Disclaimer: I do not own Hunter x Hunter, only some of the supporting characters popping out here and there.

Story so far: Just a few days after it was revealed that Kurapika was indeed a girl, she had a high fever plus a disastrous delirium. Somehow, Kuroro managed to handle her, although he had to see the weak side of her. Just as they intended to resume their journey, bad things just had to befall them.


Chapter 7

DOUBLE TROUBLE


It had only been half a day when they walked out of the town when the chains of troubles began.

They were traversing the lush forest at the hills surrounding the small town, both keeping everything to themselves. Kurapika had been mulling over the fact that she had mistaken Kuroro Lucifer, of all people, as her older brother. If it had been Leorio, she would have understood it. After all, that incorrigible man was already like a big brother to him since the Hunter Exam they took about a year ago. Ah, the Hunter Exam. How she missed those blissful time. She missed her friends. She had not contacted any of them since the time when Killua and Gon were in the Greed Island game. It was just too bad that she had to throw away her cell phone when they left her dummy in the ruin where they encountered the Hassammunin genie. She knew that the phone had a tracking device installed in it, so that Nostrad would be able to track her down in case she turned against him, or something like that.

Now she was completely isolated from the whole world that she knew of.

Kuroro, on the other hand, was not actually thinking about any particular issue. He was done with thinking the night before they departed from the Prancing Pony inn. He had thought of how his actions could change the world of someone else so drastically. He had observed the Kuruta girl. He had imagined; what if he had not massacred the Kuruta tribe, what if Kurapika had not been a Kuruta, what if, what if, and other what ifs. If all those 'what ifs' were true, he would not be stuck with the said girl now, he would not be travelling the whole world desperately seeking some elusive mythical creature to dissolve the spell, he would not have seen Ishtar unwillingly, and he would not have seen and learned things he had learned during his travel with the girl. Talking about pros and cons, even he, the brain of the Genei Ryodan, could no longer place whether the situation was generally beneficial or disadvantaging to him and his gang. He was, after all, someone who valued knowledge.

Suddenly, something hummed. Both Kurapika and Kuroro snapped from their own reveries and looked around in alert. The hum seemed close and immobile. After several seconds had passed, only then Kuroro realized that the hum had come from his pocket. Rummaging through his pocket, he took out the small bundle of the Fun Fun Cloth he had. It was vibrating slightly, like a phone vibrating when there was a call. Confused, he looked at it with frown; and so did Kurapika. Out of the blue, there was bright light coming from the cloth and before they could prepare for anything, the cloth exploded.

Clothes flew and scattered around them like confetti being thrown around in celebration. Kuroro donned the look of someone who had been electrocuted with small current, while Kurapika was gawking unceremoniously at the scene. Unfortunately for them, the ground they were standing on was not entirely dry. Some of the clothes landed on the pools of mud, some stuck on the low branches of the trees around them, one found its place on Kurapika's head, another one on Kuroro's shoulder.

"What is going on here?" She demanded after three long seconds of taking in the outrageous scene before her.

"It seems that he has just died." Kuroro answered coolly as he looked at the palm of his hand; where the Fun Fun Cloth had been just a few seconds ago.

"He? Who has just died?" Kurapika's eyes grew wider.

"That Injuu guy, the one who originally has this skill. The rule of my ability is when the owner of the skill dies, so does the skill that I stole." He shrugged, as if the fact that someone had just died did not bother him at the very least.

Kurapika frowned at his explanation. If Kuroro had managed to steal a skill from an Injuu, it could only mean that the Injuu was not as strong as the Godfathers claimed them to be. Well, she had seen Uvogin pummelling three of them like jelly.

"But more importantly, what are we going to do about this?" Kuroro inquired as he squatted down and picked a shirt that had been stained brown by the mud. Kurapika sighed.

"I guess we'll have to head back to town and buy some backpacks, and clean those clothes…" Kurapika said as she started gathering the clothes scattered around them.

"Looks like that's the best choice." Kuroro shrugged again and began collecting the clothes as well.


"Wel—oh! Hello!"

Fino beamed as she saw the duo entering the inn, but her happy face turned into that of a befuddled expression as she saw the heaps of clothes in their hands; some clean and most dirty. Kurapika's head was barely apparent above the mountain of clothes she was carrying. She could bet that they looked like some clowns. Fino blinked several times, trying to digest the situation. There had never been guests like them before.

"Uh…" Kurapika started, unsure on how she should explain the situation. "We need to clean our clothes. Our backpack is spoiled."

"And we will need to get new backpacks, so if you may, can you help us clean our clothes while we buy ourselves some backpacks?" Kuroro added.

"Oh, sure thing. Come on, I'll take you to the laundry area." But that's weird, I didn't see them bringing any backpacks before, she thought. Oh well…

So Fino led them to the so-called laundry area. She asked her mother to wash all the clothes. When the lady saw the heaps of dirty clothes, she almost fainted. "What have you been doing to get all these clothes dirty?" she had almost screamed, but she calmed down when Kurapika patiently explained the situation. Kurapika and Kuroro then left the inn to hunt for some backpacks.

When they returned, it was already evening. Fino welcomed them and led them to their room which she had prepared for them. She had inquired on why it took so long for them just to get two backpacks. None of them answered since both knew that the reason was simply because they bickered too much during the 'hunt'. They argued about designs, prices, and other trivial matters.

"Well then, see you tomorrow morning. Call me if you need anything, okay?" She told them politely and was about to excuse herself when suddenly a hand grabbed her elbow.

"Uh…" Kurapika looked at her with uneasiness. Fino regarded her with a look of nervousness and curiosity at the same time. Last time Kurapika had harshly told her to mind her own business, since she had insisted that Kuroro was Kurapika's boyfriend. She felt awkward with Kurapika, yet at the same time she intrigued her.

"I just want to say sorry…I've been harsh to you the last time…" Kurapika ducked her head in apology. Kuroro, meanwhile, was just observing her with amusement apparent on his face.

"Oh…Oooh, that one." Suddenly, Fino laughed merrily. Kurapika looked up and stared at the girl with unbelieving eyes.

"It's alright. That was my fault as well. My mother also has always told me not to meddle with other people's business too much. I'm sorry, too." She took Kurapika's hand and squeezed it warmly. "So, are we friends now?"

Kurapika was completely taken aback by her response. Well, she had expected forgiveness from her, since she looked like innocent girl, just like Gon, but this? She had not expected the innkeeper's daughter to ask her to be her friends. Kuroro raised an eyebrow and was further amused by the whole situation. He crossed his arms across his chest and continued observing.

"Friends?" Kurapika repeated Fino's word.

Somehow, hearing it from someone who had been stranger to her just a couple of days before made her feel uneasy. Kurapika did not easily trust everyone. Gon was special; he intrigued her since the first time she got to know him. Leorio had a big fight with her the first time they talked, and they learned to accept each other just because Gon intercepted. It took her longer to trust Killua since he had been somewhat different since the beginning. Only because Gon seemed to trust him so much that Kurapika learned to accept him as well. But this town girl? She asked to be her friend just like that?

"You don't want to?" If Fino was a cat, or dog, or rabbit, she would have had her ears laid flat on her head with disappointment.

"No, no! I mean…" Kurapika shook her head. "I…I guess it's fine." Yes, befriending such a simple town girl would not hurt, would it?

"Great! So what's your name?"

"Kurapika." She gave her a small smile.

"And you are?" She asked Kuroro, who was standing near Kurapika all the time (he did not have any choice now, did he?)

Kurapika turned her head and regarded Kuroro with a curious expression. Kuroro had always been careful not to reveal his identity as the head of Genei Ryodan. If unnecessary, he would not give his name so easily.

"Kuroro." He answered straight away and gave the simple girl a charming smile; which almost melted the girl into jelly. Kurapika seemed mildly shocked by his immediate response. "It's nice to get to know you, Fino."

Fino blushed furiously. She had not thought that an overnight guest would remember her name. After she excused herself from their room and stomped her way down to the hall like she always did, Kurapika turned to Kuroro and gave him a suspecting stare.

"What?" He asked with raised eyebrows.

"You just intend to make use of her, don't you? Be her acquaintance, then ask for easy help from her." She accused him.

"Hmm… " He played a smile, or rather a smirk, in his lips. "In a way, yes. But being her friend is not harmful to her, isn't it? It's a mutual symbiosis, so why not?"

Of course Kuroro was right. Seeing that she could not argue against him, Kurapika stayed mute to save her face. Besides, she was getting tired of arguing with him constantly. All she did was just to roll her eyes and muttered "Whatever."


He was having one of the rare peaceful slumbers he could get when he was awakened by the soft whispering in the middle of the night. Sleepily he tried to listen closely to the whisperings, to decide whether it was anything harmful or not. If it was nothing, he would drift back to sleep and forget it.

"…Let our blazing Scarlet Eyes bear witness…" So he heard the last sentence muttered by a certain someone.

Kuroro fluttered open his eyes. He thought of it for a while, before finally he decided to stealthily turn around and take a quick look at the girl. Yes, a certain girl who shared a room with him, with their beds joined together to make a make-shift queen-sized bed. The said girl was sitting with her back towards him. She was facing the window and seemed to be in a praying position. She repeated the prayer she was saying, and this time Kuroro could clearly hear it.

"Sun in the sky,

Trees upon the ground…

Our bodies are from the earth,

Our souls come from the Heavens above.

The Sun and the Moon rejuvenates our bodies,

Sends our bodies to the wind that blows across the plains.

Give thanks to the Gods who abode in the Heavens for the land of the Kuruta.

Let our spirits live in everlasting vigour and protection.

I seek to be capable of sharing the mirth with my people.

Offer homage to the people of the Kuruta Tribe,

Let our blazing Scarlet Eyes bear witness…"

He immediately knew that it was a kind of Kuruta prayer. Kuroro Lucifer was not a religious person; far from it. He was someone who only believed in himself and the convictions he held firm. Praying was something he never did, not even once in his lifetime. Deciding to let the girl alone with herself and her prayer, Kuroro pressed close his eyes and drifted back to his dreamless sleep. If the girl needed some kind of reassurance and she felt that she could get it from the prayer, then that was not his problem.


They were sorting through their clothes in the morning. Earlier Fino and her mother had brought their clean and dry laundry to their room. They had decided that they would carry their own clothes and necessities separately on their own, so as to avoid any troubles in the future. Fino helped them by folding their clothes, and she had graciously and generously separated Kurapika's 'special bundle' in another bundle.

Most of the time, though, she was looking at them closely, with eagerness in her eyes. Kurapika started to get uneasy with her stares, while Kuroro did not seem to mind at the very least. Finally, Kurapika decided to ask.

"Fino? Is there anything wrong?"

"Hm? No." She replied innocently.

"So why are you staring at us?"

"Because I think the red string legend is very romantic."

"Huh?" Kurapika furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. This time, the innkeeper's daughter's comment earned even Kuroro's attention. "What do you mean?" She asked again.

"There is this red light thingie that links the two of you, just like the Invisible Red String of Fate. I've never seen it before, but now that I see it, I think it's really romantic." She explained and her face started to look as if she was daydreaming.

"Red light?" Kurapika raised her eyebrows. At first she was confused of what the girl was talking about, but when she realized it, she turned to glance at Kuroro; and the man was looking at her as well. They were sharing the same thought. The genie's aura that bound them was indeed red in colour.

"Fino, you can see Nen?" Kurapika asked the girl unsurely.

"Nen? What's that?" The girl cocked her head sideways, clueless. "Actually, I've got pretty sharp spiritual sensitivity. I can see ghosts sometimes, and I can see people's aura most of the time." The girl said proudly.

"So…What's with the red string legend?" Kuroro finally asked curiously.

"It's just a myth that says that if two people are destined to be lovers, there will be this invisible red string that is bound from their pinky fingers." Fino explained as she pointed to her little finger, her grin wide and meaningful.

"And you believe it?" Kurapika said while sounding horrified.

"If it's really invisible, how can they know that it's really red, anyway?" Kuroro chuckled amusedly, and gave it no further thought.

"Well, who knows?" Fino shrugged, rather disappointed by their lack of proper reaction to her comment. She stood up and excused herself since there seemed to be nothing she could help with currently. Suddenly, a mischievous thought popped in her head as she walked towards the door. She turned around and gave them a final look.

"But then again, seeing the two of you, people can't help but to believe in it, don't they?"

With that, she ran away while giggling, as there was a furious roar of indignation coming from a certain blonde.

"FINO!"

At the same time, a certain raven haired man started laughing. "The Invisible Red String of Fate, huh? That's interesting." He mused.

Kurapika looked at him with her say-another-word-about-it-and-I'll-strangle-you-to-death glare. Kuroro looked at her closely, still unwilling to stop teasing her. Apparently, he noticed the faint blush on the girl's face.

"Now I know why the genie appropriately chooses red."

"You stop with this nonsense!" She yelled at him.

Kurapika then started grabbing her clothes violently and stuffed them to her backpack with a huff. Kuroro took his sweet time arranging his clothes in his backpack, revelling in Kurapika's annoyance.

"If anything…" He heard her mumbles. "…we are bound by the blood oath of vendetta that I swore upon the graves of my people…"

Kuroro frowned at her comments but said nothing about it. He kept up his mask of indifference and resumed in sorting and arranging his clothes. In all honesty, he was getting tired of the Kuruta girl's endless repetition of her vow to revenge her tribe and her self-proclaimed hatred towards him. He knew that he had many enemies, considering his profession, but to have one travelling with him was driving him nuts.

He might need to do something about it; somehow, somewhere in the future.


It was good two days after they had departed from Fino's little inn with their own respective backpacks slung on their backs. They were walking in silence, as usual, across the forest when suddenly Kurapika felt a pang of pain in her stomach. It felt as if her inside was stabbed by some fine needles. Surprised, she touched her stomach gingerly with one hand without stopping. She looked at it briefly, but the pain went away as soon as it had come. Dismissing the pain, she continued walking forwards.

The next three days, she continued to have the occasional pain in her abdomen, and the pain was getting worse and it lasted longer. She started to get disturbed by it, but she had not told Kuroro this matter. There was no way she would be telling the older man that she was having some trivial stomach aches, wouldn't she? But when the pain reached the peak, she could not stand it anymore. Kurapika stopped walking and squatted down, her backpack forgotten on the ground, her hand was rested on her stomach and her face was contorted as she tried to contain the pain.

"What's wrong?" Kuroro asked shortly upon realising that the girl had stopped.

Kurapika glanced around and spotted a river nearby.

"Can…Can I go to that river for a while…?" She asked weakly, not caring that she sounded as if she was asking permission from him.

Kuroro frowned in confusion at her odd attitude. He looked at her closely, trying to see what was wrong with her. He finally nodded in silence agreement and both of them headed towards the river. He waited behind the bushes at the edge of the river, while Kurapika did whatever business she needed to do at the stream.

Kurapika scooped a handful of fresh water and splashed her face with it. She could feel her face turning white and the cold sweat that was drenching her. The pain was torturing her, and she had no idea where it came from. She was sure she had not eaten anything weird, so it could not be food poisoning. She sat down on the grass by the stream, trying to think on what was wrong with her inside, when she felt her pants getting wet.

Cursing inaudibly underneath her breath, she stood up as she thought that she had sat on wet ground, but when she saw bloodstain on the ground she had been sitting on a few seconds ago, Kurapika froze. Suddenly, she knew what was going on with her body, and it definitely not good AT ALL. She had just started to get panicked the circumstances she was in, when the pain worsened the situation by assaulting her violently. She let out a moan of pain as she dropped to the ground, clutching her stomach.

The bushes behind her ruffled and Kuroro emerged from it, thinking that something had happened to her and he wanted to check. When he spotted her on the ground, curling into a ball and groaning in pain, he squatted before her and frowned at her with confusion.

"What happened?" He asked, not understanding her pain.

"I'm…Uh…" Even speaking took effort now. "The Prancing Pony…"

"What?" Kuroro thought he misheard her words. What did the inn have to do with her right now?

"Get me…there…" She grabbed his arm, which he never anticipated she would do. If anything, the girl loathed any skin contact with him. "Quick!" She emphasised.

Kurapika made it sound as if her life depended on it, and Kuroro, not perceiving the circumstances she was in, could only comply with her wish. Seeing that she could not stand up on her legs anymore due to the pain, Kuroro had to scoop her in his arms and rushed her there blindly. He had not, however, forgotten their backpacks.


Just as they entered the village in less than one day (hours actually), with Kurapika in Kuroro's arms, lucky for them Fino was the one who spotted them as they made their way to her inn. She thought that Kurapika had fallen sick again (the last time they were in the inn, she had a high fever). When Kurapika grabbed her hand and whispered "period" to her, her face bleached and flushed at the same time. Fino dragged them; or more precisely Kuroro, towards the inn, and when they got into a room that she had randomly picked for them, she asked Kuroro to let her handle Kurapika for the rest.

Kuroro, who had no idea on what was going on, was only told to stay out of the way. He happily obliged and waited outside the bathroom. Earlier, Fino had dragged Kurapika into the bathroom and locked themselves in that room. Soon, the innkeeper came into the room with befuddled face and inquired him on what was going on with all the fusses.

"I have not the slightest idea, either." He honestly told him with a shrug.

When everything had seemed to settle, Fino emerged from the bathroom with Kurapika leaning against her. She looked weaker then ever in Kuroro's eyes. It was as if something was draining the life out of her. Fino helped her lie on the bed and held her hands while whispering some words of reassurance to her. After a while, when Kurapika had seemed to calm down, Fino got up and spared Kuroro a fleeting reassuring glance as well; which he did not know what for. She then excused herself from the room without enlightening him on what had actually happened.

Kuroro turned to Kurapika, who had curled herself into a ball again. He stood near the edge of the bed and looked at her with curiosity.

"What happened?" He finally asked.

"Fino didn't tell you?" She asked while looking at him tiredly, with a blush.

He shook his head. "She just went out without saying anything. What's going on?" He did not like the prospect of him not understanding about what was going on around him.

Kurapika groaned in pain and embarrassment. She had hoped that Fino would have spared her the humiliation of having to explain to Kuroro Lucifer, of all people, that she was turning into a mature woman physically. She clutched the pillow and inhaled, as if trying to brace herself for whatever was coming her way, embarrassment or not.

"I just…want to die…" She muttered under her breath.

"Because?" Now this is interesting, Kuroro thought as he raised an eyebrow.

"I'm having my period."

Kuroro looked at her quizzically, not understanding what she meant with 'period'. Kurapika rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"Menstrual period!" She hissed and looked away, too embarrassed to look at him.

"Ah…" He remembered then. Machi had mentioned something like that when she was in really, really bad mood. He overheard her talking with the other girls about the curse of monthly menstrual period, but he was not interested in it so he paid no heed to it.

Suddenly Kurapika groaned in pain again and buried her face in the pillow. She curled her body into a tighter ball. Kuroro frowned at her.

"Is it really that painful?"

"Like I said…I want to die…" Kurapika answered with weak voice, as if she was really dying. "Curse you and all other males…for not suffering as we do…"

"Well, that's just too bad." Kuroro grinned and shrugged. He pocketed his hands while Kurapika shot him a resentful glare, but it was soon overwhelmed by the pain in her abdomen.

"Urk…"

Kuroro looked at her with mix of amusement and pity. When the girls in his gang were having their periods, they never seemed to be suffering as much as Kurapika did. Their moods only turned sour, and that was all. But really, the Kuruta girl looked so pitiful now, twitching and groaning in pain, as if she was being killed from the insides. Maybe that was really how it felt like, if a description was needed.

"That's why…" Kurapika suddenly said.

"Hm?"

"That's why I don't want to travel as a girl…This is just too troublesome…" She muttered.

Troublesome for me too, Kuroro bitterly thought. With Kurapika as a girl, there were many considerations they had to take during their conditional travels. Sleeping accommodations in inns and hotels, bathing time, and now this. He had sometimes secretly wished that Kurapika had not turned back into a girl she originally was.

"And that's why I'm going to make you suffer as well…" She added with vengeance.

Kuroro had not understood what she meant with her words. He thought she was just bubbling incoherently as she was trying to bear the pain. Oh boy, how he was gravely mistaken. Kurapika's moods turned extremely sour whenever she had her periods, and he was the target of her sourness, always. She would treat him coldly, rudely, harshly, anything negative. Fino had expressed her sympathy for him when they had departed from the inn; as Kurapika was still in very foul mood and was taking out everything on Kuroro. She did, however, thank the innkeeper's daughter for her help in taking care of her and supplying her for her 'needs'.

And so they resumed their journey, only now Kuroro had to look out whenever Kurapika was about to have her monthly period, and he had to be extra careful when she was having her period. He would have to brace himself for the coming stormy bad days.


"Ne, Killua. What do you want to order?"

"Hng…I don't know. There's nothing interesting here. They don't even have parfait!" Killua said as he perused the menu lazily.

"Well, this is quite a small town. I guess they don't really have much to offer."

"Hmm…Then what are you going to have, Gon?" The white-haired boy asked while his eyes were still glued on the menu.

"Kurapika."

"What?" Killua immediately stopped reading the menu and looked up to Gon. "Gon, I know you miss him but the menu doesn't have any dish with the name 'Kurapika' here. Anyway, you watched the news. He is dead…" Killua looked away. He tasted bile as he spoke his own words. They had been devastated when they saw the news. Was Gon having a hard time forgetting their dead friend?

"No. That's Kurapika, isn't it?" Gon said as he straightened up and his gaze was fixed straight to a certain direction.

"Hn? Where?" Killua turned around to see whether Kurapika was really there or not. He thought Gon was just seeing his ghost, but by golly, he was mistaken.


"Whether I keep in touch with my friends or not, that is none of your business." Kurapika said with exasperation. Why did the man had to meddle with her business so much? It did not even concern him.

"Well, I was just wondering. Is it because you don't want them to get involved in all this?" Kuroro asked casually as he walked down the staircase after Kurapika, his hands in his pockets and his backpack slung over his shoulder.

"Like I said, it's none of your business!" She turned around and glared at him. "And why are you so curious about it?"

"Because…" Kuroro looked up over Kurapika's head. "I see them coming this way."

"KURAPIKAA!"

Oh no. Kurapika held her breath and froze.

When she turned around, she saw white hair and black hair at the bottom of the staircase. Gon looked at her with sheer happiness, while Killua frowned when he looked at them. Gon called out her name again with a squeal, but Killua hurriedly grabbed his best friend's arm. The spiky-haired boy turned around and regarded Killua with a confused look and a pout.

"Wait, Gon! Look there further above!" Killua gestured with a nod of head. Gon obediently turned around and saw what Killua was referring to.

"Kuroro Lucifer!" He cried out, his eyes bulging in disbelief.

"We meet again, kids." Kuroro addressed them casually, a smirk playing in his lips.

"Why are you here?" Killua demanded as they assumed battle stance.

"What I do in my free time is none of your concern." He answered vaguely, but he took a brief glance at Kurapika, who looked like she had forgotten how to breathe.

"And Kurapika, what are you doing with him? I thought you want to kill him to avenge your tribe?" Gon asked with pleading look. "And I thought you were killed! What happened?"

Kurapika gasped inaudibly, her body tensed up as the boy reminded her of her oath to revenge her clan.

"Gon, that's not Kurapika. It's a girl." Killua said, but his eyes never leaving Kuroro.

Although Kuroro kept his mask of coldness, inside he was gleefully grinning. Kurapika, on the other hand, was praying vehemently that Killua could convince the other boy that she was not the Kurapika they knew.

"Really?" Gon innocently asked Killua with wide eyes.

"Look there. She's definitely a she. Kurapika is a boy, remember? We've seen him in his training jersey during the Hunter Exam, and he definitely has flat chest." Killua told him.

"But that one has flat chest too."

"That's because she's got small boobs."

Despite her wish that they would think she was not the Kurapika they knew, still Killua's statement made her feel like her heart was being stabbed and minced and sliced into fillet. Kuroro even snorted in amusement, and it took all he had not to laugh out loud.

"Then…" Gon turned around and looked at her once more time. "She's a Spider?"

Kurapika's eyes widened, while Kuroro raised an eyebrow. Trouble, he thought.

"Maybe." Killua shrugged.

That was all she needed to burst into rage.

"I WILL NEVER JOIN THE SPIDERS!" She yelled and her eyes turned crimson.

Her outrage took the boys by surprise, and the occupants of the inn looked at her direction with mix of annoyance and shock. When she came to her sense, Kurapika gasped and covered her mouth with her hand, while her irises rapidly turned back to their normal hue of oceanic blue. As her face bleached, the boys had their mouths hanging open.

"You are really Kurapika?" Killua asked cautiously. He turned to Kuroro, who was still grinning amusedly. "Is she really our Kurapika?"

"Well…" He shrugged.

"Kurapika, what's wrong?" Fino inquired with concern in her voice as she approached them. She had no idea that she had just answered Killua's question.

"Fino, everything's alright. You can go back to your work." Kuroro told her calmly. He did not want her to unnecessarily know about their circumstances.

"Are you sure? But just now…" Fino looked at Kurapika with doubts in her eyes.

"It's alright. But we'll need to use the room for a little while more. Is that fine?" Kuroro asked again, this time he was already half-turning to climb up the staircase and his hand was already gripping Kurapika's frozen elbow.

"I—I think that's fine…I'll tell dad…" She muttered before she walked away unwillingly.

As Fino left the scene, Kuroro turned to the boys and gestured at them to follow him. He then dragged the still-frozen Kurapika by her elbow. Gon and Killua exchanged worried look, but nonetheless they still followed the head of Genei Ryodan to the second floor, and into the room which had been previously occupied by Kurapika and Kuroro. Kuroro dropped Kurapika to the nearest chair. By then she was still in a daze.

"I suggest you tell them about our circumstances." Kuroro said with flat voice as he crossed his arms in front of his chest and leaned on one leg.

"What circumstances? I don't get it. Kurapika is supposed to be a boy." Killua said with deep frown.

"Supposedly." Kuroro stressed the word as he looked at Killua with sharp eyes.

"Kurapika?" Gon approached Kurapika gingerly. He had a confused look on his face.

The said girl inhaled deeply and exhaled. She clenched the chair's hand support and closed her eyes. She repeated her inhaling and exhaling until her heart had settled down, and she finally unclenched her trembling hands. She took a deep breath before she looked up and stared at Gon's face with much-calmer look on her ashen pale face.

"Yes, Gon. I'm Kurapika, and I'm a girl." She said, her voice almost a whisper.

"What happened?" He asked with sad voice.

"I'm originally a girl. I'm sorry, but I've been deceiving you guys all this time." She shook her head sadly and looked at them in the eyes. "The seal that disguised me was broken."

"Ok, that's one thing you've explained, and I understand that. I don't mind that." Killua said, his voice steady yet edgy. "But tell me, Kurapika, why are you with that guy, of all people?" He asked as he pointed at Kuroro with accusing finger.

"You are supposed to be enemies." Gon nodded vigorously.

"And enemies we are still. It's just that…" Suddenly, Kurapika felt very tired. She did not want to explain the whole situation to them.

"I'll explain to them." Kuroro volunteered as he stepped forward. Kurapika looked at him with surprise evident on her weary face, but said nothing to stop him. If anything, she was grateful that he had generously offered to spare her the burden.

"I don't trust you." Killua said as he stepped back, still wary of the raven haired man.

"Well, if I lied to you, she would protest, no?" He smirked at him, which made Killua uneasy.

So, not bothering to check whether they trusted his stories or not, Kuroro told them of their encounter with Hassamunnin the genie and the conditions he had laid on the two of them. He also showed them the red aura that bound them. During the entire session, Kurapika said nothing at all, merely looking down to the floor. Gon looked at Kuroro straight in the eyes as he told them the story, while Killua glanced at Kurapika now and then with constant frown on his forehead.

"I see…" Gon mumbled when Kuroro was finished.

"I misjudged you, Kurapika. I thought you were willing to avenge your tribe, even if your life is the gamble." Killua said disapprovingly to Kurapika, who still had not said anything.

Kurapika said nothing. Killua held his breath in vexation, and when he was just about to storm out of the room, he heard Kurapika's whisper.

"…I've told Leorio this: my dignity means nothing compared to what my kinfolks had suffered from."

"Precisely!" He turned around and glared at her. "Precisely because of that, you should have taken his life as soon as you have the chance!"

"Killua! She'll die too!" Gon protested.

"She vowed to take revenge even if her LIFE is the price!" Killua was close to yelling then.

"You are right." Kurapika nodded, her voice was regaining her strength. "I did vow so. However, what is the point of killing this one man, when the others are still around?" She looked at Killua, daring him to argue against her.

"And what is the point…if at the end my tribe is really driven to extinction because of me?"

Killua held his breath in surprise and gasped. Gon did the same, but he looked at both Kurapika and Killua in anticipation. He did not know what to say. Heck, he was not even following what they were arguing about. Kuroro, on the other hand, was merely observing the situation. If he was to say anything, he would say that Kurapika was winning the battle.

"Ceh!" Killua spat and stormed out of the room.

"Killua!" Gon called out to him, but he looked at Kurapika with torn expression.

"Go with him, Gon." Kurapika nodded and smiled at him, although Gon knew that her smile was full of sadness.

Reluctantly, Gon went after the fuming Killua, leaving the two of them alone in the room. Silence filled the room. Kuroro looked at the door where the two boys had disappeared into, and then he looked at the forlorn girl sitting next to him.

"Are you fine with it?"

"It's okay…Besides, I don't want them to get involved in this mess." She said with small voice, her eyes glued to the floor.

"I see. If that's what you want." He looked away and out of the window. It was about approaching noon. They should be on their way by then. "Shall we go?"

"…Yes." Kurapika got up and wordlessly followed after Kuroro.

Truth to be said, she really did not want to go. She was not in the mood to go on a journey at all. However, she did not want to be seen as a cry-baby, especially not by that man. She would be strong, as she had promised her brother long time ago. She would stay strong, no matter what, even if her friends abandoned her…


Author's Note: As promised, loads of comedy in this chapter. Is it bad to end the chapter with slight angst, though? Anyway, I felt that it was time to put in those two boys into the story. "That's because she's got small boobs." Pfft, I'm sorry but I just got that impression from a female Kurapika. Sorry if anyone else disagreed. Then again, it was just a matter of perspective, no? And for gyo mapuri, you gave me the inspiration to write about Fuu, the rightful owner of the Fun Fun Cloth. You reminded me that he would not last long when he was held captive by the Genei Ryodan, so yeah…Sorry but I killed your favourite Injuu guy =P

Next: One time, Kuroro got curious about her Nen chains and inquired about it. He even told her that if she did not do something about it, she would have troubles in future battles. Too soon to be true, his prediction became reality. In the moment of trouble, though, they both remembered a tiny bit fragments of their pasts.