-Art by @S_IKZO on Twitter-
Four victories.
That's all we needed.
The juror who stood on the square platform gave a quick explanation on the rules for the trial and concluded by giving us a chance to choose which of us we were sending to face him first.
Silence settled among the group as they pondered over who should be the first to go. I looked up at the tall, muscular man. He looked strong and intimidating. But I could take him on. Taking my cloak and camera off, I threw them onto the floor behind me and took a step forward. "I'll go." I could feel the others stare at my back as I walked forward. I looked over my shoulder and offered a smile, "I'll beat him. Just watch." None of them said a word but only stared as I walked along the path to meet the man in the middle.
Anything was allowed, I remembered. I looked at the man intently, watching as his mouth twisted into a smirk. "Let's go!!" The words escaped his mouth as he charged towards me. In one swift movement I pulled out a single throwing knife from the belt around my waist and threw it at him as he approached me. He barely dodged the small weapon, his eyes glued onto it for a second. A second was all I needed. While he was distracted by my knife, I ran, as fast as lightning, closer to him where I forcefully kicked my foot into his torso, feeling the tip of my boot dig into his ribcage. I could hear him grunt as he moved backwards, his face filling with frustration before lunging at me once more. His arm reached out to grab me but he was too slow as I easily ducked before punching him in the same area where I had crushed his ribs earlier. He became paralysed for a moment and so I took the opportunity to swipe a foot under his feet which allowed for him to fall backwards with a thud.
There he lay below me, on his back as he held the side of his torso in pain. I pulled out another throwing knife from my belt and crouched down next to the pathetic jury, holding the knife against his throat with a satisfied smile. The man stared at me for a moment, a small chuckle finally surfacing from the pain. "You beat me. I'm surprised." He stared at the small weapon in my hand, "Why haven't you killed me yet?" I stood up and returned my knife to it's rightful place back onto the pocket attached to my belt.
"Because I don't need to." I answered simply. "You said we had to fight until death or a desertion of a fighter. I don't have any intention to kill you so consider this your desertion." I walked back to the group of boys, not even offering one last glance to my opponent behind me.
They stared at me in awe as I approached them, I could tell they hadn't expected a young girl like myself to have taken out such a large enemy within seconds. But now that I had shown a glimpse of what I can achieve, I was satisfied. "That was amazing, (Y/N)!" Gon chirped, his hands balled into little firsts as he stared at me in amazement. It was nothing, I said with a smile as I continued walking towards the wall behind him.
My gaze met with a familiar pair of wistfully ambitious grey eyes. Kurapika nodded at me with a ghost of a smile present on his lips as I passed him. I suddenly became flustered at the gesture of the clever boy but I refused to acknowledge the feeling, only giving him another nod in return.
While Gon began stating that he should be sent to face the next opponent, I went to picked up my small camera and draped it's strap over my shoulder like I had worn earlier as well as bringing my small cloak around my shoulders to clip it together. My cloak wasn't too long as it only ended below my chest but I wore it not for coverage but for the hood it provided; which happened to be convenient during the first few phases of the Exam where I wore the large hood to keep my face hidden. But I didn't need the hood now for these boys had seen my face. And, as surprising as it was to me, I was okay with that.
~
Like a ruby glistening under the touch of light. Like a rose that's newly sprung in early June. Like wine elegantly being poured into a crystal glass.
That's what I thought of upon seeing his crimson globes. I never expected to see him so ruthlessly attack the serial killer. And I certainly was not expecting to see his eyes glow with such a passionate colour. And neither did Killua, Gon or Leorio. There, the four of us stood, bewildered at the site of the slim boy destroying a man who was at least twice the size of him with a single punch.
The hall filled with silence as Kurapika offered advice to the beat up man in the most badass way. "Three... don't ever usurp again the name of the brigade," I watched as he glared at the weak man below him as his red pupils filled with rage, "Because next time, I'll kill you without hesitation." With those last words Kurapika turned his back to the knocked out killer and made his way back to us.
Kurapika didn't look at us as he returned, he only held his head in his hands and described how he lost his control once seeing the fake spider tattoo. "This happens each time I see a simple spider," he explained, "I lose my mind and I become unrecognisable." Kurapika sat down, leaning against the brick wall as he muttered something about his hatred.
The rest of us stood a safe distance away from him where we watched as he sat there sulking in his expanding aura of depression. Gon turned to Leorio and I, asking in a low voice so the blonde wouldn't hear, "We're gonna avoid showing him spiders, aren't we?" Leorio nodded immediately with me following as I answered with a small 'yep!'.
And so the team moved forward, with Leorio volunteering to face the next criminal. My attention should have shifted towards the rock paper scissors game which was honestly more important at that time, however I couldn't help but give Kurapika a side glance. What an interesting person. His eyes especially. I remembered I had read about it somewhere, a bloodline which possessed the ability to change the colour of their eyes to a burning red and increasing their strength by doing so. But why had that been triggered by a spider, I wondered. I assumed I would find out over time. Little had I known that soon enough time would be all we would have.
Because after the events of Leorio's round, we ended up having to sacrifice fifty hours. Fortunately, with Killua's win we had gained a total of four victories which was just what we needed to pass. I still shuddered thinking back to how he slaughtered that guy. Deciding to put that memory aside, I followed the others into the next room.
The door abruptly shut behind us once we entered, an announcement going off on the speakers saying we must spend fifty hours in the room until the door opens. As simple as that. The five of us took off our shoes, placing them next to one another's beside the door. We took off unneeded layers of our clothing, tossing them aside. I mimicked their actions by taking off my little cloak and the heavy belt around my waist, however I kept my camera close to me. I was now left in my village dress; no weapons and no cloak. It was a nice feeling to be freed from the excess clothing and accessories. I sat down on one of the little cushions in the room.
The first few hours were okay. It mostly consisted of Gon and Killua playing together, Leorio laying on one of the sofas, Kurapika reading a book and me looking through the pictures on my camera. There was no tension in the room, casual conversations often arised in fact. Like asking about Killua's techniques or discussing the time remaining. Eventually everyone agreed to go sleep. Much like the others, I knocked out pretty quickly.
There was still fourty hours remaining when I awoke. I yawned to the sound of Killua and Gon laughing at the grumpy Leorio. I was still pretty tired but I didn't mind as I laughed along with them. After that, it was just a repeat of the night before. Don't get me wrong, it was comfortable in that little room- it was just slightly boring for me. Which is why I made the decision to seek amusement in the boy leaning against the wall across the room from me.
I approached Kurapika and sat down next to him but still keeping a small distance. He didn't seem to mind as he barely looked up from his book. "Frida Rosaline," I recognised the author of the novel he was reading. "I've read a few of her books. She's a good author." Kurapika looked at me, surprised I was interested in the same type of fiction as him. I leaned against the wall.
[Not a real author, I made this part up. This is just so the Reader and Kurapike can stir up conversation by sharing the same general interest.]
He closed the book, setting it down onto the other large pile of books beside him, "Yes, her writing style is quite unique." I looked at him as he said those words, studying each tiny movement in his fascinating pupils. I decided to get straight to the point.
"Kurapika," his full attention now on me. "Back when you were fighting that killer. Your eyes turned red, what was that?" He stared at me, lips parted slightly as if he was considering whether to answer me or not. The silent moment made me overthink my question. Had I overstepped a boundary? Was it something I shouldn't have asked?
A small sigh left his mouth as his head turned away from me and he stared at the floor, "I'm from the Kurta clan. We posses a special trait which allows for our eyes to turn scarlet when we are excited. It isn't something that I can control quite yet." Ah, the Kurta clan, that was it. I knew I had briefly read about their kind, however I'd thought they were only a myth. He continued, "And you? Where did you learn to fight like that?"
I smirked, it was only fair I answer a question of his in return. "I was taught from a young age how to fight. There was an old hunter in my village who taught me the basics in combat. She was the one who supplied me with those throwing knives too." The memory of the old woman in the cottage down the road to my home brought a smile to my face. I continued the questions game, "Why do you want to become a Hunter, Kurapika?"
The boy didn't look away when answering this time, "I want to become a Blacklist Hunter so that I can capture the Phantom Troupe. They killed my clan four years ago." I gasped as I listened to his story. "I'm the last of the Kurta clan so I've sworn to avenge my brethren." I could see the rage build up in his eyes at the mention of the Troupe, I knew for sure he was telling the truth.
He returned the same question back to me. "I hope to become a Disease Hunter. My sister, the only remaining member of my family, suffers from an incurable disease. She has been bedridden since a young age and I swore to her that I'd become a hunter and find a cure to her illness." The grip on my camera grew as I thought about the memory of the only girl I cared about laying in her bed with a weak smile while I departed to go take the Hunter exam. "Which is why I have this camera. I made a promise to her that I would take pictures of the world during the exam so I can show her when I return." I looked at Kurapika after I had finished my story. His eyes widened slightly but returned to his usual soft expression immediately after.
The boy shifted his body so that he was now facing me, a small smile plastered on his lips. "Your loyalty to your sister is greatly moving. I'm sure she would be very proud of you to know you've made it this far in the exam." His kind words brought a smile to my face. Never would I have thought that a compliment from this stranger would make me so happy.
I stood up and skipped in front of him. He looked up in confusion as I stared down at his sitting posture with a grin. Within a second I brought the camera to my face and snapped a picture of the boy in front of me, making a small gasp leave his lips at my unexpected action. I knelt down next to him and held the camera, screen up, inbetween the two of us. There it was on the digital device, a picture of Kurapika who had been looking calmly towards the lens during the time of capture. No particular expression present on his face, just him with his natural lonely stare.
"Why..?" Asked the boy. I let out a little giggle as I told him the reason of taking his picture being that I wanted to show my sister the interesting Kurta boy I met during the exam. He stared at me for a moment, not knowing how to react. It brought a smile to my face seeing him so flabbergasted.
I returned to my seat beside him, growing more comfortable with each word we spoke to each other. "Tell me about life in your village," Kurapika asked. "What would you usually do?"
I wondered for a moment, thinking about what those back at my home land would be doing at this moment. "Nothing." I shrugged, "Wait for autumn to end, I suppose."
"What did one do in the spring, in that case?" I smirked at the answer I was about to give. He got the gist and said, "Don't tell me: wait for summer to come, right?" I chuckled. I liked having my mind read.
Our conversation came to an end when Gon came crashing inbetween us after Killua's skateboard flew out from under his feet. "You two should play more carefully," I said to Gon as he stood up, rubbing the part of his head which had hit the wall that Kurapika and I were leaning against. Gon replied saying he was fine and went back to retrieve the skateboard.
Killua looked to Gon's running figure and them back to the two of us. "It seems you both are getting along pretty well." He said while swishing a fishing rod around. But it seemed like he'd suddenly decided that Gon was far more interesting when we were about to answer because Killua turned his back to us and ran to his dark-haired friend in an instant. Me and Kurapika stared at each other for a moment before breaking into a small laugh at the boys' antics.
After some more hours of conversing, everyone decided to go to sleep once more before our time in the room ended. This time, however, I slept not across the room from Kurapika, but closer to him. It seemed I had aquired a friend in the exam. And I was happy with that.
I began to doze off, the memory flickering in my mind of his glowing crimson globes.
~
There won't be much Kurapika in the next chapter, it's mainly going to be about Killua. Killua is a complex character and I feel like, unlike Leorio and Gon, he wouldn't grow attached to the reader too easily unless put in a situation where he learned that she's a good person and he can trust her. I want Killua to be friends with the reader. That is all. Thank you.