Hey ya'll, remember me? *nervous laughter*

Remember when I said I would update soon because I was writing the next chapter...almost a year ago *sweats* Ah yeah, here it is...*chucks this garbage at you and runs away* I'm sorry I'm so incompetent ;-; Please don't hate me and whoever has stuck with me this long, thank you so much 3 I can't promise that the next chapter will be out soon, but I refuse to abandon this fic, you've been so sweet to me with your lovely comments and your patience TwT

Anyways, here's a short little chapter, I sincerely hope I can get the next one out soon o(-(


Kurapika sprinted towards the ocean, winding and leaping his way through the little forest that was seated on the cliff overlooking the beach below. Moonlight trickled through the treetops, lighting up his path. The Kuruta could feel his heart thundering with excitement as he neared the edge of the forest, skidding to a halt and leaning against a tree to steady his breathing.

Kurapika closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm his racing heart. Slowly, he opened his eyes and walked over to the edge of the cliff to peer over and he gasped at the sight before him. The blond had expected the ship to be large, but this, this was enormous. And the grotesque spider writhing on the sails was frightening. As the wind blew the sails, Kurapika could barely make out a figure, clad in black, standing on the edge of the boat, gazing down at the water. The young blond dropped to his knees and peered closer, hands clinging to the edge of the steep cliff. The stranger was eerily still, and Kurapika began to wonder if they had fallen asleep in that position. Suddenly, the figure glanced up at him, startling Kurapika. In his shock his hand slipped, sending him tumbling over the edge of the cliff.

Letting out an obscenely loud shriek, the blond grappled for something to hold onto, managing to at least angle his body so he wasn't falling headfirst. He faintly heard the sound of splashing and registered that the stranger was no longer where he'd been standing. Squeezing his eyes shut, Kurapika awaited the impact and despite himself, he was mortified that someone had seen this unruly display of clumsiness. 'I almost wish that I won't survive this, I'll never live this down. I'm such an idiot!' the blond had the decency to berate his own stupidity.

He heard a grunt as his body collided and he cried out when pain exploded in his ankle. Since he'd fallen face-down, Kurapika expected sand to engulf his senses, stinging his eyes and have him spitting up grains. Much to his surprise and relief, he'd landed on something that was definitely not sand. His relief was short-lived however, when he realized he'd collapsed on a living person. The Kuruta groaned and lifted his head. He froze, coming face to face with a raven haired stranger.

An ashen gaze locked with his own, seeming to bore straight into his soul. The blond shivered, feeling exposed and vulnerable. Kurapika had always had good intuition and he took pride in that, and right now intuition was telling him that this young man was dangerous. Unsettled, the blond scrambled to put some distance between them, only retreating a couple steps before pain shot through his ankle and he fell backwards, crying out in pain as he struggled to remain conscious. In his peripheral vision, he saw the raven on his feet, dusting himself off and walking towards him.

"S-stay back", the blond forced out. Then his vision went black.