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Scarlet Memories
Reminiscence 22 – Rhea's Little Family
Japon, a country located in the volcanic zone in the Pacific Ring of Fire, surrounded by forest, mountains, fields, and lakes. The country where sushi is a specialty, Kurapika remembered Hanzo blurting out about his home country. She cannot help, but smile at her hunter mate's attitude. Being a ninja like him, he is quite a noisy one.
Kurapika turned her head toward the window on her side, looking at the beautiful view of the lake. They are currently riding a bus heading to a certain province in Japon and are nearly at their destination. Beside her, Kuroro was also looking at the window while glancing at the girl once in a while, noting her being quiet since the events in the plane.
The bus started to lower its speed as an indication of their arrival at the bus-stop and finally, the bus stopped. They got out of the bus silently as Kuroro followed Kurapika wherever she goes. Of course, he doesn't know where in the place his sister resides.
As for Kurapika, she studied the place before coming here to avoid getting in trouble. With that, she walked the way to her cousin's house without much effort while enjoying the field view on her right and the still lake on the left, reflecting the orangey sky as the sun is about to set.
After a few minutes of walk, they arrived at the residential area of the province. The houses are quite far away from each other as fields surround them. They continued walking until they arrived in front of a small house.
Kurapika knocked at the door and the familiar voice of her cousin answered.
"Coming!" came the voice of her cousin as the door was opened to them, revealing a woman with golden brown hair and deep blue eyes, wearing a very simple blue dress with a white apron atop. "What can I-," the woman was about to ask what can she do for her visitors, but unable to continue her sentence as she realized who is in front of her. Her eyes widen in surprise as her mouth moved lightly, trying to release her voice.
"Hello, Rhea," Kurapika greeted with a smile.
"Kurapika!" she finally said as tears started to form in her eyes. "Kurapika!" she repeated her cousin's name in joy as she moved out of her place and hugged her tightly.
Kurapika returned her the hug. "It's been a while, I thought you've already forgotten me," she said teasingly.
"I am not that forgetful, you know," Rhea retorted. "And how could I ever forget you? After all, you are my favorite little cute cousin," she said as she broke the hug, looking at Kurapika intensely.
Kurapika smiled at her. "Then, you will be much more delighted. I just brought your favorite little brother with me," she said, gesturing at Kuroro.
Hearing that from Kurapika made Kuroro's eyes twitch in discomfort. She doesn't have to say 'favorite little brother', just brother is enough.
Rhea on the other hand blinked at the sentence of her cousin. She did not manage to understand quickly the words that came out of Kurapika's mouth, although, they are just simple words. Nonetheless, Rhea turned her head to look at the person beside her cousin, and then worst comes to worst. Rhea's feet wanted to give in to her weight, unable to comprehend what is happening to her. First, she was unable to release her voice when she saw her cousin, which she thought had died during the Kuruta massacre. And now she was unable to even move on her spot as she was seeing her brother, she only brother, which she thought she had completely lost during the first attack to the Kuruta.
After a moment of silence, some footsteps coming from the inside and a voice of a man were heard. "Rhea, what are you doing there?" a man with dark hair and brown eyes appeared before them. "Ah! I didn't know you have visitors. Why don't you go inside, it's getting dark," he said with his cheerful face, but he frowned as he noticed the intensity of the air around Rhea.
Rhea closed her eyes as she tried to calm herself and then she felt the hand of the man on her shoulder. "Come on," she heard him speak in a tranquil voice, and that was all she needed to compose herself. She opened her eyes again and looked at her visitors with a smile. "Let's go inside," she said.
"Wait," Kurapika suddenly said, "who is he?" she asked, looking at the newcomer and then to Rhea.
"Ah! He's my husband, Jerad," Rhea answered as she wrapped her right arm around the man's left arm. Then she looked at her husband. "Jerad, meet my cousin, Kurapika and my brother, Kuroro."
"Oh! So that was the intense feeling for. Nice to meet you!" Jerad greeted, giving a warm smile at the two.
"Nice to meet you too," Kurapika and Kuroro greeted back.
"Come on, let's go inside, you just came at the right time," Rhea said as she directed the two inside while Jerad was left on the doorway as he closed the door and observed the trio for a while, smiling lightly at them.
"What do you mean?" Kurapika asked. "Are you expecting us coming tonight?"
"No, of course not," Rhea answered. "I would not be so surprised if I did. What I meant is that, you came in time for dinner," she said, leading them to the dining area, and were greeted by two, small children, sitting before the dining table with a set of foods in front of them.
The dining area is simple, fit for a small family. The rectangular table is in the middle with two chairs in front of each longer sides and one chair on each shorter sides. A counter at the end is dividing the dining area and the cooking area while the door where they came in connects the small living room where you can see a coffee table with sofas and a stairway that leads to the second floor.
Back to the current scene. As the three entered the dining room, Kurapika was astonished to see two small children. A five years old girl with curly light brown hair and honey eyes and a three years old boy bearing the same color of hair and eyes as the former are occupying a chair in front of each of the longer sides of the table, looking at them intently as if they are the first person they met except for their parents.
"Ellie, Nilo," Rhea called the children, "please meet your auntie, Kurapika, and your uncle, Kuroro." She turned to her visitors. "They are my children, my eldest, Ellie and my little boy, Nilo."
"Nice to meet you," the children greeted shyly.
"Nice to meet you too," Kurapika said with a delighted smile on her face. 'So cute!'
"I guess the introduction was finished," Jerrad said as he joined them in the dining room, "then, let's have our dinner," he said as he proceeded to the dining table and seated himself beside the little girl.
"Right, right," Rhea added, "come on," she said as she dragged the two to sit at the single chair across each other.
Kurapika found herself sitting at the corner near the children, and the unwavering stare of the little girl made her a little bit uncomfortable. 'What's with the intense stare?' she thought to herself and faced the little girl with a forced smile, but the little girl looked away, down to her food, with a blush on her face. Kurapika actually doesn't know how to deal with children like them.
After Rhea served the food to them, she seated herself beside the little boy and looked at Kurapika. "So, why don't you have a taste first and tell me what you can say about the food?"
Kurapika looked at her food that looks so normal, but having a suspicion that it was Rhea's cooking, she slowly took the spoon and fork. "Itadakimasu," she said and took a bite of the meat in her plate.
"So, how is it?" Rhea asked.
"It's fine," the answer came without much of an emotion.
Rhea sighed at the answer. "That is because you are not picky on food," she said and turned to Kuroro. "How about you, Kuroro?"
"It's bland," Kuroro said nonchalantly making Rhea pout like a child.
"He's right, mom," the little girl added, "It's bland."
"I guess I'm not really good in cooking," she said, sighing.
'Thought so,' Kurapika mentally said to herself.
In the end, Jerad fixed the food to make it more edible. And the small family of Rhea along with Kuroro and Kurapika, ate together as they tell stories about the time that had passed. Of course, the two only told them about their time in Rukuso, Considering that there are children listening to them.
It was such a great night for all of them as Kuroro and Kurapika, both thinking that having your own family, filled with love is the best thing that can happen in your life.
000
"I'm so bored, why it has to rain at this time?" Ellie said while she was sitting on the sofa, looking at the window as she watched the rain pouring outside.
"Now, now, Ellie, you have to be patient for a while," Jerad reprimanded. Why don't you play with your little brother instead?" he said while looking at the boy, who was playing at the table, making unrecognizable drawings.
Sighing, Ellie turned to the table saying: "I guess that's the only thing I can do for now," and grabbed a piece of paper and a color pencil.
Jerad smiled at that and turned his head as he looked up to the stairs, at the entrance through the second floor, thinking of what could be the three are doing right now.
000
At the 2nd floor, in a room with a round table and four chairs around, with the three being occupied by Rhea, Kurapika and Kuroro as they are discussing about certain things and looking at each other with serious faces.
"So you want to see our parents' memories," Rhea spoke up.
"Exactly," Kurapika answered, "I need to see their memories to show your little brother here, what exactly your father did," she said, smirking at Kuroro, making him twitch his eye at being called 'little brother,' but said nothing at her statement.
"And also, I want to know the truth," Kurapika continued in a serious tone, "I want to know what had exactly happened during their time."
"If Kuroro is fine with that, then, I can show you," Rhea said and then she looked at Kuroro. "Are you willing to show our parents' memories?
Kuroro looked at Rhea, and then at Kurapika who is looking intently at him. He sighed, thinking about a line in the prediction, 'Fear not of a sad memory, For in the past, the answers lie beneath.' Everything that was written on the prediction happened and is still happening to him. It was indeed a useful thing to him, but that would be the last prediction he would have through the Lovely Ghost writer. He will never use that ability again. As long as Kurapika is with him, everything will be fine.
"I'm fine with it," he finally answered.
Rhea smiled lightly at him. "Then I will need a drop of you blood," she said as she concentrated her nen on her hands, creating a nen sphere.
Taking an understanding to his sister's statement, Kuroro bite his index finger, dropping a drop of blood to the nen sphere, then, the nen sphere started to change its color and became like a crystal ball, creating an image inside.
Kurapia observed everything that is happening on the nen sphere, thinking of how Rhea's nen works.
Rhea's nen can see a person's memories, but first, she needs permission and a drop of blood from the person or the person's relative if he\she is not present. The nearer the degree of relativity, the more accurate the memory is.
The image inside Rhea's nen sphere became clearer and clearer until it becomes very visible, showing to them a scene from the past.
AN:
That's all for now. Don't forget to review!
Many thanks!
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