Scarlet Memories

Disclaimer: I do not own HxH

Reminiscence 11 – Kurapika's Nen

"Your body's okay?" Kuroro suddenly asked as he looked to the girl who was following him as they are moving in fast phased, running on the forest and jumping from tree to tree like ninjas, bringing with them an empty pail on each of their hands.

"I'm fine," Kurapika answered. "And I really need an exercise and some adjustments."

"Adjustments?" Kuroro repeated questioningly as he looked back in front of him, hearing the sound of running water and saw the river getting larger as they approach forward and stopped in front of it.

Kurapika also stopped beside Kuroro and took a deep sigh which made Kuroro frown a little.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked in concern. Seriously, that short run would not exhaust someone like Kurapika, or so he thought.

"As I said, I just need an exercise and some adjustments."

"What adjustment exactly?"

"My movements," Kurapika answered as she approached the river further, put down the pail on her left hand and dipped the other pail on the river to get water and brought the pail to her side. She was about to get the other pail when she noticed Kuroro doing nothing except looking at her with calculating eyes.

"What?" she asked with a frown.

Kuroro put down the pails on the ground and walked the few steps toward Kurapika until he was just a foot away from the girl. "I guest we have to go back now," he said.

"Eh?" And Kuroro suddenly grabbed her body as he lifted her on his shoulder. "What? Wait! What are you doing!? Put me down!" she shouted, trying to wiggle herself out of Kuroro grasp as the man was taking her away from the riverbank back to the forest.

"As I said, we have to go back now," Kuroro said monotonously as he started to run in the forest.

"How about the water!? And please, put me down!" How she hated being carried like a sack of grains. It is like taking away all her graces and Kuroro surely know it. No one wants to be carried like that.

"I will get the water myself later."

They arrived in the village a few minutes after and only when they got in front of Kurapika's house that Kuroro put the girl down who was fuming silently, giving Kuroro a belligerent look with a small pout on her mouth.

Kuroro can't help but sigh at the girl's attitude. "I didn't have to do that if you told me everything." Honestly, Kurapika never told him the details of her condition. If anything, she wants it to keep in for herself, thinking that she can handle everything by herself. But Kuroro thinks otherwise. What is the sense of staying by her side if he would not help her?

Kurapika did not answer, but at least, the belligerent look and the pout were gone as she looked away from the man, still not wanting to tell him everything.

Sighing, Kuroro walked out of his position, passing by Kurapika toward the door. "If you are fine then, we will set out tomorrow," he said as he reached for the doorknob, opening the door and entered the house.

"What?" Kurapika snapped as he looked at Kuroro's retreating back.

"I said, we will set out tomorrow," Kuroro repeated as he continued on his way, not bothering to look at Kurapika, missing the look of anxiety the girl let out of her face.

'Tomorrow? That can't be,' she thought out with dread. It can't be. They cannot leave yet. No, she cannot leave yet. Her body is not fully recovered yet and her nen…. Surely, she will just become a burden to him if they would start their search immediately. What should she do now?

"Wait! Kuroro!" she called as she ran after the man and grabbed him through his wrist, making him turn to face her fully.

"What is it?"

"We cannot leave yet. I mean, you can, but I can't."

"Didn't you tell me you were fine?"

Kurapika shook her head vigorously and looked back at Kuroro. "Not perfectly fine."

"And?"

The sound that Kuroro made is clearly a demand for full explanation and Kurapika cannot do anything but to tell him everything.

When Kurapika was released from Gale's nen, she felt her body become lighter and less in force. In turn, all her movements that are natural for her before like jumping from tree to tree lost their balance while her punches and kicks lost their power. And then, her nen….

"I'm just wondering," Kuroro suddenly said.

"Of what?" Kurapika asked.

"Your nen," Kuroro stated, "I just thought, if your character was changed, did it also somehow affect your nen?

"Yes, it did," Kurapika answered. "My nen was affected."

"Then?" Kuroro asked her to continue.

"When I was still under Gale's nen," Kurapika continued, "my nen type was materialization, only when my eyes tuned to scarlet, I gain an access to my original nen. And now that I returned to my original character, of course, my nen also came back to normal. As an effect, the nen chain that I created was gone, leaving only the nen that created it on your heart, as well on my own."

"I see, " Kuroro said, understanding Kurapika's statements. "Then-"

"Wait," Kurapika cut off Kuroro's next sentence. "Come to think of it," she said, looking intently at Kuroro.

"What?" Kuroro asked.

"How did you able to use your nen that time, when my chain is still on your heart?" Kurapika asked, eyeing Kuroro in scrutiny.

Kuroro smiled. "Jyonen user, do you know them?

"Do you mean the nen exorcist? Kurapika asked, not knowing what they called.

"That's right."

"I expected them, but the point is… my chain was still on your heart."

"Truth to tell," Kuroro started, "your chain was still on my heart that time, but the conditions were gone."

"Eh?"

Flashback

After the jyonen user summoned a snake like nen monster, the nen monster started to attach itself at Kuroro's body and linger its head to his left chest where his heart is located. But then, after a few seconds, the nen monster suddenly disintegrated into fine sand and blown away into nothingness.

Taken aback at the sudden happening, Kuroro immediately looked at the jyonen user in front of him. What greeted him made him more surprised. In front of him, the jyonen user was withering like a skinny old man with only few hairs left on his head and eyes are bulging out of their socket and he fell dead on the ground.

Kuroro tuned his gaze to his left and saw the jester with the same expression as he had before. But then, the jester pouted.

"How unfortunate," Hisoka said to himself and left Kuroro, leaving him alone to ponder on himself, thinking that he would never be able to fight him if the jyonen failed to lift the chain in his heart.

End of flashback

Kurapika's eyes widened upon hearing the man's story. She never imagined that her nen can cause something like that. But then… Kurapika narrowed her eyes. "If that is the case, how did you learn that the conditions are gone?" She asked.

"I just felt it."

"Huh?"

"I just felt," Kuroro continued, "that, somehow, the nen on my heart was changed. So, I thought that maybe the conditions were gone, and I proved it to be correct."

"So, you're not sure?" Kurapika asked. "You just tried your luck, is that it?"

"That's right," Kuroro answered, smiling to the girl.

Kurapika rolled her eyes at the man's antics. "How lucky of you," She commented.

"Another thing," Kuroro ignored Kurapika's comment.

"Yes?"

"All Kuruta members are nen user, am I right?

"That is right," Kurapika answered. "But there are only a few who developed their nen as a weapon. Some of them are assigned as gatekeeper and the others are those who deal with the outsiders like merchants. Most of us are more on support type, like healing and protection. The best example of that is in this place. If you observed, this place is protected with nen barrier."

"So, that means, your original nen do not have any offensive ability." Kuroro deduced.

"Right, but it can have."

"That's good to hear," Kuroro smiled.

"What are you planning?" Kurapika asked in suspicion as she narrowed her eyes.

"You already know," Kuroro said, still with the same smile on his face.

Kurapika sighed at the man's antics. Well, it's not actually that bad to have at least one offensive nen ability, it was rather a good idea especially with her current situation.

As for Kuroro, knowing that Kurapika was being targeted by the mafia (Kurapika told him), it is better for her to develop her fighting ability. It is better for her to be able to fight on her own. Not that he don't trust Kurapika's fighting ability; she is actually a good fighter even without nen, but having her nen to develop an offensive ability is much better.

But for now, they will have to take the matter about the adjustments that Kurapika needs and the nen development will follow.

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