Disclaimer: I don't own HunterxHunter (nor will I ever in the near future…)
Story so far: In the end, both Kurapika and Kuroro really parted ways despite their mutual reluctance. However, was that really the end of their interactions? Who would expect that their truce would be broken in less than one year?
WARNING: This is another EXTRA LONG chapter, as requested by -X-Takoyaki-X-.
Chapter 30
THE 1001ST NIGHT
"Hey, girlie. How about a casual date tonight?"
No.
"I'll treat you for a nice dinner. Are you interested?"
No way in hell if that's an excuse to ask me out.
"You know, I think we are made for each other."
Really? I think I'm made to put the misery out of you so bug off before I do just so.
"Hey, Kurapika. I like you. Do you want to be my girlfriend?"
Nope, sorry. Not in a million of years.
Honestly, she had no idea on why men kept accosting her. She was not gorgeous; she was just a plain girl with soft blonde hair and fair skin. There were others girls and women out there with blonde hair and fair skin who were billions times prettier than her, so why her? Also, she was FLAT-CHESTED—for goodness' sake—and her body lacked the voluptuous curves that most men desired from a female.
Kurapika was getting tired of it—no, she was completely sick of it. She had been changing jobs for God-knows-how-many-times-already since the first time she ever applied for a decent job. The reason had always been the same: first she was harassed by her bosses or colleagues, and then she ended up punching the light out of them when her fuse blew, and eventually it was either she quitted on her own volition or she was fired for violence.
Or was it her personality? It that was the case, then all guys around here were nuts beyond imagination. The best behaviour she had put in front of her male colleagues was that of an indifferent, distant co-worker. Nothing more. Were they attracted by her indifference? Insane people...
"Kurapikaaaa~~"
Oh, sweet Jesus. Here's another royal pain in the butt... Kurapika whimpered inwardly, but outwardly she kept a thoroughly composed and cool facade.
"Yes, boss? Can I help you with something?"
Her boss grinned widely, thinking that the girl was in a good mood—which was a grave mistake on his part. He inched closer to her, and she shunned further away from him as obviously as she could.
"Oh, sure thing. You can help me by accompanying me to the Moonlight Bar tonight."
The corner of Kurapika's mouth twitched.
"Y'know which one, right? It's the one near the office," said he as he reached out to hug Kurapika's shoulder but the girl deftly dodged it.
Assuming that Kurapika was not pleased with the offer—which was again a very wrong assumption—he re-thought of his strategy.
"I'll treat you this time, how about it? Not a bad deal, eh? Whaddya say?"
Again, he reached out his fat hand to touch her shoulder, but with the agility of a professional Hunter, Kurapika dodged it and fully faced her moustached boss with a vein already popping on her forehead. The fat manager of her department had repeatedly asked her to go out with him with so many varieties of excuses that she wondered on why he had not utilised those brain cells he used to flirt with women for his work. If only he used his brains more for his work than to shamelessly courting equally brainless women, the company would have prospered more than it already did.
"Aw, c'mon, Kurapika. You are such a hard girl..." He tried again while putting a supposedly-warm-and-friendly smile; which turned out more like a walrus grin with his huge moustache.
Unable to take it anymore, Kurapika brandished her ring-bearing hand and waved in front of the man's lecherous face. She was about to give him one of her best excuses to get out of troubles from men.
"Sorry, but I'm married."
Her walrus boss looked shocked as he looked at the onyx-silver ring.
Good! Finally... she thought with a sigh of relief.
"So if you will excuse me—" she said as she turned to walk away, but was stopped as a lumpy hand grabbed her wrist.
Furious, Kurapika whipped her head around to glare at him, but she was even more surprised to find the fat walrus man of her boss giving her an excited smirk.
"Aw, c'mon girlie..." he started. "You still look sooo young. 'Sides, your husband ain't here, right?"
Her eyes expanded in size exponentially.
Is he trying to make me commit some marriage affair or what?
Kurapika decided that it was a very bad mistake to tell her boss that her 'husband' was away on overseas business trip. Then again, because her 'husband' was really non-existent, she could not give out any other more convincing excuses for his constant absence.
Walrus boss started to pull her towards him, and that was it. Kurapika's internal alarm for 'personal space invasion' rang and she balled her hand into a strong fist and was about to landed it to the man's moustached face when another hand stopped her.
She turned around, and was immensely relieved to see her 'saviour'.
"Sorry, sir. But I'm afraid that she really is unavailable tonight." Leorio said politely with his hand firmly encircled around Kurapika's wrist, in case the girl was still itching to punch the life out of the walrus man.
Kurapika's boss was dumbfounded when he saw Leorio's imposing height. Standing next to each other, Leorio and her boss looked like the number '10' size-wise—1 for Leorio, 0 for her fat boss.
"You see, she has to attend to her nephews and they are quite the handful, you know?" Leorio continued, and then put a hand on his chin. "Well, she may reconsider it if you are willing to babysit them yourself."
"W—well I can assign someone to look after them!" Her boss chirped hopefully.
"Oh, that won't do. She really loves her nephews and so she won't entrust them to strangers. Right, Kurapika?" Leorio rewarded her with a knowing smile.
"Of course!" Kurapika said with pretended indignation.
"Then, if you'll excuse us. I have to bring her to their nephews."
With that, Leorio took her by her shoulders and shepherded her out of the building, leaving Kurapika's dumbstruck walrus boss alone. Once they were outside, Kurapika heaved a very relieved sigh.
"You saved me again, Leorio. Thanks." She said with tired yet sincere voice.
"Anytime." Leorio shrugged lightly. "But this is already the—what, tenth?—time that that particular boss of yours tries to harass you. I'm surprised you are still putting up with him."
"The payment is worth dealing with that lecher." She merely stated.
"But Kurapika... What if something happened to you when I'm not around? Or when Killua or Gon is not around to help you out of that kind of trouble? You sure you're okay? You're not stressing yourself silly, are you? You know that you are really liable to stress, Kurapika. Maybe you need a vacation?"
A vein throbbed on Kurapika's forehead.
"Oh, Leorio, for GOD'S SAKE! Stop nagging at me like some Mother Hen! I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. Don't treat me like a fragile."
A few metres away from them, on top of a tree branch, two teenagers were stealthily observing the whole commotion. Killua had the mischievous grin on his face, while Gon looked sympathetic towards Leorio.
"Geez, that O-san never learns his lesson, doesn't he? Kurapika's not his girlfriend and he's still sticking around her like some vultures." Killua smothered an amused laugh.
"Killua, you're so mean. Leorio is just concerned about Kurapika, like we do."
Killua rolled his eyes at Gon's innocent reply. When would he start to grow up into a decent male?
"But Kurapika, I'm just concerned about you! You're a gi—"
"SO WHAT?" She screamed at him, almost ruining his eardrums. "So what if I'm a girl? Combat-skill-wise and experience-wise, I have plenty more than you, Leorio! You know what I've been through for the past years!"
That got Leorio to wisely zip his mouth close.
"This is why I don't like being a girl… Everyone treats me like I'm so delicate…" Kurapika muttered fiercely as she walked away, seething mad.
"Sheesh! Kuroro never treated me like thi—"
She stopped her furious rambling. Why was she comparing her present situation with the time when she was still travelling with the Spider Head? Why was she comparing Leorio to Kuroro? Kurapika felt downright guilty for it. Leorio did not deserve to be compared to Kuroro—it would only put the doctor-to-be in a pathetic light. They were from different worlds, of course it would be unfair to compare them.
But still…
Kurapika sighed tiredly.
"I guess I really do need a vacation."
"Senritsu? I'm already in town. Where are you?"
[I'm on my way there. I will reach the town soon.] Came the reply from the other line of the phone.
"Ok. I'll meet you in the Inn. You know which one, right?"
[The Prancing Pony Inn, correct? The one you told me about?]
"Yes, that one."
The Prancing Pony Inn. It was a place that she had come to consider as her new home. For almost two years she had been going back and forth this place with Kuroro as they collected the Scarlet Eyes from all over the world. When that mission had been finished, Kurapika had found herself going back to that inn. Fino's place had been the first thing that came to her mind when she pondered on where to settle for the time being.
Oh, her friends did offer to let her stay with them, but she had strictly declined the offer. After all, they were all MALES, and she was a female. No matter how close they were to each other, it would be prudent and wiser for a girl not to stay in an apartment full of men (well, it was actually a barely-out-of-teenager guy and two more teenage boys—definitely not men enough).
Fino, of course, had been more than happy—jubilant even—to receive her in her household. Her parents had not objected either. Thus she was allowed to stay in the inn for free as long as she helped around with the chores when she was not working ("You work for your food, you know?" the innkeeper had good-naturedly told her, no offense intended).
[By the way, Kurapika. Are you really sure you want to come along with me in my search for those pieces of 'Sonata of Darkness'?]
Kurapika laughed. "I'm dead sure, Senritsu. Just consider this as my training. If I don't train, my skills will get rusty and considering my situation, I need to be in my top form at all time."
By situation, Kurapika was referring to her status as the last Kuruta alive.
Yeah, I'm in desperate need for training. The way I am now, I won't last long in this world, she told herself with rather critical tone.
She looked at the scars on her hands; a memento from her frenzied fight against Kuroro Lucifer. Every time she looked at those scars, she was reminded again and again about how powerless she had been before him at that time. Well, he was brought up by a medusa and grew up in Ryuusei-gai since he could remember, while she had spent most of his childhood in the safe bosom of her hidden village in mountain. It was just as to be expected.
Excuses, excuses…I'm just simply too weak. Kurapika clenched one hand and narrowed her eyes. Especially now after I've lost my—
Her thought was interrupted as she noticed the crowds gathering at the entrance of the Prancing Pony Inn. The people looked nervous and uneasy, and it made Kurapika frown. The people of that remote town were generally peaceful and easygoing. What had happened to make them so agitated and nervous?
[Kurapika? What's wrong?]
Kurapika had simply forgotten Senritsu the moment her gaze landed on some men in black who were standing guard at the entrance of the Inn. She recognised the uniform—the mafia.
With her cell phone still in calling mode and in her hand, she blended with the crowd and asked around on what was going on. The townspeople told her that a bunch of shady men had stormed into the Inn and practically kicked everyone out of the building except for the owner and his family.
Suddenly, a gunshot could be heard from inside the building. Without thinking any further—the safety of Fino and her family was top priority in her mind—she barged into the Inn after knocking the guards outside with ease. The moment she stepped into the building, however, she felt a mixture of feelings washing over her.
She was mortified, shocked, surprised, AND frighteningly calm at the same time.
Kurapika knew that sooner or later Nostrad would discover her.
"Nostrad." Kurapika said with glacial voice as she graced her ex-boss; who was sitting leisurely on one of the chairs in the hall, with cold stare.
"Ah, Kurapika. It's been so long..." Nostrad said lightly with his arms extended like wings.
The said girl cast a quick glance at the surrounding. Two men had the innkeeper and his wife as hostages; with guns trained to their heads. Another of Nostrad's dogs had Fino in his arms; his strong arm encircled around her delicate neck and was perfectly capable of breaking the thin neck with one easy twist of his arm. A gun was pointed to her temple, the nose of the gun kissing her temple. The innkeeper and her wife looked more concerned of Fino than themselves, and Fino's face was absolutely paper white. Kurapika could see the great relief on her face the moment Fino saw Kurapika, but Kurapika grimaced as she was painfully aware of the slim chance getting out of this trouble completely unscathed.
"What do you want?" She asked Nostrad flatly.
Nostrad raised an eyebrow.
"Come on, Kurapika. You are a bright fellow. Surely you know the purpose of me coming here just to see you?"
"Just to see me?" Kurapika spat those words. "You are here to take me as the last living Kuruta."
"See? I know that you already know. Then, down to the business. You come with us willingly and they will be spared from pain. Simple, no?"
"What are you going to do with Kurapika?" Fino asked with small, trembling voice while her eyes were full with pure horror.
"What, indeed? Well, perhaps I can keep her as a prized artefact in my mansion. Or perhaps..." Nostrad gave a downright evil smirk. "Even better, I can auction her."
Kurapika gave a condescending snort.
"In desperate need of money? Too bad Neon lost her abilities. But I'm happy for her. At least now she won't be her father's mindless tool for climbing the social ladder." Kurapika hissed.
Nostrad's previously composed feature contorted into an enraged one and he slammed the table and stood up abruptly in fury. Kurapika berated herself for losing her cool and pushed the wrong button of that man. No matter what, it was irrefutable that she was at the disadvantage—and now she had just toppled it down to the worst.
"You're asking for it!" Nostrad cried out. "Kill that gi—"
"WAIT!" Kurapika yelled. "I'll come with you but don't you harm any of them." She snarled fiercely.
Nostrad smirked triumphantly at Kurapika's surrender. His shoulders visibly relaxed and he turned back to his composed self.
"Very wise and kind of you, Kurapika. Boys, get her."
Before Kurapika could react, she could feel the electricity numbing her senses and nerves. Before long, she was out like a light. When she fell over, two men were standing behind her with a stun gun in his hand.
"KURAPIKA! YOU MONSTER! YOU KILLED HER!" Fino screamed tearfully as she trashed around in her captor's arms.
"Oh, keep quiet, girl. She isn't dead. She's better off alive than dead to me." Nostrad then turned to the innkeeper and his wife. "I will pardon your ignorance since you are living in this pathetically remote town, but I'm sure you should know that you don't want to make an enemy of a mafia clan, correct?"
The innkeeper nodded his head vigorously. Of course he had heard of those dirty scums of the mafia that were like pests in prospering cities. Personally he was glad that his town was such a simple one that no mafia clan would ever be interested in even paying it a visit.
"Good. I will station my men here until my business with Kurapika is done." Nostrad announced as he walked away. It was a safety measure to prevent any mutiny from Kurapika—he was going to use the family as leverage to gain Kurapika's cooperation.
Unbeknownst to them, Kurapika had dropped her cell phone when she had been stun-gunned, and the phone was still in calling mode. Carelessly, they had not bothered to pick it up or even inspect it. The whole conversation had been overheard by a certain someone with peerless hearing.
"Kuroro, what's in your mind?" The wizened woman asked the young man before her with critical eyes.
The said man was fixing his gaze to a certain direction to the horizon with a slight frown creasing his forehead. He looked as if he could see what was happening on the other side of the globe.
Just a second ago, he felt a constricting feeling in his chest that he had instinctively looked up and gazed to that particular direction he was looking at. His Nen was rippling restlessly with him. He had a nagging bad premonition that something nasty was going on, but he absolutely had no idea on what it really was. He was no far-seer, after all.
Dismissing that fleeting uneasiness as mere distraction, Kuroro turned back to Hatsubaba.
"Nothing."
Hatsubaba snorted loudly.
"Not convincing."
"Are you going to tell me the reason of you summoning me here or not?" Kuroro asked with bored tone.
"We are low on funds." Hatsubaba finally answered with an annoyed huff. Arrogant brat, she thought.
Kuroro frowned. The old woman was not telling everything. "Is that all?"
Hatsubaba looked at him and gave him a measuring look.
"Actually, no. There's something else—"
Before the witch-doctor could finish her sentence, Kuroro's phone rang. With a nod of her head, Hatsubaba gave him the permission to answer the call—though Kuroro was not planning to wait for permission from the Elder anyway.
"Yes, Shalnark?"
[Danchou, hot news! There'll be another big auction!] came Shalnark's excited-as-per-usual voice from the receiver.
"Details?"
[Venue is Lutetia. Time is Saturday midnight, 25th of September until 30th. It's one week from today.]
"Items?"
[Umm...Danchou, the list of items is not disclosed. It's Lutetia auction we're talking about.] Shalnark said.
Kuroro raised an eyebrow. If Shalnark put his efforts into it, he would surely be able to hack into the database of the Lutetia auctioneers and hosts and got his hands on the list. This time, the young Spider seemed reluctant to do that.
"True. Gather everyone in Lutetia on 22nd of September. Rendezvous point is a building called Valence-en-Brie."
[Valence-en-Brie...Heard of it before...NO WAY! That haunted house?]
"Reportedly haunted." Kuroro corrected. "People will naturally avoid the place, and so it's perfect for our meeting place."
Kuroro rarely used the term 'hideout' with reason that it sounded low-class. He preferred words like 'headquarter' or 'rendezvous point'. Thinking about vocabularies, it reminded him of a certain Kuruta girl with colourful vocabularies she would often used when precisely describing anything. The most notable of such occasions that he remembered was the time when she had been comparing the Genei Ryodan with the Mammon. She had amusingly used terms like 'standard protocol', 'haphazardly crude and unsophisticated methods'.
[Danchou?] Shalnark's voice pulled him back to reality.
"That's all. Any questions?"
A pause. An unusually long pause from Shalnark.
[Nope.]
Kuroro narrowed his eyes. Shalnark was hiding something.
[Then, I'll see you in Lutetia? 22nd of September, Valence-en-Brie? Okay, bye Danchou.]
And he hung up.
Kuroro's frown deepened. Shalnark sounded so eager to leave the conversation with him; which was highly odd for the young Spider. Also, he was being rather less informative than usual. The Shalnark he knew would ramble on about information he found from the virtual world that Kuroro had to be the one to stop him. Kuroro made a mental note to interrogate Shalnark later.
"You are going now?" Hatsubaba asked with even voice; all her emotions hidden beneath that wrinkled ancient face of hers.
"Looks like your prayer for more funds has just been answered," was Kuroro's only reply.
Without sparing any further words, he turned his back to her and began to walk away. The hunched woman only stood silent where she was standing as she observed the young man walking away with such dignity that a normal Ryuusei-gai citizen would not possess.
Hatsubaba sighed tiredly and looked up the gloomy sky of Ryuusei-gai.
"What a distant attitude. Poor boy... Denying himself of his need and desire. You tell your boy that it's not healthy, Ishtar."
"Okay, let's just hope Danchou doesn't suspect anything." Shalnark muttered as he pocketed his cell phone. He turned to the small woman next to him. "What now?"
Senritsu was not paying attention to the younger Spider. She was looking at the surrounding with mortification. Scattered all over the place was the bodies of the Nostrad goons that had been stationed in the Prancing Pony Inn to keep the owner-family hostage against Kurapika. For some reason, Shalnark had opted to killing them without any bloodshed. The place was unnervingly clean and it bore no evidence that a massacre had just occurred some minutes ago.
The small woman had been able to pick up the audio details of Kurapika's abduction by the Nostrad, and she had rushed to the inn with hope that she might be able to somehow save her. However, when she arrived at the place, Kurapika was already gone and the goons had been taken care of by Shalnark singlehandedly. The easygoing Spider simply said that he had promised Fino to drop by that day and it just happened that they had not been treating her and her family nicely when he came. So he had decided to take matters into his hands.
As expected from a Ryodan member, huh? Senritsu thought with slight shudder.
"Are you listening?" Shalnark poked her shoulder lightly to gain back her attention.
"Oh, I'm sorry. What now? Oh, yes. I'll contact Gon and the others, see if we can come up with something. If we manage to tell Kurapika that the family is no longer held hostage, she may be able to escape and we'll help her."
"Nope, won't do. The mafia will be hot on her heels, and she'll have to live a fugitive life for the rest of her life. It's almost impossible to escape the mafia's dogs unless you are people like us."
" Right..." Senritsu's shoulders slumped upon hearing Shalnark's opinion. It made sense. She then gave Shalnark a curious look. "How do you think your Danchou will respond when he knows of Kurapika being one of the auctioned objects?"
Shalnark scratched the back of his head.
"That's a tough question. The old Danchou wouldn't have cared less about it, but since they've been travelling together for almost two years previously, now it's hard to predict him when it comes to Kurapika. It's either: one; he totally ignores that fact, saying that it's part of their agreement to leave each other alone, or two; he orders us to annihilate the whole Nostrad clan."
"Both don't lead to promisingly good results." Senritsu grimaced.
"Well, we are the Genei Ryodan." Shalnark gave her a toothy grin.
"Shalnark!"
Fino's voice came from the other end of the hall, and she was dashing towards him with a worried-sick look on her ashen pale face.
"She doesn't know that you are a Genei Ryodan member, does she? No, does she even know of the Genei Ryodan?" Senritsu asked with slight accusation; the girl looked like someone who could be easily duped.
"Oh, she does." Shalnark answered cheerfully. "And that answers both of your questions."
Kuroro looked around the building with slight nostalgic feeling blooming within him. It had been years since the last time he visited the so-called haunted Valence-en-Brine house. It still looked the same as before, with only thicker layers of dust as the minimal change that ever occurred.
The meeting had been over just a few minutes ago, and the other Spiders had decided to explore the country. Lutetia was a small city state that was famous for its luxurious lifestyle. It was never a waste of time to spend hours exploring the city down to its nooks and crannies.
However, there was one Spider that he had prohibited from leaving the premise for the time being. Reason was that particular Spider needed a bit of interrogation.
Shalnark was fiddling with his toes as he stood few metres away from Kuroro. He looked like a child who was caught red-handed while pulling some pranks. Kuroro had persuaded—or rather, ordered—him to spill out whatever secrets he was hiding.
He finally sat down on one of the ancient Victorian-style chair and his gaze landed on Shalnark; who was still staring to the not-so-interesting wooden floor of the old house.
"I see now why you are so enthusiastic with this mission. I assume Fino coaxed you into this?" He finally spoke up with light voice, not upset or whatever else about being 'tricked' by Shalnark.
"She forced me into doing this." Shalnark corrected with slight pout.
"How did she do that?" Kuroro asked with pure curiosity. To think that a common, simple girl like Fino could bend a Spider like Shalnark into submission, he definitely was eager to know about it.
"Don't try to change the subject, Danchou." Actually, Shalnark was trying to avoid that subject. "What about Kurapika?"
"Her involvement in this event is of no consequences to our mission." Kuroro stated deadpan with expressionless face. "As per my agreement with her, we will leave each other alone."
"But Dan—"
"However," Kuroro cut him off before Shalnark could protest further, "if she is listed as one of the objects to be auctioned, then she is one of our targets. It is as simple as that."
At first Shalnark was confused with Kuroro's words. The gears in his brains were virtually cranking as he tried to process Kuroro's simple words—it was always like that, he would use simple words in a complex sentence structure to explain complicated matters; which in turns would make them even more confused. When he finally understood what he was implying, Shalnark's face was as bright as the summer sun.
He gave his Danchou a silly grin, which was responded with a thin smile from the raven-haired man. But then, there was another issue that he had yet to understand.
"Then the plan?"
"We will proceed with our original plan. There will be no changes."
"But how—"
"Everything is in order, Shalnark."
With that kind of finality in his voice, Shalnark could not help but to zip his mouth close and swallowed any protests he had. Silently, the younger man exited the room with slight disappointment for not being let in Kuroro's most intricate plot. Kuroro was left to his peace in the dimly lit room. He sat like a stone statue, his gaze boring at the dark corner of the room while he outweighed the probable consequences of his actions. Finally, after what seemed like eternity, Kuroro shifted in his seat and took out his cell phone number.
"Really... You are definitely a magnet for troubles." He muttered to nobody in particular while dialling a certain number.
Once the line was connected and his call was answered, before the receiver even had the chance to say "Hello?", Kuroro spoke up:
"Voi avea nevoie de ajutorul vostru (I will need your assistance)"
"Is this really the place?" Gon asked nervously as he looked around the place.
"I'm positive that this is. Look at those people, Gon. They are obviously filthy rich. Why else will hundred of sinfully rich people gather in one place that looks more like a lecture hall of my university but to participate in an auction?" Leorio rolled his eyes and carelessly took a random seat.
They were all dressed up in formal suit and had somehow managed to purchase tickets to attend the auction. Senritsu had chosen not to go for fear that she might get spotted by Nostrad's men and they might suspect that some rescue plan had been planned. Imitating Leorio, Killua flopped down on the seat next to the older boy, while Gon sat down next to Killua like a goody-two shoes he was. A few minutes passed and the three spent their time observing the place and the people. They were racking their brains trying to find out any ways to get their Kuruta friend out of trouble, when a voice dissolved their concentration.
"Do you know of the difference between the Yorkshin auction with Lutetia auction?"
It was a question that came from the man sitting next to Gon. Gon was utterly shocked out of his life—he had not noticed the man taking a seat next to him! It was as if the man had just appeared out of thin air. Killua abruptly stood up the moment he laid his eyes on the raven-haired man.
"What are you doing here?" He demanded with rough tone.
"As a participant of the auction, obviously." Kuroro answered him airily while not looking their way.
"Do you know that Kurapika is going to be auctioned here?" Leorio asked in low whisper.
"I do."
"Then you are here to save Kurapika?" Gon questioned him hopefully.
"Hardly so."
Gon's shoulders slumped in great disappointment.
"So," Kuroro started again. "Do you know the difference?"
The three exchanged quizzical look to each other and rewarded the Spider Head with wary glance.
"I only notice that there is no catalogue sold about the items to be auctioned." Killua answered while searching for answer in Kuroro's face.
"Correct. Lutetians love suspense and thrills. They feel that it will be more exciting if they don't know about the auctioned items beforehand. That said, of course they will need proper planning and strategies if they want to secure good items without losing too much money. Because of that very reason, host of the event is more likely to reap more profits from Lutetia auction when the correct strategy is employed."
"What kind of strategy?" Gon asked with pure curiosity in his voice.
Kuroro turned his head a little to give Gon a measuring look.
"See for yourself, and learn." He simply told him, and he would not say more than he already did regarding the system of the auction for the rest of the event.
Then, the auction began.
Or rather, for them it ended as soon as it started.
A thin man in black suit suddenly sprung to the stage from the backroom. He was pale as a sheet with cold sweats running down his temples. He began yelling a certain question at the audience.
"Is there a doctor here?"
Loud murmurs erupted among the audience.
"Someone is dying! Is there a doctor here?"
Leorio's first instinct as a medical student was to spring to his legs and shouted "I'M A DOCTOR IN TRAINING!", but his concern with Kurapika made him throw a hesitant glance at his comrades—who were also looking at him with lost eyes. Kuroro was not helping at all. All he did was to sit in silence with a blank mask of indifference plastered stubbornly on his cold visage.
"Leorio, go. We'll handle things here." Gon finally spoke up.
The older boy could only nod in nervousness and did as his instinct had screamed at him for the past minutes. Kuroro watched as the young doctor scurried his way to the backstage.
Everything was going along smoothly as planned.
"Where is the patient?" Leorio had asked hastily the moment he stepped into the backroom.
He was very eager to finish whatever medical business that needed to be attended there, so he could go back to his friends in anticipation of somehow rescuing his Kuruta friend. His eagerness, however, died down the instant he looked at the lifeless body on the floor.
It was a young woman with delicate golden hair that had grown long during the last few years of her chaotic life. Her body was twisted into strange angle—the others had obviously dared not to touch it. Her skin had an odd bluish discoloration, and her eyes—they were still in their blue hue—were wide open with a blank stare. Her tribal attire announced her identity: a Kuruta.
Leorio's knees shook and almost gave in, but he forced himself to kneel self-consciously before Kurapika's limp body. He checked for pulse, he found nothing. Her pupils were already dilated, and her skin was as cold as any corpses could be. Taking her body to the hospital for verification of death would be unnecessary. He was sure she was already as good as dead in that very moment.
"What happened?" He softy asked to nobody in particular.
One staff answered him with nervous, trembling voice. He said that the girl had been stiff and pale, and her breathing had been slow and shallow. She had complained of stomach-ache and headache, but she stumbled with her words as if she had difficulties talking. When she tried to stand up she just suddenly collapsed to the floor as if her legs had no strength, and before long she started having a kind of seizure. Soon enough, her whole body became paralysed, and the next thing he knew, the girl was already a goner.
"Sounds like tetrodotoxin poisoning… Did she, by any chance, eat a puffer fish or the likes before?"
"N, not that I'm aware of…" The young man answered with small voice.
Leorio could only sigh and look at his dear friend's cold body. He could not believe it. The Kurapika he knew had been so resilient and tough to break. Where on Earth did she get the poisoning? Did somebody attempt to assassinate her? But for what? She would not harm anybody without reasons. Well, maybe she would attempt to harass her captors once she was free for some paybacks (boy, how the girl really knew how to hold grudges), but to provoke some assassination attempts? Suicide, perhaps? No. That was impossible. She was too proud to commit such cowardly act.
Leorio could not think of any other plausible possibilities.
"Is she dead?" A middle-aged man with moustache asked him.
"Huh?" Leorio turned to address the gruff man, and noticed right away that it was none other than Nostrad—Kurapika's former mafia boss and her present captor. He then cleared his throat and tried to sound as professional as he could. "Oh. Yes, I'm positive of it."
Nostrad narrowed his eyes in great displeasure. It made Leorio gulped—did he say something wrong?
"Her eyes are blue, correct?"
Leorio frowned in confusion. What did that have to do with the whole thing?
"Um... Yes, they are. May I know why you asked?"
Nostrad snorted loudly.
"Well then we have no need for her. If her eyes have been scarlet, we can still harvest her eyes, but since she died without her Scarlet Eyes, she's worthless." The man in black suit only shrugged indifferently and turned around with a dismissive hand.
"Of course, sir." His attendant nodded with a smirk on his face, and turned to the other bodyguards in the room. "You heard the boss. Somebody clean up the body."
Leorio stared at them with disbelieving eyes. His eyes continued to be glued to the door in which Nostrad and his attendant had used to exit the room. He could only react when one incredibly tall man approached Kurapika's body and hauled it over his shoulder.
"Hold on! Let me take care of her!" Leorio demanded.
"No. I have my orders to follow." The man said with steely voice.
"No, no, please! I know them!" Leorio grabbed the man's sleeves, and was regarded with a piercing stare from the man—not a glare as he had expected.
"Listen, doctor." The man said sharply, and lowered his sunglasses a bit to reveal his uncannily grey eyes. "I am to dispose of her body and that's that. Afterwards, whatever you want to do with it, I don't give a shit about it. Okay?"
Leorio froze.
The man readjusted his sunglasses and Kurapika's limp body on his shoulder, walking away from the room briskly for some 'garbage disposal', as termed by some other staffs. Leorio still had his eyes to the door where the tall man had disappeared into.
He knew that voice. He knew that accent. He had heard it before.
He knew those grey eyes. He had looked into those eyes before.
"Leorio, what happened?" Gon asked curiously once Leorio was back to his seat among the audience of the auction.
He could not answer Gon. He sat down and tried to work on what had actually happened in that backroom. He could only reach the conclusion that Kuroro Lucifer—who was still sitting next to Gon with passive face—had something to do with the whole affair. He was sure of it, if that man with grey eyes was present in the scene.
"Gon, can you switch place with me?" Leorio asked wearily.
"Huh? Sure…" Gon complied without further arguments and let Leorio occupied his seat while he moved to Leorio's previous seat.
Killua spared Leorio a questioning glance; which the older boy responded to with a mouthed 'Later'. So Killua asked nothing. Once seated next to the 'dangerously fickle' man—as Leorio once termed Kuroro—Leorio tried to sit down in the most comfortable way before began questioning the much older man.
"Where are you taking her body? I saw that guy—what's his name? Lucian?—taking her away."
"Relax. She is not dead." Kuroro answered aloofly. "You will see her in due time."
"In due time?" Leorio frowned deeply, before he hissed to him belligerently. "What do you want from her this time?"
"You will eventually see her whole and in good condition if you play by my rules. Is that understood?" Kuroro asked flatly with eyes still glued to the podium.
Leorio wanted to protest, but judging from the quality of air that Kuroro Lucifer was emitting, he knew better than to go against the Spider Head. If Kurapika stood no chance against him; as she had told them, then Leorio only had negative chance against him. So Leorio gulped hard and nodded begrudgingly.
"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU FREAKING INJECT INTO ME, YOU LUNATIC VAMPIRE?"
The moment Kurapika had woken up from her temporary death, she had been beyond livid.
Back then when she had been in the backroom of the underworld auction of Lutetia—she had been kept separate from the other auctioned goods—one of the guards had approached her and pricked her arm with a very fine needle. The sting was nothing to her; it only felt like she had been bitten by an ant. She only glared at the man irritably, and the man only responded with a knowing smirk. Dismissing the notion only as some pranks pulled by the dead-bored guard, Kurapika minded it no further. Only when she started having severe stomachache, headache, and finally convulsions, did she realise that the prick had not been a prank.
"Hey, you should be grateful to me, not shouting to my ears in attempt to break my eardrums! I gave you some drugs to clinically fake your death." Lucian retorted from behind a table that he had toppled down to be used as a shield against Kurapika's wrath.
When he had gone for 'garbage disposal' earlier, he had brought her straight to the Valence-en-Brine house and then 'revived' her. He had to strip off the outer layer of her tribal attire; leaving her only in her thin sleeveless undershirt and long pants, to inspect the extent of the damage inflicted by his 'poison'. The very first thing he received when she had been lucid enough was a magnificent slap across his cheek.
"And what are the ingredients EXACTLY?" She glowered.
"Erm… Modified tetrodotoxin…"
"TETRODOTOXIN? YOU COULD HAVE KILLED ME FOR REAL!"
"And that's why it's modified. Geez, let me finish first!" Lucian protested, but nonetheless still kept himself safe behind the table he had been using as a buffer between him and the fuming mad Kuruta. With a huff, Kurapika crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently.
"Continue." She demanded with low snarl akin to a predator's.
"Um…Other primitive ingredients such as charred and ground bones, some human remains, toxic resins, calcium oxalate crystals, frogs, centipedes, sea worms—"
"OKAY, OKAY! STOP!"
Kurapika slumped in her seat and put a distressed hand over her sweating forehead. She felt a very strong urge to vomit.
"Oh. Geez. Thanks!" She snapped. "That's a long list of gruesomely disgusting things you have forced into my system…"
"Ne pare rau, dar nu poate fi ajutat ... (sorry, but it can't be helped)" The vampire muttered almost inaudibly.
"And how did you revive me?"
"CPR."
"WHAT?" Her roar shook the room mildly.
"Just kidding." Lucian grinned guiltily. "I used my self-made drug containing Antimyasthenics to restore your motor strength and some other stuffs."
"Some other…stuffs?"
"Alpha adrenergic agonists for your hypotension, Anticholinesterase agents, some monoclonal antibodies against tetrodotoxin, some potassium channel blocker agents, and others. All modified." He shrugged.
Okay, at least they sound safely medicinal…Kurapika breathed out a relief.
Lucian rummaged through his pocket and soon enough he threw something small to Kurapika's direction. Out of reflex, Kurapika caught whatever was thrown her way with one hand.
"I managed to salvage it." He informed her vaguely while hoping that he could mellow her down.
Kurapika opened the palm of her hand and found herself staring at her onyx-silver ring—the ring that Ishtar had given to Kuroro and then was exchanged with her aquamarine-silver ring. Feeling a strange immense relief in her heart, she put the ring into her ring finger, feeling the familiar cold touch of the silver ring adorned with lone onyx stone. She then fingered it absentmindedly. She recalled being told that she must not part from that ring for the rest of her life as the consequence of receiving Ishtar's blood.
"I see that you survive the ordeal, Lucian."
A voice spoken coolly and almost amusedly came from the direction of the door. Kurapika and Lucian turned their head to see Kuroro standing by the doorstep with his hands buried into his pockets.
The vampire; who had looked like a thunder-stricken rabbit, gave a happy yelp of "Lucifer!" and hurriedly got away from his precious buffer—the table—and practically hid behind Kuroro.
"How was the auction?" Lucian asked as felt a whole lot safer from the Kuruta's vengeful reach.
"Nothing special." Kuroro shrugged.
Of course there would be nothing special. His Spiders had been duplicating all the auctioned goods with Coltopi's Nen skill, just like during the Yorkshin auction. As Kurapika was kept separate from the others, only Lucian—who had posed as one of the new guards—could gain 'access' to Kurapika. That was the plan of the mission.
No. Actually there was another extra mission for his Spiders.
"What did Danchou say?" Machi asked to a certain sandy-brown haired young man.
"An extra mission." Shalnark chirped as he pocketed his cell phone. "Simple and clear: eliminate the Nostrad clan."
"I knew it." Phinx grinned.
"Piece of cake." Feitan snorted as he flexed his hands.
"You don't mind, Nobu?" Franklin asked the samurai standing next to him. "You know that this has something to do with the chain-assassin, right?"
Nobunaga only frowned slightly and shrugged.
"It's Danchou's order."
"Yeah, of course. It's Danchou's order." Phinx snickered in playful mockery.
"Shut yer trap and let's just be done with this!" The short-tempered samurai exclaimed.
"Okay, okay. Geez..." Phinx muttered as he started revolving his arms in preparation for a little 'party'. "Here we come, Nostrad. This is what you'll get for harassing Danchou's woman."
Nobunaga only grunted in response to Phinx's statement but did not refute it.
"Heh, I thought so." Lucian; who knew of that extra plan, gave a low chuckle and sauntered towards the door, but not before he patted his shoulder and teased him: "Am curăţat dormitor pentru tine. (I have cleaned up the bedroom for you) Distreaza-te cu 'sotia' ta. (have fun with your 'wife')"
Before Kuroro could give him a rib-crushing elbow, Lucian made a mad dash to the door and slammed it shut. It left Kurapika stunned and clueless as she understood nothing of what he had just said, but Kuroro looked slightly perturbed by the vampire's words. It was as if his words reminded him of something troubling yet pleasing.
After a few minutes of silence, as both were assessing each other, Kurapika finally broke the silence.
"What do you want now?" She was practically barking the question at him.
Kuroro raised an amused eyebrow.
"That is not the nice way of greeting your 'husband'." He commented with airy voice.
Kurapika stared wide-eyed at him.
"How—"
"Your Zaoldyck friend told me about it willingly."
Killua, the next time you see me you are oh so dead. Kurapika glowered inwardly, but kept a straight face in the outside.
Kuroro approached her with deliberate steps, and she stood her ground firmly. When he was right before her, the first thing he did was to reach out and gently fingered her blonde hair. This gesture took Kurapika slightly aback.
"You keep your hair long." It was more like a question than a statement.
"So what?" Kurapika retorted, yet she did not make a move to swat away his hand from her hair. Without her noticing, a pink tint was making its way to grace a faint blush to her face.
Kuroro gave a faint smile. So the girl remembered his comment from long time ago, when she was fussing around about getting a haircut:
...but long hair suits you better.
It pleased him so much that he spent the next few minute simply twiddling with her golden strands of hair. To his surprise, Kurapika had not made a word of protests. Usually she was so particular about people toying with her hair.
"So our truce is broken." He said in a rather absentminded fashion.
"What are you suggesting?" She asked cautiously as she backed away from him.
He smirked. "You are always attracted to troubles, aren't you?"
"No, it's the other way round. Troubles are attracted to me." She huffed as she remembered the very unpleasant times of getting flirted and harassed by some uncouth men.
"You know, technically you belong to me since Nostrad has disposed of you and I have claimed your supposedly-dead body." Kuroro took a seat down and leaned back in his chair.
"Oh, really? Why, thank you for enlightening me." She snapped, her voice laced with thick sarcasm.
Kuroro raised an amused eyebrow.
"You aren't in the best mood, are you?"
"Why should I be in my best mood when a certain friend of yours, who MUST HAVE lost a few screws of his head, almost poisoned me to DEATH and all the while I was lucid when everybody was announcing that I'm a goner?"
"That will be the best way to get you out of that situation." He shrugged.
"Faking death is really your favourite, isn't it?" She frowned unhappily at him. "Twice you faked my death, and I just hope this time they won't discover that I am still alive again."
"You were under their 24/7 surveillance and when you suddenly dropped dead because of poisoning, they have no choice but to believe that Kurapika Kuruta is really dead, correct?"
"Whatever." She rolled her eyes, tired with the pointless argument. "So what now, I'm your belonging?"
"Sort of." That irritatingly smug smile returned to his face—oh how she wanted to scratch them off his begrudgingly handsome face.
"So what do I have to pay to buy my freedom, Master?" She supported her weight with one leg and folded her arms defiantly. "But one thing for sure, if you ask me to be your Spider, I'd rather die."
"The thought never crossed my mind." He clasped his hands and regarded her with even eyes, those obsidian orbs never once revealing the intention he hid beneath those darkness.
"Then? Spill it out so I can deal with it fast! The sooner, the better." She huffed. "And for your information, I have nothing material to offer you."
"Is that doctor your boyfriend now?"
Kurapika literally gawked most unceremoniously when the question left Kuroro's lips and reached her ears. She even forgot how to blink. Why in the blazes did the man suddenly ask such an irrelevant, trivial question? It had nothing to do with the whole situation at that moment. Knowing his fickle nature, for she had dealt with it for roughly one and half year in constant term, Kurapika chose to respond than to scold him for it—scolding him was equal to wasting her breath.
"NO." Her voice was more forceful than she had intended it to be. "And—"
She paused.
"And why do you bother about it?" had been what she intended to ask, but then again, knowing Kuroro Lucifer, the man shunned away from 'why' questions the most. Suddenly, an idea popped in her head. She was not sure it was a good idea, though.
"And do you have any girlfriends, by any chance?" She asked coyly.
Kuroro raised a quizzical-yet-suspicious eyebrow.
"Why do you ask?" He finally asked rather cautiously.
Kurapika snorted a laugh. "Apparently, you start asking more 'why' questions now."
Kuroro responded with a wry smile. "You are a bad influence."
"Me? Oh, please!" Kurapika laughed and rolled her eyes at the same time.
She then sauntered towards him with deliberate feline grace; as if she was doing some catwalks, stopped in front of him and leaned forward slightly with one hand on her hips. She rested one hand on the support of the chair since she knew that this game was going to stretch long.
"How old are you, Master? I suppose you are closing to 30 now?"
"29, to be precise." Kuroro answered, deciding to play her games.
"And you are still a bachelor." It was more of a question than statement.
Inside, Kurapika's heart raced. She knew that she was walking on dangerous ground—provoking the Spider Head was definitely highly risky—but she could not help it. Why she was doing what she was doing was also beyond her comprehension. She just felt compelled to do it.
"Yes. Does that matter to you?"
"Not really. I'm just wondering if everyone in your gang is single." She smiled in shy-pretence.
"Shalnark won't be soon." He informed her.
"Oh, that's old news to me. I live with Fino, F.Y.I." She smirked triumphantly.
"I'm surprised that you don't go out with that doctor friend of yours." He countered.
"Oh, he did ask me out, but I turned him down." She shrugged.
"Reasons?"
"Do you need to know?"
"Humour me."
"I am not your entertainer."
"You are my property now."
Kurapika was losing the game; he knew it, because she finally straightened up and looked away uncomfortably. She looked irritated and offended because of his use of 'property' word, but mostly she was uncomfortably with the context of their silly game.
"He's just more like a brother to me, nothing more." She finally answered reluctantly in whispery voice.
"You are 20, correct?"
"Yes."
"That's a marriageable age. I assume you do intend to preserve your Kuruta bloodline. The doctor is a good option."
"Are you trying to coax me into marrying Leorio? Forget it, Kuroro. No matter how opportunist I may be, I am not going to use him that way. Besides, I don't want to marry someone whom I don't love."
"You don't love the doctor?"
"I do love him in a sibling-kind love. Are you paying attention?" She snapped irritably.
For a moment, Kurapika forgot that Kuroro was 'psychologically unsound', as Lucian dubbed it.
"Then do you have someone in mind?"
"Yes."
The answer slipped from her mouth before she could even rein it. Recklessly, she clasped her mouth with a hand, indicating clearly that she had said something that she was not supposed to say out loud—like a child caught saying a secret she had promised to keep. Kuroro's raised his eyebrows in curiosity and amusement. He straightened up in his seat while Kurapika turned away from him completely, giving him the whole view of her back.
"Who?" He asked huskily.
"None of your business!" She snapped, but still refused to face him.
"Who?" He asked again.
"I said it's none of your business!" She yelled.
"I am entitled for an answer and you are obliged to answer, Kurapika." He said sternly.
"Since when am I obliged to cater to your every whim?"
Along with her scream of indignation, she spun on her heels and threw her chain at him. He could have easily dodged it, but sensing something odd from the chain, he decide to catch it; Chain Jail or not. Once he had the chain in his hand, he knew he was right. The quality of her Nen that the chains emitted was different. He frowned at her.
"What happened to your chain?"
Kurapika visibly paled.
"What do you mean?" She asked with strained voice.
"Something is missing from your chain." He said, fixing his gaze to Kurapika's aquamarine eyes, searching for an answer.
Suddenly, Kurapika's face gave the impression like all her previous strength had evaporated. She looked like someone who had been utterly defeated and was left in the dirt. She dematerialised the chains.
"The Nen blade in my heart disappeared. I can no longer produce any Nen chains of equal strength. I'm still trying…"
Her voice quavered slightly and there was something akin to shame in her voice. She hugged her small frame with her thin arms.
"Since when?" His voice was considerably gentler.
"Since the day in the Kuruta village." She answered with small voice. "Since we parted ways." Because I have no more desire for revenge... She added to herself.
They fell into an awkward silence. It was very rare for them to get an awkward silence. Kurapika inhaled deeply and soundly, before she spun on her heels and dared herself to fully confront Kuroro. She looked straight into the obsidian orbs of his eyes—they were bottomless abyss of darkness, but she knew those depths of his eyes all too well.
"Now what?"
There was a dangerous glint that flashed in those eyes, and for a fleeting moment Kurapika was stunned. Suddenly, those eyes became oddly unfamiliar. There was this predatory look in those usually cold, emotionless eyes.
Slowly and surely, as if adding into the tension that Kurapika was already having all over her being, Kuroro got up from his seat and took one step to her direction. She took one tentative step back instinctively.
"As mentioned before," he started, his voice low.
His pace towards her was steady, while her pace away from him was rather uncertain and confused.
"You are my property now, so you will have to stay by my side," he continued, pausing for a while before adding, "not necessarily as my Spider."
"What then?" She asked unsurely, not understanding what he was hinting on.
He did not answer. She had backed away until her heels hit the side of the bed and thus her escape path was blocked—unless she opted to climb the bed to cross it, unbecoming-of-a-lady as it was but if it appeared to be necessary, she would do it anyway. Somehow, Kuroro was being awfully dangerous to her. It was as if he could leap at her and tear her apart anytime soon. There was something animalistic about him at the moment.
Even as she had stopped, Kuroro continued his advance. He only stopped until he was a mere inch from the said girl. So close he was to her that she could catch a whiff of his familiar scent. Kurapika's brain was already shouting: PERSONAL SPACE INVASION! WARNING! UNAUTHORIZED BREACH OF TERRITORY!
Kuroro leaned forward until his nose almost touched hers. His eyes were staring—no, they were boring—straight into her eyes. Kurapika desperately tried to hold her ground and glared back at him, though she could physically sense her courage wavering. As Kurapika threw another tentative glance to the bed—suddenly the idea of crossing the bed seemed very tempting and of good sense to her—Kuroro raised a finger and poked her chest right under her collarbone with just enough power to make her stumble and fell into a heap to the bed.
Falling onto the bed as gracelessly as possible, Kurapika for a moment was disoriented but once she regained her sense of balance, the only thing she saw was Kuroro's face in dangerously close proximity from her own. His elbows were rested on the bed right next to her head, and one knee was used to support his weight on the bed.
"You will have to buy your freedom." He simply said.
Kurapika gulped soundlessly.
"L, like I said," she started with a stutter—which was very rare of her, "I have nothing material to offer you."
Kurapika imagined that she might look exactly like a thunder-stricken frightened rabbit at that moment. She had never been afraid of him, except for that very moment. Still holding her wrist firmly in his iron grip, Kuroro leaned further so that he could whisper right to her ears.
"There is something you can offer me in exchange of your freedom." He stated huskily to her ears, giving a pleasant tingling sensation she had always felt every time his skin touched hers.
"Which is?" Kurapika dared to ask, but her voice sounded pathetically weak.
"Don't play fool, Kurapika." He said again, his voice mockingly amused. "You know what I mean."
She was already stiff, but soon she turned into a stone statue. The moment he had stepped into her personal space, her minds had grown numb and she was unable to think clearly. Honestly, her brain was virtually dysfunctional. Her lack of response made Kuroro frowned in slight annoyance.
"Do I have to spell it out?" He asked.
"Please do." She whispered.
Kuroro chuckled darkly and whispered, "No. Figure it out yourself."
He could literally see her expression taking a deep dive from stunned to profound horror and disappointment; which amused him even more. Knowing that she would need quite some time until her brain cells started functioning fully and properly, Kuroro decided to change their position.
With one swift movement, he took hold of her slender waist and hoisted her up. Kurapika gave a strangled gasp as she suddenly found herself wrapped in his arms, while he sat on the bed with his back against the flat bedhead attached to the wall.
"Take your sweet time." He whispered to her ears, his warm breath brushing against her soft skin.
She shuddered involuntarily, making him smirk. While Kurapika had yet to recover from her shock, Kuroro lowered his head until his lips brushed against her bare shoulder at the bottom of her neck. He could feel Kurapika stiffening in his hold. He moved to bury his nose in her hair, catching her characteristic scent he had somehow memorised. After a bit of exploration, he decided to settle his head on her shoulder while waiting for her to digest the whole situation and the answer to her own question: what could she offer to him in exchange for her freedom?
It was so damn obvious.
Kurapika scowled at herself for not realizing it sooner. Now she felt utterly dumb.
Sensing the sudden movement from her, Kuroro deduced that she had finally attained some 'enlightenment'.
"So?" He breathed out against her delicate neck.
To his surprise, she relaxed considerably in his arms and even sank further into his embrace. Quizzically, he tried to take a look at her expression. At the same time, Kurapika leaned to her side and twisted her head so that she could stare into his eyes. The moment their eyes met, silence ensued.
"You decide." He finally said, with their mouths dangerously close to each other.
"Do I have the choice in the matter?" She snapped in utter annoyance.
"You only have no choice when you don't give yourself a choice." He simply responded coolly.
What he wanted to say was that he would not do it unless she gave her consent. Kurapika, being the intellectual person she was, caught on to that underlying message and gave him a smirk. Even until now, he still respected her and her decisions. How flattering.
"Exactly."
Then they eagerly and passionately closed the gap between their lips.
Distant away, leagues away from Lutetia and from a certain 'haunted' house, an exotic-looking woman was plucking her Oud. It was an Arabic string instrument that always accompanied her wherever she went, with the exception for the short journey with Kuroro and Kurapika in finding the Deifri Ifrit. While plucking absentmindedly, her gaze wandered to the stars in darkened heaven above while her mind wandered to a distant memory.
"Weaving another tale?" Came a male voice.
Scheherazade scowled as her train of thoughts was rudely interrupted. She tore her gaze from the dark night sky and fixed them on the man with platinum blond hair and dark ochre skin. His face was as grim as ever, but his eyes told otherwise.
"The most recent tale." She agreed as she plucked at her Oud more purposefully. Then, she began to sing softly; her voice as husky as the night breeze,
O gentle moon and glittering stars,
Hear my request,
Witnesses to this story worthy of 1001 nights, you are
So now be my witness as I retell the story
Of 1001 nights,
Wherein a future is written over murky pasts,
Where on the 1001st night,
Two souls reach consummation
Of the bond they forge
"1001 nights, huh? Has it been really 1001 nights since the first time they started their journey?" The spider incarnation cocked his head to a side as he crossed his arms, trying to calculate the number himself.
"So the stars tell me. But if you will just allow me to finish..." Scheherazade said with annoyed voice.
"There is a continuation?" Anansi frowned.
She gave him a mystifying smile, before she continued her song:
But are those 1001 nights sweet dreams?
Or are they nightmares?
When Kurapika opened her eyes the next morning, she felt strangely cold. When she looked around, the space next to her was unoccupied. Giddily she sat up and pulled the blanket to cover her naked form. Her body was sore all over, but somehow she felt strangely...satisfied. She glanced around and noticed a paper bag placed on the table, with a note next to it and a ring to hold the note in place.
Rather lazily she peeked into the paper bag; it contained her clothes, both casual and tribal. She remembered those tribal outfits as the ones she left in Nostrad's place prior to the Hassamunnin incident. Gingerly she picked the ring and examined it. It was the Solomon Ring. Kurapika frowned and suddenly her heart grew numb. A bad premonition filled her heart and she deliberately slowly picked up the note and read it. It was painfully short and clear.
You will need its more protection more than I do, since you are such a magnet for troubles. I'm lending it to you.
Although there was no name on it, she knew who wrote the note. She recognised his handwritings—which she had seen countless times before. Her hand turned weak and she let the note slipped delicately from her fingers. It landed on the floor soundlessly, while Kurapika had temporarily forgotten how to breathe.
She was left all alone.
After a few interminable minutes, she could virtually hear Kuroro's voice speaking in her mind:
You will need its more protection more than I do, since you are such a magnet for troubles. I'm lending it to you.
Kurapika's mind started to work.
…lending it to you.
That phrase could only mean that they would have chance to meet each other again. Of course. The world was surprisingly small. Kurapika clutched the ring in her hand. When she chanced upon that man again, she would return the ring. Until then, she would keep it.
With the reassurance that they would cross path again—which she did not understand why she was so relieved with it, or more precisely she chose not to understand it—Kurapika straightened up her posture and readied herself to embrace an entirely new life before her.
Though gloomy as it seemed.
Kurapika had immediately retreated into the sanctuary of the lush greeneries that surrounded Lutetia. She did not feel like meeting people yet. She preferred the company of Nature during troubled moment such as this.
She was still deep in her reverie when the soft muffled sound of hoofs alerted her. She looked up, and a distance away from her was Una, standing in her full Unicorn glory. The Unicorn had seemed to grow more since the last time Kurapika saw her. Kurapika quickly got up to her feet as Una approached her with steady pace.
"Where have you been?" Kurapika asked, her voice tinted with worry and longing. She had missed the Unicorn so badly. "I couldn't find you anywhere since the Kuruta village."
Una didn't tell you, but Una has her reasons. Una went back to Chiron's forest.
"Chiron? That old centaur?"
Yes. Una was looking for wisdom, and Una found what Una sought.
Kurapika could not help but to smile gently. Even when Una had matured, she still preferred to use the third-person style of speech. How adorable of her.
"That's good. I'm glad for you." She said sincerely. "What are you going to do now?"
Without faltering in her steps, the Unicorn continued to say:
Una is coming with you.
Kurapika frowned slightly at this.
"Did Kuroro ask you to or is it on your own volition?" She would not accept charity. If Kuroro asked the Unicorn to accompany her, she would decline it.
Una chooses you. The Unicorn simply answered.
Kurapika gave her a heartfelt smile. The Unicorn had no idea on how grateful she was to Una's words. She approached the Unicorn, intending to pat her, but stopped halfway as something dawned to her head. She halted into an abrupt stop, and Una cocked her head sideways in confusion.
What's wrong?
"I guess now I can no longer get too near to you." Kurapika said with sad voice. "Since I'm no longer…"
She could not continue with her words. It made her felt ashamed and low. She felt so horrible about herself—to think that she had sold her body in exchange of her freedom. How more condescending could it be? Then again, she had no choice, right?
No. She had chosen it herself.
You decide, he had offered her.
You only have no choice when you don't give yourself a choice, he had reminded her.
Yes, that was what she had wanted. That had been her choice. Now she simply had to bear with the consequences. But a new question came: had it been out of passion or pure lust? Had she fallen in lust with him? The mere thought disgusted her to no end, but everything had already happened. There was no going back to change it. One thing for sure, though; she had been foolish to think that the man would not leave her afterwards.
As Una digested the meaning of her unfinished words, the Unicorn took a deliberate step towards the Kuruta. In full awareness, the Unicorn thrust her head to Kurapika's side, careful not to injure her with her horn. Kurapika was absolutely flabbergasted.
"U—Una? I thought—"
We won't die when we touch impure things. We'll only get disowned by the tribe, banished as a renegade Unicorn. Una explained with carelessness in her voice, as if she had not cared a fig about being disowned.
Frankly speaking, she had already been disowned since her foal days. What difference would this make now? Nothing.
When Una drew back her head, Kurapika then noticed something different with her. Then, in less than a second, she noticed the stark difference. Her golden horn had turned obsidian black. It had the colour of a black metal, shining rather sinisterly under the dim light of dawn.
"Your horn…?" Kurapika muttered with horror-filled voice.
Black horn is the mark of a renegade Unicorn. Again, Una explained with the uncaring attitude.
"Oh, Una. I'm so sorry…" Kurapika stroke Una's cheek gently, feeling remorse eating into her heart for 'tainting' the Unicorn.
Don't be. They can disown Una or whatever else for all Una cares, but Una has chosen you over them. Una's decision is final and now there is no turning back. The Unicorn said firmly and full of confident.
"Will they hunt you down?" Kurapika asked again, her voice still small.
No. They will assault Una verbally, maybe, but not hunting Una down. They couldn't care less about renegade Unicorns. As long as we stay out of their ways, they will leave us alone.
"I see…" Now she felt more reassured.
The more she thought of it, the more she felt very grateful to the Unicorn. Now that she was officially dead—supposedly, if Kuroro's calculation of faking her death had been right—she could no longer live as previously. She might have to make fake ID, but that was too troublesome. After all that had happened, she preferred a quiet life now.
When she took one step out of that abandoned house, she had braced herself to face the world alone, but then Una had come her way and 'degraded' herself into a renegade Unicorn so that she could accompany Kurapika.
Suddenly, she had a lot of options on how to live her life. She could travel the world with Una. She could go back and visit Fino—the girl was very trustworthy and she had proven it many times over—from time to time. She could even make the Prancing Pony Inn her temporary home, if the owners allowed her to—which she was pretty sure they would since she had saved Fino's life a few times already. As for jobs, she could learn and do new things. Perhaps became a scholar or researcher? She had always had things for discoveries and knowledge, after all.
Suddenly, everything took turns for the better. Her life seemed to have a promising prospect.
"Hey, Kurapika! And Una, too!"
A familiar voice broke her train of thoughts and she turned her head to find herself being confronted by her three loyal friends. Gon and Killua were making a game out of 'who can get to Kurapika's place first is the winner' and she knew that the bet had been all about chocolates. Leorio, on the other hand, was yelling:
"We've been searching all over for you! Where have you been?"
Yes, and she had her loyal friends as well.
"Sorry to make you worry. I…have just taken care of some matters." She said softly.
Gon was the first to reach her and after exclaiming "I win!" and getting a "Damn!" from Killua, the boy looked at her with great eyes, as if he had just looked at her for the first time after so many years. Suddenly, a big smile bloomed on his face.
"You seem to be finally at peace, Kurapika." He stated.
Kurapika raised an eyebrow, truly surprised to hear that. "Really?"
She felt a slight pang of guilt in her heart. Truthfully, she had not really been at peace—not after she realised that she had sunk so low as to trade her chastity for her freedom. However, she was not going to tell her friends that. At least not yet.
Gon nodded vigorously, happy that his troubled friend had finally found her peace somehow. He then turned his attention to Una while Killua; was not as simple as Gon was, looked at Kurapika with careful eyes as his brains worked to deduce something. With Kuroro's statement of 'you will eventually see her whole and in good condition if you play by my rules' and Kurapika's state now, something had to have happened last night.
"Did you settle everything with that man?" He finally asked.
He had his own suspicion, but he wanted to hear it from Kurapika's mouth directly. Kurapika turned to look at him in the eyes. She was slightly surprised that Killua knew, but it did not bother her at the very least. Despite Killua's searching gaze, she did not avoid it. Somehow, she felt that there was nothing to hide, yet it was something that she simply wanted to keep for herself.
"Yes." She merely answered, but elaborated no further.
"How so?" He asked further.
"Killua." She said firmly, and Killua could not help but to notice the subtle finality in that voice. "That is not of any concerns anymore."
She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes. She listened to the voices of the wind, feeling the gentle breeze of the morning. At long last, her heart felt really light, though she had been so despondent just a few minutes ago. It was the first time after so many years of haunted life. She felt so free. When she finally opened her eyes, she looked at her three friends with steady eyes.
"It's over."
The wind blew past them, as if agreeing with Kurapika's statement. There was a silence among them, but there was no awkwardness in it.
"Then I reckon that this calls for a celebration?" Leorio grinned at her with his usual silly grin.
"Really? That's great! I just found a nice restaurant, we should try—"
"Now, now, calm down, Gon. Let's discuss it first!" Leorio ruffled Gon's spiky hair roughly while pushing him forward. They then began walking back towards the direction of the city.
Kurapika gave Una a hesitant glance.
Una will wait here. Enjoy your celebration with your friends, she simply said with gentle tone.
"Thanks, Una." Kurapika hugged Una's neck, before she caught up with her other friends.
As Leorio and Gon bickered about food and other trivial matters, Killua followed behind them with Kurapika next to him. As sunlight fell upon them, Killua caught something glinting from the corner of his eyes. He turned to look at the source of the glint, and noticed it coming from Kurapika's fingers. When he looked closely, he noticed another ring beside her onyx-silver one was sitting on her middle finger.
"What's that?" He asked out of curiosity.
"Oh, this?" Kurapika lifted up her hand and let Killua had a closer look at her ring. "It's a compensation gift from Kuroro."
"Compensation?"
"Yes. For all troubles he has dragged me into."
She would not say anything more about the ring, troubles and compensation she had fleetingly mentioned. Killua was dying to know more but he did not push his luck. He knew that once Kurapika decided not to reveal anything, she would never spill it. Her stubbornness might just shame other mules.
Kurapika Kuruta was ready to embrace her new life; one that was free from the nightmares of her past. She was not aware yet, however, that the night in that deserted house was the beginning of a new journey for her.
Author's Note: For trivia, Lutetia is the old name of Paris. Wonder of wonders, Fino is aware of Shalnark being a Spider and she seems totally fine with it. Quite something, isn't she? Oh yeah, a cute pun from Florallover: Shalnark + Fino = Shark Fin Soup. I find this very adorable. It didn't even cross my mind. I'm such an ignorant author =P And yeah, just so you know, actually there is a part that omitted from this chapter. Make a guess on what I omitted XD And so, I guess this chapter opens up a whole new speculation among you reviewers. Tell me what you think of it XD Btw, do u think Kurapika's choice is wrong? Should she really feel bad about it? Maybe you'll begin terrorizing me to explain how they end up...well...spending a night together, but their reasonings and feelings that led down to the decision will be further explored in the sequel. I promise! So don't start criticizing me with flares, flames, or the likes till I want to die YET. Everything's been planned, people. But is this kind of romance too corny or shocking? I think some of you maybe shocked out of your life by now. Now the last chapter will be an epilogue. So guys, your second last call: REVIEWS will determine SEQUEL. Also, tell me of what you think of 1001 Nights as a whole story. It'll be an honour to me to know what you think of this story.
Next: Epilogue – A few years passed without Kurapika ever chancing upon Kuroro, and vice versa. Everyone thought that things had gone back to normal before the whole Hassamunnin binding fiasco happened. However, things were just about to get merrier.
