Disclaimer: I do not own Hunter x Hunter, only the random supporting characters popping out here and there in the stories…
Story so far: Thanks to the genie, they were stuck together and they could not kill each other. Kuroro said that he had a acquaintance in the Shooting Star City, who supposedly knew how to deal with the magical manacle, and so they set forth to the said city. Along the way, though, they would have to make a truce.
Chapter 2
TRUCE
It was already twilight when they reached the nearest town, and the rain was pouring like there was no tomorrow. The first thing they looked for was an inn, and they soon enough found one. It was a decent small inn with homey feeling, and the innkeeper was a nice, warm old lady; who had been mortified the moment she saw them entering her little inn. They were soaking wet from head to toe, and chilled to the bone.
"Dear Lord! Look at the two of you! Oh dear, oh dear. Come and warm yourself at the fireplace. I will lend you two clean towels." With that, the old lady busied herself with towels and hot drinks for the two of them.
Due to the magical manacle fastened on their wrists by Hassamunnin the genie, they had to huddle near the fire closely. The link was barely 20 cm apart. Kurapika sat down and stared into the fire, avoiding Kuroro's eyes. He thanked the old lady sincerely when she gave them the towels and hot drinks, but his eyes never met Kuroro's. It was not like Kuroro was bothered about it. He wanted to avoid any unnecessary arguments and fights, which they fortunately had not had since they left the ruin. If anything, he was somewhat grateful for the Kuruta's self-isolation.
"I will prepare two adjacent rooms for the two of you, if you want." The old lady addressed them.
"Thank you, but can we have one room with two beds?" Kuroro asked the lady politely.
"Oh?" The old lady suddenly perked up. "Are the two of you—"
"She is my relative." Kuroro hurriedly fabricated a story, not wanting to tell her about the genie and the bind, and most of all the misunderstanding that the Kuruta was his lover. "She doesn't like sleeping alone in a room."
"Oh, I see…" The old lady's expression softened, and there was a slight disappointment in her youthful eyes. "Well, I will prepare a room that suits your request."
With that, the old lady scurried away and went upstairs to prepare their room. As Kuroro turned back, he found the Kuruta glaring daggers fiercely at him, with the absent of his scarlet eyes. Some of the wet golden locks of his hair were stuck on his face, and the warmth of the fire had brought some colour back to his cheek. Kuroro looked at him, and could not dismiss the strong impression that the Kuruta looked so effeminate. He had also instinctively referred to him as a 'she' when talking to the old lady.
"I am not a 'she'!" He growled at him.
"Well, you look like one." Kuroro shrugged and dried his wet hair with his free hand. "And obviously the innkeeper thinks you are a girl, since she offered separate rooms."
"You could have corrected her." Kurapika protested.
"Too much a hassle."
Kurapika was already on the verge of strangling the older man to death when the old lady went back and approached them. She cheerfully asked them to follow her as she was going to show them to their room. Grumpily Kurapika followed behind Kuroro closely, since the manacle restricted their distance. Their hands would brush against each other from time to time, and Kurapika always flinched every time. Kuroro did not show any reaction, but he was getting tired of the boy's nerve-wracking flinches.
"If you need anything, just call for me. Breakfast is at 7 o'clock tomorrow." The old lady told them good-naturedly. "Enjoy your stay here. Good night." She bowed politely, which Kuroro returned with a slight nod.
Kurapika looked at the room and ultimately his eyes landed on the beds. The thought of him sleeping at very close proximity to the Genei Ryodan leader made his stomach twist. When Kuroro turned around, he noticed Kurapika's gaze at the beds and smirked. He was going to have a very good time teasing the hell out of the Kuruta boy, and the boy would not be able to kill him for it.
"The beds won't eat you, Kuruta." He began.
"That's not what I'm thinking." Kurapika snapped at him as he gave him a sharp look.
"A penny for your thoughts?" He still smirked, unfazed by his glare.
"Like I'll tell you." Kurapika looked away, and again his gaze fell on a certain spot in the room. Kuroro followed his gaze, and this time he knew exactly what was in the boy's head. This time, he was equally disheartened by the issue.
"Well, we will need to deal with this sooner or later." Kuroro sighed.
"…" Kurapika seemed to have frozen on the spot. He would rather DIE than to bathe TOGETHER with Kuroro Lucifer.
It was disastrous. It had been really, really, disastrous. Bath time would be the least anticipated time during their journey, if not avoided. Kurapika had hoped that the link would be at least a bit flexible and spared them some private space during their bath time, but NO! The chain remained 20 cm, and as the result one had to stand outside the bathroom with one arm slipped into the bathroom. Kurapika had repeatedly warned Kuroro not to peek, otherwise he would not hesitate to gouge his eyes out, or decapitate him. Kuroro had responded with exasperated "Yes, yes, yes." And the boy would only stop until he said, "I am not Hisoka."
Even worse, the Kuruta boy did not have any single spare clothes, since they decided not to retrieve his belongings in the Nostrad mansion. It would be too suspicious if his belongings suddenly disappeared along with his 'death'. So, Kuroro had to lend him his spare clothes, which he carried in his Fun Fun Cloth. It turned out too large for the younger boy. He emerged from the bathroom wearing slightly oversized dark grey t-shirt and black pants.
When it was Kuroro's turn to bathe, he had purposely taken his sweet time bathing, just to irritate the boy. Kurapika had to repeatedly tell him to hurry up, because his left arm was getting tired of being suspended stiff for a long time. When he came out of the bathroom, Kuroro was awarded with his glacial glare. Kurapika looked at their drenched clothes and sighed. They had to get them dry by tomorrow, since he was not going to travel in Kuroro's clothes. First thing in the morning when they left the inn, he would be buying his own sets of clothes. A soft knock on the door broke Kurapika from his thoughts. Kuroro called the person to come in, and entered in the lady, with a laundry basket in her arms.
"Dearies, I come here to help you wash your wet clothes. Oh!" The kind old lady stopped as her eyes fell on Kurapika. A warm smile bloomed, causing her wrinkles at the corners of her eyes to appear. "You are wearing your brother's clothes? How cute."
Kurapika's first reaction was to blush furiously, while Kuroro had to give all he had not to laugh out loud. He looked at the Kuruta again, and realized that he indeed looked funny in his clothes, since they were one size too large for the thin boy.
"N—no! That's not…I don't have any clothes…so…" Kurapika stuttered in his embarrassment. He flailed his right arm awkwardly; his left arm locked by his side since Kuroro had to stop his right arm from flailing as well.
"You don't have any single clothes? Oh dear, you poor thing." The old lady gasped in mortification and her eyes widened in horror. "What happened?"
"Actually, I have only found her today on my trip here." Kuroro stepped in, suddenly an evil idea popped in his head. "You see, she is my long-lost sister. We have different mothers; that's why we look different. She was taken by her mother away when she was barely toddler. Now she has no belongings at all since she was kept as servant." He said dramatically. "She is traumatised, so she doesn't want to leave my side."
"Oooh...You poor thing." The old lady sniffed with glassy eyes, deeply touched by Kuroro's magnificent lie. "You are so fortunate that your brother found you. Look at you, so pale and thin. The landlord must have been treating you badly. Have you been eating enough?"
"I—I…" True, Kurapika's face had turned ashen pale but from a different cause than what the old lady had assumed. He gawked in astonishment, too surprised and shocked to say anything. Kuroro noticed this and he had to stifle a laugh.
The innkeeper continued babbling about proper meals and so on and so forth, which the Kuruta was only half-listening. Kuroro acted as if he was listening to the old lady earnestly, while inside he was having his fun in Kurapika's expense. When she was quite done with her lecture, she picked their dirty laundry and promised to get them clean and dry by the next morning. She bid them good night, gave Kurapika a sympathising look, and excused herself. When the door had been closed with a soft click, silence fell in the room and Kuroro braced himself for the coming thunderstorm.
"Long-lost sister? Servant? Traumatised? DON'T WANT TO LEAVE YOUR SIDE?" Kurapika roared. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU SAYING, YOU ASS-HOLE?"
"Making up story for our cover-up." Kuroro offered lightly, as if the story he had fabricated had not violated Kurapika's dignity as a boy and a licensed Hunter.
"Oh, your story is partially true. I AM traumatised by your story-making skill." He glared dagger at him, his eyes turned bleeding crimson. It glowed in the dimly lit room like a pair of ember.
"What do you suggest we tell her then?" Kuroro challenged him, his dark eyes daring Kurapika's scarlet eyes.
"You could've told her that we are just travelling companion, corrected her that I am a boy, and that we lost our baggage on our way here! Without converting me into a freaking girl!" He yelled.
"But what's the fun in it?" He grinned. The sight of the calm and collected Kuruta losing composure and ranting at him was so much fun. The jokes and funs during his time with the Genei Ryodan had been mostly bloody and cruel, and he did not actively partake in it. This was a refreshing change, and he was going to enjoy it.
"You are having fun at my expense, you bastard!" Kurapika swore that if his left hand was not bound to Kuroro's right hand, he would have crushed his windpipe eons ago. The man was getting on his nerves, and he was ENJOYING it.
"Indeed I am." He grinned again.
That was it. Kurapika's eyes blazed in the darkness of the poorly lit room. His eyes looked like a pair of cat's eyes, glaring at him with intensity that could have choked someone. Kuroro's dark eyes were fixed to those eyes, the beautiful red the colour of blood and fire. He leaned forward to take a better look at those orbs, and unconsciously he reached out to touch the boy's chin and tilt the face slightly upwards. His face drew closer, and when Kurapika could not take it anymore, his fist; which had been trembling out of restrained anger, acted on his behalf.
SMACK!
Kuroro staggered backwards, his left cheek red and bruised from Kurapika's abuse. He still had his right fist raised up, his knuckles red from punching Kuroro's face hard. He had not been able to smack Kuroro with his full force given the awkward and unfavourable position they were in previously. Still, a punch was a punch and Kurapika was somewhat satisfied that he was able to punch the irritation man square on the face. Kuroro straightened up, but he did not even bother to check his bruised cheek. There was no blood spilled, and the curious look in his dark eyes had evaporated. There was only cold mockery in those obsidian orbs.
"As I've thought, your eyes are still the best among all." He commented, smiling coldly and cruelly at him.
"You—"
Kurapika tried to punch him again, but this time he was prepared. He caught Kurapika's wrist and twisted it so that Kurapika's arm was twisted along and he gasped in pain and surprise. He looked up to reward Kuroro with his crimson glare, and found the man looking down at him with emotionless eyes. They were engaged in the staring competition for a while.
"Get some sleep. We'll be leaving tomorrow morning." He finally said curtly and released his grip on Kurapika's wrist. Kurapika snatched his arm and inspected the grip mark on his thin wrist.
Without waiting for any response, Kuroro walked over to the beds, dragging Kurapika along as the link remained 20 cm. He pushed the beds closer until they formed a queen-sized bed. Wordlessly, they climbed the bed and sneaked their ways under the warm blanket awkwardly. Without saying anything, not even a single goodnight, both of them drifted into their respective guarded sleep.
"Wake up." Someone called at him with a tug to his wrist. He groaned in protest. His body still needed some more rests, and his eyelids were heavy. The tug came again, this time stronger. Kurapika rolled over—well, intended to—but the magical manacle fastened to his wrist stopped him in an uncomfortable position.
"Wake up now, or I will drag you out of the bed." The voice said again. The voice was pleasantly low and there was no irritation in his voice, but there was a hint of cold amusement. Even in his half-asleep state, the voice was quickly registered to Kurapika's brains as annoying.
When Kurapika's eyes fluttered open, the first thing he saw was the wooden ceiling and Kuroro's face looming over him. He was sitting cross-legged right beside him, his manacled hand very near his. Kuroro had been observing the sleeping Kuruta. He was secretly amused to see how the boy had stiffened the second he saw him as he opened his sapphire eyes. Kurapika looked away and took a deep breath, before finally sitting up.
"Get changed. The innkeeper has delivered our dry clothes early this morning." Kuroro nodded towards the pile of neatly folded clothes. Kurapika's blue tribal attire was put on top of Kuroro's black set of clothes.
Too sleepy to protest or to retaliate, Kurapika blindly tagged along as Kuroro dragged him across the room. They took turns changing their clothes in the bathroom, as Kurapika insisted. Kuroro decided not to wear his Danchou attire, and opted for something more common and less attracting; although it was still all in black, though. He let his hair down and put a bandana to cover the cross mark on his forehead. Kurapika stared at him; Kuroro looked much younger in this fashion. He silently handed Kuroro back his garments, with a silent and reluctant "Thank you." Kuroro gave him an amused look, took the garments back good-naturedly and stored them in his Fun Fun Cloth. They walked down the staircase towards the dining area side by side, and were greeted by the pleasant smell of the morning soup and fresh bread.
"Ah, good morning! How's your night?" The old lady approached them from the counter, curious expression on her face. Kurapika let Kuroro did all the talking and pleasantries, but threw him occasional glares whenever he addressed him as a 'she' whilst emphasising it. He made mental note that Kuroro Lucifer was damn good in acting, no wonder he was able to deceive people in thinking that he was a harmless gentleman. He knew all too well that Neon Nostrad was one of his victims.
"By the way, girl. Wait there, I have something to give you." The innkeeper addressed Kurapika with her youthful look and waved at him to follow her. Kurapika looked at Kuroro for explanation, who only shrugged. A few minutes later the lady emerged from one of the rooms with a bundle in her arms. Kurapika felt a queasy sensation in his stomach.
"Oh, the size is just perfect!" The lady chirped in delight as she unrevealed the bundle she was carrying. Kurapika felt like fainting on the spot. The lady was holding up a nice cream-coloured dress, with skirt which was probably slightly past his knees. It was a casual daily dress, nothing so grand or frilly. Kurapika's face was bleached white, while Kuroro had to clamp his mouth with his hand to hide his wide gleeful grin, pretending to assess the dress with serious face.
"This belongs to my daughter, but since she is already married off and nobody is wearing this, I was thinking of throwing it away. But since you need it, I will give it to you for free." The lady beamed at Kurapika, and commented on how suitable the dress was to him, saying that his golden locks matched the dress' colour and so on.
"No, no, I don't deserve such treatments. It's okay, my brother," he shot Kuroro a heated glare, and the recipient just grinned smugly at him. ",will buy me clothes after this, the practical ones since we will be travelling."
"Oh…" The lady looked so dejected that Kurapika instantly felt guilty for turning down her gift. Kuroro, again, came up with a mischievous thought. He was standing slightly behind Kurapika, as far as the magical link allowed them without looking awkward, and he leaned forward slightly to whisper to the Kuruta's ears softly, so that the lady would not hear it.
"It's not nice to reject her good intention, Kuruta."
His taunting worked wonders. As the lady gave him a pleading look, Kurapika could not bear the guilt. He finally conceded and accepted the dress, which earned him a smile brimming with delight from the kind old lady. Her high spirit returned and she ushered them to the table while listing down the breakfast list for them. She did not pay attention when both of them placed their hands; Kuroro's right hand and Kurapika's left hand, on the table in a very strange and awkward position. When they had placed their orders and the innkeeper went to fetch their breakfast, Kurapika turned to face the still amused Kuroro.
"Take responsibility. You keep it." He tossed the dress to Kuroro, although not in a rude manner for the fear the lady might have caught him throwing the dress at Kuroro as if it was something terrible.
"Fine." Kuroro shrugged and took the dress. He fingered the dress with his thumb as if feeling the material. "This is made from good material. You should be more thankful to her."
Kurapika's eyes narrowed at his comment. Kuroro had said it as if he really knew about fabrics and clothing. Then again, judging from his fashion sense, he might be the fetish type towards clothing. Kuroro kept the dress aside, deciding not to store the dress now when there were people in the dining area. He did not want to attract unwanted attention. When the breakfast came, they ate in silence. Kurapika had it easier since he could use his right hand freely. Kuroro had to adjust himself with using left hand more often, since he would be using it more frequently for quite some time. As he spooned his soup, he did so rather awkwardly, and Kurapika took his chance to smirk at him just to spite him.
After they checked out from the inn (the innkeeper had hoped they would stay longer), Kurapika declared that he was going to buy his share of clothes. Kuroro just nodded and together they went in search for a clothing store. They found a small one, with comfy looking interior. Before Kurapika could begin browsing, suddenly Kuroro pulled him by his elbow; feeling the quality of material of the boy's clothing.
"What are you doing?" Kurapika snapped in annoyance.
"You will need something with thicker material than your tribal clothes. We will be crossing a desert on our way to Ryuusei-gai." Kuroro said deadpan, and then released his grip on Kurapika's elbow. He did not want to get into trouble looking after a freezing boy in the middle of the desert because of lack of appropriate attire for the harsh environment.
Wordlessly, he dragged the younger boy along towards the shelf which housed the jackets and coats. Begrudgingly, Kurapika had to let the older one choose the most appropriate clothes for him because he knew of the environment better. Much to his relief, Kuroro chose some of the less conspicuous ones and the practical ones. He also chose the ones with lighter material for day time, since the desert was scorching hot during the day and freezing cold during the night. When they were done, Kuroro simply dumped the clothes to the counter and actually paid for it. Kurapika had to restrain from staring at Spider Head with disbelieving eyes. For once, he witnessed him doing something lawful. Kuroro knew of his incredulity and sighed.
"I won't be doing any stealing with you in tow, since you will just get in the way." He explained.
"That's good to hear." Kurapika honestly thought so. He would not just stand there watching the Spider head stealing things right before his eyes. He would did all he could to ruin his plans for any raids. Kuroro was sharp enough to deduce that.
They walked around the town, buying supplies and other necessities needed for their trip to Ryuusei-gai. Once they were out of town, Kuroro stored everything into his Fun Fun Cloth. Without saying anything, Kurapika let Kuroro lead the way. Thus they began their journey to Kuroro Lucifer's hometown.
As soon as they settled in the train compartments, sitting side by side, Kuroro took out a book and began reading silently. Kurapika just stared into the space, while thinking all possibilities that could get them out of this most uncomfortable and annoying predicament. The thought of contacting Leorio, Killua, and Gon to help him had crossed his minds several times, but he dismissed the thought. He did not want to bother his friends with such issues that had nothing to do with them. Besides, meddling with this issue would mean meddling with the Genei Ryodan as well. He did not want his friends to get into trouble.
One time, Kurapika got curious enough to take a quick glance of the title of the book that Kuroro was quietly reading. One flash and he recognised the book immediately. His eyes widened slightly, but he kept his cool façade and resumed staring into space. Kuroro noticed the slightest change in his demeanour.
"You know this book?" Kuroro asked easily without averting his gaze from the page of the book.
"I've read it before." Kurapika answered curtly. He held a certain degree of respect for books; especially the good ones. Apparently, that particular book that Kuroro was reading was one of his favourites. It was a tough book, but it was fun reading it.
"Oh? And what do you think of it?" Kuroro glanced at him sideways.
"I think…" and thus he began telling Kuroro his opinions of the book. At first he was rather reluctant to talk, but as Kuroro gave response to his opinions and giving his as well, they started talking about more books and authors; but still not as much as how good friends would. They were, after all, still enemies who just happened to be in common problem.
In his part, Kuroro really thought that the Kuruta boy was well read and intelligent; more intelligent than most of his Spiders members if possible; rivalling Shalnark and himself. He had to admit that discussing books was interesting with the boy. Shalnark might be intelligent and a quick-thinker, but he was not so interested in books. He preferred surfing the net and hacking during his free time. At least now he found one good point of having the Kuruta as travelling companion; aside from his constant animosity towards him and annoying tendency to flinch whenever their hands brushed each other by accident. Several times he had almost told the boy to stop flinching, but then he brushed the thought away. If he did tell him, most likely the boy would start ranting about how it was Kuroro's fault, that it could not be helped that he would loathe every single contact with the leader of Genei Ryodan. The boy was sharp-tongued and quick-witted, and Kuroro knew it better than anyone else that once he started arguing with the boy, there would be no end to it. He argued with the boy once, and in the end he got a bad headache. He did not want to trouble himself yet again, so he just bore with it.
Kurapika stared to the scenery outside the train. The world seemed to flash past him, everything blurring into spectrum of colour and silhouettes. Kuroro had said that the trip would take quite long, and he was already bored to death. Kurapika was a patient boy, but the mere presence of Kuroro Lucifer just next to him was enough to drain all his patience away. The man had been reading another book since their conversation had ended earlier, leaving Kurapika all to himself.
Suddenly, he felt a weight dropped to his lap. Kurapika looked down and spotted a book on his lap. He gingerly took the book with his right hand and inspected it. He turned around to look at Kuroro, but he was still reading the same book.
"You look bored. There will be still a few more hours, so I figure I'll lend you that." He said as a matter-of-factly, without even averting his gaze from the book.
Kurapika gave him an odd stare, and then looked back at the book. It was very strange. Was Kuroro acting kind to him? Come to think of it, he had been putting up with his belligerent and hostile attitude. Most of the time he would let him to his own devices; him minding his own business while Kurapika minded his own. He flipped open the pages and gave it a cursory glance. Logically, he had no other things to do and Kuroro Lucifer, of all people, was offering him something to do. He would not want anything to do with anything that belonged to the Master Thief, since most would be stolen goods, anyway, but he was dying out of boredom, and so he gave in. He adjusted himself to a more comfortable position and began reading the book quietly.
As Kurapika was so engrossed in reading the book, he missed the slight smile that graced Kuroro's face.
"Yes, Shalnark?"
[Ah, Danchou? I have some interesting news here.]
Kurapika looked away and pretended not to hear anything. He looked around the train station, and found that night was falling. They stopped at the last station, and after that they would have to travel on foot to reach the desert, and then crossed the desert on foot again. Kurapika sighed. It would be a very long and tiring trip, plus nerve-wracking; considering he was stuck with the leader of Genei Ryodan. Kuroro talked quietly on the phone, and Kurapika did not bother to listen to the conversation. Instead, he thought of what they should do now. First would be to find an inn.
"Let's find an inn first." Kuroro voiced his thought.
In silence they walked side by side, scanning the town for a decent place to spend the night. The town was quiet and scarce with people although it was only early dusk. Kurapika looked up and noticed a mansion standing tall at the end of the town, with a cluster of high-end estates surrounding the mansion. The gap between the poor and the rich had been stark. Kurapika would find a beggar or two at the corner of the streets; either sleeping on a pile of tattered rug, or begging for easy money. When they walked past a beggar boy, Kurapika just could not turn down his plea for a coin. He dropped a coin to the boy's hand, which the boy received jubilantly.
"You are not helping them by giving charity to them." Kuroro coldly remarked.
"This is none of your business." Kurapika countered, although he was bothered with his comments.
"They are just a bunch of lazy kids, who could not bother to look for decent jobs. You are just encouraging them to stay as the beggar they are." He continued, his dark eyes looking at another beggar with a certain degree of contempt.
Kurapika could not help but to notice the slight hint of emotion in his words. There was something between the older man and beggars. It was as if he had some bad experiences about it. Kurapika shrugged off the thought, thinking that he would have nothing to do about it. It was Kuroro's problem, not his. It was an unspoken agreement between them: mind your own business.
"You see the mansion over there?" Suddenly Kuroro spoke again.
"Yes." He merely responded.
"There will be an auction there tonight." Kuroro said again, this time he looked at Kurapika, waiting for a certain response.
"And so? Does it have anything to do with me?" Kurapika said disinterestedly, his eyes still scanning the town for inn.
"A certain item will be auctioned there." He dropped an obvious hint. He knew the Kuruta was bright enough to understand what he was trying to tell him. And he was right. Kurapika turned to look at him with suspicious eyes. "Shalnark informed me just now."
"The Scarlet Eyes." He muttered, a flash of anger glinted in his oceanic eyes. "Why are you telling me this? What do you want?"
Kuroro stopped and turned to face the young Kuruta. He regarded Kurapika with calculating eyes, as if re-evaluating something in his mind. Kurapika waited patiently. Whatever it was, the Genei Ryodan leader had something in mind, and it involved him and his tribe's treasure.
"I'm offering you a deal."
"You could have spared his life, at least." Kurapika frowned at the lifeless body sprawled on the floor.
"If I let him live, he will alert the guards when he wakes up. You are the one who want this to be as discreet as possible." Kuroro said nonchalantly while extracting a white envelope from the man's pocket.
"Still…"
Kuroro sighed. He had offered the Kuruta to help him retrieve the Scarlet Eyes from the auction site in exchange for his full cooperation in their attempt to break the stupid link binding them and a truce between them. Kurapika had finally agreed, but not before he interrogated him further to find any trickeries behind his seemingly well-intended offer. When he found none, and would not since Kuroro had been really honest about it, he agreed albeit half-heartedly. Kuroro was truthfully tired of their current volatile truce. It was not like he feared death by the Kuruta's hand or what. He embraced death as part of his life. It was the Kuruta that was tiring him. Kuroro did not mind the boy's presence. He did not hate him whatsoever, but the boy felt otherwise. He kept emitting hostility and wariness towards him, which he had tried his best to ignore but still they were eating up at him.
And so, Kuroro told him his plan. It was simple: they were going to sneak in, pretending to be the invited guest (after robbing someone of his invitation letter), attended the auction just to observe, waited until someone had won the eyeballs, followed the new owner, interjected him on his way home, and stole the eyeballs. Kurapika had been really unhappy with the fact that he was going to steal, but relented when Kuroro said that there was no other way so might as well bear with it. He had been right, of course. It was not like Kurapika had money to buy the eyeballs himself, and surely Kuroro would not waste a handsome amount of money on the Scarlet Eyes while he could just steal it, being the Master Thief he was.
"Let's go."
With a tug at his left wrist, Kurapika grumbled and followed the older man along. When they reached the mansion's gate, they put on their mask of indifference, pretending that they had been rightfully invited by the lord of the mansion. Kuroro handed them the stolen invitation letter and strolled in with Kurapika in tow. He was slightly impressed that the boy could put such a straight face, while he expected the boy, who had a high standard of moral ethics, to be nervous and fidgety.
It went smoothly as they planned. The security was loose, and they had no problem stalking the so-called new owner of the Scarlet Eyes and ambushed him on his way to his car. Kuroro swiftly killed everyone on site, ensuring no witness survived. With his free left hand, he took the Scarlet Eyes with certain reverence. Although he was a thief, he was no ordinary thief. He was Kuroro Lucifer, leader of the notorious Genei Ryodan, who had fine taste for priceless artefacts and rare objects. He knew how to appreciate a work of arts; and the Scarlet Eyes were ones. He admired the floating eyeballs in the container for a while, before turning to the Kuruta and handed it to him.
Kurapika took the container from Kuroro's hand with his free right hand; his fingers brushing against Kuroro's. This time, Kurapika had been so preoccupied by the eyes that no flinch came when their skin contacted. His visage softened, and his oceanic blue eyes stared at the eyes with a wave of endless sadness and loss. It might be his father's, or his mother's, or his friend's eyeballs he was holding, but he had no way to find that out. He wanted to cry, wanted to hug the container as if it contained his life, but he refrained himself from doing so. Kurapika was still aware of Kuroro's presence, and would not show his weak side in front of his enemy. He hardened his heart and swallowed.
"I keep the end of my bargain."
"And so will I." Kurapika muttered, his eyes never leaving the floating eyeballs, which seemed to be staring at him blankly. They both stood awkwardly in silence. Kurapika was satisfied that he finally retrieved a pair of Scarlet Eyes, but he had no idea on what he should do with it. First thing, he had to keep them somewhere safe. Kuroro sensed his predicament.
"Do you want me—"
"OVER THERE!" A booming voice echoed in the dark street, and both Kuroro and Kurapika snapped their heads to the direction of the shout.
Men started to pour into the previously lonely street, all armed to their teeth. Kurapika's first instinct had been to cover the container for protection.
"Tsk. They find us." With a flick of his wrist, a red book appeared in his right hand. Kuroro let the pages flipped until it stopped at a certain page with the Teleportation skill stored in it. Kurapika, who had been shocked, was not paying attention to him at all. With one swift movement, Kuroro slipped his free left arm to Kurapika's shoulder and hugged him, with the container safely tucked between him and Kurapika. His Nen book glowed, and they disappeared from sight, leaving the soldiers befuddled and lost.
Somewhere else far enough from the ruckus, they reappeared. Kuroro still had his left arm around Kurapika's shoulder, and kept it there as he looked around to ensure that nobody had seen them. Kurapika had frozen in his arm, his both hands clutching the container to his chest while his eyes stared to Kuroro's chest. He had not anticipated Kuroro's moves at all. Slowly, his brains started to work and his free right arm acted out of instinct.
"Hands off!" He yelled and batted Kuroro's arm away from his shoulder, his eyes flashing angrily at the older man.
Kuroro could see that the younger boy was flustered due to his sudden action. He would want to tease him further, to annoy the hell out of him, but his priority to keep their deal came first. He lifted his left arm in a surrendering manner, and stepped away from the seething Kuruta.
"Well, I was trying to ask whether you want me to store the Eyes for safe-keeping?"
Kurapika raised an eyebrow and looked suspiciously at him. He would not want to entrust his treasure to the Master Thief, if he could help it. However, his Fun Fun Cloth skill was the best option to keep the Scarlet Eyes out of danger. Besides, all his belongings were all stored in Kuroro's Fun Fun Cloth, and anyway they were stuck together for quite a while. Kuroro would not be able to run away from him. He nodded silently and gave Kuroro the container.
Kuroro blinked his eyes sleepily several times. He had always slept with his guard up during his journey with the boy, and this night he was awakened by the boy's restless sleep. Kurapika had been shuffling in his sleep, the nightmares haunting him and when he finally could not take it, he sat up and buried his face in his knees, all the while trying not to move his left arm if possible. He did not want the Spider head to see him in such a pathetic state, but it was too late.
They had agreed with a truce; that they would not try to provoke each other into unnecessary fights that might cost them their lives, and to mind their own businesses. However, that night Kuroro felt that he had to somewhat talk the Kuruta out of his restlessness, otherwise neither of them would have decent sleep that night.
"Nightmare?" He asked sleepily.
Kurapika stiffened upon hearing his husky voice. He wanted to lie, to yell at him to mind his own business, but he was too tired and his heart felt too burdened, that he just nodded. Kuroro's eyes widened when he saw the boy's weak nod. He was so sure the boy would deny it, thinking that he would want to appear strong in front of him. Probably made some excuses, but definitely not admitting it. Kuroro took more effort to scrutinise the boy. The curtain had been drawn, so the moonlight penetrated the window and fell upon the forlorn-looking boy. His blond hair glinted softly under the dim light. Suddenly, the boy looked so small and fragile, quite the opposite of the tough persona he was donning all this time.
"Want to talk about it?" He asked again.
Suddenly, he was awarded by a hateful glare. "Talk about it with you? I am like this because of YOU!" He snapped, his eyes glowing eerily crimson in the darkness of the night.
"You're right. I am the reason why you are an orphan now. But I am not the one who sends the nightmares to you." Kuroro said while stifling a yawn.
"You—"
"Come on, kid. You can choose not to let the nightmares haunt you. You choose to let the past haunt you. That's your problem." The older man said with bored tone.
"You jerk." Kurapika hissed dangerously at him and he looked as if he could just spit poison at him anytime.
"Am I not always a jerk in your eyes in everything that I do?"
"Bastard." With that, Kurapika slumped back to the bed and pressed his eyes tightly shut. It irritated him how the man could always counter all his verbal attacks on him. In the end, he was always the one at loss of words. He huffed with annoyance before going back to his sleep, but he slept quietly for the rest of the night; his nightmares forgotten.
Kuroro listened to Kurapika's breathing until it finally fell into an even rhythm, indicating that the boy was already in deep slumber. He sighed softly and closed his eyes tiredly.
"So much for our truce." He muttered to himself before drifting into his ever-guarded sleep once again.
Author's Note: Well, honestly I laughed my head off when I was writing this story, especially the part where Kuroro was dramatically making up silly stories about Kurapika being his long-lost sister. I think this chapter has too little conversation and too much narrative, but I can't help it. They can't possibly talk much to each other, considering their position, and also I don't want to make Kuroro too out of character. So, yeah, those who like conversations more, bear with me for a while. Let's wait until Kurapika mellowed down a bit more, shall we? (grin grin…) And sorry if this chapter is way too long…
Next: They were nearing the Ryuusei-gai; Kuroro's hometown. The path was gruelling and tediously long; but halfway there, Kurapika would never have guessed that the day that he would have to save Kuroro Lucifer was coming. What irked him more was that they had to encounter yet another mythical creature.
