Title: The Sun Also Shines at Night - Chapter 1: into the Spider's Web I

Summary: Kuroro managed to get rid of Kurapika's judgment chain's conditions. The two met by coincidence. Due to a certain Nen condition, Kuroro couldn't kill Kurapika right away, so he took the boy in Genei Ryodan instead. Kuroro x Kurapika, shonen-ai.

Note: Storyline base on the anime: the Ryodan found Abengane, a Nen-remover, he left GI with Hisoka. This fanfic happens after that, and in between the time Gon and Killua was still in GI, while Kurapika left York Shin under Nostrad's order.

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

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Chapter 1 Into the Spider's Web

Kuroro Lucifer stood over a dead body. His face was still as he silently watched the prone form of the Nen-remover, Abengane. There was a brief moment of silence as Kuroro brought his hand up to level it at his chest. He felt the absence of it; the chain-user's Nen had been obliterated. Not far from him, Hisoka was watching, his lips twitched upward into a mischievous grin. The jester was waiting for him to test the consequence.

"One way to find out," the man with an inverted cross trailed off. He concentrated, it had been a while…he wondered if it would take some time. His situation had been stressed since York Shin, for good reason. Following Neon Nostrad's prophecy, he had traveled east to arrive in the outskirts of Attique city in the Eastern Area. He came in search of a Nen-user who could alleviate the cursed Nen dominating him by the chain-guy.

He had contacted Hisoka, as he seemed to be the only one who was available, in hopes that the clown would lend a hand in search of a Nen-remover. There was a price, of course, as there always was: Kuroro had agreed to fight him if he succeeded in his task. His hidden message to the Spiders in Greed Island through Hisoka's using his name had worked out. They found Abengane.

And here he was now, dead; his life force had been terminated as a consequence of eliminating the chain-guy's powerful Nen. Abengane himself knew it would happen, but he chose to do so regardless for sheer amount of money, although he would never be able to use it in his lifetime. It was for his sister's sickness, as far as Kuroro knew. It didn't matter to him what it had been for.

Kuroro noted that the huge creature summoned by Abengane, which appeared and swallowed the cursed Nen, suddenly was neutralized after it had finished its deed. That proven enough of how overpowering the chain-guy's Nen was, since normally the creature should still be alive, staying with the person the oppressive Nen had been removed from.

The chain-guy was still out there; his existence was a threat to Kuroro's life. He needed to take care of this issue as soon as possible.

'But now, first things first.' Kuroro concentrated again. And there it was in his hand, appearing from nowhere: his skill book. His lips curved upward into a smile. "Finally…" He hadn't felt better for months, not since York Shin with the Nen binding upon his heart, restricting him from his abilities. Yet he wasn't sure who was happier at the return of his Nen, himself or the orange-haired man who now paced closer with a sinister grin stretched from ear to ear. He let his skill book disappear and turned to face Hisoka. Kuroro's dark, black eyes questioned silently, "Now?"

Hisoka stopped in front of him and answered the unvoiced question. "Eat and rest well for today, Kuroro. I want you to be at your full capacity when we fight." His tone was barely contained with thrill, "When can it be? I can hardly wait."

The Spider head sighed softly. 'A promise is a promise. At least he doesn't push it so unexpectedly like last time…' "Tomorrow, then. I'll manage."

Hisoka smiled pleasingly, his eyes narrowed. Then he turned and waved. "I'm looking forward to tomorrow then."

Kuroro watched the man vanish into the woods. Then he left as well, finally moving from the spot he had inhabited for so long. Abengane's corpse lay there, forgotten.

He would have to contact the rest of the spiders, though dealing with Hisoka would have to come first. Then he needed to hunt down the chain-guy. With that in mind, he made his way into the nearby city.

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It was a late afternoon in Attique, a city near to the Atlantic Ocean. Attique was known for its traditional ways of life and conservation of antiquities. All kinds of cultural, historical museums and human creations could be found here. Kuroro strolled along the canal – deep, still water mirrored with evening clouds.

He entered one of the nearby cafes and seated himself among the crowd. Ordering some food, he grabbed a newspaper and scanned over it just for something to read and learn a little about this city. Then, just as he was about to pull his phone out, he abruptly paused. His dark eyes shifted to zero in on a figure that had just entered the cafe. He recognized the person instantly, and brought the newspaper up more on the level of his face.

He didn't need another peek to be certain that it was him. He was a boy who stood out most in the crowd. Blond hair, ocean green eyes, delicate physique, pale skin…a remarkable one, he might add. The boy still wore the same blue tribal clothing he had on when they had met, back in York Shin.

'The Chain-guy.'

Said chain-guy was sitting at a sideways angle, mostly turned away from Kuroro, and was casually ordering his food. Obviously, he was unaware of the close scrutiny he had attracted.

Kuroro continued to watch as the Kuruta started eating his food quietly. He observed the boy, silently assessing. It was this boy that put him through so much. Instead of killing him, the boy had rendered him powerless by wiring his heart with a materialized arrow, which would kill him instantly should the conditions be broken.

'Impressive.' A single Kuruta had been the very first one to subjugate the fearsome leader of Genei Ryodan. When Uvogin had been killed, Kuroro had nonchalantly pictured the enemy as a terrifying man. Not this boy whom he had mistaken for a girl on first glance. By the look of it, the Kuruta couldn't be more than sixteen or seventeen. Just a boy whose facial expressions, actions, and thoughts were older than his age. Who would believe the renowned leader of Genei Ryodan would be subdued by a child of the Kuruta tribe well-known for their pacifist nature?

'Guess that's how the thirst for revenge works. I can hardly understand it, now.' Kuroro wondered if the Kuruta had pursued him. The Kuruta should have felt the moment his Nen had been lifted. But could it be possible that the boy knew about his whereabouts, and at this speed? 'Well, one way to find out.' The man rose from his seat, took his plate of food that had been set before him long ago, and made his way to the boy. He asked, "Would you mind sharing the table?"

The Kuruta was unaware. He had a habit of closing his eyes while eating, a behavior which seemed to be held by most every person who was focused. The boy nodded, only just then that he recognized that voice; that deep rich…firm and cold voice. His green eyes suddenly snapped wide while the man already took the seat and set the plate down.

"What the hell!?" Chair fallen backward, Kurapika fastened on his feet, gazing down at the man sitting in front of him, unbelievingly. His barely controlled outburst and the sound of fallen chair were loud enough to turn the crowd dead silent. They had their surprised attention on him.

Kuroro's face displayed innocuous surprise and he responded, "Having dinner...?" He turned to supply the apologies to the people that were looking at them. "Please don't mind him, being too surprise to see a long lost old friend." Then he turned back to the boy, pointing his finger down to the table. "Now, why don't you sit down and we'll have some good old times chat."

Kurapika let out a soft grunt as he became more aware of his situation. He forced down to compose, calming himself, and retreated the chair.

"How surprising…you're still sitting down?" The man started eating his food. 'So he wasn't after me. He mustn't have expected to see me here. The world is too big for a small Kuruta…'

Kurapika glared venomously at him. "You can't do anything anyway, abiding by my rules." The boy warned.

Kuroro paused and blinked, he put the fork down. 'So it means he doesn't know it yet? How come?' He speculated. He had already tried using Nen and was still alive. Although he hadn't made contact with his comrades yet. But it couldn't be that he had to break both rules in order for Judgment Chain to activate. He had to find out.

The man gestured to the boy. Kurapika took it knowingly; both of them paid the bills before heading out.

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It was getting late. The sun set itself on the horizon behind the ocean, way out to the sky, with flocks of seagulls hovering and cooing.

The Spider head led the boy through a certain path, into a secluded area of the city. The boy kept his stare on the man's back as he followed the footsteps, keeping an amount distance. He studied the man no longer clad in his black overcoat with the inverted cross on the back; instead he only wore black long sleeve shirt and pants. His overall physical appearance looked the same, with the raven-haired slicked back and the tattoo on his forehead.

Only when they made it into a dimmed spacious alley did the man turned around to face him. Both had their eyes locked on each other, neither did move nor speak.

Kurapika knew this day would come, but he didn't expect it to be so soon. He had been calmed enough listening to Killua's warning about the possibility of his Nen binding Kuroro Lucifer being lifted. But having the real man that he hated most right in front of him was a different story. Eventually, Kurapika's annoyance drove out unease. The man was the one who called him out and now he just stood there, watching and waiting. It was getting on his nerves.

The man smiled as he noticed the patient Kurapika had was wearing thin. His intention had been fulfilled. When the boy was in rage he couldn't maintain his caution and control. Kuroro already thought of the way to trick the boy into giving him some answer.

"I suppose you travel in search of your clan's eyes?"

"I'm not obliged to answer you."

"Haven't found any, I assume?"

"…!" The boy's eyes flashed red momentarily.

Kuroro smirked at the response he drew from the boy.

"I'm in search of a Nen-remover, as you might already know."

Kurapika blinked. He wondered why the man had to tell him that. But the previous statement had left him in anger, he gave the hint no further thought. So he returned the man's sarcasm. "How unfortunate of you…I see you haven't found one yet."

'Right to the point, that's exactly what I want to know.' It seemed that the chain-guy was not aware the Nen had been lifted. The question of how come…could be answer later. 'Now, there would be no little brats getting in a way, no hostages and bargaining.' Kuroro paced closer purposefully. "Don't you think our previous encounter was left unsettled?"

Kurapika fell into guarded position. "Don't be stupid. You can't use Nen."

Kuroro felt something in his stomach turned. He was sure as hell that the boy must really want him dead…now. Why avoid the battle? Was it because the boy believed he would be helpless without Nen? So…that meant the boy wouldn't fight a defenseless man, even though said man was the cause of his clan's death?

'How unnerving…'

The man closed his eyes and rubbed the back of his head, letting out a long sigh. "Don't be careless. I've killed people with bare hands even without Nen." He paused. "That was what I did to old people, women, and even children in your Kuruta clan. Gouging out their eyes didn't require Nen at all."

As soon as the statement was finished, all hell broke loose.

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Kuroro really couldn't understand the boy in front of him. The boy was panting, sweating, and bleeding, just like Kuroro himself. He had already used Nen, but Kuroro could tell that it wasn't in a full capacity. And for the most part, they had engaged in hand to hand combat for a while, after the boy's eyes turned bright scarlet instantly the moment Kuroro issued the formidable provocation.

The man was certain that he had the upper-hand by now. Despite the boy having managed to bind his left hand with that chain, he kept preventing it from binding him further. Yet the table was turned, as their fight now became a close combat. The boy was actually a very good fighter, but not as good as him in this sort of combat. He once learned a little from Hisoka that the boy had always fought with weapons back then. But Kuroro grew up in a place where he had to survive by kicking, struggling, and thrashing about. He was more than familiar with staying alive with nothing to be a cover for him.

"Not bad," Kuroro complimented. "But still not good enough. Quit restraining your Nen, use it as you want to kill me," the man ordered. "You're not winning me. Your sense of fairness and justice won't help you to make it out alive."

Kurapika only gritted his teeth. He so wanted to tell that he almost gave his all into this battle. But the man he fought was so damn fast. Without any single distraction, Kuroro managed to avoid all of the chains aiming to capture him. The idea of taking the man's life was so tempting, but then again he did remember how he felt after ending someone's life.

Kuroro let out a sigh. "Perhaps if I use my Nen…then you'll really start using yours as well." As expected, the Kuruta faltered incredulously upon hearing that. The man let his bluish-mauve aura flow, exhibiting Nen.

"How…?" Kurapika rasped out, eyes widened. He'd known about that possibility, but he still should have known if his Nen had been removed.

"I'd like to know the answer too, why you didn't have any idea about this." Kuroro's eyes lingered at his own aura, before they turned to the Kuruta. "But I'll find that out later…after your life is done for."

Kurapika tightened the hold on his chains instantly, preparing to go all out.

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The encounter was shorter this time. Kurapika realized that his fight with Uvogin had been nothing compared to the leader itself. Kuroro was able to dodge almost every movement of Chain Jail he delivered. The one chain that managed to capture Kuroro's hand now seemed to be a mistake as it was the man that kept pulling him in by that connected chain. He hissed at the near zero chance of winning.

It dawned on him that he might not make it out…alive.

A heavy blow connected with his stomach. He fell to his knees, bending forward, coughing up blood for the third times. His head hung low as his gaze directed towards the ground, seeing his sweat and blood dripping. His hands, supporting him from falling further, now clenched into tight fists. The chain binding Kuroro's hand now loosened.

"I'm disappointed. I thought you'd better than that, being the first one that had captured and brought me down back then." Kuroro stood above the boy, staring down at him without emotion. He bent down and tipped the boy's chin up to face him. Violent rage behind those flame-colored eyes bored into the callous black-ones. 'How determined,' Kuroro thought, and he announced it out loud. "Yours are the best, compared to all the other Kurutas. For that, I'll take your eyes, along with your head."

Feeling threatened yet infuriated to the core, Kurapika jerked away from the Spider's hand. He jumped back and failed to stand up right. No way in hell that he was going to give up on what should belong to him…to his clan! But the man was already in front of him when he got up. All he could see now was a hand shot out, aiming for his throat.

However…

It was fast, but Kuroro was able to stop his hand from going further through the Kuruta's neck and avoided the blow the boy sent at the same time. "Too slow." He managed a comment before he delivered a heavy punch to the boy's stomach, forcing Kurapika to land on the ground after staggering a few paces.

Once again, Kuroro tilted his head back to watch the boy pushed himself up, but failed. And he didn't move for a second time. Kuroro, stood there, regained his posture, and looked at the unconscious Kuruta. 'What the hell was that?' The man brought his hand up to his chest level, right above his heart.

'I felt it…the Nen-chain…was activating again…'

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"Dan…chou?" Shalnark uttered expectantly as he answered the phone that showed the name of Kuroro on the screen. Upon hearing the word 'Danchou,' all of his Spider comrades turned their attention on him.

"Shalnark." There was a pause and a faint sigh of relief. "Finally-"

"Danchou! Has the chain-guy's Nen curse been lifted!? Where are you!?" Shalnark questioned in a hurry. His Spider comrades were already at his side: Machi, Nobunaga, and Phinx turned their ears close to the device. Franklin, Shizuku, and Feitan stood behind the four, listened to the conversation attentively while Coltopi and Bonorenof only watched from where they were situated.

"Yes, the cursed-Nen had been removed. But I'm not sure what happened, I think it's not entirely gone…although I already broke the two rules." Kuroro explained, his voice as calm as ever.

"I don't think I understand, Danchou. But are you coming back to us? We're still at York Shin," Shalnark asked, being hopeful.

"…Ok…I'll be there by tomorrow." A pause. "And…I'll bring along the chain-guy."

"What!?" Shalnark shouted as Machi, Nobunaga, and Phinx couldn't believe what they had just heard.

"I'll explain later. But I have him here with me."

"But…he's dangerous. Are you going to be alright?"

"I got him. Hisoka is also with me. I'll see you guys at York Shin then." With that, the line went dead.

His comrades pestered Shalnark with questions after he put the device away. He sighed and smiled half-heartedly. "Danchou's coming back…" With that everyone's eyes lit up only to fade away into a frown when Shalnark added, "…with the chain-guy."

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He was feeling somewhat drowsy, despite the cold rain that drenched him. When he opened his eyes, he blurrily saw things upside down. He couldn't move: his entire body was paralyzed. But why was he moving through the air with such speed?

Kurapika came to the realization that someone was carrying him over a shoulder, but the ache in his stomach and the numb feeling held him back from reacting immediately. Still, all the memory of the previous events hit him. He was fighting with Kuroro, the Spider head and might have lost it. Then…after that…

"Waking up at last?" the cold voice asked him. With all the strength left in him, Kurapika snapped his head up to his left side and saw the Spider's head there; his stoic face returned his gaze.

A drop of rain fell into the Kuruta's eyes. It was raining, just like the day they first encountered.

As of now, they were moving through somewhat a very familiar metropolis in the night, York Shin City. The man trudged from one roof to another building. And with inhuman speed, Kurapika could blearily make out that they were farer from the city. Kuroro had a tight grip on his waist and he flinched slightly in his captivator's hands.

'What the hell is going on?' He thought for a while. 'Ah…right…I fell…and am I held captive?' He thought hard, and recalled the fuzzy events.

X

The past day, he felt drained and exhausted. His vision was blurry and his body was unable to move, although he wanted badly to decapitate the hands that roamed over his clothes, searching for something. The man in front of him pulled out his wallet, and the next moment his Hunter license card was lifted just above the line of his vision. Then it was gone for a while, and came back. "A Blacklist Hunter, huh? You became a Hunter in order to come after Spiders, impressive."

After that, he saw Hisoka talking to the Spider head. Kurapika shuddered involuntary as the jester eyed him before he left.

He believed he must be on an airship. The man in front of him was talking on the phone, on the subject of "weakness of the chain-user."

X

Then Kurapika flinched. Talking about his 'weakness,' he was certain that the Spider head must have known about it by now. Since he felt Pakunoda die back then. It only meant she had informed her comrades. With that thought, he started to feel somewhat more threatened than ever before. He gave an effort to struggle out of the man's grip.

"Stop struggling, it's no use. You're paralyzed," Kuroro explained. "Normal people shouldn't be able to move at all with that drug, nor wake up in less than an hour after my punch. But you did, moving and waking up from time to time. It must have been your strong will."

"What do you…want with me? Where are you…taking me?" He struggled to ask with a slur, as he felt himself once again giving a way towards darkness. "Why don't you…kill me now?" His voice got softer before he slowly slipped off to unconsciousness.

"…"

'Because I can't…for now…'

Kuroro was a person who always knew what he was doing. He knew exactly what he wanted and he would determinedly strive for his goal if he had set his mind to it. For now, he didn't have to answer the chain-guy's questions since the boy already passed out. But he was sure that he would have a hell of a time explaining to all of his comrades.

'No kid. The question is why didn't you kill me when you had the chance.'

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He made it to the abandoned warehouse located on the outskirts of York Shin City. Most of the Ryodan rushed to his side as they saw him approach from the doorway, while some remained their distance, yet still showing their satisfaction at their leader's return. All nine of them were there, waiting. They started asking questions of how he had been, but what baffled them was the blue bundle they saw in Kuroro's arms.

All of his comrades except Shizuku and Bonorenof stirred in realizations, as they only made out the blond hair and the tribal clothing of its owner.

"So you really bring along the chain-user!?" Nobunaga approached with the obvious restraining temper. But he was brought to abrupt halt when Kuroro raised one of his free hands in gesturing the swordsman to stop.

"Stand back, Nobunaga." Kuroro gave a firm order as he turned slightly to the side, the bundle of chain-guy still in his arms, so that he was fully in the way between the approaching comrade and his captive. "I'll explain." He crouched down and put the chain-guy against one of the debris in a sitting position, almost carelessly saves for the boy's head.

"Is this the guy? He doesn't look like someone who can take down Uvogin." Phinx commented as the others seemingly agreed. Sure he had seen the boy from Pakunoda's memory bullet, but the Chain-user now seemed even smaller in reality.

"He looks so…feminine." Franklin added, and the others again apparently had the same opinion.

'That's why I thought he was a girl in the first place.' Kuroro peered down at the boy. 'You couldn't blame me, my eyes didn't deceive me...you did.'

"So what's the story, Danchou?" Machi, who wasn't interest in the chain-user's feminine features interjected.

"Long story short. As you all probably had known from Pakunoda's memories, I traveled to the east in search of the Nen-remover. I didn't find one, but you did, Hisoka brought him to me." Here, Kuroro paused. "Speaking of Hisoka, is he already here?"

His comrades shook his head then Shalnark asked. "Did you fight with him?"

"That has to wait. I have to deal with the chain-guy first. Hisoka seemed pretty upset, but he said he'll be here." The Spider head replied.

"Leave him be." Machi closed her eyes tediously at the subject of a certain jester being mentioned.

Then Kuroro's mind shifted to another missing person, eyes had traveled to the spot where flowers and candles were gathered in the corner of the room, inverted cross made from wood on it. The Spider head stood up and paced to it. Shalnark had told him via the phone conversation that Pakunoda was dead after revealing the chain-guy's identity.

"So this is where Paku died…" Kuroro trailed off and closed his eyes, remaining silence in front of the grave for a long while, his back to his comrades. 'She should have waited."

"Danchou…" Shalnark called out, breaking the silence.

Kuroro turned back, facing his comrades, his face registered nothing. "It can't be helped. Her death was not wasted anyway. We still have to deal with things at hands."

"So what happened to you after that?" Machi raised.

Kuroro claimed a seat on the random wooden box then continued. "Lifting the cursed Nen was successful, with Abengane's life. I tried Nen immediately and was still alive. Then I met the chain-guy in the Attique City…by chance."

"By chance!? Are you sure he's not after you on purpose!?" Nobunaga interrupted.

'Right…it's a chance in a million, perhaps…fate?' Kuroro turned to the unconscious form and back to his comrades. "No…he was way too shocked to see me. Then I forced him to fight me."

"Forced!?" The samurai interrupted again and Machi hissed at him.

"He didn't want to fight at first, thinking that I can't use Nen yet. We fought bare hands mostly, then I displayed Nen, he was completely caught off guard. I'd almost killed him. But the very moment I aimed to cut off his throat." He pointed his finger right above his heart. "I felt it activated; the judgment chain. When I fought him, I used gyou just in case, so I felt it the very moment I was about to kill him."

His comrades' murmurs filled the huge spacious room. "How…"

"I've been thinking over the whole way here. From almost killing him, the solution represented itself. I was required to abide by two conditions. The Nen-remover successfully lifted the two conditions. But…the Nen itself stays…that's all I can think of."

Everyone made a baffled face. Then Shalnark was the first one who hit his fist into the other palm. "Got it! It's just like those rare cases. We know that Danchou could also die if the chain-guy dies because of the Nen that binds him. Abengane only had removed the two conditions, but not the whole Nen itself. This means, although the two conditions had been lifted, Danchou could still die if Kurapika dies, due to Kurapika's deep rooted resentment that stays in the form of hatred-Nen, free of any conditions."

"So his resentment towards Danchou is Nen itself that continues to stay, not the conditions that had been lifted. There's no such case in the past, but who knows if this Kuruta could be the first one in history," Phinx elaborated.

"Meaning…I can't kill him just yet, or I'll be dead as well." Kuroro concluded. This pronouncement was followed by a stressed mumble from his comrades.

"What are we going to do with him?" Machi asked.

"We keep him; he's powerless among us, until I find out the way to remove his Nen completely," Kuroro answered.

"Well, if his Nen stays because of his deep rooted resentment, then if we can make him hate Danchou less, then the chance of his cursed-Nen completely lifted is possible?" Shizuku suggested ingenuously, causing everyone to eye her, speechless.

A chuckle escaped Kuroro's lips. "That's probably right, but it'll be the last thing that would happen on earth. Anyway…" Kuroro brought his hands over his lips, a gesture well known to his comrades that he was contemplating on important matter. "His abilities are very useful. I bet we've lost numerous assets and cash to remove this Nen, we have to regain it soon. His dowsing chain can do the job…"

"So…?" Shalnark asked while he was actually getting a clue of where the statement was leading. Machi too, had a hunch of what was coming.

But before further discussion was made…

"He's waking up." With the three words Shizuku made as she pointed to the Kuruta, the room suddenly fell dead silent. And exactly three seconds after that, loud noises and jabbering filled the spacious room.

Shalnark caught a glimpse in his leader's eyes as he kept his attentive eyes on the Kuruta. Shalnark believed his Danchou must have been interested in how the boy would react when he woke up and found himself in this predicament.

"I gave him a dose; he can't possibly move much to attack us." He spared his comrades warning eyes, particularly Nobunaga. "Don't harm him."

Eventually Kurapika had fully regained his conscious, his face shocked as Kuroro observed in amusement. The Kuruta staggered to his feet but ended up stumbling sideways and caught a debris close to him for support. Then the blond head abruptly snapped up, scanning around the vast space, confusion written all over his pale face upon addressing all the people about him with fatal aura. More than half of them were the familiar faces he remembered from the Mafia's paper. His eyes were already red as they shifted back to the person closest to him, the Spider head.

He assumed now that the reason Kuroro hadn't kill him back there because the bastard wanted him to suffer at his comrades' hands here. Instinct told him that he would never make it out alive. But he'd fight to the drop of his last breath. At least, he had to take one of them with him, a certain one.

"Don't do anything stupid. You know you don't stand a chance." Kuroro rose to his feet, looking down at the worn out Kuruta. "I don't prefer you dying just yet." But it seemed that the seething boy didn't hear him anymore.

"…Spiders…I'll kill you…" Each and every word was spoken through gritted teeth as Kurapika's hands unsteadily postured to take action with his chains.

Kuroro was about to open his mouth to say more. But before anyone knew what was happening, the Spider leader's face was already dripping with blood.

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All the Spiders stared almost in disbelief. It was fast. The Kuruta had just lashed out his chain that could have gone through their Danchou's throat if the man hadn't dodged.

Kurapika hissed out in frustration. In that one second, he was allowed to think how stupid it was of him. He had firsthand experience what combating the Spider head was like…but this time, there was no Gon, Killua, Leorio or Senritsu to calm him down.

On the tail of that thought, his wrists were seized behind his back, with an applied force that could break his bones. It was the small black-haired man with a bandana. "You've went too far, brat."

Kuroro brought a hand up to his face, and scraped his left cheek. He noted the blood on his hand, the cut was deep. He almost smiled, of why he would, he couldn't tell. 'What a reckless boy. His resentment is so strong.'

"Breaking his arm wouldn't kill him." Feitan snarled as he tightened his hold on the boy's hands.

"Feitan," Kuroro called with disapproving tone. "Didn't you hear me when I ordered everyone, including you, not to attack him?"

Kurapika doubted the reason behind those words.

"Shalnark, take Feitan's place," the Spider head informed the tech-specialist. Shalnark took the captive's hands instead as, Feitan stepped aside with a hiss.

"Now listen…" Kuroro regained his posture, leaving the blood the way it was. "As you can see…how the chain-guy is capable of such ability. With his special type of Nen, his dowsing chain can locate the lost object and his holy chain can cure wounds. And I bet there're more…" He paused, as if to emphasize the importance of the next statement he would make. "I want him in Genei Ryodan for a time being. His useful abilities can come in handy."

As Kuroro had expected, only one protest from a certain hot-headed samurai could be one hell to handle, not mentioning another four that assembled the objection: Machi, Phinx, Feitan, and Franklin. The other four which were Shalnark, Shizuku, Coltopi, and Bonorenof only remained silent, most likely working on their decisions.

"Well, Danchou. It's rather a…hunch." Machi made a face.

Kuroro knew that her hunch wasn't something to be taken so lightly, asked. "Is it that bad?"

The young woman's eyebrows twitched slightly. "It isn't…that bad. But, it'll make a great deal on us." She paused, turning away, contemplating. "…I guess."

Nobunaga eyed her, now he knew his comrade's reliable hunch wasn't wrong. Back then she had told him that their Danchou might want the chain-user in a troupe. And now, the situation was proving it.

"His being here can threaten your life, Danchou," Phinx warned.

"After all, he's the one who had taken down Uvo," Franklin added. Feitan didn't say anything, but his eyes told million protests.

Then Kuroro turned to the other five who seemed to comply with him, or at least had no objections. Shalnark shrugged. "If it's your decision, then so be it. We can't kill him anyway now, nor can we set him loose." Shizuku nodded; so as Coltopi and Bonorenof.

"I'd rather die than joining you!" Kurapika cut in.

Again Shalnark and even Machi now caught an amused smile on their Danchou's face. He seemed to have that expression often since he returned: every time the wild Kuruta pulled out a reckless stunt.

"You don't see the gravity of the situation, do you?" Kuroro zeroed his eyes on the boy. "You have no fight against us. And like it or not, I'm putting you in the Spiders anyway." He turned to his comrades. "Arms and legs follow orders. If I put it that way, does anyone still want to protest?"

With that, it left only Nobunaga. The samurai could only stare blankly before he bellowed. "That chain-user killed Uvo!"

Kuroro closed his eyes, feeling somewhat irritated. Franklin, who got tired of restraining a struggling samurai and wanting to prevent his Danchou from losing his temper, finally knocked him over. His comrades watched and sighed in boredom, speaking to each other. "No wonder the guy was Uvo's closest friend; they made such a loud pair."

'So that's the guy Gon was talking about? The one who had cried for the death of that Giant?' Kurapika half-consciously observed.

"Franklin, I was about to inform you to do that. I'll deal with Nobunaga later. Now…" he regarded the Kuruta, this time his usual laze eyes threatening. "Join…or die."

"Die," Kurapika curtly responded without giving a second of thinking. There was no way in hell that he would join the Ryodan.

Kuroro exhaled to a great extent. He could do as the boy wish if his own life hadn't been depending upon the Nen condition. He had to try the other way around. "Coltopi, are the eyes still here?"

At the mentioning of the eyes, Kurapika froze. 'It couldn't be…'

The mopped blue-haired figure nodded and disappeared into the corner of the room. For a brief unnerving silence, Coltopi reappeared with a small glass tube container, with a pair of flamed-color eyes floating inside. He handed it to his leader.

"This-," Kuroro held the container up. "-is the real pair of Kuruta eyes. What you saw and what the Nostrad had won from the auction at York Shin back then was the replica created by Coltopi's Nen." Kuroro revealed with smugness in his tone.

Kurapika's shaking was obvious, his own scarlet eyes darkening at the instance. He tightened his fists, hating to bear the sight of his clan's eyes in the Spider's grip. Back there, even believing they were real ones, he still had given them up to Neon Nostrad when the circumstance called for. Letting his clan's eyes go with a self-centered, spoiled child was one story, but having seen it in the bane of his existence's hand was another.

"Give it to me," Kurapika growled.

"Join us," Kuroro insisted. "And don't you want to know of your clan's eyeballs whereabouts? I'm the one who sold them out to the black markets. I should have more clues than you." Seeing the boy's hesitation, Kuroro took another action. He opened the container and carefully reached for the human part inside it, holding it between his fingers. The sight made the chain-user's blood ran cold.

"I'll crush this thing right now if you decline my offer one more time." His cold voice cut through the core of the boy's being. "Make the right choice….last one of the Kuruta."

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Thanx for reading :)

Edited again on 22/2/2019. Another fix! Sorry! I don't know why back then, I was so under the impression that Kurapika left Nostrad when he didn't. I tried to fix it back.