Warning: I made a quick check, so you might still find some errors.

Disclaimer: I do not own HxH

Scarlet Memories

Reminiscence 19 – Awakening of the crimson shade

An impatient look was visibly plastered on Leorio's face as he looked at the watch on his left wrist and anxiously tapped the table with his fingers. He has been waiting inside the small restaurant for almost two hours for the two boys who were usually coming first especially in this kind of situation.

"What is taking them so long?!" Leorio asked himself furiously. "Gon… Killua..." He gritted his teeth, almost losing his patience. He tried to call them many times, but got no answer from them. "I guess I have to try again", he said as he took his phone out on his pocket and dialed Gon's number. The other line rung once, then twice and finally the call was answered.

[Leorio!] came Gon's ever cheerful voice.

"Gon! Where the hell are you now? And why were you not answering my calls earlier?" Leorio asked, shouting impatiently on the phone.

[Sorry, Leorio,] it was Killua, [we have to leave my sister at Whale Island. That's why-]

"Alright, alright. Where are you?"

[We're running on our way there]

00000

At the top of one of the towering buildings, the cool breeze of the night blew across the city, swaying Kuroro's dark hair as he looked at the scenery of the never changing busy city of York Shin. He closed his eyes for a while and opened them again before he started jumping from that building to another and stopped at a good distance from a certain building. The cemetery building, in which where the annual underground auction was being held.

Entering the building was an easy task for him. As he jumped to the roof of the cemetery building, Kuroro did not take much effort to knock down the guards that were stationed to guard the roof's door. Without wasting time, he opened the door and entered the building. He walked down the corridor of the building without real direction, letting his feet bring him where ever they want while wondering the fact that there are no more guards waiting on his way. It was as if they are letting him do what he want or even inviting him to go further until he arrived to the lowest ground of the building, in front of a double door.

Pushing the double door open, three figures immediately greeted his eyes. One of them is no other than Kurapika, sitting on a chair with double arm rest. Her head was slightly down casted, but Kuroro can still see her eyes wide open, but lifeless. On her right is the woman he had a chased with hours ago while on the left is a man of about his age with red, ponytailed hair and a pair of maroon eyes, equally dressed in black.

"We've been waiting for you, Lucifer," the young woman said. "I am glad that you came here and it seems-."

"Enough chattering and get to the point," Kuroro cut her sentence. 'This is frustrating,' he thought. Kurapika's position is at his disadvantage. One wrong move and her life would be in danger.

"Alright, but before anything else, I would like to introduce ourselves. I am Chairo and he is Akira. We are called Ravens wings, working under the supervision of Master Gale."

"What is the point of telling me that?" Kuroro asked monotonously.

Chairo smiled at the question as she answered: "well, I guess you know our position is at your disadvantage," she paused as Akira started to approach him slowly. "One wrong move and it's the end for her," she said, pointing a knife on Kurapika's neck.

"Tch," he exclaimed silently, feeling disappointed at himself. How did he made things happen like this? 'This is pissing me off,' he told himself in his mind. "Aren't you after her scarlet eyes?" he tried to avert their attention.

"Not at all, Lucifer," her smile became even wider.

Now he is starting to get impatient, which is not his characteristic. Kuroro was always a patient man, but this time is different as he is dealing for the life of the most precious person to him, precious than his own life. Looking back at the said person, Kuroro frowned as his eyes settled at the girl eyes. Was it only him, or Kurapika's eyes are actually wavering to scarlet? And then a sudden invisible force made him close his eyes.

Fluttering his eyes open, endless whiteness greeted him. He tried to look for something else as he observed his surroundings, but there is nothing but white.

[Kuroro,] Kurapika's voice echoed in his mind.

"Kurapika!" he called as he looked at his surroundings again, but no trace of Kurapika was found.

[Don't worry, Kuroro. This is a void space I created within you. The time here is different in the real world.]

"I see," he answered as he calmed himself and closed his eyes.

[Ne, Kuroro,] Kurapika called the second time.

"What is it?"

[Can I ask you something?]

Kuroro open his eyes. "Go ahead," he answered.

There was short silence before Kurapika's voice spoke again in his mind. [Do you want to stay by my side?]

Kuroro blink at the question as he questioned back: "And what is that suppose to mean?" he tried to smile at that as he found her question odd.

Kurapika did not answer, but instead she said: [If you are determined], as she speaks those words, a stairway appeared in front of Kuroro. [You know what to do], her voice echoed in his mind and faded slowly.

For a while, Kuroro stared at the stairway in front of him.

'Do you want to stay by my side?' Somehow, Kuroro felt the need to choose and the need to decide, and once he took his answer, he would never be able to take it back.

If his answer is yes, he would continue travelling with Kurapika, but, he has to sacrifice his status as Danchou of the Genei Ryodan. If his answer is no, he has to take the risk of possibly never seeing Kurapika again. Can he do that? Can he leave Kurapika? Would he choose to return as a criminal along with his spiders, the group that has become his second family? Or Kurapika, his blood relative that he only known for a short time?

"If you are determined," he quoted as a smile graced his face and started to take a step to the stairway as his answer. Of course, his answer is definitely yes. Not that he will never see his comrades again, he will just lose his title as Danchou.

At the top of the stairway, a bridge is connected to another flat form in which stood a large tree with the color of scarlet with vines surrounding its body. When he got near the tree, he saw an unconscious person tangled from the vines.

Approaching the tree further, his eyes widened as he realized, that the person in front of him is actually himself, or rather, his other self. But why is he here? What was he doing here? And then he remembered.

'Kurapika said, this is within myself,' a sudden thought click in his mind, 'a way to you origin.' 'Could it be?' he asked. He stared at his other self as he approached him further. When he was close enough, he closed his eyes for a while and opened them again with unwavering determination and started to remove the vines away from his other self.

000

With his head slightly casted down and his bangs covering most of his face, Chairo and Akira were unable to see Kuroro's eyes as he suddenly closed them for an unknown reason. Akira is starting to approach him, but when Kuroro opened his eyes, he stopped at his trail as his eyes widened in terror. The woman standing by Kurapika's side is bearing the same expression as she saw Kuroro's eyes.

Crimson. His eyes are burning crimson. But why are they feeling so terrified? They never felt anything whenever they are looking at the preserved scarlet eyes, so why now? More than that, their survival instinct is shouting at them, 'DANGER.'

"Stay back!" Chairo shouted as she approached the knife farther at Kurapika's neck, but Kuroro is faster than her. In no time, he was before Akira and then behind her, delivering a strong chop at the back of her neck. In an instant, the two of them are lying unconscious on the ground and Kuroro was already at the side of Kurapika, looking blankly at the woman on the floor.

Closing his eyes to relieve himself as he deactivated his crimson eyes, the door suddenly burst open, revealing a young man accompanied by two boys shouting at the top of their throat: "Kurapika!"

"What the?" Leorio asked as he saw the scene before him. He looked at the unconscious Kurapika (the moment Kuroro opened his eyes, Kurapika completely loss her consciousness), and then to the man at her back. Gon and Killua are looking at the man intently. Kuroro also looked at them as they entered, with his eyes back to their normal color.

"Kuroro Lucifer," Gon emphasized the name.

'Now what?' Kuroro asked mentally and sighed. "Let's leave the questions for later," he said as he felt the incoming questions from the three. "Kurapika needs medical attention," he pointed out as he went in front of the girl and took her limp body.

Settling the girl in his arms, he started to walk through the open door, passing by Kurapika's friends and exited the room. The three looked at the man's retreating back then to each other. Gon closed his eyes and opened them again as he looked at the two with determination.

"Let's go," Gon said. The two nodded and the three of them followed Kuroro.

00000

Her body feels lighter that she ever had before. It was as if she is lying on a mass of could. Where is she? What happened? What did Kuroro do? With that question in mind, Kurapika fluttered opened her eyes and saw three familiar faces smiling at her in joy of seeing her eyes opens. As Leorio helped her sit up, the two boys showered her incoherent questions.

"Calm down you two, you're confusing her," Leorio hushed the younger boys. "One at a time."

"He he, sorry, I'm just excited," Gon said, bringing up a toothy grin on his young face.

"Alright," Killua started, "I'm first."

"No way," Gon opposed, "I'm first." And the two started to fight.

Kurapika and Leorio looked at each other and then back to the quarrelling boys. Leorio sighed at the scene and looked at Kurapika again.

"Anyway, Kurapka," Leorio started and Kurapika looked at him to listen while the two also looked at him out of annoyance, knowing that he would be taking the first question himself.

"What were you and that man doing?" Leorio asked, making the two blink. What's more, he asked that question in a serious tone. It's like he was reprimanding Kurapika. Leorio reprimanded Kurapika only once. That was when she captured Kuroro as she literally made him a punching bag. "Why are you together?" Leorio added.

Gon and Killua looked at Kurapka.

"Right," Killua cut in, "I also want to ask that."

"I do too," Gon added as a worried look replaced the toothy grin on his face.

Kurapika sighed as she closed her eyes. "Kuroro is," she started and opened her eyes to look at her friends, "a half blooded Kuruta."

"A half blooded Kuruta!" the three repeated simultaneously as their eyes widened at hearing the revelation. They cannot believe it. Of all the people, why Kuroro Lucifer?

"I'll tell you everything," Kurapika started and the three listened to her every word as they asked her more questions every once in a while. Kurapika answered all of them as she started telling them her story from the time she returned to Rukuso. As they asked her about her real gender, she told them about Gale. She was hesitant at first, but because of their insistence, she told them everything.

"By the way, where is Kuroro?" she asked.

"He left," Leorio answered.

"He left? Did he tell you anything?"

"Nothing, he just left."

"Is that so?" a light worried expression formed on her face as she looked at the window by the side of the bed she was lying. 'I should probably go to him immediately,' she thought to herself.

AN:

That's all for now, but please review.