Title: Lost Soul

Summary: KuroKura. Set in York Shin arc. The Spiders managed to get their Danchou out of the hostage situation. Kuroro had thought killing Kurapika right at the spot would end this charade, only the boy still came back to haunt him.

Timeline: York-Shin arc. Storyline based on 1999 anime version.

Warning: Character's death, kind of?

Disclaimer: Hunter x Hunter belongs to the great Yoshihiro Togashi-sensei.

Special Thanks to Aionwatha-san for beta reading.

Chapter 1: the Death of the Chain-guy

'I am…dead?'

That was the only explanation that crossed Kurapika's mind. He floated overhead the man with a cross shaped tattoo on his forehead. His lifelong enemy, now comfortably reading a thick text on a couch with a cup of coffee on the small table sitting next to him, unaware that he wasn't alone.

Kurapika had attempted throwing punches and kicks at the man. All of which went through his body for the past few minutes, not to mention the yelling and cursing he directed at the man for the past hour. He had been livid from the minute he awoke and found himself in a room with Kuroro Lucifer, who ignored his presence completely.

All those attempts at the man he so despised had drained him. He backed off and gave it a thought. 'This… is not helping. I have to… calm down. This bastard is not going to answer. I have to think for myself.'

It didn't take long and he didn't even have to think that much. The fact that the man had not acknowledged his presence and his physical contact went through everything he touched sort of clued him in to what was happening. It occurred to him in an instant shock that he was no longer in his living flesh.

That must mean that he was dead. As soon as the thought came, he felt himself floating. That was when he took a look at himself. His eyes widened, a sharp gasp escaping his lips. The color of his hands was half thinned out, semi-transparent and monochromatic. He could see right through them to the ground below. So it went with the other parts of his body as well, as if he were paint fading into a canvas.

He felt his chest tighten. No wait, he felt no pain. It wasn't physical but it still had an impact on his senses, whatever was left of him.

Total silence filled the atmosphere, until the sound of Kuroro turning the page that he was reading snapped Kurapika out of it. Kurapika had to gather his nerves and pull it together. At the very least, he was still here… his being, his soul, his energy, whatever they called it. Being hysterical was not going to help him find a way out of this. He forced himself to focus and tried to think again.

'What happened before this?'

Like an old film reel, his mind showed him what happened back then.

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XXX

The hostage exchange went as planned until more than three people came to the Lincoln Airport. Senritsu had given him a head start warning but to no avail. Aside from the woman named Pakunoda and Hisoka, the men named Phinx and Feitan had shown up. They were injured by which Kurapika surmised some of the other Spiders must have attempted to stop them from coming.

Kurapika almost killed Kuroro for that. Almost. If the Ryodan members chose to deviated his plan, he wouldn't hesitate to kill Kuroro Lucifer.

That was what he had thought.

In the end, he couldn't do it. Not when Gon and Killua were under the Spider's captives. He knew Pakunoda would keep her words, but the other Spiders were another story. It didn't take long for most of the Spider members to arrive at the airport and contributed themselves in this mess. The ones named Machi and Nobunaga, injured as much as the previous members that arrived, were held back by the blond man and another large man.

Once their eyes landed on their Danchou wrapped in chains, the conflict among them stopped. There was not even an eye contact from the Head, given that he was forbidden from that or he would be killed by the Judgment Chain. Somehow, Machi had a hunch. A sudden change of heart settled in on her and she managed to convince Nobunaga to a certain degree. A heartbeat later and they went all out at Kurapika's friends.

Gon and Killua couldn't possibly do much with the Spiders watching their backs. The others were going for Leorio and Senritsu.

In Kurapika's line of vision, the swordsman lunged at Leorio, aiming to cut off his throat. In the heat of the moment, he didn't think and whipped out his chain to stop the swordsman. The enemy was blasted away and there was a slight relief look on Leorio's face before it turned into horror when he looked to Kurapika.

"KURAPIKA!" Leorio yelled out so loud.

Yet Kurapika didn't miss a deep chuckle that sounded from the throat behind him. He had kept his chain on the Spider head and lashed out another one to save Leorio but the focus on the previous chain must have loosened. That was when he knew everything would be over…soon

He didn't even feel the impact when it was inflicted to the back of his throat. The next thing he knew, everything he saw was spinning. He swayed, every commotion and ruckus around him stopped except the sound of the rain. He heard his friends' voices yelling out to him, but they sounded distant.

"Not bad, boy." One deep voice stood clear among all of them.

Kurapika shoved his right hand back while attempting to turn and face the now freed Spider head. His hands came right into the Spider head's own. He was caught. Hands behind his back, he was pushed and urged to stagger up towards his friends.

When his mind cleared up a bit after that impact, he looked up. His face turned horror-stricken. They were all caught. When Kuroro was freed of the chains, his comrades must have had a mutual understanding to save the killing of the chain-guy's friends for later.

First must have been the death of him.

Kuroro gave a light kick behind Kurapika's knees and the boy went down. He had hit to joggle the boy's brain, with the strength he would use on one of the Zoldyk's family. Underestimating wouldn't do, he had to be on the safe side.

"I didn't expect this petty incident to come to this but it ends here," Kuroro said, right next to the boy's ear. Kurapika shuddered at the breath he felt. "But first…"

He let go off the boy's hands, knowing the other knew better not to pull any stunt anytime soon. He circled around and went down to the boy's sitting level. Kuroro checked the time. Minutes to midnight, about time to save one of his comrades before the Judgment Chain kill her. He demanded, "Call it off. Hers fist."

The green eyes turned a deep shade of red. Nothing but hatred glared out of them.

A smile pulled at Kuroro's lips. Not certain of the boundary where eye contact could lead to communication, Kuroro kept his eyes trained on the boy. He didn't even have to look at his comrades to know that each of them were monitoring each of the chain-guy's friends. Thing were going the Spiders' way.

He heard the two brats yelling in protest from behind. And the horror that stuck into the eyes that the shades of red intensified only served to confirm his comrades behind him knew what to do. He had not been mistaken. The chain-guy puts his friends on top priority.

The loud yell broke from the man Kuroro remembered as one of the chain-guy's friends, Leorio's. Followed by Nobunaga's voice threatening him, "Shut up, or…" Kuroro could mentally visualize the tip of the samurai's sword touching the throat of the lanky man whom the chain guy had dug his own grave saving earlier.

"Call it off, now," Kuroro repeated.

"You'd only kill us all," Kurapika snapped, his voice strained.

To Kuroro, it only seemed the boy was trying to steel himself when he was all shaking inside at the thought of losing his friends. Bearing in mind time was of essence for Pakunoda, he tried again, "The only one I want is you. You call the judgment chains off, I'll let your friends go free, all four of them. How's that?"

"How do I know you won't go back on your word?" Kurapika ground out as he looked over to Pakunoda. She seemed relieved, but not at all overjoyed at the turn of event. He knew she was a woman of her word but the table was turned.

"You don't," Kuroro smirked. "But I give you my word. Besides, even if you don't call it off, your friends will be killed. As for me, I'd be on my way to find a nen-eraser. How does that sound to you?"

Kurapika looked over to his friends. They all gave a shake of head in disapproval. The defying looks were clear in their eyes, even from Leorio who had a sword at his throat. But there was no way out of this deadlock. There was nothing left for him to bargain with.

He smiled to his friends for the last time and turned to Kuroro before he could see the heartbroken look on their faces. He concentrated, slowly lifted his right hand as the Spider head watched closely. With a flick of his hand towards Pakunoda, then at Kuroro, he said, "It's done."

With Gyou, Kuroro tested and felt the chain no longer there. He glanced to his comrades, seeing all the look of relief on their faces. He gave out a long, audible sigh. When he looked back at the boy, he was crestfallen. He couldn't resist a sudden urge to say something , "You did pretty well, much more than any other had ever done to us…or to me in particular. Be proud of that."

The downcast look turned hostile again as Kurapika returned, "Now I want to see my friends go free."

"No."

The cold word was like a train crashing into him. Kurapika couldn't breathe, his blood ran cold. His eyes strayed to his friends. They were going to die because of him. He snapped, "You SAID you'd KEEP your words!"

A cynical smirk on Kuroro's face was nothing but of a cold, heartless criminal that he was, "You know… thief."

"You BASTARD!" he roared, seeing nothing but red. In his line of vision, he saw Kuroro lifted a hand. His friends yelled and screamed from the sidelines. Then he saw no more.

XXX

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That was the last thing he remembered.

Kurapika hitched a breath as his hands dug into the cloth on his chest. He could feel the sensation, lightly, reassuring a tad bit that he was still there, living or not. The shock was wearing off, but the ache was growing.

What about his friends?

Rage rose within him, far more than the last hour since he had opened his eyes knowing and understanding next to nothing. He glared down at the man who continued to read while sipping the hot mug of coffee that he had just refilled, without a care in the world. Somehow, Kurapika's presence had a sudden weight down, his feet touched the floor. He strode near to the man who he hated with all his heart.

Not only had he taken all of his clan, his home, and his life. Even the last thing he believed in…the ones he considered as real friends and the closest thing to a family he had was destroyed by this man. Despite the awareness that physical contact was impossible, but not really thinking, Kurapika moved towards the man. He raised up a hand.

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Aside from the room temperature that seemed to drop, he had picked up a change in atmosphere for the past hour. Not knowing exactly what it was, he ignored it and enjoyed his reading time. Until a moment ago, when something changed. The air became thick and heavy, which was strange. This morning this room was filled with warm sunshine, with window on the lookout for the blue ocean and clear sky. Now it seemed completely different.

A cup of coffee in his left hand and a book in his right hand, he stilled as he felt it again. The strange energy in this room, stronger than it had been for the past hour. The cold temperature didn't affect him earlier, given that his body was trained to endure through all. Now it did a little. Kuroro squinted his eyes at the page, unable to exactly pinpoint what he should be focusing on.

Next thing he knew the objects in his hands were sent flying at him.

The semi-hot coffee splashed on his shoulder and the book before both a mug and a volume plummeted to the ground. He hissed a bit at the searing pain across his shoulder but quickly took care of the book before himself.

"Shit," he cursed a bit too late. Then he blinked. What just happened? He let his gaze roamed around the room. He'd been here for a second day without the slightest disturbance whatsoever. Just an empty room in an abandoned church, a rest stop before the Genei Rydoan traveled onward to Ryuusegai. Not some damn punishment from god above for him taking refuge in the church, yes?

Well, if God were to punish him, he would have done that a long time ago.

Must be something else. That in mind, Kuroro put the book on the couch. The spilled coffee was left forgotten. This time, he let himself absorb the air around him. This wasn't new. It was something he'd experienced before. He knew this atmosphere. He closed his eyes and an identity of the certain boy crossed his mind. When he opened his eyes again, a faintest blob of blond, blue and yellow occurred to his vision.

He didn't blink. Kuroro stepped forward, only squinting his eyes harder in concentration as he went. Was his eyes playing tricks with him? The yet to be identified, unclear object seemed to back away. Kuroro cornered it to the wall and reached out.

His hand went through something.

Before he could further ado, came a knock on his door. Kuroro turned his attention to the door that Machi emerged through after he answered.

"Danchou, came to let you know that we're back. What time are we leaving?" Machi asked.

His original plan was to leave as soon as everyone was geared. But now he had this concern about the happening of a moment ago. He answered, "Tomorrow noon. We'll rest here for another night."

"Okay," The young lady nodded. Her eyes caught the coffee spilled on her Danchou's shoulder. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. Just a coffee spill," Kuroro responded to her and received the strange look from the young woman. Well she knew he wasn't a clumsy man. She didn't push on though. Before she turned to leave, Kuroro noticed her eyes swept over the room. Among all of them, she was the one with the strongest ability to feel… things. He asked, "You feel that too?"

"Yes," She answered. Seeing the mug of coffee on the floor and the book that smeared with coffee stains. Her Danchou always took good care of his books. It dawned on her. "Was that the something-in-this-room's doing?"

Kuroro nodded to that.

She looked around and said, "May I suggest you change a room?"

Kuroro chuckled in his throat. If Machi suggested this, that must have meant it could be bad enough. But the Spiders hardly ever had a trouble with any paranormal or haunting experiences no matter how many they've killed. It wasn't their bag to carry. Somehow, Kuroro felt this time was different from all else. Whatever it was, he wanted to face it.

"I'll be fine. You go get rest, Machi," He assured her. Once she gave a tentative nod to his order and left, he closed the door and returned his gaze to the wall that he believed he had cornered that thing. His feeling was certain now. Therefore, he said without thinking twice.

"Hey, you there? Chain-user?"

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Kurapika was speechless.

Not only had he could smack the objects out of Kuroro's hands, but the other could see him? Why now when an hour ago, the man was totally unaware of his presence. To his surprise, the first feeling that settled in was fear, much to his shock. How come he'd fear of the Spider head now?

There was that theory that the fear might have been inflicted on his being that Kuroro Lucifer was the one who killed him. It was unnerving but it was known for a fact.

And there was another theory to himself that if he could perform a physical contact to hurt the man like smacking hot coffee upon Kuroro (much to his amusement), he'd wanted to take a whole lot of advantage from not being seen. But as soon as he thought that, Kuroro was coming closer to him. That fear fresh in mind, he backed away with his eyes unable to turn away from Kuroro's eyes. The other seemed to look right back at him when he shouldn't be seeing him.

He felt himself cornered and the man reaching out. Kurapika braced himself but felt nothing as the pale hand went right through where his head should have been.

He was saved by a bell when the man's comrade emerged from the door. He listened on their conversation and…not good. They were talking about him? They knew? No way. Lost at what to do, he just remained there. Strange as it was, being a ghost felt different. He couldn't seem to analyze situation and act according to it as much as he used to in his flesh and blood. Brain dead?

Shit. Whatever.

The young lady had left and he was alone with the man once more. Kuroro looked right back at him and Kurapika didn't know he shudder.

"Hey, you there? Chain-user?"

Crap…

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Note: This idea popped up when I was watching Supertural when Bobby dies (nooooooo!). I felt the sudden urge to write so I did. I know! I'm so bad not finishing one story and keep jumping to another one. But I can't help it " As always, let me know what you think?

This was originally an AU drabbles that supposed to end in one, short chapter. I want to explore KuroKura relationships in other parallel worlds. But as I keep writing, ideas flow. And said drabble had become a story.