Notes on a Kurata

A Hunter X Hunter fanfic

By Ongaku no Usagi

Disclaimer: Hunter X Hunter belongs to Togashi Yoshihiro. This applies for all subsequent chapters of "Notes on a Kurata".

Chapter 1: First Arabesque

Like floating on air.

That is how I would describe the sound. Yes, like that; like a balloon ride. Not a zeppelin ride, all noisy engines and sheer glass separating you from the thin air outside; but like the hazy sound of hot air, the wind grazing your face as you look down, down, at the Lego world below of crop squares and wandering brooks and spotty lakes. That is floating.

Impulsively, I let out a little smile as I slide my hand down the banister with my descent. She always knows what piece to play.

And today, with the recent tension in the mansion, building up with Light-sama's discovery that Neon-sama has lost her ability to predict the future, it provides much-needed relief.

When I enter the room, lined with such displays that rich people love to show off, I can barely make out her form at the ebony-glossed piano. Only her legs poke out underneath, just barely long enough to reach the pedals.

As I come around, tracing the curve of the piano with my fingertips, she comes more in to view, and again, I can't hold back the smile.

What a funny little woman. Her appearance alone is enough to make even the most desperate man balk; yet, you get to know her, and all those grotesque features—the bald head with scraggly locks around the bottom like a Franciscan monk, the short, fat body and limbs, the rabbit-like teeth—all fade into cuteness. Instead of making you want to run away, she makes you want to hold her. Instead of making you grimace and turn away, she makes you smile and come closer.

That is the charm of Senritsu.

She looks up at me as I come into view and smiles, never ceasing her agile movements over the keyboard. "Good afternoon, Kurapika. Is everything alright?" Graceful melodies, complex harmonies, ascend from the keys.

"Yes," I reply, "I just heard your playing and thought I'd come to listen. What piece is that you're playing?"

She chuckles a little, eyes closing before looking back up at me. All the time, the music continues spinning. "This is a piece by Claude Debussy, called "First Arabesque", she answers. "Do you like it."

"Yes! Actually, I never thought music could be this uplifting."

"That's the magic of Debussy," she answers. "He uses harmonies that no one else did in his time period; he does it with the grace that was lacking when other composers came around to it. Notice how the notes always lift up, getting higher in the register. That is why it sounds so uplifting."

I am not a musician. But I am intelligent; I am well-read, and that includes music. So I can appreciate what she says.

The piece ends, oh, so softly! As if the balloon never came back down; as if it just kept floating, until it was absorbed into the air around it.

I should get back to work, and I know it. So I turn around and walk off, with only a polite nod for a goodbye. I know she understands, so I'm not concerned that she'll find it rude.

Yet I can feel her eyes on my back as I exit.

Author's Notes: Yes, yes, I know the Kurapika/Senritsu pairing is practically non-existent. But ever since the first time I watched the anime, it seemed like there was a little something implied there. So I wrote "The Heartbeat Never Lies" kind of to vent that and get it out of my system with a little humor. However...the idea persisted. Hence this set of short stories. If this particular pairing makes you uncomfortable, which is very understandable, be warned.