Disclaimer: I do not own Hunter x Hunter.

Story so far: Kuroro and Kurapika were stuck in a cave, in the middle of heavy rain, with Kuroro down with tetanus. Things could not get worse than this, Kurapika thought. She managed to catch a tiny bit glimpse of his inner self, but she could not discern whether it was for the better or worse for her.


Chapter 9

HUMANITY


Kurapika felt like committing suicide right then, right there. A few moments after Kuroro had fallen asleep, peacefully and comfortably, on her laps, only then she realised her folly. Why had she fraternised her arch-enemy so very much, for goodness sake? Offering even her lap for his pillow? He might be sick to the point of rendered unable to speak, but still! This was Kuroro Lucifer she was cradling on her lap; the murderer of her people, the person she had vowed to track down to the end of the earth if needed so, her sworn enemy. How did everything end up this way?

Suddenly, it just came to her that this was the perfect opportunity for her to finish the head of the Spiders. She summoned her chains, the rattling sound chimed softly in the darkness of the cave. Kuroro remained sleeping undisturbed, his fever pinning down his consciousness. Her Chain Jail danced its deadly dance, and she aimed it at his heart; ready to strike. Just before she managed to give any command to the chain especially designed for the fall of the Spiders, she felt a tug in her heart.

Your life is bound to his. If he dies, you will die as well.

Kurapika frowned. The voice had been in her head, it was not her thoughts. After all, she had been willing to die if she would drag him along with her to the pits of hell, if it really existed. Someone was trying to convince her not to kill him.

You are the last Kuruta alive. If you die, that's the end of your tribe. For real.

This time, Kuroro's voice echoed in her head. He had told her so on night in the desert during their journey to Ryuusei-gai. Kurapika froze, her heart missed a beat. She had sworn to avenge her fallen comrades, even if it would cost her life as well. A new doubt rose; had she been right to make such vow? Would her people be more disappointed by her for not preserving their bloodlines, for not staying alive and repopulating the tribe?

So you really have no qualm if your tribe really becomes extinct?

Again, Kuroro's voice. It reverberated in her head, convincing her. His words sounded so logical, so true. It made her feel like a fool, like she was the wrong one. She then realised, that she might have to revise her vow. She would have her revenge on the Spiders, yes, but not with the cost of her life. She would survive. And in order to survive, she needed a stronger conviction, needed another power, but would not let go of her current power. She would not change the conditions of her chain, but she would add another one. After all, she still had one more chain without appointment.

Kurapika raised her hand, surveying her five fingers and the chains wrapped around them. The thumb chain was responsible for healing, the middle finger was responsible for binding the Spiders, the ring finger was responsible for dowsing and mainly defence, the little finger was responsible for Judgment and restrictions on others. Only her index finger was left. Right then, she was going to appoint a job for the index finger chain.

Her eyes turned scarlet, the redness burning in the darkness of the cave. A new chain emerged from the metal hugging her index finger; it had an end much alike the Chain Jail, and it served for counterattack. Kurapika smiled at the irony—at her irony—that she swore to be strong, yet she assigned her new power for counterattack only. Her conscience still did not allow her to kill, to attack someone first unless they meant harm towards her first.

So you will wait until he kills one of you friends, only then you will kill him?

Kurapika gulped. Kuroro's words spoke the truth. She scowled at herself; why did Kuroro have to be correct most of the time? He was 9 years older than her, but still…it irritated her to know that he was always correct and she was wrong. Was she wrong? No. This time, she was not wrong, she believed so. She would not kill senselessly like some people did. She killed for a justifiable reason, and it was only if it was really necessary. She was not careless and reckless, but she was not cold-blooded as well. She would fight for survival, but she would not kill. That was her belief, and it was the only thing that would keep her right on her track as she travelled with Kuroro Lucifer, the infamous cold-blooded murderer.

Again, she sniffed at the cruel irony. Yes, the cold-blooded murderer; the one who was now down with fever and was sleeping with his head on her lap.


"Over there!" Nobunaga pointed to a certain point. "I feel a surge of Nen over there."

"I feel it too." Phinks nodded, and in silent agreement, the group changed direction towards the direction where there was a surge of Nen. "It's the chain-guy's Nen."

Machi and Shalnark exchanged a knowing glance towards each other, but said nothing.

"Damn, if he did as little as scratching Danchou, I'll decapitate him!" Nobunaga growled menacingly, his hand clutching the hilt of his sword.

"You'll kill Danchou, Nobu." Machi narrowed her eyes dangerously.

"Oh…Right…Well, maybe cut off his arm?"

"I can see the cave." Shalnark announced. Soon enough, they reached the cave but Shalnark stopped them from barging in. "Remember, Danchou told me to come alone, but you all have insisted to come along. I'll enter first, tell Danchou about you guys and see if he'll let you in."

"Oh, come on, Shal. It's us here, not some hunters who are after him. Of course he'll let us in." Phinks snorted.

"I'm going alone." Shalnark insisted, his hands on his hips.

"He will go alone. End of discussion." Machi announced while shooting warning glares at Nobunaga and Phinks and Feitan.

Before they could protest further, Shalnark slipped from the group and he entered the cave, leaving the rest for the ever-reliable Machi to handle. He stayed at the mouth of the cave, trying to adjust his eyes to the thick darkness of the cave. He narrowed his eyes, and saw a figure at the far end of the darkness.

"Danchou?" He asked unsurely.

"…He's here." A feminine voice spoke instead of Kuroro's bass voice.

Shalnark raised an eyebrow but approached the figure nonetheless. When he was only a few steps away from them, he nearly choked with surprise. He blinked several times, and even rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. He gulped and tried to digest the truth that lay before him. There, on the floor of the cave, his Danchou was sleeping with his head on the chain-girl's lap, much alike some couples he would see when he was strolling in some parks.

"You have the medicine?" The blonde girl asked him with trained, monotone voice.

"I do." Shalnark hurriedly rummaged through his pocket and fished out the medicine.

"Good. Hold it for a while." With that, Kurapika shifted her attention to the man sleeping on her lap. "Wake up. Your medicine is here."

Shalnark could have had his jaws dropped until it touched the ground, but thanked God his body remembered to preserve some dignity not to be the object of the girl's mockery for his lack of grace later. He swore he heard the girl's voice as gentle and soft; not hateful and derisive as he had heard it before; when she was still a boy, that is. Kuroro stirred slightly, and his eyelids fluttered open to reveal tired looking dark eyes. He looked at Kurapika, and then with some effort turned to look at Shalnark who was standing awkwardly near them.

"Come on, get up." Kurapika urged him to move. She supported his head and shoulder as best as she could and heaved him up so that his head would be supported by her propped up knee. After making sure that he was stable in such position, she turned to Shalnark once again.

"You bring water as well?" She reached out to take the medicine from him.

"Yes." Shalnark took out a bottle of fresh water and handed it to Kurapika. He watched in silence as the chain-assassin fed his Danchou his medicine.

Kurapika made Kuroro open his mouth a tiny fraction, large enough to let the pill slip into his mouth. The trouble came with the water. Kurapika opened the water bottle and pressed the rim to Kuroro's lips, but his jaw was too stiff to move then; not to mention the difficulty of swallowing caused by the muscle contraction. Nevertheless, Kurapika still tried her best. Water was spilled to his front shirt, but at the end of the day, after some tries, she managed to get him to swallow the pill.

"The pill should be working after a few hours. It works for the fever as well." Shalnark explained, still feeling awkward.

"I see." Kurapika merely responded. She settled Kuroro back to her lap and she poured some water to her palm and washed them over his sweating forehead. Kuroro on the other hand had seemed to drift back to sleep. Shalnark swore that he could not detect any single drop of hostility between the two; well, in the first place Danchou had no hostility towards her, it was one sided.

"Uh…May I ask something? You are the chain-assassin, right? The Kuruta?"

"I am." She replied coldly.

"So…Uh…You are really a girl?"

"You are not blind, are you?" Kurapika smirked mockingly at him.

"Oh. Erh…Sorry." He scratched the back of his head out of embarrassment.

"Don't be. Anyway, tell your friends not to come in here. I don't want to be in the same room as those people for too many hours." She said as she gestured to the entrance of the cave with a tilt of her head. "I will tell you when he is awake."

"Okay." Shalnark nodded and turned around to walk away. He stopped as he remembered something, and walked back. He put down a plastic bag in front of Kurapika and grinned at her. "Your order." With that, he went out of the cave to update his friends of the situation.


"So how did it go?" Machi asked coolly.

"Okay. Danchou is alive; she is taking care of him just fine." Shalnark answered easily. His eyes caught something wriggling furiously and heard some foul words being hurled around behind the girl. "Erh, Machi? What did you do to them?"

"Oh? A preventive measure so they won't barge in and jeopardise Danchou's life." She shrugged. Behind her, Nobunaga and Phinks were tied to the tress with her Nen strings, while Feitan was there to sneer and tease them. "So, it's really a she, then?"

"Yeah. Tough luck for Danchou." Shalnark sighed and shook his head, as if doing it on behalf of Kuroro. "Anyway, she told me that she doesn't want our presence in the cave, but she will tell me when Danchou's awake."

Machi raised an eyebrow. "You make it sounds like she is his personal caretaker or something."

"Well, she is, and a very good one, no less."


Kuroro woke up with a slight headache and stiffness all over his body. He groaned and pried open his eyes; and was greeted by the thick darkness of the cave. He blinked several times, trying to adjust his eyes to the darkness, and when he finally did so, the first thing he saw was the Kuruta girl's face.

She was sleeping soundlessly, her head nodding slightly as she slept in a sitting position. Her golden hair framed her pale face perfectly, and they formed a silken curtain around her flawless face. He took his time to observe her face closely. Her hair had grown quite a bit since the first time they confronted the genie Hassammunin. Kuroro tried to flex his hands, and was pleased that he could move his fingers already. The medicine that Shalnark had brought worked wonders. He tried to lift up his arm, and it obeyed his command. He clenched and unclenched his hand, trying to rid the stiffness. Kuroro glanced at the still sleeping Kuruta. Suddenly, he felt tempted to touch her face.

As stealthily as possible, he reached out and touched her hair first, feeling the silky texture with his fingers. He let each golden strand to escape his finger like fine silk thread. The girl was still undisturbed in her sleep. He moved his fingers and touched her cheek gingerly, and she did not stir. He traced her jaw line, feeling the smooth texture of her facial skin. It felt like a baby's skin, and he found himself smiling; for a reason he could not find. When his finger reached her chin, he reluctantly let go of his touch, and at the same time, Kurapika's eyes snapped open.

"You're awake." She stated the obvious and straightened up.

"Obviously so." He answered with his raspy voice due to lack of proper use for some long hours.

Kurapika raised an eyebrow. "Looks like the medicine has taken effect."

"Indeed."

"So…" Kurapika narrowed her eyes, a slight irritation in her eyes. "Why are you still lying on my lap if you are all better?"

"Because it's nice." Suddenly, he felt his humour freshened and he wanted to tease the girl.

"Get. Off." She articulated each word with emphasis. To her further vexation, he did not budge.

"You were nice one moment, and mean the next moment." He commented, still resting his head on her lap. He was rewarded by her glare.

"You were sick."

"I am still."

"You are already able to talk."

"Doesn't mean I am fully recovered."

"You don't have to lie on my lap until you are fully recovered, you jerk."

"True. But I just want to."

"You get off on your own, or I'll just get up and let your head hit the ground." She threatened and was actually readying herself to get up.

"Fine, fine." Kuroro finally complied and hoisted himself into a sitting position next to her. When he had settled down, Kurapika offered the plastic bag to him.

"Your dinner. Your spider bought it for you."

"Oh." He took it from her hands and inspected the content. His eyebrows quirked and he glanced at Kurapika, who was busy looking elsewhere and ignoring him. She obviously had not bothered to peek into the plastic bag. He suppressed a sigh and took out one packet of food and dropped it to her lap. Kurapika jolted and turned her head in a snap to face him.

"Your portion."

"But I—"

"Shalnark bought extra for you." Kuroro explained but as he saw the look on Kurapika's face, he added. "And you better eat it, otherwise I won't eat as well."

Kurapika was ready to protest, but she decided against it because she knew that she would lose in the debate again. It would be wiser to save a face by not arguing with the older man about food issue, ever again, since she had already lost the debates for many times. In silence, both ate their food. Kuroro knew that Kurapika had been the one who asked Shalnark to buy some 'easily-digested' food for him, as he overheard the conversation when he was only half-asleep, when Kurapika answered the call on his behalf. He had been quite surprised that Kurapika would actually pick up the call and talked in a very much civilised manner with his spider member. He never knew that Kurapika would be that considerate.

"They are outside, waiting for you to wake up." Kurapika told him with flat voice after she had finished her food. She took Kuroro's empty packet and shoved it into the plastic-bag-turned-rubbish-bin, together with hers.

Kuroro gave Shalnark a call and ordered him to come in alone. When the young man emerged at the mouth of the cave, they could hear Nobunaga's roar of indignation for being left behind. Shalnark hurriedly approached them and sat down in front of Kuroro.

"Danchou! How are you feeling now?" Happiness was unhidden in his childish voice. Shalnark casted a quick glance to Kurapika, but the Kuruta girl was ignoring him. In fact, she was trying not to be involved in their conversation.

"I'm much better now. So who have come along?" Kuroro put on his Danchou persona.

"Well, there are Machi, Nobunaga, Phinks, and Feitan."

"I see. Now I want you all to go back and disperse until I give further instruction. As for you, Shal, I need you to do something."

"Anything, Danchou."

"I want you to find where the Scarlet Eyes are, and make a list of it." He said deadpan. Kurapika flinched slightly.

"All of them?"

"All of them." Kuroro nodded. "That is all."

"Okay, understood. And…uh…" He glanced at Kurapika, who was still ignoring them. Kuroro caught his hint and turned to Kurapika.

"Do you want him to tell them, Kurapika?" He asked lightly, as if asking a friend. Shalnark raised an eyebrow at his casual use of Kurapika's given name.

"I don't care." Came her cold reply.

"Then I leave it to your decision." Kuroro turned to his subject.

"Uh, okay. See you around then, Danchou. I'll give you a call when I'm done with the list." With that, the brown-haired young man retreated and made his way to the cave entrance. He gave them a fleeting glance, before disappearing into the woods. A thick silence engulfed the small cave, before Kurapika finally broke it.

"What's with the Scarlet Eyes list?" There was suspicion in her voice.

"Hm? I promised that I will help you collect all your people's eyes, didn't I? I keep my words, Kurapika."

"I'm surprised." She said sarcastically.

Kuroro looked at her and gave her a quizzical look. He smiled at her little antics but said nothing. Feeling irritated by his lack of response, Kurapika continued her verbal assaults.

"So much for the mighty leader of the Spiders. Catch a bug, and he's down like the rest of us."

"What do you take me as, some monster? I'm still a human, Kurapika. I'm a human first, a Spider second." He responded lightly, and even chuckled at her naivety; which made her mood even worse.

"I don't think someone who can kill without feeling anything is a human." She hissed at him, her eyes already glowing red subtly.

"Then it should apply to your Zaoldyck friend. Surely you have seen him killing before. Tell me, did he hesitate before killing his opponent?"

Kurapika was taken aback by his retaliation, but stood her ground. "He's different from you lot."

"How so? Because he wasn't involved in the massacre of your tribe? That's very subjective. You should judge everything objectively, Kurapika." Kuroro turned to give her a smug smile.

"At least," Kurapika growled at him, her scarlet eyes glowed more intensely. "He does not kill when unnecessary."

"So killing for the sake of business is okay?" He countered.

"He quitted being an assassin long time ago. Besides, he's different from before now." She retorted.

"Am I not different from before?" He gave her another small smile; which she later chose to interpret as mocking.

Kurapika was taken off guard by this. She opened her mouth to counter, but no words came out. Flabbergasted, she glared at him and looked away. His words bothered her, and for the rest of the day, as they walked out of the forest, she kept mulling over it. She could not help it. She would be foolish and extremely ignorant if she insisted that Kuroro Lucifer had not changed. He definitely had changed, for better or worse she could not say yet, but he certainly became kinder and less cold towards her. Kuroro Lucifer had become somewhat more human.

I am a human first, a Spider second.

She narrowed her eyes; his words kept echoing in his mind. Was he trying to tell her that he could still feel as a human would; that he still had some humanity left. Kurapika snorted softly; if he still had any humanity left, he would have apologized to her and somehow made up for it.

I promised that I will help you collect all your people's eyes, didn't I? I keep my words, Kurapika.

Kurapika snapped her head in attention and stared at the older man's back; who was walking ahead of her, a realization suddenly dawned to her. His promise to help her collect back her comrades' eyes; was it his way of making up for his wrongdoing against her? She did not want to believe it, she tried to deny it, telling herself that he was just trying to buy her trust for the sake of expanding the bind; in other words, for his convenience.

She shook her head vigorously, trying to dismiss the impossible thoughts from her head. It would cloud her judgement later, but most importantly, she was afraid that it would make her stop hating that man.

"What's wrong?" Kuroro asked as he noticed her strange behaviour. He had stopped walking and waited so that he would walk side by side with her.

"Nothing. Mind your own business." She rudely replied, but she ducked her head and avoided his searching gaze.

Kuroro raised an eyebrow, amused and bewildered by her sudden bad mood, yet said nothing and continued walking at her pace, as she begrudgingly realized.

I keep my words, Kurapika.

Kurapika pressed her eyes close, inwardly she vehemently hoped that if the man still really had some humanity left, he would really keep his promise. She tried to deny the fact that the man was humane enough, but at the same time she was hoping that he really had some conscience left in him, so that she could at least fulfil one of her lifetime goal. Talk about heretics, she mused bitterly.


He was not really sure why he had gone as far as asking Shalnark to help him with the Scarlet Eyes. It was supposed to be a personal affair, and he should not have asked his comrades for assistance. He might just want to keep things easy and fast, but then…Was he trying to repay her for her kindness? It was so unlike him. And what an irony! He was the one who robbed the Eyes, and now he was collecting them back to return them to the rightful owner of those eyes. If Ishtar heard this, she would laugh her head off.


Author's Note: Well, for one, this chapter is not so long, so pardon me. The next one will be better and longer than this. Somehow, imagining Kuroro as humane is rather odd, no? Saying that he is a human first and a Spider second, that's just rather unexpected. But that's what is needed for this story, or so I feel. In any case, do review this chapter and tell me what you think of this.

Next: As they continued their somewhat lacking-of-destination journey, disaster occurred. They were forced to flee back to Ryuusei-gai, with someone's life at stake. In the end, when things had calmed down, again Kurapika saw a tiny part of Kuroro's humanity.