Disclaimer: I do not own HunterxHunter, nor do I profit commercially from these writings.

ABC Series

U IS FOR UXORILOCAL

UXORILOCAL (adj.): matrilocal; relating to residence with a wife's kin group or clan.

"I think we should start making traditions."

Kuroro blinked.

"What?"

"You know. Clan traditions."

Kuroro just had to laugh.

"You are asking me?" He asked incredulously.

"What?" Kurapika challenged.

"Kurapika, you do remember what I've done to your original clan."

"Of course." She scoffed.

"So why are you asking me?"

"Exactly because you have a very big role in the history of the Kuruta clan, and you are going to continue participating. Like it or not, you are going down in history." Kurapika asserted, hands on hips and all.

"And are you really going to write me down in history as the patriarch who obliterated the first clan? You are going to doom the descendants inheriting my colouring, Kurapika. They would be treated as social pariahs." Kuroro said, trying to reason with her. "Of course you could omit that part from the history altogether, making it like the massacre of the first clan never happened in the first place and that this is a brand new clan. Or you could make the destruction of the first clan as vague as possible, such as writing it off as a mysterious disaster that you as the sole survivor didn't know about because you were away from the village. But the problem is the whole world knows about it and the clan will find out sooner or later. It's better to tell the truth in history."

Kurapika chewed her lower lips anxiously at that. She had considered all those, but hadn't managed to find solutions to that.

"And back to the first problem: how about the descendants who have the misfortune of inheriting my colouring? They would probably be treated like my reincarnation."

"Don't make it sound like a disease or a curse." Kurapika protested weakly.

"It's a possibility that you can't discount from the equation." Kuroro said evenly, looking to the whole world like he was resigned to be remembered as the demon of the clan.

Kurapika had a really deep frown as she thought things over. Meanwhile, Kuroro observed her as he made his own musings. He hadn't expected that Kurapika would want to involve him so deeply in the clan business. He had thought she would want to handle the restructuring of the new clan on her own and he was fine with that. Even if the clan was ending up as a matriarchal one, he couldn't care less. He didn't think he had the right to meddle with that, considering his past with the old clan. And now Kurapika was practically shoving the patriarchal power over the clan to him in a silver platter? What was she thinking?

"Well!" Kurapika suddenly said brightly as she crossed her arms with her chin up. "I think we'll just wing it when the time comes."

Kuroro stared at Kurapika disbelievingly. That just sounded too reckless to be what Kurapika normally would say.

"And when would that be?" He asked.

"In a few centuries?"

"Exactly. And where would we be by then?"

"Wherever we will be." She shrugged.

"Kurapika, you do realize we may not survive that long."

"I might not. You might." Kurapika said confidently.

Kuroro frowned.

"What makes you—"

"Anansi told me," Kurapika interjected, "about our bodies'...'complications', if you'd like. I asked him. I have less of Ishtar's blood in me than you do, being a second hand receiver. You, on the other hand, received it first-hand and undiluted. It will inevitably affect your lifespan exponentially. Mine too, but to a lesser extent. I'll probably live to see my great-great-great-grandchildren at most, and that's pushing it a bit. But you probably could watch over the clan for much longer."

Kuroro frowned deeply at that, not liking it one bit. He said nothing for now.

"Besides," Kurapika continued, as if not noticing Kuroro's sudden displeasure, "I want to trust the next generations to come. I want to believe that they won't be so stupid that they'll blame their fellow clansmen for the past just because of looks."

"That's quite a gamble you're taking." Kuroro commented.

"Life is a big gamble, isn't it?" Kurapika said with a wry smile as she looked up to the ceiling. "You don't plan out your entire life and expect it to happen exactly as planned. Shits happen all the time."

"Personal experience?" He grinned.

"Shut up."

"You speak of clan, but you do realize that there're only five of you—"

"Six of us." Kurapika scowled.

Kuroro smiled.

"Fine, six of us now. A bit too early to speak of clan now, isn't it? Besides, are you 100% sure you want this town as the new home for the clan?"

"Kuroro," Kurapika said with tone of a mother explaining tiredly to her child, "this town is in such remote mountain it's not even in the map. Only those who really know where they are going can find this place in one piece. The whole town knows us. We already have several families in town dedicated to protect our clan by the Hunter Association's decree. Shalnark and Heen have set up a barrier network around town against hostile intruders. They even plan on making some sort of invisibility barrier like the one Bensalem used to hide this town so that only townspeople and people with 'pass' can see and enter the town. Shalnark is even now a full-time guardian of this place. He stays in town more than you do actually. Now give me a reason to disregard all those and jump ship to another place."

"I'll reconsider." Kuroro said with a grin.

Kurapika returned the grin with the look that clearly said "Asshole…"

She didn't begrudge Kuroro's reluctance to approve the town as his new home, though. Gods knew how particular he was when it came to protecting the things that were his; Ryuusei-gai mentality and all. He wouldn't be satisfied until he had eliminated all harmful possibilities and risks. She knew he was thinking of something along the line of "I'll be damned if I let anyone else outsmart me and destroy the very things I have painstakingly created and invested so much in." Well, good for her. Now she had fewer things to be having headache about.

"Anyway, I don't think it's too early to think about clan traditions. Clan rules, at the very least." Kurapika said.

"Clan traditions and rules, hmm?" Kuroro muttered thoughtfully as he rubbed his chin and looked up to the ceiling. "How does 'children should not eavesdrop when their elders are having serious conversation' sound to you?"

Kurapika rolled her eyes.

"I know, right?"

There were faint noises of shuffling from the ceiling. In a flash, Kuroro had his Nen book out and the children teleported into a heap of tangled limbs from the attic right above him to the floor right before him. Three of the children immediately pointed the it's-his-idea finger at Meta, who had the grace to look sheepish.

"Kitchen duty for you." Kurapika simply said.

Meta began sputtering and wailing, but was promptly silence by a decisive elbow to the stomach from Bia.

"We can help give suggestions for the clan rules and traditions!" Sarai said brightly.

All the children had been told of the bloody history of the old Kuruta tribe. The revelation had been received relatively well, considering the content and the audience. It didn't come as a surprise that Noah took the revelation in stride and as-a-matter-of-factly. Bia had been shocked, but was quick to reconcile with the past. As someone who didn't really remember her early childhood before she arrived in the hands of Kurapika and Kuroro, Bia didn't really care about pasts. The present was more important for her. As for Sarai, she didn't exactly understand it, really. Perhaps it was more to the line that she didn't really care; just like Bia. Sarai was the type of person who looked straight ahead to the future. She hilariously treated the revelation of the massacre more like a circumstance of her parents' destined meeting. Meta was the only one who had had violent reaction to the revelation, so many years ago. That was probably attributed more to the fact that he found out about it through others and not directly from Kurapika and Kuroro themselves.

"You may," Kurapika said coolly, "after you recite the names of herbs, their uses, and where to find them that you are supposed to have memorized by now."

Sarai immediately clammed up.

Punishment for eavesdropping was swiftly delivered—which to Meta's humble opinion was more like boot camp a la Mom and Dad—and the children were promptly sent away to carry them out. A very amused Bast was appointed the surveillance officer, and she was very happy to oblige.

"I probably could watch over the clan for much longer, Kurapika?" Kuroro suddenly asked.

Kurapika turned around and regarded him with a bemused look.

"Yeah?"

"I refuse."

Kurapika blinked and stared at him, her brain trying to process that two-word sentence that Kuroro had just uttered so decisively from his mouth. She continued staring.

And stared.

And stared.

And—

"WHAT?!"

"I said, I refuse." Kuroro said calmly.

Kurapika still stared at him stupidly.

"What do you mean you refuse—"

"I refuse to watch over the clan longer than you do."

"B, but—Why?"

"Have you forgotten that I am doing this for you as much as I'm doing it for myself?" Kuroro said, obsidian eyes boring into Kurapika's aquamarine ones steadily.

Kurapika frowned, obviously not getting what Kuroro was trying to say.

"After you die," Kuroro said with distaste in his voice, "my duty to the clan is over. This whole clan business is for you."

Unlike Kurapika, Kuroro was seeing this whole preserving-the-Kuruta-clan as more like a project—dedicated to Kurapika. Like those strategy games which goal was to build an empire, although granted they weren't building empires and armies here (but they would probably still end up with a clan that had the capacity of an army if Kuroro had his ways). Truthfully, for him, the clan after Kurapika's death would no longer be his business. There is no sense in him staying with the clan when the reason of him doing so was no longer around.

Kurapika was still staring at him with wide eyes, mind reeling from Kuroro's sudden declaration.

"What about Meta and the others? The kids?"

"By then, they would've grown up and have their own families. Independent and capable in their own rights. They won't be children anymore. They won't need me anymore then."

"But…" Kurapika murmured, eyes wild. "But what about their children?"

"Kurapika." Kuroro said with firmer voice. "As I said, I'm doing this for YOU. When you're gone, then there's no reason for me to continue."

"But Kuroro—"

"If you're so concerned about the clan," Kuroro interrupted her, "then make sure you live longer. Outlive me, if you will."

Kurapika stared at him, and he stared at her. They stared at each other for what seemed like an interminable time; Kurapika assessing his words and Kuroro anticipating her response. Kuroro really didn't like talking about this; it left such a bitter aftertaste in his mouth. In fact, he hadn't even thought of it until Kurapika mentioned it earlier. He had to talk to Anansi about this.

"Is that a challenge?" Kurapika suddenly asked.

Kuroro blinked, and grinned the boyish grin he reserved only for her.

"What say you, then?" He asked, eyes crinkling in mirth.

This time, Kurapika grinned widely like a playful feline. Kuroro did so like that grin; it made her much more youthful and carefree. It reminded him of that steely determination and will that she had displayed during her quest for vendetta. It assured him that she wouldn't go down so easily, and that she would probably live up to the challenge if just to show him up.

"Bring it on."

Author's Note: I was having a hard time making up my mind with the U word. There were so many U words that I wanted to use, but I couldn't make a convincing story out of them. Until I stumbled upon this weird word that I had never heard before until now. Immediately I knew what to write using this word. This word described Kuroro's situation so aptly I just had to laugh XD

Hope you enjoy this story, folks! Last semester of my college just started, so don't be hoping too much for constant and steady updates. My last semester before graduation, you hear me?! Lots of prayer for me, brothers and sisters! I need those! Do check out my portfolio website if you want. Just google "Fanny Bratahalim wix".

And long live Kurapika and Kuroro!