Disclaimer: I still do not own HunterxHunter (this is getting old…)

Story so far: Kuroro was invited to a party by his old friend, who would be one of the owners of the Scarlet Eyes. What would happen? As Kurapika suspected, things never went normal for them. Not to mention a certain weirdo they would encounter.

Author's random note: By golly, I never realized that the asterisks never appeared in the real view! I corrected from chapter 15 onwards, and I'll be more careful from this time onwards. You are advised to turn on your music player and play 'Konpaku no Elegie' aka Kurapika's Theme at the near ending of this chapter (like I said, I'm being random here)


Chapter 23

SCARLET TEARS


The garish decoration and blinking lights occupying the whole mansion was ridiculous to Kurapika's standard. She was getting dizzy from all the flashes of lights and the bright colours. The hushed noises that the guests were making—all those formal chatters and stifled giggles—were driving her nuts. That was why she greatly disliked formal occasions such as this.

"I'm surprised that you are still not used to this," said Kuroro as he manoeuvred himself easily among the throngs of guests.

Kurapika followed closely behind him, looking disgruntled and unhappy. This time, Kuroro had insisted—forced—her to wear a tube dress. Kuroro had reasoned that she should try different types of dresses; though she did not understand why, of all kind of dresses, she had to wear a tube one. It exposed her thin, white shoulders and she felt naked and insecure in it.

As such, Kurapika developed a knack of slightly hunching over due to her lack of confidence. Many times Kuroro had to remind her not to hunch since she would look horrible that way, but on and on she repeated that gesture. When Kuroro was finally exasperated, he took it upon himself to eradicate that tendency thereof.

He quickly made his way to stand behind Kurapika—who was so distracted by the dress she did not notice that Kuroro was already standing behind him—and pulled her shoulders so that her whole back touched his chest. The girl stood frigid at this contact.

"Now you maintain this posture." Kuroro whispered to her ears, and it gave her the tingling sensation again.

With one swift move, Kuroro took his position by her side and slid his arms to her waist. In response, Kurapika stood even straighter and her back more arched.

"Until you remember this posture like your second nature, I will keep this position." Kuroro said, or more precisely, threatened her.

Oh, he knew that Kurapika disliked any skin contacts with him; a breach of personal space, as she had dubbed it. Kurapika turned to give him a scowl, but he ignored it and began shepherding her by pushing her forward lightly. She complied and walked side-by-side with him, looking very much like a lovey-dovey newlyweds—as she unfortunately overheard from a couple who happened to observe them.

They explored the hall silently, not even bothering to greet other guests whom they did not know. Kuroro had told her to look for a 'fat, balding old man with thick brush-like moustache', provided that the Duke had not changed appearance for the past few years since the last time he visited the Duke.

"Whenever we have no activity, I usually spend most of my time as a scholar working for the Duke. He has incredible investment in rare treasures and others of the kind. Anything exotic and rare attracts his attention." He informed Kurapika generously, though the girl did not ask.

No wonder he is very well informed about that kind of things—treasures and such… He is a scholar in that department, thought Kurapika with rolled eyes.

A fleeting shadow moved gracefully and swiftly among the crowds, clearly heading towards the couple. Kuroro noticed the coming shadow, but made no attempts to put any defence. He knew what was coming his way.

"And of course there are other scholars as well." Kuroro continued with a thin smile on his face.

"Lucifer!" A youthful voice greeted him as the shadow stopped before them, revealing a tall, lanky young man with long straight black hair that draped like a silky curtain slightly past his shoulder. His face was thin and long, with prominent cheekbones and deathly pale skin as if he had no blood underneath that porcelain skin. His eyes were the most striking feature of his entire visage; they were icy grey, like a very pale blue, with a glassy surface that gave life into those supposedly dead-like eyes.

"Boy, did I not expect to see you here! Then again, maybe I should have." The gentleman said cheerfully with his arms extended in a broad welcome.

This time, unlike that time with Anansi, Kuroro let the man to embrace him in a brotherly manner. Kurapika raised her eyebrows. If Kuroro allowed such familiarity, it could only mean the man was someone quite close to him. Closer than he was with the Genei Ryodan members, most likely; but if that was the case, why had he never appeared before?

"He is one of those 'other scholars'?" Kurapika asked, though she knew the answer before she even asked.

"Yes," answered Kuroro. He then turned to address his old friend. "Lucian Virgiliu, the Count of Wallachia. It's been a while."

Kurapika narrowed her eyes. How on Earth could Kuroro Lucifer, of all people, make acquaintance with people of high statuses? Okay, so now it was a Count. Previously the Lady of Ryuusei-gai (which was equal to being a Queen, may be?), and then a Duke. What would be next? An Emperor, perhaps?

"Oh, cut the formalities, pal." The young count waved his hand dismissively. When his eyes landed on Kurapika, a broad grin graced his pale face. "And this will be your female companion?"

"She is." He answered lightly as he took one glass of wine offered to him by a passing waiter.

He deliberately did not offer Kurapika one; he knew she was not up to any wines or alcoholic drinks. He had had enough experience not to risk getting her drunk all over again. Kurapika, at the same time, did not bother with it. If anything, she was glad that the man spared her the tiring formalities.

"And what her role will be?"

"My wife." He said it so deadpan that Kurapika could not help but to choke on nothing in particular. Her saliva, perhaps?

"Hooo…" He whistled casually as he eyed Kurapika with appreciating eyes. It was a gesture that Kurapika hated; it made her feel so self-conscious. "Never thought you'd ever take a woman to be your soţie (Romanian for 'wife'). Lucifer the lone wolf, eh?"

Kurapika twitched a bit at the mention of 'the lone wolf'. It just sounded so wrong in her ears; there was a nasty ring to it. Lucian noticed this slight gesture and interpreted it slightly off the track.

"Actually, fata (Romanian for 'girl'), I'm supposed to call him Kuroro, correct? But I choose to address him as Lucifer instead. Do you know why?"

Kurapika shook her head slowly, but she sensed something weird coming her way.

"Because that way our names will sound similar. Lucian, Lucifer. The Lu-Lu pair!"

Kurapika's jaws inadvertently dropped for a few centimetres. Was he intending to make a pun with the word 'lulu'?

"Enough with that idiotic joke already, Lucian. That is not funny." Kuroro said dryly.

"Aw, you are no fun."

"Apparently you still have a lot of growing up ahead of you, despite your age."

"Pfft. Don't start telling the world of my real age, will you? You are surprisingly rude." Lucian narrowed his eyes in playful displeasure; no hard feelings whatsoever. "So what are you doing now? I don't see your entourage anywhere around the area."

"That's not for you to know."

"So stingy." He tsk-ed.

"And what about you?"

"Me? The usual stuff. Been travelling around the world looking for something that attracts my attention. Treasure hunting sure is fun." He said while laughing softly.

If he's a Hunter, he'll be a Treasure Hunter. Kurapika told herself mentally. And no wonder he's never around before; he's too busy digging for treasures around the world.

"Oh, and Kurapika?"

Kuroro turned to regard her, and she looked up to look at him in the eyes. It was something that no longer roused awkwardness between them; as if it was as natural as breathing. Previously, it had been so hard for her to look at him in the eyes evenly without feeling angry or cross.

"You stay away from him." He said flatly.

"Huh?" She blinked. That was very unlike him to say such things openly about his close friend—if he deemed Lucian as one.

"That's very mean of you, Lucifer. You speak badly of me right in front of me." He said with feigned hurt. "Don't worry, I won't try to drink your lady's blood."

Kurapika's face turned ashen white and it was so obvious that Kuroro had to chuckle.

"He is a vampire." He informed her.

Ah, no wonder the colour of his eyes looks dead. Though his cheerful countenance adds life in it, Kurapika thought.

"Well, naturally it will be wise for you to stay away from her as well." Kuroro said while sipping his wine with an amused smile plastered on his face. "I'm sure her blood will taste horrible."

Kurapika did not know whether she should feel complimented or insulted. Nevertheless, Lucian's eyebrows quirked with interest.

"And what makes you perceive that?" He asked curiously.

"She shares my blood." He simply said, but apparently it was good enough an explanation for the vampire.

"That explains it." He said sourly. "That's too bad. No, it's really bad; such a great waste."

Seeing that Kurapika looked lost regarding the two men's conversation, Lucian took the liberty of explaining it to her.

"Draga (Romaninan for 'dear'), this companion of yours has a blood that tasted like poison to me. Very terrible indeed, because his blood is mixed with a nasty stuff."

"Ishtar's blood." Kuroro muttered to her. "Vampire only feasts on human's and animal's blood. Other creatures, especially dangerous ones like her kinds, are more often than not poisonous to his kind."

"I see." She muttered with the corner of her mouth twitching nervously. She did not know whether she ought to be pleased or distraught by that piece of information.

You two are barely pure humans, so did Seiryuu's voice ring in her head once more, and it made her uneasy since it reminded her of her odd blood.

"By the by, do you know what old man Abelard is going to display tonight?" He asked excitedly.

"A pair of Scarlet Eyes," replied Kuroro deadpan.

"As expected of you." He slapped him on the shoulder. "Then again, I'm sure mine exceeds his in rarity and beauty."

"Oh?" Kuroro raised a quizzical eyebrow. "And what is your treasure that 'exceeds a pair of Scarlet Eyes in rarity and beauty'?"

Lucian grinned as broadly as a Cheshire cat did.

"I'll show you. Come with me."

Lucian had just turned on his heels and was about to march to his designated room when Kuroro stopped him.

"Not now, Lucian. For now we have urgent business with the Duke."

If he was any puppy, his eyes would have dropped flat on his head and gave a whinny, disappointed whimper.

"Have you seen him?" asked Kuroro, ignoring Lucian's antics.

"Dunno. Should be in the crowds, entertaining the guests." He answered while pouting.

Kuroro gave him a small, amused smile. He walked past him and patted him lightly on the shoulder twice, as if to reassure him. Kuroro then passed him his half-empty wine glass.

"I'll see you soon."

His voice sounded almost very brotherly and gentle that Kurapika almost tripped in her heels. Kuroro regarded her with a raised eyebrow, which Kurapika only responded with a piercing look to indicate him to 'mind his own business'. Lucian's face lit up and he beamed at Kuroro happily, though the said man was already walking away with Kurapika trailing after him.

"I love you, brother!" He shouted from his spot.

This time, it was Kuroro who almost tripped. A few heads gave him a quizzical look, which he naturally ignored with no effort, but somehow an amused look from Kurapika had much greater impact than those numerous stares.

"'I love you, brother.'" Kurapika mimicked it gleefully.

Kuroro shot her a nasty look, while she ignored it and continued to stifle her laughter. One thing for sure, Kurapika liked Lucian's good sense of humour.


"Lucifer, my dear young man! How have you been?" The fat, cheery man welcomed them with his plump arms spread in a welcoming embrace as soon as he spotted Kuroro.

"Very good, Duke. How are you doing?"

"Can't be better." He said while laughing merrily. To Kurapika, he was the perfect example of a content old man. "Oh, look at who's this. Your female companion, yes?"

He bowed to her politely and took her hand to kiss the back of it lightly. Kurapika did her best not to twitch when his lips touched her skin.

He is a famous womaniser, so Kuroro's words rang in her head—it gave her the chills knowing that such man was actually trying to flirt with her.

"My wife." Kuroro corrected.

"Ah…" The Duke hurriedly released Kurapika's hand and he shot her a slightly apologetic smile as he cleared his throat. "I see."

"How do you do, honoured Duke of Cenabum?" Kurapika bowed a curtsy, trying to be polite. She did notice the old man's slight change of attitude at the mention of 'my wife' by Kuroro, though.

"Ohoho, quite the charming young lady, isn't she?" The Duke laughed. "How young are you, mademoiselle (French for 'my little lady')?"

Kurapika went frigid and turned to give Kuroro a questioning gesture. Should she say the truth of her real age? Kuroro only gave her a blank face, not helping her at all. Kurapika fought not to scowl at him, for it was unbecoming of a wife to scowl at her husband.

"Em… Seventeen?" She confessed as the corner of her mouth twitched nervously.

"Seventeen?" The Duke exclaimed, but by the grace of the God he did not shout it out loud.

"Lucifer! She is too young to be your épouse (French for 'consort')!" protested the Duke, flustered by Kuroro's seemingly outrageous decision to take someone so young to be his wife.

Kurapika blushed furiously, at loss on what to say or do. Kuroro merely smiled charmingly at his previous employer.

"Why not? She is of legal age."

"But—"

"Duke, no matter how much you protested against it, it won't change a thing. She is already my wife, and that's that." There was finality in his voice, indicating that he would receive no more arguing about the matter.

"Well, I guess you are right…" The Duke sighed. He then decided to change the topic of their chat. "So, Lucifer, what kind of treasure do you have with you?"

"Hmmm…" Kuroro put up a thinking gesture. "What about my wife here? She's quite the rare treasure, isn't she?"

Kuroro was only partially joking here. Truthfully, Kurapika was really a treasure; the last one living Kuruta. Of course he was not going to divulge that to the Duke, but still he really thought of her as a treasure of some kind.

The Duke, not knowing that, laughed heartily. Kurapika, on the other hand, felt like puking.

"I have never known you to be such a romantic person." He commented.

"I heard that people change after they enter marriage." Kuroro said humbly.

Oh, she really wanted to puke now.

"My, my. Your wife really has a great impact on you, I see."

Now the Duke eyed her with a renewed sense of respect and appreciation. Kurapika shifted uncomfortably under his scrutiny. She never liked being observed so closely and intensely. At the same time, she felt like slapping his smooth-talker of a 'husband'.

"Well, Duke." Kuroro approached him and spoke with lower voice to him as he decided to come down to the business. "This treasure of mine is something very rare, and so it comes across my mind to trade it with you."

"Trade it? Now, now, that is something worth noticing, considering it coming from you." The old Duke raised one thick, bushy eyebrow and motioned at them to follow him into his suite.

He told them to wait in his private living room while he personally fetched his Scarlet Eyes. They both took a seat in the sofa. Kurapika scanned the whole room with wonderment; it was so lavishly decorated, not to mention the many other valuable goods the room held.

"I'm surprised you never try to rob him." She commented in soft voice.

"I respect him, and that is why I am not going to steal anything from him, especially in this occasion. Doing so will soil his good name, and I have no wish for that to happen." Kuroro simply said.

"Blessed are those whom you respect," said Kurapika mockingly, "for they are spared from the possibility of getting robbed silly by the Genei Ryodan."

Kuroro merely shrugged, unaffected by her sneer. Soon enough, the Duke re-entered the room with a fine box cradled in his chubby arms. He placed it as carefully as possible on the mahogany table before the couple. He opened the box dramatically, and finally revealed the Scarlet Eyes.

Kuroro was not impressed at the slightest; he had had his share of staring into those floating eyes, but Kurapika evidently was never tired of getting excited when she saw those priced Eyes. She straightened up and leaned forwards to get a closer look at those Eyes. It was the real thing, alright.

"So? What do you think? What can you offer to trade with these Eyes?" asked the Duke as he leaned back in his grand chair.

With an enigmatic smile, Kuroro shifted and fished out something out of his pocket. He laid the object that he claimed as 'his most treasured possession'—which was actually not—carefully on the table. He cared not for it, all truth to be told. Abelard Constantin simply had to gape in wonderment as he beheld Kuroro's term of bargain.

"Ho—how did you get to own it?" exclaimed the Duke, still unable to swallow the truth that he was looking at the fabled Phoenix Feather.

Kuroro smiled triumphantly. Judging from the Duke's expression, he knew that he was winning the bargain.

"It does not matter how I procured this item. I am only interested in whether you are willing to trade your Scarlet Eyes with this piece of feather or not." He said lazily.

"Allow me to inspect it first," begged the Duke.

Kuroro made a 'help yourself' gesture with one hand, and the Duke eagerly examined the Feather as if it was a very fragile crystal that might crumble when handled too vulgarly.

"It is the real thing." The Duke whispered in amazement and delight.

"Of course it is. Do you doubt my credibility?" said Kuroro, rather too haughtily in Kurapika's opinion.

"No, no, of course not."

"So?"

"The Eyes are yours." The Duke decided in less than a heartbeat, his hungry eyes never leaving the Feather in his hand.

"Good. I will have Lucian fetch it for me." Kuroro said as he rose from his seat, followed by Kurapika; who had been the silent observer all the while.

With all formalities done, Kuroro and Kurapika took their leave and sauntered towards the grand hall where the other guests were indulging themselves with harmless chats and drinks. The two of them had figured out the role of the Phoneix Feather once Kuroro received the message from Abelard Constantin. It was a realisation that they needed not confirm with each other; as such, Kurapika was not surprised when Kuroro offered the Feather as his mean of bargain.

Thus, there was nothing left for them to discuss. Everything went on smoothly as planned. Well, except maybe for Lucian.


"The hell? What am I? You errand boy?" Lucian protested as soon as Kuroro told him of his promise to the Duke that Lucian would fetch the Eyes for him.

"Do this as a tiny favour for me, Lucian. After all, you owed me one." Kuroro said with mischievous smile.

"Okay, okay! I'll do it, just don't start reminding me of 'that favour'!" Lucian made a surrendering gesture, and he started to mumbled complaints to himself.

He led them to his designated room, where he promised to show them his priced treasure that 'exceeds the Scarlet Eyes in rarity and beauty'. When they reached the room, Kuroro looked around and noticed something missing.

"I thought you are supposed to bring a female companion as well?"

"Oh, I did." Lucian grinned.

He whistled and in a flash a black cat had appeared as if from thin air. She purred lovingly as she rubbed her elastic furry body against Lucian's boots. Lucian picked the cat and began stroking it lovingly.

"There she is. Her name is Stella, because she has a star-shaped white fur on her forehead."

"A cat?" Kurapika voiced her confusion out loud.

"Why, draga, the invitation did not specify me to bring a human female companion." He grinned cheekily at her, reminding her of Killua in some way. Perhaps when Killua was all grown up, he would somewhat resemble Lucian.

"You and your weirdest interpretation of things." Kuroro said in amusement.

"It makes things more interesting, you stuck-up guy." Lucian stuck his tongue at Kuroro before releasing the cat from his arm. The cat then sauntered into the inner room, disappearing behind the slightly open door.

"Anyway, my 'treasure'…" He said absentmindedly as he walked towards his bedroom after Stella. "You know, Lucifer. When I saw that soţie of yours, frankly speaking I was shocked because…"

"Lucian." Kuroro suddenly said sharply. "I think I know what your 'treasure' is."

"Oh." Lucian blinked as he stopped in his track halfway to his bedroom. He then caught a glimpse of a rather agitated Kurapika. "Well, if you think so…"

"I want to see it." Kurapika said suddenly. "I wish to see it." She repeated with emphasis.

"Fata, darling, I don't think it will be a pretty sight to you…"

"Reason being?"

"Well…"

"Show me, please."

Lucian looked at Kuroro, who then nodded in defeat. Hesitantly, Lucian took out a box from his bedroom that contained his treasure; a box that was big enough to fit a human head. He slowly opened it and, true enough, a container with a floating head inside was revealed—a head that Kurapika was so familiar about.

Her oceanic eyes instantly burned scarlet.

"Aniki—"

And then she passed out, not because of the shock but because Kuroro had hit her nape with just sufficient strength to knock her out. Lucian looked rather startled with the entire scene.

"She is a living Kuruta?"

"The last one." Kuroro said curtly as he carried Kurapika's unconscious body bridal style.

"I thought you were the one…Then how come she…" Lucian looked befuddled as if he had seen the most peculiar thing in his life.

"It's a long story, and complicated."

"I like long story. Tell me, Lucifer."

"Another time, Lucian. There are more pressing matters right now. What compensation will make you agree to part with that Scarlet Eyes of yours?"

"What can you offer?" asked the vampire as he folded his arms across his chest.

"A favour from me. Is that acceptable?"

"Hmmm…" Lucian turned slowly to eye Kurapika with a strange light in his odd eyes.

"She is off limits, Lucian."

Although Kuroro's voice was calm and collected, Lucian knew that the man was dead serious. He then made a surrendering gesture—it was best not to mess around with Kuroro Lucifer's possessions.

"I guess that's a fair enough bargain. A favour from you, the leader of the notorious Genei Ryodan, is almost equal to a favour from the whole group. It may come in handy." He shrugged casually.

"Good. I will send my man to fetch the Eyes later."

"The Head, you mean." Lucian grinned sinisterly. "Oh, and send Paku, will you? She's just one of the sanest one among your Spiders."

"She's long gone." Kuroro said flatly, his voice devoid of any emotions.

Lucian gaped, his mouth forming a big O.

"She killed her." He gestured at the unconscious Kurapika in his arms with a nod of his head.

"Oh. I see." Lucian said awkwardly. Now a new big question popped in his head; how the hell could he travel with the killer of his Spider? Then again, the same could go to Kurapika: how the hell could she travel with the killer of her entire tribe?

"I'll send you Machi."

Before Lucian could protest or do anything against his hasty decision, Kuroro went off.


"Oh. My. God." Lucian scratched the back of his head, unsure on what to do regarding the current situation.

Right before him was the suite that had been designated for both Kuroro and Kurapika, but it was empty AND half destroyed. To be exact, nothing was left of the door to the balcony, plus some cracks on the walls. Lucian could only shake his head in wonderment.

"What a violent couple." He sighed and went to inform Abelard Constantin of the fabricated cause behind the mini quake and the loud noises from earlier. Of course it was one that he made up, since he had not the slightest idea on what had actually happened.

The real incident happened to originate from Kurapika's explosive response when she woke up.

The first thing she remembered when she opened her eyes had been her brother's staring eyes that burned bright scarlet—a shade which was only second in quality to Kurapika's, as Kuroro secretly dubbed. They seemed to speak of lustful urge of revenge to her, and it revived her dormant thirst of vendetta.

Before she knew it, she had turned berserk—she madly and blindly attacked Kuroro, disregarding the fact that she was wearing a tube dress and that they were in another person's suite. After she had wonderfully destroyed the door to the balcony, Kuroro lured her out of the place in order to avoid unnecessary attention from the guests.

Thus, their battle had taken place in a forest not far from Duke Abelard Constantin's residence.

It was a tiring battle, as Kuroro had to admit. From the information that his Spiders had given him; one that Pakunoda had bequeathed to her comrades before she fell victim to the Judgement Chain, he knew that she was able to conceal her Nen Chains with In. As such, for safety precaution he had to constantly deploy En during his fight—and it was no easy job.

Kurapika's attacks were relentless and fierce. She did not falter or stop, not giving him a chance for respite at all. She kept attacking like a mad bull, not intending to stop until she had torn his life and soul from his body. Her determination was unnerving for him. Her Reinforcement strength baffled him—she was able to crush a fat tree trunk with her bare hands. It reminded him of Uvogin, but what made him admire her more was her resilient and endurance in maintaining the Emperor Time ability—it ought to require tremendous amount of Nen to maintain all Nen types at the same time for long period of time, not to mention the rigorous usage.

Her Chain Jail danced its deadly yet graceful dance around him, trying to bite him to death with its hook. It was nothing hard to dodge them, but he was only wary of the tricks that she had up her sleeves—she was one cunning fighter, alright.

While Kurapika relied solely on her Chain Jail, Kuroro had to resort to his Benz knife—the one with poison that was strong enough to paralyse a whale. He only needed to give her a shallow cut and the battle would be over. The problem was that she was doing a terrific job in avoiding his attacks.

At one time, Kuroro chanced upon a perfect opportunity to immobilise the girl—it was when behind her was a fat, large, old tree with strong and broad trunk. With idle flicks of his wrist, Kuroro threw his ice-breaker-sized pins at her and apparently Lady Luck was on his side.

Kuroro's pins pierced right through the flesh of her palms, and she was literally nailed to the trunk of the tree behind her. Kuroro was sure that he had nailed her to the tree, since the amount of strength that he put in throwing those pins were enough for them to sink deeply into the flesh of the tree. Her position at that moment was alike that of a crucified one.

Much to his surprise, and horror perhaps, Kurapika's rebellion had no bounds. With a groan and cry that was alike of a wounded animal, Kurapika tried to wrench herself free from the pins. She pulled forward her body, ignoring the fact that her palms were bleeding and the flesh were tearing from the bone.

"Kurapika, stop!" He cried out at her, but she would not stop. He had never thought that the girl would go as far as tearing her own flesh in order to get to him. How far did her boiling hatred towards him extend?

After a while, with a final cry, Kurapika wrenched her palms free from the pins. The pins remained in their position, stuck to the tree trunk. They were covered in her blood, and the open wounds on her palms were bleeding profusely, like a tap water. If left untreated, she might die from blood loss. Kurapika stumbled to the ground, but when she supported her body from the fall with her ruined hands, she did not even flinch from the pain. Like a demon possessed, Kurapika ignored the gruesome wounds and instead charged at Kuroro heads-on.

Again Kuroro had to maintain distance from the crazed girl while deploying En all the while. It was draining his Nen, and he knew that he could not keep up with it forever. He had to stop Kurapika without actually killing her—it was the hardest thing he had ever attempted in his life. That was because he stubbornly clung to his resolute not to let the girl die.

"Kurapika, get a hold of yourself!"

His voice never reached the sensible part of Kurapika's mind, for it had been blocked by her tumultuous mind. After a few more minutes of the same game, Kuroro really grew tired of it; not to mention that the disturbing amount of blood she was shedding was making him frown deeply.

Finally, Kuroro decided that enough was enough. He teleported himself right in front of her—shocking the life out of her. In the milliseconds that seemed to stretch indefinitely, Kuroro grabbed her shoulders and drove his knee to her solar plexus. As Kurapika doubled up, Kuroro delivered the finishing blow—a cut on her upper arm. The cut was slightly deep and so more blood gushed out, but Kuroro was sure that the poison had successfully invaded her system. Another problem arose: she persisted.

As she dropped to the ground unceremoniously, it dawned to her that it was her absolute defeat. Kuroro squatted by her side, observing her with wonderment—she was the first 'normal' person—Silva Zaoldyck was definitely beyond normal—to ever withstand his poisonous Benz knife. With a jerk, she clutched his shirt with her bloody hands. With trembling hands she hauled her self up, and Kuroro held her in his arm gingerly.

She glared at him fiercely, but it soon turned tearful. Tears flooded her pale cheeks like there was no tomorrow. The delicate droplets of salty substance reflected the scarlet colour of her fiery Scarlet Eyes, playing tricks on Kuroro's Eyes. He fleetingly thought she was crying blood, but he quickly amended such foolish thought.

Scarlet Tears…he mused.

Sobs started to escape her throat, and she then buried her face in his shirt. It was a gesture so out of place for someone who had failed to defeat her nemesis yet again.

She soon started wailing and crying like a baby, pouring her sadness out. How vexed she was as she realised that she could not beat Kuroro Lucifer no matter what. He was still beyond her league. She had not the slightest chance of beating him, and she knew that. She might be able to defeat other Spiders, like Uvogin, but not Kuroro Lucifer. He was just too good. Even as she had put her life at stakes for the sake of attaining power, he was still too good.

"Curse you! Curse you…!" She muttered amidst her wails. Rather than curses, it sounded more like pleas to Kuroro.

Before long, the poison took its toll on her body and she finally succumbed to oblivion. As she went limp in her arms, he held on to her; hugging her frail frame closely as if she could just disintegrate the moment he let go of her. He could feel his shirt soaked wet by her blood and tears. The amount of blood that she had lost disturbed him. His heartbeat became erratic, and a small voice spoke from the back of his minds:

She is dying…

He did not know whether the voice came from the bond formed due to their shared blood or due to cry of his Nen that resided within him. The only thing he knew for sure was that the voice was correct. She was indeed dying. For the first time in his life, Kuroro was plunged into pure panic. He did not know of what to do.

"My, my, what a violent spousal quarrel you have here. Geez, I've never seen one as bloody as this." A voice said from nearby bush.

Lucian stood there with one arm supporting his weight against a tree. He stood and spoke so idly and calmly as if that much blood had no effect on him although he was a vampire.

"And you are right, Lucifer. Her blood smells faintly of your blood. It reeks of poison." He wrinkled his nose. "I wouldn't want to drink it."

"Are you here just to say that?" He asked impatiently.

"Nope. I'm here to help, prietenul meu. (Romanian for 'my friend')" He straightened up and flashed a toothy grin at him. "Come with me and bring your draga along."

Having no other better options, Kuroro gathered Kurapika's limp body in his arms and proceeded to follow Lucian wherever he went to.


"Use this suite as you see fit. Just don't destroy it like you did Abelard's." He said lightly, trying to ease Kuroro's tension. Well, at least he intended to although it did little.

He brought them to his private mansion and granted them a suite for them to use to their heart's content. Saving the 'thank you' formalities for later, Kuroro rushed her to a bedroom and deposited her into the bed before starting on the task of stopping her profuse bleeding by bandaging the gaping holes on her palms. In no time, the white bed sheet was dyed dark crimson with her fresh blood.

Lucian cringed at the sharp metallic, poisonous smell of her odd blood. It smelled foul for him. He went away, and returned very shortly with a pack of drugs in his hand. The drugs were pills with dark maroon colour, and it had the shape of a red blood cell.

"Give her this. This should stop her bleeding instantly," said he as he handed Kuroro one pill.

So Kuroro fed her the pill, and wonder of wonders it did work instantaneously as soon as the pill was digested and the content was absorbed by her system.

"And this is?"

"Drug to stop bleeding, obviously. I made it myself. Travelling vampires like me will need such handy drugs, no? After all, blood loss is our greatest enemy."

"Oh," was his mere response, though he was actually interested in Lucian's little invention.

"I can give you some if you want them." Lucian offered generously.

"Thank you."

"Anytime, frater. (Romanian for 'brother')" Lucian shrugged. "Then, I'll leave you with fata."


Kurapika felt like she was floating in dark water. Everything was dark, and she was tired. She felt like succumbing into the infinite darkness, merging with it and to forget everything else that burdened her mind and soul. She was tired, and wanted to rest and forget. Kurapika closed her eyes solemnly and let her body fall into the mercy of the darkness surrounding her.

You are tired.

An excruciatingly familiar voice from distant past roused her awake. When she opened her eyes, a face was already looming over her.

"Aniki." Her voice was the bare whisper of a ghost.

Kairi, you have slaved yourself so hard. Give it a rest. The ghost said while caressing Kurapika's hair with his translucent hand. Her brother was intact; his head was there, along with his eyes—those beautifully tranquil eyes.

"But Aniki…If I haven't avenged you and the tribe…"

Nobody asks you to avenge us, the shadowy figure said, his voice was but a hollow dry wind of dead winter.

"But—"

Kairi, find your own reason of living. Your raison d'être, the ghost of her deceased brother beseeched her, his otherworldly eyes glowed eerily yet sadly in the pitch darkness.

Your suffering grieves us more than anything else. You are our last hope for survival, the last of our kin. Live, Kairi. Live happily. That is the only thing you can at least do for us. We don't want revenge, the figure shook his head slowly.

"Live happily?" The girl repeated after the ghost of her dead brother. "I have forgotten…how it is to live happily."

Truly? For once, the shadowy voice was not as sorrowful but was hopeful. Look closely, Kairi. There is happiness around you in abundance.

With that, the faint shadow started to fade away. In alarm, Kurapika reached the grab the ghost of her brother but her hand only clutched empty air and darkness. Pin-drop silence filled her entire being, and she was once again left alone. She stared into the thick darkness.

Happiness in abundance? Where? She pondered despairingly.

Images flashed before her eyes: Gon, Killua, Leorio, Senritsu, Bashou.

Kuroro Lucifer.


When she opened her eyes, she was greeted by unfamiliar ceilings and found herself lying on unfamiliar bed. She felt giddy and disoriented, but nevertheless she felt the boring stare directed to her. She turned to look at the owner of the stare, who was none other than Kuroro.

He was studying her visage, and she his. There were faint dark rings underneath his dark eyes, the tell-tale that he had not been sleeping—or resting—properly. He was still wearing the same shirt that he had been wearing to the Duke's party, which had already ended just the day before. His face was paler than usual, almost sickly pale. Kurapika's face was equally pale, with no colour at all. Her face was just like a blank sheet of paper; white and flat with no shade or depth.

She finally turned her attention back to the ceiling above her, while Kuroro's gaze never left her.

"Have I ever been happy?" She asked to nobody in particular, her voice a faint whisper.

Kuroro observed her intently, trying to decipher the faraway look on her face. Her whole body language was languid and lethargic, with no hints of her going into a frenzied murderous spree again.

"I have never seen you laugh." Kuroro admitted—he only knew of one time when Kurapika laughed. It was a soft laugh she gave when she was drunk in one of their Scarlet Eyes mission—even that had been an account from Shalnark and Phinks. He quietly added, "I rarely see you smile, except when you are with those friends of yours."

Kurapika remained motionless in her bed, her oceanic blue eyes staring at the empty ceiling above her absentmindedly.

"Do you want to see them?" He asked softly.

Of course she did, but she did not want them to see her in such condition. They would pester her about it, and more problems would surely arise especially between them and Kuroro. She had had enough of troubles and problems like those. Still, she missed them badly… Especially Senritsu; the motherly Senritsu.

And now she felt like crying. Just great.

Seeing the glittery tell-tale sign of impending tears, Kuroro rose from his seat and sat on her bedside. If possible, he would not want to see her tears. It was…heartbreaking. He then curled his hand around hers, completely enveloping that small hand in his large one. She twitched when his hand touched hers, but relaxed when he silently gave her one comforting squeeze on the bandaged hand—careful not to hurt the wounds.

This one little gesture released the constricting force swelling in her chest. She inhaled deeply and let out the pressure in her chest to go away slowly yet steadily. Kurapika closed her eyes and held Kuroro's hand; returning his good-natured gesture.

"Thanks."


"You know, Lucifer. Abelard didn't specify that you should bring any wives. He just told you to bring a female companion. Why insisting that she is your wife?"

Kurapika was already safely asleep yet again, and Lucian helped himself to have a little chat with his friend. He offered him a cool drink, and Kuroro gladly accepted it.

"A safety precaution. Despite being a womaniser, Abelard still knows his manner. He won't try to flirt with someone else's wives."

"Simply said, you don't want your Kurapika to attract the old man's attention; which is highly likely to happen if he is to learn of her single status."

Kuroro nodded.

"What devotion you have towards her. I am astounded." For once, Lucian sounded very serious as he emphasised his words.

"She will forget this, sooner or later." Kuroro simply stated.

"What makes you think so?"

"Because I know her," said he confidently.

She would dismiss it as a 'moment of insanity' due to her fatigue and disorientation, and she would resume her normal self, so he mused to himself as he stared absentmindedly into his less than half-empty glass, the ice cubes clinking delicately.

"That's so pessimistic of you, which is unusual." Lucian raised an eyebrow.

Kuroro closed his eyes and sighed inwardly.

"It's called being realistic."

Lucian was very unhappy with Kuroro's response, but he had no chance to retaliate as Kuroro's cell-phone rang. The said man opened and read a message he had just received, and could not help but to stare dumbly at the message.

"What now?" Lucian asked warily upon seeing that weird look on his stoic friend's face.

Without answering him, Kuroro only passed him the phone, telling him to read it on his own. When Lucian was finished reading, he gaped ungracefully. The message was short:

Sender: Isthar

RETURN QUICKLY. I have discovered the means to dissolve the bind.


Author's Note: Aaaand, Kurapika's brother's Scarlet Eyes (plus head) finally made their appearance. Forgive me if there is any misuse of those Romanian and French words. I have never studied those languages before, only taking the words out of dictionaries. Cenabum is the old name of Orleans, a province in France. It dated back to the period of Julius Caesar. Wallachia is the old name of a province in Romania, where Count Dracula is said to reside. Count Dracula is dubbed as Count of Wallachia himself. So let's just say that Lucian is one of his successors =P

Next: Kuroro was opening up about his feelings for Kurapika with Lucian's pestering questions. The question was: would Kurapika really forget the fleeting tenderness between them? Was Kuroro right after all? Also, why had Kuroro Lucifer's image flashed when Kurapika was remembering the happiness around her? Ishtar finally found the way to dissolve the curse! How would things go onwards now?