Disclaimer: I do not own HxH.
The Origin of Spiders
Chapter Two: Kuroro
Kuroro has never regarded himself as a religious man. The concept of God, Heaven and Hell meant nothing to him. There is one however that caught his interest – the one that defied God and banished from Heaven, the one that was called Lucifer or Satan and many other names.
If the eternal struggle between God and Satan occurs on Earth, it certainly looks like the dark side is winning. Honestly, he couldn't care less which side won in the end. He worships neither and lives only by his own rules.
He will be his own God.
He had sworn on that fateful day.
The winter was long and harsh that year.
A small black dot was crawling in the blinding white landscape. The howling wind whipped the boy's thin frame mercilessly. He shivered uncontrollably and pulled his coat tighter.
No five-year-old boy should wander in the mountains of trash like a stray dog. But that was the way of life in Meteor City.
Kuroro was hungry, cold and desperate. The planes that were used to dump rubbish to the site had stopped coming due to the bad weather. That meant bad news for him – his supplies had been cut off. It wasn't before long that his vision began to dim and then darkness claimed him.
The next time Kuroro opened his eyes again, he thought he was dead already. He wasn't even in the rubbish dumpsite anymore. He was wearing clean white clothes, lying on a bed the very first time since he was born. He closed his eyes again contently.
If this is the afterlife, it certainly isn't that bad at all.
And then he heard someone entered the room. Kuroro tensed for a second but recovered quick enough to pretend that he was still unconscious. He could feel a calloused hand placed on his forehead as if checking his temperature. And then it slipped further down to his chest and halted at his belly. The hand lingered for a moment then it was lifted.
Kuroro lied very still and only cracked an eye open when he was sure whoever it was had left. He propped himself up gingerly. The rumbling noise of his empty stomach echoed in the room. He rubbed his eyes in confusion.
Do people still feel hungry in the afterlife?
He got to his feet and began to examine his surrounding. It was a moderate room with simple furniture and without windows, but he wasn't complaining. Even this was still far more comfortable compared to his hideout.
When he felt bold enough, he tiptoed towards the door and turned the door knob slowly, careful not to make any noise. And then he slipped out with the single objective of finding food in his mind.
Food. There must be some food somewhere.
He walked past a long corridor and reached a staircase leading up. He climbed up as quietly as he could. And then he could smell it – the heavenly smell of hot food. He 'floated' towards the direction that his nose was leading him without hesitant.
His trance was broken when he literally bumped into someone around the corner. Panicked, he looked up and raised his arm in defense. The middle aged man clad in black robe that he bumped into merely smiled at him.
"So you're awake, boy? And hungry, I presumed?"
He nodded slowly. The man chuckled.
"'Come, son. Do not be afraid. I shall get you something to eat."
Upon hearing the word 'food', all concerns were discarded as he followed the man.
For a while, things were looking up for Kuroro. He was alive and well. He was lucky enough to be saved by Pastor Matthew that happened to pass by after he passed out. And the pastor had taken him under his wing since then.
His life started a whole new routine. He did chores at the church and attended bible studies during the day. He used his free time after dinner to read most of time until it was time to sleep. He had even become the Golden Boy within the church community.
Until one night, everything was shattered to pieces again.
Pastor Matthew had summoned him to his room one night. Kuroro was a bit curious but he obeyed nonetheless. He knocked on the door twice when he reached the pastor's room.
"Pastor? I'm Kuroro."
"Enter, son."
The pastor was reading a book as he entered the room.
"Sit down please."
Pastor Matthew put his book aside and smiled at him.
"Now, do you remember how long have you been here, son?
"I can't remember exactly, pastor. But it's around three months, I guess."
"And do you like staying here?"
Kuroro straighten his back and answered almost immediately.
"Yes, of course. It's much better than being… there."
Pastor Matthew nodded. He seemed satisfied with the boy's answer.
"No need to be alarmed, son." He placed a hand on Kuroro's shoulder and continued, "You can stay for as long as you like. Now, tell me what would you like to do when you grow up?"
Kuroro's shoulder slumped a little in relief when he heard the pastor's words. He tilted his head and thought carefully before he answered the question.
"I've never really think about it. But… I'd like to be someone like you."
"Someone like me?"
"Yeah, someone who is kind and willing to help others."
Kuroro wasn't stupid. He understood what the pastor wanted to hear and he gave him just that.
"Really? That's good to hear, son."
And then Kuroro's keen ears heard a faint click sound behind him. The door was locked. A sliver of wariness crept up his spine.
"Kuroro-kun, I have something special to share with you. You must promise me that you will never tell anyone else."
The pastor crouched down to meet his gaze on same level. The brown eyes behind those gold framed glasses were penetrating. Kuroro wanted to look away but couldn't.
"Promise?"
Kuroro swallowed hard and nodded once.
"Good. Now you have to be very quiet and do as I say." With that, both large hands clamped down on his shoulders, cutting off his escape.
Kuroro's instinct screamed at him to run but he could only freeze there when he felt a hand slid down to his waist and further down. His heart beat hammered against his chest wildly. Realization suddenly poured down on him like ice water and it all became crystal clear to him.
Those were the same hands that had touched him when he was first awake in the church. Kuroro felt incredibly disgusted. Anger soon overcame his fear and fueled his body with a new strength.
"No!" he yelled and pushed with all his might. The older man fell backwards, temporarily thrown out of balance. Kuroro seized the opportunity to run for the door. His fingers wrapped on the door knob but a strong hand yanked him back before he could turn it.
He kicked as hard as he could but he was no match to the adult. The man grabbed the collars of his shirt and flung him towards the wall. His back slammed hard against the wall and the pain almost made him wanted to throw up. A streak of blood trickled down from the corner of his mouth.
A knock on the door interrupted the older man's advancement.
"Pastor, are you in there?"
Kuroro opened his mouth to yell but a hand quickly clamped on his mouth frantically, attempting to silence him. He sank his teeth on the flesh of his assaulter and the hand jerked away with a hiss.
"Help me, someone!"
It earned him a solid punch to his stomach but it was worth it.
The person outside had heard him.
"Open the door, pastor!"
"Danchou, it's time."
Pakunoda's voice breaks off his trance effectively.
Kuroro nods as a silent consent for his subordinates to proceed with his order.
"Burn it down."
And they comply eagerly. They have been given orders to freely kill anyone in sight except one. He will deal with that one personally.
Kuroro stands and watches impassively as the house burns and its unfortunate residents scream in terror.
Soon, Franklin hands over his target on a silver platter.
"Do you recognize me, pastor?" Kuroro stands tall before the man on the wheel chair. It's ironic how time changes things. The strong man whom he once remembers has aged, grey and crippled.
Kuroro waits patiently until realization slowly dawns on that man's face. His eyes widen considerably and his whole body shakes uncontrollably.
"Y-you..." the old man stammers through his lopsided lips.
Kuroro smirks triumphantly.
"No need to answer me. I know you have difficulty speaking. You had stroke last year, right?"
Kuroro pushes the wheelchair towards the edge of the abandoned building and halt before a large glass window.
"You see, pastor. I have prepared a gift specially for you." Kuroro materializes a book in his left hand and begins to flip through its pages.
After a few seconds, a large skeleton fish materializes in the air.
"Please enjoy the view, pastor."
The fish begins to feast on the helpless old man.
"Oh, in case you can't remember, my name is Kuroro."
A strange glint lit in his eyes as he smirks and adds, "Kuroro Lucifer."
A/N: I love how evil Kuroro can be. Hehe.