Disclaimer: I do not own Hunter x Hunter, and not even the mythical creatures here…So sad…
Story so far: Kuroro and Kurapika reached a truce (somewhat) at last, and so they continued their journey to Kuroro's hometown, the Ryuusei-gai. Along their way, though, both realised that they could not have it so easy.
Chapter 3
RUSALKA and DESERT TALK
"Right after we get out of this forest, it will be the desert." Kuroro told Kurapika in a not-unfriendly way. He seemed to be taking their predicament rather easily, much to Kurapika's annoyance.
"How far more?"
"One day of walk, if we continue in this pace."
They had been travelling together for about a week now, and Kurapika's animosity against Kuroro had mellowed down at the slightest degree, which allowed Kuroro to breathe a tad-bit more easily now. Somehow, the Kuruta's hostility towards him was suffocating, and it was like walking with a time bomb; as Shalnark had put it. They also started to talk slightly more, but mostly about books, politics, and histories. Kurapika had to begrudgingly admit to himself that he had never exchanged opinions to such a high level with anyone else but Kuroro Lucifer. Usually the people he talked to was either clueless about the topic he was talking about, or they just did not have enough knowledge to have a brain-spar with him. Still, not all of their discussions went smoothly. They would have arguments, of course, when they had opposing opinions. Both were equally stubborn about their opinions, and they could go on about the same topics for hours.
Right after they left the last town, they entered the forest. Halfway into the forest, Kurapika declared that it should be called a jungle rather than a forest. Kuroro just chuckled amusedly, and continued to lead the way out of the forest. They walked deeper and deeper into the forest, the light getting thinner and dimmer as they walked into the heart of the forest. Kurapika started to wonder whether they had gotten lost in the forest or not. He looked at Kuroro hesitantly for a few times already, but the older man seemed confident enough in navigating themselves in the jungle. It was as if he knew the forest like the back of his hand.
"Are you sure we are on the right track?" Kurapika finally asked dubiously.
"The forest hasn't changed much since the last time I visited."
"When was the last time you visited?"
"About 10 years ago."
"Great." Kurapika rolled his eyes. They continued walking in silence, when suddenly Kuroro stopped and looked around.
"Do you hear that?" He asked Kurapika, while his keen dark eyes were still scanning the forest.
"What?" Kurapika tried to will his hearing to be keener. All he heard was the sound of insects and some other living creatures in the forest that were making incoherent noises to him. He heard the sound of wind occasionally, but nothing more; nothing out of ordinary, at least.
"Someone's voice." Kuroro looked around again cautiously, and he started to walk towards a certain direction; which Kurapika could not pinpoint as north, south, west, or east. He had lost all sense of direction in the jungle. He quickened his pace, and Kurapika had to struggle to keep up with the more experienced man in forest. The manacle kept dragging him to close to the older man. He kept stumbling upon protruding roots, while Kuroro was walking just fine and this irked Kurapika, really.
When they finally stumbled out of a thick bush, they emerged in a clearing with a lake just in the middle. The branches of the trees around the pond stretched out to form a thin canopy over the water of the lake. The water lapped gently against the body of the bank surrounding the water.
"I don't hear or see anything extraordinary here." Kurapika said as he scanned the surrounding.
Suddenly, something caught his attention from the corner of his eyes. He turned around and spotted someone in the water. It was a woman, with long, curly pale green hair. She had very pale skin to the point it looked almost blue, and her blue eyes were beady. She waved at them and smiled charmingly. Kurapika frowned at her; there was something off about her. After a minute of further observation, he noticed that the woman's hair was dry, despite being in the water. He then realized that the woman was not a human.
Just then, he felt a strong tug from his left wrist. He looked to his left and was surprised to see Kuroro striding right towards the water. Befuddled by his sudden action, Kurapika stole a glance at Kuroro's face and noticed that his usually alert dark eyes were unfocused and they were fixed on the woman. The woman was still waving at them, delight and excitement apparent in her ethereal face. Alarmed, Kurapika tried to pull Kuroro back but the man was much stronger than him. He would not budge and kept walking towards the water.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" He yelled at him with deep irritation. He yanked at the manacle roughly, but it had no effect. Kuroro still walked towards the lake and when they had reached the end of the bank, Kurapika started to panic. Somehow, he got the impression that the woman had bewitched Kuroro in some way, but it did not affect him. He had to find a way to stop Kuroro from plunging head first into the lake, dragging him along.
"Snap out of it, you bastard!" Kurapika yelled again, this time he pulled so hard that Kuroro was yanked backwards and fell to the ground just at the edge of the bank, bringing Kurapika down as well. Kurapika cursed under his breath. He had sprained his left wrist upon the fall, and it throbbed like hell now. Kuroro shifted in his position and turned to look at Kurapika. He had a puzzled and dazed look on his face.
"What…"
"Back to your sense now, huh?" Kurapika snapped at him irritably. "You were about to dive into the lake, you daze-head."
"How—"
Before he could finish his sentence, a pair of arms shot from the water and grabbed Kuroro's ankle. With unbelievable strength, the hands pulled at Kuroro's leg and managed to drag both of them into the water. With his supply of oxygen suddenly and rudely cut off, Kurapika instinctively went into a panic attack. His eyes were stung by the cold water, and he could feel himself drowning towards the bottom of the lake. In his blind struggle against the water, he felt a strong hand gripping his right elbow. With a strong pull, Kurapika sensed himself being lifted up. When he opened his eyes, he saw Kuroro's blurry face close to him. Kuroro was actually holding him and was trying to swim back towards the surface. Halfway, just before they reached the surface, Kurapika saw something vague from the corner of his eyes. Turning around his head, he saw the woman from earlier swimming towards them in a terrifying speed.
Before Kurapika could warn Kuroro (he would not be able to do it properly in water anyway), the woman swam her way towards Kuroro and had her hands around his neck. Kurapika felt something scaly against his skin. Belatedly, Kurapika realized that the woman was a mermaid and she had wrapped her scaly blue tail around him and Kuroro. She pressed her naked torso against Kuroro's body, her hands cupping Kuroro's pale face.
My, what a handsome man. Come and stay with me here, will you? She purred affectionately. Her otherworldly voice reverberated in the water. She smiled enchantingly at Kuroro, and Kuroro seemed to be rendered incapable of fighting back. Kurapika could sense Kuroro weakening, and to his tremendous horror, Kuroro started to close his eyes in a submissive way. He was falling to her spell, Kurapika somehow knew that.
With a new resolution, Kurapika summoned his Dowsing Chain with his free right hand and attacked the mermaid. The dowsing ball hit the mermaid straight and hard on the cheek. Kurkapika could hear her ear-splitting scream of agony echoing in the water, disturbing the calm water. The force he had put in the chain was enough to break a person's bone under normal circumstances. The water had provided resistive force to alleviate the impact of his attack, so the mermaid did not break her jaw. Still, out of reflex she let go of her victims and swam away from the danger. Taking his chance, Kurapika took the unconscious Kuroro in his arms and swam to the surface with all his might. It took him much effort because the man was too heavy for him.
Damn, for a thin-looking man like him, he sure is heavy…Or am I just too thin myself? Kurapika wondered in his mind as he focused himself to the surface of the water up there.
Once they reached the surface, he quickly swam towards the bank and lifted himself up the ground first before attempting to extract the older man out of the water. He dragged Kuroro as far away as possible from the water, and finally settled under the shade of a giant tree. He leaned against the massive trunk of the tree, panting and wet, while his eyes were fixed on the lake, searching for the mermaid. Seeing no sign of her, Kurapika looked at Kuroro, who was sprawled unconscious next to him. He looked like he was sleeping peacefully.
How dare you…
A voice chimed in the air, and it reached Kurapika's ears like ripple of water. Kurapika looked up and saw the woman at the edge of the water. She glared daggers at Kurapika, who just stared at her warily. Somehow, the woman's magic could not affect him. The mermaid narrowed her beady eyes dangerously and scrutinised him. After a while, something dawned at her and her blue eyes widened, the hostility forgotten.
Ah, no wonder… You are a girl…
"I AM A BOY!" Kurapika yelled outrageously, suddenly finding his energy. Even the mermaid mistook him as a girl; he wanted to pull his hair off his scalp.
Really? The mermaid asked him dubiously, but there was a curiosity now in her oceanic blue eyes. Hmm…How old are you?
"Seventeen." Kurapika answered curtly.
Mm-hmm…You are such a rare case. But that man… The woman gestured at the sleeping Kuroro with a nod of her head. He is obviously affected by me. I want him; I haven't seen such a good-looking man for a while.
"Unfortunately, I can't give him to you, as much as I'd love to." Kurapika sighed. "He is bound to me by this stupid link." Kurapika lifted his manacled hand up, and as the result Kuroro's right arm was slightly suspended in the air.
Hm? That's interesting. The woman smiled mischievously. How did you end up like that?
Kurapika frowned at her. Suddenly, the mermaid was taking great interest in them. "That's a long story…"
I like long stories. Do tell me, child. The mermaid hauled her torso out of the water and put her full arms on the ground and leaned against the bank, as if preparing herself to hear a good story. Kurapika sighed, but nevertheless told her briefly of their encounter with Hassamunnin the genie.
Hassamunnin, eh? That bratty genie is on the loose now? The mermaid's pretty eyebrows furrowed at this.
"You know him?" Suddenly, Kurapika saw a ray of hope.
No, not personally. He is just notorious of his pranks. Or maybe not.
"What are you? How come you can enchant this…ice block of a heartless man?"
That's my nature. I'm a siren. My name is Rusalka. What's yours, child?
"Kurapika."
Kurapika, hm? She said the name as if tasting it. You intrigue me, Kurapika. I like you.
"Uh…Thanks?" Kurapika grinned uneasily at her.
And he is?
"Kuroro Lucifer." Kurapika said the name as if it was a taboo.
Kuroro Lucifer? Recognition flashed in her beady eyes. Does that mean you are heading to the city at the other side of the desert?
"How do you know that?" Kurapika asked. Just by hearing the man's name, she was able to deduce that? Just how infamous could the man be?
If you meet a woman by the name Ishtar there, tell her I say hi. Or you can just tell your boyfriend there.
"HE IS NOT MY BOYFRIEND!" Kurapika roared with indignation, but the siren just giggled.
Well, until we meet again, Kurapika. With that, the siren dived back into the water, not without giggling gleefully at his face first. Kurapika groaned in frustration. He felt like punching something, and suddenly Kuroro's face looked like the perfect target. Just as he was thinking so, the said man groaned as if in pain. In fact, the noises Kurapika had made were loud enough to wake the dead.
"Wake up already." Kurapika muttered as he observed the man coming into his senses.
"Tell me what happened." He straightaway demanded. Kurapika rolled his eyes, but nevertheless told him of Rusalka. He skipped the part where she accused him of being a girl and calling Kuroro his boyfriend. If Kuroro heard of it, Kurapika would see no end of his merciless teasing.
"She mentioned of a woman called Ishtar and she wants to send a regard to her."
"Ishtar, huh? That's the person we are going to see." Kuroro massaged his temple with his left hand, trying to clear his head from the residual throbbing sensation from Rusalka's spell.
"Great. If she is acquaintance to a siren, then what is she? A siren too?" Kurapika groaned. He was going to meet yet another weirdo.
"No, definitely not a siren." Kuroro combed his wet hair with his free hand in the usual slicked back style and took off the wet bandage covering his forehead. In an instant he turned back into his Danchou appearance, and it made Kurapika's fists itched to punch him square on the face.
Kurapika frowned at his choice of words; to him it was as if saying that the Ishtar woman was definitely not a human as well. Kurapika, meanwhile, still had his hair all over his face and it was a complete mess. Kuroro looked at him, and was amused to find that the Kuruta looked even more effeminate in such fashion. He leaned closer to peer into his face, but Kurapika flinched away and snarled at him.
"What?" He snapped.
"Come on, let's get moving. We need to get out of this forest soon." Kuroro stood up and pulled Kurapika up by the chain. Due to the motion, Kurapika's sprained wrist screamed in agony, and he gasped in pain. He had totally forgotten about it. Kuroro stopped and gave him a quizzical look.
"I sprained my wrist during the fall there." Kurapika gestured towards the bank with his head. "Give me a minute."
With that, Kurapika summoned his Holy Chain and healed his sprained wrist in no time. Kuroro gave him an interested look and raised an eyebrow. It was a skill that he had never seen from the chain-user. He had seen his Judgment Chain and his Chain Jail, but not the others.
"That's a handy skill you have."
"Why, thank you." Kurapika replied sarcastically and got up. He squeezed the water off his soaked clothes and shook his head to get most of the water off his hair.
"What are you, a dog?" Kuroro commented dryly.
"Shut up and mind your own business." Kurapika coldly replied.
Kuroro just shrugged easily and together, still wet from head to toe, they made their way out of the forest quietly.
"Why did you save me back then?" Suddenly Kuroro asked. Kurapika stopped poking the fire with a stick and looked at Kuroro with a raised eyebrow.
Both of them had reached the desert, and when the night had approached, Kuroro said that they would camp there, in the middle of desert. Kurapika made no protest or complaints, since he knew that there was nowhere else to camp. It was all sands as far as the eyes could see. They made a small campfire and sat shoulder to shoulder (no other choice because the link remained irritatingly 20 cm) close to the warmth provided by the kind fire.
"And get myself killed as well if I hadn't? No, thanks." Kurapika put down the stick and settled back to the soft sand. "Although I'd be willing to die if I can kill you in the process." He gave Kuroro a quick glare, but returned his attention to the warm fire again.
"So you really have no qualm if your tribe becomes extinct?"
"Of course not! What makes you think—"
"You are the last Kuruta alive. If you die, that's the end of your tribe. For real." Kuroro looked at Kurapika with his dark eyes. There was seriousness in his eyes, something that was foreign to Kurapika. Well, Kurapika had never tried to deliberately look deep into his eyes, but still it made him uneasy.
"I know that."
"Aren't you going to continue your family blood line?" Kuroro asked again casually, as if they had been friends and not enemies.
"What are you getting at?" Kurapika snapped at him as he was losing his patience. In truth, he perfectly knew what Kuroro was talking about. As the last survivor of the Kuruta tribe, he had a burden of conserving their bloodline placed on his shoulders, and that could be done only by producing offspring. However, that could be done later. His vengeance against the Genei Ryodan was still top-priority. He was still only 17 years old, anyway.
"By hunting us, you are placing your life on the line." Kuroro mused. "You should know better how to survive."
"Are you trying to tell me to stop hunting you down, and instead lay low, get married, and have children? I'm so sorry, but that is just impossible. The issue of me preserving my tribe's bloodline can be done AFTER I have finished every single one of you." Kurapika turned and glared at Kuroro with his crimson eyes. This time, the redness was just mild but still it glowed creepily in the cold darkness of the desert.
"You'll get yourself killed before that happens." Kuroro said deadpan.
"Don't underestimate me!" Kurapika snarled at him.
"The same goes to you." He replied calmly, although there was an underlying warning in his tone; and Kurapika did not miss it. Kuroro continued before Kurapika could protest any further. "I suggest that after we are done with this, we go our separate ways and never have anything to do with each other. We will leave you alone and you will leave us alone."
"Do you honestly think that I CAN forget my hatred and bitterness towards you and your lot? You killed ALL my people!" Kurapika began yelling at him. His eyes glowed even redder, as if they were bleeding.
"That is why I am willing to let you go and leave you alone after this." Kuroro sighed, as if tired of their never ending arguments. "Although you have killed two of my comrades."
"They deserve it." Kurapika hissed hatefully.
Kuroro turned to face Kurapika and regarded him with an unreadable expression on his face. Kurapika suddenly felt uneasy for being stared at. Heck, whenever the Genei Ryodan leader was looking his way, he always felt uneasy, as if he was trying to look deep into him and penetrate his carefully constructed barrier layer by layer. It was a terrifying feeling. It made him feel vulnerable.
"How old are you?" He suddenly asked.
"What does that have to do with anything we are talking about?" Kurapika looked at him with disbelieving eyes. The man could just change the topic as if flipping the back of his hand, and he asked such irrelevant question as if it meant the world for him.
"Just answer me." He insisted.
"…Seventeen."
"Still too young to get married." Kuroro shrugged. "No wonder."
"Why the hell are you fussing about me getting married? It has nothing to do with you AT ALL." Kurapika was close to standing up in indignation and kicking the man in his face, but remembering the bind just in time, he aborted it and instead forced himself to sit down still.
"I'm just curious." Kuroro replied nonchalantly, and Kurapika knew that he was being honest.
"Curious my foot. Mind your own business." Kurapika sighed heavily and grumbled as he looked away from the older man. Out of instinct, he reached up and touched his earring with his right hand. He fingered it absentmindedly as he stared into the fire. Suddenly, he was not in the mood to argue with Kuroro anymore. The whole thing just seemed ridiculous. Why the hell was he discussing about getting married and all to that man, of all people?
"You have such a bad temper, Kuruta." Kuroro chuckled good-naturedly.
"Shut up. And stop calling me Kuruta! I have a name…" Kurapika trailed away. He was torn between wanting the man to stop calling him by his tribe name and letting him call him by his given name. The thought of the man calling him by his given name was almost like endearing him to the Spider Head.
"Fine, Kurapika." Of course Kuroro knew his given name. During his brief captive in the Kuruta's hands, the small woman who accompanied him had called him so.
Ignoring Kurapika's incredulous look on his face, his mouth gaping at him unceremoniously, Kuroro readjusted his thick coat and lay down on the sand and turned his back to the still shocked boy. A mischievous grin crept up his lips and he closed his eyes.
He was awoken yet again by the boy's restless movements next to him. Kuroro wondered if the boy ever slept peacefully for seven nights in a single week. He thought that the boy might be getting one of his frequent nightmares again. If he ever wanted to have decent sleep without getting interrupted in the middle of the night, he might have to deal with the boy's knack of fidgeting in his sleep. Sleepily, Kuroro turned around to give Kurapika an annoyed look, but cancelled it when he saw the boy's state.
Kurapika was sleeping facing his back a mere 20 cm away from him; the allotted space that their magical chain allowed them, curled into a small ball and shivering. He had worn the jacket that they had bought in the small town weeks before, but apparently it was not enough. Well, the boy was thin, so it should be small wonder that the merciless cold of the desert night was torturing him. The temperature had dropped drastically as dusk fell, but Kurapika had not felt that cold due to their earlier debate and arguments. Now that he was lying motionless on the cold ground to get some sleep, the chill started to creep into his body. He involuntarily shivered in his sleep, and kept tossing around to get into a warmer spot and position.
Kuroro observed the boy for a little while, before finally sighing and sat up. He took out his Fun Fun Cloth and fished out a thick blanket. He accidentally tugged at the boy through the link, waking Kurapika up. Groggily, Kurapika pried open his eyes and stared at the man, his eyes asking, "What do you want?"
Wordlessly, Kuroro draped the blanket over them and lay down on his back once again. Kurapika gave him a suspicious look, but as the man said nothing and his gesture had only benefited him, Kurapika said nothing and closed his eyes again, drifting back into a more comfortable and warm sleep.
Funny, Kuroro thought. He had really thought that the boy hated him with all his heart, but then again there he was, the boy curling next to him, sleeping peacefully. Kuroro remembered the boy was sleeping 20 cm away from him, but when he woke up, the boy was actually snuggled against him, his body unconsciously craving for warmth.
He was planning to get up and wake the boy up, but then he felt a soft stir from the boy. Instinctively, he relaxed his body and waited. He wanted to see the boy's reaction upon seeing that he was nuzzled up against him; his self-proclaimed nemesis. True enough, the boy's reaction had been worth seeing. Kurapika's eyes fluttered open sleepily. The first thing he saw was the black leather fabric of Kuroro's coat. He stiffened for five long seconds, before finally gasping in belated shock and tried to jump away from Kuroro as if he was a plague.
"Awake already?" Kuroro's voice remained even, but inside he was grinning gleefully.
"What…I…" Kurapika stuttered, his face pink and flustered by the compromising sleeping position he had found himself in.
"It seems you can't take the harsh night of this desert. Not used to it?" Kuroro got up and combed his hair casually. When he received no response, he just shrugged and rolled the blanket. The temperature had started to rise so he took off his coat and stored it along with the blanket in his Fun Fun Cloth. He silently gestured at Kurapika to hand him his jacket, since he would not need it during the scorching hot day in the desert. Kurapika wordlessly complied.
The rest of the journey across the desert was bland and monotonous, with the morning routine of light breakfast, the day routine of stopping for a quick lunch, and the night routine of making a small campfire and sleeping under the same blanket. Kurapika no longer made any protests when they had to huddle closer for warmth, since he needed it badly. Occasionally he would consider refusing the blanket and risked freezing to death in his sleep, in the process taking Kuroro with him to Death's door, and most of the time, he would brush aside those dark thoughts. Kuroro seemed to be doing well on his own, and Kurapika begrudgingly knew that the older man actually did not need the blanket but had graciously used it for Kurapika's sake. He knew that the man did that because he had no wish to take care of a sick boy on his way to their destination.
The day time was not as easy as well. Kurapika was sweating profusely, and several times he thought that he would get a severe heat stroke. He had no idea how Kuroro managed to survive while donning his black attire. He should have been baked since long time ago. Fortunately, he managed to go through the daylight ordeals without drawing Kuroro's attention.
"That's the city." Kuroro finally announced one day. They stood on top of a sand dune and from their position they could overlook a portion of the so-called Garbage City. "We should reach the gate by this evening."
"Good." Kurapika said with raspy voice. He himself was surprised to hear his voice. He had not drunk a single drop of water since their lunch.
"Here." Kuroro tossed him their water bottle and said nothing more. Kurapika stared at him for a moment, before gulping down a good portion of the warm water. It was refreshing as the water washed down his dry throat. As he wiped his now wet lips with the back of his hand, Kurapika stared at the man's back again. It bothered him how the man was showing small kindness and tolerance towards him now and then, and Kurapika had to draw a reassurance from the fact that the man had made no effort to get into a comfortable buddy talk with him yet. At least he knew that Kuroro was still distancing himself from him.
They continued their journey down towards the city without exchanging any words. True to Kuroro's prediction, they reached the city's gate by early dusk. With renewed strength, Kurapika walked faster towards the city. When they reached the gate, a hulking man was slouching against the concrete wall of the gate. He appeared to be sleeping, but when they were about 10 metres away from him, he stirred and looked up. His weathered face contorted into a suspecting frown as he looked sharply at Kurapika. Kurapika ignored his hostile stare; he really wanted to get out of the desert badly. Kuroro meanwhile sauntered his way towards the gate.
"You ain't no citizen of Ryuusei-gai." The old man declared as he straightened up. At closer look, Kurapika could see the well-built muscles along his arms and torso. He was the guard of the gate, that much was obvious.
"Relax, Jan. The boy is with me." Kuroro stepped forward.
The old man peeled his gaze off Kurapika and stared to the older man. A flash of recognition lit his wrinkled eyes.
"Kuroro? Boy, look at how you've grown up. The boy with you, eh? No problem then." Suddenly the guard became much friendlier towards them. He then stood up and regarded Kuroro silently while nodding as if appraising a statue. Kuroro said nothing and only gave a small smile to the old man. He then moved towards the gate and unlocked it.
"Seein' the Lady?" The old man asked as Kuroro and Kurapika walked past the gate.
"Yes. There is something I need to ask her." Kuroro answered politely. Judging from the way Kuroro talked to him with respect, and not to mention the old man's familiarity with him, Kurapika knew that the guard had known Kuroro since he was little. Probably he had even seen him growing up.
"She'll be glad to see you again. You're her pride, y'know?" He grinned at him.
Again, Kuroro flashed him a warm 'thank-you' smile, the one that he would have never given to anybody else. Kurapika raised an eyebrow as he saw the drastic change of the Genei Ryodan leader's cold and uncaring demeanour into a warm and kind one. The image just did not fit the Spider Head's picture in Kurapika's mind.
"Make sure the boy behaves here!" The old guard called out to him before the gate slammed closed behind them.
"Of course." Kuroro said with a slight chuckle, and Kurapika was alarmed to hear the mischief in it. He looked up and saw Kuroro grinning at him. "The boy will surely behave, since he is in his enemy's lair."
Kurapika gulped. Maybe the decision to come over to Kuroro's hometown had not been very wise, after all.
Author's Note: There it goes… I'm sure that you all know what a mermaid is. As for siren, it's a Greek mythological creature; somewhat like a mermaid but they enchant travellers with their songs to their death (so they shipwrecked their own ships). Rusalka is not a random name, by the way. It's somewhat similar to mermaid and siren but it's from Slavic mythology. For more info you can check them on the net. Poor Kurapika, getting mistaken as a girl by everyone… (evil grin)
Next: As they finally reached the notorious Ryuusei-gai, Kurapika managed to catch a glimpse of the life in the so-called garbage dump city. Also, when he finally got to meet the woman called Ishtar, by golly, how surprised he was when he found out about what her relationship with Kuroro Lucifer was.
