Disclaimer: I still do not own Hunter x Hunter (this is really getting old)

Story so far:Kuroro was informed by Isthar that the means to break the bind was finally discovered! What would it be? By her decree, they had to return to Ryuusei-gai at once. But first and foremost, how was the relationship between Kuroro and Kurapika? Did Kurapika really forsake the fleeting memory of tenderness between them two?


Chapter 24

LACRIMOSA


"I'm sorry." Kurapika whispered quietly to him.

Kuroro, who was walking ahead of her, turned his head and looked at her with knowing eyes.

"What for?" He asked, his voice soft.

"For everything I did back then…" she muttered with her eyes downcast, and added in a wraith-like voice, "and thank you."

Apparently Kurapika Kuruta remembered every single detail of that event. Kuroro tried to put his usual stoic mask intact although inwardly he felt warm and content with her words.

"Why didn't you heal those wounds?"

Kurapika had decided not to use her Holy Chain to eradicate the scar on her hands. Kurapika did not answer him, though he knew the reason behind it. It served as a reminder of how foolish she had been—and most importantly, how powerless she was before him. Kuroro had no idea whether it was a healthy thing to do or not, but he was dead sure that the girl would not change her mind regardless what he said. Thus, he remained silent of it.

Lucian spared them the grace by not asking of that issue as well. Instead, he took it upon himself to fix the new awkwardness between the two of them. Lucian insisted that he followed them in their journey back to Ryuusei-gai; he wanted to visit Ishtar after so long. None of them made any objections against it—except one: how would he travel during daylight? He was a vampire, after all.

"That is not something you should concern yourself with. That's been solved many years ago: behold," said the vampire proudly as he showed them a bottle that contained something akin to lotion. "Special Sun-block Lotion for Vampires! Made by me, of course."

Lucian then demonstrated the credibility of his invention during a scorching daylight as the lotion worked wonders since it allowed him to travel just like any normal humans—and so the vampire tagged along.

As it turned out, travelling with Lucian Virgilliu in tow expectedly added more spices in their journey. Not a single day was boring, though most of the time he would annoy the hell out of the poor Kuruta girl—Kuroro was not so annoyed because he was accustomed to the vampire's antics. One of such many occasions was as followed:

"I will never be tempted by your blood, fata (girl)," said the vampire one day as they sauntered under the canopy of a forest, as Kuroro and Kurapika always did. With Una tagging along, they could no longer take the 'civilised' street.

"So relax a bit, will you? It smells foul to me. But…" He turned to Kuroro. "I certainly can enjoy her physically, right?"

Kurapika's jaw dropped.

"…Suits yourself." Kuroro shrugged uncaringly.

The words had scarcely escaped Kuroro's mouth when Lucian was already physically abused by Kurapika—she kicked his shin.

"But perhaps I should have warned you that although she isn't necessarily the strongest woman I have ever encountered, she definitely has the most ferocious temper," he said thoughtfully.

"Geez, thanks for the warning, dude." Lucian said sarcastically as he rubbed his sore shin. "Say, is she also that fierce in bed?"

"LUCIAN!" Kurapika yelled, her face maroon, and began whacking Lucian senseless.

Kuroro rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"You are asking impossible things. How am I supposed to know when I've never lain with her? Though she did claim that I have sexually harassed her many times…"

"How did it go? Is she delectable?" His voice was too excited.

"Definitely too skinny," said Kuroro deadpan.

"YOU UNCOUTH MEN!"

And so Kurapika began strangling Lucian to his death, though the vampire was already a living dead anyway. The beauty of having an undead travelling companion: one could kill him so many times over without having to really kill him.

In conclusion, Lucian was always the receiving end of Kurapika's abuse. It was a relief to Kuroro, though. Una, on the other hand, kept her distance safely from Lucian since he was an impure being.


By the time they reached the Ryuusei-gai, dusk was already falling. Una had to stay behind in the forest where Rusalka was residing—the siren would keep her company—since she would not be able to take a step into the city considering her being a Unicorn. Kuroro decided to spend the night in his living quarter first before they went to see Ishtar the next day. Lucian good-naturedly offered to visit Ishtar first, at least to inform her of their arrival in the city. Kurapika gratefully accepted the decision, although she did not speak it out loud. When they got into his living quarter, however, Kurapika could not immediately get the rest she badly needed.

"Yo, Danchou! We've been waiting!" said Phinks with his excited tone.

The Spiders were already assembled there, all of them. However, what disturbed Kurapika were not—for once—the Spiders but the unbelievably thick layers of dusts covering the whole place. Even the air inside the building was heavy with the stale stench of must and dust. It was suffocating for Kurapika, very much so.

"I don't remember telling you all to gather here," said Kuroro with mild surprise in his voice.

He threw a quick glance at Shalnark, who by then—true to Kuroro's suspicions—was hanging his head low in dejection. Nobunaga had his arm around his shoulder, looking like he was intimidating the younger Spider. Poor Shalnark had been threatened to spill the beans, it seemed. Kuroro sighed at his Spiders' childish, whimsical act. With them around Kurapika, only Gods knew how and when all hell would break loose.

Kuroro glanced at Kurapika, and was not surprised to see her bristling in what he perceived as suppressed anger. He was not going to wait until she blew her fuse, and was about to shepherd her into his personal quarter when Kurapika let out a strained, fierce whisper.

"This is ridiculous."

Kuroro blinked once.

"This place is ridiculously filthy! What is this, a pigsty?" She bellowed.

Her sudden outburst made some of the mellower Spiders jumped from their skin, while others twitched involuntarily.

"I don't care if you lots want to sit around and sleep on top of those filthy layers of dusts and mites, but there is NO WAY I am going to do that. So, Kuroro Lucifer, you are going to help me clean around the place, or at the very least your sleeping quarter, no matter what. If I am to drag you around by force, then so be it!"

Kuroro was practically, technically, and literally speechless by her torrent of demands and harsh words. While he was still gaping, and so were the Spiders, Kurapika marched on while dragging him along by means of the bind between them; true to her words.

And so the Kuruta girl in rampaging cleaning mode opened the window in the upper floor—which generously belonged to Kuroro—to air the place, grabbed the abandoned and webs-covered brooms, mops, and pails—which Kuroro thought they had never existed before—filled them with water, and started cleaning the upper floor.

"Get to work!" She barked at him while tossing him a wet mop.

Having little or no choice in the matter, he complied with her wish and rolled up his sleeves in preparation for the impending labour work. Their little noisy activities grabbed the attention of the Spiders, who still stubbornly refused to do any cleaning. After a while, Kalluto finally gave in.

"I'm going to clean the place, too…" He said softly as he started to search for any cleaning tools.

"Why? It's cosy enough this way." Phinks said as he tapped the floor next to him and thus causing a fog of dusts to rise up, sending a number of them into coughing fit.

"No, it's simply too dirty." Kalluto shook his head, still looking for any brooms or mops.

"…You're right. It's been years since the last time this place was used." Machi finally got up with a sigh and joined Kalluto in his hunt for any cleaning tools.

The others glanced at each other, before sighing in unison and hauled their body off the impossibly filthy floor.


After an hour or so—the dusts were so thick and old that they virtually stuck and merged with the interiors of the room, making them hard to scrub away—Kurapika slumped to the floor in exhaustion. Kuroro looked around his now clean room. He was not someone who completely disregarded hygiene like Phinks, but never before in his life that his room was ever that clean—they were literally sparkling clean. He wondered why Kurapika could have such drive in cleaning such spacious place in such a relatively short time. Girl power, maybe?

"Ugh, I'm filthy, smelly, and sticky with sweats!" She complained miserably while she scratched her itchy arm.

"Then get a shower." He recommended while sauntering towards the bathroom.

Kurapika's eyes lit up as soon as he mentioned 'shower'. Kuroro reached the bathroom and pushed a few buttons in the water heater tank to make it operate. The machine started to give a low hum.

"I'm going first!" Kurapika exclaimed while walking past Kuroro hastily; in her arms was a bundle of her fresh clothes.

"…Suit yourself." He shrugged.


What takes her so long? Kuroro pondered as he waited outside, sitting on the floor next to the bathroom door. It had been almost more than an hour since Kurapika entered the bathroom. He called out to her, but there was no answer.

"Kurapika, I'm coming in." He announced, but still there was no reply. It was utterly strange. For someone who valued decency, Kurapika would have screamed at him to stay out of the bathroom.

Gingerly, he unlocked the bathroom door. It was locked from inside, but he was Kuroro Lucifer and it was his own living quarter; of course he knew every nooks and crannies of the place, especially the locks. He peeked inside, and there were no screams of indignation. He stepped inside, soaked in the steam of the hot water almost immediately. His eyes quickly found what he was looking for.

As he had expected, Kurapika had fallen asleep while soaking her body in the bath tub. Her body below the neck was immersed in the hot water, while her head leaned against the smooth porcelain tub. She seemed totally oblivious of the man standing before the bath tub, who was quite in a big predicament.

The steam hovered above the water surface, but it did little to conceal her completely naked body underneath. Kuroro had to look away from the indecency in front of him, before uncouth thoughts started to come. He sighed.

What to do now? He wondered.


"We are all in ages where normally we should have a girlfriend or two." Phinks muttered absentmindedly.

After a gruelling two hours of spring cleaning, they were done with the drudgery and had been joyful to throw aside the cleaning tools. They had habitually picked their own favourite spots in the room and settled themselves comfortably.

"Craving for a girlfriend, Phinks?" Feitan sneered.

"Hey, it's a normal man's needs, you know." He protested, although he did not seem offended by the little man's crude remark.

"Speaking of that…" Shalnark piped in. "I wonder if Danchou has any girlfriend?"

All eyes fell on him, as if he had grown another one or two heads. Shalnark twitched in his spot, scratching the back of his head.

"Well…You know that Danchou has always disappeared when we are done with a mission, and none of us know where he goes and what he does."

"Come to think of it, none of us know of Danchou's personal life." Franklin said with his usual ocean calm voice.

Most of them nodded in agreement. Kuroro Lucifer had always disappeared without telling them anything about his destinations or plans after a mission. He just left, and that was all. None of them had really cared about this, though. They all had their own methods and ways of living; some preferred companionship, others preferred solitude, and it was an unspoken rule in the group that they were to mind their own business outside the mission period.

Soft footsteps could be heard descending from the upper floor. Machi walked down the old staircase with hesitant glances thrown over her tiny shoulders.

"What's wrong, Machi?" Shalnark asked, upon seeing her slightly troubled visage.

"Well, I went up to ask Danchou something, and…" Her voice trailed away.

"And?" Nobunaga rose up and already had his grips on the hilt of his katana, his face predatory. Machi measured him with her calculating eyes; considering whether she should tell the hot-headed samurai or not.

"They seem to be in the bathroom."

"W—wait. You mean…" Phinks' eyes bulged out in surprise. "Both of them?"

She nodded.

They rushed to the upper floor.


She was awakened by the characteristic sound of water running from bathroom shower. She stirred a bit, still drowsy from her little nap. In a flash, strings of words came into her mind like a telegram message.

Bath. Naked. Fall asleep. Kuroro's place. Someone else bathing.

Almost too hastily, she sat up, disturbing the water and creating noises as the water splashed about. Despite the heat, her face turned pallid and her veins felt cold as if her blood had all frozen.

"Awake now?" A painfully familiar voice came from behind the shower curtain that was separating the bathtub from the main shower.

Kurapika gave no reply, but her face openly showed all terror that welled up from her heart.

"I don't think it's wise for you to come out now." Kuroro continued lightly.

The words had barely reached her ears when quite a ruckus could be heard from outside of the bathroom.

"DANCHOU! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" came Nobunaga's yell.

"Sorry to interrupt, Danchou. We'll drag him away," came Phinks' voice with a hint of mischief in it.

"Nobu, don't barge in! You can't do this!" Shalnark's panicked voice rang.

"You'll spoil their moment together," came Kalluto's witty remark coupled with excited giggles.

Kurapika could feel the heat making its way to her again and boiling her whole body and brains; out of anger and utter embarrassment. Kuroro only sighed tiredly.

"We are not doing anything, so keep quiet." He said to them, his voice could be clearly heard despite Nobunaga's roars.

After what seemed to be a struggle outside the bathroom, it was finally peaceful again. Franklin had actually come to the rescue and locked Nobunaga's movement while the others gagged his mouth. Machi took the liberty of tying him tightly with her Nen strings in great annoyance because of the noises he made.

"They are getting the wrong idea." Kuroro said with a soft chuckle.

"It's your fault." She said fiercely, but it sounded more like a wail than a statement of anger.

"Who is the one who falls asleep while taking a bath?" He asked, knowing that no matter what he would win this small debate.

"You could have woken me up!" She said heatedly.

"And have you after my neck with claims that I have been trying to sexually harass you again? No, thanks."

Kurapika had opened her mouth to protest, but upon realising that she had no arguments she could use against him, she wisely zipped her mouth to save her face. Instead, she hugged her knees closely to her bare chest and sulked.

Kuroro, despite the curtain that concealed her from his view, knew that she was sulking in her defeat and thus he let a small smile tugging his lips.

"I'm finished. You can have the bathroom all for yourself again."

She heard the splashing of water, footsteps crossing the wet flood, sound of the door being opened and the clicking sound of the door being closed. Gingerly, Kurapika peeked from behind the curtain, and upon seeing that the main shower was vacant and the man was nowhere to be seen, she jumped from the bathtub and hastily finished her bath. She put on her fresh garments, but at the same time she realised that all the time Kuroro was bathing, her garments—including her underwear—were hanging in their full glory from one of the hooks on the door.

If Kurapika had been in the water, the water might have started to bubble upon being boiled by the heat emitted from her face. That was seriously, utterly, ultimately embarrassing. It could only mean that Kuroro Lucifer had a full view of her undergarments.

Her knees turned weak and she started whining pathetically. She would not be able to look at the man straight in the eyes. After several minutes of trying to calm her soul and the embarrassment that was messing her head, she finally gathered up herself and bravely stepped out of the bathroom—only to shy away when Kuroro turned to look at her.

I'm pathetic. She cursed herself.

"Kurapika." He began with serious voice, and she froze in her track. She did not turn around to face him. "Your belongings are missing."

"WHAT?"


Meanwhile, as it was all lively and noisy in Kuroro's quarter, it was rather solemn in Ishtar's temple. Lucian was comfortably seated among Ishtar's innumerable pillows and cushions, and before him was the Lady of Ryuusei-gai herself.

"It has been a while since the last time I met you, Lady. Your beauty and youth is really eternal." He politely flattered her.

"And yours as well. Now, why have you come here, young Count of Wallachia? Have you come here to gather some ingredients for your little drugs experiment again?" She asked with soft amused chuckles.

"Ah, always right on the spot. Well, as you have seen through me, there are some ingredients that I can only get here. That said; can I have your permission to scour your forest in search of them?"

"By all means, the forest is open for you. You are one of Kuroro's trusted people, and that is already something extraordinary. Speaking of drugs, how many of your wonder drugs have been patented?" Ishtar asked with mild curiosity.

"No, no. I won't patent any of my invented drugs; they are all for personal usages. So, I take it that I'm allowed to borrow Basille as well?"

As if responding to her name, the said basilisk slithered her way and climbed to Lucian's shoulder. With her forked tongue, she licked Lucian's cheek to 'taste' him.

It has been yeeeeaaarssss…the basilisk hissed with recognition.

"Ah, Basille. Still pretty as ever, eh? Can I take a bit of your essence for my drugs?" Lucian asked while stroking her amazingly smooth scales.

I only concede to my Lady's wishes…replied the snake.

"You can have her." Ishtar said with a nod and an amiable smile.

"Many thanks to your generosity, my Lady." Lucian bowed his head respectfully. "Oh, aside from that, Lucifer had asked me to return this to you."

Lucian rummaged through the pocket of his suit and finally produced a tiny egg from it. It was the egg that Ishtar had given to Kuroro via Suzaku. Ishtar retrieved it and put it against the light to eye it closely. Lucian had no idea of the meaning of that gesture, but he did catch the satisfied smile that graced the lady's pale face.

"Milady," called Lucian lightly.

Lucian straightened up and leaned forwards, the playful look on his face was replaced by something serious. Ishtar raised an eyebrow at his change of demeanour. Lucian swallowed once before he opened his mouth.

"I have a favour to ask."

"And that is?" She asked with silky voice.

"It's about Lucifer and Kurapika."


Kurapika folded her arms across her chest while tapping the floor impatiently with her foot. She glared at all of the Spiders who were gathered by Kuroro before her.

"Who. Is. The. Culprit?" She said with tight voice.

Some of them only looked at each other with pure bewilderment, but some were behaving rather strangely—notably Nobunaga, Kalluto, Feitan, Shalnark, and Phinks. She eyed them with the greatest of suspicion. Kuroro sighed; it was one of those hard days with Kurapika and the Spiders lumped together under the same roof.

"Well?" She demanded.

Some of them shrugged nonchalantly, not caring whether Kurapika lost all her belongings; all her clothes, or not. Seeing that the Spiders were most uncooperative, Kurapika took out her Dowsing Chain and began interrogating the most suspicious of all; Nobunaga, Feitan, and Phinks. She let out Shalnark because he might just be fidgeting from nervousness; he was not the type to pull that kind of pranks anyway. As for Kalluto, well, the boy resented all of Killua's friends alright, but what was the point of doing that anyway? If he had a mind like any Zaoldyck would, he would choose a more sadistic prank.

First, Feitan—nil. Second, Nobunaga—nil. The samurai snorted in dry triumph and disdain at her. She ignored him. Lastly, Phinks—the Dowsing Chain stirred and finally oscillated surely and steadily. She heard almost inaudible gulps coming from some people. Kurapika withdrew her Dowsing Chain silently. Kuroro raised an eyebrow, curious to see how the expected disaster would unfold.

Kurapika then looked up and glared daggers at Phinks, her Eyes turning scarlet in less than a millisecond.

"You big, fat liar." She said menacingly. "Now give me back my clothes and I may spare your pathetic life."

"Feh." Phinks sneered. "Think you can do that?"

"Oh, yes I can." Kurapika chirped sweetly while regarding him with a very evil smile that sent a chill down his spine. Only then Phinks realised that something hard was coiling around his body, like a snake trapping its prey.

"Since when?"

Kuroro looked on with marvel at Kurapika. Now he knew why Uvogin – the monstrous Uvogin – had been defeated by this scrawny girl. She was smart and cunning for someone her age, dangerously so.

"Now…" She continued with cruel smile etched on her evil expression. "Should I use Judgment Chain on you instead?"

"Try me." Phinks challenged her while glaring at her.

"Phinks." Kuroro called him, and the said man turned to look at his Danchou. "Be good. I assure you that being pierced by that is far from pleasant."

Kuroro's voice sounded almost too serious that Phinks could not help but to gulp hard. Truthfully, Kuroro was just messing around with his Spider after all the trouble that the perverted man had caused for him, although he did admit that being restricted by the Judgment Chain was not comfortable at all.

Kurapika summoned her Judgment Chain, and it hovered like a cobra ready to strike him to death. The other Spiders observed the situation closely; if they knew of the chain-assassin's technique and skills, she would be a little threat in the future should she decide to hunt them down again—though Kuroro insisted that she would not do such thing. She was the type who kept her promises, no matter how painful.

"Then, first condition will be—"

"I get it! I get it already! I'll return you your backpack!" Phinks finally gave in.

Nobunaga laughed gleefully at the sight of Phinks being scared off by a little girl, while Feitan mocked him heartily. Phinks only grumbled and stomped away to get the backpack, but returned almost too quickly with his hands empty and his face wan.

"My things?" Kurapika demanded, her voice dangerously venomous.

"Gone." He whispered in utter horror.

"WHAT?" Kurapika yelled, but her face turned pale all the same.

"Dummy. This is Ryuusei-gai. You left it outside, you should know it'll get stolen." Machi said coldly, her words piercing Phinks over and over again, like the knife of a butcher who was slaughtering a pig.

"Tough luck, Phinks." Feitan snickered with glee.

"She'll gut you." Shalnark said in slight horror.

"Let's prepare for his funeral." Franklin said slowly.

"Hey I'm not dead yet!" Phinks protested, but it sounded more like a whimper than anything.

"You'll be dead meat if you don't find them by tomorrow morning." Kurapika glowered at him fiercely, her chains rattling impatiently, as if itching to plunge its blade into his heart.

Kuroro sighed inwardly. It was very fortunate of them to have dropped by the Prancing Pony Inn to store the Scarlet Eyes they had gathered before coming to Ryuusei-gai. Otherwise, with the Scarlet Eyes lost yet again, Kurapika would not hesitate to murder Phinks in the most painful, gruesome ways right there right then.

He then took the seething Kuruta's arm and started dragging her back to their room. "Well, good luck, Phinks."

"Danchou, how could you?"

"Serve you right." Machi said again glacially.

"Machi, have you no compassion?"

"She's got no heart, alright."

"Hmph."

"Shit. Kalluto! You are coming with me because it was your idea!"

"Wha—GYAA!"

And so Phinks dragged him along in search for Kurapika's lost backpack.


Kurapika was still livid when they were in his bedroom. She still kept ranting about Phinks' unbelievable antics, and how Kuroro had not taught his subjects proper manners, and so on and so forth. Kuroro knew that he would be better off if he just listened to her silently, instead of arguing with her as they usually did.

Unable to take her apprehension and anger, Kuroro gave up. He stood up from his bed and called to Kurapika.

"Come here." He nodded to a certain direction. "I'll show you something."

Kurapika raised her eyebrows, surprised that the Spider Head would offer to show her around his 'home'. She was not really in the mood of looking around, but then again it might alleviate her anxiety and vexation. Henceforth, she followed after him as he unlocked a certain door and gestured at her to enter. When she stepped into the dark, unlit room, the air was stale but not as dusty as it had been in other rooms. Kuroro pressed the light switch, and the room was flooded by a blinding light for a moment.

In the next few seconds, Kurapika found herself literally gawking at the scene before her. In the room, standing against the worn out wall of the building were shelves that reached the high ceilings, all of them overflowing with books of many colours and sizes, not to mention titles and languages and ages.

"My personal library." Kuroro announced proudly.

Kurapika approached the shelves and began scanning the titles of the books. She traced them with her fingers gingerly, as if afraid that upon mere touch they would crumble into dusts.

"Oh. My. God! These are some of the books that I've been looking for! How on Earth did you get these copies? I thought they're gone for good from the surface of this Earth!"

Kuroro chuckled.

"Well, if you're so interested in them, you can take some. After all, I've read almost all of them."

"This insane amount of books? You really have too much time in your hands, haven't you?"

"Perhaps so." He muttered slowly. "But I envy you."

Kurapika's eyes widened, as wide as a saucer plate. "Why?"

"You and your friends are really fond of 'why' questions, aren't you. Well, make a guess."

Kurapika eyed him suspiciously. Kuroro responded with a thin smile.

"Give it a shot. It won't hurt."

What? What was so unique in her that he envied her? What was the stark difference between her and him that made him envious? Moral conscience? Hardly. Suddenly, as if she had received divine inspiration from the Buddha, she just knew.

"…Because I have distinct and clear goals in my life."

Lately, she had come to understand that Kuroro's life; devoted to the Genei Ryodan as it was, had been like a drifting feather in the universe. It had no real purpose, no real goal, no clear destination whatsoever of where it wanted to go to. It might be the reason why his heartbeat seemed so hollow and deathlike to Senritsu – he had no life. Kuroro had pondered about it. He wondered whether what he was doing was his passion or a duty – a duty that he had claimed years back when he just intended to spite Ishtar.

Kuroro was silent for a moment, before he broke into one of his rarest smile. "I'm impressed."

His smile was almost too tender to her, and it almost gave her a heart attack.

"Would you believe, then, if I am to tell you that this personal library is my treasure?" He asked softly, keeping his gaze steady at her.

"Yes." Her reply came in less than a heartbeat. It came from her instinct and intuition in her heart, and had already escaped her mouth before it reached her mind to be processed first.

"Would you also believe that you are the only one I have ever allowed in here?" was what he had wanted to ask her, but he decided to keep it to himself.

Sometimes, some things were better left unknown.


"An Ifrit."

Kurapika and Kuroro stared at Ishtar dumbly, as if she was speaking in some alien language. The next day, as soon as morning had broken, they had fled to Ishtar's temple before the Spiders could blow Kurapika's fuse again. And regarding Kurapika's belongings, well, Phinks were practically still scouring the city for it. Kuroro miraculously managed to convince Kurapika to 'give him more time'.

"Come again?" Kurapika asked.

"You must find an Ifrit to dissolve Hassamunnin's curse." Seeing Kurapika's expression of complete cluelessness, Ishtar sighed and said, "Scheherazade will explain to you."

"Who?"

Ishtar raised an eyebrow; she did not know of what happened last night, but the two youths before her rather seemed to be in a daze or some sort. Well, it would be healthier for her not to misleadingly assume some things.

"Scheherazade." She repeated, and at the same time a figure stepped into the chamber.

She was a woman with divine beauty and perfection. Her thick wavy black hair bounced gracefully as she walked across the room soundlessly, her steps lively and dance-like. She was dressed in Arabian-Middle East dancer attire—which consisted of a 'bikini' and long, transparent pants that showed the silhouette of her beautiful legs— with jingling ornaments all over her body. A translucent veil was draped on the crown of her head, while her golden honey skin glistened alluringly under the dim illumination of the room. With a bounce, she sat next to Ishtar, her ornaments jingling merrily.

"Hello there." She greeted them sweetly, her voice soft and light.

Kurapika could only gaze at her with marvel, while Kuroro only looked at her disinterestedly. Another weird acquaintance of her, he had told himself.

"Let's get straight to the point." The woman said in a sing-song voice. "When a genie casts a spell, the spell is held true to the conditions that the genie laid. Only a genie with greater power and rank is able to dissolve that spell. If one wishes to dissolve the spell, then one must find a more powerful genie that is willing to lend a helping hand."

"Which is not easy," deduced Kuroro.

"Mmhmm…" She gave him a small smile, and raised five long delicate fingers. "Now there are five classes of genies by increasing order of their powers: Jann, Djinn, Shaitan, Ifrit, and Marida. Hassamunnin; despite him being silly, naughty, and nonsensical, was one of the strongest Shaitan. He actually is classified to be an Ifrit, but unfortunately he is too fond of being mischievous to focus on ascending into the Ifrit rank."

Kuroro and Kurapika listened to her intently, and Scheherazade proceeded with her explanation.

"So, we have searched for an Ifrit slightly stronger than Hassamunnin and we found him. His name is Deifri, and he is a wild Ifrit, banished from our community because of his disobedience and ruthlessness. Now your job is to negotiate with this Ifrit about dissolving the bind, but that is not an easy task considering genies are very strict with their spells and it is highly unlikely that they will concede with your request. Highly likely, he will pick a fight."

"And so why are you assigning us to a 'wild, disobedient, and ruthless', or in simpler term, evil Ifrit?" Kurapika asked carefully.

"Because if you fight and kill a genie that belongs to a community, you are making enemies with the whole community. So, it's better to deal with a solitary genie. It takes time to find Deifri because most of the 'evil' Ifrit are way stronger than Hassamunnin, and you will stand no chance against them."

Kuroro snorted lightly as he felt underestimated by Scheherazade's reasoning. If anything, he felt slightly offended but he knew that genie's power was a big deal. So he kept his mouth shut. Schereazade noticed this and flashed him an amused smile.

"Well, all those said," Ishtar said as she took over the conversation again, "now it's time for the test."

"Test?" Kuroro narrowed his eyes, shooting Ishtar a dubious look.

"Yes, a test to see how far you two are compatible with each other in life-and-death battle."

A smirk that almost looked evil to Kurapika graced Ishtar's beautiful face coldly, and she removed the hair band that held the curly mass of her jet-black hair. As the hair dropped and unfurled its curly twists, the texture of the hair changed drastically. Kurapika's eyes widened in horror as she witnessed the transformation.

Before long, the graceful Lady of Ryuusei-gai before her was replaced by a female creature with snake hair. Those snakes hissed wildly and venomously, snapping crudely to all direction as if itching to bite something to death. Her black eyes were replaced by bloodshot eyes that glared at them hungrily, while she bared her canines at them.

Too dumbstruck with the drastic change, Kurapika did not notice that a spear of some kind was falling from the ceiling, ready to impale her. Kuroro grabbed her by her waist—which was becoming a habit—hauled her from her spot and jumped away. A massive, gigantic spear with penetrated deep into the ground as it skewered the floor, crumbling the stone as if it was some kind of bread.

"What the—" Kurapika blinked as she dangled from Kuroro's arm (this was also becoming a habit).

Kuroro looked up to glare at Ishtar, but was dumbfounded when he laid his eyes on her.

She was no longer the Ishtar he knew. Her size had multiplied that she was now literally towering over them like a giant. Her lower body had also transformed into the body of a snake; thick, slick, and scaly. The upper body was still that of a human, with her skin still milky white and scale-less, but her whole being radiated an entirely different aura—a monstrous aura. Ishtar was now in the full glory of her medusa persona.

You two will fight me to death before you can set out of look for this Ifrit! Her voice boomed and echoed in the spacious chamber. Kurapika had half-expecting a hissing voice like a snake's voice, but her voice turned out to be rather slithery than hissing.

Without waiting for any explanation, the medusa wrenched the spear from the stone floor like picking a toothpick from a lump of dough, and she slithered her way swiftly and furiously out of the chamber, into the wilderness of the forest behind the temple. The two youths could only gawk at the gate where Ishtar had disappeared into. Scheherazade observed the two of them with an unreadable expression on her exotic face, before she clapped her hands to get their attention.

"When you are ready to face her, see me here and I will take you to her." Scheherazade said with calm voice.

"Do we really have to—" Kurapika had started, but the woman raised one decisive hand to stop her.

"Show us that you are capable of returning alive from the highly possible fight with the Ifrit, by defeating her," said Scheherazade, her visage serious and unrelenting. "Otherwise, neither she nor I will tell you how to find the Ifrit, and you can spend your entire life together, if you do not mind that."

Kurapika gave a funny choked sound, while Kuroro frowned. Scheherazade gave them a wide smile, as if to somewhat encourage them.

"So, best of luck."


They were both silent when they reached Kuroro's quarter. Both ignored the pestering questions by the Spiders, most notably Phinks (who flinched whenever he spotted her) and Nobunaga, and they made a beeline for Kuroro's personal sleeping quarter.

"Kuroro," asked Kurapika with small voice as soon as they were in his bedroom.

"Hm?" His voice was even and trained, betraying nothing of his heavy heart.

"Will you really kill her?"

"…" Kuroro stopped dead in his track and closed his eyes. He would want to avoid killing Ishtar, of course, but he knew better than anyone else that the woman was able to push him to the corner where he would be forced to resort to killing her to survive. He simply knew it.

Kurapika could sense his answer, thereby she did not push him with her question. She threw a hesitant glance to the door that led to his personal library.

"Shall we—"

"No." Kuroro answered before the girl even finished her question. His tone was rather harsh and curt, surprising Kurapika a little. "No, there is no need to do any research." He said again with gentler tone.

Kurapika fell silent and waited until he elaborated more.

"There is only one way to kill a medusa."

"That is?" Kurapika knew that she did not want to know, all truth to be told, but she felt that she was obliged to ask.

Kuroro turned to give her a dead, soulless stare.

"By decapitating her."


"Is this really necessary?"

Lucian sat on top of a high branch of a tree while keeping his eyes from the medusa. Basille wrapped herself loosely around him, like a gigantic necklace. Ishtar had her back towards the vampire, as a safety precaution for him. She did not want to accidentally kill Kuroro's so-called friend with her lethal gaze. Her snakes swayed and slithered in her hair lazily, their hiss mingling with the quiet breeze.

Yes, was her mere answer.

"You really shouldn't push him so hard, you know." He said again while stroking Basille's clean body.

I cannot risk it, she reasoned. If they cannot defeat me in their current state, they are only delivering their souls to death by confronting Deifri.

"Oh, puh-leeease." He rolled his eyes. "Deifri is a freaking Ifrit. YOU are a fallen goddess! You are much more powerful than that genie is. What if they die fighting you?"

Do you honestly believe I will kill them? Ishtar snapped at him, though still not averting her lethal gaze towards him.

"But you said—"

Until they manage to kill me, only then I will let them go to hunt Deifri.

"Oh, I see…" Lucian leaned his back against the cold tree trunk. "But that's too cruel. He'll never forgive you for that."

Does it matter? He already hates me, this makes no difference, Ishtar said with sad voice.

"It does. Ishtar, you will regret this." He said quietly while narrowing his grey eyes unhappily. Lucian knew that Kuroro had forgiven her, after a little (forced) chit-chat he had with the younger man.

Ishtar only smiled to herself. As for your request, they are doing well. The path has been set, everything has been cleared.

"Are they? That's good to hear." A warm smile graced Lucian's pale face.

I am surprised that you are so concerned with their well-being. Why, young Count of Wallachia?

Lucian's smile broadened as he picked a leaf and twirled it playfully with his sinewy fingers.

"I simply like them together."


Trees were falling around with loud crashing sounds. The ground shook violently as a gigantic entity was battling two mortals. It was a long, arduous fight—not to mention ill-fated.

With the slightest flick of her waist, Ishtar swept an entire area clean with her massive snake body. Two figures landed from the air to the purged ground, both of them panting and sweating. Kurapika had one of her cheeks swollen from a punch she just received, while Kuroro—despite being in a much better condition—had his left sleeve tattered. Both were covered in shallow cuts and bruises since they were fighting in a forest, after all.

What is wrong? Is that all you can do? Ishtar's voice boomed majestically as she looked down upon them.

"Tsch, this isn't working." Kurapika said as she spat the blood in her mouth and wiped the remaining blood from her lips.

"I told you there is only one way to kill a medusa." Kuroro said grimly as he flexed his wrists.

"Are you really serious?" Kurapika grimaced at the thought of decapitating Ishtar, despite her being a monster at that time.

"Have we other options?"

"…No."

Ishtar plunged her spear at them, and both jumped in unison to avoid being skewered into chunks of meat by that ridiculously huge spear. The bind between them had expanded so much that lately they had not even bothered to measure it. So far, they had not had any restricted moves. They were comfortable with the distance they maintained while battling the medusa. Things were looking good for them.

Or at least they thought so.

With a whip of her head, Ishtar turned to glare at them with her lethal eyes. Just in the nick of time, Kurapika wrapped her Chain around a branch of tree and whisked herself and Kuroro—by grabbing his arm—from the line of target of her stone-gaze. There were other traces of trees, grounds, and other things that had been stoned by the medusa's gaze. Being airborne, however, they were unable to avert their direction and so when Ishtar flung her hand towards them, they could only helplessly receive the full blow.

They were sent crashing towards the trees. The falling leaves and the snapped branches were pouring down like snow. Fits of cough could be heard from behind the curtain of dusts as the two fell into a heap after the impact. For once, Kurapika was the one lying on top of Kuroro.

She quickly scrambled to her feet to get off Kuroro, but she twitched as a sharp pang of pain assaulted her ribs—she knew she had broken a few ribs. Kuroro let out a small groan as he sat up. His left arm was twisted to a strange angle and it seemed boneless. Gingerly he touched his arm and grimaced.

"Dislocated and shattered bone." He announced, as if he was not examining his own arm.

Without wasting a breath or a second thought, Kurapika summoned her Holy Chain and began healing Kuroro's wasted arm. It was a gesture that had been purely instinctive. As she was busy with his arm, Kuroro noticed the incoming spear. Quickly he grabbed Kurapika's head and pushed it down to the ground to duck the slashing spear—had he not done that, they would be the ones ended up headless.

"Come on." He hissed as he hauled her in his good arm and jumped further from the rampaging medusa. Kurapika focused herself on healing Kuroro's arm despite her throbbing ribs.

"Heal your ribs." Kuroro said sternly as soon as his arm was as good as new.

Kurapika raised an eyebrow. How could he know that she had broken a few ribs? Apparently, when he pressed her body to his as he carried her, he could feel the strange disfigurement of her ribs. Obediently, Kurapika did as she was told.

Come on, Kuroro, Kurapika! What are you waiting for? Ishtar bellowed as she charged at them.

Kuroro grimaced as he saw her plunging her claws to his direction. He closed his eyes in a mere second as he made up his mind.

"Kurapika, I'm counting on you."

The said girl looked at the stolid man with pure horror in her eyes that were brimming scarlet. They had discussed about it, and had come up with a plan but it was their last resort. Kurapika frowned at him and upon sensing his resolute, she could only gulp hard and followed along with the plan.

Ishtar's claws never touched them but only scarring the earthen ground. When she looked up in search of those two, Kurapika was hovering far above her, with Kuroro within the perimeter of their bind. Mustering all strength that she had, Kurapika held her two hands and spread her fingers. With much concentration, more Nen, and more blazing Scarlet Eyes—Kuroro thought that he was seeing a pair of miniature suns in her eyes—she produced ten identical chains. It would have been better if Kuroro was there to lend his Nen to her, but this was a job that she had to do alone.

With a flick of her wrists, she sent the chains to wrap themselves around Ishtar's limbs, neck, and waist like hungry snakes; to immobilise her as she tied the other ends of the chains to the trees and solid ground. She knew that it was a trick that could only last for a few meagre seconds, given Ishtar's raw strength alone. It was a dangerous gamble; it was a technique that they had just come up with last night and if this failed, her Nen would shatter and that would be the end of them.

Without wasting a single second, Kuroro did his part of the plan; the dirty job—decapitating her.


It was not a pretty sight; far from it. It also gave a sickening sensation in the bottom of his gut. He had seen many other people's heads rolling on the grounds, their innards, their gore, every single gruesome thing that ever existed on the face of Earth. He did not even bat an eyelash when he destroyed a man until he was literally only bits of flesh. But no, this time it was different—his stomach knotted uncomfortably as he looked at his surrogate mother's limp body.

No, he had not the heart to decapitate her. He had slashed deep enough so that her jugular veins were severed. It had been cruel, though, since it only meant that she would die a long, painful death.

But that was the only reason why he was still able to hold her intact in his arms. She could no longer move her head, only able to move her eyeballs in her eye sockets. When Kuroro had slit her throat until it was raining blood, she had instantly reverted back to her humane form, and her body landed on the periphery of Morgan le Fay's lake. Kurapika solemnly and respectfully stood behind Kuroro to allow them their last private moment together.

"Why didn't you tell me…" whispered Kuroro, "that you relinquish your immortality to save me that day?"

Even without having him to specify the time and place, Ishtar knew what he was referring to—the day she gave him her blood to save him. Ishtar smiled almost sadly at him as she observed the young man's face. Her eyes then seemed to travel to distant time.

"I am already tired of living. It has been far too long a life. I care of it no more," said she, her voice a faint whisper.

"What about Anansi?"

"I suspect he knows of this already. That man is an impossible gossiper, there it no story in this world that escapes from him," said Ishtar with slow, painful chuckles.

"Why didn't you explain to me whatever you have done for me?" Kuroro asked again, his voice still low and a whisper.

Ishtar gazed into the depth of his abysmal dark eyes. They both had dark eyes. They both had silky black hair. They both were pale. They were both good-looking; one suavely handsome and the other one mesmerizingly beautiful. It was no wonder if people would truly believe that they had been real mother and son.

"Kuroro…" Ishtar started, her voice soft. "They are all done for my own sake, on my own will. The years I spent bringing you up are pale in comparison to the centuries wherein I have existed, but they are my forever."

She sighed heavily, but it sounded more like a wheeze of dry air.

"You are my son, and will always be. I expect no thanks or gratitude from the child I brought up."

She raised a frail hand and caressed Kuroro's cheek. She smiled, and it alarmed both of them slightly as it gave off the goodbye impression.

"After all, it is the nature of a mother's love, is it not?" She looked at Kurapika from the corner of her eyes, seeing that she was no longer able to move her head. "Come here, Kurapika."

In a flash, Kurapika was already kneeling before her with both knees touching the bloody ground. She looked sickly pale and worn out from the battle. Ishtar moved her other hand a bit and Kurapika rushed to hold that weak hand—it was so frail in her touch.

"Look after him?" She asked with weak smile.

Kurapika's heart skipped two beats and she bit her lower lips hard. Her eyes were boring right into Ishtar's dark ones, and she could see the sincerity and the plea in it. How could she comply with such impossible request? He was her sworn enemy! But how could she refuse her of her final wish? She did not know whether her eyes betrayed her inner feelings or not, but she nodded her head solemnly. It was the least she could do to honour her.

To show her satisfaction and contentment to Kurapika's response, Ishtar closed her eyes. Then, as if answering to her cue, her whole body seemed to thin out and turned translucent. Her whole being became hazy and blurry, and Kuroro felt her weight in his arms disappearing. She opened her eyes again and looked at her dear boy's face.

Kuroro…Ishtar's voice was already as thin as the air. I want to hear it…Just once…

It was her last plea to Kuroro; her lifetime wish of being addressed as 'Mother' by her only son. Kuroro opened his mouth, but the word seemed to choke his throat.

Kuroro…

And before Kuroro could fulfil her last wish, Ishtar of Ryuusei-gai disintegrated into fine sands.


First it had been her hand that was touching Kuroro's cheek. Then the disintegrating spell spread throughout her entire body like poison. The pleading look was still etched on her beautiful face, and unfortunately it would haunt Kuroro to remind him of his failure. When she was entirely gone, Kuroro clutched his hands into tight fists.

Kurapika gave a choke when she saw this. To her, this kind of death was too painful—leaving no trace of oneself. Her gaze fell on Kuroro.

To Kurapika's eyes, it seemed like Kuroro was trying to hold on to what remained of Ishtar. The little bit of sands that he had grabbed with his hands, he kept it tightly in his grip but still they slipped from his fingers into even finer grains. In the end, not a single trace of her was left behind. They were blown by the wind and were swallowed into the depth of the lake.

Kuroro's back was slumped and his face was cast down. His messy fringe covered his face, and a shadow obscured whatever expression he had right then. Kurapika wanted to take a peek at his face, but she felt that it would be inappropriate to do so. Instead, she just froze there, sitting in front of him like a statue. Silence dominated their world until Kuroro's tiny whisper broke it.

"I didn't call her Mother…"

It felt like forever that the two stayed in that position. Finally, when Kuroro made a slight shift, he leaned forwards and lightly placed his forehead on Kurapika's shoulder. The girl did not do as much as a flinch. She only sat still, steady and calm. She would allow him be a spoiled child again. After all, what could she do when she felt the warm wetness that trickled to her arm as Kuroro leaned to her? She would let him have his moment of weakness—it was not often that she got to see this.

They had shared each other's moments of weakness, after all.

"Let me stay like this…" came his rather shaky voice, "for a while longer…"

He is my enemy. He is my nemesis. I should kill him while I can, while I have the chance. Kurapika though to herself. So why…

A hot, wet droplet of tear trickled down her cheek.

am I crying like this?

She raised her arms and put her hands on his back, embracing him in a comforting way.

Why…am I doing this?

Kurapika curled her hands and grabbed a fistful of his shirt. She gave a hic as she tried to smother the impending sobs. Something constricted in her chest, suffocating her. She could feel his Nen that resided within her stirring restlessly, and it affected her. Kuroro responded by burying his face into the crook of her neck, not hesitating to let her feel his tears on her skin. He then clung to Kurapika as well, as if she was his lifeline.

Thunder rolled from distant, and black clouds hung ominously above them which at the same time casting a dolorous shade on the two figures interlocked in a consoling embrace. Soon enough, the sky poured their tears to mourn for the loss of the fallen goddess. The rain was heavy and cold, yet it did not faze the two mortals. The water of the lake lapped gently, and among the drizzling sound of water hitting the calm surface of the lake was a faint whisper:

I will be your Aegis Shield…


Author's Note: Hoo boy, this is a darn long chapter, but is this too cliché? I don't know, but I feel kind of bad for both Ishtar and Kuroro (despite being the author). By the way, the Aegis Shield here refers to Goddess Athena's shield that was adorned with Medusa's decapitated head. Sounds gruesome, I know. Oh, by the by, Lacrimosa means 'tearful' if I'm not wrong. I simply love that word ^^

Next: With Isthar's death, they were given rightfully given the permission to hunt down the Ifrit named Deifri. However, how did they cope with the circumstances? And how would the hunt end? Would they really be able to dissolve the bind and ultimately earn their freedom? Was it going to be the end?