Disclaimer: I do not own HunterxHunter

Story so far: Seiryuu claimed that the two of them were barely pure humans! What did he mean by that? Also, with the simultaneous appearance of two Celestial Beasts, what would be happening next?


Chapter 21

DIVINITY


"Can I ask you something?" She inquired unsurely as she trailed after him.

"Sure. Ask away." Seiryuu said lightly. As he chose to accompany them, he had wisely opted to change his 'very much conspicuous aristocratic clothes' into that of commoner attire. He even changed his appearance a tiny-wee bit more normal because Kurapika had generously pointed out that Seiryuu had a somewhat inhuman trait in his appearance; his skin had a bluish tint.

"Why didn't you all finish Jorou-gumo before she went berserk and started killing people?"

"Well, missy, we are the Shishin; the Celestial Beasts, not some social workers. Although frankly speaking I'll say that we are just some errand boys for the Heavenly Kings and the Gods and Goddesses up there, but our job is really to observe the humans. We are not to help humans every time they ask for helps. Our helps are reserved only for critical moments, as judged by the Heavenly Kings. Otherwise, if those humans become too dependent on us, imagine how idle and feeble they would be. Not to mention the mountains of works we'll be getting, too. I'd want to avoid that." He laughed softly at the end of his brief explanation.

"So why are you helping us?" This time it was Kuroro who asked.

Seiryuu turned to regard him with a raised eyebrow, but he then started to laugh again.

"Like I said before, you two are foreigners in this land. You aren't under our jurisdiction. As a matter of fact, we are given the permission to take care of you as we fit. Anyway, you two are barely humans, so all the more reason for us to personally come down here and do something."

Seiryuu mentioned them being 'barely humans' with such carefree attitude that it made Kurapika rather uneasy. She remembered the short conversation they had right after Jorou-gumo was finally killed, and when Byakko and Seiryuu suddenly made appearance before them.


"Hardly…pure humans…?" Kurapika could feel her blood freezing in her veins.

For some reasons, she knew that the man in blue was not joking at all. Somehow, she simply knew that he was right. Seiryuu smiled broadly at them with a degree of warmth and amusement in it.

"It's about our blood, isn't it?" Kuroro finally asked for confirmation.

"Hm? How did you know?"

"Kuzunoha told me." He simply said warily.

"Kuzunoha-chan did? Aw, and here I am trying to scare the wits out of you." He said with a slight pout.

Seiryuu jumped from the tree branch and landed on the soft ground with the grace of a dancer. When his foot touched the ground, it did not even stir the dry leaves. He flashed a satisfied grin at Kurapika, who was still in a daze.

"I guess I did shock her, didn't I?"

"How impolite of you." Byakko said critically at the youth. "And you haven't even introduced yourself!"

"Oh, right. An introduction is in order. I'm Seiryuu, the Azure Dragon of the East. Nice to meet you."

Kurapika stared at him. He seemed to be a good-natured and easygoing man. Seiryuu always had a smile on his boyish face, and his mannerism was really casual towards them; unlike the formal Suzaku and the strict Byakko. It was as if he had no care of the worlds and was just having some funs.

"Suzaku told me that you'll be having some business in my territory. You're done here, right? Come along, I'll take you to my place."

And that was how they ended up making a beeline for a certain village in the East. Byakko opted not to leave his territory, while his real reason was just because he did not want to unnecessarily tire himself out by listening to Seiryuu's nonsensical ramblings.


Her face was getting pale, but she said nothing of the cramps in her stomach that were ruining her moods and stamina. She walked silently, only half-listening to Seiryuu's endless chatters and Kuroro's occasional comments and questions. As the pain was getting worse and worse, she became more agitated and she had to clutch her stomach with her hands although it did little to help ease the pain. When Kuroro finally noticed her lagging behind them, he turned around and raised an eyebrow upon seeing her strange posture.

Kurapika looked up and shot him a steady gaze, as if trying to relay a silent message through her pain-filled eyes. He caught on with the message.

"Already?" He asked with half-exasperated voice.

She only nodded.

"What's wrong?" Seiryuu asked when he noticed that his guests had stopped a few paces behind him. Just as the question escaped his mouth, he smelled something; the unmistakable smell of bad blood.

"Can you take us to the nearest stream?" Kuroro asked, ignoring his question.

"Sure, it's pretty close." Seiryuu answered while pointing to a certain direction. He spared Kuroro the embarrassment of having to explain that Kurapika was having her menstrual periods; Seiryuu noted it once he smelled the bad blood.

And so they took a relatively short break near the stream. While the men stayed behind the bushes, Kurapika took her time to wash her lower torso and to clean anything that needed to be cleaned. That said, in the end Kurapika decided to quickly wash her entire body with the clear water. She put aside all her garments on the dry ground and went on with her task.

Quiet rustles of bushes alerted her. She spun around in half-rage as she suspected that one of the guys had probably peeked; unlikely as it seemed. The only thing she spotted was a white cat loitering around her clothes. The little feline stared at the fabrics with curious eyes, sniffing them innocently. Dismissing her earlier suspicion as false alarm, she continued to briskly rub the dust off her skin.

What Kurapika failed to notice was that when the cat departed as it had sated its curiosity, a magatama necklace was hanging from its small mouth. However, most importantly the Kuruta girl failed to spot that the cat's tail was split into two at the end. When Kurapika was dressing herself up, only then she realised that her charm that was given by Suzaku was missing. She only had time to gasp when suddenly Seiryuu stepped from behind the bush.

"Hey, just now—"

THWACK!

His chin was rudely assaulted by Kurapika's Dowsing Chain. Seiryuu stumbled and fell flat on his back.

"I told you." Kuroro said with a sigh as he beheld Seiryuu falling in his full grace down to the ground.

"What the hell was that for?" Seiryuu exclaimed furiously while rubbing his sore chin.

"Peeping Tom! You lecher!" Kurapika screamed at him. Actually, she was already fully clothed when Seiryuu stumbled into the scene. It just happened that Seiryuu was one unlucky fellow.

"WHAT?" Seiryuu roared in indignation. "I wasn't peeking! I sensed a youkai just now!"

"There was only a cat passing by!"

"A cat you said? It's a nekomata, dammit! Check your belongings! Is anything lost?"

Kurapika froze for a second, before assuming a neutral expression all of the sudden.

"…Nothing."

"You sure?" Seiryuu regarded her with a suspecting look.

"Yeah." She said while looking away. She was reluctant to tell them that her protective charm was missing. Well, it would do no harm since the charm was utterly useless anyway. It was proven during that hazardous fight with Jorou-gumo; and the charm was nothing but decoration only.


"Did you do exactly as I instructed you?" A woman asked.

She was the perfect illustration of classical oriental beauty. Her skin was as white as snow, her thick silky hair was ebony black; shining with ethereal glow as light fell on top of it, her lips were as red as fresh blood; yet her heart was as black as coal. Her luxurious and elaborated 12-layered kimono was draped over her white, frail-looking shoulders. Her thin fingers moved gracefully as she gestured as a certain white cat to come closer.

As you asked, Tamamo-no-Mae-sama. The cat youkai said as it dropped Kurapika's charm on the floor before the woman.

"Very well done." The woman smiled at the cat coldly, but the smile was so sinister that the nekomata could not help but to shiver. Her beauty alone was already deadly enough to behold, not to mention that glacial yet enticing smile.

"Without this disgusting Baku charm, she will be an easy prey." She licked her lips delicately. "I will emerge triumphant in what Jorou-gumo has failed."

The nekomata glanced to certain items that had been attracting its attention. The items stood near the woman, under her watchful eyes. The nekomata knew that those items were valuable items that the woman had just acquired; ones that she had absolutely no intention of letting go. Upon noticing the nekomata's curious stare at her priced trophies, the woman gave an even more sadistically alluring smile.

"I will have her eyes."

Two pairs of Scarlet Eyes stared back blankly at the two youkai.


"You see the village over there? Your Scarlet Eyes is there. Somehow, it has ended up being revered as a sacred item by the villagers there. The entire village worships it as if it's a Godsend item from the Gods up there."

They were standing on top of a hill that overlooked the village. It was a poor village; a far cry from the last city they visited. Despite the impoverished situation, the villagers seemed to be relatively happy with their lives.

"How did the Eyes end up being a sacred item? It's supposedly something that only some aristocrats would have, not some poverty-stricken villages." Kuroro remarked with mild amusement.

"Well, I understand your confusion, but this land is still pretty much full of strife and civil wars at the outskirts. It's very unlike the situation in the big, modern cities you have just visited. Really, the contrast is just too stark. It's just possible for nobles to lose their treasures to angry mobs of peasants. The power of the mass, you know? Never underestimate them." He shrugged and laughed lightly, betraying his real concern over the welfare of the people.

"What do we do now?" Kurapika asked with slight mumble. She looked at Kuroro with meaningful eyes; one that the man was able to decipher when he caught her staring at him.

"I know. No stealing." He said while raising his both his hands in a surrendering gesture.

"Why not? Aren't you a thief?" Seiryuu asked with amusement very apparent on his youthful face.

"She is in no condition to do any works. I can't get too far from her." Kuroro shrugged offhandedly, showing that it did not bother him at the very least.

"Hmm…" Seiryuu nodded, and then suddenly grinned widely like a Cheshire Cat. "Then this is where I come into the picture."

Ignoring the duo's confused looks, Seiryuu inched closer to them and whispered his plan to them. Upon hearing his plan, Kuroro raised a fine eyebrow while Kurapika gawked. Seiryuu's grin widened even more.


Everything was very much normal in the village, with everyone doing their works dutifully while enjoying life as any happy person could. The peace only lasted until a sudden unprecedented quake shook the entire village, sending the villagers into panic. However, the quake was not to be the most notable event of that day. It was the appearance of a blue scaled dragon in the humble temple of the village.

Loud gasps escaped from the citizen of the village as the dragon roared. Its massive head bent down and its huge blue topaz eyes scanned the entire village like a surveillance camera. The priest of the temple, a very old man, stumbled out of the temple and prostrated himself respectfully before the dragon.

"Seiryuu-sama!" He said with loud voice; loud enough to be heard by the other folks. "Of what occasion have you graced us with your presence?"

The dragon Seiryuu snorted noisily and a puff of smoke escaped his great nostrils.

Listen well, my people, and you will be spared from your ill luck. Disasters have befallen Saikyo, the great city, because of her possession of those Eyes brimming with the colour of fire. Return them to where they belong, or you will suffer!

Seiryuu's booming voice resounded in the entire village, inflicting terror and awe into the hearts of the villagers. All of them had fallen to their knees and began bowing at the blue dragon with profound respect and fear.

"Wha—what should we do then, Seiryuu-sama?" The elderly Chief of the village asked with tremulous voice, his withered hands shaking visibly.

Two wanderers from foreign land will arrive in this village soon. Give those Eyes to them, and you will be saved from calamity. Heed my warnings, good people.

With that, the dragon disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. A pregnant and heavy silence filled the entire village before chaos ensued. People rushed to the temple and asked the priest to bring out the Scarlet Eyes and held it as they waited by the entrance of the village in their anticipation for the arrival of the 'two wanderers from foreign land'.

Soon enough, as Seiryuu had so-called predicted, two young people strolled down the path towards their village. They were unmistakably from the foreign land that the highty-mighty Seiryuu-sama had mentioned, judging from their odd attire.

Without even sparing those two of any proper greetings, the Chief of the village and the old priest rushed towards them and insisted that they took the Eyes with them, saying that it was a decree from the sacred dragon, protector of their land.

Kurapika felt like slapping her forehead in exasperation while Kuroro had to stifle a gleeful laugh. The Chief then told them that they had prepared the best room for them to spend the night, and all their needs would be attended to. Kurapika felt bad about it, but the people insisted that they received the village's 'good will'.

Unable to hold back his curiosity, finally the priest asked the two of them of the Scarlet Eyes. Kuroro regarded him evenly with a neutral smile.

"It is good to be curious, but there is certain knowledge wherein ignorance of it will spare you the troubles it brings with it."

For the elderly priest, Kuroro's words sounded sagacious and wise, but it unfortunately only served to make Kurapika snorted in mockery. Such sugar-coated words, she thought bitterly. It was wise, however, of him to say it since it would undoubtedly spare them the drudgery of having to explain the history of the Eyes and their situation.

They were ushered with all kind of polite mannerism towards the 'best room in the village', and after innumerable bows and kowtows, they were finally left to their peace. Kurapika sighed while Kuroro only smiled amusedly. Just as they settled down in their assigned room, a figure stole into the room stealthily.

"Been a while since the last time I do this. It feels so good." Seiryuu smiled as childishly as he could.

"You threatened your own people!" Kurapika exclaimed, mortified by Seiryuu's seemingly outrageous method of coercion.

"Aw, Kurapika-chan, those humans are impossibly stubborn and faithful to their own superstitions. They won't let go of their 'sacred items' by any normal means. Besides, occasional appearance of us, the Shishin, is also necessary anyway, so that they'll remember of our presence."

"Let it go, Kurapika. You don't have the right to judge him. This is his land, they are his people. Let him do as he sees fit." Kuroro said with a light shrug, being the practical man he was.

This carefree and somewhat cold attitude of Kuroro reminded Kurapika yet again of the man's ruthless regard of people's lives and their values. Old resentment started to resurface, and Kurapika scowled darkly at him. Sensing that Kurapika's mood was going to sky-dive to the worst, Seiryuu attempted to save the day. Well, at least he did try.

"Kurapika-chan, you are seriously overly sombre here. Smile a bit, will you?" He said cheerfully while pinching both of her cheeks.

SLAP!

"The hell was that for?" Seiryuu rubbed his sore cheek.

Kuroro only chuckled at Seiryuu's mishap.

"Monthly mood swings. Welcome to my world."


Kurapika thought that she was really running out of luck. Not only that she was having her period, she had to have it during the new moon; the much anticipated moment of the month. It was the only time that she got to stay away from the (sometimes) infuriating man (although so far she never got the chance to stay away for more than six metres away from him), and yet she had to spend her time curling into a ball as she had to endure the pain in her abdomen.

"Is it that painful?" Seiryuu asked quizzically.

"Beats me." Kuroro only shrugged.

Kurapika tried to ignore those two impossible men and concentrated more on getting a sleep. The sooner she could drift into sleep, the sooner she would be rid of the throbbing pain in her stomach, although usually her sleep would soon be disturbed by the overwhelming agony.

It was unbeknownst to her that her sleep would indeed be a disturbing one; a plagued one.


"Kuroro, wake up."

He quickly flashed open his eyes. He heard the strained tone in Seiryuu's voice; the telltale sign of bad news. He extracted himself from his futon and made his way quietly to the side of Kurapika's occupied futon. Seiryuu was already crouching over her still figure and was observing something intensely.

"What's wrong?" Kuroro asked in a low whisper.

"Try to wake her up." Seiryuu whispered back, although his eyes were still glued on the girl.

Kuroro raised a quizzical eyebrow at his seemingly inane order. It was something that Seiryuu could have done personally yet he asked him to do the job. There had to be a reason for it. Kuroro called out to her, and she did not respond. He tried nudging her lightly on the shoulder. No response whatsoever. She seemed to be in a very deep sleep, and was unable to wake up.

"What's going on?" Kuroro asked again with a deep frown.

"No good. She's under Nue's influence. We can't wake her up." Seiryuu shook his head slowly.

"And what will become of her?"

"If we leave her like this, she can sleep forever until her life expired on its own."

I can't have it that way, Kuroro thought bitterly. The grim prospect of him getting stuck with this Sleeping Beauty (yes, he admitted that she was a beauty to certain extent, although not excessively so) for the rest of his life just did not fit in his agenda.

"She lost her Baku charm. The idiot. That nekomata must've stolen it." Seiryuu cussed softly under his breath.

"Can you make a new one?"

"Making Baku charms is not my thing." Seiryuu paused for a while, and added quickly, "but I can certainly get a new one for her."

"Then get it fast." Kuroro urged impatiently.

Seiryuu pouted; he did not like being ordered around, though that was what he always got from his other confreres.

"I'll be back in no time, but in the mean time your job is to keep that Nue busy. It's on the rooftop, I can sense it like a bonfire in a desert. Don't bother killing it since others will quickly come to replace the dead one." He paused and cast a quick glimpse at the sleeping Kuruta. "For them, she is a very delicious meal."

Kuroro narrowed his eyes ever so slightly but his expression betrayed nothing of his concerns. His face remained stoic as ever. Seiryuu then muttered a few words of incantation and suddenly a blast of wind blew to four directions of the room. Kuroro then noticed the slight change in the air.

"I've woven a net of barrier. The villagers won't notice the commotion you'll make as you take care of that Nue. Make sure she doesn't get out of the barrier, will you?" Seiryuu said as he walked towards the door.

Kuroro did not answer him.

"And don't get yourself killed by that Nue." He added with a smirk.

Kuroro snorted in dry amusement. "That goes without saying." He said flatly.

With a wave of his hand, Seiryuu then flew towards the sky and disappeared into the darkness of the sky, as if he was swallowed whole by it. Kuroro dashed out of the room and jumped towards the roof with ease. A thought had actually been bothering him incessantly: Why is she the only one being targeted? He could not give it any further pondering, though, as what he was seeking was standing right before him.

The Nue was an odd and ugly-looking creature. It had a vile monkey head with the body of a racoon dog, the legs of tigers, and a snake as a tail. It reminded him of the chimera that they had encountered many weeks or perhaps months ago. There were black smokes surrounding him, adding to the ominous atmosphere that the Nue brought about with its mere presence. Despite standing before such malicious entity, Kuroro remained unnervingly calm. If anything, he thrived on such dangers.

"There you are." His voice was silkily menacing and a sinister smile graced his cold face.


Kurapika felt strange. She knew that she was sleeping, but her sleep was restless. She kept tossing around and she felt all sweaty. Finally, after a while, she gave up and opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was a boy standing on the door way of the room. Kurapika blinked a few times to clear her vision, and when it was finally clear, she regretted ever opening her eyes.

It was her brother. Her beloved brother. Yet at the same time, he was not quite her brother. For one, he was missing a head.

In pure horror, Kurapika jolted up into a sitting position, her face as white as a sheet of paper. Her eyes rapidly turned into scarlet hue, burning brightly in the darkness of the room. Tears flooded from her eyes uncontrollably, and she began to sob. Kurapika was close to wailing when she suddenly spotted her headless brother cradling something carefully in his arms.

She felt like fainting when she saw what the body was holding; her brother's head.

"A—aniki—" She chocked on her own words. She felt like vomiting, but she clasped her mouth with her hand while the other one served to steady her body.

Her brother's Scarlet Eyes looked at her with an odd stare; as if it was beckoning at her to follow him. Her brother then took a turn and started to walk away out of the room.

"Aniki, wait—!"

Kurapika tried to move, but she could not even get away from the bed. Something was restricting her. When she looked down to her chest, only then she realised that something was shining beneath her shirt. She knew right away that it was the one that immobilised her. Without a second thought, Kurapika torn the shining item from her neck; it was the o-mamori given by Kuzunoha, and discarded it to the floor thoughtlessly.

As soon as she found her body free to move, she hurriedly dashed out of the room to catch up with her brother. She found him walking slowly away from her. In a panic, Kurapika ran after him but no matter how hard she tried to approach him, she never got closer to him. If anything, he seemed to move even further from her; further from her reach. It was as if he was forever unreachable by her.

Kurapika then started to cry out loud as she ran even more vigorously after her brother. She cried out his name in great sorrow; her wail was heartbreaking and yet there was nobody to heed her cries.

In reality, the Kurapika in real world was actually walking unsteadily out of the room, out of the inn, along the empty street, out of the village, into a malevolent danger.


The Nue was a few metres away from him, growling fiercely at him yet making no attempt to attack him at all. All it did was to dodge Kuroro's attacks and to prowl around him in a circle. His agility was amazing and Kuroro had to admit this. Although Kuroro was not really giving all he had while facing this youkai, since his job was only to distract the creature and not to destroy it, the Nue was doing a really good job at avoiding his attacks. Kuroro frowned at this.

Is it just here to torture her with nightmares, or… His frown deepened. Is it just trying to distract me? To buy time, perhaps?

Just as this realization hit him hard suddenly, his En flared impatiently. His Nen hungrily searched around the vicinity, and true to his horror, Kurapika was gone. Only then Kuroro realised the error in his judgement. He narrowed his eyes into dangerous slits and flexed his arms.

"Well, am I not the foolish one here." He said with a hollow chuckle, his voice flat and cold. "Looks like play time is over."


Kurapika walked even further away from the safety of the village. A woman was already waiting for her patiently, her own crimson eyes glowing hungrily as her gaze was set upon the Kuruta girl. Her lust was intensified when she beheld Kurapika's blazing Scarlet Eyes.

"Ooh…" She cooed lovingly. "What pretty eyes. I absolutely must have them in my possession."

Tamamo-no-Mae tilted Kurapika's chin upwards with her sinewy fingers and studied her sickly pale face closer.

"I'm sorry, little girl. I have no grudge against you, but blame only yourself for having such outstanding eyes." She said softly, as if she was about to cuddle her and not to gouge out her eyes.

Kurapika only gazed at the woman with blank eyes, despite her eyes blazing in bright scarlet. Suddenly, Kurapika blinked once. Tamamo-no-Mae looked at her with utter surprise. In less than a heartbeat, it occurred to her that the Nue controlling Kurapika was as good as dead. Before those eyes had the chance to turn back to their natural blue hues, Tamamo-no-Mae quickly flexed her fingers of her other hand, ready to gouge out Kurapika's eyes. However, before she even had the chance to move her hand, something heavy and hard hit her square on the face.

Tamamo-no-Mae's scream reverberated through the entire forest, disturbing the inhabitants from their deep slumbers. Warm black blood splattered all over her face, hair, and kimono, however it was not the mess and gore that hurt her; it was the o-mamori charm that was wrapped around the solid object.

As soon as the object dropped to the ground, the sparks that had covered the vixen woman dissipated. When Tamamo-no-Mae finally pried her eyes open, her prey was gone from her view. Enraged, she looked around and quickly spotted Kuroro holding the stupefied Kurapika secure in his arms.

"CURSE YOOOOUUUU!" The woman with deadly beauty shrieked in rage and morphed into her true form; a golden nine-tailed vixen. Her crimson eyes glared at Kuroro with burning hatred and she bared her sharp fangs at him fiercely.

In Kurapika's point of view, everything seemed all confusing and incomprehensible. She did not understand the situation she was in; she could not think straight. She only saw without any comprehension dawning at her. Kuroro, after pushing her away from the battlefield, was fighting the vile-looking woman that had suddenly turned into an evil-looking vixen. One of his arms hung uselessly by his shoulder joint, clearly broken as a result from a previous fight. Once again, Kuroro's shirt was all tattered and bloody as how it was when he was assaulted by Jorou-gumo, though he did not seem mindful of it.

The two were suddenly engaged in a heated swirls of movements; both exchanging blows and dodging attacks. She could not follow them with her eyes, her body felt laden and sluggish. She did not even know who was having the upper hands. She caught the glint of metals now and then amidst the hurricane of movements; Kuroro was using his poisonous Benz knife against Tamamo-no-Mae though she seemed immune to the paralysing poison.

After a few moments that seemed like eternity, dark clouds suddenly gathered above them ominously. Both looked up in surprise, but the golden kyuubi was more afraid than shocked. She appeared to be terrified to the core. In an instant, the nine-tailed golden vixen turned around to flee the scene, but a thunderbolt charged at her mercilessly. It almost roasted her wholly, but Kuroro could sense that an entity was controlling the strength of the thunder.

When the blast receded, it only revealed a vixen that was covered in burn marks, with the grounds around her scorched black. The vixen was still alive, albeit barely, as she still twitched now and then.

"There you are!" A familiar voice greeted Kuroro's ears, and when he looked up, he almost could not believe what he saw.

Descending from the dark sky majestically was a Kirin, and trailing after it were Suzaku and Seiryuu in their full celestial glory. It had a shape alike that of a horse, yet its body was covered with golden scales instead of soft hair. Protruding from its forehead was a solid sharp horn. Its face looked more like a dragon's than a horse's. Its fiery eyes blazed at it gazed at everything around it. When the Kirin landed soundlessly before Kuroro, he noticed that the grasses did not even bend upon contact with its hooves. Kuroro never thought that he would ever come across the legendary Kirin in his life.

Well, considering he had encountered two kinds of Phoenixes, a dragon, a tiger-man, and many other impossible creatures, he started to believe that anything could just happen in his life.

Knowing that the arrivals of those Celestial Beasts could only mean some peace at last, Kuroro allowed himself to relax a bit. He dusted his shirt and pants before turning to look at the still disoriented Kuruta. She was still sitting on the ground, looking lost and helpless.

"You," He said sharply, as if he meant to scold her, "are really good friends with troubles, aren't you?"

Still in a daze and with clouded mind, Kurapika could only respond with blinks of eye.

"Oh my, look at this." Seiryuu poked the Nue's head with the point of his shoe lightly. It rolled sideways, leaving a trail of blood in its wake.

"As expected of Ishtar's adoptive son, no?" Suzaku smiled sweetly, but it only served to annoy Kuroro.

Escaped mine attention hath it not that thou art capable of handling the situation on thine own. The Kirin suddenly spoke, his voice majestic and charismatic. It was unknown, however, whether his comment was meant as a compliment or as a sardonic remark.

Kuroro gave no reply. Kurapika rolled her eyes; another Chiron-like creature. She would have a hard time understanding his speech. Just great.

That little fact notwithstanding, wherefore have thee not, pray tell, do thy human kin thereof a grace their time of need?

This time, it was clear that he was reprimanding Kuroro. Kuroro knew that the Kirin was referring to the incident back then in Saikyo. He only smirked.

"Aren't we only half humans in your eyes?"

The Kirin did a gesture that could be interpreted as a disapproving frown, if a Kirin could frown. He disliked Kuroro's insolent reply. In a flash, the Kirin had his horn pointed to Kuroro's neck, the razor-sharp tip grazing Kuroro's porcelain neck skin delicately where his artery was. Kurapika's eyes widened; she had heard that Kirin was a generally good-natured creature although they could be ferocious at certain occasions. She could physically sense the Kirin's almost instantaneous dislike towards Kuroro.

A Kirin is a creature of justice. Could it be that he knows that this man is a criminal? Kurapika pondered.

"Now, now, Kirin-sama. You know very well that he almost lost his life while fighting Jorou-gumo, and now he has also suffered from broken arm from his fight with the Nue. Has he not received enough punishment for his misdeed?" Suzaku said softly as he tried to placate the Kirin's raising temper, therefore perhaps saving Kuroro's life.

"Are you not the benevolent Kirin-sama?" Seiryuu, in his attempt to save the day again, purposely stressed the word 'benevolent'. "Show them mercy, my lord."

After a moment of silence, the Kirin finally relented and gave in to his subordinate's persuasion. With a huff, he moved away his dangerous horn from Kuroro's neck.

"If you are as powerful as people claim you to be, worshipped as how a God would be, then why not prove it by breaking this bind that has been plaguing us?" Kuroro said calmly.

The Kirin looked at him hard with his glowing ember-like golden eyes.

Boy, do not mock me. He snorted. That curse which hath been cast unto ye is anything but a child's play for me. I shall not, howbeit, undo it for that force binding thee with that maiden cometh not from this land, and thus is not under my jurisdiction. I have not the right to meddle with affairs beyond my domain.

Kurapika narrowed her eyes and clouds of doom hung close around her head. She had had her hopes as well, but that hope just had to be instantly dashed away.

Heed my words, child, and thou shall be wise to do so. Break the curse and the likes thereof, thou shall wish and thenceforth thou shall take it upon thyself to venture the world in search of a creature belonging to the land whence the magic cometh. Thus is the Law that ye and we have to abide, regardless of our origins and territories. The Kirin explained, his otherworldly voice even and trained.

Kuroro frowned. Isthar never mentioned this.


"Genbu, the Black Tortoise of the North, will take you two to the neighbouring country. We'll see you off 'til then." Seiryuu explained as he lay down on the tatami floor of the inn where they were staying for the night.

Kuroro and Kurapika were done with their business of collecting the Scarlet Eyes in that country; it was time for them to move on. Seiryuu and Suzaku decided to tag along for the fun of it; and they did have fun in messing around with the two humans. Seiryuu mostly annoyed the hell out of Kurapika by playfully flirting with her, while Suzaku targeted Kuroro as his unfortunate prey. It took all wits he had to stir some annoyance in the stoic man, though.

When night came and the two humans had retreated into their slumber, Suzaku kept himself awake. Seiryuu never ceased to amuse him, even after centuries of knowing him; there he was snoring lightly as he slept undisturbed while he actually did not even need any sleep. When he was sure that Kuroro and Kurapika was deep asleep, he inched closer towards them and whispered.

"Come out, Hassamunnin. This Suzaku requires private audience with you."

Soon enough, the red bind that enshrouded Kuroro and Kurapika wavered. A tiny blue speck of light appeared and extracted itself from the red bond. It hovered hesitantly above the two sleeping figures, before it materialised itself into a solid form of the child-looking genie.

Greetings, Lord Suzaku. It's a pleasure to personally meet you. The genie bowed deeply.

"The pleasure is mine." Suzaku greeted him politely in return. "My reason for calling you now in the dead of the night is because I have a question regarding those two. I have been wondering: what do you think of their relationship?"

Hassamunnin openly gawked at the feminine looking man dressed in oriental dress.

Seriously, Lord Suzaku, you are asking the obvious question. Even without me telling you, surely you have seen and understood their relationship?

"Well, Hassamunnin, I just want to have some confirmation. You have been with them constantly, binding them to each other. How do you perceive the depth of their relationship? As the third person in this ragtag team of self-proclaimed enemies, surely you know it best." Suzaku smiled, but there was an authority in his voice.

Do you wish to hear the truth, or do you wish to hear what you want to hear? The genie smirked at him mischievously.

"Have I not made myself clear?" Suzaku said with his lips drawn into a thin line.

Hassamunnin gulped. Suzaku's rank was way higher than his, and moreover he was currently in Suzaku's land, so he had to abide by the man's whims and orders. Sighing heavily, he told him whatever he was thinking of the two; truthfully.

Y'know, those two are hopeless. This Kuroro guy is still blissfully unaware of his growing fondness of the girl. He was incredibly dense in this matter, considering his intelligence and all, while the girl is still denying the obvious fact that Kuroro genuinely cares about her. Such dunderheads, they are!

The genie said all those like the torrent of sub-machine guns. He sounded more like complaining than answering Suzaku's question. Suzaku only laughed softly.

"Quite true. Nonetheless, what do you think they need? Things cannot go on like this forever, something has to change."

Mister, surely you understand that they are not your wards and you are not responsible for them? Why are you bothering yourself about improving their relationship? Whether they kill each other or whatever else, it shouldn't concern you, right? The genie asked with deep frown etched on his smooth bald forehead. He cocked his head sideways, not understanding Suzaku's desire to play a part in the two humans.

"Well, just take it that I am itching to help them since the first time I heard of their case?" He answered while grinning.

Nonsense. Are you sure you are helping them? What you deem as helps may simply be troubles for them, y'know? The genie snorted in mocking amusement.

Suzaku only smiled. "Then, what say you?"

Hassamunnin frowned at him, but nonetheless told him what he had in his minds.

They still lack the solid foundation that serves to build a new relationship on top of the old, bitter one. The most problem comes from that mule-head of a girl. She is still deeply traumatised and the scar may probably take some more years to completely heal. It only takes a tiny-wee-bit of provocation to evoke her agitation regarding her clan's demise, the genie ranted on while shrugging his tiny shoulders nonchalantly.

"Solid foundation, huh? It reminds me of a piece of conversation that I overheard from two gossiping ladies."

You, eavesdropping gossiping women? The genie shot him dubious looks, but Suzaku continued on with his sentences as if he had not heard Hassamunnin's critical remarks.

"They mention that children are the only solid foundation in a family."

Wait a second, you don't mean… Hassamunnin frowned at the Phoenix.

"If you are thinking what I am thinking; which I assume you are, then you know precisely what I mean." Suzaku gave him an enigmatic smile, and ended their little discussion.


The next day, they reached the shore by early noon. Seiryuu quickly ran off towards the beach excitedly like how a little child would. Kurapika and Kuroro looked around; there was no sign of life there; only a barren shore. Barren was not really the right words; perhaps pristine would be a more suitable word. The beach was sparkling white, the sands untainted by human's hands.

"Heeeey, Genbu! Old man, where are you?" Seiryuu started shouting on top of his lungs, while kicking the grains of sand thoughtlessly. "You have guests here!"

THWACK!

The sound of a blunt weapon hitting Seiryuu's head was so loud that all eyes were instantly directed to the source of it. Suddenly, an old man with hunched back was already towering over Seiryuu, who was doubling up as he clutched his abused head. The old man had an ancient black turquoise shell on his back, wearing an old-fashioned garment and holding a twisted wooden stick. His ashen white beard hung from his face like a dishevelled curtain, brushing the sands lightly as he moved about.

"Insolent youngster! Is that how you treat your elder, eh? Brazen fool! Calling me an old man while you are only a few decades short from my age! Young people this age, they deify young looks while not paying attention to the real value of wisdom!"

Despite his ancient look, the old man sure was a tough nut to crack. He whacked Seiryuu repeatedly and mercilessly with his oak staff, scolding him severely all the while.

"That hurts! Old man! Ow, ow! Stop hitting me with your cane!"

"Genbu-san, if you continue, you'll bash in his head. If he gets amnesiac because of your abuse, imagine how disastrous it will be." Suzaku said gently as he approached the two bickering pair.

"Oh, you are right! Absolutely right, Suzaku! Oh my, when will this lad learn your wisdom, eh?" Genbu shook his head as if in great dismay.

"Unfair! Suzaku is always your favourite! That's why you always abuse me! I should sue your for child-abuse!" Seiryuu pulled the old man's beard rudely.

The two then started to engage in a childish fight, leaving Suzaku only to giggle uncontrollably upon seeing the spectacle. Kuroro and Kurapika were at loss on what to do. Kurapika wanted to laugh because the two reminded her of Killua and Gon when they fought for some childish reasons; Kuroro thought that the two of them were such idiots.

"Ignore them. This is just one of their daily routines." Suzaku said while fanning his blushing face (because of the laugh) with his hand as he approached them again. "Anyway, before you go, take this with you."

Suzaku gave them a piece of glowing feather that looked like a red peacock feather.

"It's one of my feathers. It will come in handy in the near future," he turned to Kuroro specifically, "and I'm sure you will know when to make good use of it."

Kuroro raised an eyebrow at the implication of his words, but nonetheless took the feather silently and tucked it into the safety of his backpack. Soon enough, they could see Genbu tottering towards them with a beaten up Seiryuu trailing after him.

"Ah, shall we go now, eh? Ready to sail, younglings?" He grinned at them as how a witty old man would.

"Anytime." Kurapika answered.

Genbu nodded with satisfaction, and then he tottered towards the shore. When he stepped into the ocean, he started to transform into a giant black tortoise, as per his title.

"Hop on his back. Let's just hope that he won't throw you into the ocean." Seiryuu said with a playful smirk directed at Kurapika.

Kurapika's face bleached, and it did not escape Kuroro's keen observation. He then made a mental note: Kurapika Kuruta could not swim.


Everything around them was grandiosely blue. It was no wonder; they were physically underwater but by Genbu's grace they were protected by his magic which allowed them to breathe underwater. They were enjoying the short journey, with all the ocean riches for their viewing pleasure, when suddenly Genbu stopped swimming forward and instead floated in the warm water.

As if answering to their cue, both Kuroro and Kurapika looked up and beheld a very odd scene before them.

Oho? Looks like this is it. The ancient-looking tortoise hummed.

"Meaning?" Kurapika asked while gaping at a gigantic man floating underwater, holding a trident in his hand. Surely that giant was not going to skewer them with it, right?

Time to say goodbye, children.

Without any warnings whatsoever, Genbu suddenly ditched them from his hard-shelled back. In no time, the two of them found themselves all wet and unable to breathe, as how it should have been when they were underwater. Kurapika instantly went panicky the moment she was engulfed in the darkness of the vast ocean. It reminded her of the nightmarish day when she plunged herself into the sea in attempt to go back to her land in search of her brother. It was a piece of unpleasant memory that had been revived unwittingly by Seiryuu's random remark.

Frantically she flailed her arms around her like a mad person. Kuroro tried to calm her down, but instead he was rewarded with beatings and scratching from the Kuruta girl. Suddenly, when Kuroro was about to decide on knocking the light out of Kurapika to make things easier, they were surrounded by a gentle light. He felt a pull as they ascended towards the water surface rapidly.

In no time, they found themselves being trashed by the wave onto the shore. They stumbled into a messy heap; Kuroro being on top of Kurapika (for the umpteenth time during their journey together) with sands assaulting and cushioning them at the same time. Crude sands entered their mouths and they went into a coughing fit.

As soon as Kuroro was finally rid of the sands in his mouth, he looked up and his dark eyes fell on the hazy figure hovering above the ocean. Seeing the gigantic man from the shore under the bright sunlight, Kuroro was able to see the complete feature of that man. His skin was all blue and sleek, and he had no expression on his face. His beard hung from his chin like masses of blue seaweeds. His dress was the only thing that provided information on the origin of that man.

"Manannan mac Lir." Kuroro whispered with a frown.

The sea suddenly howled ferociously, as if announcing the arrival of a tsunami or sea storm. Manannan mac Lir, one of the renowned Sea Gods, went back into his deep blue dwelling. He did not even spare them a word of greetings or anything else. What an unfriendly fellow.

Kurapika finally coughed out the seawater and sands from her mouth. She was a total mess; she was thoroughly soaked wet from head to toe; her golden hair dishevelled, her clothing sticking wet on her body, and she felt terribly cold. The shore was windy, and it gave her chills. She had no wish to get any cold. She had had enough of being sick and being nursed by that accursed Spider Head.

Kuroro, Kurapika!

A familiar voice greeted them before Kurapika could start cussing around as she usually did when she was utterly pissed off. When she looked up, she felt that her day was turning for the better. Una was galloping towards them in delight; sands flying around in her wake.

"Una!"

The unicorn slipped her head into Kurapika's embrace, careful not to skewer her with her horn, though. She licked Kurapika's face happily, and then turned to Kuroro to do the same. Although the Spider Head did not mind the affection, he just wished that Kurapika was not looking at him with that kind of mocking expression on her face. He knew that the girl always enjoyed every bit of bliss of witnessing him getting slightly flustered by Una's inexorable showers of affections towards him.

Kurapika used to do that just to spite him, but right now the spiteful thought did not come across her mind. It simply had become a habit to her; and habits died hard.

"She has been waiting for your arrival faithfully for days."

The voice gripped their attention and both turned to the owner of that bass voice. While Kurapika seemed alert, Kuroro was more surprised than anything else. He recognised that voice. Apparently, fate had more surprises in store for him.

There, at the outskirt of the forest that bordered the shore, were two men standing casually next to each other. It seemed that they were travelling companions. Kuroro could not help but to slightly gawk when his gaze landed on those two men.

One had a youthful face with a look in his eyes that said that he thirsted for more adventures. He wore a turban of some sort, concealing most of his hair but strands of his jet black hair escaped the bound of the turban. His clothing was practical and he seemed to be at ease. His hands were in his pockets.

The other one was a man with dark ochre skin. He had long unbound hair, and it seemed as if he had not taken any haircuts for a few good years, probably decades. He had a cheeky grin on his face despite his grim visage. His hair was platinum gold, a stark contrast to his companion's hair and his very own skin. His clothing was minimal with only a piece of clothing to just decently cover most of his skin.

They have been keeping me company since the past few days. Una told them.

"And aren't you now fluent with your speech?" Kurpika said with delight as she rubbed her face on Una's smooth, puffy cheek.

Kuroro, meanwhile, still stared at them as if he was seeing ghosts. Kurapika frowned at this.

"What's the matter?" She asked gingerly. They don't seem to mean any harms judging from their body language. Una seems to accept them as well.

Kuroro finally parted his lips and two words escaped his mouth like a ghost's whisper.

"Ging. Anansi."


Author's Note: This chapter is kind of weird, or so I think. In any case, Tamamo-no-Mae is quite famous in Japanese legend. As you can see by now I made Seiryuu a womaniser (I hope any Seiryuu fans out there don't butcher me for this) I just love the part when Seiryuu and Genbu fought *grin grin* And I know that Byakko sounds like a stuck-up guy here, but I just don't know what kind of personality should fit him. I was trying to make all four of them with different personalities. A question: do you understand the implication of Suzaku's words at the end of his conversation with Hassamunnin?

Next: Kuroro mentioned Ging and Anansi. So Kuroro Lucifer actually knew Gon's father? What's the story behind it? Also, why are they there in the first place? It was too good to be a coincidence.