steady and constant strokes. Once done, she laid the flower heart in front of the grave and began praying. She wasn't sure where did she get the words from because the prayer definitely wasn't of Christian kind but she knew they poured out from her very soul.

"O' Heaven, hear me. O' Earth, guard me. O' Ocean, cleanse me. O' ghosts wandering this realm, find your rest. The time will come for your vengeance. For your avenger to strike. For he will take lives. He will cut down the spider's legs… Cut number eleven. Cut number nine. Decapitate. And banish the lie. But please give me my peace. Give me strength to do right. Give me a chance to repent. I'm here! I'm right here! I'm here, o' ghosts of this realm! I implore you… Judge me!" She threw her arms open and there was a whooshing sound of wind picking up all around her, grabbing onto her clothes and hair. Sora gasped at the sensation of traces of people within her En, until everything went black.

A/N: Don't ask me what I was thinking when doing this chapter because I seriously don't know. At first I had just planned to do a chapter with Sora training with Biscuit but then I realized that nah, that'd be boring since Sora already knows the basic Nen techniques and some of the advanced ones. This is just a brush up. So I combined the next chapter with this. I honestly don't know when the next chapter will be written but...

Oh well, let's reply to reviews:

-Guest:
No way in hell is Sora going to be paired with Hisoka. And Chrollo... While I like Chrollo, he is more like a big brother figure to Sora.

-Shugokage:
Thank you! :)

-Anon:
I'm glad to hear you've liked this fic. And reading your reactions was amusing too.
Haa... Simon will appear... with time. There might be a flashback with him before though... :)
I usually choose a color that somehow appears in the chapter itself. Like in this chapter there are two colors. Pink from Biscuit's dress and Crimson from the blood Sora kept seeing in the flashes at the village.

-Wyrvel:
Yeah, I'm thinking Leorio could be a good choice too. They are even the same age and Leorio is also emotionally stable wihle Sora will be... Well, there will be conflicts in future. And considering the choice of 'family' for Sora, she probably should keep her distance from Kurapika.
Thank you very much, I hope you also like this chapter.
I know what you are talking about. It's because of my own distaste for Mary Sue characters. I'll try to curb it down but currently Sora has come from a world were she was completely normal. She is thrown into a world were being superhuman is normal but even that is achievable only by training and hard work. She has no memory of how much she has worked for ehr own power and no idea how strong she is overall. And in 'our' she has read poorly executed OC and SI fics and doesn't want to be anything like those characters written. She does want to be strong but she is still limited by the perception from the life in our world. She wants to understand her power but at the same time she is afraid of how much she has changed. Since overall she has recovered maybe five percent of her memories as 'Sora'. It's all very fragmented for her still.
Yeah, I understand your point. Mostly Sora just wants to explore the world and rediscover herself. I admit that when I began writing this I didn't plan for any other goal for her since I didn't want a romance be the main goal or some evil of past chasing her. Yeah, she might have a romance and there is problems with her past(like evidenced in flashbacks) but they are not pertinent as of yet.
Thank you. I think the fact that I enjoy writing SI-OCs but there is too few good ones in any fandom to read is holding me back. I always keep thinking that regulation is the key but with the Main Char already knowing the plot of the story, I find it difficult to determine how much she should have the 'strength' to affect it. Especially when this was my first fic where the SI was in the world where she is more than regurlar human.
Sorry, no Phinks. It would've been awesome but if you look at the flashback with Sora's brother using Nen for the first time, it fits better Shalnark with his Autopilot mode and all.

-ichigo1508:
Thank you. I'm not sure when I'll update this but I'll try.

-chi akume:
Thank you. :)

-Guest:
I sort of revealed what she has thought about her Hatsu but maybe it'll be explored in depth in the future chapters.

-Nameless Angel:
I try.

-Blackroset (chapter 6):
Web of Fate? Yes, she mentioned it didn't she? I'll think about it. I have an idea that might make it work but I'm not sure yet.

-ZGK1007:
Thank you. I try to update. I hope you keep reading if I do.

-fishy7073:
Thank you.
It's alright. It'll be (hopefully) explained in future.

()

Alright... I think this was it. BTW, have you seen the chapters form the latest HxH update phase? Sniff... Shalnark... Not my bby boy. Not Sora's brother... And worse thing is... Sora doesn't know this part of the plot! She only knows the newer anime!