Ch. 7 - Talks x of x Spiders x and x Spirits

February 20, 1980
Jappon Island

Ryuukawa Akari has never been a very superstitious woman. Despite her parent's dedicated beliefs, the same unyielding faith was never passed down to her. But recently, even she has to admit that something strange has been going on in her home.

It started off small, then slowly became more and more unsettling - the feeling of of being watched, sensations of being tapped on the back, unfamiliar items laying around - but then there was the most concerning of all: her daughter's exceedingly bizarre behavior.

Kaiya-chan. Akari loves her child with all her heart, but even the rose-tinted glasses of motherhood can't quite belie that fact that her daughter has never been all that normal. She can tell little Kaiya is incredibly intelligent for her age - even if the child does her best to hide the extent of it from her and her husband, Isamu.

As of late though, the already unusual six-year-old has been acting even more abnormally, much more than usual. Kaiya has always been a rather independent one, preferring to read by herself than mess around with the village's kids - but now she has holed herself up in her room more than ever. Even the other village mothers have begun urging Akari to get Kaiya to leave the house and interact more with children her age.

If it was simply that, the blue-gray haired woman wouldn't mind as much as she is right now; after all, let her daughter do what she likes, as long as she stays healthy and safe. However it isn't quite that simple.

Ryuukawa Akari can swear on everything she holds dear that she hears her daughter talking to herself.

No, not like the typical kid chatter of a normal six-year-old - but full on, one-sided conversations as if there were another person there in her room.

While she's only overheard bits and pieces of these conversations, it has been enough to freak her out. This, paired with all the other strange incidents as of late, has begun to convince Akari that her house has been haunted. She can be assured it's not just her going crazy, either - her husband has reportedly been experiencing similar incidences.

What is she to do? Akari nervously ponders as she slices up vegetables for a hearty dinner of nikujaga. Should she call for an exorcist? There has been talk of a popular one visiting in a nearby village...but if so Kaiya might be ostracized or be harmed if word gets out. Oh dear, she mustn't let her mother know about this, or the elder will become unhealthily frantic. She means, Kaiya seems fine other than the unexplainable conversations, and it's not like any true physical or mental harm has befallen anyone in the family yet...though Akari eyes the blade resting on the counter that has been there ever since she entered the kitchen.

It's reminiscent of a tanto, and Akari is entirely sure nobody in this household had purchased it. This has been the second time now that an unfamiliar weapon has mysteriously appeared in an open area in the house, and Akari has enough common sense not to touch them.

The woman turns away and resumes cooking. She'll discuss this issue once again with Isamu once he gets home.

'''

You lay on your bed in your room, kicking your feet in the air as you skim a history textbook you painstakingly convinced your father to buy in town. Abruptly, you pause and speak.

"Oh wait, Erisu, did you remember to unconjure those blades? It wouldn't be pretty bad if Okā-san sees another one..."

'''

Akari steps back, lifting an aromantic bowl with satisfaction to carry to the dinner table. Suddenly, her eyes land on the empty counter. The blade has vanished.

"...!"

The older woman clutches her chest with her free hand and takes deep, calming breaths. Oh dear, her heart really can't start taking these scares. Maybe she really should call an exorcist before it gives up on her.

January 8th, 1999
Trick Tower, Kukan'yu Kingdom

Gon's match goes by quickly and easily, with him simply blowing out Sedokan's candle before his own, gunpowder-laced, one can burn out, securing the group a win and setting the score to 1 -1.

The boy walks back with a spring in his step, pumping his fist in the air. "Yay! I won!"

"Good job, Gon! Now we have a win. Once me, Kurapika, and Erisu-san win, we can finally advance!" Leorio meets Gon with enthusiasm.

"Wow, counting out Killua-kun already? How rude of you." You say half-jokingly. Leorio takes it a tad seriously than intended though, and shakes his head.

"We shouldn't have the kids fight if it's avoidable. It was already pretty risky with Gon. He could've gotten hurt if it was a physically stronger opponent!"

You simply nod at Leorio's sentiment, and out of the corner of your eye, you see Killua shrug. Well, his sentiment is understandable since it's not like he knows that these two kids are far from normal.

Across the room, the third pair of metal cuffs klunk to the ground, and the cloaked figure steps out of the shadows. He's large, but all that's visible so far are burly blue limbs.

"Alright, I'll take the next one." It's Kurapika's turn to move forward, and none of you make any motion to stop him.

The two stand face to face on the center island as the bridges retract. Immediately, the figure pulls off his cloak and tosses it aside, revealing a bare-chested guy with a ridiculous appearance. He's entirely blue-skinned and very muscular, but the most noticable part of him is his face. Grotesque and grisly, the features of his face seemed to have been removed, leaving him with no nose, eyelids, lips, or eyebrows. His scalp is messed up too, exposing greying skin with stitches and tubes protruding from the area. Imagine an cerulean blue Frankenstein with gold piercings.

The monstrous guy's name is Majitani, serving a 108-year sentence for multiple crimes including fraud and blackmail.

"I'M NEXT!" Majitani hollers and cackles raspily, his few missing teeth poking out when he does so.

"That's one freaky body..." Leorio mutters, sweating.

"and face..." Killua adds. You nod in agreement; Majitani's appearance is over-the-top to the point where you can't quite take him seriously; but perhaps you're a bit biased since you know his actual threat level. Or lack of one.

Majitani jabs a finger at his left pec, where a four by five array of red tattooed hearts have been inked with the last heart missing. "Look here!"

"I've killed nineteen people, but it bugs me that nineteen is such an uneven number. Hehe, I'm so glad I've gotten to meet number twenty."

Kurapika doesn't react at all, remaining purely unfazed. Majitani starts laughing again.

Leorio grits his teeth as his concern begins to rise. "Tch, now we have a serial killer?" Nope, this guy is a complete fraud - and it seems like Gon, Killua, and likely Kurapika have realized that by now as well, leaving only Leorio and Tonpa. Also, unbeknownst to them, they're standing right next to two people with have actual kill counts, one of them being none other than a child assassin.

Majitani resumes speaking in a grandiose style, clearly hoping to scare the blonde. "I insist that we put our lives on the line! I won't accept some half-assed contest. Blood! Entrails! Agony! Hehehehahaha!"

"Very well." Kurapika readily agrees.

"hahaha... - huh?"

"You can decide on how we settle this. I'll agree to your choice."

"O-Oh...you've got balls! In that case, I propose a death match, where we fight until one of us surrenders or dies! However, don't expect me to stop when you surrender or beg for your life! Hahahaha!"

"Okay. I accept." Now it's Kurapika's turn to dramatically whip off his red and blue tabard and toss it to the side. "Let us begin."

The blue hunk of muscle blinks, baffled. You can almost hear his internal monologue as he raises his hand in a stop motion. "Hold on. I forgot to mention something. No weapons allowed. We'll beat each other to death with our fists! After all, while I am an examiner, I'm still a prisoner. I'm not allowed to carry weapons."

"I see," With a wooden clatter, Kurapika's linked bokken are tossed to the floor, landing next to his tabard. "Anything else? If not, if like to start."

Majitani stutters for a moment, then hunches over with a grunt and starts to flex his muscles. Each one appears to twitch and bulge, then expand and almost double his size.

"Hey, now is Kurapika gonna be okay? This guy looks dangerous..." Leorio shows his concern at the uncanny sight.

You shake your head. "He'll be fine." You yawn.

"Yeah! I don't think we need to worry!"

"Eh?" Killua and Leorio glance at you and Gon in surprise, the former mainly because he didn't expect Gon to be able to tell, and the other just from confusion.

"Why not?" Leorio blinks down at the boy.

"Because when I look at him, I don't get chills."

"...what does that even mean?"

Gon really does have good instincts. Killua seems to have the same thought about his friend as well as he turns back with a smile, arms folded behind his head.

In the center, Majitani has finally finished transforming (?) and leaps into the air with his fist drawn back. "Time to show you the ace up my sleeve! Diiiie!"

Bam! Majitani's fist crashes into the ground where Kurapika once stood, sending pieces of rubble from the ground flying into the air. His entire fist crunches through the stone and Kurapika skids to a stop a few feet away on one knee.

"H-He punched a hole in the ground with his bare fist...!" Tonpa and Leorio's jaws might as well be on the ground. Gon stares passively, while the rest of you look on unimpressed. But - oh dear.

Majitani pulls his fist from the ground and turns around, displaying his back, or more importantly, the large, black, twelve-legged spider tattoo there. Kurapika's eyes widen.

Leorio starts to speak tensely from the front. "A tattoo of a spider with twelve legs...That's..."

Tonpa finishes his sentence, face and tone one of fear. "Yeah, I recognize it...anyone aspiring to become a Hunter has heard of it. That's the symbol worn by numbers of that notorious band of evil thieves, the Phantom Troupe!"

What a fittingly dramatic introduction for your favorite group of six-legged arachnids. You open your mouth to add to the theatrics, but before you can, Gon interrupts.

"Really?" The boy asks, looking up at Leorio.

"Yeah, definitely. They're famous. I heard about them straight from Kurapika."

"I've heard of them as well." You nod sagely from the side, finally gaining their attention. "The spiders are ruthless to anyone outside their circle. They'll kill anyone to stands in their way. My advice is to avoid confronting with them, especially while you lack the strength." They exchange glances and nod in agreement, but well, you know that's not going to happen.

"You seem to know a lot, old lady." Killua raises a curious eyebrow.

"Haha..-!?" You laugh sheepishly at the subtle accusation before double taking at what he called you. Hey, you most certainly do not look old. "...do I? And I am not old." You narrow your eyes at the boy in a slightly playful manner and he sticks his tongue out at you. "I've simply heard rumors, and know they're not to be trifled with.

But from the way your friend is reacting..." You all look back to the fight.

Kurapika head is lowered, blonde hair falling to hide his eyes as his shoulders start to shake. Majitani, of course, can't seem to stop himself from prattling on and seems to take the boy's reaction as one of fear.

"Heh heh...what's wrong? Cat got your tongue? I'm Majitani, one of the Phantom Troupe's four kings! Consider that first strike my way of saying hello. This is your last chance to surrender. I'm still willing to...huh? "

The Kurta look up, eyes widened and pupils glowing a vibrant scarlet red. Kurapika's breathing has become visibly heavy as he stares forward like he's in a trance.

"W-What's wrong with you?"

Before anyone can react, Kurapika shoots forward and grips the man tightly by the face, lifting him of the ground a little. Majitani's tough facade instantly crumbles as he starts stuttering and squawking, words stifled from the steadfast hold on his jaw.

"O-o-okay! Wait! I get it! I surrender-!"

Rubble flies into the air again as Majitani's head is bashed into the floor with a crumpled BAM. Kurapika's expression is one of unbridled fury, the feral effect amplified by his bright scarlet eyes. Majitani's body bounces into the air a few times before rolling to a dull stop. Kurapika lands on his feet nimbly.

Killua whistles, pleasantly surprised as the rest of the group reacts with varying levels of astonishment. You look on approvingly. Nice, he folded that guy within a few seconds.

Kurapika is still in a state of raging emotions, eyes burning bright with his fists clenched to the point his knuckles have turned white.

"...Consider this a warning. First, a real Phantom Troupe tattoo has the member's number on the spider. Second, they don't bother counting how many they've killed.

Third, never mention the Troupe again.

If you do, I'll kill you."

An uneasy silence falls apon the room as both sides stare at the scene with a mix of quiet disbelief and awe. You hum morosely.

This is the rage of a boy driven by wrath and a unadulterated desire for vengeance. It's far from a healthy path to take - filled with the bitterness of death, the metallic taste of blood, and the hollowness of isolation - and can only end in emptiness. Emptiness? You're a bit of a hypocrite, no? You don't wish this upon the young teen, but you also know you won't be able to prevent him from going down that path. To an extent, you can understand the feeling. But all you can do is perhaps aid from the sidelines, and pray his friends can keep him from falling into the clawed depths of virulence.

Ah, but you remind yourself all that hasn't happened yet. The Kurapika drifting back to y'all's platform still has a faint spark of innocence, as inevident as it is right now.

"You okay, Kurapika?"

"...Yeah, I'm not injured."

"Also...is it safe for us to be near you?" Leorio takes a small step back, sweating again.

Kurapika places a hand on his face, breathing steadily to calm down. "...from the moment I saw him, I knew he was weak. And mentally, I knew that tattoo was a fake. But as soon as I saw that spider, everything in my sight red..."

"Well, we can't blame you..." Gon and Leorio peer at his face, checking if his eyes are back to their normal brown.

"Actually, to tell the truth..."

"Hm?"

"Even when I see a real spider, my personality changes and I enter a frenzy."

You all stare at him, sweatdropping. Rest in peace to the poor spider that was the first victim that lead to that discovery.

"You should have told us sooner..."

Kurapika slumps down the wall behind you all with an aura of gloom. "But this means the rage inside me remains as strong as ever. I suppose I should be happy."

Internally, you shake your head.

"We should keep Kurapika away from spiders..." Gon whispers unsubtly to Leorio.

"Definitely..."

At that, your mind starts to wander a little. Huh, you suppose pranks like hiding a fake spider would be a bit too distasteful. Oh well.

On the prisoner's side, the next opponent steps forward. You glance at the faintly pink tone of skin. Looks like it's still Leroute.

"Okay! I'll secure our victory!" Leorio walks forward with confidence when he notices, and points at the unconscious body of Majitani still laying on the stone tile. "Toss that guy out and send in your next competitor!"

The female prisoner snickers and strides to the center. "Hee hee...not possible, I'm afraid."

"?!"

"You see, we can't do that because his match hasn't been settled. It was a fight to the death, remember? It only ends when one of them dies or admits defeat." She kneels down next to Majitani's body for a moment, before standing up again. "And he's alive, just unconscious."

Your side narrows their eyes, realizing they've been gotten. Leroute giggles and returns to her respective platform.

"Tch, damned technicalities!" Leorio clicks his tongue with frustration.

"But, she's right." The kids nod in agreement, and you all turn back to look at Kurapika, whom is still hunched over with his eyes closed in the shadow of the short path behind.

"Oi, Kurapika! Go finish off that worthless trash."

The blonde's reply is short and too the point. "I refuse."

"Huh? What!?" Leorio seems genuinely astounded.

"The fight is over. He already lost his will when I punched him."

You tune out the rest of the familiar back and forth with a yawn. Leorio argues about time, Killua offers to kill for him, but Kurapika remains stubborn. Leorio then tries and fails to invoke the majority rule, and attempts to get a vote of hands instead. Still the same.

"H-Hey! What about you, Erisu?!"

You peek open one eye at Leorio's call and see he's the only one with his hand raised. Closing your eyes again, you lightly shake your head no. "Sorry. In the end, it's Kurapika's decision."

"Erk!" Leorio goes to sulk at the end of the short tunnel, muttering to himself.

Well, things are progressing as usual at this point. Hisoka should be having his fight (more like one sided beheading) with the double shotel-wielding examiner now, and be the first to pass with a record of about six hours. As for you, it's time to be bored again for as the group waits for Majitani to get up and admit defeat - something that you know won't happen. Interestingly enough, the thought doesn't make you want to dig the bones out from under your skin.

'''

Kurapika remains seated by the wall, deeply consumed by his agitated emotions. The scene and sensation of his vision bleeding crimson before he loses rationality replays in his mind like a broken record. It's been a while since he's lost control like that, and the aftermath hurts the same. Each incident always pitches the boy back into the hole of haunting memories and re-stokes the burning fire in his heart - to exact retribution for his dead clansmen. How could it not? Those vibrant red eyes, the ones that remain nestled in his eye sockets, are the heart of everything he's experienced. He must return the ones unjustly ripped from his brethren and pay back the pain over a hundred-times fold.

His thoughts are interrupted by the quiet rustle of fabric as the woman - Erisu - settles down next to him. Kurapika slowly opens his eyes and glances at her in his peripheral vision. Why has she approached him? Does she know of the Scarlet Eyes? Undoubtedly, he is still rather wary of her intentions since he knows far too little about her to come to any conclusions.

After a moment, she speaks. "My condolences for your loss. Your family did not deserve such a fate."

Ah, so she has heard of the Kurta. He lower his eyes. "...thank you."

Another best of silence passes.

"Apologies if I'm overstepping, but I assume revenge is the reason you're becoming a Hunter, then?"

He raises his head to look at her directly, and Erisu gazed back with a mellow expression. He was about to decline to answer out of wanting to keep his goal private, but pauses instead. "I'll answer that if you answer to one of mine."

At that, she raises an eyebrow. "Hmm. Alright, that sounds fair."

Kurapika waits a second before asking. "Why do you want to become a Hunter?"

"Oh, that's simple. Entertainment!"

Entertainment? Before Kurapika can fully process the unexpected answer, she lets out a short laugh and he blinks.

"Ahem. Sorry, sorry." The older woman regains her more serious demeanor and tilts her head in thought, seeming to ponder how to actually answer for a moment.

"Well, I do have a goal. You can say that there's something I searching for, and taking the Hunter Exam will help."

"I see." He notes the vagueness of the statement, but he can understand the desire for secrecy. "And yes, you're correct. I'll want to become a Hunter to capture the Phantom Troupe, the bastards who killed my family." His fists clench at the thought.

"Well, that's understandable. Then I have suggestion."

Kurapika blinks in curiosity.

"To get anywhere near apprehending such a target, you at least need information, correct? My recommendation is to seek out the one named Ghost, then. Have you heard of them?"

Ghost? He has. While trying to keep an ear out for anything related to the Troupe, he caught wind of a mysterious figure named Ghost, someone who has been sharply gaining popularity in the underworld since around a decade ago. What they actually specialize in seems to be unclear though, at least to him - he's mainly heard of a few notable assassinations they've executed. To be fair, he hasn't actively sought out information on them.

He nods. "I've heard of them. However, I didn't know that they dealt in information." Suddenly, he recalls something else and narrows his eyes. "But I've also heard rumors that they've workedwiththe Troupe before."

Erisu grins, shifting her position to place a hand under her chin. "As have I. But if it's true, would that not make their knowledge much more valuable? Though if you're worried about being sold out, so long as you don't aggravate them, that shouldn't happen. As long as you pay the right price, almost anything is possible. "

Kurapika mulls over her words. While he has no reason to particularly trust nor distrust Erisu's tip, he suppose he does need a place to start his hunt. "...I'll keep this in mind. Thank you."

She nods. "I hope it helps."

Another stretch silence falls between the two.

"Why are you trying to help me?" He abruptly questions.

"Hm. Why wouldn't I? I'm simply pointing you in a direction - and it's not like I'm highly opposed to the elimination of a few spiders myself."

The comfortable quiet returns, this time a bit more contemplative as they sink into their own thoughts.

About 66 hours remain.