A/N: I am so sorry, people! This is the ONLY time-I wish-I'd have to do this again. Perspective changing. But it didn't feel right without it, so I had to do it! Sorry. Just please make the most of it and enjoy how different their thoughts are.

Next time, no more things like this (I hope)

The Disclaimers I keep forgetting to put: Yoshihiro Togashi owns HxH and not me.

Chapter 16

Warring ideas

(Kurapika's POV)

"I have felt that way," I said. My voice was solemn, warm, comforting (at least I believed so). And it was actually working on her, and we stayed like that, trying our best to comfort the other, quiet and put on the staircase of the building.

"Kurapika…" she started. "I wanted to ask you something…"

I tensed. Ask. When it was Akane, there was always something that bothered her, but I knew this would be something, say, delicate. I did not want to handle delicate situations; usually it ended up bad.

"Yeah?" I asked anyway. No harm in trying, right? Or maybe my opinion on that will change soon.

"…you said… you knew… something…" she muttered, not actually willing to ask. She was curious, but she knew the situation could also be something not easy to handle. She wanted to show up a brave front, but if her heart says no, her entire body shuts down and says no. That's exactly what was happening.

"About your family?" Kurapika asked. I wanted to do this. If it was straightforward, then straightforward it is. No I-will-duck-I-don't-care-if-I'm-not-a-man thoughts. Get to the point.

"Yeah…" Akane said. She, instead, was really getting shy. She did not want to force me to talk, and she didn't seem to be ready to listen, but time has come, maybe that's what she thought. Here goes all.

"This is merely a hypothesis, Akane, and it has been proven in some points, but I think… I think…" I lingered on the last two words, not ready yet to tell her. How will she react? I didn't want to know, but I wanted her to know the truth. The prices we pay for knowledge.

"You think what, Kurapika? Tell me."

"…I think you're Kuruta."

(Akane's POV)

Wait, what? Did I just hear that? Seriously?

He thinks I'm Kuruta?

Isn't he Kuruta too? And besides, if I heard right from my father, the Kurutas were wiped out years ago, by this group of bandits called the Genei Ryodan that—

—that Kurapika wants to take revenge on!

The story fits right. I think… How many years has it been since the Kuruta massacre, again? Five, right? I was eleven then. That means, I wasn't a Kuruta massacrebaby… which means…

I am really a Kuruta, that is , if my parents—I'm talking about the biological ones—are really Kuruta and not just some random foreigner…

"You think I'm Kuruta," I stated again, just to be sure.

'Your eyes turn red," he said. "That is one thing."

"So what if it is true, and I am, really, Kuruta, proven hypothesis, that's what I mean, what should I know?" I asked him.

"That if you were Kuruta, living in Rukuso with the rest of the Kurutas," he said, voice solemn and thinking deep as he stared back at the clouds, as he looked tranquil and at peace, but I knew the warring emotions in his heart, "you would've been orphaned at the age of eleven, no family, no friends. Just us."

(Kurapika's POV)

I don't think she believes me.

It was only, supposedly, a hypothesis, but I am pretty sure she really is. Scarlet eyes? That's one distinct characteristic. I can never be more sure.

But she wouldn't believe me.

"Kuruta… Kuruta…" she started murmuring, like she was tasting the word, checking if it sounds right.
It wasn't really surprising. It was to be expected. She wasn't expecting me to give that hypothesis, no matter how probable it is. She wasn't expecting that at all.

That feeling of robbing her identity, that was the feeling that succumbed me completely. It didn't feel right. I didn't like hurting you.

"You really believe that, don't you?" she asked again, in a softer, weaker voice.

"Yes, I do," I told her firmly. Somehow, I know, I would be able to prove that she is one of my kind. That even if she didn't really grow in Rukuso Valley, she is also Kuruta. That I won't be the last Kuruta anymore.

For some reason, I felt less lonely.

"Kurapika… Tell me… your story…" she whispered.

I raised an eyebrow. "What story?" I asked her.

"Why you're here," Akane said. "Why you aren't with your family. You were talking… Ryodan?"

I bit my lip. Going back to that part of my past wasn't really what you could say as something enjoyable. It was tiring, and painful. Repeating movie, nonstop. I've actually gotten pretty sick of it.

But I have to be honest, at some point, it is the only thing that drives my forward.

"This is what happened, Akane."

(Akane's POV)

May god forgive my vivid imagination.

I did not have fun, I can say so much. Kurapika's words were so heavy and solemn. I shouldn't have asked him. I could say it was painful for him. But what was more painful? Losing your family, or knowing they've lied to you?

Oh, no no no. I guess my situation is more painful… Losing my real family, and my adoptive family lying to me.

I could feel the breaking.
He told me everything he saw in words that activated your mind to imagine. I wish he hadn't—thinking merely of the Ryodan and the massacre gets my blood boiling. The bastards! How could they do that? Kill everybody with their bare hands, taking their lives away like trash.

Is that what the most notorious gang of criminals are capable of?

The deserve the title, I get it. I want to make them keep it for themselves. Then, we will kill them all.

"What's your plan?" I asked Kurapika.

"The original plan," he said. "Kill the Ryodan," he said with bloodthirsty coldness, "and find my brother's Eyes."

"I'll help you, Kurapika," I told him, voice firm.

"You don't need to, Akane," he answered.

"That wasn't a suggestion, it was a statement," I told him. "So how does this come out?" I cocked my head to the side. "…tell me, is that what Hisoka just told you?"

"How come no details miss you?" he asked me, a laughing tone on his voice. He didn't notice? My parents always told me I had such keen eyes of observation.

"Because back in trap tower, you always freak out when you saw those spiders hanging at the sides," I said, laughing now. He did scream quite girlishly those times. "But to get to the point…"

"Yes, that is what Hisoka told me," he said. "'September 1, York Shin. The Spiders will be there.'"

"September… September 1… That's when the auctions start!" I exclaimed. My uncle, my mom's rich brother, brought me there when I was five. There was a lot of people, a great deal of ruckus.

There's a lot of cool stuff, too. There was this one game he bought, I think it cost him around 20,000,000,000! He was bidding so high, and no one argued.

After that though, I never saw him ever again. Mom kept telling me he's on an adventure, but he's never been in an adventure that he did not mail me after six months of leaving.

Never.

"Have you gone to them?" he asked.

"Yeah, I have," I told him. "But I don't really remember much…" I was five, for god's friggin sake.

He paused. "Any interesting stuff?"

I browsed through my memory. I could see through it like photographs in a photo album; that is, when I do take it all seriously. But sometimes, I have short term memory loss. I'm a weird person.

"There's some jars, some bones, some games… some—" The picture that stuck in my head shocked me. When I was five, it was nothing; even amazed me, I was staring at it, watching it float. Now it creeped me out. "Kurapika… they…"

"The Scarlet Eyes, isn't it?" he whispered with a sad voice. He sighed. "I was expecting that."

I chewed on my lip. "You're not thinking of getting a job involving the mafia in six months, are you?"

"I'm not thinking," he answered me. "I'm already planning." There was this unheard sigh in his voice. I knew he was trying to control a fierce emotion—say, anger? "Akane, I'm here for this," he said. "This is all I've lived for these five years. To avenge my brothers, to get their Eyes back."

I felt a tear slide down my cheek. "And this is how you'll die, too."

(Kurapika's POV)

"And this is how you'll die, too."

Akane's words pulled on something inside me. And this is how you'll die, too, Kurapika. Vengeance does it all.

Hooray Vengeance?

Instead, I just kept calm. I had to stay firm on my decision, and I will stay firm on it—no doubt about that. "I've prepared myself for that," I said.

Akane looked at me with worried eyes. I knew she didn't want me to… say, look this much in pain, but what could I do? What could she do? This is the only way I have lived the past five years. In pain, in solitude, in loneliness. Feeling the urge for vendetta burn in my Kuruta veins.

"Not everybody is prepared to see you leave."

I looked at her with knitted eyebrows, again. She seems to be speaking almost poetically, as if there was a secret code underneath her heavy-sounding words. I could see the first layer of that—she didn't want me to do it.

Can she really see something more in me other than this? Because I don't.

"Kurapika," she said, "There can still be a chance. There's hope, there's inspiration, motivation. Luck. Life. Friendship." She looked at me with burdened eyes. She was really making me feel like I should rethink everything—but no. Five years worth of thinking over it, to this one day—no. No, no, no. "There's still something in store for you."

I sighed. She's the tenacious kind. "There will be nothing in store for me before I manage to vanquish the Spiders."

She was the one to sigh now. "There is, Kurapika," she said. "You just don't have the eyes to see."

(Akane's POV)

Now tell me, how wrong did that sound?

I don't feel like joking around, but what I just said just sounded like a very, very wrong pun. He wanted to find the Eyes of his fallen brothers and I tell him he doesn't have the eyes to see.

I am not amused of myself.

But still, I was really serious in the things I was trying to get him to grasp. He was completely offering his life to the duty of revenge, like his life is for his people. But heck, if I was his people—he just called me Kuruta, right?—I would say, 'Go live a happy life for us!' other than 'AVENGE US, SURVIVOR!'

I am being completely honest.

He sighed. Obviously he hated the tenacious kinds, especially those who fought against him—also known as Akane Dukarra, a.k.a me!—and his sigh was really filled with emotions, like he wanted to let them all out. He didn't want to argue, obviously, he just wanted to reach his point out. But I will not let go of this battle, and I will not compromise. I want him to see what is right.

"Akane."

"Kurapika."

He winced at my cold tone. "I guess there's nothing to it about this argument."

I grinned at him, very childishly, to lighten the already so heavy mood. "Good thing you know that."

He didn't answer, just stared back at the blue sky that was starting to gray. It was about to rain, I could say that.

"Kurapika."

He looked down at me with eyes just a shade deeper than the color of the sky. It reflected the grayness, so deep and obscuring the emotions. "Yeah?"

"I wanted to… I wanted to…" I muttered, not really wanting to tell, to hear it spit out of my mouth, just to make him know. "I wanted to ask about the Kurutas… about what you know… how my family might be and…" I was now tattling, losing control. I just needed to talk… I just needed to get it all out.

It was the only way I could make him know.

"Akane…" he whispered. "What I know—"

"AKANE! KURAPIKA!"

(Kurapika's POV)

How come that always just HAS to happen?

Now this has to be on the Hunter's-grand-record-of-bad-luck. The first time was in the airship, when I was trying to tell Akane the first hypothesis. Now, I'm still trying to talk to her about her family she so wants to know about, and then people just barge in! SHEESH!

I looked at Leorio, whose face was tainted with worry and blood. His eyes were desperate, scouring the ground for a clue of whatever he's searching for.

"We do not have your porn magazine, Leorio," I told, and Akane chuckled. We knew how Leorio was—there was no point hiding it.

Instead of fuming or the reaction of sorts I wanted to get, he shook his head frantically, eyebrows still knitted together tightly. "No, no, that's not it; the thing is still in my briefcase. ...But what I mean is, it's Killua..."

Akane raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't he be in the arena?"

Leorio shook his head. "Well, he was, until when Bodoro and I fought, he just stepped in, killed Bodoro, and smearing himself with blood, walked out the door. I was thinking he'd come out through here."

Akane's face was now horror. "WHAT! No! Killua wouldn't do that! Killua's not acting like himself… there must be something wrong with him! Leorio, have you checked every hallway? He might have left some kind of blood tracks of the sort.

"No, none to take note of," he said. "Checked everywhere—that bloody assassin is a clean freak!"

Akane glared at him. "Ex-assassin! He does not want to be the heir of the Zaoldyeck clan again! He just wants to be a boy whose having his fun, enjoying his world and being himself! He just wants to be Gon's best friend!"

I watched her stomp away.

Sharing one frantic look at Leorio, we knew what we needed to do.

"AKANE!"

(Akane's POV)

Those bloody bastards. Clean freak? Bloody assassin? Oh sure, that was the Killua of the past, the working word being past. He's now the best little brother you'll ever have, a cool skateboard addict, someone fun to be with, someone you can trust. He is not the assassin of the Zaoldyeck clan anymore! He is just Killua!

I wiped the tears that ran down my eyes. I can't believe they can be so insensitive. Especially Kurapika. He did not think of even trying to defend. But I, I will defend Killua. Since he is the best I have now.

"KILLUA!" I called. "KILLUA WHERE ARE YOU!" I stumbled through patio, around the way but finding nothing. Leorio was right, he did come out the front door since there were blood smears all over, shaped like hands.

I got tired. Exhausted. Of the world. Of everything I had to think about.

I slumped on my bed in one resting room, and peeped at my bag. Blood smears. I checked it, seeing something that wasn't supposed to be there.

A piece of paper.

It was written in blood, but I could see it clearly.

Akane.

I'm sorry I had to leave without telling you… this is becoming more and more familial and more personal every time, so I decided maybe leaving without telling you guys would be better and safer for you. I do not want you to be on the bad side of my brother, father, or anybody else. So I have one favor to ask—please don't follow me anymore. There are some things I can handle on my own.

You've been a nice friend. Pass the message to Gon. Thank you.

Killua.

I shook my head, the tears dripping on the paper, smudging the bloody handwriting. "Sorry Killua," I whispered. "This time, I can't do the favor."